Indu Talwar

Age at menarche in relation to adult body size and physique

The relationship of early and late menarche with adult body dimensions has been studied on a sample of 147 young adult women drawn from an urban Punjabi population of Chandigarh and Ludhiana. The results indicate that girls with early menarche (age 10 to 11) have significantly smaller skeletal dimensions (both longitudinal and transverse) and more subcutaneous fat than those with average or late menarche. The girls with late menarche have on average more height for weight than early maturers. Results indicate that there is a biological determinant of the observed association between menarcheal age and fatness and adult body size.

The Most Ancient Democracy in the World Is a Genetic Isolate: An Autosomal and Y-Chromosome Study of the Hermit Village of Malana (Himachal Pradesh, India)

Abstract Malana, a small village in Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh, India, has historically been considered a hermit village. Today it has a census size of 1,101 individuals. Geographic, linguistic, and population barriers have contributed to its seclusion. Little is known about the extent to which the population genetically differentiated during the years of isolation. To address this issue, we genotyped 48 Malani individuals at 15 highly polymorphic autosomal STR loci. We found that Malanis have lost some genetic variability compared with the present-day cosmopolitan caste populations and highly mobile pastoral cultures of India. But there is no evidence that they have gone through a severe bottleneck; the average population still shows a mean of 6.86 alleles per locus compared to a mean of 7.80–8.93 for nonisolated populations. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) differentiates Malanis from the rest of the comparison populations. The population structure revealed by multidimensional scaling analysis of standard genetic distances lends support to the AMOVA. Our results are consistent with the social heterogeneity of the Malanis. We also analyzed 17 Y-chromosome STRs in 30 individuals to assess the paternal gene pool. The Malanis are characterized by a generally low Y-chromosome haplotype diversity. A network analysis indicates that two closely related haplotypes account for a large proportion of Malani Y chromosomes. We predicted Y-chromosome haplogroups and found that J2 and R1a were the most prevalent. Genetic drift and limited gene flow leading to reduced genetic diversity were important in determining the present genetic structure of the highly endogamous Malana village.

Body composition and fat distribution among older Jat females: A rural–urban comparison

The aim of the present cross-sectional study is to describe and compare age related changes in body composition and fat patterning among rural and urban Jat females of Haryana State, India. A total of 600 females (rural=300, urban=300), ranging in age from 40 to 70 years were selected by the purposive sampling method. Body weight, height, two circumferences (waist and hip) and skinfold thickness at five different sites (biceps, triceps, calf, subscapular, and supra-iliac) were taken on each participant. To study total adiposity, indices such as body mass index (BMI), grand mean thickness (GMT), total body fat and percentage fat were analyzed statistically. The fat distribution pattern was studied using waist/hip ratio, subscapular/triceps ratio and responsiveness of five skinfold sites towards accumulation of fat at different sites with advancing age. Results indicate a decline in almost every dimension including level of fatness between the mid-fourth and mid-fifth decades of life in both rural and urban females. Urban Jat females were heavier (57.36 kg vs. 56.07 kg, p>0.05) and significantly taller (1553.3mm vs. 1534.5mm, p<0.001) than their rural counterparts. Urban females also exhibited higher mean values for both the circumferences, five skinfold thicknesses as well as for lean body mass, total fat and percentage fat than the rural females. This is also evident from their higher mean values for body mass index and grand mean thickness. Waist/hip ratio values in rural and urban females showed upper body fat predominance, with urban females having relatively more abdominal fat. Results of subscapular/triceps ratio showed that rural and urban females gained proportionally similar amounts of subcutaneous fat at trunk and extremity sites until 45 years of age. Subsequently trunk skinfolds increased relatively more in thickness. The magnitude of this increase was comparatively greater in rural females up to 55 years and among urban females from 55 to 70 years. The profiles of subcutaneous fat accumulation and sensitivity of each skinfold site also revealed more fat deposition in the trunk region compared to extremities in both rural and urban females. The present study demonstrated differential rates of fat redistribution among rural and urban females.

Age at Natural Menopause among Rural and Urban Punjabi Brahmin Females

Abstract Present study is an attempt to estimate age at natural menopause among rural and urban Punjabi Brahmin females of Roop Nagar district (Punjab). Cross-sectional data are based on 870 Brahmin females (rural=450, urban=420), ranging in age from 40 to 70 years. Mean and median age at menopause of rural females is 48.22±2.47 years and 48.98±1.12 years respectively, while among urban females it is 49.30±2.80 years and 50.12±1.15 years, respectively. These findings indicate that urban Brahmin females experience menopause at a later age as compared to their rural counterparts. The mean age at menopause of rural as well as urban females is found to be earlier than their median ages at menopause. Punjabi Brahmin rural and urban females of the present study exhibit a slightly later age at menopause for females having early menarche.

Analysis of ANKKI (rs1800497) and DRD2 (rs1079597, rs1800498) variants in five ethnic groups from Punjab, North-West India

Dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) is one of the essential neurotransmitters in the brain studied extensively in the field of psychiatric disorders, alcoholic behaviors and Pharmacology. It is also a promising gene for studying the evolutionary and genetic variation among populations. The present study was an attempt to understand the extent of genetic variation among five different ethnic groups (Bania, Brahmin, Jat Sikh, Khatri and Scheduled caste) of Punjab (North West India). A total of 1012 individuals belonging to the above mentioned groups were analyzed for three TaqI Polymorphic loci of DRD2 and ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 (ANKKI) using the allele frequencies and haplotype frequency distribution pattern. All the three loci were found to be polymorphic among the studied populations. The average heterozygosity for all loci in these ethnic groups was fairly substantial ranging from 0.3936 to 0.4986. The genetic differentiation among the population was observed to be in order of 0.0053.Among of the eight studied haplotypes, only six were shared by all the ethnic groups. TaqID and TaqIB loci were reported to be in significantly higher linkage disequilibrium (LD) in Scheduled Caste only, whereas TaqIA and TaqID showed modest LD in Brahmin, Jat Sikh and Khatri. Multidimensional scaling analysis revealed that the studied ethnic groups formed a close cluster, suggesting similar genetic structure of these populations which are in close proximity with other Indo European speaking North Indian and western Indian population groups. Overall this study highlights the genomic uniformity among the ethnic groups of Punjab (North-West India) owing to their common ancestral history and geographical closeness.

Growth trends in body, fat, circumferential and physiological traits during adolescence among Rajput females of Theog, Shimla District (Himachal Pradesh), India

Abstract Background: Information on growth status of a population is essential to establish the health status of the population and administer any health intervention programmes. Aims: The study aimed to examine growth patterns in body, fat and physiological traits during adolescence in the light of various hypotheses and other studies. Subjects and methods: Cross-sectional data on a sample of 220 Rajput girls aged 11–17 years were collected from Theog tehsil, Shimla District in Himachal Pradesh. Results: Mean body height and weight increased by 11% and 45.5%, respectively, from age 11 to 17 years. The first marked growth in height took place between 11 and 12 years, while the maximum annual increment was witnessed between 13 and 14 years. ANOVA revealed significant differences in anthropometric traits between various adolescent age groups. Waist–hip ratio (WHR) decreased from 0.77 at age 11 to 0.72 at age 17 years to attain gynoid pattern of body fat. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased from 106.92 and 66.48 mm Hg to 111.74 and 72.89 mm Hg, respectively. Conclusion: Although the girls in the present study did not suffer from any severe malnutrition, they had lower dimensions than their Western counterparts when they entered the adolescence phase and also later on. In contrast to height deficits, increase in weight deficits was greater. There is no indication of any compensatory or catch-up growth during adolescence. The present study does not support the hypothesis that lower nutritional stage during childhood affects the timing of adolescent take-off, age at peak height and weight velocity. The data lend support to the hypothesis of saltatory patterns with intervening periods of stasis. BMI, %fat and FM were significantly correlated with diastolic blood pressure but non-significantly correlated with systolic blood pressure.

Genetic dissection of five ethnic groups from Punjab, North-West India–A study based on Autosomal Markers

The present study assessed the applicability of Alu insertion elements and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in forensic identification and estimated the extent of genetic variation in five major ethnic groups of Punjab, North-West India. A total of 1012 unrelated samples belonging to Banias, Brahmins, Jat Sikhs, Khatris and Scheduled Castes were genotyped for four Alu elements (ACE, APO, PLAT, D1) and six Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms [ESR (PvuII), LPL (PvuII), HTR2A (MspI), DRD2 Taq1A, Taq1B, Taq1D]. Allele frequencies observed heterozygosity and forensic efficacy parameters were determined. The data on the genetic affinity of the studied populations among themselves and with other populations of India was also analysed using a Neighbor-Joining tree and multidimensional scaling plot respectively. All the 10 loci were polymorphic and their average observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.3872 (Banias) to 0.4311 (Scheduled Castes). Allele frequency variation at the 9 out of 10 loci led to statistically significant pairwise differences among the five study population groups. The result from AMOVA, Structure analysis, and Phylogenetic tree suggests that these populations are homogenous. In the multidimensional scaling plot, the present study populations formed a compact cluster clearly separated from other populations, suggesting a unique genetic identity of the Punjab populations as a whole. All these observations suggest that either a recent common origin of these populations or extensive gene flow across the populations that dissolve the original genetic differences. The data generated in this study will be useful for forensic genetics, molecular anthropological and demographic studies.

Morphology and age-related changes in calcospherites of human teeth: an ultrastructural study

Abstract Background: Dentine has been examined extensively for age-related physiological changes, but there are limited data on age-related changes at ultrastructural level of dentine. Aim: The present study aimed to examine age-related ultrastructural changes in calcospherites of human dentine under the scanning electron microscope. Materials and methods: Thirty single rooted teeth of North Western adult Indians (18–75 years) were collected from the Department of Oral Health Sciences, PGIMER, Chandigarh. Labiolingual sections were prepared and morphology of calcospherites was studied at different locations (coronal, cervical, midroot and apical) of the tooth. Results: Morphologically, four types (I [small, unfused and discrete], II [partially fused and globular], III [large, completely fused] and IV [structureless]) of calcospherites were seen in the sample. With advancing age, type I calcospherites approached neighbouring crystals and changed their form to type II, which ultimately coalesced and transformed to type III. Results revealed that among different age groups (young, middle and old), calcospherites of only type I, II and III showed statistically significant differences in their shapes using Pearson’s Chi-square test. Statistically non-significant differences were obtained in the shapes at different locations of the tooth. Conclusions: Results showed that calcospherites get fused as age advances. There is a change in the shape of calcospherites based on the location of the tooth.

Growth status of adolescent boys of shin tribe living at high altitude in Tulail valley of Jammu and Kashmir

Abstract: Background and Objective: Neural Tube Defect (NTD) is the leading cause of death in infants younger than one year. Incidence of congenital anomalies has approximately 1 in 1000 live births in the United States. Less dietary folic acid and vitamin B12 in the mother during the critical period of pregnancy reported to play a role in the occurrence of neural tube defects. The aim of this study was compared the level of folic acid and vitamin B12 in both mother and her child with and without NTD. Methodology: This study was cross-sectional design and will be examined levels of folic acid in six mothers and children with and without neural tube defect in Saiful Anwar Hospital during September, 2009 until September, 2013. Results: This study showed no significant differences of folic acid and vitamin B12 level between NTD and control group in mothers (p>0.05). The study also showed no significant differences of folic acid and vitamin B12 level between NTD group and control group in children (p>0.05). Conclusion: The level of folic acid and vitamin B12 in the mother having neural tube defect child as much as the mother with haven’t neural tube defect child. Additionally, the result of the children above a year with neural tube defect and without neural tube defect has same folic acid and vitamin B12 level.O in 68 children in the United States is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is a lifelong developmental disorder defined by diagnostic criteria that include deficits in social communication and interaction, and repetitive patterns of behavior, interest, or activities. ASD is a spectrum disorder where the child’s abilities may range from severely challenged to gift. The cause of ASD remains unclear; however, emerging theories suggest that there is no single cause of ASD. Instead it is presumed that ASD is caused by an interaction of both genetic and environmental factors. Over the past 5 years significant advances have been made in identifying several genetic and environmental risk factors for developing ASD. This new research is due in part to the Combating Autism Act (Public Law 109-416). Some of this new emerging research investigates the role of nutraceuticals in treating ASD and supporting evidence shows its use to be very encouraging. Nutraceuticals offering potential benefits for ASD include multivitamin and mineral supplementation, vitamin C, methylcobalamin (methyl-B12), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), L-carnitine, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, flavonoids and carnosine. The author will discuss each of the nutraceuticals, their potential benefits and supporting research-based studies. Nutraceuticals discussed in this presentation are limited to those with randomized and placebo controlled research-based findings.

Somatotype Changes in Adolescence Among Mentally Retarded Athletes

Abstract The present study aims to evaluate age changes in somatotypes of 95 mentally retarded adolescent athletes (51 boys and 44 girls) ranging in age from 11 to 15 years and had participated in Special Olympics National Games, 1998. The cross-sectional sample includes only those individuals, who had been diagnosed as mentally retarded with unknown aetiology for their low intelligence. Each individual was somatotyped by the Heath-Carter Anthropometric Method. Average somatotype of male and female sample positions itself on the balanced ectomorph (2.90-2.453.74) and endomorph-ectomorph (3.37-2.77-3.33) sectors respectively. Sexual dimorphism clearly indicates that males are more ectomorphic and less endomorphic than their female counterparts and fail to show a change in component dominance during adolescence.