Secular trends in height, weight, and body mass index in the context of economic and political transformations in Russia from 1885 to 2021.

OBJECTIVES: To study and analyze the impact of socio-economic factors on secular changes in height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) among Moscow's youth over the time interval from the late 19th-early 20th century to the present. METHODS: Anthropometric data, including height, weight, and BMI, were collected through surveys conducted on youths aged 17-20 years in Moscow from the 1880s for males and from the 1920s for females to the present. The dataset includes information on 6434 individuals surveyed from 2000 to 2019, as well as previously published mean values. Economic development indicators, such as gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, monthly average income per capita, and the Gini coefficient, were examined to analyze the association between secular trends in body size and socio-economic conditions. RESULTS: A positive secular trend in height and weight has been observed among Moscow's youth from the early 20th century to the present. Substantial increases in height occurred during the second half of the previous century, stabilizing in the 2000s. Over the analyzed period, both average body weight and BMI values showed a consistent rise. The pattern for BMI exhibited a U-shaped trend, with a decline from the 1970s to the mid-1990s, followed by a subsequent increase. Strong correlations were found between the secular changes in body size among Moscow's youth and temporal fluctuations in key socio-economic indicators, including GDP per capita, monthly average income per capita, and the Gini coefficient. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates the significant influence of socio-economic conditions on intergenerational changes in body size, as evidenced by the positive secular trend in physique indicators (height, weight, and BMI) among Moscow's youth.

The Bronze and Iron Age populations of the Armenian Highland in the genetic history of Armenians.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the biological diversity of the late Bronze and Iron Age populations in the Armenian Highland by nonmetric cranial traits, evaluate the genetic continuity in the development of the modern Armenian gene pool, and compare the results obtained with genetic data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-eight nonmetric cranial traits were scored on 498 adult crania from different late Bronze and Iron Age cemeteries, as well as from modern Armenians and other European populations. We carried out a biodistance analysis between populations using the mean measure of divergence (MMD) statistics, tested the spatial-temporal model of population structure, and assessed the diversity within the late Bronze and early Iron Ages by using the values of variability index (Fst). RESULTS: The biodistance analysis revealed a close relationship among different ancient Armenian populations and between the average frequencies of the three sequential periods (late Bronze Age, early Iron Age I and II) and modern Armenians. A gradual increase of variability (Fst) within the three successive periods was observed. DISCUSSION: The analysis of nonmetric trait data reflects deep roots and continuity in the formation of the Armenian population. Since at least the Late Bronze Age, owing to permanent isolation, no significant changes have occurred in the Armenian gene pool. An increase in variability over the successive periods reflects the process of population differentiation from a single gene pool while maintaining average trait frequencies. The congruence of the results obtained with the genetic data confirms, once more, the possibility of using nonmetric cranial traits as a proxy for genetic markers.

Association between the digit ratio (2D:4D) and body fat distribution in Mordovian students.

BACKGROUND: The length ratio of the second to the fourth finger (2D:4D) is a possible biomarker of prenatal sex hormone levels, which play a significant role in determining sex-related body traits. AIMS: To evaluate the value of the 2D:4D ratio in a Mordovian sample and to test the associations between the 2D:4D ratio and sexually dimorphic morphological traits, such as height and body weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumference, the waist-to-hip ratio, handgrip strength and the skinfold thickness. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The sample studied included 106 individuals of Mordovian ethnicity: 58 males and 48 females, 16-23 years old. The associations between the 2D:4D ratio and morphological traits were evaluated by multivariate regression analysis and correlation analysis. RESULTS: The 2D:4D ratio in males was significantly lower than in females. Most of the associations of the 2D:4D ratio with morphological traits were statistically insignificant. The 2D:4D ratio is only significantly correlated with skinfold thickness of the forearm and the abdomen in females. CONCLUSION: The association between the 2D:4D ratio and skinfold thickness is indicative of the role of prenatal sex hormones in shaping the body fat distribution in females, along with the significant impact of sex hormones at puberty.

Association of the digit ratio (2D: 4D) with sexually dimorphic morphological traits

The length ratio of the second to the fourth finger (2D:4D) is a possible biomarker of prenatal sex hormone levels, which play a significant role in determining the sex-related body traits. The aim of this study was to assess the association between the 2D:4D ratio and morphological characteristics, related to sexual dimorphism. We analyzed a group of Russian males (N = 169) and females (N = 193) aged between 17 and 27 years (with mean ages of 18.6±1.50 and 18.9±1.85, respectively) for the association between the 2D:4D ratio and a wide range of morphological characteristics, some of which were considered in this aspect for the first time. The 2D:4D ratio in males was significantly lower than in females (p ˂ 0.000). A highly statistically significant correlation was found between 2D:4D and sexually dimorphic morphological traits in the total sample. The association of 2D:4D ratio with morphological signs of masculinity/femininity within male and female samples were revealed only as a trend, which was more distinct for the functional indicators (handgrip strength)

No disponible

The association between mid-facial morphology and climate in northeast Europe differs from that in north Asia: Implications for understanding the morphology of Late Pleistocene Homo sapiens.

The climate of northeastern Europe is likely to resemble in many ways Late Pleistocene periglacial conditions in Europe, but there have been relatively few studies exploring the association between climate and morphology in the mid-face of modern northeastern European populations. To fill this gap, we sampled 540 male skulls from 22 European and Near Eastern groups, including 314 skulls from 11 populations from northeastern Europe, to test for possible climate-morphology association at the continental scale. Our results found a moderate and highly significant association (R = 0.48, p = 0.0013, Mantel test) between sets of 23 mid-facial measurements and eight climatic variables. A partial least squares analysis revealed this association to be mostly driven by differences between groups from northeastern Europe and populations from the Mediterranean and the Caucasus. Matrices of between-group genetic distances based on Y-chromosome and mtDNA markers, as well as cranial non-metric and geographic distance matrices, were used to control for the possible influence of shared population history. Irrespective of which measure of neutral between-population distances is taken into account, the association between cranial variables and climate remains significant. The pattern of association between climate and morphology of the mid-face in western Eurasia was then compared to that in east and north Asia. Although differences between the two were found, there were also similarities that support existing functional interpretations of morphology for the bony parts of the upper airways. Last, in a preliminary analysis using a reduced set of measurements, mid-facial morphology of several Upper Paleolithic European Homo sapiens specimens was found to be more similar to groups from northern and northeastern Europe than to southern European populations. Thus, the population of northeastern Europe rather than east and north Asian groups should be used as a model when studying climate-mediated mid-facial morphology of Upper Paleolithic European H. sapiens.

Nonmetric cranial trait variation and the origins of the Scythians.

OBJECTIVES: Within the fields of archaeology and anthropology, there is a long history of disputes concerning the origin of the northern Black Sea Scythians. One of the main points of contention is whether the Scythian gene pool was derived from the preceding local Bronze Age population or whether their population history can be connected to invaders from Central Asia. To test these hypotheses, we investigated Late Scythian populations from the northern Black Sea region and compared them to Bronze Age groups from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied a cranial series of five Late Scythian populations from the northern Black Sea region (N = 323), as well as local Bronze Age groups (N = 109), Central Asian Bronze Age groups (N = 79), and Sarmatians (N = 110). Biological diversity was analyzed by the mean measure of divergence (MMD). RESULTS: The Late Scythian population considered in this study proved to be genetically homogeneous, although some connections with the Sarmatians were found. We also revealed similarities between the Scythian groups and the local Bronze Age population of the Srubnaya culture, as well as, to a lesser extent, a group representative of the Central Asian Bronze Age Okunevo culture. DISCUSSION: The similarities between Late Scythians and various Sarmatian groups could be the result of genetic contacts between the groups, as well as shared genetic origins. The gene pool of the Scythian population likely comprises both local and Central Asian genetic components, though the exact origins and proportion of the eastern component currently remains unknown.

Testing the association between human mid-facial morphology and climate using autosomal, mitochondrial, Y chromosomal polymorphisms and cranial non-metrics.

OBJECTIVES: To figure out which and how many systems of genetic markers should be used to control for the effects of shared population history in studies examining the association between morphology and climate and to test cranial non-metric traits as an additional source of neutral distances for such studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We employed three systems of genetic markers (mtDNA, Y-chromosome and autosomal SNPs) and cranial non-metrics to control for potential impact of population history on apparent associations between climatic variables and mid-facial morphology found in a set of seven North Asian and one East Asian populations. RESULTS: A significant association between morphology and climate remained, independent of which of the four neutral distance matrices were used as a control. Matrices of neutral distances based on different systems of genetic markers show just one case of significant correlation among each other namely between the mtDNA and autosomal SNPs matrices. The correlation between the autosomal SNP and cranial non-metrics matrices is also fairly high but does not reach significance. DISCUSSION: A combination of several sources of genetic information could provide a more robust control for the effect of shared population history compared to just one type of markers since each of them has its own sources of bias and each provides a slightly different view of genetic relationships among the populations. Use of cranial non-metrics in researches examining the association between morphology and climate appears promising as they produce results that are generally consistent with those obtained using genetic markers.

Digit ratio (2D:4D): Is it possible to use it for sex determination in the study of human skeletal remains?

OBJECTIVES: Sexual dimorphism in the relative length of the second-to-fourth digits (the digit ratio, or 2D:4D) in humans has been reported in many studies. The aim of our study was to ascertain possibility of using the 2D:4D ratio as an additional marker for sex determination in the study of human skeletal remains. METHODS: We have studied 2D:4D ratios obtained from measurements of finger phalanges and metacarpal bones in Russian (45 adult males and 26 adult females) and German (58 adult males and 29 adult females) skeletal series. RESULTS: The difference in 2D:4D ratio between the male and female subsamples in both skeletal series was not statistically significant. Analysis of variance revealed that the 2D:4D ratios in our sample varied more by ethnicity than by the sexual identity of the skeletal material. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the 2D:4D ratio cannot be used as an appropriate trait for the sex determination of human skeletal remains. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:591-593, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Biological diversity and population history of Middle Holocene hunter-gatherers from the Cis-Baikal region of Siberia.

In the past decades, prehistoric hunter-gatherers of the Cis-Baikal region has been a subject of multidisciplinary research. In this study, we used nonmetric cranial traits to assess the genetic relationships between various spatial and temporal groups of Cis-Baikal Middle Holocene hunter-gatherers and to reveal genetic continuity between the Cis-Baikal Neolithic-Bronze Age population and modern native Siberians. Cranial series belonging to the bearers of the Early Neolithic Kitoi (n = 72), Late Neolithic Serovo (n = 54), and Early Bronze Glazkovo (n = 98) cultures were examined. Phenotypic differentiation was analyzed by the mean measure of divergence and Nei's genetic distances. Our results revealed several patterns of spatiotemporal biodiversity among the Cis-Baikal Middle Holocene populations, including biological similarity between the Early and Late Neolithic-Bronze Age groups, which suggests that the temporal hiatus between the Early and Late Neolithic does not necessarily imply genetic discontinuity in the region. The following possible scenarios of population history in the Cis-Baikal region are proposed: 1) continuous occupation with outside invasion of new migrant groups in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age and 2) migration of the Early Neolithic groups to the nearby regions and subsequent return of their descendants to the ancestral territory. A comparison of Cis-Baikal Neolithic populations with modern Siberian natives suggests that the Сis-Baikal region could have been a source area for population expansions into different parts of Siberia in the Neolithic and Bronze Age times.

Nonmetric cranial trait variation and population history of medieval East Slavic tribes.

The population history of the East Slavs is complicated. There are still many unanswered questions relating to the origins and formation of the East Slavic gene pool. The aims of the current study were as follows: (1) to assess the degree of biological affinity in medieval East Slavic tribes and to test the hypothesis that East Slavic peoples have a common origin; (2) to show their genetic connections to the autochthonous populations of the northern part of Eastern Europe (Baltic and Finno-Ugric tribes); and (3) to identify a genetic continuity between the bearers of Chernyakhov culture and medieval Eastern Slavs. In this study, nonmetric cranial trait data for medieval East Slavic tribes and comparative samples from unrelated groups were examined. Analyzes of phenotypic differentiation were based on Nei's standard genetic distance and hierarchical GST statistics. The results obtained suggest that the genetic affinity of the East Slavic tribes is due not only to inter-tribal gene flow, but is, more importantly, a result of their common population history. Evidence of gene flow from the Baltic and Finno-Ugric groups was showed in the gene pool of Eastern Slavs, as was genetic continuity between medieval East Slavic tribes and the populations of the preceding Chernyakhov culture. These findings support a "generalizing" hypothesis of East Slavic origin, in which a Slavic community was formed in some particular ancestral area, and subsequently spread throughout Eastern Europe.