Early contact between late farming and pastoralist societies in southeastern Europe.

Archaeogenetic studies have described two main genetic turnover events in prehistoric western Eurasia: one associated with the spread of farming and a sedentary lifestyle starting around 7000-6000 BC (refs. 1-3) and a second with the expansion of pastoralist groups from the Eurasian steppes starting around 3300 BC (refs. 4,5). The period between these events saw new economies emerging on the basis of key innovations, including metallurgy, wheel and wagon and horse domestication6-9. However, what happened between the demise of the Copper Age settlements around 4250 BC and the expansion of pastoralists remains poorly understood. To address this question, we analysed genome-wide data from 135 ancient individuals from the contact zone between southeastern Europe and the northwestern Black Sea region spanning this critical time period. While we observe genetic continuity between Neolithic and Copper Age groups from major sites in the same region, from around 4500 BC on, groups from the northwestern Black Sea region carried varying amounts of mixed ancestries derived from Copper Age groups and those from the forest/steppe zones, indicating genetic and cultural contact over a period of around 1,000 years earlier than anticipated. We propose that the transfer of critical innovations between farmers and transitional foragers/herders from different ecogeographic zones during this early contact was integral to the formation, rise and expansion of pastoralist groups around 3300 BC.

Estudo de riscos cardiovasculares em adolescentes (Erica): resultados principais e perspectivas / Perspectivas study of cardiovascular risks in adolescents (Erica): main results and perspectives

As doenças cardiovasculares são a principal causa de morte no Brasil. Os fatores de risco modificáveis dessas doenças podem ser observados desde a infância e sua persistência está associada ao diagnóstico precoce de morbidades. Neste contexto, a adolescência é considerada um período chave para estratégias de prevenção. Com objetivo de avaliar a prevalência de fatores de risco cardiovascular e seus fatores as-sociados foi planejado o Estudo de riscos cardiovasculares em adolescentes (ERICA), um inquérito multicêntrico de base escolar com abrangência nacional que envolveu mais de 70 mil adolescentes, entre 12 e 17 anos, de cidades brasileiras com mais de 100 mil habitantes. Os principais resultados do estudo apontaram prevalências preo-cupantes de sobrepeso/obesidade (25,5%, IC 95%: 24,4%-26,6%), pressão arterial elevada (9,6%, IC 95%: 8,9%-10,3%) e HDL-c baixo (47,3%, IC 95%: 45,2%-49,3%). A prevalência de síndrome metabólica foi de 2,6% (IC 95%: 2,3%-2,9%). Além disso, mais da metade dos adolescentes reportaram um estilo de vida sedentário. As estimativas regionais apontaram a região sul como a que tem maiores prevalências de fatores de risco. O ERICA foi um estudo pioneiro no Brasil e os adolescentes que participaram do estudo no Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Brasília e Fortaleza serão acompanhados em uma nova etapa. Os primeiros resultados do ERICA podem servir de referência para futuras pesquisas sobre riscos cardiovasculares entre adolescentes brasileiros, bem como subsidiar políticas públicas de saúde.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in Brazil. Modifiable risk factors for this group of diseases can be observed since childhood, and their persisten-ce is associated with the early diagnosis of morbidities. In this context, adolescence is considered a key period for prevention strategies. In order to evaluate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and their associated factors, the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents ("ERICA") was planned. This is a multicenter school-based nationwide survey involving more than 70,000 adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years from Brazilian cities with more than 100 thousand inhabitants. The main results of the study indicated concerning prevalence of overweight/obesity (25.5%, 95% CI: 24.4%-26.6%), high blood pressure (9.6%, 95% CI: 8.9%-10.3%) and low HDL-c (47.3%, 95% CI: 45.2%-49.3%). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 2.6% (95% CI: 2.3%-2.9%). In addition, more than half of adolescents reported a sedentary lifestyle. Regional estimates pointed to the south as the region with the highest prevalence of risk factors. ERICA was a pioneering study in Brazil and the adolescents who participated in the study in Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Brasília and Fortaleza will be followed in a new stage. The first results of ERICA can both serve as a reference for future research on cardiovascular risks among Brazilian adolescents and support public health policies.

Low trabecular bone density in recent sedentary modern humans.

OBJECTIVES: Research on a limited number of samples suggests that trabecular bone density (i.e., bone volume fraction, BVF) within specific articulations is lower among more sedentary Holocene agricultural populations compared with Holocene foragers, implying that activity levels have a significant effect on trabecular BVF. However, it is unclear to what extent BVF differs among groups with varying activity levels and how general this phenomenon is across multiple limb articulations. Here, we test two hypotheses that: (i) sedentary populations have lower BVF compared with active populations across limb articulations; and (ii) these declines are more uniform in the lower limb (because of its more direct relationship to mobility), and more variable in the upper limb. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We estimated BVF in seven lower and upper limb articulations of five Holocene population samples with subsistence strategies spanning from foraging through horticultural to industrial using pQCT (peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography). RESULTS: Both hypotheses are largely supported. First, the most active groups have significantly greater BVF in most limb elements compared with more sedentary groups. Second, all sedentary groups have relatively similar (and lower) BVF in the lower limb but show more variation in upper limb articulations. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that a decline in activity levels associated with the adoption of agriculture and industrialization significantly contributed to the reduction in BVF in recent modern humans, but specific behavioral changes, particularly in the upper limb, also affected these patterns.

Fase do treinamento esportivo não afeta a variabilidade da frequência cardíaca em atletas de jiu-jitsu / Phase of sports training does affect the heart rate variability in a athletes of jiu-jitsu

O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a modulação autonômicacardíaca de atletas de jiu-jitsu, comparando-os com sedentáriose avaliando as alterações dessa modulação ao longo dasdiferentes fases de treinamento. Foram avaliados sete atletas esete indivíduos sedentários do sexo masculino (23 ± 4 e 24 ± 3anos, respectivamente). A frequência cardíaca (FC) e o sinalrespiratório foram coletados por 10 minutos na posição deitadaem três fases do treinamento dos atletas (preparatória, competitivae transitória) e num único momento nos sedentários.A modulação autonômica cardíaca foi avaliada pela análiseespectral da variabilidade da FC (VFC) utilizando-se o modeloautorregressivo. A comparação entre os grupos foi feitapelos testes t não pareado ou Mann-Whitney. A comparaçãoentre as fases de treinamento no grupo de atletas foi realizadapela ANOVA de um fator para amostras repetidas (p < 0,05).Os grupos apresentaram características físicas e funcionaissemelhantes, mas a força máxima foi significantemente maiornos atletas. Todos os índices de VFC foram semelhantes entreos atletas e os sedentários. Além disso, esses índices não sealteraram significantemente entre as fases preparatória, competitivae transitória do treinamento dos atletas. Em conclusão, osatletas de jiu-jitsu apresentam modulação autonômica cardíacasemelhante à de sedentários, e essa modulação não se alteranas diferentes fases de periodização do treinamento.

The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiac autonomic modulationin jiu-jitsu athletes, comparing with sedentary individuals,and evaluating changes that may happen throughout the differentphases of training. Seven athletes and seven sedentary males (23± 4 e 24 ± 3 years, respectively) were evaluated. Heart rate (HR)and respiratory signal were collected for 10 min in the supineposition in the three phases of training (preparatory, competitiveand transient) in the athletes and at one moment in the sedentarysubjects. Cardiac autonomic modulation was evaluated by thespectral analysis of HR variability (HRV) using the autoregressivemodel. Comparisons between groups were performed byunpaired t-test or Mann-Whitney test. Comparisons among thetraining phases were performed by one-way ANOVA for repeatedmeasures (p < 0.05). Athletes and sedentary subjects presentedsimilar physical and cardiovascular characteristics, althoughmaximal strength was significantly higher in the athletes. All ofthe HRV indexes were similar between athletes and sedentarysubjects. In addition, HRV indexes did not change among thepreparatory, competitive and transition phases of training. Inconclusion, jiu-jitsu athletes have cardiac autonomic modulationsimilar to sedentary subjects and this modulation is not changedthroughout the different periodization phases of training.