Genomic Heterogeneity of the Naga and Kuki Tribal Populations of Manipur, North-East India

Manipur is one of the North-Eastern states of India and it lies on the ancient silk route and serves as a meeting point between the Southeast Asia and South Asia. The origin and migration histories of Naga and Kuki tribal populations have not been clearly understood. Moreover, Kukis have been traced to two different ancestries, which have created confusion among the people. The present study examined genomic affinities and differentiation of the Naga and Kuki tribal populations of Manipur, Northeast India. Twenty autosomal markers (Eight Alu InDels, and twelve Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms) were analysed. Findings showed genetic differences between Naga and Kuki tribal populations with respect to the allele distribution pattern which was substantiated by genetic differentiation (GST 5.2%) and molecular variance (AMOVA) where the highest percentage of among group variances was observed between Naga and Kuki tribal groups (7.09%). However, genetic similarity with respect to allele distribution pattern in most of the loci were seen among their respective groups (Rongmei and Inpui; Thadou and Vaiphei). Rongmei and Inpui tribal populations (Naga group) belong to Naga-Bodo linguistic group and Thadou and Vaipei (Kuki group) belong to Northern Kuki-Chin linguistic group suggesting that genetic similarities may not be independent of linguistic affinities. Despite differential genetic affinities, both Naga and Kuki tribal populations in Manipur show proximity with Southeast Asian populations and Northeast Indian populations than with other Indian populations and global populations taken for comparison

Natural selection among Kinnaura of the Himalayan highland: A comparative analysis with other Indian and Himalayan populations

The present investigation on fertility and mortality differential among Kinnaura of the Himalayan highland is based on data collected from 160 post-menopausal women belonging to the middle and high altitude region of Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh (Indian Himalayas). Selection potential based on differential fertility and mortality was computed for middle- and high-altitude women. Irrespective of the methodology, the total index of selection was found to be highest among middle-altitude women (0.386) as compared with high-altitude (0.370) women, whereas for the total population it is estimated to be 0.384. It was found that the Kinnaura of the Himalayan highland showing moderate index of total selection and relative contribution of the mortality component (Im) to the index of total selection is higher than the corresponding fertility component (If). The analysis of embryonic and post-natal mortality components shows that the post-natal mortality components are higher in comparison with the embryonic mortality components among highlanders and needs special intervention and health care. The present findings are compared with other Indian tribes as well as non-tribes of the Himalayan region and other parts of the country. It reveals that this index among Kinnaura is moderate than the other population groups; among the Himalayan population, the highest was reported for Galong (It = 1.07) of Arunachal, whereas the lowest was reported from Ahom (It = 0.218) of Manipur. The correlation and regression analysis between total index of selection (It) and fertility (If) and mortality (Im) components for pooled data of populations of the Indian Himalayan states show that If and Im account for 21.6 and 29.1% variability, respectively. In Crow\u2032s total index of selection (It) along with strong association, which is significant at the 1% level, this indicates that mortality plays a greater role in natural selection in comparison with fertility among populations of the Indian Himalayas

Fertility and Mortality Differentials among the Tribal Population Groups of Bastar District, Madhya Pradesh, India

Selection potential based on differential fertility and mortality has been computed for Muria, Madia, Halba and Bhattra tribal population groups of Bastar District of Madhya Pradesh inhabiting similar geo-climatic and environmental conditions. It is evident that irrespective of the methodology, the total index of selection was found to be highest among Bhattras (0.637) followed by Madias (0.558), Murias (0.514) and Halbas (0.410). The relative contribution of the mortality component to the index of total selection is higher than the corresponding fertility component in all the tribal groups except Bhattras where the fertility component exceeds mortality component. Analysis of the post-natal mortality components indicates that childhood mortality constitutes the bulk of post-natal mortality, suggesting that children below 5 years need better health care among these tribal groups

Gender Disparities in the Prevalence of Undernutrition and the Higher Risk among the Young Women of Indian Tribes.

BACKGROUND:High undernutrition is a grave concern in India. Marginalized populations like Indian tribes have been under the serious stress of such nutritional extreme. Women, in particular, are the worst sufferers. Gender-related comprehensive studies regarding the prevalence and risks of undernutrition among the tribes have not been properly pursued in India; the vulnerability of the young females has least been examined. METHODS AND FINDINGS:We conducted a cross-sectional study during January 2011 to December 2013 among 1066 males and 1090 females (n = 2156) in the 20-60 years age group belonging to the nine major tribes; Santals, Oraons and Koras (West Bengal): Santals, Bhumijs and Bathudis (Odisha): Dhodias, Kuknas and Chaudharis (Gujarat). The undernutrition burden was estimated and such risks were analyzed for the women in comparison to the men. The overall undernutrition among the females was found to be 47.4% (95% CI 44.4-50.4) against 32.1% (95% CI 29.3-34.9) among males, indicating about a half of the female population undernourished. The odds of risks for underweight status among females were observed to be high in comparison to males with an odds of 1.9 (95% CI, 1.6-2.2; p≤0.001) for the overall undernutrition category, 1.7 (95% CI, 1.3-2.3; p≤0.001) for the mild undernutrition category, 1.3 (95% CI, 1.1-1.6; p≤0.01) for combined moderate and mild undernutrition category and 3.3 (95% CI at 2.3-4.6; p≤0.001) for severe undernutrition category. The young females were observed with a high prevalence of undernutrition along with increased risk. The 30-year mean BMI trend of the Indian population in comparison to the males, females, and overall tribal population places the tribal females at the highest risk. CONCLUSION:Indian tribes are suffering from the higher prevalence of undernutrition by further highlighting a high gender bias. The health and empowerment of adolescent and young tribal girls needs additional focus. Overall, no remarkable control on undernutrition has been achieved among Indian tribes despite various efforts

Triple Burden of Obesity, Undernutrition, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk among Indian Tribes.

BACKGROUND:Socio-cultural transitions among individuals from vulnerable groups introduce epidemiological transition, with a concomitant increase in the prevalence of undernutrition, obesity, and cardiovascular disease risks. An accepted conventional wisdom exists for Indian tribes that they are undernourished and away from lifestyle-related diseases. However, the extent of this triple burden affecting them is unknown. In this study, we assessed this triple burden among the 9 major tribes of India. METHODS AND FINDINGS:During January 2011 to December 2013, we conducted a cross-sectional study among 1066 men and 1090 women constituting a total of 2156 adults belonging to the 9 major tribal groups: Santals, Oraons, and Koras (West Bengal); Santals, Bhumijs, and Bathudis (Odisha); and Dhodias, Kuknas, and Chaudharis (Gujarat) to estimate the prevalence of the triple burden (undernutrition, overweight or obesity, and hypertension). A high prevalence of undernutrition and hypertension was observed among the Koras (51.9%and 10.6%, respectively), Bathudis (51.3% and 12.1%, respectively), and Oraons (49.6% and 16.5%, respectively). However, the prevalence of overweight and hypertension among the Bhumijs (17.7% and 14.7%, respectively), Dhodias (23.8% and 12.9%, respectively), Kuknas (15.8% and 11.3%, respectively), and Santals of West Bengal (12.2% and 11.8%, respectively) and Odisha (15% and 9.6%, respectively) was most alarming. The prevalence of overweight or obesity among the women was 10.9% and 1.5%, respectively, with 14.0% hypertensive women. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among the men was 14.8% and 1.7%, respectively, with 9.2% hypertensive men. Undernutrition was highly prevalent among men and women. However, data from the past 30 years on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and body mass index (BMI) revealed that the studied tribes were at a higher risk than the general Indian population. In addition, a vast gender disparity with relation to the disease and risk prevalence was observed. CONCLUSION:The alarming trend of an increasing prevalence of overweight/obesity, undernutrition, and hypertension is observed among indigenous populations of India, emphasizing the incorporation of a specific health management policy

Assessment of Nutritional Status and Body Composition in Tibetan Adolescent girls of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh

Malnutrition among adolescents is an important public health issue in India. The aim of the present study was to assess nutritional status and body composition characteristics of adolescent girls and their interrelationships with physical activity and socioeconomic status (SES). Nutritional status and body composition characteristics were assessed in terms of body mass index (BMI), upper arm muscle area by height (UAMAH) and percent body fat (PBF) among 276 Tibetan adolescent girls from Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. Overall, 12.7% of the girls were in the wasting category (using Z-score based classification for UAMAH) and 9.8% were thin. About 16.3% girls were obese. Significant variabilities of PBF have been observed with respect to age and levels of physical activity and wasting. Adolescent girls were observed to have higher lean body mass than body fat

Demographics and population characteristics of the selected tribes.

<p>Demographics and population characteristics of the selected tribes.</p

Haplotype diversity and linkage disequilibrium at the DRD2 locus among the tribes of western and southern regions of India

Background: Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) is an important gene having functional significance in the fields of neuropsychiatry and pharmacology and also has importance in evolutionary studies. Materials and Methods: This study was undertaken to find out the haplotype distribution and linkage disequilibrium (LD) pattern for the three TaqI sites (TaqI \u2032A\u2032, TaqI \u2032B\u2032 and TaqI \u2032D\u2032) in the DRD2 gene in 232 unrelated individuals from five ethno-linguistically distinct endogamous tribal populations; Siddis and Gonds of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka; Varli and Kolgha of Valsad district, Gujarat; and Dangi Konkana of Dang district, Gujarat. The genotype data obtained after molecular analysis of the three DRD2 sites was subjected to statistical analysis such as calculation of allele frequencies, haplotype frequencies among others. Subsequently, a neighbor-joining tree was also constructed from the data obtained. Results: The three DRD2 sites were found to be polymorphic in all the populations. All the populations showed high levels of heterozygosities. Out of the eight possible haplotypes, most populations shared seven haplotypes. Of all the populations, Siddis showed the highest frequency of the ancestral haplotype B2D2A1 (11.4%). Significant LD was found to exist for TaqI \u2032A\u2032 and TaqI \u2032B\u2032 sites in both the populations. Conclusion: The findings are in concurrence with those from other Indian studies, especially from Dravidian-speaking South Indian populations. Similar pattern of diversity observed for ethnically and linguistically diverse populations in the present study is indicative of complex structure of Indian populations