Elżbieta Żądzińska

Frequency of under- and overweight among children and adolescents during the economic transition in Poland

The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity, using International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria, in four cohorts of children and adolescents living in Poland in different economic eras: communist economy (1977/1978), crisis of the 1980s (1987/1988), political and economic transformation (1992/1994) and the free market economy (2002/2004). Analysis was conducted on a database including 10,934 records for children of the age 7-18 years. In Poland, in the last 26 years of economic and political transformations, the epidemic of obesity was not noticed but the growing incidence of children and adolescents with body mass deficit was observed (p<0.0001) (20.2% of girls in 2002/2004 vs. 11.0% in 1977/1978 and 12.1% of boys in 2002/2004 vs. 7.2% in 1977/1978). Lower parental education and a higher number of children in a family resulted in a higher prevalence of underweight (odds ratio [OR] fluctuated from 1.26 to 1.63). The social effects of the political transformation in Poland significantly affected families with low socio-economic status (SES), and especially more eco-sensitive boys. This result is opposite to the trends observed in Western countries and makes an important contribution to the current knowledge of the course of further changes in weight-to-height ratio at a global scale.

Sex diagnosis of subadult specimens from Medieval Polish archaeological sites: metric analysis of deciduous dentition.

The subject of this work is the characterisation of the metric features of deciduous dentition in a Medieval population of central Poland with the use of the jackknife technique leave one out (LOO)-supporting multivariate methods, which are important for deriving discrimination equations that would result in sex determination of childrens skeletal remains. The sex of the individuals was assessed through analysis of sex-specific DNA sequences (AMELY/AMELX, SRY and alpha satellite sequences). Discriminant analysis concerned only teeth of those individuals whose sex was confirmed by the primary structure of three DNA sequences. The deciduous tooth diameters of males were found to be significantly larger than those of females in four respects: MD diameter of the maxillary second molar, MD and BL diameters of the mandibular first molar and BL diameter of the mandibular second molar. A two-group discriminant analysis considered all those measurements as independent variables. A multiple regression procedure produced a linear equation predicting the sex of childrens skeletons with a significant probability amounting to approximately 78%. The accuracy of the sex assessment of an individual, using dental measurements, was established at 69% in deciduous male and 88% in deciduous female teeth.

Between the Baltic and Danubian Worlds: The Genetic Affinities of a Middle Neolithic Population from Central Poland

For a long time, anthropological and genetic research on the Neolithic revolution in Europe was mainly concentrated on the mechanism of agricultural dispersal over different parts of the continent. Recently, attention has shifted towards population processes that occurred after the arrival of the first farmers, transforming the genetically very distinctive early Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture (LBK) and Mesolithic forager populations into present-day Central Europeans. The latest studies indicate that significant changes in this respect took place within the post-Linear Pottery cultures of the Early and Middle Neolithic which were a bridge between the allochthonous LBK and the first indigenous Neolithic culture of north-central Europe—the Funnel Beaker culture (TRB). The paper presents data on mtDNA haplotypes of a Middle Neolithic population dated to 4700/4600–4100/4000 BC belonging to the Brześć Kujawski Group of the Lengyel culture (BKG) from the Kuyavia region in north-central Poland. BKG communities constituted the border of the “Danubian World” in this part of Europe for approx. seven centuries, neighboring foragers of the North European Plain and the southern Baltic basin. MtDNA haplogroups were determined in 11 individuals, and four mtDNA macrohaplogroups were found (H, U5, T, and HV0). The overall haplogroup pattern did not deviate from other post-Linear Pottery populations from central Europe, although a complete lack of N1a and the presence of U5a are noteworthy. Of greatest importance is the observed link between the BKG and the TRB horizon, confirmed by an independent analysis of the craniometric variation of Mesolithic and Neolithic populations inhabiting central Europe. Estimated phylogenetic pattern suggests significant contribution of the post-Linear BKG communities to the origin of the subsequent Middle Neolithic cultures, such as the TRB.

Pre-natal and perinatal factors affecting body mass index in pre-pubertal Polish children.

Abstract Background: An increased prevalence of body mass deficit among children has been reported in developing countries, including Eastern European states which have undergone political transformation. However, there are few studies evaluating risk factors for body mass deficit in schoolchildren and adolescents. Aim: To assess selected familial, pre-natal and early life factors in terms of risk associated with the prevalence of body mass deficit in children aged 7–10 years. Subjects and methods: Logistic regression models based on 812 records for children aged 7–10 years were applied for the evaluation of familial, pre-natal and perinatal risk factors affecting the height-to-weight ratio. Results: The risk of underweight in 7–10-year-old children is significantly higher for girls (OR = 1.70) and for children whose mothers reported a traumatic experience during pregnancy (OR = 2.77). The effect of reported stress during pregnancy differed as regards the child’s sex. Mother’s trauma increased the risk of body weight deficit only in boys (OR = 2.74), while in girls it significantly decreased this risk (OR = 0.35). Low birth weight significantly increased the risk of underweight only in boys (OR = 2.99) and mother’s occupational activity decreased the risk of underweight only in girls (OR = 0.57). Conclusion: Low birth weight and mother’s trauma during pregnancy are risk factors for underweight in Polish schoolchildren, particularly in boys.

Association of FTO gene with obesity in Polish schoolchildren

Abstract The goal of the study was verification of fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene polymorphisms as significant risk factors of obesity in the population of Polish children. Body mass index (BMI) and DNA were evaluated, where DNA was extracted from saliva, collected from 213 children at the age of 6-13 years. DNA was genotyped by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and HRM (high resolution melting) techniques, as well as by direct sequencing. Three (3) FTO polymorphisms were identified: rs9939609, rs9926289 and rs76804286, the last polymorphism located between the first two. For the first time, absolute linkage disequilibrium (LD) of FTO gene rs9939609 and rs9926289 polymorphisms was confirmed in data for the Polish population (D’=1, r2=1). The lack of a complete dependence among the three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the FTO gene was a consequence of the concurrence of homozygotes with minor alleles A of rs9939609+rs9926289 of FTO (AA+AA) with major alleles of rs76804286 (GG). A case-control association analysis for BMI in obese children (n=51), as compared to normal-weight children (n=162), was based on the effects of genotypes homozygous for the minor alleles of the studied SNPs in recessive and codominant inheritance models (assuming an independent effect of each genotype). A comparison of children with normal BMI with obese children indicate a strong co-dominant effect of a genotype in homozygotes of minor alleles (AA+AA) of completely linked rs9939609+rs9926289 (OR at age 8.89 ± 1.54 years=4.87, 95% CI 1.81-13.12, p=0.002). An almost five-fold increase of obesity risk in the examined children indicates that the genetic factors, associated with excessive body weight gain, exert stronger effects in the early period of ontogenetic development vs. puberty and adulthood. The role of genetic factors in predisposing to obesity declines with age

Prenatal factors associated with the neonatal line thickness in human deciduous incisors

The neonatal line (NNL) is used to distinguish developmental events observed in enamel which occurred before and after birth. However, there are few studies reporting relationship between the characteristics of the NNL and factors affecting prenatal conditions. The aim of the study was to determine prenatal factors that may influence the NNL thickness in human deciduous teeth. The material consisted of longitudinal ground sections of 60 modern human deciduous incisors obtained from full-term healthy children with reported birth histories and prenatal factors. All teeth were sectioned in the labio-lingual plane using diamond blade (Buechler IsoMet 1000). Final specimens were observed using scanning electron microscopy at magnifications 320×. For each tooth, linear measurements of the NNL thickness were taken on its labial surface at the three levels from the cemento-enamel junction. The difference in the neonatal line thickness between tooth types and between males and females was statistically significant. A multiple regression analyses confirmed influence of two variables on the NNL thickness standardised on tooth type and the childrens sex (z-score values). These variables are the taking of an antispasmodic medicine by the mother during pregnancy and the season of the childs birth. These two variables together explain nearly 17% of the variability of the NNL. Children of mothers taking a spasmolytic medicine during pregnancy were characterised by a thinner NNL compared with children whose mothers did not take such medication. Children born in summer and spring had a thinner NNL than children born in winter. These results indicate that the prenatal environment significantly contributes to the thickness of the NNL influencing the pace of reaching the post-delivery homeostasis by the newborns organism.

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.

Is increased constitutive skin and hair pigmentation an early sign of puberty

The paper analyzes data concerning the constitutive skin and hair pigmentation of 7-10-year-old Polish children to examine whether the hormonal activity of the gonads, which increases in this period, causes changes in pigmentation levels that may be considered an early sign of puberty. The study involved 289 children (151 girls and 138 boys). Skin pigmentation was examined on the medial side of the arm, while hair pigmentation on strands of hair close to the scalp in the occipital area. Additionally, body height (B-v) was measured and compared with population norms. On this basis, it was ascertained that the studied sample was representative of the population from which it was taken and that it represented the prepubertal and early pubertal stages of ontogeny (prior to the pubertal growth spurt or the first menstruation in the studied girls). It was found that in 7-10-year-old Polish children there is a statistically significant (p=0.001) increase in skin and hair pigmentation levels, while the degree of pigmentation of both structures at this stage of ontogeny is sexually dimorphic: girls are characterized by stronger pigmentation than boys. At the age of 10 years, the dimorphic differences in skin pigmentation intensify due to a rapid rise in pigmentation in girls. This change may be deemed an early morphological sign of puberty, as it precedes the pubertal growth spurt and menarche. This fast increase in skin pigmentation is not paralleled by an analogous change in hair pigmentation.

Biometric Characteristics of the Pelvis in Female-to-Male Transsexuals

The objective of the study was to evaluate the metric features of pelvises of 24 female-to-male (FtM) transsexuals as compared to control groups of 24 healthy males and 24 healthy females. The participants had their pelvises X-rayed with the same X-ray apparatus and in the same position. Seventeen measurements were taken on the basis of X-ray pictures of FtM transsexuals’ pelvises and both comparison groups. Additionally, their body height was compared. The results showed that FtM transsexuals having female body height represent an intermediate size of three pelvic features and male values of five variables. In order to develop a model based on metric variables of the pelvis that would best discriminate the FtM transsexuals, the control females, and the control males, a discriminant analysis was applied. The model included four variables out of 17 metric features: the height of the pubic symphysis, the greatest pelvic breadth, the interischial distance, and the acetabular diameter. The model was found to be the best in discriminating males from females and FtM transsexuals, but considerably less effective in discriminating transsexuals from the two control groups. The results demonstrate that a number of FtM transsexuals’ pelvic measurements reveal “masculinization,” which confirms current results demonstrating a shift in the somatometric traits of transsexual females towards male traits. A discriminant analysis based only on pelvic metric features shows some differences between the size of the pelvis and chromosomal sex in FtM transsexuals, which might indicate a biological basis for gender identity disorder.

Association of FTO and TMEM18 polymorphisms with overweight and obesity in the population of Polish children

Abstract The objective of the study was to verify whether or not FTO rs9939609, rs9926289 and TMEM18 rs4854344, rs6548238, rs2867125 variants are important risk factors for overweight and/or obesity in Polish children aged 6-16 (n=283). FTO rs 9939609 and rs9926289 exhibited a strong codominant obesity-predisposing effect of genotypes homozygous for minor alleles (OR=5.42, 95% CI: 2.04-14.39, p=0.0006). The important finding of the study is increased risk of overweight (OR=5.03, 95% CI: 1.15-21.93, p=0.0306) in individuals homozygous for the minor alleles rs4854344, rs6548238 and rs2867125 in the recessive inheritance model, while no other significant associations between TMEM18 variants and risk of obesity were found. Given the identified interaction TMEM18 genotype × BMI category (p=0.0077), it seems that the effect of homozygous for the minor alleles may be compared to a “weight guard”, which significantly increases the risk of overweight, but not of obesity, because it promotes weight gain only up to the threshold of obesity. Conclusion: The proposed hypothetical effect (“weight guard”) of homozygous for the minor alleles in the TMEM18 based on a rather small sample is a possible explanation of the effects of minor alleles, which minimize the risk of obesity.