The spectrum of haemoglobin variants in two scheduled tribes of Sundargarh district in north-western Orissa,India

Background: Tribal communities in India constitute a major part of the population and are vulnerable to many erythrocytic hereditary and haematological disorders such as haemoglobinopathies. Genetic studies so far undertaken on tribal groups are scanty, patchy and incomplete. No field-based systematic studies of hereditary haemolytic disorders in Orissa are available. Further, the extent of haemoglobin variants among the tribals in the state is not known. The present study was carried out in the Bhuyan and Kharia tribes of Sundargarh district in Orissa.

Aim: This study aims to find the prevalence/spectrum of haemoglobin variants in two major tribal groups, namely Bhuyan and Kharia and their subgroups, inhabiting the Sundargarh district in north-western Orissa.

Subjects and methods: Following the probability proportionate to size cluster sampling procedure for villages, a randomized sampling procedure was adopted irrespective of the age, sex and individual susceptibility pattern, selecting exclusive villages of each sub-group of tribes in five blocks. A total of 1603 blood samples of 836 Bhuyan and 767 Kharia tribals were screened for haemoglobin variants in the Sundargarh district of Orissa. Laboratory analyses of blood samples were carried out following standard procedures.

Results: The study showed a high prevalence of haemoglobin variants in the Bhuyan (9.8%) and Kharia (13.3%) tribes, sickle-cell disorders contributing 2.4% and 5.6%, respectively. The sickle-cell gene was found to be completely absent in the Dudh Kharia tribe, whereas the frequency in the Dhelki Kharia was quite high (12.5%). For the first time, 1.4% prevalence of haemoglobin E disorders (10 traits and one disease case) was recorded in a tribal population, i.e. Delki Kharia in Orissa. No other haemoglobin variant except β-thalassaemia trait was detected in the Dudh Kharia tribe (8.1%), showing their genetic isolation (p<0.001) from the Delki Kharia (4.1%), the average being 6.3% in the Kharia tribe. Out of three subgroups of Bhuyan studied, the sickle-cell trait was detected only in Paraja (0.9%) and Paik (7.4%), and not in Paudi (Hill) Bhuyans. However, the β-thalassaemia trait was detected in an average 6.5% in the Bhuyan tribe: in Paudi (2.1%), Paik (7.8%) and in Paraja (12.7%). For the first time in the tribes of Orissa a family was found with haemoglobin D trait (in Paik Bhuyan) and another with hereditary persistence of fetal haemoglobin (in Paraja Bhuyan). Clinical and haematological features of these disorders were similar to those reported in previous studies carried out in India.

Conclusion: Isolates of the Bhuyan and Kharia tribes show intra-group variations in prevalence of haemoglobin variants due to founder effect, genetic drift, and the practice of inbreeding in varied geographical and ecological niches in the Sundargarh district of Orissa.

Résumé. Arrière plan: Les communautés tribales de l’Inde forment la majeure part de sa population et sont vulnérables à de nombreuses affections érythrocytaires héréditaires ainsi qu’à des affections hématologiques telles que les hémoglobinopathies. Les études génétiques entreprises jusqu’alors sur des groupes tribaux sont rares, parcellaires et incomplètes. Aucune étude systématique des affections hémolytiques héréditaires fondée sur des données de terrain n’est disponible pour l’Orissa. De plus, l’étendue des variants de l’hémoglobine chez les membres de cette ethnie est inconnue. Le travail présenté a été effectué dans les tribus Bhuyan et Kharia du district de Sundargarh dans l’état de l’Orissa en Inde.

But: Cette étude cherche à définir la prévalence et le spectre des variants de l’hémoglobine dans deux groupes tribaux importants, Bhuyan et Kharia ainsi que dans leurs sous-groupes du district de Sundargarh dans la partie nord-ouest de l’Orissa.

Sujets et méthodes: On a adopté une procédure d’échantillonnage aléatoire définissant une probabilité proportionnelle à la taille des clusters villageois, indépendante de l’âge, du sexe et du profil de susceptibilité individuelle, en sélectionnant des villages exclusifs de chaque sous-groupe en cinq blocks. La recherche des variants de l’hémoglobine par les méthodes standard, a été effectuée sur un total de 1603 échantillons sanguins de 836 Bhuyan et 767 Kharia du district Sundargarh de l’Orissa.

Résultats: On trouve une forte prévalence de variants de l’hémoglobine dans les tribus Bhuyan (9,8%) et Kharia (13,3%), les sicklémies en représentant respectivement 2,4% et 5,6%. Le gène sicklémique est absent de la tribu Dudh Kharia alors que sa fréquence dans la tribu Dhelki Kharia est très élevée (12,5%). On a observé pour la première fois dans une population tribale (Dhelki Kharia) une prévalence de 1,4% des mutants de l’hémoglobine E (10 génotypes et un seul cas clinique). Aucune autre variante de l’hémoglobine à l’exception de la β-thalassaemia rencontré dans la tribu Dhudh Kharia (8,1%) n’a été trouvée, ce qui indique son isolement génétique (p<0,001) par rapport aux Dhelki Kharia (4,1%), la moyenne étant 6,3% chez les Kharia. Parmi les trois sous groupes Bhuyan étudiés, le trait drépanocytaire a été rencontré chez les Paraja (0,9%) et chez les Paik (7,4%) mais non chez les Paudi (petite montagne). Par contre le trait β-thalassémique est présent avec une moyenne de 6,5% chez les Bhuyan: (2,1%) chez les Paudi, (7,8%) chez les Paik et (12,7%) chez les Paraja. On a trouvé pour la première fois dans ces tribus de l’Orissa, une famille à hémoglobine D (chez des Paik Bhuyan) ainsi qu’une autre présentant une persistance héréditaire de l’hémoglobine foetale (chez les Paraja Bhuyan). Les caractéristiques cliniques et hématologiques de ces affections sont semblables à celles qui ont été décrites dans des études indiennes précédentes.

Conclusion: Les isolas des tribus Bhuyan et Kharia présentent des variations intra-groupes dans la prévalence des variants de l’hémoglobine provoqués par l’effet du fondateur et la dérive génique en association avec la pratique de mariages consanguins, dans diverses niches géographiques et écologiques du district de Sundargarh dans l’état indien de l’Orissa.

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Stammesgemeinschaften in Indien stellen einen wesentlichen Teil der Bevölkerung und sind anfällig für zahlreiche erythrozytäre und hämatologische Erbkrankheiten wie z.B. Hämoglobinopathien. Bisher sind nur wenige genetische Untersuchungen in Stammesgemeinschaften durchgeführte worden. Systematische Feldstudien hämolytischer Erbkrankheiten gibt es in Orissa nicht. Zudem ist das Ausmaß an Hämoglobinvarianten bei Stämmen in diesem Bundesstaat nicht bekannt. Die vorliegende Studie wurde bei den Bhuyan und Kharia Stämmen des Sundargarhdistrikts von Orissa durchgeführt.

Ziel: Das Ziel dieser Studie ist, die Prävalenz/das Spektrum von Hämoglobinvarianten bei zwei größeren Stammesgruppen, insbesondere der Bhuyan und der Kharia und ihrer Untergruppen, die den Sundargarhdistrikt von Nordwest-Orissa bewohnen, zu bestimmen.

Probanden und Methoden: Gemäß der Wahrscheinlichkeit, die sich aufgrund von Größenverhältnissen bei Stichprobenerhebungen in Dörfern ergibt, wurde die Probandenerhebung randomisiert, unabhängig von Alter, Geschlecht und dem Muster an individueller Anfälligkeit, und es wurden ausschließlich Dörfer einer jeden Stammesuntergruppe in fünf Abschnitten gewählt. Insgesamt wurden 1603 Blutproben bei 836 Personen der Bhuyan- und bei 767 Personen der Kharia-Stämme auf Hämoglobinvarianten im Sundargarhdistrikt von Orissa untersucht. Die Laboruntersuchungen wurden nach Standardroutine durchgeführt.

Ergebnisse: Die Studie zeigte eine hohe Prävalenz an Hämoglobinvarianten bei den Bhuyan (9,8%) und bei den Kharia-Stämmen (13,3%), mit einem Anteil an Sichelzellerkrankungen von je 2,4%, bzw. 5,6%. Das Sichelzellgen fand sich überhaupt nicht bei Personen des Dudh Kharia-Stammes, während die Häufigkeit bei den Delki Kharia recht hoch war (12,5%). Zum ersten Mal wurde bei einer Stammesbevölkerung für eine Hämoglobin E-Erkrankung eine Prävalenz von 1,4% (10 Träger und eine manifeste Erkrankung) gezeigt, und zwar bei den Delki Kharia in Orissa. Abgesehen von der β-Thalassämie (8,1%) wurden weitere Hämoglobinvarianten bei den Dudh Karia nicht gefunden, was ihre genetische Isolation gegenüber den Delki Kharia (p<0,001) zeigt (4,1%), bei einer mittleren Häufigkeit von 6,3% bei den Kharia-Stämmen. Bei den drei untersuchten Untergruppen der Bhuyan wurden nur bei den Paraja (0,9%) und den Paik (7,4%), nicht aber bei den Paudi (Hill) Bhuyans Sichelzellträger gefunden. Allerdings wurden β-Thalassämieträger im Durchschnitt bei 6,5% der Personen des Bhuyan-Stammes gefunden, und zwar bei den Paudi (2,1%), den Paik (7,8%) und bei den Paraja (12,7%). Erstmals wurde bei den Stämmen in Orissa eine Familie mit Hämoglobin D gefunden (bei den Paik Bhuyan) und eine weitere mit genetischer Persistenz von fetalem Hämoglobin (bei den Paraja Bhuyan). Klinische und hämatologische Zeichen dieser Erkrankungen waren denen ähnlich, die in früheren Studien aus Indien bekannt geworden waren.

Zusammenfassung: Isolate der Bhuyan- und der Kharia-Stämme zeigen innerhalb der Gruppen Variationen der Prävalenz von Hämoglobinvarianten aufgrund von Gründereffekt, genetischer Drift und Inzucht in verschiedenen geographischen und ökologischen Nischen im Sundargarhdistrikt von Orissa.

Resumen. Antecedentes: En la India, las comunidades tribales constituyen una parte importante de la población y son vulnerables a muchos trastornos hematológicos y eritrocíticos hereditarios, como las hemoglobinopatías. Los estudios genéticos emprendidos hasta ahora sobre grupos tribales son escasos, poco uniformes e incompletos. No se dispone de estudios sistemáticos de campo sobre los trastornos hemolíticos hereditarios en Orissa. Además, se desconoce el número de variantes de la hemoglobina entre las tribus del estado. El presente estudio se realizó en las tribus Bhuyan y Kharia del distrito de Sundargarh, en Orissa.

Objetivo: Este estudio pretende encontrar la prevalencia/espectro de las variantes de la hemoglobina en dos grandes grupos tribales denominados Bhuyan y Kharia, y sus subgrupos, que residen en el distrito de Sundargarh, en el noroeste de Orissa.

Sujetos y Métodos: Para las aldeas, después de un procedimiento de muestreo de conglomerados, con probabilidades de inclusión proporcionales al tamaño, se adoptó un procedimiento de muestreo aleatorio independiente de la edad, sexo y patrón de susceptibilidad individual, seleccionando aldeas exclusivas de cada subgrupo de tribus en cinco bloques. Se analizó un total de 1603 muestras sanguíneas de 836 tribus Bhuyan y 767 tribus Kharia, con respecto a variantes de la hemoglobina en el distrito Sundargarh de Orissa. Los análisis de laboratorio de las muestras sanguíneas se realizaron siguiendo los procedimientos estándar.

Resultados: El estudio mostró una alta prevalencia de las variantes de la hemoglobina en las tribus Bhuyan (9,8%) y Kharia (13,3%), siendo la contribución de los trastornos de las células falciformes de un 2,4% y 5,6%, respectivamente. El gen de las células falciformes estaba completamente ausente en la tribu Dudh Kharia, mientras que su frecuencia en la tribu Dhelki Kharia era bastante alta (12,5%). Por primera vez se registró un 1,4% de prevalencia de trastornos de la hemoglobina E (10 rasgos y un caso de enfermedad) en una población tribal, la Delki Kharia en Orissa. No se detectó ninguna otra variante hemoglobínica, excepto el rasgo de la β-talasemia en la tribu Dudh Kharia (8,1%), mostrando su aislamiento genético (p<0,001) a partir de la Delki Kharia (4,1%), siendo el promedio en la tribu Kharia de un 6,3%. Fuera de los tres subgrupos de la tribu Bhuyan estudiados, el rasgo de las células falciformes se detectó únicamente en los Paraja (0,9%) y los Paik (7,4%), pero no en los Paudi (Hill) Bhuyans. Sin embargo, el rasgo de la β-talasemia se detectó en la tribu Bhuyan con un 6,5% de promedio: 2,1% en los Paudi, 7,8% en los Paik y 12,7% en los Paraja. Por primera vez en las tribus de Orissa se encontró una familia (en Paik Bhuyan) con el rasgo de la hemoglobina D y otra con una persistencia hereditaria de la hemoglobina fetal (en Paraja Bhuyan). Las características clínicas y hematológicas de estos trastornos eran similares a las señaladas en estudios previos realizados en la India.

Conclusión: Los aislados de las tribus Bhuyan y Kharia muestran variaciones intragrupales en la prevalencia de las variantes de la hemoglobina debidas al efecto fundador, a la deriva génica y a la práctica de la consanguinidad en nichos geográficos y ecológicos variados del distrito Sundargarh de Orissa.     

Microgeographical and tribal variations in water contact and Schistosoma mansoni exposure within a Ugandan fishing community

OBJECTIVE: To explore patterns of water contact and Schistosoma mansoni exposure by age, sex, tribe and space within a single village. METHODS: For 10 months, we systematically observed water contacts made by the 800 inhabitants of a small Ugandan fishing village. In order to estimate cercarial exposure, times spent in water were weighted by snail infection levels, time of day and degree of immersion. RESULTS: There were marked differences in water contact patterns between the two main tribes, which inhabited geographically distinct ends of the village resulting in geographically distinct spatial patterns of water contact. The distributions of the intermediate hosts, Biomphalaria sudanica and Biomphalaria stanleyi, also appeared to differ over small distances. This led to quite different exposure patterns between the two tribes, particularly amongst females. CONCLUSIONS: Schistosoma mansoni exposure can vary markedly within a single village. Such non-homogenous patterns of exposure are likely to have wider implications for schistosomiasis control programmes and research studies.     

The Duffy blood groups of Jarawas - the primitive and vanishing tribe of Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, union territory of India were inhabited by 14 aboriginal tribes. Some of these tribal populations have already become extinct, and the numbers of the existing ones are also dwindling. This group of islands being highly endemic for malaria, it was considered worthwhile to study the hunter-gatherer primitive tribe, Jarawas, for their Duffy blood group phenotype. Jarawas, the primitive tribe of Andaman Islands, inhabit the three jungle areas of South and one jungle area of Middle Andaman. Blood samples of 116 Jarawas were collected and tested for Duffy blood group and malarial parasite infectivity. The Duffy blood grouping was performed as per standard serological techniques, and peripheral smears were screened for malarial parasite and if present parasite density count was performed and the species identified. The results showed a total absence of both Fy(a) and Fy(b) antigens in two areas (Kadamtala and R.K. Nallah) and low prevalence of Fy(a) antigen in another two areas (Jirkatang and Tirur). There was absence of malarial parasite Plasmodium vivax infection though Plasmodium falciparum infection was present in 27.59% of cases. A very high frequency of Fy (a-b-) in the Jarawa tribe from all the four jungle areas of Andaman Islands along with total absence of P. vivax infections suggests the selective advantage offered to Fy (a-b-) individuals against P vivax infection.     

A novel HBV recombinant (genotype I) similar to Vietnam/Laos in a primitive tribe in eastern India

Summary. Genotyping of 20 strains of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) from the Idu Mishmi primitive tribe of northeast India identified multiple genotypes and the presence of a unique cluster grouping with strains from Vietnam and Laos identified as novel recombinants/genotype I. Sequence analysis (similarity and bootscan plots) of three complete HBV genomes from the tribe provided evidence of recombination. Phylogenetic analyses supported recombination between genotypes A, G and C. The Pre‐S gene between nt 2943 and 397 was clearly of genotype A origin, whereas nt 397–1397 represented genotype G and nt 1397–2943 represented genotype C. Percentage divergence from genotypes B, D, E, F, G and H varied from 9.2 ± 0.45% to 13.8 ± 0.53%, whereas genotype A and C differed by 7.9 ± 0.42% and 7.4 ± 0.39% respectively. The identification of similar recombinant viruses in three countries, especially in a primitive tribe with no contact with the outside world suggests that these viruses do not represent recent recombination events, but circulation of closely related viruses highly divergent from known HBV genotypes and should be classified as members of genotype ‘I’.     

Antipyretic and antibacterial activity of Chloranthus erectus (Buch.-Ham.) Verdcourt leaf extract: A popular folk medicine of Arunachal Pradesh

Objective:

The main objective of this work was to study the antipyretic and antibacterial activity of C. erectus (Buch.-Ham.) Verdcourt leaf extract in an experimental albino rat model.

Materials and Methods:

The methanol extract of C. erectus leaf (MECEL) was evaluated for its antipyretic potential on normal body temperature and Brewer’s yeast-induced pyrexia in albino rat’s model. While the antibacterial activity of MECEL against five Gram (−) and three Gram (+) bacterial strains and antimycotic activity was investigated against four fungi using agar disk diffusion and microdilution methods.

Result

Yeast suspension (10 mL/kg b.w.) elevated rectal temperature after 19 h of subcutaneous injection. Oral administration of MECEL at 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w. showed significant reduction of normal rectal body temperature and yeast-provoked elevated temperature (38.8 ± 0.2 and 37.6 ± 0.4, respectively, at 2–3 h) in a dose-dependent manner, and the effect was comparable to that of the standard antipyretic drug–paracetamol (150 mg/kg b.w.). MECEL at 2 mg/disk showed broad spectrum of growth inhibition activity against both groups of bacteria. However, MECEL was not effective against the yeast strains tested in this study.

Conclusion

This study revealed that the methanol extract of C. erectus exhibited significant antipyretic activity in the tested models and antibacterial activity as well, and may provide the scientific rationale for its popular use as antipyretic agent in Khamptis’s folk medicines.     

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory potential of Chloranthus erectus (Buch.-Ham.) Verd. leaf extract in rats

Aim of the study

Chloranthus erectus (Buch.-Ham.) Verdcourt (Chloranthaceae) is a shrub native to tropical and temperate zone of Eastern Himalaya of India and South-East Asia and have traditionally been used as a folklore medicine to treat localised swelling, joint pain, skin inflammation, fever and bodyache. In this study, an attempt has been made to demonstrate the anti-inflammatory activity of methanol extract obtained from Chloranthus erectus leaves (MECEL) in acute, sub-acute and chronic mouse models.

Materials and methods

Inflammation in the hind paw of Wistar albino rat was induced by carrageenan, histamine and serotonin, and tissue granuloma pouch was induced by cotton pellet method. Anti-inflammatory drug—phenylbutazone was used as standard drug for comparison.

Results

In acute carrageenan-induced rat hind paw edema, oral administration of MECEL at 200 mg/kg produced significant inhibition of edema by 38.34% (p < 0.01) while the histamine- and serotonin-induced sub-acute model, the inhibition of paw edema reached 52.54% (p < 0.001) and 25.5% (p < 0.01), respectively. In a 7-day study, MECEL at 20 and 50 mg/kg produced significant suppression of cotton pellet-induced tissue granuloma formation in rats.

Conclusions

This preliminary study revealed that the methanol extract of Chloranthus erectus exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity in the tested models, and may provide the scientific rationale for its popular folk medicine as anti-inflammatory agent.     

升麻族植物药理活性研究进展

升麻族(tribeCimicifugeae)隶属毛茛科,包括铁破锣、黄三七、升麻、类叶升麻和垂果升麻5个属。升麻族植物的特征化学成分是环阿尔廷烷型三萜和肉桂酸衍生物。近年来由于其多样而显著的生物活性备受关注。我国升麻族植物资源丰富,应结合现代药理研究成果,加以开发利用,发掘新药。综述了该族植物总提物及单体药理活性研究新进展。     

Traditional knowledge on medicinal plant of the Karen in northern Thailand: A comparative study

Ethnopharmacological relevance

We studied traditional medicinal plant knowledge among the Karen in northern Thailand.

Aim of the study

To compare traditional medicinal knowledge in 14 Karen villages in northern Thailand and determine culturally important medicinal plant species in each Karen village.

Materials and methods

We interviewed 14 key informants and 438 non-specialist informants about their traditional knowledge of medicinal plants. We tested normality of the data and correlations with distance to the nearest city using Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Cluster analysis and cultural importance index (CI) were calculated for the similarity of medicinal plant used and culturally importance medicinal plant species among Karen villages respectively.

Results

In total 379 medicinal plant species were used. Number of medicinal plants used positively correlate with distance to the nearest city. Relatively low similarities of medicinal plant species and different CI values for species among the different areas were found.

Conclusions

Traditional medicinal plants still play an important role in medicinal practice of the Karen. Local environments, availability of medicinal plant and distance between Karen villages and the nearest city affect the amount of traditional medicinal knowledge in each Karen village. The medicinal plants in this study with high CI values might give some useful leads for further biomedical research.     

浙江省天南星族药用植物块茎的蛋白质电泳分析

目的：探讨天南星族药用植物间生理生化特征的相关性和差异性，分析它们的亲缘关系，为其分类鉴定提供科学依据。方法：应用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳技术对天南星族植物11种5变种1变型共29个样品进行蛋白质电泳分析，从电泳谱中取49个数量化特征，以单链法对这类植物进行聚类分析。结果：同种植物的蛋白质电泳谱较相似，而不同种植物之间有明显差异。结论：（1）此类植物的蛋白质电泳谱具有一定的稳定性和可靠性；（2）蛋白质电泳分析结果与传统经典分类结果基本吻合，（3）长管半夏Pinellia longitubulosa应建立新种，粉背盾叶半夏P.peltata var.chunanensis和绛斑湘南星Arisaema hunanense var.ningpoense宜成立新变种；全缘灯台莲Arisaema sikokianum,灯台莲A.sikokianum var.serratum及七叶灯台莲A.sikokianum var.henyyanu3变种应予归并。     

耧斗菜族药用植物资源及开发前景

报道17种耧斗菜族药用植物资源、习性和药用价值。结合国内外对本族一些植物的化学成分及药理研究,提出该族药用植物的开发前景。