A genomic Neolithic time transect of hunter-farmer admixture in central Poland.

Ancient DNA genome-wide analyses of Neolithic individuals from central and southern Europe indicate an overall population turnover pattern in which migrating farmers from Anatolia and the Near East largely replaced autochthonous Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. However, the genetic history of the Neolithic transition in areas lying north of the European Neolithic core region involved different levels of admixture with hunter-gatherers. Here we analyse genome-wide data of 17 individuals spanning from the Middle Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age (4300-1900 BCE) in order to assess the Neolithic transition in north-central Poland, and the local impacts of hunter-farmer contacts and Late Neolithic steppe migrations. We evaluate the influence of these on local populations and assess if and how they change through time, reporting evidence of recurrent hunter-farmer admixture over three millennia, and the co-existence of unadmixed hunter-gatherers as late as 4300 BCE. During the Late Neolithic we report the appearance of steppe ancestry, but on a lesser scale than previously described for other central European regions, with evidence of stronger affinities to hunter-gatherers than to steppe pastoralists. These results help understand the Neolithic palaeogenomics of another central European area, Kuyavia, and highlight the complexity of population interactions during those times

Caries experience and distribution by tooth surfaces in primary molars in the pre-school child population of Lodz, Poland

To evaluate caries experience in primary molars as well as the differences in caries prevalence and caries lesion location on individual tooth surfaces between first and second primary molars in pre-school children.A cross-sectional study was conducted on 307 children, aged 3 to 5 years, from randomly chosen kindergartens in Lodz, Poland. Caries experience was scored according to WHO recommendations. The caries intensity (dmft, dmfts) for first and second primary molars was calculated. In addition, the percentage of particular surfaces with caries was counted for each molar separately.The mean dmft for primary molars was 1.84 (dmfts = 2.47) and dmft > 0 was seen in 53.09% of the study subjects. While in the entire examined population dmft and dmfts for first and second molars did not differ significantly, in 5-year-old children, the left mandibular first molar was associated with a higher caries intensity than the left mandibular second molar (dmfts = 0.465 vs 0.344, Z = -1.98, p = 0.04). However, in 5-year-olds, higher caries occurrence was seen for occlusal surfaces of the tooth 85 than 84 (33.62% vs 20.68%, χ2 = 4.09, p = 0.03). The distal surface was more frequently affected in first molars than in second molars in children aged 4 (85 vs 84, χ2 = 17.1, p < 0.001; 75 vs 74, χ2 = 11.5, p = 0.007, 55 vs 54; χ2 = 4.6, p = 0.03) and 5 years (54 vs 55, χ2 = 20.09; 64 vs 65, χ2 = 16.75; 74 vs 75, χ2 = 21.6; 84 vs 85, χ2 = 31.07; all comparisons p < 0.001). In contrast, the mesial surfaces of mandibular second molars demonstrated more caries than the homologous surfaces of first molars, both in 4-year-olds (85 vs 84, χ2 = 6.15, p = 0.01) and 5-year-olds (75 vs 74, χ2 = 3.9, p = 0.04).In 5-year-old children, caries of occlusal and mesial surfaces was more common in primary second molars. However, distal surfaces were affected more in first than second molars.Agnieszka Bruzda-Zwiech, Renata Filipińska, Beata Borowska-Strugińska, Elżbieta Żądzińska, Magdalena Wochna-Sobańsk

Association of the 2D:4D digit ratio with body composition among the Polish children aged 6–13 years

The 2D:4D digit ratio is formed as a result of genetic factors but also prenatal exposure to sex hormones. The higher index value the higher concentration of the prenatal oestrogen. It is commonly known that testosterone is a hormone connected with muscle mass growth and that oestrogen affects adipogenesis. The aim of this study was to find if the digit ratio can be an informative indicator of the fat mass and muscle mass and body proportions in prepubertal children. Material and methods The analysed cohort included 420 children (221 girls and 199 boys) aged 6-13 years. Pearson's and Spearman's tests were conducted to assess whether 2D:4D was significantly correlated with the body composition measurements. Multiple regression models and stepwise forward regression were applied to select the most important independent variables affecting fat mass (%) and muscle mass (%) as well as the BMI and the WHR. Results The study shows that the digit ratio is negatively correlated with muscle mass (MM%) among girls (p < 0.05).There was no similar relationship in the group of boys. The regression models showed a significant role in determining the body composition and body proportions played by maternal factors such as: maternal level of education and weight gain during pregnancy. Conclusions The 2D:4D digit ratio seems to be an informative indicator of the muscle mass development since girls' early childhood. Moreover, maternal environment is also important in forming the offspring's body composition and proportions.Paulina Pruszkowska-Przybylska, Aneta Sitek, Iwona Rosset, Marta Sobalska-Kwapis, Marcin Słomka, Dominik Strapagiel, Elżbieta Żądzińsk

Prenatal and familial factors of caries in first permanent molars in schoolchildren living in urban area of Lodz, Poland

Abstract not availableBeata Borowska-Strugińska, Elżbieta Żądzińska, Agnieszka Bruzda-Zwiech, Renata Filipińska, Beata Lubowiecka-Gontarek, Beata Szydłowska-Walendowska, Magdalena Wochna-Sobańsk

Investigating the impact of age-depended hair colour darkening during childhood on DNA-based hair colour prediction with the HIrisPlex system

Predictive DNA analysis of externally visible characteristics exerts an increasing influence on contemporary forensic and anthropological investigations, with pigmentation traits currently being the most advanced for predictive modelling. Since pigmentation prediction error in some cases may be due to the result of age-related hair colour darkening, and sex influence in eye colour, this study aims to investigate these less explored phenomena on a group of juvenile individuals. Pigmentation phenotypes of children between the age of 6-13 years old were evaluated, in addition to data about their hair colour during early childhood from a select number of these individuals. The HIrisPlex models for DNA-based eye and hair colour prediction were used with input from SNP genotyping using massive parallel sequencing. Analysis of the total group of 476 children showed high accuracy in blue (AUC = 0.89) and brown (AUC = 0.91) eye colour prediction, while hair colour was predicted with AUC = 0.64 for blond, AUC = 0.64 for brown and AUC = 0.97 for red. 70.8% (n = 143) of the total number of children phenotypically blond for hair colour during early childhood progressed to brown during advanced childhood. In 70.6% (n = 101) of those cases, an incorrect blond hair prediction was made during the time of analysis. A noticeable decline in AUC values for blond (from 0.76 to 0.65) and brown (from 0.72 to 0.64) were observed when comparing hair colour prediction outcomes for the phenotypes recorded for the two different time points (at the age of 2-3 and 6-13). The number of incorrect blond hair colour predictions was significantly higher in children with brown hair at age 6-13 who were blond at early childhood (n = 47, 32.9%), relative to children who had brown hair at both time points (n = 6, 9.4%). However, in 28.0% (n = 40) of children who did experience hair colour darkening, HIrisPlex provided the correct prediction for the darkened hair colour phenotype, despite them being blond in early childhood. Our study implies that HIrisPlex can correctly predict adult hair colour in some individuals who experience age-related hair colour darkening during adolescence. However, in most instances prediction seems to default to the pre-adolescent hair colour for individuals with this phenomenon. In the future, the full adolescent age range in which hair colour darkening can occur should be considered in the study samples used for training hair colour prediction models to obtain a more complete picture of the phenomenon and its impact on DNA-based hair colour prediction in adults.Magdalena Kukla-Bartoszek, Ewelina Pośpiech, Magdalena Spólnicka, Joanna Karłowska-Pik, Dominik Strapagiel, Elżbieta Żądzińska, Iwona Rosset, Marta Sobalska-Kwapis, Marcin Słomka, Susan Walsh, Manfred Kayser, Aneta Sitek, Wojciech Branick