The elevated serum LHCG concentrations have been detected between 40 and 70 years both in male and female. In previous studies LHCG receptor was detected in the mouse and human penis both in corpus cavernosum penis and corpus spongiosum penis. There is no information about the expression of LHCG receptor in the vulva up to now. The aim of present study is to investigate the expression of the LHCG receptor in the mouse vulva tissue to see, if the LH effects can be possible in vulva. 12 Balb/c mice (7–8 weeks old) were used as donors of normal vulva tissue. Immunohistochemistry was used for the detection of the LHCG receptor. Positive immunoreaction for LHCG receptors was detected in the epithelial cells in all layers of the mouse vulva epithelium, in the epithelial cells of the gland ducts and in the interstitial cells of subepithelial connective tissue. The high postmenopausal gonadotrophin concentrations could have direct effects on the vulvar tissue, if there are receptors for them. LHCG receptors were detected in the different cell types in the mouse vulva. It could be possible that the higher serum LH concentrations both in aging male and female could have direct effects on the spongious tissue both in the individual and his/her partner. Further studies are indicated.
Previous studies have indicated that almost 80% of injuries in track and field athletes affect the lower limb which makes injury prevention in this area so important. Therefore, it is important to constantly monitor the condition of athletes’ musculoskeletal system during pre-season to prevent injuries and to maximize performance. To screen athletes, we performed an ankle lunge test along with injury registration during 15 weeks of the autumn training period. The tests were carried out on twelve semi-professional track and field athletes (seven male and five female) from one training group. Nine of the twelve athletes suffered an injury to their lower extremity during the study period and five of them sustained an ankle or foot area injury. Changes in ankle dorsiflexion compared to the pre-study and on a week prior to the injury were indicators for ankle or foot area injury, especially when the measurement was outside standard deviations. In conclusion, weekly screening by ankle lunge test and comparing the test results to the standard deviation of the previous average values may predict which athletes have an increased risk of ankle overuse injuries.
Since time immemorial, diseases have evolved along with human physical, mental, and technological changes. The perception of diseases has also changed over time. As society evolved due to socioeconomic and political forces and with the introduction of new belief systems and ideas along with the traditional method of treating diseases during the colonial period, different knowledge systems of proper healthcare emerged. This paper aims to study the different perceptions of disease in Kom society and the conflicting dialogues in defining, managing and treating diseases. The study was conducted among the Kom tribes of Manipur, using an interview method with key informants. With exposure to different knowledge systems, i.e., indigenous ethnic practice, Christian faith healing and modern medical science, the people’s health care system is found to be engaged in a complex dialogue within the three health systems. The practice of medical pluralism often creates conflicts within the health care system of the people and leads to health inequality. Proper awareness of disease regarding its cause, cure and prevention is most necessary in the light of their knowledge gain to avoid further conflict within the health care system of the Kom.
Commentary on “Skeletal pathological conditions of Lithuanian mummies” (Papers on Anthropology XXIII, 1, 2014, pp. 118–126)
The aim of the study was to analyse the body build and physical abilities of 10–12-year-old volleyball players in order to identify the most promising young volleyball players in Estonia. The following research tasks were set: to find the anthropometric variables and physical abilities tests results of young volleyball players based on age classes and individually, to establish the body build types of young volleyball players based on a 5 SD height-weight classification, to find statistically significant differences in body build types in individual anthropometric variables and physical abilities tests, and to give an assessment to the results of the physical abilities tests and indicators of height, arm reach, body type, wrist circumference and lower leg circumference to find in which indicators volleyball players exceed the mean results of their age group. In total, 232 young volleyball players participated in the study – 118 players in the first measurement session and 114 players in the second measurement session. The following physical abilities tests were used in the study: hand grip test, reaction test, T-test, 5-0-5 run test, jump height tests (with and without arm swing) and step frequency test. The measured anthropometric variables were height, weight, arm reach, fat percentage, amount of fat, lower leg, wrist and waist circumferences. For data analysis, the Microsoft Excel program was used. To compare the mean results of the groups, Student’s t-test was used. The results revealed that there were differences in both boys and girls between 10- and 12-year-olds and in some cases also between 11-year-olds and 12-year-olds in almost all anthropometric variables and physical ability test results. Older volleyball players received better results. Regarding the differences between the measurement sessions in the results of physical abilities tests and anthropometric variables, no definite pattern was formed that the results would improve in all age groups and sexes. This could be caused by the fact that not exactly the same volleyball players participated in both measurement sessions. When the volleyball players were divided into body build classes based on a 5 SD height-weight classification, it was revealed that statistically significant differences between classes occurred in all anthropometric characteristics. In physical ability tests, the results improved statistically significantly in the direction from small to medium and large classes and were always better in leptomorphs than in pycnomorphs. The players who exceeded the mean results of their age group in the results of the physical ability tests and based on certain body composition indicators received points for being promising. By adding up the points, the potentiality score was formed. Players in each age group whose score was higher than the mean score of their age group were considered more promising. We are of the opinion that, for Estonia to be successful compared to other countries in a sport like volleyball, we need to direct our resources to the search and development of young talents, because, with such a small population, we should not overlook a single young person who is a potential player of the national team.
Background: Adolescent team sport athletes with high training volume and overscheduling have increased incidences of injuries (Osgood-Schlatter disease, low-back pain etc.) compared to their less active counterparts. These overuse injuries may begin to negatively affect young athletes’ attitudes towards physical activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of low back, knee and ankle problems in young male basketball players. Methods: The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Injury Questionnaire (OSTRC) was distributed weekly to 16 adolescent athletes who regularly participated in basketball training and who volunteered to participate in the study (age 15 ± 1.2 years; body weight 72.1 ± 11.8 kg; height 183.5 ± 8.2 cm; BMI 21.1 ± 2.5; training experience 7.4 ± 1.2 years; training hours per week 6.6 ± 3.8) for 12 weeks at the start of their season. Results: The response rate to the weekly OSTRC questionnaire was 96.4%. A total of 94 overuse conditions were identified, affecting 15 athletes (94% of the cohort). 93.8% of the athletes in this group reported having had knee problems, while low back and ankle problems were reported by 43.8% and 31.3% respectively. Conclusions: Knee and low back problems seem to be very common in adolescent basketball players and should be the focus of regular injury prevention programmes. Problems in these areas were more prevalent at the start of the study indicating the need for better pre-season physical preparation. Also, the weekly questionnaire helps to better regulate training loads and, therefore, is a good monitoring system for coaches and physiotherapists to prevent overuse problems.
Diverse human characteristics significantly influence susceptibility to kidney stone disease (KSD), resulting in unequal risks of formation. Human variations can be classified by prakriti body types, rooted in holistic mind-body principles, and anthropometric somatotypes, focused solely on physical traits. Therefore, the study aims to investigate the susceptibility to KSD among the Meitei adult population of Manipur across different body types and other body adiposity variables. Among 712 participants (322 males, 390 females) from the Meitei adult population of Manipur, kidney stone prevalence is 11.24%. BMI and body fat show no association with stone formation. Interestingly, prakriti body types correlate with kidney stones, while somatotypes do not. The study emphasizes understanding one’s body type, especially prakriti, for proactive kidney stone prevention. Moreover, it highlights the ancient Ayurvedic system’s relevance in averting kidney stone development.
Learning ordinary anatomy is an essential part of medical training. New knowledge about anatomical variations helps surgeons to improve their surgical techniques and avoid complications. The posterior circumflex humeral artery usually arises from the axillary artery and passes through the quadrilateral space along with the axillary nerve. In our study, we introduce a human cadaver specimen with unusual arterial variation. In this case, instead of passing through the quadrilateral space, the posterior circumflex humeral artery coursed along the lower edge of the teres major muscle to the surgical neck of the humerus. In our data, the posterior circumflex humeral artery arose from brachial artery and the branches of this artery supplied the deltoid muscle, teres minor and infraspinatus tendons, and the lower part of the long head of the triceps brachii muscle.
Malnutrition, particularly undernutrition, is a major problem for most low and middle-income countries. For several years, health professionals have recommended improving daily diets and continuous nutritional education as the solution to malnutrition and maximising a healthy life. More specifically, malnutrition is often reversible to a certain extent if the balance between energy intake (EI) and energy requirement (ER) can be measured accurately and maintained accordingly. The present study tries to assess the nutritional status and evaluate the EI and ER among the Sabar males living in the Purulia district of West Bengal, India. For this cross-sectional study, 400 Sabar men aged 18–60 years were selected. To assess their nutritional status, the anthropometric measurements of height (cm) and weight (kg) were taken following a standard procedure. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated, and the classification proposed by World Health Organization (WHO) for the South Asian population was considered. Body composition variables like Percent Body Fat (PBF), Fat Mass (FM), Fat- Free Mass (FFM), Fat Mass Index (FMI) and Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI) were also calculated. The 24-hour dietary recall method was used to assess the nutrient intake (i.e., EI). ER was derived from the estimated total energy expenditure (TEE) calculated from the predictive equation proposed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for the Indian population. The study protocol was approved by the institutional ethical committee. Data were collected after getting consent from the study participants. The rate of undernutrition increased with age and was found to be highest (56.9%) among the aged individuals (41–50 years) with an overall prevalence of 48.5%. A gradual decrease in FFM, FFMI and a steady increase in PBF, FM, and FMI was seen with the increase in age. Differences were observed in EI and TEE across different age groups and nutritional categories. A negative energy flow was identified where TEE exceeded EI in each age and nutritional category. The high prevalence of undernutrition demands immediate nutritional intervention. This is probably the first report on the assessment of EI and TEE among any indigenous community living in West Bengal, so further studies are required among other communities living in similar or different ecological conditions for a better understanding and formulation of nutritional policies with special emphasis on elderly people.
Obesity is an etiologically complex and multifactorial phenotype, underpinned by genetic, environmental, socioeconomic and behavioural or psychological factors. Worldwide prevalence of obesity is reaching epidemic or pandemic proportions, which has resulted in an increased prevalence of obesity-related co-morbidities and financial burden that needs effective interventions. The prevalence of obesity varies significantly across the world, and several studies have been conducted in this regard in different regions on different age groups, but studies on the tribal female population of Northeast India are underrepresented, being mostly limited to schoolchildren. Under these circumstances, the present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of obesity among the tribal females of Tripura, Northeast India. To achieve this purpose, the present study was conducted on 114 adult Tripuri females of Northeast India. Data were collected on anthropometric variables – height, weight, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC) – by using the standard technique. Then, from these anthropometric measurements, a number of indices – waist-stature ratio (WSR), body mass index (BMI), conicity index (CI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. The necessary descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated by using SPSS version 18. The present study vindicated that only 22% women were overweight as per BMI, but 88% and 72% women were in the high-risk category on the basis of WHR and WSR respectively. Moreover, 86% of the females were biconic, which indicates higher prevalence of central obesity among the studied population. Therefore, it can be concluded that anthropometric variables can be used as one of the efficient tools to assess obesity and health status of the Tripuri women. More in-depth studies using large samples and other different anthropometric indicators are required for better insightful approach towards ethnic group specific public health policy making.
Although menstruation is a normal phenomenon, many girls across the world are subjected to social taboos and misconceptions and are denied the right to control their menstruation in a dignified and healthy manner. This results in poor menstrual hygiene and a high risk for adverse physical, emotional, and mental health outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to assess the menstrual hygiene practices and social taboos among the adolescent girls of Manipur. A school-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among 215 adolescent girls aged 10–19 years from different ethnic groups of Manipur. The mean menarcheal age is 12.4 ± 1.2 years. The majority of the participants (95.35%) are aware of the essence of menstruation. However, only half of the studied population follow hygienic practices concerning the type of absorbent used and the frequency of changing absorbents. Approximately 40% of the respondents are associated with social taboos and restrictions, and these belong exclusively to the Meitei community. In general, the menstrual hygiene practices of the studied adolescent girls are poor. Many girls, irrespective of different ethnic groups, are associated with unhealthy menstrual-related cultural beliefs and taboos. Therefore, future intervention programmes should be introduced to maintain hygienic and safe menstruation practices. Moreover, awareness should be developed, imparting adequate knowledge on menstrual hygiene and waste management practices to prevent associated adverse health outcomes.
The aim of the study was to record the extent of lower limb overuse problems in highly trained track and field athletes during the 12 weeks of their preparation for national and international athletics championships. 21 highly trained track and field athletes (10 males: height 188.4 ± 6.8 cm; weight 79.9 ± 5.4 kg; BMI 22.5 ± 0.9; training hours per week 7.78 ± 2.37; 11 females: height 174.1 ± 7.9 cm; weight 61.7 ± 5.8 kg; BMI 20.4 ± 1.4; training hours per week 6.28 ± 2.76) from the national team volunteered to participate. The study was a prospective cohort study during which the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire was distributed weekly to all athletes for 12 weeks from May 2015 to August 2015. The two most prevalent overuse problems reported in our study group were hamstring and lower back area problems. On average, 64% of athletes in the present study group suffered from an overuse problem to ankle, hamstring, groin, knee or low back at any given time. The results of the study show that lower limb overuse injuries are too frequent in track and field athletes, and many athletes still train and compete through these injuries. Therefore, it is very important for athletes’ long-term health to regularly monitor their health problems in order to start preventing them.
The objective of the current study was to evaluate the spatial complexity of the cerebral pial surface through two-dimensional fractal analysis of the external linear contour of cerebral hemispheres and to investigate the correlation between the parameters determined using Euclidean and fractal geometries. Magnetic resonance brain images were obtained from 100 individuals (44 males and 56 females, aged 18–86 years). Five magnetic resonance images were selected from the MRI dataset of each brain, comprising four tomographic sections in the coronal plane and one section in the axial plane. Fractal dimension values of the linear contour of the pial surface of cerebral hemispheres were measured using the two-dimensional box counting method. Morphometric parameters based on Euclidean geometry were also determined (perimeter, area and their derivative values). In this study, the obtained fractal dimension values were shown to be sensitive to the tortuosity of the linear contour of cerebral hemispheres, which depends on the number of gyri and sulci and the complexity of their shape. Therefore, the fractal dimension can be considered as an objective quantitative parameter characterizing the spatial complexity of the pial surface of cerebral hemispheres. The present study revealed that the Euclidean geometry-based morphometric parameters most strongly associated with the fractal dimension of the cerebral linear contour were the perimeter and the parameters calculated from perimeter values, including the perimeter-to-area ratio, shape factor, and two-dimensional gyrification index. Fractal dimension values did not exhibit strong correlations with age. The data obtained in this study can be utilized for anatomical and anthropological studies. Furthermore, they hold practical applications in clinical contexts for diagnostic purposes, such as the diagnosis of congenital cerebral malformations and postnatal cerebral maldevelopment.
The aim of this study was to compare the tactics and proficiency of the Estonian men team’s games in the finals of the European Championships in 2019 and 2021. A total of ten games were analysed (five games of the 2019 tournament and five games of the 2021 tournament). The data were collected by video analysis and were entered into the Excel program where further analysis was performed. Additional statistical data processing was performed using the chi-squared test. A difference was revealed between the tournaments in using serve types. While in the in the tournament of 2021, more jump power serves were used compared to the tournament of 2019, in 2019 more jump float serves were used compared to the tournament of 2021. In terms of jump power serves, the team was more proficient in the tournament of 2021 and in jump float serves in the tournament of 2019. Although the use of rapidly falling power serves was the lowest in both tournaments, the results of the study showed that the use of rapidly falling power serves proved successful in both tournaments in terms of aces. In the tournament of 2019, the highest number of serves were delivered from zone 9 and in the tournament of 2021 from zone 6. In 2021, the use of different zones was more varied than in 2019 when most serves were played from zone 9. In the 2021 tournament, the percentage of both jump power serves and jump float serves towards the middle zones was higher than in the tournament of 2019. The percentage of positive jump float serves delivered towards both middle and back zones was higher in the tournament of 2019 than in the tournament of 2021. The jump power serves performed in 2021 were more proficient than in the tournament of 2019. The percentage of points gained after positive serves was higher in the tournament of 2021 than in the tournament of 2019. In both tournaments, most serves were directed towards the players. Although the percentage of serves directed between the players and towards the outlines was low in both years, the study found that the serves directed to these parts of the court were more difficult for the opponents to receive than the serves directed towards the players.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders which affect women in a significant manner worldwide. India has witnessed an about 30% rise in PCOS cases in the last couple of years. PCOS has a strong association with many comorbidities with its long-term metabolic as well as other consequences. Thus, it has recently been recognized as a significant public health issue. This review paper is an attempt to reveal the prevalence, pathophysiology, knowledge and awareness of PCOS among the adolescents and young adult women of India. An extensive search was performed using electronic search engines such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar (from 2004 to 2023) to find the relevant research papers on the prevalence, pathophysiology, knowledge, and awareness of PCOS among the adolescents and young adult women of India. The current review summarises and highlights the prevalence, pathophysiology, knowledge, and awareness of PCOS for early identification and prevention and consequent minimation of the steady upward trend of PCOS. The results of this review could identify high-risk populations and foster the implementation of preventive lifestyle measures. It also investigates the need for intervention programmes for PCOS and its associated comorbidities in different settings at an earlier stage and to improve the quality of health.
In Estonia where the population size is quite small (less than a million ethnic Estonians) the low birth rate has been a problem throughout known history. In Estonia as in other Eastern European countries, the so-called transition shock appeared in the 1990s after regaining independence. As a result of the shock, the birth rate fell sharply; the number of births in 1994–2000 was twice less than the number of births ten years earlier, in 1984–1990. Intensive migration also lasted for about 25 years, and, as a result, the population of Estonia decreased by more than for 250 000 people (one sixth of the population). The ethnic structure of the population of Estonia also changed. Depending on the direction and volume of foreign migration, the share of ethnic Estonians in the population, which was 61.5% in 1991, increased to 67.9% by the turn of the century. Postponing of births has been an important trend throughout the world, including in Estonia, in recent decades. In Estonia the average age of mothers who gave birth increased from 1991 to 2021 by almost 6 years. This means that, for 30 years, nearly a fifth of children were not born each year. The total fertility rate depends on the change in the average childbearing age. When the childbearing age increases (which has been happening in Estonia during the last 30 years), the total fertility rate (TFR) underestimates the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime. Although TFR is relatively low in Estonia now, oscillating between 1.5 and 1.7, this does not mean that the average number of children born by a woman is so low. If a cohort of women (e.g., women born 45–49 years ago) has passed the fertile age, it is possible to determine the average number of children whom they actually gave birth during their lifetime. This indicator gives a much more optimistic picture about the fertility behaviour of Estonian women than TFR. Ethnic Estonian women are more active in giving birth than the women of other ethnic origins. On average, Estonian women aged 40+ have given birth to 2 children.
The approach of the present study was to look for differences in body development in children practicing karate or judo. 50 children between the age of 7 and 16 years were measured for this study. Parnell’s and Heath and Carter’s somatotypes were used as well as the German constitution schools of Conrad as well and Knussmann. The influence on higher muscle development through practice of these martial arts cannot be denied, although no significant differences between the martial arts were found. Only with a version of Conrad’s checkerboard pattern graph specially tailored for children, we could work out impressive differences between the sports. Differentiated according to age groups, it is noticeable that the male judoka make the most significant development from the hypoplastic area towards hyperplastic with increasing age.
As India is a country in epidemiological transition, the indigenous populations agonise from a dual burden of illnesses, including undernutrition, infectious diseases and lifestyle-related issues like hypertension, obesity and diabetes. Few concrete efforts have been made to understand these emerging public health problems with emphasis on the indigenous populations living in this country. This review paper focuses on the epidemiological transition, prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases, nutritional status, dual burden of malnutrition and the availability, acceptability and accessibility of the health care services among the tribal communities with special emphasis on the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Odisha. This study is based on the review of published articles in different online databases using search engines like Google Scholar, Pub Med, INFLIBNET, JSTOR. A total of 195 articles published during the period from 1956 to 2022 were reviewed. The review is focussed on the indigenous populations living in the Indian state of Odisha. Migration and urbanization are the leading causes of epidemiological transition among them. The health scenario in terms of nutritional status, disease burden and availability of health care facilities of Odisha was found to be far behind the national average. Compared to other groups, the situation of the PVTGs of this state is the worst. The review suggests more action-oriented ground level research with targeted goals that would address the health needs of the indigenous populations at a micro level.
The aim of the paper was to study the potential correlation between school students’ head size and academic performance. As the material, the head length and breadth measurement data of 5034 7–18-year-old ethnic Estonian school students measured by Prof. J. Aul in 1966–1969 were used. To get an overview of head size and the development of its growth, head module A was used. The correlation between head size and school students’ academic performance was studied using the data of 4840 school students aged 8–18 years (2406 boys and 2434 girls). Academic performance was assessed based on school students’ grades in a three-point system: I – low, II – medium, III – good academic performance. As a result, head module A was found to increase relatively evenly and relatively modestly in Tallinn school students during their school years (7% in boys and 4.5% in girls), while boys’ heads were larger than girls’. Relative head module A decreased in school students with age in both boys and girls. Until the age of 14 years, relative value of head module A is greater in boys than in girls; from the age of 16 years, however, the relative value of head module A becomes greater in girls than boys. A significant correlation between academic performance and head size was found in both boys and girls. The greatest differences in head size were between students with low and good academic performance. Head module A of the latter was essentially greater. In puberty, a few years later in boys than in girls, the mentioned correlation was weaker.
