Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marcel Lucas-Sanchez, Jose M. Serradell, David Comas
Summary: Genomic data from North Africa indicate a complex demographic scenario with a gradual dilution of ancient autochthonous genetic components due to historical population movements. The comparison of ancient and modern genomes demonstrates genetic continuity in the region since Epipaleolithic times. Recent historical movements, such as Arabization, have further shaped the genetic landscape in North Africa.
HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Irina Yu Ponkratova, Jiri Chlachula, Ingo Clausen
Summary: Recent investigations based on sites like Ushki V have provided insights into the post-glacial peopling of the Kamchatka Peninsula, revealing different prehistoric settlement stages and environmental adaptations, highlighting the significance of early human habitation in the region.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Miriam Mohatar-Barba, Maria Lopez-Olivares, Elisabet Fernandez-Gomez, Trinidad Luque-Vara, Marta Linares-Manrique, Carmen Enrique-Miron
Summary: This study aims to promote healthier eating habits and prevent the development of diabetes mellitus by analyzing the factors that affect the diet quality among the Spanish adult population in North Africa. The research findings indicate that various sociodemographic factors, such as region, religion, occupation, and education level, have an impact on the quality of diet.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Ayman A. Hussein, Reem Hamad, Melanie J. Newport, Muntaser E. Ibrahim
Summary: Personalized, stratified or precision approaches aim to put individual variation at the center of scientific medicine, using genomic and biomarker information to predict disease risk and treatment response. However, these approaches overlook the hierarchical nature of human variation and the importance of population differences.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Kevan Edinborough, Remi Martineau, Alexa Dufraisse, Stephen Shennan, Marie Imbeaux, Anthony Dumontet, Peter Schauer, Gordon Cook
Summary: New radiocarbon data for the Neolithic marshes of Marais de Saint-Gond Marne in France were presented and modeled. The study provided a synthesis of human activity in the region, revealing the earliest flint mine pits in France dating back to the Mesolithic period and showing a peak in regional population consistent with the advent of hypogeum construction during the late Neolithic period.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bruno Depreux, Jean-Francois Berger, David Lefevre, Quentin Wackenheim, Valerie Andrieu-Ponel, Sylvia Vinai, Jean-Philippe Degeai, Abderrahmane El Harradji, Larbi Boudad, Severine Sanz-Laliberte, Kristell Michel, Nicole Limondin-Lozouet
Summary: The Early-Mid Holocene transition is a period of significant climatic and hydrological changes in Europe and North Africa. A fluvial record from Eastern Morocco reveals a major hydrological evolution of the Charef River during this period, shedding light on the fluvial response to the 8.2 ka event in North Africa and providing new insights into the hydrological disruption at the Early-Mid Holocene transition.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marta Portillo, Aroa Garcia-Suarez
Summary: This research evaluates the contribution of integrated geoarchaeological methods and ethnoarchaeological records to the identification and importance of animal dung in agricultural environments, highlighting the value of modern reference frameworks for livestock dung.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Antoine Muller, Chris Clarkson
Summary: Standardization can be achieved through blank production in lithic assemblages. By analyzing different blank-producing lithic technologies, we found that the level of skill and investment in core preparation affects the level of shape standardization.
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Shengnan Jiang, Zhenke Zhang, Hang Ren, Guoen Wei, Minghui Xu, Binglin Liu
Summary: The study found that urban land and urban population in Africa have been rapidly growing, with Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia being the top three countries with the most intense urbanization process. The coupling relationship index of urban land expansion and population growth in Africa during 2001-2019 was 0.76, indicating potential challenges with coordination. The increasing proportion of uncoordinated development types at the provincial level in Africa suggests the need for further research and attention to address the uncoordinated relationship between urban land expansion and population growth.
ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adam P. Rorabaugh
Summary: Recent developments in radiocarbon dating have allowed archaeologists to re-examine population dynamics in the Salish Sea region. This study builds upon previous research by Taylor et al. (2011) and utilizes Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) with an extended data set of 538 radiocarbon dates. Findings indicate a period of population growth in the coastal Northwestern Washington from 3200-2800 cal BP, as well as in the San Juan islands from 2600-2200 cal BP. The study also suggests shifts in the use of the San Juan Islands and a peak in large-scale occupation from 650-300 cal BP.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Domingo Rivera, Javier Balbontin, Sergio Perez Gil, Jose Maria Abad Gomez-Pantoja, Juan Jose Negro
Summary: This study examines the juvenile dispersal of the poorly studied Black-shouldered Kite in southwestern Spain and provides evidence supporting the Resources Competition Hypothesis. The study also analyzes the dispersal distance of the juveniles and provides crucial demographic parameters for future conservation plans.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pushkar Silwal, Maite Irurzun Lopez, Megan F. Pledger, Jacqueline F. Cumming, Mona F. Jeffreys
Summary: Being enrolled with a Primary Health Care (PHC) provider in New Zealand provides lower cost access to PHC, preventative care and secondary health care services, and better continuity of care. This study examined the characteristics of populations not enrolled and found that enrolment is associated with a lower level of amenable mortality. Logistic regression analysis showed that those not enrolled had a higher risk of amenable mortality compared to those enrolled, even after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity and deprivation.
Article
Geography, Physical
Tomasz Plonka
Summary: Anthropomorphic motifs in Late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic art of north-western Europe are extremely rare and diverse in style, with a shift towards geometric style during the Mesolithic. The nature of the activities depicted in these anthropomorphic representations is often difficult to discern due to their geometricized and spare style, which became particularly heterogeneous during the late Mesolithic possibly due to local stylistic variations and sedentary lifestyle.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Fateme Dianat, Vahid Khodakarami, Seyed-Hossein Hosseini, G. Hamed Shakouri
Summary: Renewable electricity development is not a priority in fossil-fuel-rich countries in the Middle East and North Africa. However, due to future fossil-fuel depletion and demand growth, it should become a priority. This study proposes policy recommendations based on various scenarios and a comprehensive modeling framework, integrating system dynamics modeling, agent-based modeling logic, and game theory concepts.
Article
Anthropology
Marko Porcic, Mladen Nikolic, Jugoslav Pendic, Kristina Penezic, Tamara Blagojevic, Sofija Stefanovic
Summary: The migrations of the first farmers across Europe were mainly driven by high fertility and community fission to avoid social tensions, rather than ecological factors. Simulation results indicate that an average Neolithic woman typically gave birth to a high number of children, and community fission threshold values were generally smaller than estimated environmental carrying capacity.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
B. Zhu, J. Yang, Z. Zhou, X. Ling, N. Cheng, Z. Wang, L. Liu, X. Huang, Y. Song, B. Wang, X. Qin, P. Zalloua, X. P. Xu, L. Yang, Z. Zhao
Summary: In rural areas of China, total bone mineral density (BMD) may be negatively correlated with stroke, especially in men. There was a significant difference in BMD and stroke morbidity in the male group, with no significant difference observed in female participants. Body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio were found to be significantly associated with BMD and stroke risk in female participants.
QJM-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marcos Araujo Castro e Silva, Tiago Ferraz, Caina M. Couto-Silva, Renan B. Lemes, Kelly Nunes, David Comas, Tabita Hunemeier
Summary: Based on genome-wide data of 58 native populations, this study revealed clear patterns of genetic structure among South American natives, showing at least four primary genetic clusters in the Amazonian and savanna regions and three clusters in the Andes and Pacific coast. The longitudinal genetic variation along a west-east axis seems to have been shaped by population bottlenecks and isolation by distance, while the present-day South American substructures recapitulate ancient macroregional ancestries and suggest cultural exchanges in the western Amazonia groups that led to language replacement in precontact times. Demographic inferences indicate a higher resilience of western South American groups to population collapses caused by the European invasion and suggest precontact population reductions and demic expansions in South America.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Feng Zhou, Chengzhang Liu, Lijing Ye, Yukai Wang, Yan Shao, Guohua Zhang, Zhenpeng Duan, Jingjuan Chen, Jingyun Kuang, Jingyi Li, Yun Song, Lishun Liu, Pierre Zalloua, Xiaobin Wang, Xiping Xu, Chengguo Zhang
Summary: This study found a significant association between elevated homocysteine (Hcy) levels and the risk of first stroke. Elevated tHcy was the second most important risk factor and acted additively with systolic blood pressure (SBP) to increase the risk of first stroke. Screening and treating elevated tHcy along with traditional risk factors is crucial for reducing the burden of first stroke in high-risk populations.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francois Brial, Lyamine Hedjazi, Kazuhiro Sonomura, Cynthia Al Hageh, Pierre Zalloua, Fumihiko Matsuda, Dominique Gauguier
Summary: The analysis of genetic control on small metabolites provides valuable insight into the regulation of genome expression. In this study, untargeted liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry was used to analyze blood samples from 273 individuals, revealing 926 genetic loci that significantly regulate the abundance of 74 lipidomic features. Additionally, the study showed instances of single genetic loci controlling multiple distinct lipid features. Comparison with the LIPID MAPS database identified significant correlations between lipid signals and clinical and biochemical phenotypes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Moni Nader, Omar Zmerli, Daniel E. Platt, Hamdan Hamdan, Salwa Hamdash, Rami Abi Tayeh, Jad Azar, Diana Kadi, Youssef Sultan, Taha Bazarbachi, Gilbert Karayakoupoglou, Pierre Zalloua, Eid Azar
Summary: COVID-19 patients with kidney injury are more likely to develop severe disease and have a higher mortality rate. This study identified diabetes, being overweight, chronic kidney disease, and gender as independent risk factors for intubation and mortality. Shortness of breath, age, and being overweight were associated with intubation, while shortness of breath was associated with fatality. Elevated levels of serum creatinine were strongly associated with fatality.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Laura Vila-Valls, Julen Aizpurua-Iraola, Sebastian Casinge, Karin Bojs, Andre Flores-Bello, Neus Font-Porterias, David Comas
Summary: The Resande are a minority ethnic group in Sweden, believed to be a mixture of Swedish and Romani populations. Through analyzing genome-wide data, researchers have confirmed the Romani-related ancestry of the Resande and identified an admixture event between Romani-like and Swedish-like populations occurring between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries. This study sheds light on the origins and demographic history of the Resande from a genetic perspective.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Marcel Lucas-Sanchez, Karima Fadhlaoui-Zid, David Comas
Summary: This study confirms the genetic influence of trans-Saharan migrations in present-day North Africa and provides new evidence about its quantity, geographical origin, and dates. The findings highlight the significance of trans-Saharan human genetic contacts and contribute to understanding the genomic composition of North Africa.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Rima El-Basst, Sanaa Saliba, Lama Saleh, Nicolas Saoud, Eid Azar, Pierre Zalloua, Amanda Chamieh
Summary: This retrospective study analyzed the resistance patterns and trends of 1827 Pseudomonas isolates in a tertiary medical center in Lebanon from January 2010 to December 2018. The incidence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in sputum samples significantly decreased, while there was no trend in bloodstream infection. The study also found a decrease in resistance to certain antibiotics and a reduction in the consumption of antipseudomonal antibiotics. Antimicrobial stewardship had a positive impact on nosocomial epidemiology.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Marco Antinucci, David Comas, Francesc Calafell
Summary: In this study, we conducted the first whole genome Copy Number Variant (CNV) study of the Roma population and compared them with reference populations from South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Using CNV calling software, we identified a total of 3171 deletions and 489 duplications. The analysis revealed that the patterns of deletion variation in the Roma population were consistent with those observed in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), indicating the influence of population history on CNV variation. Additionally, we found an increase in intronic deletions within Loss of Function (LoF)-intolerant genes, which may be attributed to reduced effective population size and slightly relaxed natural selection.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caina M. Couto-Silva, Kelly Nunes, Gabriela Venturini, Marcos Araujo Castro e Silva, Lygia Pereira, David Comas, Alexandre Pereira, Tabita Hunemeier
Summary: Ecological conditions in the Amazon rainforests favor the transmission of tropical diseases, and the genetic adaptation of humans in this complex ecosystem is still unclear. This study analyzed the genomic data of 19 native populations to investigate the possible genetic adaptation to the Amazon rainforest. The results showed strong natural selection in genes related to Trypanosoma cruzi infection, the pathogen responsible for Chagas disease, a neglected tropical parasitic disease spreading worldwide.
Article
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Cynthia Al Hageh, Stephanie Chacar, Michella Ghassibe-Sabbagh, Daniel E. Platt, Andreas Henschel, Hamdan Hamdan, Dominique Gauguier, Yara El Murr, Eman Alefishat, Elie Chammas, Siobhan O'Sullivan, Antoine Abchee, Moni Nader, Pierre A. Zalloua
Summary: This study investigates the correlation between high Lp(a) levels and the degree of coronary artery stenosis. The results show that Lp(a) is a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), especially in patients with HDL-cholesterol >= 35 mg/dL and non-obese patients. The study also finds a large proportion of patients with elevated Lp(a) levels had CAD, and the variant (rs1084651) of the LPA gene is significantly associated with CAD.
VASCULAR HEALTH AND RISK MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Stephanie Chacar, Abdulhamid Abdi, Khalifa Almansoori, Jawaher Alshamsi, Cynthia Al Hageh, Pierre Zalloua, Ali A. Khraibi, Stephen G. Holt, Moni Nader
Summary: This review focuses on the physiological and pathological actions of CaMKII in the diabetic vasculature, particularly its role in the dialogue between endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. Activation of CaMKII promotes cell proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix production, leading to maladaptive vascular remodeling. It also affects nitric oxide signaling and contributes to endothelial dysfunction. The effectiveness of CaMKII inhibitors is being tested in animal models, and the interaction between anti-diabetic drugs and CaMKII expression/activity requires further investigation.
REVIEWS IN ENDOCRINE & METABOLIC DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Neus Font-Porterias, Madeline G. McNelis, David Comas, Leslea J. Hlusko
Summary: The study analyzed genetic variation and phenotypic traits in aquatic and non-aquatic mammalian species, revealing strong signals of positive selection in EDA and EDAR genes in some endangered aquatic mammals. However, robust signals of gene-trait coevolution or convergent amino acid shifts in the ectodysplasin pathway associated with shared phenotypic traits among aquatic mammals were not detected.
INTEGRATIVE ORGANISMAL BIOLOGY
(2022)