Biomedical Anthropology – Molecular Anthropology – Retrospective Anthropology
Biomedical Anthropology
Morphometric Monitoring of Facial Growth and Development:
In collaboration with the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, research is being conducted on the morphometric monitoring of facial growth and development in patients with cleft lip and/or palate. The main research topics focus on craniofacial assessment of the outcomes of new surgical methods, 3D evaluation of the development of the upper alveolar and dental arch compared to controls, prediction of jaw development in patients with clefts, monitoring intracranial relationships in both patients and control groups, craniofacial assessment of the outcomes of new surgical methods, and 3D evaluation of palatal development in normal and pathological conditions.
The Issue of Hypokinesis in Today’s Child Population and Its Consequences:
The current state of adiposity and motor skills, especially in preschool children, is being monitored, with long-term (secular) changes in these parameters being evaluated. Further research activities focus on the nutritional and behavioral characteristics of schoolchildren and adolescents. Plans include validating current growth norms, updating data on the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and underweight in Czech children and adolescents, and mapping indicators of pubertal development. Long-term changes in markers of adiposity (skinfold thickness and age of adiposity rebound) in preschool children, the relationship between motor skills and body composition in today’s population of Czech preschool children, and the phenomenon of secular changes in body height concerning family history in the Czech population are being tracked.
Molecular Anthropology
Molecular Characteristics of Polygenic Autoimmune Diseases (T1D, SLE, RA, PsA):
The etiology of autoimmune diseases (AO) is complex, involving both genetic and environmental factors. Currently, several predispositional loci are known for each autoimmune disease, with a frequent sharing of risk variants. Using DNA genotyping, followed by functional studies at the mRNA and protein levels with the approach of association studies, molecular mechanisms of the diseases and differences in genetic predisposition, especially concerning the age at the onset of the disease, are being studied.
The Role of Prolactin Cytokine and Innate Immunity in Autoimmune Diseases and Other Immunopathological Conditions:
The issue is addressed on two levels: case-control studies analyze the PRL genotype of healthy and diseased individuals, and prolactin expression in monocytes, key cells of nonspecific immunity, obtained from individuals with and without autoimmune conditions and critically ill patients is monitored. Changes in downstream PRL target genes are studied, and potential connections with other disease-specific markers are investigated. The role of toll-like receptors in the pathogenesis of autoimmune conditions and sepsis is monitored, focusing on individual monocyte subtypes. Additionally, in vitro techniques study the effect of exogenous prolactin on monocytes and characterize differences in the behavior and activation of monocytes from healthy versus diseased subjects. For in vitro studies, celiac disease and type 1 diabetes were selected as model diseases.
Population History of Africa and Arabia:
The topic is addressed through phylogeography, applied mainly to the genetic diversity of DNA loci inherited maternally (mitochondrial DNA) or paternally (the non-recombining portion of the Y chromosome). By estimating mutation rates of specific DNA loci, it is also possible to determine the time frames of demographic expansions and geographic spread of certain haplogroup lineages, thereby reconstructing settlement development. The research focuses primarily on the areas of Africa and Arabia.
Genetic Analyses of the Impact of Subsistence:
Human populations can also be classified according to their predominant subsistence strategies. In addition to hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists, these are mainly farmers and pastoralists today. It has been shown that activities associated with a specific mode of subsistence significantly impact the genetic structure of these populations. In addition to selection-driven genetic adaptation traits, such as lactase persistence or an increased number of amylase gene copies, partner selection methods in smaller, mobile populations of hunter-gatherers and pastoralists are manifested through genetic drift and differentiation.
The SHOX Gene and Its Regulatory Regions:
Our recent research focuses mainly on duplications in the SHOX gene and its proven and hypothetical regulatory regions – we examine their impact on gene expression and clinically significant outcomes. We are also introducing an epigenetic perspective into the research – our goal is to clarify the impact of changes in DNA methylation patterns on gene expression, their pathogenicity, and whether changes in methylation patterns may be related to structural changes in the regulatory regions of the SHOX gene.
Genetics of Circadian Rhythms:
Our research focuses primarily on individuals with extreme chronotypes of morning and evening types ("larks" and "owls") and involves genotyping selected sequence polymorphisms of significant clock genes and important clock-controlled metabolic genes suspected of having a significant influence on individual biorhythms. We then seek connections between genotype and chronotype (determined by standardized MEQ scores) and between genotype and physical and cognitive performance at preferred and non-preferred times of the day.
Retrospective Anthropology
Paleobiology and Bioarchaeology of Significant Pleistocene and Holocene Skeletal Finds:
The physical characteristics of finds from the Pleistocene and Holocene are analyzed to reconstruct living conditions, subsistence strategies, or other key behavioral traits of past populations. The analyses use primarily paleobiological and bioarchaeological approaches such as 3D morphometry, cross-sectional analysis of long bones, radiology, computed tomography, and various mathematical models.
Biomechanics and Locomotion:
Biomechanical research focuses on the relationship between mobility or manipulative activities of past populations and the distribution of dense bone tissue in long bones. Questions of mobility and manipulative behavior in the Holocene or changes in postcranial characteristics during transitional periods (e.g., Upper Paleolithic – Mesolithic – Neolithic) are addressed. Both biomechanical cross-sectional analyses and non-invasive CT techniques and mathematical modeling are used. Current research also focuses on the methodological aspects of biomechanical analyses (e.g., inter- and intra-observer error in reconstructing cross-sections of fossil finds). Additionally, research on modeling locomotion in Pleistocene hominins, particularly their energy efficiency, is being conducted. Mathematical models of sagittal reconstruction of body segment contributions to locomotor parameters are used, as well as direct analyses of locomotion in recent populations in collaboration with the specialized CASRI workplace.
Craniofacial Paleobiology:
Paleobiological research of diachronic, microevolutionary, and macroevolutionary changes in the human cranial skeleton focuses on analyzing diachronic changes in skulls, such as the development of sexual dimorphism, monitoring directional and fluctuating asymmetry of skulls and long bones, and developing software for 2D and 3D morphometric imaging and data processing.
Estimating Demographic Indicators Based on Skeletons:
Research focuses on methods for estimating key paleodemographic indicators such as age, sex, height, or body weight. We focus particularly on analyzing specific skeletal indicators, developing statistical inference, or advanced probabilistic models applied to anthropological estimates.
Research on Paleodemographic Characteristics:
Population-oriented research focuses on studying demographic characteristics. Critical approaches to demography and the relationship between demographic anomalies and demographic phenomena in the past are studied. Further research aims to filter the population specificity of the sample and obtain more accurate and reliable estimates of past demographic development. New studies also utilize sophisticated approaches, such as applying Bayesian theory and geometric morphometrics.
Taphonomy and Field Anthropology:
Research on taphonomy and field anthropology focuses on developing a new area of anthropological research, analyzing skeletal remains in situ. The research mainly addresses theoretical and methodological questions, such as developing a conceptual model between decomposition and entropic transformation of the skeleton and the in situ taphonomic image or the three-dimensional imaging method for recording in situ data during excavation.