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Ancient DNA evidence for Old World origin of New World dogs.

Mitochondrial DNA sequences isolated from ancient dog remains from Latin America and Alaska showed that native American dogs originated from multiple Old World lineages of dogs that accompanied late Pleistocene humans across the Bering Strait. One clade of dog sequences was unique to the New World, which is consistent with a period of geographic isolation. This unique clade was absent from a large sample of modern dogs, which implies that European colonists systematically discouraged the breeding of native American dogs.

Alaska↗

Cancer incidence among native Americans of western Washington.

The incidence of cancer among Native Americans in Alaska, Canada, and the south western United States has been reportedly low relative to the Caucasian populations in these areas. We investigated the incidence of cancer among the Native Americans of Western Washington for the time period 1974-1983 and compared it to that of the Caucasian population using two types of analyses, age-standardized incidence ratios (SIR) and proportional cancer incidence ratios (PIR). Native Americans of this area were found to be at lower risk of cancer than Caucasians at almost all ages. The age-standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for all cancer sites was 0.4 (p less than 0.01) for males and 0.6 (p less than 0.01) for females. A relative excess of cancer of the cervix (SIR = 1.6, PIR = 2.1, p less than 0.05) was found among Native American females. Significant deficits were found for corpus uterine cancer among females (SIR = 0.2, PIR = 0.5, p less than 0.05) and cancer of the prostate among males (SIR = 0.2, PIR = 0.5, p less than 0.05). A suggestive increase in the risk of cancer of the gallbladder was discovered for males and females. This is the first report on cancer incidence among Native Americans in Western Washington.

Adolescent↗

Elements for building a culturally specific addiction treatment program.

Addiction treatment tailored to specific cultural, ethnic and racial groups has been recognized as optimally effective. Alaska rural and Native cultures have healing elements that serve well in addiction treatment. However, it is not sufficient to "add on" a culturally orientated group to an already well defined program. In order for these cultural elements to be fully effective the basic philosophy and orientation of that modality of the treatment program needs to be based on them. Such program development needs to be implemented in a clear, coordinated and consistent manner. It is postulated that program modalities that offer a culturally specific theoretical base will be more effective then programs based on the medical model.

Alaska↗

Prevalence of HTLV-I in Arctic regions.

Sera of native inhabitants of Arctic regions were assayed for antibodies to HTLV-I by the ELISA technique followed by competition experiments to confirm antibody specificity. Residents of 7 widely separated Alaskan villages exhibited prevalence rates of 0 to 12% for HTLV-I antibodies. Less than 1% of Greenland Eskimos were HTLV-I antibody-positive. Residents of 3 northern Swedish regions ranged in HTLV-I antibody prevalence from 0 to 5%. Sera of healthy native inhabitants of Alaska and northern Sweden were similarly assayed for antibodies to HTLV-II. No additional sera were shown to be positive for HTLV-II antibodies. While some of the HTLV-I antibody-positive sera exhibited cross-reactivity with HTLV-II antigens, competition experiments using disrupted HTLV-II or purified HTLV-I p24 as test antigens indicated that the primary antibody response in all cases tested was elicited by HTLV-I. Our results show that HTLV-I distribution is not restricted to endemic areas in warm, humid climates, but extends to Arctic regions. Within these regions, HTLV-I exhibits the same restricted distribution seen in other areas where virus infection is prevalent. The Arctic does not seem to be a reservoir for HTLV-II infection. The origin of HTLV-I in Arctic areas is not known. One may speculate that foreign visitors introduced the virus into Aleut and Lapp populations, and that it has been maintained there and restricted in its distribution as a result of close familial relationships.

Adolescent↗

Chronic ear disease along the coasts of Labrador and Northern Newfoundland.

The high incidence of chronic ear disease among the three ethnic groups, Eskimo, Algonkian Indians, and Caucasians living under the same environmental conditions is studied. The role of socio-economic factors in the incidence and sequelae of ear disease in this population was similar to other studies among the native peoples of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. The variation in the disease pattern in the different ethnic groups was shown to be related to the aeration of the middle ear cleft. The air cell system of the mastoid is determined by x-rays and/or surgical exploration, but the patency of the Eustachian tube and its size is determined by impedance audiometry and use of ureteric catheters. The clinical and surgical findings of the behavior of chronic ear disease in the different ethnic groups is correlated to tissue culture experiments. The role of lowered oxygen tension in the formation and behavior of cholesteatoma is illustrated well among the Caucasians with poor aeration of the middle ear cleft who show a high incidence of cholesteatoma, unlike the Eskimos with good aeration who show a complete absnece of cholesteatoma.

Cholesteatoma↗

Associations between dietary factors and plasma lipids related to cardiovascular disease among Siberian Yupiks of Alaska.

The diet of northern Native people has been postulated to protect against cardiovascular disease. We asked whether nutrient and food intakes of Eskimos were correlated with their plasma cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides and LDL-HDL ratio. Frequency of consumption of 91 foods among 64 Siberian Yupik adults was measured during home-based interviews. Intake of monounsaturated fat by men was negatively correlated with LDL. Foods and nutrients that contribute to the LDL-HDL ratio explained 42% of its variation among all subjects. Inclusion of the body mass index (BMI) explained 59% of the variation in the LDL-HDL ratio. Coefficients were negative for alpha-tocopherol, fresh bird, evaporated milk and cheese, and positive for BMI, syrup and pizza. BMI had a positive effect on the LDL-HDL ratio among younger adults, women and the entire sample, but did not contribute to explaining the variation among older adults or men. This emphasizes the importance of weight control among younger Siberian Yupik women. While coefficients were both positive and negative for traditional and western foods, the presence of traditional foods that were negatively correlated in the regression supports the hypothesis that consumption of traditional foods is important for maintaining cardiovascular health among Siberian Yupiks.

Adult↗

Suicides in Alaska: firearms and alcohol.

A manual review of death certificates and autopsy records identified 195 suicides in Alaska during 1983-84. Native males, 20-24 years old, had the highest rate of suicide (257 per 100,000 person-years). Gunshot wounds caused 76 per cent of all suicide deaths; 79 per cent of Native and 48 per cent of White suicides had detectable levels of blood alcohol. Suicide by firearms was weakly associated with blood alcohol levels above 100 mg/dl (odds ratio 1.3, 95 per cent confidence interval 1.11-1.47).

Adult↗

Primary angle-closure glaucoma among Alaskan Eskimos.

An epidemiological study of the occurrence of angle-closure glaucoma was made under the Eskimos population of the Norton Sound and Bering Straits region of Alaska. Among 1673 Alaskan Natives examined 14 cases (0.8%) of angle-closure glaucoma were found, in 0.5% of the men and 1.2% of the women; for persons above the age of 40 years these figures were 2.1% and 5.5% respectively. Angle-closure glaucoma was found in 11.8% of women above the age of 60 years. A shallow anterior chamber was seen twice as frequently in women as in men. Above the age of 30 years the chamber angle was considered to be occludable in 2% of men and 7.5% of women on gonioscopic examination. The average intra-ocular pressure of the right eyes of men was 11.7 mm Hg (s.d. 3.3) and of women 12.0 mm Hg (s.d. 3.4). Primary open-angle glaucoma was not seen in the population being studied.

Adolescent↗

Approaches to prevent acute bacterial meningitis in developing countries.

Endemic acute bacterial meningitis of childhood appears to be neglected as a cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries, probably because it has been overshadowed by the dramatic epidemics of meningococcal disease in sub-Saharan Africa. The available data based on reviews of hospitalized patients suggest that endemic meningitis is mostly a disease of young infants, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b being the most important etiologic agents. The epidemiological pattern appears to be different in developing countries, compared with northern Europe or the USA, and closely resembles the early age of onset and high incidence of meningitis observed among the native American populations in Alaska. The mortality from meningitis appears to be much higher in developing countries than in industrialized countries. The availability of vaccines against the pneumococcus and haemophilus, particularly those in which the bacterial polysaccharide is conjugated to a protein, promises protection against systemic bacterial infection from these organisms. The assessment of the efficacy of such vaccines will have to include a close examination of meningitis as an outcome. It is suggested that before such vaccines become available careful clinical and epidemiological studies of meningitis will help both to define the impact of this disease and how to design an intervention strategy.

Adolescent↗

Misclassification of infant deaths--Alaska, 1990-1991.

In June 1991, the Alaska Section of Vital Statistics reported that nine deaths of Alaskan Native infants occurred in seven villages in southwestern Alaska from January 1990 through June 1991. In comparison, seven Alaskan Native infant deaths occurred in these villages during 1986-1989. Two of the deaths during 1990-1991 had been attributed to acute viral myocarditis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision [ICD-9], code 422.9) and three to viral or unspecified pneumonitis (ICD-9 codes 480.9 and 486), while from 1985 through 1989, one infant death in these villages had been attributed to either of these causes. An examination of the clinical histories of these nine infants by the Alaska Division of Public Health (ADPH) suggested some of the diagnoses might be inaccurate. This report summarizes an investigation by the ADPH to assess the accuracy of the immediate cause of death recorded on the death certificates for the nine infants.

Alaska↗

Invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b disease in Alaska: background epidemiology for a vaccine efficacy trial.

In a previous study we demonstrated that Alaskan Eskimos had the highest endemic incidence of invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease. In 1980 we established a prospective surveillance program for all invasive Hib disease throughout Alaska to characterize additional epidemiological features of disease in Native Alaskans to plan for a vaccine efficacy trial and define the epidemiology of Hib disease in all population groups in the state. For the three-year period, 1980-1982, 287 confirmed episodes of invasive Hib disease occurred. For children less than five years of age, the incidences for Eskimos, Indians, and non-Natives were 705, 401, and 129 cases per 100,000 population, respectively. The Native population represents only 16% of the population of Alaska but has 51% of all invasive Hib disease. Disease differed significantly among Eskimos, Indians, and non-Natives with regard to risk, age of onset, disease type, antibiotic susceptibility of strains, and regional incidence, but mortality and seasonal occurrence were similar. For Native Alaskans the cumulative Hib disease risk for the first two years of life was 4% (range, 1%-7% by region). This high endemic disease risk, concentrated in the first two years of life, provides a unique opportunity to prospectively evaluate the protective efficacy of a vaccine in a randomized, blinded, and placebo-controlled trial. Such a trial was initiated in December 1984.

Adolescent↗

Further observations on rangiferine brucellosis in Alaskan carnivores.

Antibodies against rangiferine brucellosis, Brucella suis type 4, are commonly found in the serum of various domestic and wild alaskian carnivores which feed on caribou, Rangifer tarandus granti, arctic Alaska. Sled dogs from five native villages on the range of the Artic caribou herd, but not from two villages on the the range of the Porcupine caribou herd, are commonly infected. Wolves (Canis lupus) and red foxes (Vulpes fulva) are less commonly infected. About 90% of the grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) associated with the Artic caribou herd and 30% of those associated with the porcupine caribou herd show serologic signs of exposure to Brucella, presumalby the enzootic strain present in Alaska caribou. This is the first evidence of natural Brucella infection in bears. It is concluded that infection of predators by enzootic strains of Brucella present in prey species (e.g., ruminants) is common to many areas of the world. Evidence from the literature and unpublished experimental data suggest that such infections may intefere with reproduction in wild species, but additional study is needed to clearly resolve this question.

Agglutination Tests↗