Ocular biometric characteristics of Han ethnicity in Tianjin and Uyghur ethnicity in Xinjiang undergoing cataract surgery

AIM:To analyze and compare the differences among ocular biometric parameters in Han and Uyghur populations undergoing cataract surgery.METHODS:In this hospital-based prospective study,410 patients undergoing cataract surgery(226 Han patients in Tianjin and 184 Uyghur patients in Xinjiang)were enrolled.The differences in axial length(AL),anterior chamber depth(ACD),keratometry[steep K(Ks)and flat K(Kf)],and corneal astigmatism(CA)measured using IOL Master 700 were compared between Han and Uyghur patients.RESULTS:The average age of Han patients was higher than that of Uyghur patients(70.22±8.54 vs 63.04±9.56y,P<0.001).After adjusting for age factors,Han patients had longer AL(23.51±1.05 vs 22.86±0.92 mm,P<0.001),deeper ACD(3.06±0.44 vs 2.97±0.37 mm,P=0.001),greater Kf(43.95±1.40 vs 43.42±1.69 D,P=0.001),steeper Ks(45.00±1.47 vs 44.26±1.71 D,P=0.001),and higher CA(1.04±0.68 vs 0.79±0.65,P=0.025)than Uyghur patients.Intra-ethnic male patients had longer AL,deeper ACD,and lower keratometry than female patients;however,CA between the sexes was almost similar.In the correlation analysis,we observed a positive correlation between AL and ACD in patients of both ethnicities(rHan=0.48,rUyghur=0.44,P<0.001),while AL was negatively correlated with Kf(rHan=-0.42,rUyghur=-0.64,P<0.001)and Ks(rHan=-0.38,rUyghur=-0.66,P<0.001).Additionally,Kf was positively correlated with Ks(rHan=0.89,rUyghur=0.93,P<0.001).CONCLUSION:There are differences in ocular biometric parameters between individuals of Han ethnicity in Tianjin and those of Uyghur ethnicity in Xinjiang undergoing cataract surgery.These ethnic variances can enhance our understanding of ocular diseases related to these parameters and provide guidance for surgical procedures.

Disparities in the impact of economic well-being on self-esteem in adulthood:Race and ethnicity

BACKGROUND Most studies have defined economic well-being as socioeconomic status,with little attention given to whether other indicators influence self-esteem.Little is known about racial/ethnic disparities in the relationship between economic wellbeing and self-esteem during adulthood.AIM To explore the impact of economic well-being on self-esteem in adulthood and differences in the association across race/ethnicity.METHODS The current study used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979.The final sample consisted of 2267 African Americans,1425 Hispanics,and 3678 non-Hispanic Whites.Ordinary linear regression analyses and logistic regression analyses were conducted.RESULTS African Americans and Hispanics were more likely to be in poverty in comparison with non-Hispanic Whites.More African Americans were unemployed than Whites.Those who received fringe benefits,were more satisfied with jobs,and were employed were more likely to have higher levels of self-esteem.Poverty was negatively associated with self-esteem.Interaction effects were found between African Americans and job satisfaction predicting self-esteem.CONCLUSION The role of employers is important in cultivating employees’self-esteem.Satisfactory outcomes or feelings of happiness from the workplace may be more important to non-Hispanic Whites compared to African Americans and Hispanics.

Ethnicity:民族抑或族群?

为了进一步厘清"ethnicity"(ethnic group)究竟是"民族"抑或"族群"这个概念的准确含义,从族体类型及其演进、古希腊文"ethno"一词的含义及其英文演变、台湾使用"族群"概念的背景等方面进行论证,说明了"ethnicity"是"民族"而非"族群",国外民族(ethnicity)和我国民族的称谓是相吻合的。

Correlation of N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 expression with clinical outcomes of colorectal cancer patients of different race/ethnicity

AIM： To evaluate the role of N-myc downstream- regulated gene 1 （NDRG1） expression in prognosis and survival of colorectal cancer patients with different ethnic backgrounds. METHODS： Because NDRG1 is a downstream target of p53 and hypoxia inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）, we examined NDRG1 expression together with p53 and HIF-1α by irnmunohistochernistry. A total of 157 colorectal cancer specimens including 80 from Japanese patients and 77 from US patients were examined. The correlation between protein expression with clinicopathological features and survival after surgery was analyzed. RESULTS： NDRG1 protein was significantly increased in colorectal tumor compared with normal epithelium in both Japanese and US patient groups. Expression of NDRG1 protein was significantly correlated with lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, depth of invasion, histopathological type, and Dukes＇ stage in Japanese colorectal cancer patients. NDRG1 expression was correlated to histopathological type, Dukes＇ stage and HIF-1α expression in US-Caucasian patients but not in US-African American patients. Interestingly, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that NDRG1 expression correlated significantly with poorer survival in US-African American patients but not in other patient groups. However, in p53-positive US cases, NDRG1 positivity correlated significantly with better survival. In addition, NDRG1 expression also correlated significantly with improved survival in US patients with stages Ⅲ and IV tumors without chemotherapy. In Japanese patients with stages Ⅱ and Ⅲ tumors, strong NDRG1 staining in p53- positive tumors correlated significantly with improved survival but negatively in patients without chemotherapy. CONCLUSION： NDRG1 expression was correlated with various clinicopathological features and clinical outcomes in colorectal cancer depending on the race/ethnicity of the patients. NDRG1 may serve as a biological basis for the disparity of clinical outcomes of colorectal cancer patients with different ethnic backgrounds.

Pediatric fatty liver disease:Role of ethnicity and genetics

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) comprehends a wide range of conditions, encompassing from fatty liver or steatohepatitis with or without fibrosis, to cirrhosis and its complications. NAFLD has become the most common form of liver disease in childhood as its prevalence has more than doubled over the past 20 years, paralleling the increased prevalence of childhood obesity. It currently affects between 3% and 11% of the pediatric population reaching the rate of 46% among overweight and obese children and adolescents. The prevalence of hepatic steatosis varies among different ethnic groups. The ethnic group with the highest prevalence is the Hispanic one followed by the Caucasian and the African-American. This evidence suggests that there is a strong genetic background in the predisposition to fatty liver. In fact, since 2008 several common gene variants have been implicated in the pathogenesis of fatty liver disease. The most important is probably the patatin like phospholipase containing domain 3 gene (PNPLA3) discovered by the Hobbs&#x02019; group in 2008. This article reviews the current knowledge regarding the role of ethnicity and genetics in pathogenesis of pediatric fatty liver.

Does ethnicity and education influence preoperative disability and expectations in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty?

AIM To investigate whether minority ethnicity and the duration of education influence preoperative disability and expectations in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.METHODS We prospectively included 829 patients undergoing primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty(TKA) from April 2013 to December 2014 at a single centre. Patients filled in pre-operative questionnaires with information regarding place of birth, duration of education, expectations for outcome of surgery and baseline characteristics. Patients were stratified based on ethnicity. Majority ethnicity was defined as born inthe study country and minority ethnicity was defined as born in any other country. Similarly, patients were stratified based on duration of education in groups defined as < 9 years, 9-12 years and > 12 years, respectively.RESULTS We found that 92.2% of patients were of majority ethnicity. We found that 24.5%, 44.8% and 30.8% of patients had an education of < 9 years, 9-12 years and > 12 years, respectively. The mean preoperative(preOP) oxford knee score(OKS) in the total population was 23.6. Patients of minority ethnicity had lower mean pre-OP OKS(18.6 vs 23.9, P < 0.001), higher pain levels(VAS 73.0 vs 58.7, P < 0.001), expected higher levels of post-OP pain(VAS 14.1 vs 6.1, P = 0.02) and of overall symptoms(VAS 16.6 vs 6.4, P = 0.006). Patients with > 12 years education had lower mean pre-OP OKS(21.5 vs 23.8 and 24.6, P < 0.001) and higher pre-OP VAS pain(65.4 vs 59.2 and 56.4, P < 0.001) compared to groups with shorter education. One year post-operative(post-OP) patients of minority ethnicity had lower mean OKS, higher pain and lower QoL. One year post-OP patients with > 12 years education reported higher pain compared to patients with shorter educations. However, the response-rate was low(44.6%), and therefore post-OP results were not considered to be significant.CONCLUSION Minority ethnicity and the duration of education influ-ence preoperative disability and expectation in patients undergoing TKA. This should be taken into account when patients are advised pre-operatively.

Pharmacogenetics of irinotecan:An ethnicity-based prediction of irinotecan adverse events

Irinotecan is now regarded as the most active drug for the treatment of colorectal cancer.However,one of the most difficult issues oncologists face is deciding the optimal dose for an individual patient,as each individual shows different outcomes even at the same dose with regard to treatment related adverse events,ranging from no toxicity to a lethal event.Inherited genetic polymorphism of a single gene or multiple genes(haplotype or linkage disequilibrium) involved in SN-38 glucuronidation,a predominant route of irinotecan detoxification,is now recognized as a significant factor that can alter the incidence of side effects.Attempts to explore such inherited genetic variability have been focused on elucidating interindividual as well as interethnic differences.Genotyping studies in relation to adverse events in an individual or in a group of similar ethnicity should contribute to establishing individualoriented or ethnicity-oriented irinotecan treatment regimens.This review highlights current single-or multi-tired approaches for the elucidation of genetic predispositions of patients to severe toxicities,especially among Asians.The purpose of this is to contribute to minimizing toxicity by dose modifications,with the consequent aim of maximizing dose intensity and efficacy,an ultimate goal of irinotecan-individualized therapy.

Increased IgG Rheumatoid Factor-Positivity in the Asian Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Irrespective of Ethnicity

Aim of Work: Initial observations implied IgG rheumatoid factor (RF) to be common among Malaysian rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. We tested this hypothesis and used a multiethnic RA cohort (Malays, Chinese and Indians) to investigate whether the IgG RF predominance might be genetically or environmentally determined. Patients and Methods: 556 serum samples comprising 171 patients classified as RA according to the 1987 ACR criteria, 60 patients with other rheumatic diseases and 325 non-rheumatic controls were tested for IgG RF, IgM RF and anti-CCP by ELISA. The findings were then tested in a larger RA case-control cohort (n = 1844). Results: IgG RF predominated over IgM RF in all the investigated ethnic groups. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of IgG RF (55.6%, 91.2% and 80.2%, respectively) were superior compared to IgM RF, but comparable to anti-CCP. IgG RF was however, also increased in the Malaysian controls, but the IgG RF superiority over IgM RF was still apparent after cutoff adjustment according to the 1987 ACR criteria. Autoantibody levels did not differ between the three ethnic groups. The Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves showed larger areas under the curves for IgG RF (0.826) and for anti-CCP (0.867) than for IgM RF (0.737). Review of the literature showed consistently higher sensitivity for IgG RF in studies of Asian RA patients as compared to Caucasian and African-American studies. Conclusion: Increased frequency of IgG RF-positive in RA populations with different genetic background living in Malaysia argues for an environmental factor selectively amplifying the IgG RF response.

Effect of ethnicity on weight loss among adolescents 1 year after bariatric surgery

AIM:To investigate whether or not bariatric surgeryweight outcomes vary by ethnicity in a large,nationally representative sample of adolescents.METHODS:The Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database was used for analysis and contains data on surgeries performed on adolescents from 2004 to 2010from 423 surgeons at 360 facilities across the United States Adolescents(n=827)between 11 and 19 years old who underwent either gastric bypass or adjustable gastric banding surgery were included in the analysis.Outcome measures included changes in anthropometric measurements[weight(kg)and body mass index]from baseline to 3(n=739),6(n=512),and 12(n=247)mo after surgery.RESULTS:A year after patients underwent either gastric bypass(51%)or adjustable gastric banding(49%)surgery,mean estimated weight loss for all ethnic groups differed by a maximum of only 1.5 kg,being34.3 kg(95%CI:30.0-38.5 kg)for Hispanics,33.8 kg(95%CI:27.3-40.3 kg)for non-Hispanic blacks,and32.8 kg(95%CI:30.9-34.7 kg)for non-Hispanic whites.No overall pairwise group comparisons were significant,indicating that no ethnic group had better weight loss outcomes than did another.CONCLUSION:Bariatric surgery substantially reduces the weight of severely obese adolescents at 1 year post-procedure with little variation by ethnicity and/or gender.These results suggest that bariatric surgery is a safe and reasonable treatment for all severely obese adolescents with the appropriate indications.

Role of ethnicity in social anxiety disorder: A cross-sectional survey among health science students

AIM: To investigate the influence of ethnicity in social anxiety disorder(SAD), and the relationship with symptom severity, depression and substance use or abuse, in health sciences' students.METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey of 112 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa. The self-reported Social Anxiety Spectrum questionnaire was used to assess for SAD. The Social Phobia Inventory(SPIN) was adapted to a version called the E-SPIN(Ethnic-SPIN) in order to evaluate the effects of ethnicity. Two sub-questions per stem question were included to assess whether SAD symptoms in social interactions were ethnicity dependent. Substance use was assessed with the Alcohol UseDisorders Identification Test and Drug Use Disorders Identification Test, and depression with the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale.RESULTS: Of 112 students who completed the E-SPIN questionnaire, 54.4%(n = 61) met criteria for SAD, with significantly more females than males meeting criteria. Ethnicity had a significant effect on SAD symptomatology, but there was no effect of ethnicity on the rates of drug and alcohol abuse in students with and without SAD. Overall significantly more students with SAD met criteria for depression compared with students without the disorder. CONCLUSION: Among university students, SAD is prevalent regardless of whether interactions are with individuals of the same or different ethnic group. However, ethnicity may be an important determinant of social anxiety for some ethnic groups. SAD was significantly associated with major depression but not significantly associated with drug or alcohol abuse.

Do inflammatory bowel disease patient preferences from treatment outcomes differ by ethnicity and gender?A cross-sectional observational study

BACKGROUND Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)patients’expectations of treatment outcomes may differ by ethnicity.AIM To investigate treatment preferences of Jewish and Arabs patients.METHODS This prospective survey ranked outcomes treatment preferences among Arab IBD patients,based on the 10 IBD-disk items compared to historical data of Jews.An anonymous questionnaire in either Arabic or Hebrew was distributed among IBD patients.Patients were required to rank 10 statements describing different aspects of IBD according to their importance to the patients as treatment goals.Answers were compared to the answers of a historical group of Jewish patients.RESULTS IBD-disk items of 121 Arabs were compared to 240 Jewish patients.The Jewish patients included more females,[151(62.9%)vs 52(43.3%);P<0.001],higher education level(P=0.02),more urban residence[188(78.3%)vs 54(45.4%);P<0.001],less unemployment[52(21.7%)vs 41(33.9%);P=0.012],higher income level(P<0.001),and more in a partnership[162(67.8%)vs 55(45.4%);P<0.001].Expectations regarding disease symptoms:abdominal pain,energy,and regular defecation ranked highest for both groups.Arabs gave significantly lower rankings(range 4.29-6.69)than Jewish patients(range 6.25-9.03)regarding all items,except for body image.Compared to Arab women,Jewish women attached higher priority to abdominal pain,energy,education/work,sleep,and joint pain.Multivariable regression analysis revealed that higher patient preferences were associated with Jewish ethnicity(OR 4.77;95%CI 2.36-9.61,P<0.001)and disease activity.The more active the disease,the greater the odds ratio for higher ranking of the questionnaire items(1-2 attacks per year:OR 2.13;95%CI 1.02-4.45,P=0.043;and primarily active disease:OR 5.29;95%CI 2.30-12.18,P<0.001).Factors inversely associated with higher patient preference were male gender(OR 0.5;95%CI 0.271-0.935,P=0.030),UC(OR 0.444;95%CI 0.241-0.819,P=0.009),and above average income level(OR 0.267;95%CI:0.124-0.577,P=0.001).CONCLUSION The highest priority for treatment outcomes was symptom relief.,Patients preferences were impacted by ethnicity,gender,and socio-economic disparity.Understanding patients'priorities may improve communication and enable a personalized approach.

The Influence of Ethnicity in the Relationship between Sedentary Screen Time and Left Ventricular Mass: Insights from the MAG-SALVAGES

Background: The influence of race/ethnicity on the relationship between sedentary screen time and left ventricular mass has been recently suggested, but remains a subject of debate, and has never been explored in Africa. Purpose: To determine whether there is a racial/ethnic influence on the relationship between sedentary screen time and left ventricular mass in MAGhreb and Sub Saharan Africa Left-Ventricul ArGEometry Study (MAG-SALVAGES) participants. Methods: 100 blacks sub-Saharan African and 187 white Maghreb aged 18 - 55 years underwent an interview on their behavioral measures, physical activity and eating habits. Their left ventricular mass has also been measured by a resting transthoracic echography according to the American Society of Echography. Generalized linear models evaluated a test-for-trend across higher levels of sedentary screen time in progressive models with left ventricular measurements as dependent variables. The study population was stratified into quartiles of sedentary screen time (separately for whites and blacks) and examined the joint association of sedentary screen time and LVM within quartiles of physical activity. Results: Among White Maghreb, higher screen time was associated with smaller left ventricular mass (P Conclusions: Sedentary screen time is associated with smaller left ventricular mass in White Maghreb, not in black sub-Saharan African. The lack of association in blacks supports a potential qualitative difference in the cardiovascular consequences of sedentary screen based behavior.

Ethnicity, Politics, and the Marginalization of Women and Children in J. P. Clark＇s The Wives Revolt and Ahmed Yerima＇s Little Drops

Ethnic sentiments are usually dictated by political and socio-economic factors and they derive from manipulation of minority interests and groups who are in the face of discrimination and marginalization jostle for attention and relevance within a geopolitical setting in a society. Most often, such political situation which promotes domination by one group and socio-economic subordination of another, usually results in ethnic crisis which arises from, and also leads to serious suspicion, anger, civil unrest, and sometimes war. It is not in doubt, that in times of ethno-political crisis and war, women and children are the main victims as they account for an estimated 80% of refugees and displaced persons worldwide. It is in view of this that this paper examines the politics of ethnic conflicts and discusses some of its painful outcomes, such as marginalization and dehumanization of women and children. The essay uses J. P. Clark＇s The Wives Revolt （1991） and Ahmed Yerima＇s Little Drops （2009） for illustration to point out the importance of democratic principles and increased representation of woman in governance and advocating against discriminatory policies in respect of women and children.

Assignment of ethnicity in patients with acute ischemic stroke in northern Israel

The description of various methods for ethnicity classification can be found in the literature, though their reliability still remains unclear. We examined inter-observer agreement in defining the ethnic identification of patients in a bi-ethnic population (Arab-Jewish) in northern Israel, using place of birth and residence in addition to given and family names. Data about 1006 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke were gathered from our stroke registry. The data were analyzed by four independent observers (authors MH, TD, HH, GT) aiming to assign patients either as Arabs or Jews. Agreement between all four observers was excellent, as assessed by Fleiss’ Kappa statistic (κ = 0.96). We conclude that the use of given and family names of patients, together with their place of birth and residence, achieved near-perfect inter-observer agreement and a highly reliable assignment of ethnicity in two large ethnic population groups–Arabs and Jews–in northern Israel.

About a Method of Recognition of Race and Ethnicity of Individuals Based on Portrait Photographs

This article is devoted to developing a recognition method of race and ethnicity of individual based on portrait photographs. The reference image is formed based on selected geometric points of the face and a special algorithm for calculating the characteristic parameters of the images available in the database. Next, the original image is compared with the reference images of ethnic groups, and thus, the affiliation of the original image to a specific ethnic group is determined.

A cross-sectional study of the relationships between ethnicity and occupational classes with mental wellbeing in the UK

Various aspects of a job (e.g. contract clauses, promotion, wages, job security and workplacehierarchy) are becoming increasingly complex and have some effect on an employee’s wellbeing. Simultaneously,research about an increase in mental health issues due to workplace obstacles for ethnic minorities is amassing butthere is a lack of policymaking to tackle this via accessible mental health support at the workplace. My study aimsto assess the effect of occupational class and ethnicity on wellbeing in the UK working population. Methods: Thestudy assessed 3,374 adult employees who participated in the Health Survey for England from 2014–2016 and werecategorised in 1/3 National Statistics Socio-economic Classification groups. The Warwick-Edinburgh MentalWellbeing Scale was used as a measure of mental wellbeing. I explored the relationship between occupational classand wellbeing score using linear regression, accounting for demographic and socioeconomic covariates: age, sex,income and education. My sample’s ethnicity breakdown was White: 3,051;Black: 83;Asian: 180;Mixed: 39;Other:21 adults. Results: Of the sample, 46.8% of adults belonged to managerial and professional occupations and 90.4%were of White ethnicity. Managerial and professional occupations had a higher mean wellbeing score (48.54;P <0.001) than routine and manual occupations (47.69;P < 0.05). Multiple ethnic background showed the highest meanwellbeing score (52.82;P < 0.05), compared to White adults with the lowest wellbeing score (48.57;P << 0.001).Unlike occupational class which had a small effect size (partial eta-squared = 0.02), when holding education, income,age and sex constant, ethnicity had a statistically significant association with wellbeing. Conclusion: White ethnicityand routine and manual occupations are high-risk groups for poor mental wellbeing. The impact of ethnicity andoccupational class on wellbeing scores remained after accounting for socioeconomic and demographic factors.

The Impact of Ethnicity on the Incidence, Tumor Characteristics and Treatment of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ—An 11-Year Clinical Experience at a High Volume Teaching Hospital

Introduction: Screening mammography has led to a marked increase in detection of in situ breast tumors in the United States. The University of Southern California/Van Nuys Prognostic Index (USC/VNPI) predicts the recurrence rates of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS);however variations in tumor characteristics, USC/VNPI scores, receptor and human epithelial growth factor receptor (HER)-2/neu status across different ethnicities/races have not been well studied. This study aimed to evaluate the racial trends in incidence, patient demographics, tumor characteristics and treatment variations for patients with DCIS at a high volume teaching hospital. Methods: 395 women underwent surgical intervention for DCIS between 2000 and 2011. Their race/ethnicity was divided into five mutually exclusive categories and demographic and clinicopathological data was collected. Multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate variations in patient and tumor factors with respect to age, size and surgical management among different ethnicities and races. Results: 82.1% of Caucasian women underwent simple mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) while lumpectomy with SLNB was highest in Hispanics (40%, p = 0.005). Overall, there was no significant difference in the incidence of receptor or HER-2/neu positivity, multicentricity, necrosis or grade of DCIS in the various racial groups, but there was a significant racial difference in the USC/VNPI scores (p < 0.001). Conclusion: On a community level, screening detected DCIS accounted for the vast majority of DCIS diagnosed, which reflected national trends. Although no racial variation in DCIS with respect to patient or tumor characteristics was observed, a racial difference in USC/VNPI score was identified among the Hispanic population. Additional studies are required to validate the significance of these findings.

Study of the Role of Ethnicity in the Pathophysiology of Preeclampsia: A Prospective Observational Study in a Rural Hospital in India

Hypertensive disorders (HD) of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity worldwide. Although several risk factors for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy have been firmly established, the risk attributable to specific race-ethnicities is less clear. The risk of preeclampsia-eclampsia may differ by maternal ethnicity 30 as also the course, severity and prognosis. This study aimed to compare severe preeclampsia and eclampsia in tribal and nontribal women of Jangalmahal area of West Bengal in terms of incidence, clinical, demographic picture, severity, course of disease, response to treatment, complications and delivery outcome including foetal outcome and maternal outcome.

Hypoadiponectinemia: Association with risk of varying degrees of gestational hyperglycemia and with maternal ethnicity

Objective: The aims of this study were to examine the influence of maternal hypoadiponectinemia on the risk of varying degrees of gestational hyperglycemia as well as on ethnic differences in circulating levels of adiponectin. Methods: A case-control study nested within a prospective cohort of healthy pregnant women compared those who developed gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM, N = 80), or had an impaired glucose challenge test (GCT) non-GDM (defined as 1hr plasma glucose >140 mg/dl after a 50-g oral glucose load when screening for GDM but did not meet the diagnostic criteria for GDM by a diagnostic oral glucose tolerance test, N = 128) to normal controls (N = 557). Concentrations of serum adiponectin were determined at entry (~17 weeks) and during the 3rd trimester. Results: With multivariable adjustment, entry hypoadiponectinemia (the lowest tertile vs. other tertiles pooled) was strongly associated with an increased risk of GDM (AOR 2.68, 95% CI 1.62 - 4.41) and with impaired GCT non-GDM (AOR 1.58, 95% CI 1.05 - 2.38). This association persisted after adjustment for pregravid BMI despite the fact that the risk in obese women with low adiponectin was higher. Similar data were obtained during the 3rd trimester. The concentration of adiponectin during the 3rd trimester was significantly lower in African Americans compared to Hispanics or Caucasians and this difference was detectable in both cases and controls (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01 for each). Conclusions: The present results identified a unique graded association between hypoadiponectinemia during early pregnancy with risk of GDM and less severe hyperglycemia non-GDM independent of maternal BMI. The relationship persisted to the 3rd trimester. African American women have lower adiponectin level than Caucasian or Hispanic women. Hypoadiponectinemia may play a significant pathophysiological role in the development of GDM and of less severe gestational hyperglycemia.

Nonmetric Traits in Permanent Teeth as Clues to Ethnicity in Vidarbha Subpopulation to Aid Forensic Profiling:Pilot Study

Introduction:Nonmetric dental traits have a crucial role in ethnic classification of populations that help in forensic racial identification.Many studies have demonstrated the differences in the expression and frequency of dental traits between various ethnic groups for ancestry determination in the context of forensic dental anthropology.The present study is an attempt to assess the frequency and variation in nonmetric traits for establishing ethnicity in the Vidarbha subpopulation.Aim:The aim of the study was to assess the frequency and variation of nonmetric traits in permanent teeth for establishing ethnicity in the Vidarbha subpopulation.Materials and Methods:Participants of the Vidarbha subpopulation were selected by random sampling method.Molars,premolars,and incisors were evaluated for frequency of nonmetric traits,and variations were graded according to Dentoanthropological System of State University of Arizona criteria.Descriptive statistics,Chi-square test,and Student’s t-test were used for analysis of data.Results:The most common occlusal morphology in mandibular first and second molar was 5 cusp and 4 cusp,respectively,with the“+”groove pattern.Cusp 3 and cusp 4 were observed frequently in the maxillary molars.One lingual cusp was most commonly seen in mandibular premolars show while incisors showed faint shoveling.Conclusion:Our study concludes that nonmetric traits were present and showed variation in permanent maxillary and mandibular teeth among the Vidarbha subpopulation.Cusp 5 and Cusp 4 in first and second mandibular molars,respectively,groove pattern“+”and grade 1 protostylid were the most frequent grades observed in permanent mandibular molars.One lingual cusp was most commonly seen in mandibular premolars and faint shoveling was a notable feature in incisors of this population.