ABSTRACT
Consanguineous marriage is a controversial topic in many Western societies, with attention mainly focused on the health of immigrant communities from Asia and Africa. In the UK consanguinity is especially prevalent in the Pakistani community, which now numbers over 1.1 million. Less attention has been paid to the influence of hereditary population stratification within Pakistani communities, in particular biraderi (literally brotherhood) membership, which denotes male lineages that largely govern marriage partner choice and hence the transmission of disease genes. The various roles played by biraderi and their relationship to other socio-occupational and kinship terms, such as caste, quom and zat, are often overlooked in health-based studies. The interchangeable use of these different kinship terms without rigorous definition can create identity uncertainty and hinders inter-study comparisons. Where feasible, standardization of terminology would be both desirable and beneficial, with biraderi the preferred default term to identify specific social and genetic relationships within the Pakistani diaspora.
Subject(s)
Consanguinity , Disease/genetics , Marriage/ethnology , Emigrants and Immigrants/psychology , Emigrants and Immigrants/statistics & numerical data , Ethnicity/psychology , Ethnicity/statistics & numerical data , Female , Humans , Male , Pakistan/ethnology , Prevalence , Social Class , United KingdomSubject(s)
Erythropoiesis/drug effects , Zinc/administration & dosage , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Testosterone/bloodABSTRACT
Three tests of small intestinal function were performed at 3100 m and 4846 m to seek evidence of malabsorption of high altitude. Xylose tolerance did not change in 11 subjects but, in three who ascended to 5600 m, one-hour xylose levels were significantly lower. The results of an oxalate loading test did not suggest significant fat malabsorption. A direct fat absorption test using chylomicron levels after ingestion of 100 g fat showed significantly increased levels at high altitude. We conclude that there is no evidence of malabsorption up to 4846 m.
Subject(s)
Altitude , Intestinal Absorption , Acetazolamide/metabolism , Chylomicrons/metabolism , Fats/metabolism , Humans , Intestine, Small/metabolism , Malabsorption Syndromes/etiology , Oxalates , Oxalic Acid , Xylose/metabolismABSTRACT
The ventricle-brain ratio (VBR) of 28 drug-free male schizophrenic inpatients was significantly higher than that of 21 matched normal control subjects and was not related to severity of positive or negative symptoms. Response to haloperidol in an open 6-week trial using a fixed-dose schedule was not predicted by severity of positive or negative symptoms or by VBR. The nine severely deteriorated patients with chronic "Kraepelinian" schizophrenia had left lateral ventricles 28% larger than their right, whereas the control subjects and other schizophrenic patients did not show ventricular asymmetry.
Subject(s)
Brain/diagnostic imaging , Cerebral Ventricles/anatomy & histology , Schizophrenia/diagnosis , Adult , Chronic Disease , Clinical Trials as Topic , Haloperidol/therapeutic use , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Schizophrenic Psychology , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Fasting plasma zinc concentrations were lower in elderly people with senile purpura than in a control group matched for age. No significant difference was found in the mean serum concentration of albumin, which is the main binder of zinc. No other clinical or laboratory findings differentiated the two groups. As the cause of the low plasma zinc values has not been found it is suggested that further studies of the related factors including input, output, and binding should be made before a therapeutic trial is launched.
