Mohd Fareed

Estimating the Inbreeding Depression on Cognitive Behavior: A Population Based Study of Child Cohort

Background Cognitive ability tests are widely assumed to measure maximal intellectual performance and predictive associations between intelligence quotient (IQ) scores and later mental health problems. Very few epidemiologic studies have been done to demonstrate the relationship between familial inbreeding and modest cognitive impairments in children. Objective We aimed to estimate the effect of inbreeding on children’s cognitive behavior in comparison with non-inbred children. Methodology A cohort of 408 children (6 to 15 years of age) was selected from inbred and non-inbred families of five Muslim populations of Jammu region. The Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC) was used to measure the verbal IQ (VIQ), performance IQ (PIQ) and full scale IQ (FSIQ). Family pedigrees were drawn to access the family history and children’s inbred status in terms of coefficient of inbreeding (F). Results We found significant decline in child cognitive abilities due to inbreeding and high frequency of mental retardation among offspring from inbred families. The mean differences (95% C.I.) were reported for the VIQ, being −22.00 (−24.82, −19.17), PIQ −26.92 (−29.96, −23.87) and FSIQ −24.47 (−27.35, −21.59) for inbred as compared to non-inbred children (p>0.001). The higher risk of being mentally retarded was found to be more obvious among inbred categories corresponding to the degree of inbreeding and the same accounts least for non-inbred children (p<0.0001). We observed an increase in the difference in mean values for VIQ, PIQ and FSIQ with the increase of inbreeding coefficient and these were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). The regression analysis showed a fitness decline (depression) for VIQ (R2 = 0.436), PIQ (R2 = 0.468) and FSIQ (R2 = 0.464) with increasing inbreeding coefficients (p<0.01). Conclusions Our comprehensive assessment provides the evidence for inbreeding depression on cognitive abilities among children.

Evidence of inbreeding depression on height, weight, and body mass index: A population-based child cohort study

The study was aimed to estimate the effect of inbreeding on height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) in comparison with non‐inbred children.

Oral administration of a nephrotoxic dose of potassium bromate, a food additive, alters renal redox and metabolic status and inhibits brush border membrane enzymes in rats

The time dependent effect of orally administered KBrO(3) on redox status and enzymes of brush border membrane (BBM) and carbohydrate metabolism has been studied in rat kidney. Animals were given a single oral dose of KBrO(3) (100mg/kg body weight) and sacrificed at different times after this treatment; control animals were not given KBrO(3). The administration of KBrO(3) resulted in nephrotoxicity, a decline in the specific activities of several BBM marker enzymes and also induced oxidative stress in kidney. The specific activities of enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism were also altered and suggest a shift in energy metabolism from the aerobic to anaerobic mode. The renal effects of single oral dose of KBrO(3) appeared to be reversible; maximum changes in all the parameters were 48 h after administration of KBrO(3) after which recovery took place, in many cases almost to control values, after 168 h. These results suggest that the administration of a single nephrotoxic dose of KBrO(3) inhibits brush border membrane enzymes, induces oxidative stress and alters energy metabolism of the renal system in a reversible manner.

A1A2BO and Rh gene frequencies among six populations of Jammu and Kashmir, India

A study was undertaken to record gene frequencies of ABO blood groups, their subtypes and Rh antigen for six different endogamous groups including a tribal population. The ABO phenotypic frequency varies among six different populations showing significant difference (p<0.0005). Gujjar and Bakarwal (a tribal population) shows highest (42.29%) of B blood phenotypes. A1 is the highest among Syeds (39.31%), O blood group frequency highest among Mughals (43.23%) and A1B and A2B are rare phenotypes showing very low frequency among all populations. The pattern of allele frequencies (p<0.025) is in order of I(O)>I(B)>I(A1)>I(A2), except Syeds (I(O)>I(A1)>I(B)>I(A2)). The rhesus protein (Rh) phenotypic frequency (p<0.01) shows significant increase in Rh(D) positive (87.86% in Syed to 96.03% in Khan) among all populations. The Rh allele (p<0.05) and genotype (p<0.02) frequencies shows a significant difference. Heterozygosity for Rh protein is less than homozygosity among six populations. The result from this study provides information on the genetic variation in blood antigens and rhesus protein among human populations inhabiting Jammu and Kashmir.

Genetics of consanguinity and inbreeding in health and disease

Abstract Context: Inbreeding increases the level of homozygotes for autosomal recessive disorders and is the major objective in clinical studies. The prevalence of consanguinity and the degree of inbreeding vary from one population to another depending on ethnicity, religion, culture and geography. Global epidemiological studies have revealed that consanguineous unions have been significantly associated with increased susceptibility to various forms of inherited diseases. Objective: The study aimed to determine the role of consanguinity in human health and to highlight the associated risks for various diseases or disorders. Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar search engines were used to explore the published literature on consanguinity and its associated risks using the key words “consanguinity”, “prevalence”, “inbreeding depression”, “coefficient of inbreeding”, “child health”, “mortality”, “human health”, “homozygosity” and “complex diseases” in different combinations. The studies were screened for eligibility on the basis of their epidemiological relevance. Results: This comprehensive assessment highlights the deleterious consequences in populations with a higher prevalence of consanguinity among different countries worldwide. Conclusions: To avoid the inbreeding load there is the need to improve socioeconomic and educational status and to increase public awareness of reproductive health and anticipated deleterious effects. Pre-marital and pre-conception counselling of consanguineous populations should be an integral part of health policy to train people and make people aware of its harmful consequences. Furthermore, runs of homozygosity (ROH) and whole-exome sequencing (WES) are useful tools in exploring new genomic signatures for the cause of inbreeding depression.

Prevalence and gene frequency of color vision impairments among children of six populations from North Indian region

X-linked red–green color blindness is the most widespread form of vision impairment. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and gene frequencies of red–green color vision impairments among children of six different human populations of Jammu province. A total of 1028 healthy subjects (6–15 years of age) were selected from five Muslim populations and the color vision impairments were determined using the Ishiharas test of color deficiency. The gene frequency was calculated using Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium method. The prevalence of color vision deficiency (CVD) ranged from 5.26% to 11.36% among males and 0.00%–3.03% among females of six different populations. The gender based differences in the frequency of CVD was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.0001), with a higher prevalence among male (7.52%) as compared to female (0.83%) children. We observed high frequency of deutan as compared to protan defects. The incidences of deuteranomaly (5.68%) and deuteranopia (2.27%) were higher among male children of Syed population while the frequencies of protanomaly (1.94%), protanopia (1.28%) and achromacy (2.27%) were the highest among male subjects of Khan, Malik and Syed populations, respectively. The allele and genotype frequencies showed cogent differences among six populations. The population based assessment of CVDs help patients to follow adaptive strategies that could minimize the risks of the disease.