Anthropology Section of the Estonian Naturalists Society 80

Anthropology Section of the Estonian Naturalists Society 8

Leiu Heapost 85

Leiu Heapost 8

Relationship between soldiers' body height-weight category and changes in their spinal column kyphotic curvature during a long-term military mission

Prolonged physical load can unfavourably influence the human vertebral column. Thirty-six well-trained male soldiers from the Estonian ESTCOY-8 infantry company were examined before and after a 6-month military mission to assess the effect of long-term physical load on soldiers’ spinal column kyphotic curvature in relation to their body build (height-weight category). Body height and weight of the men under study were measured before and after the 6-month-long military mission. BMI was calculated as the body weight (kg) divided by the square of the standing body height (m). Body height-weight category was assessed according to Kaarma et al. 2008. Spine kyphotic curvature in the sagittal plane was recorded using pantography. The results of the study showed that significant kyphotic curvature appeared in half of the well-trained soldiers. Changes in kyphotic curvature were related to the person’s body build (height-weight category). Subjects with a larger body seemed to have greater stability of kyphotic curvature

Relations between vitamin D status, muscle tone and body composition in soldiers: association with long-term mission

Vitamin D level is known to play an important role in the regulation of different human functions, including the functions of the cardio-vascular and musculoskeletal systems. The aim of the study was to find relations between vitamin D level, skeletal muscles tone and body composition in conditions of prolonged physical load.Sixty-five well-trained male soldiers from the Estonian ESTCOY-8 infantry company were examined before and after a six-month military mission to assess the soldiers’ vitamin D level, skeletal muscles tone and body composition.The results of the study showed that, during the long-term military mission, muscle tone of lower extremities decreased in conditions where vitamin D status was significantly increased (from average 40 to 104 nmol/L; p<0.001). We also found that the upper and middle part m. trapezius tone increased significantly during long-term strenuous military mission.Our study showed that the long-time military mission influenced the skeletal muscles functional state. Decrease in muscle tone of lower extremities was related to increase in serum vitamin 25(OH)D level (in average by 64nmol/L). At the same time muscle tone of m. trapezius increased in our group of subjects, and this increase was linked to WHR

Twenty-four years of the Centre for Physical Anthropology

The article provides an overview of the activities of the Centre for Physical Anthropology at the University of Tartu from its foundation in 1993 to the present

Height and weight norms and somatotypic height-weight classification of Estonian schoolchildren aged 7–18 years

Relying on regularities of Estonian schoolchildren’s body build, height and weight norms and a somatotypic height-weight classification were created for Estonian schoolchildren aged 7–18 years

Genome-wide scan identifies CDH13 as a novel susceptibility locus contributing to blood pressure determination in two European populations

Hypertension is a complex disease that affects a large proportion of adult population. Although approximately half of the inter-individual variance in blood pressure (BP) level is heritable, identification of genes responsible for its regulation has remained challenging. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a novel approach to search for genetic variants contributing to complex diseases. We conducted GWAS for three BP traits [systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP); hypertension (HYP)] in the Kooperative Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg (KORA) S3 cohort (n = 1644) recruited from general population in Southern Germany. GWAS with 395 912 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified an association between BP traits and a common variant rs11646213 (T/A) upstream of the CDH13 gene at 16q23.3. The initial associations with HYP and DBP were confirmed in two other European population-based cohorts: KORA S4 (Germans) and HYPEST (Estonians). The associations between rs11646213 and three BP traits were replicated in combined analyses (dominant model: DBP, P = 5.55 × 10–5, effect –1.40 mmHg; SBP, P = 0.007, effect –1.56 mmHg; HYP, P = 5.30 × 10−8, OR = 0.67). Carriers of the minor allele A had a decreased risk of hypertension. A non-significant trend for association was also detected with severe family based hypertension in the BRIGHT sample (British). The novel susceptibility locus, CDH13, encodes for an adhesion glycoprotein T-cadherin, a regulator of vascular wall remodeling and angiogenesis. Its function is compatible with the BP biology and may improve the understanding of the pathogenesis of hypertension

HYPEST study: profile of hypertensive patients in Estonia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>More than one third of adult population in Estonia has problems with elevated blood pressure (BP). The <it>Hypertension in Estonia </it>(HYPEST) study represents the country's first hypertension-targeted sample collection aiming to examine the epidemiological and genetic determinants for hypertension (HTN) and related cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Estonian population. The HYPEST subjects (n = 1,966) were recruited across Estonia between 2004-2007 including clinically diagnosed HTN cases and population-based controls. The present report is focused on the clinical and epidemiological profile of HYPEST cases, and gender-specific effects on the pathophysiology of hypertension.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Current analysis was performed on 1,007 clinically diagnosed HTN patients (617 women and 390 men) aged 18-85 years. The hypertensives were recruited to the study by BP specialists at the North Estonia Medical Center, Centre of Cardiology, Tallinn or at the Cardiology Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Estonia. Longitudinal BP data was extracted retrospectively from clinical records. Current and retrospective data of patient's medical history, medication intake and lifestyle habits were derived from self-administrated questionnaire and each variable was examined separately for men and women. Eleven biochemical parameters were measured from fasting serum samples of 756 patients.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The distribution of recruited men and women was 39% and 61% respectively. Majority of Estonian HTN patients (85%) were overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²) and a total of 79% of patients had additional complications with cardiovascular system. In men, the hypertension started almost 5 years earlier than in women (40.5 ± 14.5 vs 46.1 ± 12.7 years), which led to earlier age of first myocardial infarction (MI) and overall higher incidence rate of MI among male patients (men 21.2%, women 8.9%, <it>P </it>< 0.0001). Heart arrhythmia, thyroid diseases, renal tubulo-intestinal diseases and hyperlipidemia were more prevalent in hypertensive women compared to men (<it>P </it>< 0.0001). An earlier age of HTN onset was significantly associated with smoking (<it>P </it>= 0.00007), obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²; <it>P </it>= 0.0003), increased stress (<it>P </it>= 0.0003) and alcohol consumption (<it>P </it>= 0.004).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Understanding the clinical profile of HTN patients contributes to CVD management. Estonian hypertension patients exhibited different disease and risk profiles of male and female patients. This well-characterized sample set provides a good resource for studying hypertension and other cardiovascular phenotypes.</p

SLC2A9 Is a High-Capacity Urate Transporter in Humans

Serum uric acid levels in humans are influenced by diet, cellular breakdown, and renal elimination, and correlate with blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, gout, and cardiovascular disease. Recent genome-wide association scans have found common genetic variants of SLC2A9 to be associated with increased serum urate level and gout. The SLC2A9 gene encodes a facilitative glucose transporter, and it has two splice variants that are highly expressed in the proximal nephron, a key site for urate handling in the kidney. We investigated whether SLC2A9 is a functional urate transporter that contributes to the longstanding association between urate and blood pressure in man