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Mitochondrial DNA variation in Koryaks and Itel'men: population replacement in the Okhotsk Sea-Bering Sea region during the Neolithic.

In this study, we analyzed the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in 202 individuals representing one Itel'men and three Koryak populations from different parts of the Kamchatka peninsula. All mtDNAs were subjected to high resolution restriction (RFLP) analysis and control region (CR) sequencing, and the resulting data were combined with those available for other Siberian and east Asian populations and subjected to statistical and phylogenetic analysis. Together, the Koryaks and Itel'men were found to have mtDNAs belonging to three (A, C, and D) of the four major haplotype groups (haplogroups) observed in Siberian and Native American populations (A-D). In addition, they exhibited mtDNAs belonging to haplogroups G, Y, and Z, which were formerly called "Other" mtDNAs. While Kamchatka harbored the highest frequencies of haplogroup G mtDNAs, which were widely distributed in eastern Siberian and adjacent east Asian populations, the distribution of haplogroup Y was restricted within a relatively small area and pointed to the lower Amur River-Sakhalin Island region as its place of origin. In contrast, the pattern of distribution and the origin of haplogroup Z mtDNAs remained unclear. Furthermore, phylogenetic and statistical analyses showed that Koryaks and Itel'men had stronger genetic affinities with eastern Siberian/east Asian populations than to those of the north Pacific Rim. These results were consistent with colonization events associated with the relatively recent immigration to Kamchatka of new tribes from the Siberian mainland region, although remnants of ancient Beringian populations were still evident in the Koryak and Itel'men gene pools.

Alaska↗

Injuries in the Alaskan Arctic.

In recent years, the State of Alaska has developed a Trauma Registry data collection system on injuries which result in hospitalization or death. All 25 acute care hospitals in Alaska have agreed to participate in this Trauma Registry. Data are presented from this registry on injuries which occurred between March 1988 and December 31, 1990 in the North Slope Borough, the Northwest Arctic Borough, and the Norton Sound Region. Causes of death and serious injury are presented and comparisons made among regions and between Natives (primarily Inupiat Eskimos) and non-Natives. Use of firearms accounted for the majority of fatalities (32%), while falls were the most reported injury (19%). Trauma Registry Data can be used to target high risk groups and activities for the development and evaluation of prevention programs. This database also is used for quality assurance reviews of patient care and outcomes.

Alaska↗

Cardiovascular deaths among Alaskan Natives, 1980-86.

Average annual, age-adjusted death rates from cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis from 1980-86 among Alaskan Natives were lower than rates among other Alaskans (162.0 vs 242.1; RR = 0.67), while death rates from other causes were higher (954.4 vs 618.6; RR = 1.54). These suggest that Alaskan Natives have less cardiovascular disease than other populations. Additional research on the role of marine omega-3 fatty acids is needed.

Alaska↗

Prenatal alcohol use among urban American Indian/Alaska Native women.

This paper examines prenatal drinking among American Indian/Alaska Native women using the 1988 Urban Indian Over-sample for the National Maternal and Infant Health Survey. Using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses, alcohol consumption during pregnancy was examined by demographic and behavioral variables. Although one out of every five American Indian/Alaska Native women consumed some amount of alcohol during pregnancy, those who used alcohol drank less than one drink per month.

Adult↗

Racial/ethnic patterns in lifetime and age-conditional risk estimates for selected cancers.

BACKGROUND: Estimates of the probability of developing or dying from cancer, either over a lifetime or over a specified number of years, are useful summary measures of the burden of cancer in a population. METHODS: The authors used publicly available DevCan software and new, detailed, racial/ethnic data bases that were developed in the Surveillance Research Program of the National Cancer Institute to produce risk estimates for selected major cancers among American Indian/Aleut/Eskimo, black, Chinese, Filipino, native Hawaiian, Japanese, white (total, non-Hispanic), and Hispanic populations. RESULTS: Japanese and non-Hispanic white men had the highest lifetime risk for developing cancer (47.94% and 47.41%, respectively), and the American Indian/Eskimo/Aleut population (excluding Alaska) had the lowest lifetime risk among men (24.30%). Among women, white and American Indian/Eskimo/Aleut (in Alaska) populations had higher lifetime risks than Japanese women, whereas American Indian/Eskimo/Aleut (excluding Alaska) women had the lowest risk. The age-conditional probabilities of developing cancer within the next 10 years among men and women age 60 years and the lifetime probabilities of dying from cancer also were reported by racial/ethnic group. CONCLUSIONS: Racial/ethnic disparities in the lifetime risk of cancer may be because of differences in cancer incidence rates, but they also may reflect differential mortality rates from causes other than the cancer of interest. Furthermore, because cross-sectional incidence and mortality rates are used in calculating the DevCan lifetime risk estimates, results must be interpreted with caution when events, such as the widespread and rapid implementation of a new screening test, are known to have influenced disease rates.

Adolescent↗

Defining disparities in cardiovascular disease for American Indians: trends in heart disease and stroke mortality among American Indians and whites in Montana, 1991 to 2000.

BACKGROUND: Disparities in stroke and heart disease have been well defined in many populations in the United States. Relatively few studies, however, have assessed current disparities in cardiovascular disease in American Indian populations and compared trends with other regions of the United States. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using mortality data, age-adjusted all-cause, heart disease, and stroke mortality rates (per 100,000) were calculated for American Indians and whites from 1991 to 1995 and 1996 to 2000. The all-cause mortality rate was strikingly higher for American Indians than for whites. For example, during 1996 to 2000, the all-cause mortality rate for American Indians (1317, +/-61) was more than half again greater than that for whites (831, +/-8). Heart disease mortality declined significantly in whites (237 to 216 per 100,000) in Montana over the past decade and declined, although not significantly, in American Indians (326 to 283 per 100,000). Stroke mortality also declined significantly in whites (64 to 60 per 100,000) but not in American Indians (80 to 81 per 100,000) during this time period. The proportion of deaths before age 65 years for heart disease and stroke was considerably higher in Indian men (45% and 36%) and Indian women (29% and 28%) compared with white men (21% and 11%) and white women (8% and 7%). CONCLUSIONS: The disparity in heart disease and stroke mortality exists between American Indians and whites in Montana. Regional or state-level surveillance data will be needed to describe the changing patterns of heart disease and stroke mortality and cardiovascular risk factors in many native communities in the United States and Canada.

Alaska↗

Pulmonary thromboembolism in American Indians and Alaskan Natives.

BACKGROUND: The rate of diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism (collectively, venous thromboembolism: VTE) among patients discharged from Indian Health Service hospital care from 1980 through 1996 was considerably lower than rates reported in African Americans or whites. Expansion of the national census in 1990 to include American Indians and Alaskan Natives permits a more in-depth examination of this issue. METHODS: Combined data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey (nonfederal hospitals) and the Indian Health Service (federal hospitals) from 1996 through 2001 were used to evaluate the rate of diagnosis of VTE in American Indians and Alaskan Natives. RESULTS: The diagnosis of VTE in American Indians and Alaskan Natives, based on combined data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey and the Indian Health Service was 71 per 100,000 per year compared with 155 per 100,000 per year in African Americans (P<.001) and 131 per 100,000 per year in whites (P<.001). The rate ratio comparing the rate of diagnosis of VTE in American Indians and Alaskan Natives with African Americans was 0.46 (95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.47) and comparing American Indians and Alaskan Natives with whites it was 0.54 (95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.55). CONCLUSIONS: The observed relatively low incidence of VTE in American Indians and Alaskan Natives would seem to be due to as yet undetermined genetic factors. The possibility that American Indians and Alaskan Natives have different lifestyles that affect the rate of diagnosis of VTE cannot be excluded.

Alaska↗

Survey of cancer incidence in Alaskan natives.

A survey of cancer incidence among Alaskan Natives for the 5-year period 1969--73 revealed fewer cases overall than expected in relation to rates in the United States. However, significantly increased risks were seen for certain sites: the nasopharynx in both sexes (with excesses over 15-fold), the liver in males, and the salivary glands, gallbladder, kidney, and thyroid in females. Compared with earlier reports, the observations suggested marked changes in cancer incidence among Alaskan Natives over the past two decades, with declines in esophageal and invasive cervical cancers, and increases in neoplasms of the lung, colon, and rectum.

Alaska↗

Helminths as heirlooms and souvenirs: a review of new world paleoparasitology.

Evidence from studies on ancient human feces, intestinal contents and organs of preserved bodies has established that Enterobius vermicularis, Trichuris trichiura, Diphyllobothrium spp and probably Trichinella spiralis infected humans in the pre-Columbian New World. These species, and perhaps other common human helminths for which there is not yet convincing evidence, probably accompanied transberingeal immigrants and their dogs, and thus can be seen as heirloom parasites. Early humans on the American continents were affected by helminths of native animals such as Paragonimus and Cryptocotyle, and these have also been found in precontact human remains. Michael Kliks considers that the indigenous parasites infecting early Americans may be viewed as zoonotic souvenirs of some 50 millennia of migrations from Alaska to Patagonia. Among the most serious zoonoses would have been infection by cystic hydatid larvae of echinococcid tapeworms, the many enzootic filarial worms, and a variety of larval trematodes and nematodes.

Journal Article↗

A comprehensive programme to reduce the incidence of hepatitis B virus infection and its sequelae in Alaskan natives.

In 1983, a comprehensive programme was introduced to halt the spread of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and to reduce mortality from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Alaskan Natives, in whom the incidence of HBV infection was high. This programme includes: serological screening of all Alaskan Natives; immunisation of susceptible persons, including all newborn babies, with hepatitis B vaccine; and testing HBsAg-positive carriers twice a year for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) to detect HCC at an early stage. By October, 1986, over 53,000 Alaskan Natives (84% of the total Native population) had been tested for HBV serological markers and 80% of the identified susceptibles had been or were being vaccinated against HBV. After complete immunisation of 90% of the susceptibles in the area with the highest infection rates in Alaska, the annual incidence of acute symptomatic HBV infection decreased from 215 to 14 cases per 100,000 population. After the introduction of AFP screening, the 1-year-case-fatality rate for HCC fell, from 100%, to 50%.

Alaska↗

Dietary intakes among Siberian Yupiks of Alaska and implications for cardiovascular disease.

We describe dietary intake for 65 Siberian Yupik residents of Gambell, AK using 24-h recalls and annual food frequencies collected in October 1992. The objectives were to describe dietary characteristics important in risk of cardiovascular disease, determine the extent that their diet differs from the diet of general US and northern populations, assess how the diet met national guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, and propose dietary recommendations. Compared to US intakes in general (NHANES III), intakes of Siberian Yupiks expressed as percent of energy were: 8-10% higher in fat, 6% higher in protein, 5-7% higher in monounsaturated fats and 12-15% lower in carbohydrate. Energy from saturated and polyunsaturated fats was similar (11% and 8% respectively). Cholesterol intakes were not significantly different. Mean intakes of selenium, a-topocopherol, folacin (men), and vitamin C (men) met Recommended Dietary Allowances, which may contribute to cardiovascular health. Mean intake of n-3 fatty acids (7.0 g/d), twice the 3 g/d associated with favorable effects, was comparable with intake of Greenlandic Eskimos. Dietary risk factors included high intakes of % energy from fat and saturated fat, and low intakes of fiber. Native foods were important sources of monounsaturated fats, n-3 fatty acids and selenium.

Adult↗

Dietetics training for American Indians and Alaskan natives.

The response to training has been enthusiastic. Even in these times of limited funds, applications to attend training exceed the available space. From the first class in October 1968 through September 1982, nearly 1,300 Indian and Alaskan native hospital food service employees and employees representing tribal programs throughout the country have received training from the courses and workshops provided by the Nutrition and Dietetics Training Program. With the increasing involvement of Native Americans in their own health care programs, the need for training in foods and nutrition will continue.

Alaska↗

Rural immersion as an instructional method in northern community health.

In 2004, a class of six students traveled with three faculty mentors to seven Alaska communities as part of a course designed to ground young researchers' aspirations in the pragmatics of collaborative, community-based research. This paper, authored by the students involved, discusses the process from start to finish. Beginning researchers in rural health are often daunted not by a lack of ability or ideas, but by basic issues of logistics, trust and respect. Unfortunately, they tend to remain unacquainted with these considerations until something goes wrong, and come to frame the research process as a succession of hindrances to be overcome rather than a fluid and collaborative endeavor. By placing students in working relationships with rural residents and Native elders at an early stage, the project aims to minimize common missteps and shorten the learning curve. It is hoped that our experiences can point the way toward similar efforts.

Alaska↗

Hepatitis B virus replication and tuberculin reactivity: studies in Alaska.

In a previous study in 1982-1984 of southeast Asian refugees in Philadelphia, the authors found that hepatitis B virus carriers who reacted to a tuberculin (purified protein derivative (PPD)) skin test were more likely to be negative for the hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) than carriers who did not react to PPD. Because it was not known whether the PPD reactivity was due to natural infection or vaccination with bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the authors conducted a further study in 1985 in Alaskan Native hepatitis B carriers, a group not vaccinated with BCG. The inverse association of HBeAg and PPD reactivity was confirmed across all age groups and was similar in magnitude to that observed in the refugee population. The host response to tubercle bacilli may inhibit the replication of hepatitis B virus. If the host response to BCG is similar, BCG vaccination may be of therapeutic value in chronic hepatitis B infection.

Adolescent↗

Survival of enteric viruses under natural conditions in a subarctic river.

The survival of enteric viruses was studied in the vicinity of Fairbanks, Alaska at selected stations along a 317-km section of the Tanana River. This section was located downstream from all known domestic wastewater sources and was effectively sealed by a total ice cover. The mean flow time through the region was 7.1 days, during which initial viral population showed a relative survival rate of 34%. The tracing of native viruses at such great distances in the complete absence of other point and nonpoint viral sources has not been previously reported. Of the two methods of virus concentration used, viral recoveries from the disk adsorption virus elution procedure were far greater than those achieved with the Aquella system employed at that time. The fact the ratio of enteric viruses to fecal indicator bacteria was not constant clearly inferred that these bacteria were not an effectual measure of virus concentration. The persistence of fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci, however, attested to the microbiological health risk involved.

Alaska↗

mtDNA sequences suggest a recent evolutionary divergence for Beringian and northern North American populations.

Conventional descriptions of the pattern and process of human entry into the New World from Asia are incomplete and controversial. In order to gain an evolutionary insight into this process, we have sequenced the control region of mtDNA in samples of contemporary tribal populations of eastern Siberia, Alaska, and Greenland and have compared them with those of Amerind speakers of the Pacific Northwest and with those of the Altai of central Siberia. Specifically, we have analyzed sequence diversity in 33 mitochondrial lineages identified in 90 individuals belonging to five Circumpolar populations of Beringia, North America, and Greenland: Chukchi from Siberia, Inupiaq Eskimos and Athapaskans from Alaska, Eskimos from West Greenland, and Haida from Canada. Hereafter, we refer to these five populations as "Circumarctic peoples." These data were then compared with the sequence diversity in 47 mitochondrial lineages identified in a sample of 145 individuals from three Amerind-speaking tribes (Bella Coola, Nuu-Chah-Nulth, and Yakima) of the Pacific Northwest, plus 16 mitochondrial lineages identified in a sample of 17 Altai from central Siberia. Sequence diversity within and among Circumarctic populations is considerably less than the sequence diversity observed within and among the three Amerind tribes. The similarity of sequences found among the geographically dispersed Circumarctic groups, plus the small values of mean pairwise sequence differences within Circumarctic populations, suggest a recent and rapid evolutionary radiation of these populations. In addition, Circumarctic populations lack the 9-bp deletion which has been used to trace various migrations out of Asia, while populations of southeastern Siberia possess this deletion. On the basis of these observations, while the evolutionary affinities of Native Americans extend west to the Circumarctic populations of eastern Siberia, they do not include the Altai of central Siberia.

Alaska↗

Origins and divergence of Aleuts, Eskimos, and American Indians.

The apportionment of average gene frequency differences into within and between groups of Aleuts, Eskimos and Athabascans reveals a testable model of the time of origin and differentiation of these populations. Based on the ratio of average difference between Aleuts and Eskimos, to the average difference between Bering Sea Mongoloids and Athabascans, we estimate that Athabascans diverged from Bering Sea Mongoloids at approximately 15 000 BP. The ratio of Aleut/Eskimo to Yupik/Inupiaq suggests the split between the latter occurred 5100 BP. Similarly, the within-group average gene frequency differences suggest that North American natives originated some 19 000 BP and that Bering Sea Mongoloids originated 10 200 BP. These estimates are highly concordant with independent archaeologic, linguistic and biological data.

Alaska↗