Journal of Physiological Anthropology最新文献

Background: High normal levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) have been reported to be associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) among euthyroid individuals. However, there has been only limited research on the association between TSH and proteinuria, a major risk factor for the progression of renal disease.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 1595 euthyroid individuals was conducted. All participants were within the normal range for free triiodothyronine (T3), free thyroxine (T4), and TSH. Analyses were stratified by thyroid cyst status to test the hypothesis that the absence of thyroid cysts, an indicator of latent thyroid damage, is associated with declining ability to synthesis thyroid hormone.

Results: For participants with thyroid cysts, a significant inverse association between TSH and proteinuria was observed (adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) of log-transformed TSH for proteinuria 0.40 (0.18, 0.89)). In participants without thyroid cysts, a significant positive association between those two factors was observed (2.06 (1.09, 3.90)).

Conclusions: Among euthyroid individuals in the general population, being in the normal range of TSH was found to have an ambivalent association with proteinuria. Thyroid cyst status could be an effect modifier for those associations.

Objective: To establish the reference interval of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in apparently healthy children in Zigong, China, using an indirect method to provide a basis for proper clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Methods: A total of 1851 apparently healthy children of the Children's Health Care Department in Zigong First People's Hospital between January 2016 and December 2020 were included in the study. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to analyze the data for normality, and the non-normally distributed data were transformed into approximately normal distribution by Blom's normal rank transformation, and the transformed data were excluded from outliers by the quartile spacing method, and the data were stratified and analyzed according to sex, age, and season. The data were stratified according to sex, age, and season, and the area between the 2.5% and 97.5% percentile points was used as the reference interval.

Results: The serum 25(OH)D data were non-normally distributed. The data were normally distributed after Blom's normality rank transformation, and 92 cases of outliers were excluded from the transformed data according to the interquartile spacing method. The differences in serum 25(OH)D levels between sex were not statistically significant (P > 0.05), and there was no need to establish reference intervals based on sex. There was no statistically significant difference in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels between winter and spring, and also no difference between summer and autumn (P > 0.05), and the levels were lower in winter-spring than in summer-autumn. Comparison between age groups showed that there was no statistically significant difference in serum 25(OH)D levels between the < 6 months group and the 6 ~ 11 months group, and between the 6 ~ 9 years group and the 10 ~ 14 years group (P > 0.05); serum 25(OH)D levels decreased with increasing age. There was an interactive effect of season and age group on 25(OH)D levels, and the corresponding reference intervals were established according to different seasons and age groups. In summer and autumn, the reference intervals of serum 25(OH)D for < 1 year, 1 ~ 2 years, 3 ~ 5 years, and 6 ~  14 years were 39.86 ~ 151.43, 31.54 ~ 131.65, 22.05 ~ 103.75, and 15.36 ~ 85.53 ng/ml and 24.42 ~ 144.20, 31.54 ~ 131.65, 16.80 ~ 165.68, and 15.46 ~ 85.54 ng/ml in winter and spring, respectively.

Conclusion: Reference intervals for serum 25(OH)D in children of different seasons and ages in Zigong, China, were established to provide a reference for clinical disease diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis determination.

Background: The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether using the extracellular water/intracellular water (ECW/ICW) index and phase angle combined with segmental-bioimpedance analysis (BIA) improved the model fitting of skeletal muscle volume (SMV) estimation. The secondary aim was to compare the accuracy of segmental-BIA with that of ultrasound for estimating the quadriceps SMV measured with MRI.

Methods: Seventeen young men (mean age, 23.8 ± 3.3 years) participated in the study. The T-1 weighted images of thigh muscles were obtained using a 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Thigh and quadriceps SMVs were calculated as the sum of the products of anatomical cross-sectional area and slice thickness of 6 mm across all slices. Segmental-BIA was applied to the thigh region, and data on the 50-kHz bioelectrical impedance (BI) index, ICW index, ECW/ICW index, and phase angle were obtained. The muscle thickness index was calculated as the product of the mid-thigh muscle thickness, determined using ultrasound, and thigh length. The standard error of estimate (SEE) of the regression equation was calculated to determine the model fitting of SMV estimation and converted to %SEE by dividing the SEE values by the mean SMV.

Results: Multiple regression analysis indicated that the combination of 50-kHz BI and the ECW/ICW index or phase angle was a significant predictor when estimating thigh SMV (SEE = 7.9 and 8.1%, respectively), but were lower than the simple linear regression (SEE = 9.4%). The ICW index alone improved the model fitting for the estimation equation (SEE = 7.6%). The model fitting of the quadriceps SMV with the 50-kHz BI or ICW index was similar to that with the skeletal muscle thickness index measured using ultrasound (SEE = 10.8, 9.6 and 9.7%, respectively).

Conclusions: Combining the traditionally used 50-kHz BI index with the ECW/ICW index and phase angle can improve the model fitting of estimated SMV measured with MRI. We also showed that the model suitability of SMV estimation using segmental-BIA was equivalent to that on using ultrasound. These data indicate that segmental-BIA may be a useful and cost-effective alternative to the gold standard MRI for estimating SMV.

Background: Facial cooling (FC) is effective in improving endurance exercise performance in hot environments. In this study, we evaluated the impact of intermittent short-lasting FC on the ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during exercise.

Methods: Ten healthy men performed 40 continuous minutes of ergometric cycle exercise at 65% of the peak heart rate in a climatic chamber controlled at an ambient temperature of 35 °C and a relative humidity of 50%. In the control (CONT) trial, the participants performed the exercise without FC. In two cooling trials, each participant underwent 10 s of FC at 2- (FC2) and 4-min (FC4) intervals while continuing to exercise. FC was achieved by applying two soft-gel packs (cooled to 0 °C) directly and bilaterally on the forehead, eyes, and cheeks. In another cooling trial, 10 s of FC was performed at 2-min intervals using two soft-gel packs cooled to 20 °C (FC2-20).

Results: The RPE values in the FC4 trial were significantly lower than those in the CONT trial at 20 min (FC4, 11.6 ± 2.2 points; CONT, 14.2 ± 1.3 points; P < 0.01). Further, significant differences in the RPE values were observed between the FC4 and CONT trials at 5-15 min and 25-40 min (P < 0.05). RPE values were also significantly lower in the FC2 trial than in the CONT trial (5-40 min). Although the RPE values in the FC2-20 trial were significantly lower (5-10 min; 15-20 min) than those in the CONT trial, there were no significant differences in the RPE between the FC2-20 and CONT trials at 25-40 min. At 35 min, the RPE values were significantly higher in the FC2-20 trial than in the FC2 trial (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Intermittent short-lasting FC was associated with a decrease in RPE, with shorter intervals and lower temperatures eliciting greater attenuation of increase in the RPE.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex cluster of risk factors, considered as a polygenic and multifactorial entity. The objective of this study was to determine the association of rs9939609-FTO polymorphism and MetS components in adult women of Mayan communities of Chiapas.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, sociodemographic, anthropometric, clinical, and biochemical data were obtained from 291 adult women from three regions of Chiapas, Mexico. The prevalence of MetS and the allele and genotype frequencies of the rs9939609-FTO were estimated. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with each of the MetS components.

Results: The MetS prevalence was 60%. We found a statistically significant association between rs9939609-FTO and hyperglycemia in the dominant model (OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.3-5.3; p = 0.007).

Conclusions: Women from Mayan communities of Chiapas presented a high prevalence of MetS and a relevant association of the FTO variant with hyperglycemia. This is the first study carried out in these Mayan indigenous communities from Chiapas.

Applying human biological evolution to solve topical problems of medicine and preventive cardiology was inspired by the realization of the need for clinical and experimental studies of biological (evolutionary) prerequisites in the occurrence of a pathology. Although it has been stated that there is a need to provide a full biological understanding of features, including those that increase an animal's vulnerability to diseases, unfortunately, in this regard, erectile and associated adaptations to the Earth's gravity in their physiological and pathological manifestations have not been considered. At the same time, it should be noted that humans, unlike other animal species, have the greatest vulnerability of the cardiovascular system (CVS). The latter is associated with fundamental differences in the functioning and regulation of the CVS by the influence of gravity on blood circulation in humans as upright creatures. Based on a review of comparative physiological, ontogenetic, and clinical studies from an evolutionary perspective, the idea of adaptation to the Earth's gravity when walking upright in humans is justified as an anthropogenic basis for the physiology and pathology of the cardiovascular system and hemodynamic support systems (physio-anthropology and pathological anthropology).

Background: Rapid weight gain in early life is associated with adiposity later in life. However, there is limited information on the association between weight gain and body fat mass measured using precise methods. This study aimed to investigate whether weight gain is associated with body fat mass measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in adolescents.

Methods: Participants of this retrospective cohort study were 423 adolescents born at full-term who were enrolled in the Japan Kids Body-composition Study. Anthropometric measurements related to pregnancy, delivery, and child health were obtained from the Japanese Maternal and Child Health Handbook. Fat mass in adolescents was measured with a DXA scanner. Weight gain was defined as the change in body weight from birth to age 1.5 years. Associations between birthweight and fat mass, and between weight gain and fat mass, were evaluated using multiple regression analysis.

Results: There was a significant positive association between weight gain from birth to age 1.5 years and fat mass in adolescents (boys: standardized regression coefficient (β) = 0.253, p < 0.01; girls: β = 0.246, p < 0.01), but not between birthweight standardized for gestational age and fat mass.

Conclusion: Children with a greater change in weight from birth to age 1.5 years tended to have increased fat mass in adolescence. Weight gain in early life has a greater impact on fat mass in adolescents than birthweight.

Background: Although evidence of both beneficial and adverse biological effects of lighting has accumulated, biologically favorable lighting often does not match subjectively comfortable lighting. By controlling the correlated color temperature (CCT) of ambient lights, we investigated the feasibility of combined lighting that meets both biological requirements and subjective comfort.

Methods: Two types of combined lightings were compared; one consisted of a high-CCT (12000 K) light-emitting diode (LED) panel as the ambient light and a low-CCT (5000 K) LED stand light as the task light (high-low combined lighting), and the other consisted of a low-CCT (4500 K) LED panel as the ambient light and the same low-CCT (5000 K) stand light as the task light (low-low combined lighting) as control. Ten healthy subjects (5 young and 5 elderly) were exposed to the two types of lighting on separate days. Autonomic function by heart rate variability, psychomotor performances, and subjective comfort were compared.

Results: Both at sitting rest and during psychomotor workload, heart rate was higher and the parasympathetic index of heart rate variability was lower under the high-low combined lighting than the low-low combined lighting in both young and elderly subject groups. Increased psychomotor alertness in the elderly and improved sustainability of concentration work performance in both age groups were also observed under the high-low combined lighting. However, no significant difference was observed in the visual-analog-scale assessment of subjective comfort between the two types of lightings.

Conclusions: High-CCT ambient lighting, even when used in combination with low-CCT task lighting, could increase autonomic and psychomotor arousal levels without compromising subjective comfort. This finding suggests the feasibility of independent control of ambient and task lighting as a way to achieve both biological function regulation and subjective comfort.

Here, we review the history and the trends in the research on the nonvisual effect of light in the field of physiological anthropology. Research on the nonvisual effect of light in the field of physiological anthropology was pioneered by Sato and colleagues in the early 1990s. These authors found that the color temperature of light affected physiological functions in humans. The groundbreaking event with regard to the study of nonvisual effects of light was the discovery of the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells in the mammalian retina in the early 2000s. The interest of the physiological anthropology scientific community in the nonvisual effects of light has been increasing since then. A total of 61 papers on nonvisual effects of light were published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology (including its predecessor journals) until October 2018, 14 papers (1.4/year) in the decade from 1992 to 2001, 45 papers (2.8/year) in the 16 years between 2002 and 2017, and two papers in 2018 (January-October). The number of papers on this topic has been increasing in recent years. We categorized all papers according to light conditions, such as color temperature of light, light intensity, and monochromatic light. Among the 61 papers, 11 papers were related to color temperature, 20 papers were related to light intensity, 18 papers were related to monochromatic light, and 12 papers were classified as others. We provide an overview of these papers and mention future research prospects.