Introduction. The paper revisits the intergroup craniometric variability in the Early Iron Age, Antiquity and Early medieval Central Asian population. Some new cranial materials are considered within the hierarchical system of the regional populations.
Materials and methods. The comparison included 61 cranial samples from all historical and cultural regions of Central Asia with a total of 1100 crania. 12 standard measurements of the facial skeleton were used. First, we conducted Canonical discriminant analysis. Second, the matrix of Mahalanobis D2 distances was obtained using the resulting group coordinates in the space of the canonical vectors. Finally, the distance matrix was subjected to Multidimensional scaling and the Ward’s hierarchical cluster analysis.
Results. The first three canonical variates reflect 53.4% of the total intergroup variation and differentiate samples based on bizygomatic breadth, orbit dimensions, nasal bridge height (and width to a lesser extent), horizontal profiling angles and nose protrusion angle. Upper facial height also contributes to intergroup craniometric variability but does not play a decisive role in differentiating among samples of European ancestry in the considered chronological period. Correlation coefficients between canonical variables and multidimensional scaling coordinates suggest similar relative positions of the groups in the scatterplots.
Introduction. Hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) is a pathological condition characterized by the growth of the inner surface of the frontal bone. Most researchers describe HFI as a symptom associated with hormonal dysfunctions, which prevails in the modern population. This paper provides an analysis of HFI frequency on the craniological material of four adaptive types.
Materials and methods. We have examined 2211 skulls (59 craniological collections from the Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, RAS and Federal Research Center of the Tyumen Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences). We have analyzed the total frequency of HFI, used a comparative intergroup analysis, and evaluated the degree of HFI expression and the distribution of the trait.
Results and discussion. It was found that the frequency of HFI in groups of arctic, continental and temperate adaptive types ranged from 2.3% to 4.3%, which is significantly less than in the modern population (12-37%). In the group of the tropical adaptive type, HFI was not found. As a result of a comparative study of the severity of cases of frontal hyperostosis, type A was the most common, HFI type B was less common, and type C was recorded only for one individual of the Arctic adaptive type. The reasons for the relatively low prevalence of HFI in representatives of various adaptive types are discussed.
Introduction. Trehalose or mushroom sugar has been increasingly used in the food industry in the past decades. To be absorbed in the human intestine, trehalose needs to be broken down by an enzyme known as trehalase. Today, it is known that the G→A substitution in the rs2276064 locus of the TREH gene results in the reduced activity of this enzyme.
The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of TREH (rs2276064) alleles and genotypes in the populations of South Siberia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia and Mongolia that differ in the contribution of the ancestral East Eurasian (Mongoloid) component to their gene pools.
Methods. We genotyped 987 DNA samples collected from the representatives of 17 indigenous populations from Siberia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The samples of 311 ethnic Russians comprised a reference dataset. In addition to estimating the frequencies of TREH alleles and genotypes, we analyzed the contribution of the ancestral East Eurasian (Mongoloid) and West Eurasian (European) ADMIXTURE components for the studied populations using an Illumina 750k microarray of SNP markers.
Results. The frequency of the A*TREH allele associated with trehalase deficiency increases from west to east (rsp =0.500, p <0.05). TREH is correlated more strongly with the contribution of the ancestral East Eurasian (Mongolian) component than with the geography of the studied populations: rsp =0.613 (p =0.007); with AA*TREH frequency rsp =0.688 (p =0.002).
Conclusions. The rs2276064-А TREH allele is more frequent than previously estimated from clinical data. The more substantial is the contribution of the ancestral East Eurasian (Mongoloid) component, the higher is the frequency of the risk A*TREH allele, which rises dramatically to 29-30% in the Kyrgyz, Khakass, Tuvinian and 39% in Khalkha Mongol populations. Together, carriers of the AG and AA*TREH genotypes make up 35% to 65% of the populations of Oriental origin. We hypothesize that the high frequency of genetic trehalase deficiency determinants in the populations of Siberia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and Mongolia is associated with their anthropological characteristics and is not purely dependent on geographic factors.
Introduction. The article presents the results of the development data on kefalometry of the complex South Sinai anthropological expedition.
The purpose was to study the variability of cephalometric traits in South Sinai Bedouins. Objectives: to identify possible phenotypic differences between the tribes, to assess the position of the Bedouin tribes against the background of the Middle Eastern and North African populations according to literary data; to create male composite photo portraits (CPP) from Bedouin tribes Awlad Said and Gebeliya.
Materials and methods. Cephalometric data from three tribal samples were used: the tribes of Gebeliya, Muzeina and the combined group "other tribes", which includes data on the Awlad Said tribe. To identify intertribal differences, analysis of variance was applied. Literature data on Middle Eastern and North African samples were used for comparative analysis by the method of multidimensional scaling. To create composite photographic portraits (according to F. Galton´s method), an improved program "Face to face" by Syroezhkin-Maurer (by superposition of three points) was used. Full-face and profile individual Bedouins photographic images from the tribes of Gebeliya (N = 21), Awlad Said t (N=21) and Muzeina (N=19, only frontal) were selected for the work.
Results. Statistically significant differences between the Bedouin tribal samples were revealed in such traits as: minimal forehead breadth and mandibular diameter, facial index, height of the lower facial segment and head circumference. Composite full-face and profile photo portraits of Bedouin men of the Awlad Said and Gebeliya tribes, full-face portraits of representatives of the Muzeina tribe were obtained. The results of biometric analysis on the latitudinal traits of the face partly coincide with the analysis of visual information on composite photo portraits. According to the measurement data of the face and head, it was revealed that Bedouin tribes form a compact cluster that differs from neighboring populations.
Introduction. Physical development of younger generation is considered to be important part of age biology issues. This research aimed to conduct the assessment study on physical development of modern children and adolescents born and permanently living in extreme conditions of the North-East of Russia, and compare it to the 2001 survey.
Materials and methods. Four thousand two hundred and seven schoolchildren aged 10–17, both males and females, participated in the 2019 monitoring. Basic anthropometric parameters were measured for each student: Body Length, Body Mass, Chest Circumference in pause, and Body Mass Index was calculated. We comparatively analyzed the age dynamics of the studied anthropometric indicators and the rate of change in these indicators during the year within each age group, as well as differences between the same age groups of the 2001 and 2019 surveys.
Results. Modern adolescents tend to be higher in somatometric indices as compared to those of previous years. Modern boys exhibited higher BM within the age of 13–16 (p<0.05), BL within the age of 11–16 (p<0.05), and CC at the age of 17 (p<0.05). They experience the active increase in their BM, BL, and CC starting at 12–13 while the boys from the 2001 survey demonstrated the comparable increase (p<0.05), they are higher in BM at the age of 12–15 (p<0.05), and CC at ages of 11 and 13–14 (p<0.05). Modern girls show the active increase in their BM, BL, and CC starting at 11–13, while it lasted until the age of 14 in the girls from the 2001 survey. The BMI variables proved to increase towards overweight and obesity: boys gained 2.2 kg and 5.4 kg, and girls 9.5 kg and 5 kg, respectively.
Introduction. Against the background of the secular trend, which many authors note all over the world, researchers are faced with a methodological problem consisting in the choice of a constitutional scheme for assessing the type of physique. Until the early 2000s, V.P. Chtetsov's somatotypological scheme was widely used in our country, which has now lost its relevance due to the processes of secular trend. The aim of this study is to update the assessment tables in V.P. Chtetsov's constitutional scheme and to actualise the application of this scheme for the assessment of somatotypes in modern youth (aged 17–19 years).
Materials and methods. The study is based on the materials obtained during the annual anthropometric monitoring of Moscow student youth in 2000-2023 (number of samples: 3026 women and 3452 men; measurement of more than 20 physique indices).
Results. The updated normative tables for V.P. Chtetsov's constitutional scheme, calculated on the basis of anthropometric survey materials of more than 6400 people, are presented. Not only mean values and values of standard deviations have been updated in accordance with modern data, but also the general appearance of the tables (the boundaries of intervals for conversion of measuring features into points are presented) for easy reading of information.
Discussion. When comparing the initial evaluation tables of V.P. Chtetsov's scheme with the updated ones, the main tendencies of the secular trend are observed: the modern youth clearly show a significant increase in longitudinal skeletal dimensions and a slight decrease in transverse skeletal dimensions, as well as a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in the fat component of the physique in comparison with the surveyed sample of the early 70s of the last century. A comparative analysis of the distribution of different variants of somatotypes of girls and boys, determined according to the original tables of V.P. Chtetsov's scheme and according to the updated tables of the same scheme, has been carried out. The distribution based on the updated normative tables objectively reflects the variability of body features and the distribution of somatotypes in modern youth.
Introduction.The goal of study is description of secular dynamics of sexual dimorphism (SD) of main somatic dimensions of children of early and first childhood and its quantitative estimation.
Material and methods. The main source of material – books on physical development of children and adolescents of cities of Russia and former USSR, collected and treated according to the common methodical standards of Science Research Institute of Child Hygiene and thus completely comparable. Analysis of material was held in two variants – meta-analysis based on the whole pool of samples and description of the local patterns of secular SD dynamics in connection with the level of anthropogenic pressure of the residence place and ethnicity of samples. The estimation of the vector and level of associations of SD of anthropometric traits and secular factor was held using correlation analysis. The quantitative estimation of SD value was held using Kullback divergence, analogue of Mahalanobis distance.
Results. Meta-analysis revealed average temporal stability of somatic SD through the early and first childhood Analysis of SD dynamics of Moscow children revealed some decrease of SD levels in 1970s, in other words temporal macrosomization of Moscow girls as compared to boys. The level of urbanization results in greater macrosomization of boys as compared to girls in environments with higher level of anthropogenic pressure – city with 1 million population quantity compared to the small town with stable quantity of population about 40 000. Ethnic specificity of the vector and velocity of secular SD dynamics is illustrated with the model of Russian and Tatar children of Kazan and Russian and Chuvash children of Cheboksary.
Keywords:
anthropological variability; environmental impacts; quantitative analysis of secular dynamics of sexual somatic dimorphism; level of urbanization; ethnogenetic factor
Introduction. This work is devoted to the study of some aspects of age and (or) temporal variability of a number of morphological features of the head and face in the adult Chuvash population in Bashkiria. The objectives of the study were to analyze and assess the presence and degree of morphological changes on the skull of an adult according to a number of signs included in the program on ethnic anthropology, as well as to study their possible connection with age-related transformations or acceleration of development and secular trend.
Materials and methods. The surveys were conducted in two districts of Bashkiria, Aurgazinsky and Bizhbulyaksky, in villages with a predominantly Chuvash population. The material was collected in 1999, in total, data were obtained for 361 men and 352 women born from 1915 to 1980. The paper studied the temporal and age variability of the following features: longitudinal, transverse, zygomatic and mandibular dimeters, the smallest width of the forehead, measured the morphological height of the face (from the nasion) and the circumference of the head, calculated the head index. The material was collected by the same researcher. The data were divided into 11 age groups in increments of 5 years, starting in 1925. In each group, the average values of the features and standard deviations were calculated. For all signs, scatter diagrams of the values of signs vs year of birth are presented.
Results and discussion. The most stable signs in terms of age were the minimal width of the forehead, head circumference and mandibular diameters. The magnitude of the head index varies significantly due to age-related changes in the transverse and longitudinal diameters of the head, which determine the magnitude of the index. The age-related decrease or stable condition of the head pointer, according to G.L. Hit’ [1968], contradicts our observations. For most indicators, with the exception of morphological height of the face and zygomatic diameter, no pronounced changes were found, which may be due to local features of the development of the examined group.
Introduction. Since the early 1860s photographic practice has become an integral part of the scientific process and one of the main methods of ethnographic and anthropological research in Russia. In the course of preparations for the first Ethnographic Exhibition in Russia (1867), organized by the Society of Devotees of Natural Science, Anthropology and Ethnography (OLEAE), the Photographic Commission established by the Exhibition Committee (1866) developed a regulation on the execution of photographic portraits of the local population. In 1872 the first “instructions” in Russia for ethnographic and anthropological photography were published.
Materials and methods. The source for the preparation of the article was a collection of photographs collected by E.D. Felitsyn (1848-1903) and presented at the Anthropological Exhibition of 1879 in Moscow. Currently, it is stored in the funds of the D.N. Anuchin Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Results and discussion. Photographs of representatives of two nationalities - Kabardians and Shapsugs, who lived in the Kuban region, are described and analyzed: the villages of Blechepsinsky and Khodzsky (currently the village of Blechepsin and the village of Khodz of the Koshekhablsky district of the Republic of Adygea), Khokhondukovsky and Kasaevsky (currently the village of Ali-Berdukovsky and the village of Khabez in the Khabezsky district of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic) and the village of Kudzhirsky in the Maikop district, that was located on the left bank of the river Farce and abolished in 1885. These are: 3 photographs of children (6 and 8 years old), 7 photographs of men (18-58 years old) and 5 photographs of women (18-60 years old). A description of the depicted national clothes is given, as well as a summary of literary anthropological information about the Kabardians and Shapsugs of this period.
Introduction. Since 1820s, it became customary in the Russian Empire to hold various exhibitions - dedicated to manufacture and consequently industry; agricultural, local and national, as well as take part in international exhibitions. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the number, scale and thematic diversity of such exhibitions grew significantly. Exhibitions related activities, which claimed such wide range and popularity, marked the change in public thought process about the new economic structures being established, and the understanding of the issues and risks associated with them, following industrial revolution. One of the problems identified was the deterioration of sanitary and hygiene conditions in cities, caused by growth in industrial production and population.
Materials and methods. Catalogues of the Russian National Hygiene Exhibition of 1893 are the sources for this work. As well as documenting activities of the exhibition, they contain illustrative materials, scientific and academic reports on urban life, data from the periodicals of that era, in the study of which historico-typological and historico-descriptive methods are used.
Results. In the majority of differently themed exhibitions, natural science and medical sections were established, which confirmed the need for targeted development of medical and sanitary aspects. These sections, which were partly organised by scientific societies, were seen, for example, at the Polytechnic Exhibition in 1872, the Craft Exhibition in 1885, Siberian-Ural Scientific and Industrial Exhibition in 1887 in Ekaterinburg, and Scientific and Industrial Exhibition of the Volzhsko-Kamskii region in Kazan in 1890. Finally, in May 1893, Russian National Exhibition was opened in St Petersburg dedicated solely to the development of sanitary and hygienic issues. Exhibition’s organisers declared enlightenment to be its main goal- popularisation of knowledge, scientific discoveries, and inventions in the field of hygiene and sanitation. A large number of state institutions and departments, scientific and public organisations, and private entrepreneurs helped to prepare this exhibition, presenting about 50 thousand exhibits that describe all aspects of human life from both medical and sanitary points of view. Various models and mockups, drawings, sketches and photographs, devices, equipment and tools, demonstrated achievements both in scientific and practical terms.
The catalog of the collection of copies of fossil finds of the genus Homo, which is kept in the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University, is presented in this article. The publication will be useful for researchers to sel ect research materials.
Materials and methods. The documents of the archive of the Museum of Anthropology of MSU were used to work on the article. Analytical and chronological research methods were applied in the study.
Results and discussion. Brief information on the history of the collection formation. The section contains data on the sources of replenishment of the collection, the names of the scientists who handed over the items are named. The collection of copies of fossil bones is divided into parts that combine items that came fr om the same source and at the same time.
Catalog of collections. A short catalog of collections of copies of Homo finds of the Museum of Anthropology is presented in the table. The finds are listed in alphabetical order, the division into geographical regions and chronological periods was not carried out.
Introduction. In recent years, insufficient attention has been paid to the study of the dynamics of the growth and development of children of early and preschool age, their variability over time and depending on various factors of the external and internal environment. The literature data are contradictory and indicate two multidirectional processes – acceleration and deceleration.
Materials and methods. A comparative analysis of basic anthropometric indicators of physical development (length and body weight) in children of early and preschool age in Belarus, obtained in 2021 (group I) and in 1989–1997 (group II), was carried out. These populations were homogeneous in place of residence, ethnicity, and close in time of inspection. The number of boys and girls in the first group was 700 people, in the second group – 3351 and 3175 people, respectively.
Results. Monitoring of anthropometric indicators of children of early and preschool age allowed to establish the features of physical development. Boys of group I from birth to 6 years of age are significantly more likely to have higher body weight indicators compared to group II. In girls, this trend was not registered only at the age of 3 years (P>0.05). In all age periods, both sexes of the group I significantly more often have higher body length indicators compared to the group II. The most pronounced difference in body length (over 4 cm) in children of the group I and group II was noted in boys and girls in the age groups of 2 and 5 years. The analysis shows an increase in somatometric indicators of physical development and the phenomenon of acceleration.
Introduction. Most of the burial mounds of the Caucasian Mineral Waters region combine the burials of representatives of different archaeological cultures separated by thousands of years. Therefore, the rate of accumulation of monocultural synchronous materials in collections for some epochs is quite low, and slows down even more due to the unequal preservation of bone remains. The introduction of new information into scientific circulation based on the results of recent archaeological work will allow faster accumulation of materials and data exchange between researchers working on the same issue. The purpose of this work is to publish morphological features of the skeleton of individuals belonging to the Sarmatian culture of the Pre-Caucasus.
Materials and methods. The skeletons of three individuals, from three burials of one mound, dating from the III-I centuries BC and belonging to the nomads of the early Sarmatian time were investigated. The study used both traditional methods of anthropology and bioarchaeological approaches. Sex and age studies were carried out on all preserved parts of the skeleton according to standard anthropological methods. A program for fixing markers of stress and pathological conditions was applied to all the studied individuals.
Results.
Skeletal remains of two young women and a mature man were studied. Both women had anomalies in the development of teeth: in one case – underdevelopment of enamel, in the other – partial congenital adentia. A set of specific features on the postcranial skeleton of a man allow us to characterize him as a rider, right-handed.
Keywords:
biological anthropology; genetic variation; human populations; SI gene; rs781470490 locus; sucrase-isomaltase; disaccharide malabsorbtion; indigenous people of the North; diet change
Introduction. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is an indirect method of body composition assessment. The equipment for BIA measurements is produced in many countries including Russia and may differ in electrical current frequencies, measurement schemes and built-in algorithms for the evaluation of body composition. In view of this, body composition estimates from various BIA instruments may be inconsistent which limits the ability to combine and generalize BIA data. Our purpose was to analyze the consistency and possibility of joint use of the BIA data obtained using the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ (SRC Medas, Moscow) and Diamant-AIST (LLC Diamant, St. Petersburg) instruments in adults.
Materials and methods. 185 adult volunteers (107 women and 78 men) aged 18 to 61 years were examined according to the standard anthropometric measurement protocol and on the basis of paired consecutive measurements with the bioimpedance body composition instruments ABC-01 ‘Medas’ and Diamant-AIST. The estimates of fat-free mass (FFM), body fat (BF) and percentage body fat (%BF) were compared. Mutual calibration of the bioimpedance data was carried out based on transformation of the Diamant-AIST data using a conversion formula between the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ and Diamant-AIST resistances and subsequent application the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ body composition assessment algorithm.
Results.
There were significant differences in the median values of FFM, BF and %BF estimates provided by the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ and Diamant-AIST instruments. The FFM values in females using the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ instrument were significantly lower, and the BF and %BF were significantly higher as compared to the Diamant-AIST data. In males, the inverse relationship was observed while maintaining significant differences between the medians.
The differences in paired estimates of body composition data provided by the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ instrument and the transformed Diamant-AIST data in males and females, respectively, were statistically insignificant. Also, the confidence intervals for the differences of paired body composition estimates reduced essentially, but still not ensured good consistency of individual body composition data.