Effects of isolation and inbreeding on human quantitative traits: an example of biochemical markers of hemostasis and inflammation.

Isolation is a known force in evolutionary biology and one of the main factors in speciation. One of the main consequences of severe isolation is reduced mate choice, which results in the occurrence of inbreeding as a result of isolation. We investigated the effects of individual genome-wide heterozygosity measured as the multilocus heterozygosity (MLH) on biochemical markers of hemostasis and inflammation in 1,041 individuals from the island of Vis, Croatia, where inbreeding is prevalent and a wide range of variation in the genome-wide heterozygosity is expected.

Quantifying the increase in average human heterozygosity due to urbanisation.

The human population is undergoing a major transition from a historical metapopulation structure of relatively isolated small communities to an outbred structure. This process is predicted to increase average individual genome-wide heterozygosity (h) and could have effects on health. We attempted to quantify this increase in mean h.

The prevalence of allergic diseases among Croatian school children according to the ISAAC Phase One questionnaire.

Background: The prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases in children has been increasing worldwide over the past decades. The ISAAC Phase I results supplies valuable information on the worldwide variations in the prevalence of these diseases. Although ISAAC Phase I was completed in 56 countries, not all regions of Croatia were covered.

Micro-scale socioeconomic inequalities and health indicators in a small isolated community of Vis Island, Croatia.

Aim: To investigate whether socioeconomic inequalities at a micro-scale, through their effect on major health risk factors and other health indicators, contribute to health status in an isolated island population with demonstrated reduced genetic and environmental variability.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in 2003 and 2004 in the adult population of the island of Vis, Croatia. Participants were recruited from the electoral register.