Vasileva Aleksandra Aleksandrovna

Introduction. The tendency to weight gain is influenced by many genetic and environmental factors (nutrition, level of physical activity, social well-being, etc.), as well as complex interactions of these factors. Studying the genetic factors of obesity can help in developing individual strategies for the prevention and treatment of this common disease. One of the most important hereditary factors is the neurotransmitter systems gene polymorphism, (including the serotonin system gene polymorphism). The aim of the investigation is to study the associations of single nucleotide polymorphism of the rs6295 locus of the serotonin receptor gene 1A HTR1A with morphofunctional features and body weight gain.

Material and methods. The study used the materials of a comprehensive anthropogenetic examination of 386 men and 418 women aged 17 to 30 years. More than 20 morphofunctional indicators were measured using the traditional anthropometric method. The material for genetic analysis was genomic DNA isolated from buccal epithelium. The reliability of intergroup differences was assessed using the Mann-Whitney criterion, while canonical discriminant analysis was used to study intergroup variability.

Results. For the first time, a significant correlation was shown between the polymorphism of the serotonin receptor type 1 gene HTR1A and morphofunctional features: individuals with the G/G genotype with greater body weight have lower (compared to carriers of the C/C and C/G genotypes) values of the indicators of the level of metabolic processes and specific metabolism.

Conclusion. The statistically significant obtained results may be used in the development of individual strategies for the prevention and treatment of obesity, and also allow us to supplement the information on the association of serotonin system gene polymorphism with morphofunctional features and contribute to expanding our understanding of the human physique features formation and their relationships with hereditary predisposition. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The dopaminergic system of the brain plays an important role in the formation of eating and other aspects of behavior. It has been shown that disturbances in dopamine neurotransmission are associated with both eating behavior and the formation of excess body weight and obesity. VNTR polymorphism in exon III of the dopamine receptor DRD4 gene presumably affects eating behavior through environmental perception, but studies on this topic are few. This study was conducted due to the lack of information on the association of DRD4 gene polymorphism with excess body weight.

Materials and methods. The work used the materials of a comprehensive anthropogenetic examination of 309 males and 298 females aged 17 to 30 years. Morphological parameters were measured using traditional anthropometric methods. Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) were used to determine the level of depression and aggression, respectively. Genomic DNA isolated from the buccal epithelium served as the material for the genetic analysis. The reliability of intergroup differences was assessed using the Mann-Whitney criterion.

Results and discussion. In this study, some differences in morphological characteristics were found in carriers of different genotypes of the DRD4 exon III locus. Carriers of the 4- genotype (females who do not have the allele with four repeats) are somewhat larger in build, they have higher values for body length and weight, as well as hip circumference, than carriers of the 4+ genotype (p<0.05). For males, no statistically significant differences in morphological characteristics were found between carriers of different genotypes. The results of the study showed that males with the 4+ genotype have comparatively higher scores on the physical aggression and hostility scales (p<0.05), as well as on the anger scale (p>0.05; tendency).

Conclusion. The obtained data suggest further study of the influence of VNTR polymorphism of the dopamine receptor DRD4 gene on the formation of food preferences and the tendency to excess fat deposition, together with a detailed study of the socio-economic status of individuals. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Scientific and medical communities are looking for various markers indicating the individual risk of gaining excess body fat due to the high prevalence of excess body weight. One of such markers is presumably the ratio of leg length to body height (leg-to-height ratio). There is evidence that leg length reflects the influence of environmental factors on the development of individuals. Due to conflicting data on the relationship between the leg-to-height ratio and percentage body fat, the aim of this work is to study the associations of leg length and fat deposition indicators using a sample of Chuvash people from the villages of the Yadrinsky District of the Chuvashia Republic as an example.

Materials and methods. The work analyzes the materials of an anthropometric survey of 226 Chuvash people - residents of the villages of the Yadrinsky District of Chuvashia (113 men and 113 women) aged 21-85 years. Standard anthropometric indicators were measured, and lengths of the leg, thigh and shin, percentage body fat and leg-to-height ratio were calculated. Pearson correlation coefficients between the studied features and indices were also calculated.

Results and discussion. In the male and female groups, the proportion of body fat mass is much more closely related to waist circumference (r = 0.80 for men and r = 0.90 for women) than to leg-to-height ratio (r = 0.04 for men and r = 0.05 for women). Sexual dimorphism in the relationship between the lengths of lower limb segments and the proportion of body fat mass was found. Leg length in the male group is related to the proportion of body fat mass by the coefficient r = -0.30 (in women r = -0.09). In our work, we examined a group of individuals homogeneous in ethno-territorial affiliation, but we do not have data on the economic well-being of the subjects and the factors influencing their pre- and postnatal development.

Conclusion. The negative relationship between leg-to-height ratio and percentage body fat found by other authors was not confirmed in our study. However, in men, a moderate negative association was found between the proportion of body fat and leg length and leg segment lengths.

Acknowledgements. The study was conducted under the state assignment of Lomonosov Moscow State University. The materials "Database on morphological features in the adult Chuvash population of the Yadrinsky district of Chuvashia (group 102)" were transferred to the author by Doctor of Biology V.A. Batsevich in 2023 to carry out this study. Currently, these materials are part of the archival fund of Dr. V.A. Batsevich. The author expresses his deep gratitude to the Doctor of Historical Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.P. Buzhilova for the idea of the study, valuable comments and editing of the text of the manual.

Introduction. Early detection and timely initiation of therapy for increasingly prevalent interstitial lung diseases are key factors for a favorable prognosis. The study investigated the potential of classical anthropometric methods for identifying individual risk factor predictors in patients with interstitial lung diseases and carbohydrate metabolism disorders, given the established significant link between the manifestations of both pathologies.

Materials and Methods. Medical and anthropometric data from the examination of 31 patients with diagnosed interstitial lung diseases (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis) were included in the study. Statistical data processing was performed using software packages: Microsoft Excel 2010, MedCalc 23.2.8, Statistica 12.0.

Results and discussion. Significant differences were found between men with two different types of interstitial lung diseases in age and shoulder circumferences. The level of fat component development is higher in patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis than in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Statistically significant Kendall correlation coefficients were obtained: between insulin level and body mass index (0.34), insulin level and the number of COVID-19 infections (0.30), p<0.05. Patients with interstitial lung diseases, especially hypersensitivity pneumonitis, belong to a risk group, having body mass index exceeding healthy indicators, primarily due to increased fat deposition. A link was noted between certain morphological markers of diabetes mellitus – signs characterizing high fat component development – and high insulin levels with the incidence of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, a form of interstitial lung disease. The identified associations in patients with interstitial lung diseases between morphological and medical indicators of carbohydrate metabolism disorders, and with the incidence of a specific viral infection, suggest a complex interplay of pathologies, exacerbated by age-related changes.

Conclusion. To more accurately assess the relationship between morphological characteristics in type 2 diabetes mellitus and the onset and course of interstitial lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, research on a larger sample size and complete clinical data is necessary.

Acknowledgements. The anthropological part of the study was conducted as part of a state order from Lomonosov Moscow State University (A.A. Vasileva, L.V. Zadorozhnaya). The medical part of the study was conducted as part of the research project "Interstitial lung diseases: study of predictors of progression and unfavorable prognosis in patients with carbohydrate disorders" (G.Y. Babadjanova, T.A. Savina).

The authors express their sincere gratitude to the staff of the Department of Pulmonology at the N.V. Sklifosovsky Institute of Clinical Medicine at Sechenov University: Head of the Department, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor S.N. Avdeev; Associate Professor of the Department, PhD N.V. Trushenko; Assistant Professor of the Department O.A. Suvorova; and Resident Doctor Yu.A. Levina for the opportunity to organize the patient examinations, as well as to the patients for their responsiveness and responsible participation in the study.