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PubMed2003

Modern aspects of cutaneous neurogenic inflammation.

Recent findings have shed new light on the role of peripheral nerves in the skin and established a modern concept of cutaneous neurobiology. Closely related monodirectional and/or bidirectional pathways exist in which the central and peripheral nervous system, the endocrine and immune system, and almost all skin cells are involved. Information is emerging about the factors involved in these immunomodulatory mechanisms, which are defined as neuropeptides, neurotransmitters, neurotrophins, and neurohormones. The interaction between peripheral nerves and the immune system is mediated by different types of cutaneous nerve fibers that release neuromediators and activate specific receptors on target cells in the skin such as keratinocytes, mast cells, Langerhans cells, microvascular endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and infiltrating immune cells. These interactions influence a variety of physiologic and pathophysiologic functions including cellular development, growth, differentiation, immunity, vasoregulation, leukocyte recruitment, pruritus, and wound healing. A variety of mechanisms lead to the termination of cellular responses to released neuropeptides under physiologic circumstances. Herein, we highlight some of the recent advances of neurocutaneous biology and discuss the role of nerves in mediating cutaneous inflammation. Understanding the mechanisms and the factors controlling neuromediators and their receptors and degrading enzymes will lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of cutaneous diseases.

Dermatitis↗
PubMed1998

Modern surgery for global cataract blindness: preliminary considerations.

Unoperated cataract in the developing world remains ophthalmology's major unsolved problem. Recent developments have brought into question the assumptions of those who have thought that extracapsular surgery with implantation of a posterior chamber intraocular lens is an unrealistic approach to the treatment of global cataract blindness. High-quality 1-piece posterior chamber intraocular lenses are being manufactured locally for approximately $10 each. Most ophthalmologists can be trained to perform extracapsular surgery in a 1-month course. This process is particularly effective if outstanding local surgeons receive intensive training to become instructors. While the incidence and treatment of posterior capsule opacification requires further study, the development of a low-cost YAG laser may be a solution. Imaginative ways to recover costs will need to be developed if the staggering prevalence of cataract blindness is to be effectively addressed. The improved result of modern surgery may make patients more willing to pay for their operation.

Blindness↗
PubMed2003

Beyond the complete blood cell count and C-reactive protein: a systematic review of modern diagnostic tests for neonatal sepsis.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the accuracy of modern laboratory tests for the diagnosis of serious bacterial infection in newborns. METHODS: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched using the keywords newborn, infection, sepsis, and diagnosis. We included studies published from 1995 through 2001 that included infants younger than 90 days with proven bacterial growth in a sample from a sterile site. Whenever possible, relevant data were extracted to calculate likelihood ratios (LRs) for whether each test can diagnose a serious bacterial infection. Two independent reviewers selected and reviewed the articles (interobserver agreement, kappa = 0.80). All disagreements were resolved by consensus. RESULTS: Of the 137 citations we retrieved, 37 articles met the inclusion criteria; 17 studies, evaluating 11 different tests, met the highest methodological criteria. The most commonly evaluated test was interleukin 6 (IL-6) level (n = 7 studies). The remaining tests were each evaluated in no more than 3 studies. Positive LRs ranged from 1.5 to infinity. Six individual tests examined in 8 studies had LRs of more than 10 (range, 12.5- infinity ). Combined tests also had a wide range of LRs (3.4-9.9). All studies were performed in single medical centers and had small sample sizes, making recommendations according to gestational age criteria difficult. CONCLUSIONS: We found few methodologically rigorous studies of the accuracy of laboratory tests for the diagnosis of bacterial infection in newborns; in a significant proportion of studies, the accuracy of the tests could not be independently determined because of a lack of adequate data. There was marked heterogeneity in sample selection and cutoff levels for diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. A few tests showed promising accuracy, but there are insufficient data to support their confident use as clinical tools.

Bacteremia↗
PubMed1979

Medieval and early modern theories of mental illness.

Historians of medieval and early modern psychiatry have utilized limited source materials in their research. They have focused on printed works, particularly formal treatises by celebrated authors, and neglected manuscript collections. The resulting histories depict early European psychiatric thought as dominated by demonology. Examination of the archives of an early English legal incompetency jurisdiction flatly contradicts this picture. Starting in the 13th century, the English government conducted mental status examinations of psychiatrically disabled individuals, using commonsense, naturalistic criteria of impairment; private, supervised guardians were appointed for such persons. Furthermore, etiological theories entertained by royal officials and laymen relied on physiological and psychological notions of psychiatric illness. These findings raise serious questions about conventional accounts of this period and underline the need for more research using original manuscripts.

England↗
PubMed1996

Likelihood ratios for modern screening mammography. Risk of breast cancer based on age and mammographic interpretation.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios (LRs) for modern screening mammography by decade of age and mammographic interpretation. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Nine counties in northern California. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 26,057 women aged 30 years and older who underwent a total of 41,747 first and subsequent screening mammographic examinations at the Mobile Mammography Screening Program of the University of California, San Francisco, from April 1985 to September 1991. MEASUREMENTS: Breast cancer risk profile, 2 standard mammographic views per breast, and follow-up of abnormal and normal mammograms of contacting women's physicians and by linkage to the regional Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results tumor registry. False-negative examinations were normal examinations that occurred within 13 months of a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ. RESULTS: The sensitivity of first screening mammography increased with age: 77.3% for ages 30 to 39 years, 86.7% for ages 40 to 49 years, 93.6% for ages 50 to 59 years, 94.1% for ages 60 to 69 years, and 91.2% for ages 70 years and older (P = .04). Specificity was similar for all ages, ranging from 92.6% to 95.2%. Of all abnormal first screening examinations, 92.9% were reported as "additional evaluation needed." The LRs for that category ranged from 5.2 to 8.8 and did not vary with age. Based on the risk of breast cancer before mammography, which increases with age, the risk of breast cancer after mammography associated with these LRs were 0.01 for ages 30 to 39 years, 0.02 for ages 40 to 49 years, 0.05 for ages 50 to 59 years, 0.07 for ages 60 to 69 years, and 0.07 for ages 70 years and older. The LRs for mammography reported as "suspicious for malignancy" ranged from 88 to 144 and did not vary across age groups. These LRs were associated with a risk of breast cancer about 10 times greater than when mammography was reported as "additional evaluation needed." CONCLUSION: Most abnormal first screening mammography are interpreted as "additional evaluation needed" and are associated with LRs of about 7. Given this low LR, the risk of breast cancer after mammography is primarily influenced by a woman's age-specific risk of breast cancer before mammography. The LRs for screening mammography interpreted as "suspicious for malignancy" are high (about 124) and are associated with a substantial increase in the risk of breast cancer irrespective of age, but these interpretations comprise only a small proportion of abnormal mammography.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Measuring the human pelvis: a comparison of direct and radiographic techniques using a modern United States--based sample.

Seven measurements were taken on a sample of 50 human cadaveric pelves, all white Texans born in the 20th century. Two separate methodologies were used to obtain these data: radiographs and direct measurements. These two methodologies were compared and contrasted, with the relative advantages and disadvantages of each explored. Results indicate that significant differences exist between the two methodologies. Pelvic height, breadth of symphysis, sacro-iliac breadth (P = 0.0001) and anterior upper spinal breadth (P = 0.0002) were larger when measured directly. Pelvic breadth, transverse diameter of the pelvic brim, and height of the ilium did not significantly differ between methodologies (P = 0.2037, P = 0.5253, P = 0.1752). Due to secular changes and inherent intrapopulational variation, taking measurements either directly from modern cadaveric specimens or radiographically on living volunteers in a limited geographic or socioeconomic grouping, rather than from skeletal collections or archived radiographs, may be more appropriate for providing data for current anthropometric applications.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

The form of the supraorbital margin as a criterion in identification of sex from the skull: investigations based on modern human skulls.

Sexual dimorphism in the shape of the supraorbital margin was reported by Broca and various subsequent authors, but no consistently applied, precise definition has been established. In this study of modern human skulls, the value of our definition of the sex-related difference in this area in the identification of sex from the skull was investigated. It was found that this feature can be assessed reliably, is strongly related to sex, and is independent of the side. The accuracy of identification of sex using this method alone was found to be about 70%.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Modern psychometric methods for detection of differential item functioning: application to cognitive assessment measures.

Cognitive screening tests and items have been found to perform differently across groups that differ in terms of education, ethnicity and race. Despite the profound implications that such bias holds for studies in the epidemiology of dementia, little research has been conducted in this area. Using the methods of modern psychometric theory (in addition to those of classical test theory), we examined the performance of the Attention subscale of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale. Several item response theory models, including the two- and three-parameter dichotomous response logistic model, as well as a polytomous response model were compared. (Log-likelihood ratio tests showed that the three-parameter model was not an improvement over the two-parameter model.) Data were collected as part of the ten-study National Institute on Aging Collaborative investigation of special dementia care in institutional settings. The subscale KR-20 estimate for this sample was 0.92. IRT model-based reliability estimates, provided at several points along the latent attribute, ranged from 0.65 to 0.97; the measure was least precise at the less disabled tail of the distribution. Most items performed in similar fashion across education groups; the item characteristic curves were almost identical, indicating little or no differential item functioning (DIF). However, four items were problematic. One item (digit span backwards) demonstrated a large error term in the confirmatory factor analysis; item-fit chi-square statistics developed using BIMAIN confirm this result for the IRT models. Further, the discrimination parameter for that item was low for all education subgroups. Generally, persons with the highest education had a greater probability of passing the item for most levels of theta. Model-based tests of DIF using MULTILOG identified three other items with significant, albeit small, DIF. One item, for example, showed non-uniform DIF in that at the impaired tail of the latent distribution, persons with higher education had a higher probability of correctly responding to the item than did lower education groups, but at less impaired levels, they had a lower probability of a correct response than did lower education groups. Another method of detection identified this item as having DIF (unsigned area statistic=3.05, p<0.01, and 2.96, p<0.01). On average, across the entire score range, the lower education group's probability of answering the item correctly was 0.11 higher than the higher education group's probability. A cross-validation with larger subgroups confirmed the overall result of little DIF for this measure. The methods used for detecting differential item functioning (which may, in turn, be indicative of bias) were applied to a neuropsychological subtest. These methods have been used previously to examine bias in screening measures across education and ethnic and racial subgroups. In addition to the important epidemiological applications of ensuring that screening measures and neuropsychological tests used in diagnoses are free of bias so that more culture-fair classifications will result, these methods are also useful for the examination of site differences in large multi-site clinical trials. It is recommended that these methods receive wider attention in the medical statistical literature.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Coronary artery injection technique: a quantitative in vivo investigation using modern catheters.

To date, there have been no quantitative in vivo assessments of contrast volumes and injection rates using modern high flow catheters during coronary angiography. Contrast volumes (n = 554), injection durations (n = 563), and injection rates (n = 498) were collected during 88 cardiac catheterizations. With increasing cathetersize (6, 7, and 8 French), injection volume increased (P < 0.0001), duration decreased (P < 0.0001), and rate increased (P < 0.0001). Compared with injections into the right coronary artery, left coronary artery injections were larger (7.1 +/- 0.1 cc vs. 4.8 +/- 0.1 cc, p < 0.0001), longer (3.6 +/- 0.05 sec vs 3.0 +/- 0.07 sec, P < 0.0001) and faster (2.1 +/- 0.04 cc/sec vs. 1.7 +/- 0.06 cc/sec, P < 0.0001). Patients with a significant stenosis in the left main or proximal right coronary artery received less contrast (P < 0.0001) more slowly (P < 0.0001) over a similar duration of injection (P = NS). When collaterals arose from the injected artery, angiographers injected more contrast (P < 0.001) over a longer period (P < 0.0001) more slowly (P < 0.0001). Catheter size and the injected vessel's location and anatomy significantly affect coronary catheterization injection technique.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗
PubMed1990

Primary mediastinal nonseminomatous germ cell tumors. A modern single institution experience.

Between 1976 and 1988, 31 patients with mediastinal nonseminomatous germ cell tumors (MNGCT) received initial cisplatin-based chemotherapy of uniform intensity. Eighteen of these patients (58%) obtained disease-free status; 11 with chemotherapy alone and seven with adjunctive surgery. Eleven have remained continuously free of disease. Two have had recurrence of teratoma and are disease-free after resection of teratoma at 12+ and 68+ months. Three patients developed recurrence of germ cell tumor. Three patients developed a hematologic malignancy. Of the 18 patients who obtained disease-free status, 15 remain alive and disease-free. Overall, 13 of the 31 patients and 24 other patients received salvage chemotherapy at Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana. Of these 37 patients, six obtained a disease-free status and four (11%) remain alive at 13+, 56+, 78+, and 122+ months, respectively. This series represents the largest series of patients with MNGCT ever reported. Analysis of these data and results from other recent series suggest that approximately 50% of patients with MNGCT will be cured with modern, intense cisplatin-based chemotherapy coupled with adjunctive surgery if needed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Achievement of life goals by adult survivors of modern treatment for childhood cancer.

To assess the impact of the diagnosis and modern treatment of childhood cancer on achievement of adult goals, the authors evaluated employment, health and life insurance coverage, marriage, divorce, and reproduction in 227 former pediatric cancer patients. Each area was evaluated in relation to a common set of disease and demographic factors that included age at follow-up, age at diagnosis, gender, marital status, history of disease recurrence, and diagnosis. Patients were younger than 20 years of age at diagnosis, and their diagnoses were made between January 1, 1960, and December 31, 1984. The median age at diagnosis was 11.4 years, and the median age at follow-up was 26.6 years. The percentage of unemployed male respondents did not differ from population norms. The percentage of unemployed female respondents, however, was slightly higher than that of the United States population. Approximately 11% of the survivors reported some form of employment-related discrimination, a level significantly lower than that of prior reports. Company-offered health insurance was provided to 92.4% of full-time and 90.0% of part-time employed respondents. Life insurance was purchased by 60% of full-time employed men and 55% of women. These percentages were lower than those reported for the United States population. Twenty-four percent of those with life insurance had difficulty obtaining it. Fifty-eight percent of the subjects were married or lived as married. The percentages of married men and women were significantly lower than United States norms. Twenty percent of those who were married or lived as married have divorced or separated or no longer live as married. Women aged 20 to 24 years were less likely to marry, and women aged 35 to 44 years had a significantly higher frequency of divorce than similarly aged United States women. In general, the history of childhood cancer did not influence the decision to marry or live as married but was occasionally (20%) important in the decision to dissolve a marital relationship. Many former patients indicated that their diagnosis and treatment for childhood cancer influenced their decision to have children. The current study suggests that most former pediatric cancer patients achieve adult life goals. Additional research is necessary to define those populations at greatest risk of failure to achieve these goals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Modern statistical techniques for the analysis of longitudinal data in biomedical research.

Longitudinal study designs in biomedical research are motivated by the need or desire of a researcher to assess the change over time of an outcome and what risk factors may be associated with the outcome. The outcome is measured repeatedly over time for every individual in the study, and risk factors may be measured repeatedly over time or they may be static. For example, many clinical studies involving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) use pulmonary function as a primary outcome and measure it repeatedly over time for each individual. There are many issues, both practical and theoretical, which make the analysis of longitudinal data complicated. Fortunately, advances in statistical theory and computer technology over the past two decades have made techniques for the analysis of longitudinal data more readily available for data analysts. The aim of this paper is to provide a discussion of the important features of longitudinal data and review two popular modern statistical techniques used in biomedical research for the analysis of longitudinal data: the general linear mixed model, and generalized estimating equations. Examples are provided, using the study of pulmonary function in cystic fibrosis research.

Biometry↗
PubMed2000

Modern combined oral contraceptives for pain associated with endometriosis.

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a major women's health-care problem. It causes pain and/or infertility, and affects millions of women worldwide. Endometriosis is defined according to histological criteria by the presence of tissue resembling endometrium in sites outside the uterus, most commonly the ovaries and peritoneum. The aim of treatment has been to remove the deposits of ectopic endometrium that are thought to be responsible for the symptoms of endometriosis. This can be achieved surgically by destroying or removing the implants; medical therapies induce atrophy within the hormonally-dependent ectopic endometrium. The duration of hormonal treatment may be limited by unwanted side effects. There is some evidence, however, from epidemiological research that current use of the combined oral contraceptive pill (OCP) is associated with a reduced incidence of endometriosis. The combined pill has the great advantage over other hormonal treatments that it can be taken indefinitely. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review was to establish the role of modern oral contraceptives in the management of painful symptoms ascribed to endometriosis. SEARCH STRATEGY: The search strategy of the Menstrual Disorders Group was utilised to identify all randomised trials of the use of oral contraceptives in the treatment of symptomatic endometriosis. In addition a search of the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register was undertaken together with approaches to pharmaceutical companies. SELECTION CRITERIA: All truly randomised controlled trials of the use of oral contraceptive pills in the treatment of women of reproductive age with symptoms ascribed to the diagnosis of endometriosis made visually at a surgical procedure, were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Study quality assessment and data extraction was carried out independently by two reviewers. One of the assessors was an expert in the content matter. MAIN RESULTS: Only one study was identified which satisfied the inclusion criteria. The oral contraceptive used in a conventional manner was less effective than a GnRH analogue in the relief of dysmenorrhoea. No significant difference was noted between the effectiveness of the oral contraceptive pill and a GnRH analogue in the relief of dyspareunia or non-menstrual pain. Headaches and weight gain were more commonly associated with oral contraceptive usage than with GnRH analogue usage whereas hot flushes, insomnia and vaginal dryness were less common. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: There is a paucity of data relating to the use of oral contraceptive preparations in the treatment of symptomtic endometriosis. The data such as it is supports the common practice of the use of the oral contraceptive pill as a first line therapy but further research is required to fully evaluate its role in the management of endometriosis.

Contraceptives, Oral↗
PubMed2002

Modern separation techniques for the efficient workup in organic synthesis.

The shift of paradigm in combinatorial chemistry, from large compound libraries (of mixtures) on a small scale towards defined compound libraries where each compound is prepared in an individual well, has stimulated the search for alternative separation approaches. The key to a rapid and efficient synthesis is not only the parallel arrangement of reactions, but simple work-up procedures so as to circumvent time-consuming and laborious purification steps. During the initial development stages of combinatorial synthesis it was believed that rational synthesis of individual compounds could only be achieved by solid-phase strategies. However, there are a number of problems in solid-phase chemistry: most notably there is the need for a suitable linker unit, the limitation of the reaction conditions to certain solvents and reagents, and the heterogeneous reaction conditions. Further disadvantages are: the moderate loading capacities of the polymeric support and the limited stability of the solid support. In the last few years several new separation techniques have been developed. Depending on the chemical problem or the class of compounds to be prepared, one can choose from a whole array of different approaches. Most of these modern separation approaches rely on solution-phase chemistry, even though some of them use solid-phase resins as tools (for example, as scavengers). Several of these separation techniques are based on liquid-liquid phase separation, including ionic liquids, fluorous phases, and supercritical solvents. Besides being benign with respect to their environmental aspects, they also show a number of advantages with respect to the work-up procedures of organic reactions as well as simplicity in the isolation of products. Another set of separation strategies involves polymeric supports (for example, as scavengers or for cyclative cleavage), either as solid phases or as soluble polymeric supports. In contrast to solid-phase resins, soluble polymeric supports allow reactions to be performed under homogeneous conditions, which can be an important factor in catalysis. At the same time, a whole set of techniques has been developed for the separation of these soluble polymeric supports from small target molecules. Finally, miscellaneous separation techniques, such as phase-switchable tags for precipitation by chemical modification or magnetic beads, can accelerate the separation of compounds in a parallel format.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quantifying trabecular orientation in the pelvic cancellous bone of modern humans, chimpanzees, and the Kebara 2 Neanderthal.

The adaptive nature of bone lies in its ability to respond to the environment by conforming and reshaping itself constantly to accommodate life-time stresses experienced throughout daily activities. In order to keep strains within the bone as uniform and isotropic as possible, the trabecular orientation is determined by forces acting on the bone through adaptive remodeling. Hence, the preserved structure of bones may contain direct information about the forces they may have undergone. Some authors (Correnti [1952], Atti Acc Naz Lincei 12:518-523, [1955] Riv Antrop 42:289-336; Macchiarelli et al. [1999] J Hum Evol 36:211-232, [2001] Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press) have described in detail the trabecular systems of the hip bone in different primate species and have identified a gait-related system above the acetabulum with substantial differences across species (Macchiarelli et al. [1999]; Rook et al. [1999] Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96:8875-8879). The aim of this study was to quantify trabecular orientation above the acetabulum to test the hypothesis that hominoid biomechanical behavior is recorded in the cancellous bone. The pelvic bones of 23 archaeological adult modern humans (12 females, 11 males), 20 adult Pan troglodytes (10 females, 10 males), and one adult male Neanderthal were radiographed and digitized. Fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) of the regions of interest in the corpus of the ilium were performed, with the angular distribution of the trabeculae quantified. All species displayed a constant and periodic orthogonal arrangement in the trabeculae with differences in the pattern of dominance between the arcades oriented along the 0 degrees or the 90 degrees axes. The variation in the FFT spectrum between species is discussed in the light of distinctive biomechanical features.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Ontogenetic study of the skull in modern humans and the common chimpanzees: neotenic hypothesis reconsidered with a tridimensional Procrustes analysis.

Heterochronic studies compare ontogenetic trajectories of an organ in different species: here, the skulls of common chimpanzees and modern humans. A growth trajectory requires three parameters: size, shape, and ontogenetic age. One of the great advantages of the Procrustes method is the precise definition of size and shape for whole organs such as the skull. The estimated ontogenetic age (dental stages) is added to the plot to give a graphical representation to compare growth trajectories. We used the skulls of 41 Homo sapiens and 50 Pan troglodytes at various stages of growth. The Procrustes superimposition of all specimens was completed by statistical procedures (principal component analysis, multivariate regression, and discriminant function) to calculate separately size-related shape changes (allometry common to chimpanzees and humans), and interspecific shape differences (discriminant function). The results confirm the neotenic theory of the human skull (sensu Gould [1977] Ontogeny and Phylogeny, Cambridge: Harvard University Press; Alberch et al. [1979] Paleobiology 5:296-317), but modify it slightly. Human growth is clearly retarded in terms of both the magnitude of changes (size-shape covariation) and shape alone (size-shape dissociation) with respect to the chimpanzees. At the end of growth, the adult skull in humans reaches an allometric shape (size-related shape) which is equivalent to that of juvenile chimpanzees with no permanent teeth, and a size which is equivalent to that of adult chimpanzees. Our results show that human neoteny involves not only shape retardation (paedomorphosis), but also changes in relative growth velocity. Before the eruption of the first molar, human growth is accelerated, and then strongly decelerated, relative to the growth of the chimpanzee as a reference. This entails a complex process, which explains why these species reach the same overall (i.e., brain + face) size in adult stage. The neotenic traits seem to concern primarily the function of encephalization, but less so other parts of the skull. Our results, based on the discriminant function, reveal that additional structural traits (corresponding to the nonallometric part of the shape which is specific to humans) are rather situated in the other part of the skull. They mainly concern the equilibrium of the head related to bipedalism, and the respiratory and masticatory functions. Thus, the reduced prognathism, the flexed cranial base (forward position of the foramen magnum which is brought closer to the palate), the reduced anterior portion of the face, the reduced glabella, and the prominent nose mainly correspond to functional innovations which have nothing to do with a neotenic process in human evolution. The statistical analysis used here gives us the possibility to point out that some traits, which have been classically described as paedomorphic because they superficially resemble juvenile traits, are in reality independent of growth.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Strains of JC virus in Amerind-speakers of North America (Salish) and South America (Guaraní), Na-Dene-speakers of New Mexico (Navajo), and modern Japanese suggest links through an ancestral Asian population.

Previously we showed that strains of human polyoma virus JC among the Navajo in New Mexico, speakers of an Athapaskan language in the Na-Dene language phylum, and among the Salish people in Montana, speakers of a language of the Salishan group in the Amerind family, were mainly of a northeast Asian genotype found in Japan (type 2A). We now report partial VP1-gene, regulatory region, and complete genome sequences of JC virus (JCV) from the Guaraní Indians of Argentina. The Tupí-Guaraní language represents the Equatorial branch of the Amerind language family proposed by Greenberg ([1987] Language in the Americas, Stanford: Stanford University Press). The partial VP1 gene sequences of the Guaraní revealed several variants of strains found in northeast Asia (Japan), as did the Salish. In contrast, the strains in the Navajo largely conformed to the prototype type 2A sequence (MY). Phylogenetic reconstruction with both the neighbor-joining and maximum parsimony methods utilized three complete Guaraní JCV genome sequences, three genomes from the Salish people, and 27 other complete JCV genomes, including three from the Navajo and three from Japan. Both trees showed that all type 2A JCV strains from the North and South Americans are closely related phylogenetically to strains in present-day Japan. However, variant sites in the coding regions, the T-antigen intron, and the regulatory region link the type 2A strains in Amerind groups (Guaraní and Salish), but differentiate them from those in a Na-Dene-speaking (Navajo) population. The data suggest separation from a population ancestral to modern Japanese, followed by a second division within the ancestral group that led to Amerind- and Na-Dene-speaking groups. The data cannot, however, localize the latter split to the Asian mainland (two migrations) or to North America (one migration).

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Temporal trends in femoral curvature and length in medieval and modern Scotland.

We measured how much the radius of the anterior curvature and the length of the femoral shaft of cadaveric bones have changed from medieval to recent times. Around 20 (x, y) coordinates of a virtual coordinate system were measured at intervals of 1.5 cm along the shaft of the femur to calculate one single radius of a virtual circle in the (x, y) plane. The median radii of curvature were 119, 141, and 158 cm for medieval, early, and late 20th century femora, respectively. Early and late 20th century femora were of similar length (45 cm), but medieval femora were shorter (43.5 cm). Femora have become not only longer but also straighter since the Middle Ages. These findings account in part for the increase in height of modern generations. Size and shape changes may have significant implications for the biomechanical response of the femur to the forces to which it is subjected in everyday life, in trauma, and following surgical intervention.

Anthropology, Physical↗