Early age at menarche : relationship with socioeconomic status and selected factors connected with health status

Obecnie notuje się coraz wcześniejszy wiek wystąpienia pierwszej menstruacji, równocześnie coraz częściej zwraca się uwagę na negatywne skutki wczesnego dojrzewania. Wczesne dojrzewanie jest silnie związane z ryzykiem wystąpienia otyłości, zespołu metabolicznego, raka piersi i nowotworów układu rozrodczego, a także chorób, takich jak astma czy bulimia. Celem pracy było zbadanie zależności pomiędzy wiekiem menarche a statusem społeczno-ekonomicznym oraz wybranymi czynnikami związanymi z kondycja biologiczną. Dane zebrano od 671 studentek. U wszystkich badanych osób zmierzono masę i wysokość ciała, obwód pasa, obwód bioder oraz obliczono wskaźniki BMI, WHR i WHtR. W ankiecie studentki odpowiadały na pytania dotyczące wieku menarche, aktualnej kondycji zdrowotnej oraz statusu społeczno-ekonomicznego. Nie zaobserwowano istotnych statystycznie różnic pod względem liczby osób dojrzewających wcześnie, przeciętnie i późno w zależności od czynników społeczno-ekonomicznych. Dziewczęta wcześnie dojrzewające charakteryzują wyższe wartości obwodu pasa oraz BMI, WHR i WHtR niż dziewczęta dojrzewające przeciętnie i późno. Częstość występowania otyłości oraz otyłości brzusznej jest najwyższa w grupie dziewcząt wcześnie dojrzewających. Analizując związek tempa dojrzewania z wybranymi elementami związanymi z kondycją biologiczną, nie stwierdzono statystycznie istotnych zależności. Wczesne dojrzewanie zwiększa ryzyko otyłości i centralnego rozmieszczenia tkanki tłuszczowej.Current research from around the world indicates a trend toward younger ages at the first menstruation. At the same time more and more studies point out the negative consequences of early puberty. Early age at menarche is significantly correlated with the risk of metabolic syndrome, breast cancer and female reproductive system cancer, as well as illnesses such asthma and bulimia. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between age at menarche and socioeconomic status and selected factors connected with biological conditions. The data were obtained from 671 female university students. Height, weight, waist and hip circumference were measured, and BMI, WHR, WHtR were calculated. A questionnaire form was used to assess the age at menarche, biological conditions and socioeconomic status of the surveyed students. There were no significant diff erences in the number of the early, average and late maturing students between the socioeconomic groups. The early maturing girls were characterized by higher values of waist circumference, BMI, WHR and WHtR. The prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity was highest among the early maturing girls. The analysis did not show statistically significant relationships between age at menarche and selected factors connected with biological conditions.Early maturation increases the risk of obesity and central adiposity distribution

Does an early rural life influence selected health-related parameters of female university students?

Objective. The aim of the study was to define whether in a group of young women the place of residence in their childhood and adolescence, as well as moving from a rural to an urban area, have affected their biological condition. Materials and method. The data were obtained from 1,305 unmarried and childless women aged 18–25. The respondents were university students. Each person’s height, weight and waist circumference were measured, and the BMI, WHR, and WHtR indices were calculated. A survey was used to collect data on the females’ socio-economic status, their health condition and course of menstruation cycle. Results. In the whole sample, apart from WHR, there was no significant difference in anthropometric characteristics depending on the urbanization degree of the place of residence before commencing studies. In comparing the two groups of women, changing place of residence from a village to a city and from a city to another city, more differences were visible. Women of rural origin presented significantly higher values of BMI, waist circumference and WHtR than those from the city. They were also more frequently characterized by overweight and abdominal obesity. The women from other cities were characterized by underweight and too low amount of abdominal adipose tissue. Health problems were found in both groups. Students of rural origin more rarely declared changes in body weight and health condition after beginning studies. Students of urban origin were more often affected by sleeping problems and spine pains. Conclusions. The results of the study do not indicate that a change of place of residence has a stronger effect on the biological condition of rural women than their urban peers

Prenatal development of the human trachea

The tracheas of 46 human foetuses were examined: 26 male, 20 female with C-R length of 99-255 mm. The analysis of the total length of the trachea was carried out and its transverse dimension was presented on three levels: on the first tracheal cartilage, in the mid-length of the trachea, and at the bifurcation into the main bronchi; also the proportions between these dimensions and the C-R length were analysed. The length of the trachea was measured in a straight line - from the end of larynx to the bifurcation of the trachea. Comparing tracheas to a tunnel with two openings, it was observed that the transverse dimension, the "laryngeal", is greater than the "bronchial" - in the case of smaller foetuses by 2 mm, but in foetuses with C-R length of over 250 mm by 1 mm. Moreover, no significant differences between male and female sex were noticed. All the measurements were taken with the use of a slide caliper. The results should be useful in the detection of abnormalities in the structure of the trachea, in problems with respiratory physiology and in endotracheal intubation, endoscopy or tracheostomy

Asymmetry of the ovale and spinous foramina in mediaeval and contemporary sculls in radiological examinations

The aim of this work was to evaluate the morphology and asymmetry of the ovale and spinous foramina. Examinations were carried out on 102 mediaeval and 85 contemporary male skulls. In both groups there predominated individuals who had died at mature (maturus) and adult (adultus) age. Radiological images in occipital projection were used in the study. Areas of the foramina ovale, distances between both openings and the distance from the midline running through the middle of the occipital foramen were calculated by means of PC software. The spinal foramen area could not be measured because of the too small surface accessible to the PC software used in our study. Correlation between the above measurements and cranial indexes (width-length and height-length) were calculated. Significant variety of the ovale and spinous foramina in size, shape, relation to each other and to the midline were analysed. Asymmetry of structure and location was observed in both examined groups of skulls. No cases of the lack of the ovale and spinous foramina were stated

Stable population structure in Europe since the Iron Age, despite high mobility

Ancient DNA research in the past decade has revealed that European population structure changed dramatically in the prehistoric period (14,000–3000 years before present, YBP), reflecting the widespread introduction of Neolithic farmer and Bronze Age Steppe ancestries. However, little is known about how population structure changed from the historical period onward (3000 YBP - present). To address this, we collected whole genomes from 204 individuals from Europe and the Mediterranean, many of which are the first historical period genomes from their region (e.g. Armenia and France). We found that most regions show remarkable inter-individual heterogeneity. At least 7% of historical individuals carry ancestry uncommon in the region where they were sampled, some indicating cross-Mediterranean contacts. Despite this high level of mobility, overall population structure across western Eurasia is relatively stable through the historical period up to the present, mirroring geography. We show that, under standard population genetics models with local panmixia, the observed level of dispersal would lead to a collapse of population structure. Persistent population structure thus suggests a lower effective migration rate than indicated by the observed dispersal. We hypothesize that this phenomenon can be explained by extensive transient dispersal arising from drastically improved transportation networks and the Roman Empire’s mobilization of people for trade, labor, and military. This work highlights the utility of ancient DNA in elucidating finer scale human population dynamics in recent history

Old discovery of an Early Bronze Age inhumation grave in Drzenin. Archaeological and anthropological aspect

At the end of the 19th century an inhumation was found in the town of Drzenin. Preserved archaeological data indicate the discovery should be associated with the Early Bronze Age. An anthropological analysis of the discovered bones was carried out in 2023.Pod koniec XIX wieku w Drzeninie odkryto pochówek. Dane archeologiczne wskazują, że odkrycie należy wiązać z wczesną epoką brązu. Analizę antropologiczną kości odkrytych w grobie przeprowadzono w 2023 roku