Journal of physiological anthropology and applied human science最新文献

The purpose of this study is to examine the cardiovascular and metabolic responses between dynamic and static exercise when a leg press exercise is performed. Seven participants (20-21 yrs) were recruited for the experiment. Four modes of dynamic or static leg press exercise were assigned in two combined conditions: a unilateral or a bilateral condition and two exercise intensities with 20% and 40% of maximal voluntary contraction (20% MVC, 40% MVC). The duration of the dynamic exercise and the static exercise at 20% MVC was six minutes, and the static exercise at 40% MVC was three minutes. In the dynamic exercise, ventilation (VE), O2 uptake (VO2), heart rate (HR), and systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP, DBP) reached the steady-state after 3 min exercise, while in the static leg press, these responses continued to increase at the end of exercise. The alteration in VO2 mostly depended on both exercise intensity and the one- or two-leg condition during the dynamic leg press, whereas no significant difference in VO2 during the static leg press was found in the four modes. The alterations in rate-pressure product (RPP) depended solely on exercise intensity and leg condition. These findings suggest that the static leg press causes a greater rise in HR, SBP, and DBP. In addition, RPP appears particularly sensitive to experimental modes.

Localized morphometric deformations of small airways and alveoli during respiration have many biomedical and physiological implications. We developed fast synchrotron radiation CT system to visualize the small airways and alveoli of an intact mouse lung without fixation and dehydration, and analyzed their localized morphometric deformations between functional residual capacity (FRC) and total lung capacity (TLC). In the diameter behavior, the averaged and range values were significantly larger for smaller airways (68.8%, range: 0.36-0.89) than larger airways (45.2%, range: 0.40-0.57). These results indicated that the airway did not deformed in same manner and that these morphological differences characterized the heterogeneous lung function.

A new principle of somatotyping according to the set of the most informative anthropometric indices is offered. For the first time we carried out a comparative analysis of anthropometric indices of physical development, of cardiovascular system functioning and its vegetative regulation for the representatives of different somatotypes. The purpose of the analysis was to define constitutional peculiarities of adaptation reactions in young males and females to the deficiency of vital macro- and microelements in soils and drinkable water of the Southern region of Belarus. Typological specificity of organism reactivity to the unfavorable geochemical situation of the Southern region of Belarus was revealed in young males and females in different degrees of tension in adaptation processes. The suggested approach to somatotyping has allowed us to define more precisely the constitutional properties of organism reactivity in a discomfort environment.

This article presents our recent studies on the effects of color temperature on the taste sense and the influence of color temperature on bright light exposure during night rest period. Ten male Japanese and ten male Chinese were exposed to four illumination conditions (200, 1500 lx x 3000, 7500 K). Their taste threshold of four common tastes and amount of saliva were measured. It was found in both Japanese and Chinese subjects that sensitivities to sweet and bitter taste were decreased under the lower illuminance condition. Under the lower color temperature condition, sensitivity to bitter taste in Japanese and sweet taste in Chinese were decreased. Secretion of saliva increased under the lower illuminance condition in both Japanese and Chinese. Only in Chinese subjects, secretion of saliva increased under the lower color temperature condition. In a separate experiment, six male Japanese students were subjected to bright light exposure during a night rest period. They performed a mental task from 23:00 h till 02:00 h, and took a rest from 00:00 h to 01:00 h. During the rest period they were exposed to bright light (3000 lx) of three different color temperatures: 3000 K, 5000 K, and 7000 K. After exposure to bright light of 3000 K but not at other color temperatures, the EEG alpha1 band ratio and the beta band ratio at 02:00 h were higher and lower, respectively, than that at 01:00 h. These findings indicated that lower color temperature bright light exposure during a night rest break led to a reduction of subjects' arousal level during the subsequent work. Herein, we discuss these results from the viewpoint of physiological anthropology.

Disorders of dietary sugar assimilation occur more often among native people of the Arctic then in temperate climate inhabitants. It is hypothesized that the limited variety of natural exogenous sugars in the Arctic, and their low content in the traditional diets of native northerners in accordance with a "protein-lipid" type of metabolism weakened selection, favoring diversity of disaccharidase enzymes.

Ergonomic anthropology is a complex synthesis of studies which was formed at the borderline of anthropology, physiology and psychology. The subject of the studies is the psychosomatic status of working men interacting with techniques by means of technical tools. This status has a dual display: first, through somatometric features, known as ergonomic dimensions; second, through the subjective feelings (proprioreceptive) of a working person on the level of comfort or discomfort of the soma. The ergonomic dimensions of the body serve as a basis for calculations of the parameters of working places and reflect posture and movement activity. Three groups of methodological tasks are tested. 1. Adaptation of the anthropometric method and discovery of its specificity for ergonomics tasks. 2. Elaboration of principles and rules of applying ergonomics measurements of the body for constructing techniques. 3. The choice of objective and subjective methods of somatic comfort evaluations.

Developing effective behavioral and psychological mechanisms for coping with social stress was very important in human evolution because humans evolved as social beings. The aggressive and post-aggressive behavior of 30 boys aged 7-11 years was observed during free play in summer camp with the standard "post-conflict-matched control" method (de Waal and Yoshihara, 1983). The focals were the victims of the conflict. Saliva samples for examination of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels were taken from each boy in 5 cases: 10 minutes after a conflict with and without reconciliation, matched-control samples next day and morning samples for the basal level. Every boy filled in a sociometry form, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, Eysenk Personality test and the Revised Children's form for the Manifest Anxiety Scale. The stress-reduction role of peacemaking was supported on the physiological level. The level of stress-related hormones was higher when no reunion occurred.

On the basis of comprehensive anthropometrical observation of 1st and 2nd year students from different faculties of Moscow State University (MSU) carried out in 2002-2003, functional characteristics of the cardiovascular system (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate) were investigated in 205 young men and 327 young women along with traditional morphological parameters. In comparisons of contemporary young men and women with their peers, whose characteristics were obtained in the course of investigations carried out over the period 1920-1990, secular trends towards an increase of body length and a worsening of strength indices were detected. Evaluation and comparative analysis of adaptation capabilities of students were carried out based on screening and assessment of adaptation potential using the Bayevsky method (1987). It was shown that the parameters of physical development and the level of adaptation of an organism to environmental conditions can be used as additional markers for determination of the health status of contemporary students for early prevention of some diseases, improvement of their physical status and increase of adaptation potentials.

We present a conceptual framework for applying techniques of SNP genotyping as a molecular biological approach and remote sensing as an ecological approach to elucidation of the contribution of polygene and environmental factors to inter-individual variation in skin pigmentation phenotype. Additionally, we discuss the obstacles that frustrate our efforts to identify how the human genome encodes the complex phenotype and suggest the use of computational methods designed for knowledge discovery within hereditary database.

The results of anthropoecological investigations in Central Asia are described. From 1976 to 1991 about 6,000 individuals of both sexes were examined. 2,500 of them were children from 7 to 17 years. The program included the study of body build, metabolic rates, genetic markers and demographic structures. Different groups of Tuvins, Khakass, Mountain and Abakan Shortsys, Altai-kijis, Telengits, Teleuts, Kazakhs, and several groups of Mongols and Khotons were studied. It was shown that some patterns of body build and physiological traits of native populations of Central Asia partly reflect the influence of the geographical environment. The differences observed between various populations of the region may be explained by ecological reasons and not only by ethnic differentiation.