Indian Journal of Research in Anthropology

 Ecogenetics aims at studying the genetics of underlying differential reactions to chemicals in the environment. Genetic modifications due to exposure to foreign substances like toxins due to occupational exposure, dietary constituents, drugs etc. majorly constitute areas studied in the scope of ecogenetics. One of the enzymes that have been at the center-stage of ecogenetic studies is the Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) enzyme. It is one of the oldest enzymes present since the life originated. The presence of an active PON1 enzyme in lower organisms proves that the enzyme’s presence predates human origins. It also had a different native activity and not paraoxonase or arylesterase activities that presumably occurred only later in evolution. The enzyme is also characterized by promiscuity in its specificity towards substrates. These features account for the existence of enzyme isoforms of PON1 and their relevance in xenobiotic metabolism has made PON1 an interesting area of research. Previous studies have assessed PON1 variation in different human populations by evaluating them for activity, genetic variation or PON1 status (constituted by gene variations and activity). The variations have been studied in lieu of their toxicological and pharmacological properties and effects on human health. Sensitivity to chronic exposure of chemicals with the organophosphate moiety like pesticides (chlorpyrifos, malathion, parathion) and nerve gases (soman, sarin) is determined by the PON1 catalytic efficiency and abundance. The ethnic variations in PON1 status and gene frequencies are, hence, keys to understand the differential sensitivity among different groups of populations to chronic exposure of OP compounds. We examined selected populations of India for genetic variations of PON1. Findings show an interesting conglomeration of populations having different PON1 gene frequencies that will be important in assessing OP exposure risk among them. Also, the underlying cause of the systemic variation has not been determined. So, a review of previous research was done to find patterns of genetic variation at key loci of PON1 gene to comprehend the extent of differentiation at these loci. The paper aims at outlining the various aspects of PON1 research with special emphasis on the outcomes of toxicogenetic and pharmacogenetic approaches and the leads they provide for conducting population genetic studies. Deciphering the cause of PON1 variation will improve environment risk assessment exercises that help frame public health initiatives.

Keywords: Forensic Anthropology; Stature; Anthropometry;  Somatometry; Ramgarhia Sikh. 

Keywords: Tribe; Munda Women; Income; Nutritional Status; BMI. 

Keywords: Sterilized; Feasibility; Pregnancy; Post natal care. 

 Estimation of stature from body parts is crucial in identification of disfigurement human remains in forensic investigation. The objectives of the present study were to understand the correlations of foot measurements with stature and to derive regression equations to estimate the stature from different foot measurements in adult Bengali females. The present cross-sectional study in the Birbhum district of West Bengal was conducted on one hundred adults Bengali females. Anthropometric measurement includes stature, five foot length measurements from each toe (i.e.T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5), foot breadth at the ball and foot breadth at the heel. The mean age was 22.35 (SD, 1.55) years. The mean stature was 153.47 (SD, 4.77) cm. The result of the paired t test revealed that there were significant bilateral asymmetry in T3, T4, T5 length and FBB. Results of the Pearson’s correlation coefficient of stature with different foot measurements revealed that all foot measurements were significantly and positively correlated with stature. However, the highest correlation was observed between stature and left foot T4 length. Equations were derived by using simple and multiple regression analysis for the estimation stature. The overall lower standard error of estimate for foot length measurements indicated that foot lengths provide comparatively higher reliability and accuracy in estimating stature. However, the standard error of estimate of multiple regression model indicated that the multiple regression model tend to estimate stature more accurately than linear regression models.

Keywords: Iruliga; Wasting; Stunting; Nutrition.