Gene pool and gene geography of the USSR population]

Gene pool and gene geography are discussed from the point of view of their conceptual history beginning from the original concept of A.S. Serebrovski? (1928). Difference between the present-day gene geography and gene geography of gene pool is accentuated: the former only represents a portion of the latter. Historical and territorial integrity of the USSR population gene pool, in conjunction with its huge diversity, is the main problem being analysed by various means of computerized genetic cartography. Coupled with the gene frequency mapping, following methods were also used: mapping of average heterozygosity, of interpopulation differentiation, of principal component scores and mapping of geographical trend for each mapped genetic parameter. The work is based on 100 allelic genes and haplotypes from 30 independent loci studied on the average in 225 local populations. Statistical analysis of gene geographical maps is based on 3975 nodes of regular cartographic net for the USSR territory. The wind rose of systematic changes in the USSR gene pool has three main geographic orientations: W-E, SW-NE and S-N. At the same time, there are only two main systematic forces of gene pool evolution: the force of social history with predominant W-E orientation and the force of natural history with predominant S-N orientation of their actions. The heterozygosity level of gene pool declines strictly in accordance with the resultant in the SW-NE direction.     

Gene pool of the population of Ukraine: Current state and new approaches to maintenance and conservation]

Defense and conservation of the Ukraine Population genofond are the most topical problem of nowadays. Stating of the criteria of population genofond status valuation, revealing all the damaging factors and applying of scientific methods of modern genetics are necessary for the development of theoretical and methodological bases of this problem. The authors try to analyze in detail negative factors causing damage in genofond of the Ukraine population, to forecast the dynamics of further development of ecological-genetic situation in the Ukraine, to analyze new approaches to the problem of genofond defense and conservation, as well as estimation of possible consequences caused by changes in population genofond.     

Gnathostoma procyonis from south Georgia and north Florida raccoons

From 2004 to 2006, 511 raccoons collected by the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services as part of a study to evaluate the effects of mesomammalian predator removal on bobwhite-quail reproduction, were examined for the presence of Gnathostoma procyonis, a nematode that parasitizes the stomach of its definitive host, the raccoon. One hundred forty-one raccoons (27.6%) contained G. procyonis, with males being equally infected (27.5%) as females (27.8%). Mean intensity did not differ significantly between sexes (males-mean = 2.88, range 1-17; females-mean = 2.78, range 1-10) or between collection sites. A significant seasonal prevalence of G. procyonis was noted with a peak in March (43.3%, n = 120) and a minimum in September (5.4%, n = 37). Both collection sites exhibited significant seasonal decreases in G. procyonis, but were not significantly different from each other. There was no cumulative seasonal pattern in mean intensity of G. procyonis, and no seasonal pattern at either collection site. Host weight was not related to either G. procyonis prevalence or mean intensity. Host removal did not have an apparent effect on prevalence or mean intensity of G. procyonis.     

Bacterial pollution in the coastal waters of the suburbs north and south of Tunis

The inshore waters of Northern and Southern suburbs of Tunis are chiefly polluted aroud urban cities. The pollution increases with temperature, men (touristes and bathers), the actions of wind and currentology.     

Comparative biochemistry of hepatic arylsulfatases from north and south American opossums

1. The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) possessed an arylsulfatase which had a relative molecular weight of 130 +/- 12 kDa, displayed anomalous kinetics, hydrolysed AA2S, and exhibited other properties of arylsulfatase A. No arylsulfatase B was found. 2. The arylsulfatase present in the gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) had a relative molecular weight of 56 +/- 4 kDa, exhibited linear kinetics, was inhibited by chloride, and possessed other characteristics of arylsulfatase B. No arylsulfatase A was found. 3. Arylsulfatases from both species occurred as multiple isozymes which were unaffected by neuraminidase or alkaline phosphatase treatment.     

Ethnic distribution of phenylketonuria in the north German population

Summary Results of neonatal screening for phenylketonuria (PKU) suggest a west-east gradient of PKU gene frequency in central Europe. In order to test the hypothesis that the unexpectedly high prevalence of PKU in northwestern Germany (northern region of the FRG) is due to the migration of Germans from eastern regions of prewar Germany in the decade after World War II. grandparental origin was determined in a group of 87 pediatric PKU patients and in a control group of 210 children. Grandparents of east German origin were significantly more frequent among the PKU patients. The observed frequency distribution of grandparental subgroups was described by a theoretical distribution in order to obtain a likely set of values for the ratio between the frequency of the PKU gene in the autochthonous populations of prewar northeastern and northwestern Germany. The most likely value for the PKU gene frequency ratio was 1.37, which indicates that the prevalence for PKU in prewar northeastern Germany was almost twice as high as in the autochthonous population of the northwest.Dedicated to Professor P. E. Becker on the occasion of his 75th birthday     

Serum protein polymorphisms in the population of south Yemen

The Gc, Hp, and Tf polymorphisms were studied in the population of South Yemen. The gene frequencies were in agreement with those of other populations in the Middle East. There was an indication of local variations due to ethnic heterogeneity, e.g. a relatively high frequency of TfD in 1 of the 5 subpopulations studied.     

Prevalence and risk factors for vitamin C deficiency in north and south India: a two centre population based study in people aged 60 years and over

Background

Studies from the UK and North America have reported vitamin C deficiency in around 1 in 5 men and 1 in 9 women in low income groups. There are few data on vitamin C deficiency in resource poor countries.

Objectives

To investigate the prevalence of vitamin C deficiency in India.

Design

We carried out a population-based cross-sectional survey in two areas of north and south India. Randomly sampled clusters were enumerated to identify people aged 60 and over. Participants (75% response rate) were interviewed for tobacco, alcohol, cooking fuel use, 24 hour diet recall and underwent anthropometry and blood collection. Vitamin C was measured using an enzyme-based assay in plasma stabilized with metaphosphoric acid. We categorised vitamin C status as deficient (<11 µmol/L), sub-optimal (11–28 µmol/L) and adequate (>28 µmol/L). We investigated factors associated with vitamin C deficiency using multivariable Poisson regression.

Results

The age, sex and season standardized prevalence of vitamin C deficiency was 73.9% (95% confidence Interval, CI 70.4,77.5) in 2668 people in north India and 45.7% (95% CI 42.5,48.9) in 2970 from south India. Only 10.8% in the north and 25.9% in the south met the criteria for adequate levels. Vitamin C deficiency varied by season, and was more prevalent in men, with increasing age, users of tobacco and biomass fuels, in those with anthropometric indicators of poor nutrition and with lower intakes of dietary vitamin C.

Conclusions

In poor communities, such as in our study, consideration needs to be given to measures to improve the consumption of vitamin C rich foods and to discourage the use of tobacco.     

Genetic connectivity between north and south Mid-Atlantic Ridge chemosynthetic bivalves and their symbionts

Transform faults are geological structures that interrupt the continuity of mid-ocean ridges and can act as dispersal barriers for hydrothermal vent organisms. In the equatorial Atlantic Ocean, it has been hypothesized that long transform faults impede gene flow between the northern and the southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) and disconnect a northern from a southern biogeographic province. To test if there is a barrier effect in the equatorial Atlantic, we examined phylogenetic relationships of chemosynthetic bivalves and their bacterial symbionts from the recently discovered southern MAR hydrothermal vents at 5°S and 9°S. We examined Bathymodiolus spp. mussels and Abyssogena southwardae clams using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene as a phylogenetic marker for the hosts and the bacterial 16S rRNA gene as a marker for the symbionts. Bathymodiolus spp. from the two southern sites were genetically divergent from the northern MAR species B. azoricus and B. puteoserpentis but all four host lineages form a monophyletic group indicating that they radiated after divergence from their northern Atlantic sister group, the B. boomerang species complex. This suggests dispersal of Bathymodiolus species from north to south across the equatorial belt. 16S rRNA genealogies of chemoautotrophic and methanotrophic symbionts of Bathymodiolus spp. were inconsistent and did not match the host COI genealogy indicating disconnected biogeography patterns. The vesicomyid clam Abyssogena southwardae from 5°S shared an identical COI haplotype with A. southwardae from the Logatchev vent field on the northern MAR and their symbionts shared identical 16S phylotypes, suggesting gene flow across the Equator. Our results indicate genetic connectivity between the northern and southern MAR and suggest that a strict dispersal barrier does not exist.     

The gene pool of Belgorod oblast population: study of biochemical gene markers in populations of Ukraine and Belarus and the position of the Belgorod population in the Eastern Slavic gene pool system

The characteristics of the gene pools of indigenous populations of Ukraine and Belarus have been studied using 28 alleles of 10 loci of biochemical gene markers (HP, GC, TF, PI, C'3, ACP1, GLO1, PGM1, ESD, and 6-PGD). The gene pools of the Russian and Ukrainian indigenous populations of Belgorod oblast (Russia) and the indigenous populations of Ukraine and Belarus have been compared. Cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling, and factor analysis of the obtained data have been used to determine the position of the Belgorod population gene pool in the Eastern Slavic gene pool system.     

The gene pool of Belgorod oblast population: Study of biochemical gene markers in populations of Ukraine and Belarus and the position of the Belgorod population in the Eastern Slavic gene pool system

The characteristics of the gene pools of indigenous populations of Ukraine and Belarus have been studied using 28 alleles of 10 loci of biochemical gene markers (HP, GC, TF, PI, C′3, ACP1, GLO1, PGM1, ESD, and 6-PGD). The gene pools of the Russian and Ukrainian indigenous populations of Belgorod oblast (Russia) and the indigenous populations of Ukraine and Belarus have been compared. Cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling, and factor analysis of the obtained data have been used to determine the position of the Belgorod population gene pool in the Eastern Slavic gene pool system.     

The muskoxen Ovibos moschatus in north and northeast Greenland: population trends and the influence of abiotic parameters on population dynamics

This paper presents the first long term (1960–89) data set on both muskox Ovibos moschatus density and weather parameters in north and northeast Greenland The muskoxen appear to have expenenced a 25 yr favourable period from the early 1960 'ies to the mid 1980' ies, in which density increased and reached a maximum level The population minimum around 1960 probably represents a long term minimum, following a long, generally unfavourable period between 1940–60 Variation in the local population trends from the southern parts of the muskox distribution m northeast Greenland to the northeast parts, can be divided into three geographical areas (72°–75°N, 75°–77°30 'N, and north of 79°30' N), where density dependent and density independent factors affecting muskox populations are apparently different Regional population stability does not increase towards the north Two density independent (abiotic) factors seem to be of prime importance in determining the muskox population density and distribution in northeast Greenland 1) the amount of winter precipitation affects the distribution of muskoxen negatively, inducing local migrations, but does not have a direct negative effect on large scale variation in density,11) ablation (i.e melting of the upper snow layer) and concomitant ice crust formation in winter have a highly negative effect on muskox density in the southern range, but not in the northern range The two abiotic factors, which show a considerable variation from north to south, are statistically independent and seem to be triggered by different weather conditions The predictions that follow from a climatic model both with respect to the direct influence of abiotic factors on muskox density and the indirect influence of climatic fluctuation, are not fully supported by the data presented here     

The seasonal dynamics of fleas (Siphonaptera) on bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) in the north part of Novgorod region

The twelve flea species were revealed on bank voles. Only four of them (Amalaraeus penicillige, Ctenophthalmus uncinatus, Megabothris turbidus, Peromescopsylla bidentata) were abundant in some seasons of the year. Four other species (Ct. agyrtes, Hystrichopsylla talpae, P. silvatica, Rhadinopsylla integella) are the parasites of bank vole too but their numbers were always low in the study area. The four last species (Amphypsylla rossica, M. walkeri, Doratopsylla dasycnema, Palaeopsylla soricis) are not peculiar to bank vole. They occurs on it occasionally from other animals--the voules of Mucrotus and shrews. The most species diversity of fleas on bank vole was observed at the period from August to October, the least one--in late winter, spring and early summer. The total abundance indices of fleas on the voles (mean number of the insects per host) ranged in different months from 0.17 to 5.65. The time of minimum flea numbers was August-September. The peak abundance was reached in springtime (March-April).     

Hyporheic macroinvertebrates in riffle and pool areas of temporary streams in south eastern Australia

Archived data from a long-term (1973–1988) monitoring study were used to assess the impacts of kraft mill effluents (KME) on fish community dynamics in Elevenmile Creek, a small blackwater stream located in Cantonment, Florida, compared to a neighboring stream, Black Creek, that did not receive KME. The fish community in Elevenmile Creek was generally lower in species richness and diversity than the reference stream. The exception was the mill outfall site, which had similar species richness and diversity to the reference stream. Neither species richness nor diversity changed substantially during the survey period in either stream. Throughout the survey, Elevenmile Creek was numerically dominated by bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus, and eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis. Black Creek had greater abundances of minnows, suckers, and darters. Time series analysis of L. macrochirus for Elevenmile Creek showed that this species was more abundant during winter than summer, but no overall long-term trend was found. Although data used in this study may not be representative of the fish community in Elevenmile Creek as it exists today, results suggest that Elevenmile Creek was highly disturbed during the survey and that species diversity did not increase following mill treatment upgrades.