Prevalence of antibody to hepatitis A virus in a Canadian Inuit community.

To determine the prevalence of hepatitis A in a Canadian Inuit population, serum from 85% of the 850 inhabitants of Baker Lake, Northwest Territories, was tested by radioimmunoassay for antibody to the hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV). The overall prevalence of anti-HAV in the community was 71%. Exposure to the virus occurred early in life, such that by the age of 6 years 53% of the children had anti-HAV in their serum. The rate approached 100% by the age of 50 years. These findings document the ubiquitous nature of the hepatitis A virus in this northern Inuit settlement and suggest that immunoprophylaxis be considered for individuals taking short-term employment in such places.     

Lung function in Canadian Inuit: a follow-up study.

To assess the impact of acculturation on lung function, the forced vital capacity (FVC) and the 1-second forced expiratory volume (FEV1) of 341 Inuit at Igloolik, NWT were measured. The same observers had used the same equipment to test 196 subjects in 1970-71. Cross-sectional analysis suggested that, relative to the previous decade, younger subjects had larger lung volumes (with gains of about 10% in FVC and 5% in FEV1), while the elderly had smaller volumes (with losses of about 22% in FVC and 25% in FEV1). Longitudinal analysis confirmed an accelerating loss of lung function in the older subjects: from age 25 to 35 years men and women had a loss in FVC of 13 and 11 mL/yr respectively, whereas from age 45 to 55 years the corresponding figures were 70 and 38 mL/yr. Cigarette smoking had increased substantially among the Inuit over the decade: the proportion of males and females smoking rose from 64% to 81% and from 85% to 93% respectively. Daily cigarette consumption per smoker increased from 11.8 to 20.2 and from 7.4 to 12.0 among men and women respectively. Nevertheless, the main explanation for the shape of the ageing curve is the survival of a small cohort of elderly Inuit with advanced tuberculosis. With control of this disease future cohorts of the elderly will have better lung function.     

Paraoxonase phenotype distribution in Canadian Indian and Inuit populations

Test objects were the sera of 57 North American Indian and 67 Inuit subjects. The paraoxon-hydrolyzing activity, a, was determined, as well as the paraoxonase-phenotyping ratio, c/b, a ratio designating enzyme activation by Na+ in the presence of Ca2+. The values of c/b were clearly bimodally distributed. Location of the modes and of the antimodal gap were in perfect agreement with the results previously obtained on Caucasian sera. This allowed us to retain the criterion which had been already established in the study of Caucasians, i.e., c/b less than 1.5 = "low-activity" phenotype, and c/b greater than 1.5 = "high-activity" phenotype. The proportions of individuals in each mode differed, however. In Caucasians, the frequency of the "low-activity" phenotype had been estimated as 51.2%. In Indians and Inuits, it was 7.0% and 6.0%, respectively. Independent of phenotype, Indian and Inuit sera displayed lower paraoxon-hydrolyzing activity than did Caucasian sera.     

Wage labor, housing policy, and the nucleation of Inuit households

Public policy practices in the Canadian North, particularly those connected to housing and employment, are encouraging a reorganization of Inuit social organization to more closely resemble the insular and independent nuclear family household idealized by Eurocanadians. This has wide-ranging implications for the social stability of northern communities without sufficient employment opportunities. The paper examines the symbolic and structural effects of housing policies and employment on culturally valued social practices such as sharing in Holman, a community in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories of Canada.     

Spondylolysis of the sacrum in Alaskan and Canadian Inuit skeletons

Spondylolysis of the lower back, particularly that involving the isthmus between the superior and inferior articular processes (pars inter-articularis), is generally attributed to stress fracturing caused by movement of the affected vertebra relative to the vertebra below. The finding of isthmic spondylolysis in the first vertebra of a fused sacrum is thus unusual and requires explanation. Although unrepresented in the clinical literature, sacral spondylolysis has been reported for archaeological specimens and appears to be especially prevalent in North American Inuit. A study of 373 Inuit sacra from Alaska and Canada produced 16 examples of spondylolysis (eight from each area). All but one of the affected individuals were male, and nearly all were young adults, many between 18 and 20 years of age. All cases of sacral spondylolysis observed in this study were judged to have resulted from stress fracturing that occurred while S1 was still unfused, and most appear to have been in the process of healing, following fusion of S1 with S2, when death occurred. The high frequency observed in these people is attributed to unusual stresses becoming concentrated in the lower back of adolescent males due to such activities as weight lifting, wrestling, kayak paddling, and harpooning, combined with, and perhaps even contributing to, delayed maturation (S1-S2 fusion) of the sacrum. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

A life course perspective on telomere length and social inequalities in aging

Longitudinal studies will be needed to test the idea that social class in adult life, or in childhood, influences the rate of change in telomere length in peripheral blood samples.     

Sentient Beings and Wildlife Resources: Inuit,Beluga Whales and Management Regimes in the Canadian Arctic

Beluga whale hunting is one of the most social subsistence hunting activities to take place in the Canadian Arctic. Through the harvest, distribution and consumption of beluga whales, Inuit identity and social relationships are affirmed. The whale-hunting complex is influenced by beliefs that beluga whales are sentient beings who inhabit a shared social space with humans. Yet, across the region beluga whales are perceived by wildlife managers as scarce resources and as such require protection through the imposition of management plans. There is currently no management of whales on the west coast of Hudson Bay, in Nunavut. In 2002, Inuit there were requested to sell part of their whale harvest to Inuit in Nunavik, northern Quebec, where hunting quotas exist. The outcome of this event was concern in Nunavut for the future of the whale hunt, and a deepening sense of powerlessness in Nunavik due to the management of the whale harvest.

Isoprostanes and isofurans as non-traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease among Canadian Inuit

Abstract Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential importance of oxidative stress, measured by isoprostanes-related compounds, as non-traditional risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We planned to examine the relationship between concentrations of plasma F(2)-isoprostanes (F(2)-IsoPs), isofurans (IsoFs), measures of obesity and various cardiometabolic risk factors. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study using a sub-sample from the population of a survey conducted in the summer and fall 2007 and 2008 by Canadian Coastguard Ship Amundsen in 36 Canadian Arctic Inuit communities. Subjects included a subset (n =?233) of a total study population (n =?2595) with a mean age 42.56 ± 15.39 years and body mass index 27.78 ± 5.65 kg/m(2). Plasma levels of F(2)-IsoPs and IsoFs was determined by gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization/mass spectrometry (GC/NICI/MS) method; and their relationships to waist circumference (WC), blood pressure C reactive proteins (CRP), blood lipids and fasting glucose were assessed by multivariate analyses. Results: Plasma F(2)-IsoPs correlated positively with CRP (r =.132, P =.048) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (r =.157, P =.024) after adjustment for age, sex and body mass index. IsoFs correlated with WC (r =.190, P =.005) and SBP (r =.137, P =.048). F2-IsoPs were not found elevated in smokers (P =.034), whereas IsoFs were decreased in smokers (P =.001). WC, SBP and sex were found to be major correlates of oxidative stress in Canadian Inuit. Conclusions: Plasma measures of F(2)-IsoPs and IsoFs increase with increased obesity and associated cardiometabolic risk factors, including CRP and blood pressure. Simultaneous measurement of IsoFs provides an advantageous mechanistic insight into oxidative stress not captured by F(2)-IsoPs alone.     

Isoprostanes and isofurans as non-traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease among Canadian Inuit

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential importance of oxidative stress, measured by isoprostanes-related compounds, as non-traditional risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We planned to examine the relationship between concentrations of plasma F₂-isoprostanes (F₂-IsoPs), isofurans (IsoFs), measures of obesity and various cardiometabolic risk factors. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study using a sub-sample from the population of a survey conducted in the summer and fall 2007 and 2008 by Canadian Coastguard Ship Amundsen in 36 Canadian Arctic Inuit communities. Subjects included a subset (n =?233) of a total study population (n =?2595) with a mean age 42.56 ± 15.39 years and body mass index 27.78 ± 5.65 kg/m². Plasma levels of F₂-IsoPs and IsoFs was determined by gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization/mass spectrometry (GC/NICI/MS) method; and their relationships to waist circumference (WC), blood pressure C reactive proteins (CRP), blood lipids and fasting glucose were assessed by multivariate analyses. Results: Plasma F₂-IsoPs correlated positively with CRP (r =.132, P =.048) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (r =.157, P =.024) after adjustment for age, sex and body mass index. IsoFs correlated with WC (r =.190, P =.005) and SBP (r =.137, P =.048). F2-IsoPs were not found elevated in smokers (P =.034), whereas IsoFs were decreased in smokers (P =.001). WC, SBP and sex were found to be major correlates of oxidative stress in Canadian Inuit. Conclusions: Plasma measures of F₂-IsoPs and IsoFs increase with increased obesity and associated cardiometabolic risk factors, including CRP and blood pressure. Simultaneous measurement of IsoFs provides an advantageous mechanistic insight into oxidative stress not captured by F₂-IsoPs alone.     

Learning to Be Smart: An Exploration of the Culture of Intelligence in a Canadian Inuit Community

The understanding of intelligence and cognitive functioning of culturally diverse peoples has long been an interest of social scientists. It has also long been recognized that environmental factors and cultural values affect both perceptual abilities and the display of cognitive functioning. While some scholars have proposed the existence of multiple forms of intelligence, others have argued that the assessment of intelligence requires the application of local definitions of intelligence and intelligent behavior. In the present paper I explore the concept of intelligence in the small Copper Inuit community of Holman. Data collected between 1978 and 1995 are used to examine the manner in which community members define, assess, and develop intelligence. Modernity has created new conditions in which intelligence is nurtured and assessed.
Particular attention is paid to informant efforts to encourage the author to behave intelligently. [Inuit, theories of intelligence, participant-observation]     

Physiological consequences of acculturation: a 20-year study of fitness in an Inuit community

Surveys in 1969/1970, 1979/1980, and 1989/ 1990 assessed physical fitness among adult Inuit living in Igloolik, Northwest Territories, Canada, during a period of rapid acculturation to a sedentary lifestyle. MANOVA for age, cohort, and age-cohort effects indicated significant trends to greater skinfold readings [male (M) and female (F)] and body mass (F only), a lower handgrip and knee extension force (M and F), and lower step test predictions of aerobic power (M and F) in the more recent cohorts, with no change of forced vital capacity, 1-s forced expiratory volume, or hemoglobin level. By 1989/1990, continuing hunters tended to have thicker skinfolds than other villagers, and showed no advantage of aerobic power. The average fitness of the sample when tested in 1989/1990 was comparable with that of sedentary populations in Southern Canada, but a minority of villagers who now practiced regular sport had conserved the high levels of fitness that were observed in 1969/1970. We conclude that the fitness of this community appears to have deteriorated markedly as it has become more sedentary, and we thus recommend that health authorities develop methods of promoting an active lifestyle that are culturally appropriate to the populations of circumpolar settlements.     

Diagnosis and treatment of low blood pressure in a Canadian community

When some participants in a hypertension screening program reported a previous diagnosis or treatment of low blood pressure a similar program was established at two shopping centres in Montreal to identify and characterize subjects labelled as having low blood pressure. Of the 1019 subjects screened (434 men and 585 women) 275 (27.0%) reported a previous diagnosis of low blood pressure and 278 (27.3%) a previous diagnosis of hypertension. Low blood pressure was significantly more likely to be diagnosed in women than in men. Of the 181 subjects reporting a diagnosis of low blood pressure in the absence of other diagnoses, 69 had received treatment for this condition; fewer than 10 years of education had been completed by 46.4% of the treated subjects and 34.8% of those not treated, compared with 20.0% of the subjects in whom no diagnosis had been made. Assuming that these findings do not reflect an idiosyncrasy of the community or of the population studied, the public and personal health implications of the erroneous diagnosis and treatment of this nondisease need to be assessed.     

Legacies of afforestation on soil nematode community composition,structure, and diversity in a northern Canadian prairie

Plant and Soil - We examined how legacies of afforestation affect soil food webs using the composition, structure, and diversity of soil nematode communities along a prairie restoration...     

Resource limitation,competition and the influence of life history in a freshwater snail community

Summary Previous work on a snail community occurring throughout lakes in southwestern Michigan showed that predation by molluscivorous sunfish had large impacts on only the rarest snail species. Thus, competition might play a major role in population limitation because dominant members of the snail community are relatively immune to predation. The present experiments were conducted to determine the extent to which the snail community depleted the abundance of food resources (epiphytes) and the extent to which epiphyte abundances limited snail production. An experimental gradient in snail densities showed that removal of snails increased epiphyte biomass by approximately 3-fold relative to that observed at natural snail densities. Enrichment of the environment with phosphorus fertilizer increased epiphyte biomass by approximately 20-fold and provided a test of food limitation in the snail community. All snail taxa exhibited positive numerical or growth responses to enrichment. The observations that snails depleted resources and that resources limited snail production demonstrated that snails competed exploitatively for epiphytes. The response of each snail species to increased food abundance differed depending on the timing of fertilization relative to the snails' life histories. Snails hatched before the experiment began were larger in fertilized treatments, due to increased growth, but their densities were similar among treatments. On the other hand, densities of snails born during the experiment were up to 15-fold greater in fertilized treatments, due in part to increased survival of newborn snails. Comparison of the responses of snails to food addition and to predator removals (based on prior experiments) suggested that food availability limits snail production more than predators do. Additionally, the large responses by algae and snails to fertilization demonstrated that both the producers and herbivores in this simplified food chain were strongly resource limited.