Does an early rural life influence selected health-related parameters of female university students?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to define whether in a group of young women the place of residence in their childhood and adolescence, as well as moving from a rural to an urban area, have affected their biological condition. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data were obtained from 1,305 unmarried and childless women aged 18-25. The respondents were university students. Each person's height, weight and waist circumference were measured, and the BMI, WHR, and WHtR indices were calculated. A survey was used to collect data on the females' socio-economic status, their health condition and course of menstruation cycle. RESULTS: In the whole sample, apart from WHR, there was no significant difference in anthropometric characteristics depending on the urbanization degree of the place of residence before commencing studies. In comparing the two groups of women, changing place of residence from a village to a city and from a city to another city, more differences were visible. Women of rural origin presented significantly higher values of BMI, waist circumference and WHtR than those from the city. They were also more frequently characterized by overweight and abdominal obesity. The women from other cities were characterized by underweight and too low amount of abdominal adipose tissue. Health problems were found in both groups. Students of rural origin more rarely declared changes in body weight and health condition after beginning studies. Students of urban origin were more often affected by sleeping problems and spine pains. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study do not indicate that a change of place of residence has a stronger effect on the biological condition of rural women than their urban peers.

Screening methods for detection of ancient Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex fingerprints in next-generation sequencing data derived from skeletal samples.

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in ancient DNA studies, especially in increasing isolated DNA yields and quality, have opened the possibility of analysis of ancient host microbiome. However, such pitfalls as spurious identification of pathogens based on fragmentary data or environmental contamination could lead to incorrect epidaemiological conclusions. Within the Mycobacterium genus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex members responsible for tuberculosis share up to ∼99% genomic sequence identity, while other more distantly related Mycobacteria other than M. tuberculosis can be causative agents for pulmonary diseases or soil dwellers. Therefore, reliable determination of species complex is crucial for interpretation of sequencing results. RESULTS: Here we present a novel bioinformatical approach, used for screening of ancient tuberculosis in sequencing data, derived from 28 individuals (dated 4400-4000 and 3100-2900 BC) from central Poland. We demonstrate that cost-effective next-generation screening sequencing data (∼20M reads per sample) could yield enough information to provide statistically supported identification of probable ancient disease cases. CONCLUSIONS: Application of appropriate bioinformatic tools, including an unbiased selection of genomic alignment targets for species specificity, makes it possible to extract valid data from full-sample sequencing results (without subjective targeted enrichment procedures). This approach broadens the potential scope of palaeoepidaemiology both to older, suboptimally preserved samples and to pathogens with difficult intrageneric taxonomy.

Influence of socioeconomic factors during adolescence on the menarcheal age in Central Poland girls.

The purpose of the project was to indication the environmental factors that may influence on the menarcheal age in girls of Central Poland. The study was conducted in Warsaw and Lodz between 2016 and 2017 among subjects of randomly selected high schools, schools for adults, and workplaces. The material included 752 subjects between the ages of 16.00 and 29.23 years (mean age was 20.99 years). The questionnaire form provided information on the place of residence, parents' educational level, living conditions, and the number of children in the family. All questions concerned the period of adolescence. Studied subjects also were asked about their participation in sports in and outside the school, the level of stress at school and at home, smoking habits, and their age at menarche. To find the relation between the age at menarche and the socioeconomic status and living condition, the Generalized Linear Model with link function logit analysis and t-test were used. The statistically significant difference in the age at menarche was found based on the place of residence during adolescence and father's educational level. The girls from larger cities, whose fathers have higher education seem to mature earliest.

Prenatal and familial factors of caries in first permanent molars in schoolchildren living in urban area of Lódz, Poland.

The objective of the present work is to identify the set of prenatal and familial factors that contribute to dental caries of first permanent molars in preschool and young schoolchildren, which will make it possible to determine a high-risk group that should be considered for special preventive measures. This study contributes to the evidence for the multifactorial nature of dental caries. Material was collected during a 2009-2010 study conducted in randomly selected schools and kindergartens in the city of Lódz (Poland). Only children with first permanent molars present were considered for the analysis, which limited the database to 1131 children. Dental examinations were accompanied by a questionnaire completed by the parents, covering items pertaining to prenatal and familial determinants. The present study shows that there are significant differences in the prevalence of caries in first molars between children of different ages (5-13 lat) and that no such differences exist between boys and girls. The prenatal and familial factors conducive to caries include maternal education level (OR=0.55), mode of delivery (OR=0.63) and birth order (OR=0.63). Mothers' smoking habit is also associated with increased caries prevalence in children. Caries prevention should already begin during the prenatal period primarily in respect of mothers with lower educational attainment who are pregnant with a second or subsequent child.

Neonatal line width in deciduous incisors from Neolithic, mediaeval and modern skeletal samples from north-central Poland.

The neonatal line is usually the first accentuated incremental line visible on the enamel. The prenatal environment significantly contributes to the width of the neonatal line, influencing the pace of reaching post-delivery homeostasis by the newborn's organism. Studies of the enamel of the earliest developing deciduous teeth can provide an insight into the prenatal development and the perinatal conditions of children of past human populations, thus being an additional source contributing to consideration of the influence of prenatal and perinatal factors modifying growth processes. The aim of this study was to examine whether the neonatal line, reflecting the conditions of the prenatal and perinatal environment, differed between the Neolithic, the mediaeval and the modern populations from the Kujawy region in north-central Poland. The material consisted of longitudinally ground sections of 57 human deciduous incisors obtained from children aged 1.0-7.5 years representing three archaeological series from Brzesc Kujawski site. All teeth were sectioned in the labio-linqual plane using a diamond blade (Buechler IsoMet 1000). Final specimens were observed with the microscope Delta Optical Evolution 300 at 10× and 40× magnifications. For each tooth, linear measurements of the neonatal line width were performed on its labial surface at the three levels from the cemento-enamel junction. No significant difference was found in the mean neonatal line width depending on the tooth type and archaeological site, although the thickest neonatal line characterised children from the Neolithic series. In all analysed series, the neonatal line width was diversified depending on the child's age at death. The value of Spearman's rank correlation coefficient calculated for the correlation between the child's age at death and the neonatal line width was statistically significant. A clear increase in the width of the neonatal line was thus observed along with a decrease in the child's age at death.

Season of birth influences the timing of first menstruation.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the month of birth influences the maturation rate of Polish females from two birth cohorts, namely 1982-1984 and 1992-1994. It was also verified whether socioeconomic status (SES) is capable of altering the above relationship. METHODS: The research material consisted of data collected in two cross-sectional surveys. The first cohort involved 1,008 female secondary-school students, the second, 671 female university students. Information on subjects' date of birth, SES, and the age at menarche was obtained from a questionnaire. The subjects were divided into four groups, according to the month of birth: born in spring (III-V), born in summer (VI-VIII), born in autumn (IX-XI), and born in winter (XII-II). Next, the subjects were divided into two groups: born in summer months (VI-VIII) and born in the other months (IX-V). RESULTS: In the first cohort, subjects born in the summer reach menarche significantly earlier than subjects born in other seasons. The same tendency was noticeable in subjects born in the years 1992-1994; however, the differences were not statistically significant. In both cohorts, girls born in summer months had their first menstruation at a younger age than girls born in other months. The difference in age at menarche between season/months was also seen after dividing the data into uniform groups in terms of SES. CONCLUSION: The present data suggest that the season of birth influences sexual maturation rate in women.

Caries Experience and Distribution by Tooth Surfaces in Primary Molars in the Pre-school Child Population of Lodz, Poland.

PURPOSE: To evaluate caries experience in primary molars as well as the differences in caries prevalence and caries lesion location on individual tooth surfaces between first and second primary molars in pre-school children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 307 children, aged 3 to 5 years, from randomly chosen kindergartens in Lodz, Poland. Caries experience was scored according to WHO recommendations. The caries intensity (dmft, dmfts) for first and second primary molars was calculated. In addition, the percentage of particular surfaces with caries was counted for each molar separately. RESULTS: The mean dmft for primary molars was 1.84 (dmfts=2.47) and dmft>0 was seen in 53.09% of the study subjects. While in the entire examined population dmft and dmfts for first and second molars did not differ significantly, in 5-year-old children, the left mandibular first molar was associated with a higher caries intensity than the left mandibular second molar (dmfts=0.465 vs 0.344, Z=-1.98, p=0.04). However, in 5-year-olds, higher caries occurrence was seen for occlusal surfaces of the tooth 85 than 84 (33.62% vs 20.68%, χ2=4.09, p=0.03). The distal surface was more frequently affected in first molars than in second molars in children aged 4 (85 vs 84, χ2=17.1, p<0.001; 75 vs 74, χ2=11.5, p=0.007, 55 vs 54; χ2=4.6, p=0.03) and 5 years (54 vs 55, χ2=20.09; 64 vs 65, χ2=16.75; 74 vs 75, χ2=21.6; 84 vs 85, χ2=31.07; all comparisons p<0.001). In contrast, the mesial surfaces of mandibular second molars demonstrated more caries than the homologous surfaces of first molars, both in 4-year-olds (85 vs 84, χ2=6.15, p=0.01) and 5-year-olds (75 vs 74, χ2=3.9, p=0.04). CONCLUSION: In 5-year-old children, caries of occlusal and mesial surfaces was more common in primary second molars. However, distal surfaces were affected more in first than second molars.

Accentuated lines in the enamel of primary incisors from skeletal remains: A contribution to the explanation of early childhood mortality in a medieval population from Poland.

Physiological disruptions resulting from an impoverished environment during the first years of life are of key importance for the health and biological status of individuals and populations. Studies of growth processes in archaeological populations point to the fact that the main causes of childhood mortality in the past are to be sought among extrinsic factors. Based on this assumption, one would expect random mortality of children, with the deceased individuals representing the entire subadult population. The purpose of this study is to explore whether differences in early childhood survival are reflected in differences in deciduous tooth enamel, which can provide an insight into the development of an individual during prenatal and perinatal ontogeny. Deciduous incisors were taken from 83 individuals aged 2.0-6.5 years from a medieval inhumation cemetery dated AD 1300-1600. Prenatal and postnatal enamel formation time, neonatal line width, and the number of accentuated lines were measured using an optical microscope. The significantly wider neonatal line and the higher frequency of accentuated lines in the enamel of the incisors of children who died at the age of 2-3 years suggest the occurrence of stronger or more frequent stress events in this group. These results indicate that in skeletal populations mortality was not exclusively determined by random external factors. Individuals predisposed by an unfavorable course of prenatal and perinatal growth were more likely to die in early childhood.

Pattern of dental caries in the historical human population of Kujawy in the Polish lowland (north-central Poland).

The aim of this study was to determine the dental caries rates in the skeletal human population who lived in north-central Poland in modern times (16th-18th century). The material consisted of 297 skeletons (4,783 permanent teeth) from the archeological site of K. Compared material was coming from two different sites located in the same region: early mediaeval Kolonia--39 skeletons and Swiety Duch (dating to the same historical period as K population)--417 skeletons. All three series are part of the osteological collection of the Department of Anthropology. For each skeletal sample, caries rates were calculated by individual (frequency index) and by tooth count (intensity index). Dental caries was scored also according to a procedure in which the initiation sites are recorded. The highest frequency of dental caries was observed in Swiety Duch (70%) and the lowest in the early mediaeval sample (almost 59%). The intensity of caries fluctuated from above 8% observed in Kolonia to 22% observed in the sample from Swiety Duch. However, in all three samples the caries initiation site was most often noticed on fissure and pits (type 1) the K population was characterised by a different caries pattern (chi2=17.88, p<0.05 when compared with that of Kolonia; chi2=218.73, p<0.01 when compared with that of Swiety Duch), which could be the effect of diet (high frequency of CEJ caries probably means starch-rich plant food diet), oral hygiene, fluoride level, economic status or genetic factors (resistance/sensitivity to cariogenic bacteria).