The impact of socioeconomic and phenotypic traits on self-perception of ethnicity in Latin America

Self-perception of ethnicity is a complex social trait shaped by both, biological and non-biological factors. We developed a comprehensive analysis of ethnic self-perception (ESP) on a large sample of Latin American mestizos from five countries, differing in age, socio-economic and education context, external phenotypic attributes and genetic background. We measured the correlation of ESP against genomic ancestry, and the influence of physical appearance, socio-economic context, and education on the distortion observed between both. Here we show that genomic ancestry is correlated to aspects of physical appearance, which in turn affect the individual ethnic self-perceived ancestry. Also, we observe that, besides the significant correlation among genomic ancestry and ESP, specific physical or socio-economic attributes have a strong impact on self-perception. In addition, the distortion among ESP and genomic ancestry differs across age ranks/countries, probably suggesting the underlying effect of past public policies regarding identity. Our results indicate that individuals’ own ideas about its origins should be taken with caution, especially in aspects of modern life, including access to work, social policies, and public health key decisions such as drug administration, therapy design, and clinical trials, among others

O Serviço Psiquiátrico de Diagnóstico e Tratamento no Hospital Geral: usuários e novas urgências

El Servizio di psichiatrico Diagnosis and Healing (SPDC), que nació como una representación del "territorio" dentro de la realidad del hospital. Objetivos. El objetivo de la investigación es mostrar qué nuevas emergencias en SPDC y cómo estas situaciones han cambiado en el pasado. Tres estudios diferentes se planearon. El primer estudio analizó el principio de los trastornos esquizofrénicos en el primer contacto con los servicios psiquiátricos, para evaluar una posible correlación entre la aparición de la esquizofrenia y el abuso de sustancias de 136 pacientes ingresados en el Consejo de Estado, en el período comprendido entre 2001 y 2007. El segundo estudio evaluó retrospectivamente a partir de 1985 a 1998, comparándolos con los del trienio 2007-2009. Y por último, el tercer estudio midió la tasa de agotamiento de casi todos los operadores de casi todos piamonteses SPDC. En todos los estudios publicados, las escalas psicopatológicas se han utilizado y reconocido pruebas. En 130 episodios esquizofrénicos, el 46,1% tiene una anamnesis positiva para el abuso de sustancias. Estos pacientes muestran una mayor resistencia al tratamiento inicial con hospitalizaciones más largas. El análisis mostró alteraciones, a través de los años, una reducción en las hospitalizaciones por psicosis esquizofrénica, lo que contrasta con un aumento en las hospitalizaciones por trastornos de la personalidad y agitación psicomotora. El análisis de las tasas de agotamiento, la mayoría de los operadores tienen valores medio-alto agotamiento emocional y despersonalización, mientras que el 47% tiene baja realización personal. Estas condiciones psicopatológicas casi siempre se asocia con una mayor carga para la asistencia social que se refleja operadores con el mismo riesgo de burnout

Developmental pathways inferred from modularity, morphological integration and fluctuating asymmetry patterns in the human face

Facial asymmetries are usually measured and interpreted as proxies to developmental noise. However, analyses focused on its developmental and genetic architecture are scarce. To advance on this topic, studies based on a comprehensive and simultaneous analysis of modularity, morphological integration and facial asymmetries including both phenotypic and genomic information are needed. Here we explore several modularity hypotheses on a sample of Latin American mestizos, in order to test if modularity and integration patterns difer across several genomic ancestry backgrounds. To do so, 4104 individuals were analyzed using 3D photogrammetry reconstructions and a set of 34 facial landmarks placed on each individual. We found a pattern of modularity and integration that is conserved across sub-samples difering in their genomic ancestry background. Specifcally, a signal of modularity based on functional demands and organization of the face is regularly observed across the whole sample. Our results shed more light on previous evidence obtained from Genome Wide Association Studies performed on the same samples, indicating the action of diferent genomic regions contributing to the expression of the nose and mouth facial phenotypes. Our results also indicate that large samples including phenotypic and genomic metadata enable a better understanding of the developmental and genetic architecture of craniofacial phenotypes

Lymphoscintigraphy for Sentinel Node Mapping in Head and Neck Cancer

International audienc

Lack of support for the association between facial shape and aggression: a reappraisal based on a worldwide population genetics perspective

Antisocial and criminal behaviors are multifactorial traits whose interpretation relies on multiple disciplines. Since these interpretations may have social, moral and legal implications, a constant review of the evidence is necessary before any scientific claim is considered as truth. A recent study proposed that men with wider faces relative to facial height (fWHR) are more likely to develop unethical behaviour mediated by a psychological sense of power. This research was based on reports suggesting that sexual dimorphism and selection would be responsible for a correlation between fWHR and aggression. Here we show that 4,960 individuals from 94 modern human populations belonging to a vast array of genetic and cultural contexts do not display significant amounts of fWHR sexual dimorphism. Further analyses using populations with associated ethnographical records as well as samples of male prisoners of the Mexico City Federal Penitentiary condemned by crimes of variable level of inter-personal aggression (homicide, robbery, and minor faults) did not show significant evidence, suggesting that populations/individuals with higher levels of bellicosity, aggressive behaviour, or power-mediated behaviour display greater fWHR. Finally, a regression analysis of fWHR on individual"s fitness showed no significant correlation between this facial trait and reproductive success. Overall, our results suggest that facial attributes are poor predictors of aggressive behaviour, or at least, that sexual selection was weak enough to leave a signal on patterns of between- and within-sex and population facial variation

Lack of support for the association between facial shape and aggression: a reappraisal based on a worldwide population genetics perspective

Antisocial and criminal behaviors are multifactorial traits whose interpretation relies on multiple disciplines. Since these interpretations may have social, moral and legal implications, a constant review of the evidence is necessary before any scientific claim is considered as truth. A recent study proposed that men with wider faces relative to facial height (fWHR) are more likely to develop unethical behaviour mediated by a psychological sense of power. This research was based on reports suggesting that sexual dimorphism and selection would be responsible for a correlation between fWHR and aggression. Here we show that 4,960 individuals from 94 modern human populations belonging to a vast array of genetic and cultural contexts do not display significant amounts of fWHR sexual dimorphism. Further analyses using populations with associated ethnographical records as well as samples of male prisoners of the Mexico City Federal Penitentiary condemned by crimes of variable level of inter-personal aggression (homicide, robbery, and minor faults) did not show significant evidence, suggesting that populations/individuals with higher levels of bellicosity, aggressive behaviour, or power-mediated behaviour display greater fWHR. Finally, a regression analysis of fWHR on individual"s fitness showed no significant correlation between this facial trait and reproductive success. Overall, our results suggest that facial attributes are poor predictors of aggressive behaviour, or at least, that sexual selection was weak enough to leave a signal on patterns of between- and within-sex and population facial variation