It was recently reported that the inheritance of the metacarpal cortical index (CI) in the Chuvashian population can be described in terms of a major gene (MG) model. By applying transmission probability tests, the hypothesis was accepted that not only baseline level of CI but also its sex-specific dependence on age were under control of the same putative large-effect gene. Using a pedigree sample from the population of the islands of Middle Dalmatia, Croatia (847 observed individuals in 278 pedigrees), data are presented to support the above findings. The following hypotheses were accepted: (i) inheritance of baseline CI in the Croatian population can be attributed to the effect of a MG responsible for about 42% of the variation; (ii) the same MG takes part in the control of the dependence of CI on age, particularly the age at onset of involutive bone changes (inflection point), and of the rate of decrease in CI with age (slope coefficient). Issues related to the assortative mating effect on CI and the determination of the most parsimonious model are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Short tandem repeat (STR) variation in eight village populations of the island of Korcula (Croatia).

The aim of this study was to analyse short tandem repeat (STR) variation using the data on nine loci (D3S1358, vWA, FGA, THO1, TPOX, CSF1PO, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820) in the populations from eight villages on the island of Korcula, Croatia, in order to analyse its genetic and population structure. The analysis of STR data in this study indicated an appreciable degree of genetic homogeneity among the studied village populations on the island, even though a so-called 'east-west dichotomy' and differentiation between the inhabitants of the most recent settlement and the remaining ones was indicated with respect to the loci CSF1PO and TPOX, respectively. The validity of STR markers in assessing genetic structure of small populations and especially in determining the relationships among geographically closely related but reproductively isolated groups remains to be further evaluated, especially in terms of a larger number of studied loci in order to possibly find specific markers useful for resolving genetic patterns of variability at regional levels.

Croatia↗

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Migration within the island of Korcula, Yugoslavia.

For several centuries the village populations on the Yugoslav island of Korcula have remained essentially isolated from each other and from the mainland. Historical, linguistic and biological data indicate that systematic population pressure predominantly came from the coastal area of the Balkan peninsula westward onto the island. To examine short and long range migration on the island, data on the place of birth of parents of adult inhabitants (1168 subjects) were presented and migration matrices analysed applying a gamma function. Most examinees were born in the same village as their parents (86.39%); only 6.33% of the parents migrated between villages on the island; and village endogamy is quite high for the past four generations (75%). When inter-village migration has occurred, migration density is greatest at a distance of 8-12 km, rather than from the immediate neighbourhood. Short range migration occurs up to a mean distance of 33.98 km, long range migration over distances greater than 28 km.

Emigration and Immigration↗

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Genetic variation in Brac, Croatia.

A serological survey of the Dalmatian island of Brac (Croatia), based on a total sample of 747 subjects, shows considerable local genetic variation. While the overall gene frequencies are much as expected from the island's geographical position, the local genetic heterogeneity is made up of differences between the inland and coastal villages, differences between the two coastal areas, and variation among the older inland villages. This heterogeneity is interpreted as deriving from the settlement process (founder effect), random differentiation, and the essentially local marriage pattern.

Blood Group Antigens↗

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Heart 'growth stagnation' during the year following menarche.

During puberty, most body structures show an acceleration followed by deceleration in growth, while some grow at a constant rate. This study analyses heart growth dynamics during puberty. The focus was directed towards detection of 'unexpected' events in pubertal physiological growth, such as an episode of a heart growth stagnation or even a temporary reduction in size. A longitudinal study was performed in 173 healthy children (81 girls and 92 boys), aged 11.5 years at the beginning and 14.5 years at the end of the study. Changes in echocardiographic (parasternal M-mode) cardiac dimensions and in anthropometric and ergometric size of related body structures and functions were recorded annually. Direction (positive, zero or negative) and sizes of yearly increments were determined from the measurements, and three annual growth rates were compared for each variable by paired sample t-test. All observed variables increased following the usual growth velocity curve in boys. In girls, body height and weight, lean body mass, aortal root and left atrium, as well as diastolic blood pressure changed in the expected way during puberty, but cardiac left ventricle and endurance time did not. At the age of 13, thickness of the left ventricular walls and length of endurance time did not increase; later the growth of these variables resumed. Menarche onset (12.6 years) immediately precedes these events. Possible mechanisms are: temporary reduction of myocardial cells growth and division, and physiological heart "remodelling' due to changed growth pattern favouring longitudinal instead of transverse myofibrils growth, increased myocardial diastolic compliance and oscillatory blood volume increase.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

VNTR DNA variation in the population of the island of Hvar, Croatia.

The aim of this study was to investigate hypervariable DNA polymorphisms in the Croatian population. Two VNTR loci, D7S22 and D12S11, were studied in a sample of 68 inhabitants of the western and eastern regions of the island of Hvar. Binned allele frequencies and heterozygosity were calculated for the two regions and measures of genetic kinship and genetic distance were computed between the two regions and between each of these regions and nine world populations. The relatively large genetic distance between the two regions of the island of Hvar (0.0353) may reflect historical immigrations from the mainland and interesting peculiarities of the populations that arrived from the Balkan peninsula.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Morphological and histological changes responsible for the droop of the nasal tip in advanced age.

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Adolescent↗