Search results for " History."

Women's socioeconomic position in ontogeny is associated with improved immune function and lower stress, but not with height

2020

AbstractImmune function, height and resource accumulation comprise important life history traits in humans. Resource availability models arising from life history theory suggest that socioeconomic conditions influence immune function, growth and health status. In this study, we tested whether there are associations between family income during ontogeny, adult height, cortisol level and immune response in women. A hepatitis B vaccine was administered to 66 young Latvian women from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and blood samples were then collected to measure the level of antibodies that the women produced in response to the vaccination. Cortisol levels were measured from plasma sample…

The torso integration hypothesis revisited in Homo sapiens: Contributions to the understanding of hominin body shape evolution.

2018

Objectives: Lower thoracic widths and curvatures track upper pelvic widths and iliac blades curvatures in hominins and other primates (torso integration hypothesis). However, recent studies suggest that sexual dimorphism could challenge this assumption in Homo sapiens. We test the torso integration hypothesis in two modern human populations, both considering and excluding the effect of sexual dimorphism. We further assess covariation patterns between different thoracic and pelvic levels, and we explore the allometric effects on torso shape variation. Material and Methods: A sex-balanced sample of 50 anatomically connected torsos (25 Mediterraneans, 25 Sub-Saharan Africans) was segmented fro…

Clinical course of sly syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis type VII).

2016

WOS: 000377110800007

Incidentalome in Neurogenetics: Pathogenic Variant of NSD1 in a Patient With Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA)

2018

Background: Genetic studies of late-onset sporadic ataxias (>40 years of age) are not routinely indicated. For unresolved cases, next-generation sequencing (NGS) tools, such as whole-exome sequencing (WES), are available for a definitive diagnosis.Case presentation: Our patient is a woman with a usual facial phenotype and anthropometry, who developed ataxia at 45 years of age, with no relevant family history and an initial clinical approach that ruled out common aetiologies. WES was performed when the patient was 54 years old. The results identified the heterozygous pathogenic variant c.248delA (p.N83MfsX4) in the nuclear receptor-binding SET domain protein 1 (NSD1; MIM 606681) gene (rel…

The genetic prehistory of the Baltic Sea region

2018

Correction: Nature communications 9 (2018), art. no. 1494 doi:10.1038/s41467-018-03872-y While the series of events that shaped the transition between foraging societies and food producers are well described for Central and Southern Europe, genetic evidence from Northern Europe surrounding the Baltic Sea is still sparse. Here, we report genome-wide DNA data from 38 ancient North Europeans ranging from similar to 9500 to 2200 years before present. Our analysis provides genetic evidence that hunter-gatherers settled Scandinavia via two routes. We reveal that the first Scandinavian farmers derive their ancestry from Anatolia 1000 years earlier than previously demonstrated. The range of Mesolit…

Plastic and micro-evolutionary responses of a nematode to the host immune environment

2017

9 pages; International audience; Parasitic organisms have to cope with the defences deployed by their hosts and this can be achieved adopting immune evasion strategies or optimal life history traits according to the prevailing pattern of immune-mediated mortality. Parasites often encounter variable immune environments both within and between hosts, promoting the evolution of plastic strategies instead of fixed responses. Here, we explored the plasticity and micro-evolutionary responses of immunomodulatory mechanisms and life history traits to the immune environment provided by the host, using the parasitic nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus. To test if the parasite responds plastically to t…

Comparison of Migratory and Resident Populations of Brown Trout Reveals Candidate Genes for Migration Tendency

2018

Abstract Candidate genes associated with migration have been identified in multiple taxa: including salmonids, many of whom perform migrations requiring a series of physiological changes associated with the freshwater–saltwater transition. We screened over 5,500 SNPs for signatures of selection related to migratory behavior of brown trout Salmo trutta by focusing on ten differentially migrating freshwater populations from two watersheds (the Koutajoki and the Oulujoki). We found eight outlier SNPs potentially associated with migratory versus resident life history using multiple (≥3) outlier detection approaches. Comparison of three migratory versus resident population pairs in the Koutajoki…

AISF position paper on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): Updates and future directions

2017

Abstract This review summarizes our current understanding of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a multi-factorial systemic disease resulting from a complex interaction between a specific genetic background and multiple environmental/metabolic “hits”. The role of gut microbiota, lipotoxicity, inflammation and their molecular pathways is reviewed in-depth. We also discuss the epidemiology and natural history of NAFLD by pinpointing the remarkably high prevalence of NAFLD worldwide and its inherent systemic complications: hepatic (steatohepatitis, advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis), cardio-metabolic (cardiovascular disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias and type 2 diabetes) and neoplastic (…

Farber disease: design of the first observational and cross-sectional cohort study capturing retrospective and prospective data on the natural histor…

2017

Ancient goat genomes reveal mosaic domestication in the Fertile Crescent

2018

How humans got their goatsLittle is known regarding the location and mode of the early domestication of animals such as goats for husbandry. To investigate the history of the goat, Dalyet al.sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear sequences from ancient specimens ranging from hundreds to thousands of years in age. Multiple wild populations contributed to the origin of modern goats during the Neolithic. Over time, one mitochondrial type spread and became dominant worldwide. However, at the whole-genome level, modern goat populations are a mix of goats from different sources and provide evidence for a multilocus process of domestication in the Near East. Furthermore, the patterns described suppor…