Blood groups of Cakchiquel Indians from Sumpango, Guatemala

ABO, MN, Rh, P, Lutheran, Kell, Duffy and Kidd blood group systems were studied in a sample of 135 Cakchiquel-speaking Indians from Sumpango, Dpto. Sacatepequez, Guatemala. Sumpango represents an almost exclusively endogamous isolate in the western highlands some 42 km outside of Guatemala City. The bloods were collected by families, and tests on them are much more revealing than on unrelated individuals because the genotypes are so often evident, and genes that could not have been otherwise detected are revealed. What is lost in numbers of unrelated people is probably more than compensated for by the precision of gene identification. Some evidence of foreign genes in this Indian sample is afforded by gene B in a mother and three of her children, in a small frequency (0.01) of R^?2,?3 (cde or cDe), and perhaps in gene MU or Mu in a mother and son. Gene frequencies for the Sumpango sample are very similar to those of Matson and Swanson's ('63) Cakchiquel from nearby Chimaltenango and Patzicia. The Sumpango sample shows lower P and Jk^a and higher R^2,?3 (CDe), and of these the low P and high R^2,?3 stand outside of the known Maya range.     

Lumbo-sacral malformations and spina bifida occulta in a group of proto-historic Modoc Indians

A complex lumbo-sacral malformation has been found in an unusually high frequency in a group of proto-historic Modoc Indians. Following a short review of vertebral abnormalities in general, the condition is described. It is suggested tentatively that inbreeding might be in part responsible for the high frequency.     

Anthropometry as a predictor of vertical jump heights derived from an instrumented platform

The current study purpose examined the vertical height-anthropometry relationship with jump data obtained from an instrumented platform. Our methods required college-aged (n = 177) subjects to make 3 visits to our laboratory to measure the following anthropometric variables: height, body mass, upper arm length (UAL), lower arm length, upper leg length, and lower leg length. Per jump, maximum height was measured in 3 ways: from the subjects' takeoff, hang times, and as they landed on the platform. Standard multivariate regression assessed how well anthropometry predicted the criterion variance per gender (men, women, pooled) and jump height method (takeoff, hang time, landing) combination. Z-scores indicated that small amounts of the total data were outliers. The results showed that the majority of outliers were from jump heights calculated as women landed on the platform. With the genders pooled, anthropometry predicted a significant (p < 0.05) amount of variance from jump heights calculated from both takeoff and hang time. The anthropometry-vertical jump relationship was not significant from heights calculated as subjects landed on the platform, likely due to the female outliers. Yet anthropometric data of men did predict a significant amount of variance from heights calculated when they landed on the platform; univariate correlations of men's data revealed that UAL was the best predictor. It was concluded that the large sample of men's data led to greater data heterogeneity and a higher univariate correlation. Because of our sample size and data heterogeneity, practical applications suggest that coaches may find our results best predict performance for a variety of college-aged athletes and vertical jump enthusiasts.     

A new species of rainfrog of the Eleutherodactylus milesi species group (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from Guatemala

A new rainfrog of the Eleutherodactylus milesi group is described from the Sierra de Xucaneb, Guatemala. It is compared to the other 11 upland species from southern Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras referred to the group. Within the milesi group the new species differs from the other five forms which also have toe fringes in size of the finger disks, the snout shape in profile and the amount of toe webbing and dorsal tuberculation. Difficulties in distinguishing among the character states for the tympanum (distinct, indistinct and hidden) and between toe ridges and fringes indicate that very subtle differences separate recognized species.     

Intra and intertribal genetic variation within a linguistic group: The Ge-speaking Indians of Brazil

A total of 562 individuals living in four villages of two Brazilian Indian tribes (Cayapo and Krahó) was studied in relation to blood groups ABO, MNSs, P, Rh, Lewis, Duffy, Kidd and Diego; haptoglobin, Gc, acid phosphatase and phosphoglucomutase types. These results were compared with those obtained previously among the Xavante, and the inhabitants of three other Cayapo villages, all of whom speak Ge languages; the ranges in gene frequencies observed in a representative series of South American Indians from all over the continent were also compiled. The Ge Indians are characterized by low frequencies ofR^z, medium frequencies ofR¹,R², R⁰, orr,Jk^a andPGM¹₁, and high frequencies ofGc² andACP^A when compared with other South American tribes. Genetic distance analyses based on six loci indicate that the intratribal variability observed among Cayapo is of the same order of magnitude as those obtained among the Xavante and Krahó, being much less pronounced than those observed among the Yanomama and Makiritare. The intertribal differences within this linguistic group are much less pronounced than those encountered among tribes that speak more differentiated languages.     

Predicting Total Body Fat from Anthropometry in Latino Children

Objective: To develop prediction equations for total body fat specific to Latino children, using demographic and anthropometric measures. Research Methods and Procedures: Ninety‐six Latino children (7 to 13 years old) were studied. Two‐thirds of the sample was randomized into the equation development group; the remainder served as the cross‐validation group. Total body fat was measured by DXA. Measures included weight, height, waist and hip circumferences, and skinfolds (suprailiac, triceps, abdomen, subscapula, thigh, and calf). Results: The previously published equation from Dezenberg et al. did not accurately predict total body fat in Latino children. However, newly developed equations with either body weight alone (intercept ± SE = 1.78 ± 1.53 kg, p > 0.05; slope ± SE = 0.90 ± 0.07, p > 0.05 against slope = 1.0; R² = 0.86), weight plus age and gender (intercept ± SE = 2.28 ± 1.20 kg, p > 0.05; slope ± SE = 0.91 ± 0.05, p > 0.05; against slope = 1.0; R² = 0.92), or weight plus height, gender, Tanner stage, and abdominal skinfold (intercept ± SE = 1.47 ± 1.01 kg, p > 0.05; slope ± SE = 0.93 ± 0.04, p > 0.05; against slope = 1.0, R² = 0.97) predicted total body fat without bias. Discussion: Unique prediction equations of total body fat may be needed for Latino children. Weight, as the single most significant predictor, can be used easily to estimate total body fat in the absence of any additional measures. Including age and gender with weight produces an equally stable prediction equation with increasing precision. Using a combination of demographic and anthropometric measures, we were able to capture 97% of the variance in measured total body fat.     

New species of carex from Mexico and Guatemala

C.subbracteata var.tolucensis (sect.Ovales) andC. distentiformis (sect.Extensae) from Mexico,C. guatemalensis (sect.Longicaules) andC. caxinensis (sect.Viridiflorae) from Guatemala, andC. volcanica (sect.Ovales) from Mexico and Guatemala are described as new.