American Journal of Human Biology最新文献

{"title":"Conducting Human Biology Research Using Invasive Clinical Samples: Methods, Strengths, and Limitations","authors":"Volney K. Friedrich,&nbsp;Morgan K. Hoke,&nbsp;Thedore G. Schurr","doi":"10.1002/ajhb.24170","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajhb.24170","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Invasive biological samples collected during clinical care represent a valuable yet underutilized source of information about human biology. However, the challenges of working with clinical personnel and the invasive nature of sample collection in biomedical studies can hinder the acquisition of sufficiently large sample sizes for robust statistical analyses. In addition, the incorporation of demographic data from participants is crucial for ensuring the inclusiveness of representative populations, identifying at-risk groups, and addressing healthcare disparities. Drawing on both research experiences and the existing literature, this article provides recommendations for researchers aiming to undertake efficient and impactful projects involving invasive human samples. The suggested strategies include: (1) establishing productive collaborations with clinicians; (2) optimizing sample quality through meticulous collection and handling procedures; and (3) strategically implementing a retrospective model to capitalize on existing invasive sample repositories. When established, cooperative work between clinical health care workers and biological anthropologists can yield insights into human biology that have the potential to improve human health and wellbeing.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50809,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Human Biology","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142512431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Population History and Anthropometric Variation of West Coast Irish Islands","authors":"John H. Relethford","doi":"10.1002/ajhb.24177","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajhb.24177","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Previous research using anthropometric data from the west coast of Ireland in the late 19th century showed that two island populations, the Aran Islands and Inishbofin, were phenotypically divergent from the mainland and more similar to England, a pattern consistent with historical evidence for English admixture. The present study extends these analyses by including data from two other island populations in the region that do not have a history of English admixture.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Data were taken from published sources for six west coast Irish populations measured in the 1890s: two mainland groups (Connemara and Erris) and four island populations (the Aran Islands, Clare Island, Inishbofin, and the Inishkea Islands). The anthropometric data consist of 13 measures on 317 males. Mahalanobis distances among the six populations were derived as well as distances to a mean based on English anthropometric data.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The two island populations with a history of likely English admixture following the garrisoning of English soldiers in previous centuries were the most divergent from the Irish mainland and most similar to the English mean. The other two island populations (Clare Island and the Inishkea Islands) did not have a history of English admixture and were most similar to the Irish mainland.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The different patterns of anthropometric similarity among the four island populations show different population histories and support earlier studies suggesting differential English admixture as a factor in the population structure of the region.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50809,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Human Biology","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142512434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physical Activity and Pregnancy Norms Among Daasanach Semi-Nomadic Pastoralist Women in Northern Kenya","authors":"Srishti Sadhir,&nbsp;Amanda McGrosky,&nbsp;Leslie B. Ford,&nbsp;Rosemary Nzunza,&nbsp;Sylvia N. Wemanya,&nbsp;Husna Mashaka,&nbsp;Rahab N. Kinyanjui,&nbsp;Emmanuel Ndiema,&nbsp;David R. Braun,&nbsp;Asher Y. Rosinger,&nbsp;Herman Pontzer","doi":"10.1002/ajhb.24174","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajhb.24174","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In subsistence populations, high physical activity is typically maintained throughout pregnancy. Market integration shifts activity patterns to resemble industrialized populations, with more time allocated to sedentary behavior. Daasanach semi-nomadic pastoralists living in northern Kenya face lifestyle heterogeneity due to the emergence of a market center. We investigate how Daasanach women manage the energetic demands of pregnancy with subsistence labor tasks and how market integration relates to variation in energetic demands, physical activity, and coping strategies.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We conducted nine focus group discussions with 72 pregnant women. We also deployed wrist-worn fitness trackers with 21 pregnant women in two community types: central or peripheral to the market center to capture variation in market integration. Data from focus group discussions were analyzed using thematic analysis. We used multiple linear regression to examine the relationship between gestational age and physical activity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We identified themes of increased fatigue, diet restrictions, and assistance with labor tasks during pregnancy. Gestational age negatively predicted mean daily steps, with a decrease of 1160 ± 437 steps per day with each consecutive pregnancy month. Stratified by community type, gestational age only negatively predicted mean daily steps for peripheral communities, with a decrease of 1443 ± 629 steps per day with each consecutive pregnancy month.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Results suggest that physical activity differs with market integration early, but not late, in pregnancy. Daasanach women cope with the energetic demands of pregnancy by reducing physical activity late in pregnancy and receiving assistance with labor tasks from family and neighbors.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50809,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Human Biology","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142512433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Secondary Sex Ratio and Male Mortality at Pre-Reproductive Ages: A Test of Selection In Utero","authors":"Jason Bonham,&nbsp;Ryan Schacht,&nbsp;Ken Smith,&nbsp;Tim A. Bruckner","doi":"10.1002/ajhb.24173","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajhb.24173","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The secondary sex ratio (i.e., the ratio of male to female live births; hereafter referred to as the SSR) falls in populations encountering ambient stressors. Much theory and some empirical work indicates that males born to low SSR cohorts may be “positively selected” in that excess culling in utero may correspond with greater than expected survival among live-born males in that cohort. We extend prior work by testing, in historical Utah, whether the SSR varies positively with male mortality at pre-reproductive ages.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study uses detailed records from the Utah Population Database to focus on Utahns born 1850–1940. We use rigorous time-series methods, which control for strong secular declines in mortality as well as ambient perturbations shared equally among males and females, to investigate the male culling inference.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We observe a positive relation between the SSR and male mortality during youth (i.e., 5 to &lt; 20 years; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) but not in infancy or early childhood.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In this historical population, the SSR appears to gauge hardiness of surviving male cohorts. However, whether the high fertility and/or family structure context of Latter-day Saints in historical Utah explains the age-specific pattern of male mortality warrants further scrutiny.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50809,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Human Biology","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142512435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In Memoriam: Michael H. Crawford (1939–2024)","authors":"William R. Leonard,&nbsp;Dennis H. O'Rourke","doi":"10.1002/ajhb.24171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.24171","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;On July 3rd, 2024, the world lost a true pioneer and leader in the fields of human biology and biological anthropology when Dr. Michael H. Crawford passed away at the age of 84. Dr. Crawford is widely regarded as one of the founders of the field of anthropological genetics (Figure 1). His pioneering work over a career of more than 50 years transformed our understanding of the origin and nature of human diversity (Crawford &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;). Michael influenced the field of human biology in a number of ways—through his innovative research, his skill as a graduate mentor, his work as Editor-in-Chief of the journal &lt;i&gt;Human Biology&lt;/i&gt;, and his leadership within the Human Biology Association.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michael was born on July 25th, 1939, in Shanghai, China, the son of Russian and Scottish American expatriates. According to some estimates, the Russian population in Shanghai during the 1930s topped 30 000, swelled by an influx of refugees from the Russian Revolution. Michael's early years in Shanghai are best captured by the well-known Chinese adage: “May you live in interesting times.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After the Second World War, Mao Zedong's rise to power in China ushered in a period when foreigners were no longer welcome. In 1948, Michael, his parents, and his sister were evacuated to an uninhabited island in the Philippines. Many evacuees from China died while waiting to be relocated, but the Crawfords survived and, in 1949, were accepted by Australia, moving first to Canberra before eventually settling in Sydney. Three years later, the family emigrated to the United States—an epic journey that took them through Fiji, Hawaii, and Canada—before ultimately ending up in Seattle, Washington when Michael was 12.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In Seattle, the precocious young world-traveler graduated from O'Dea Catholic School in 1956 at the age of 16, and then entered the University of Washington, where he studied anthropology and biology. Michael received his bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in 1960, and continued on at UW, receiving his Master's degree in biological anthropology in 1965 and his PhD in 1967. Michael's dissertation research was on primate genetics and phylogeny, with a doctoral committee that included Arno Motulsky and Marshall T. Newman. In addition, during his graduate training, Michael was also strongly influenced by Derek Roberts, working with Roberts as a teaching assistant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michael's competitive spirit was established early as he excelled at both soccer and tennis while a student at Washington, continuing to play both long after his school days. His drive for academic productivity and excellence was also established early. His first publication, based on his doctoral research, was a single authored paper published in &lt;i&gt;Science&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After receiving his PhD from Washington, Michael accepted a position in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh, where he taught from 1967 to 1971. In 1971, Michael joined the Anthro","PeriodicalId":50809,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Human Biology","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajhb.24171","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143118539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Expanding the Scope of Heart Rate Variability in Metabolic Health: A Commentary on Sex-Specific Associations","authors":"Li-Fen Chen,&nbsp;Lien-Chung Wei,&nbsp;Hsien-Jane Chiu","doi":"10.1002/ajhb.24172","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajhb.24172","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50809,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Human Biology","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142479982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Secular Trends in Physical Growth Among Peruvian Children and Adolescents Living at High Altitudes","authors":"Alcibíades Bustamante,&nbsp;Carla Santos,&nbsp;José Maia,&nbsp;Duarte Freitas,&nbsp;Rui Garganta,&nbsp;Peter T. Katzmarzyk,&nbsp;Sara Pereira","doi":"10.1002/ajhb.24169","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajhb.24169","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We aim (1) to examine secular trends in height, weight, and waist circumference (WC) among Peruvian children and adolescents living in the city of Junín and (2) to compare their growth status with the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reference data.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The sample included 2874 Peruvians (<i>n</i> = 1681 in the 2009 cohort and <i>n</i> = 1193 in the 2019 cohort) aged 6–16 years from the district of Junín (4107 m of altitude). Height, weight, and WC were measured using standardized protocols. Within each sex, a two-way between-subjects analysis of variance—age, and cohort as main factors and age-by-cohort as the interaction—was used to test for differences in height, weight, and WC. STATA 17 software was used in all statistical analyses.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Height revealed a positive secular trend among girls, aged 6–11 years, and among boys up to 14 years of age. Similar positive secular trends in weight and WC were found across all age groups in both boys and girls. Compared to North American peers, children in the 2009 cohort were shorter, lighter, and had a smaller WC. For weight and WC, the 2019 cohort overlapped the 50th percentile across all age groups (except for 16-year-old girls).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Both boys' and girls' height, weight, and WC showed positive secular trends between 2009 and 2019, with statistically significant differences varying across age groups. Peruvian youth of both sexes were shorter and lighter than their North American peers.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50809,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Human Biology","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajhb.24169","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142479987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Polygyny, Infant, and Child Mortality in Pakistan: Moderating Effect of Household Wealth Status","authors":"Athar Ali Shah,&nbsp;Mukhtiar Hussain Ibupoto,&nbsp;Rahim Dad Rind,&nbsp;Ali Nawaz Channa","doi":"10.1002/ajhb.24168","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajhb.24168","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The United Nations report in 2021 ranks Pakistan 21st among countries with the highest infant and child mortality rate in the world. It is the fifth most populous country in the world with a growth rate of 2% annually. Therefore, understanding child mortality is crucial to reducing the child mortality burden.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Method</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The research utilized two waves of the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS), 2012–13 and 2017–18. The data are analyzed using logistic regression with interaction effects of household wealth status and propensity score matching techniques.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The study reveals a positive link between polygyny and infant and child mortality. The odd ratios higher than “1” indicate increased mortality risk for infants and children belonging to polygynous families taking monogamous families as a reference category. Mortality risk is higher among children (OR 1.50 CI 0.18–12.63) as compared with infants (OR 1.28 CI 0.37–4.45). The main effect of household shows a negative association with infant and child mortality while after interacting with polygyny it turns out to be positive. The mortality risks increase with increasing wealth status. It can be translated as a positive link between household wealth status, and infant and child mortality in the context of polygyny.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Infants and children belonging to polygynous families experience increased mortality risk as compared with monogamous families. The household wealth status may not help improve child mortality.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50809,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Human Biology","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142479986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From Local Farms to Supermarket Foods: The Story of the Homogenization of the Argentine Diet Told by the Isotope Ratios of Modern Teeth","authors":"Felipe Otero,&nbsp;Luciano Lautaro Loupias,&nbsp;Luis Henrique Mancini,&nbsp;Anelize Manuela Bahniuk R,&nbsp;Marien Béguelin,&nbsp;Luciano Oscar Valenzuela","doi":"10.1002/ajhb.24167","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajhb.24167","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Nutritional changes over the last century, driven by globalization, hypermarketization, and malnutrition, are global in scale. Large countries in the Global South might be resilient to dietary homogenization due to their natural diversity of regions and ecosystems, which might have prevented the adoption of supermarket diets. Argentina has a wide array of ecosystems and historically different subsistence diets dependent on regional characteristics. We analyzed the spatiotemporal variation of stable isotope values in Argentina using modern teeth to test for regional dietary patterns and its consistence over time.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Materials and Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We collected teeth from voluntary donors born between 1940 and 2010, from 72 locations across Argentina. A total of 119 teeth were analyzed for the markers <i>δ</i>\u0000 ¹³C_dentine, <i>δ</i>\u0000 ¹³C_enamel, <i>δ</i>\u0000 ¹⁵N, and <i>δ</i>\u0000 ³⁴S. A reconstruction of isotopic niches was performed to estimate dietary patterns across different regions and time periods.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study is the first to analyze changes in modern dietary patterns in Argentina using isotopic data measured in contemporary teeth. We showed latitudinal, longitudinal, and temporal differences in isotopic values, reflecting the variation in available resources within the country. Changes in the diet were observed over time, including declining <i>δ</i>\u0000 ¹⁵N values, a reduction in <i>δ</i>\u0000 ³⁴S range, and a trend toward homogenization of <i>δ</i>\u0000 ¹³C_enamel values. Conversely, <i>δ</i>\u0000 ¹³C_dentine values remained constant over time, maintaining latitudinal patterns and regional differences across regions.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study increases our understanding of modern population dietary patterns both spatially and over the last 70 years. Our findings suggest that the Argentine population has shifted toward a supermarket diet in recent years.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50809,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Human Biology","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142479983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inbreeding Effect on Maternal Mortality and Fertility in the Habsburg Dynasty","authors":"Francisco C. Ceballos,&nbsp;Román Vilas,&nbsp;Gonzalo Álvarez","doi":"10.1002/ajhb.24166","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajhb.24166","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We investigated inbreeding effects on longevity and fertility in the House of Habsburg, one of the principal royal dynasties of Europe.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A total number of 124 Habsburg marriages, involving 107 men and 124 women, in the period of approximately 1450–1800 were considered for the analysis. Kinship and inbreeding coefficients were computed from genealogical information, which included more than 8000 individuals.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We found a significant negative association between age of death and inbreeding coefficient (<i>F</i>) in those women who had children (regression coefficient <i>b</i> = −1.06, <i>p</i> = 0.0008). This result led us to investigate possible inbreeding effects on maternal mortality in the period of 4 weeks after the childbirth. A strong inbreeding depression on maternal survival was detected through the Kaplan–Meier curve for groups of women with different level of inbreeding (log-rank test <i>p</i> = 0.0001) and the Cox proportional hazards regression analysis (hazard ratio = 2.36, <i>p</i> = 0.0008). Effect on fertility was also found as more inbred women had longer interbirth intervals (<i>b</i> = 154.66, <i>p</i> = 0.022). Effects of male or female inbreeding on the number of children per woman were not detected through zero-inflated regression models suggesting that reproductive compensation might be occurring among the more inbred and less-fecund women.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The effect of inbreeding in adulthood in the Habsburg lineage was at least as important as that previously reported on prereproductive survival. To our knowledge, our results are the first evidence of an inbreeding effect on maternal mortality in humans.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50809,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Human Biology","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142479985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}