Abstract Individual and racial differences in alcohol metabolism and their implications in acute and chronic intoxication of alcohol intake were reviewed in the relationships of genetic polymorphism of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). The recent studies revealed that the catalytic deficiency of ALDH2 isozyme is responsible to the flushing symptom as well as other vasomotor symptoms caused by a higher acetaldehyde level after alcohol consumption. Subsequently the deficiency of ALDH2 has been prevalently found among only the peoples of Mongoloid origin and the individuals deficient in ALDH2 refrain from excessive drinking of alcohol due to averse reaction leading to protection against alcoholism. Moreover, many studies based on DNA analysis have confirmed these findings. As ALDH2 polymorphism was found only in Mongoloid, population studies on the ALDH2 mutant will provide the important information to estimate the dispersal of the ethnic groups in Asia and Oceania and also to prevent alcohol abuse in the developing countries.

View full abstract

Lean body mass (LBM) and fat mass (FM) are two major components of body composition and when totalled equal body mass. Body mass index (BMI) as represented by weight/height2, has proven to be both a simple and valid way of assessing body composition. However, the significance of the index is not clear since body weight is composed of two main components: LBM and FM, each of whose densities show distinct differences.
In order to present the body constitution as clear quantitative measures, the lean body mass index (LBMI; LBM/height2), fat mass index (FMI; FM/height2) and a chart system (body composition chart) are introduced in this study. Through this chart system, we can detect the relative amount of the two major body constructs and differentiate subjects into adipo-muscular, lean-muscular, adipo-atrophy and lean-atrophy types.

View full abstract

A human cranium was excavated at the Hinata-I cave site, Takenomori, Takahata-cho, Yamagata Prefecture in 1955 (Fig. 1). It was dated at about 2, 000 B.P., which corresponds to phase II of the Yayoi period. Dr. Hisashi SUZUKI, professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo, determined that this cranium was that of an adult female (KASHIWAGURA and KATO, 1959).
The Hinata cranium was confirmed, based on macroscopic examination, to be a young female adult in her early twenties because there was no bony fusion of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis or main cranial sutures. The cranium was measured following MARTIN'S methods (KNUSSMANN, 1988). The measurement data of the Hinata and the three population samples it was compared to are given in Table 1. The presence or absence data of cranial nonmetric traits, using the criteria of DODO (1972, 1974), are listed in Table 2.
The glabella and supraciliary arch do not protrude. The nasal part of the frontal bone is flat and somewhat wide. The temporal lines and supramastoid ridge are not developed. Although external occipital protuberance is not prominent, the highest nuchal lines are perceptible. Bone erosion is seen in the articular tubercle anterior to the mandibular fossa. The cranial lengthbreadth index was classified as dolichocrany and the basi-bregmatic height is high (139mm). The supraorbital foramen is present only on the right side, and the bridging of the hypoglossal canal did not exist on either side.
The measurements and indices of the Hinata cranium were compared with those of three female cranial series, the Tsukumo Jomon (KIYONO and MIYAMOTO, 1926), the Doigahama Yayoi, who are considered to be the immigrant Yayoi people (KANASEKI et al., 1960), and the Kanto Modern Japanese (MITSUHASHI, 1958), as listed in Table 1. PENROSE's shape distances were calculated based on 11 cranial measurements excluding the median sagittal arc. The Hinata is closer to the Doigahama Yayoi (0.41) and the Modern Japanese (0.39) than to the Tsukumo Jomon (0.84).
Table 3 shows the sagittal parieto-occipital index (28:27) in the Hinata, the 3 females series, and a female Ainu series. BENEVOLENSKAYA (1980) pointed out that the northern Mongoloids have high values of this index whereas the indices of the southeast Asian and European are low. Both the Hinata and Tsukumo Jomon have low values of the index, whereas the Modern Japanese have a high value. The index of the Ainu, being higher than that of the Jomon, is as high as those of the northern Asian, which lends more interest to the origin of the Ainu.
The Hinata cranium is closer to the Modern Japanese and Doigahama Yayoi than to the Tsukumo Jomon, based on distance analysis, but also has Jomon characteristics such as the sagittal parieto-occipital index.

View full abstract

Serial data depicting relative variability of sixteen (nine absolute and seven generated) body dimensions of 154 Punjabi infants from Chandigarh, India are presented. Coefficients of variation (CV) were computed for the body measurements at monthly age intervals so as to compare age to age variability encountered in different body dimensions during infancy. Summary coefficients were used for assessment of the magnitude of variability between different measurements. Comparison of data at different age periods showed least variability in values of head circumference in contrast to other body dimensions. Relatively higher values for variability were recorded for skinfold thicknesses. Log transformed skinfold measurements showed lower degree of variability in contrast to same untransformed measurements.

View full abstract