Markers of the Constitution

There are relative and fixed (absolute) constitutional markers. Relative markers are a somatotype and the type of higher nervous activity (temperament), they are the subject of conventional peer review. Absolute markers are set objectively and reliably. These include blood group, histocompatibility antigens, whorl, and the dominant hand. Advances in molecular genetics and immunology have made it possible to specify the mechanisms of constitutional predisposition to various forms of disease. The dependence between serological markers of the constitution and disposition to certain diseases was shown. Predisposition to atherosclerosis, hypertension, and myocardial infarction was established among individuals with blood group A, more than carriers of G. According to MN system increased incidence of stroke correlates with MM serotype. In patients with duodenal ulcers, vascular dystonia are more common to have blood group O compared to group A. Plague course is lighter in carriers of blood group B. Carriers of group A are more common in the long-lived. This is due to the presence of certain physiological agglutinogens as autoantigens, allowing immune system to develop the maximum intensity of the immune response against various exogenous pathogens. Therefore, persons of blood group O, having no agglutinogens are in pole position in terms of the immune system, including anti-tumor and anti-infectious one.

Along with this, the carriers of G compared with the other groups demonstrate a reduced production of a number of steroid hormones in the blood plasma, which may indicate a decrease in steroidogenesis, low stress resistance, facilitating the emergence of disease.

The discovery of histocompatibility antigens and their group diversity prove the importance of the molecular basis of the constitution. So, the most important serological marker of the constitution, the basis of antigenic individuality, which determines its immunological reactivity is the haplotype of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). MHC proteins are highly polymorphous membrane glycoproteins involved in the marking of the own cells and self-recognition during immune cell interactions. They are encoded in the short arm of the sixths chromosome. The set of MHC determines the nature and intensity of the immune response, as its proteins are involved in the formation of units recognized by T-cell receptors responding to exogenous and endogenous antigens; they are able to change the immune response directly from the features of their structure. Thus carriers of different MHC haplotypes may be unequally exposured to various autoimmune, allergic and infectious diseases.

Some complement factors and tumor necrosis factor are also encoded in the short arm of the second chromosome which is also relevant to the determination of immunological identity. Low expression of complement factors leads to delayed clearance of immune complexes and makes individual constitutionally predisposed to immune-responses and related syndromes (vasculitis, glomerulonephritis, arthritis, uveitis).

So typing on MHC antigens has some predictive value for the assessment of the constitutional predisposition for diseases that involve the development of immunological mechanisms, although a particular MHC haplotype does not make the disease inevitable, exogenous antigen triggering is also necessary.

For years, doctors and criminalist have known individual characteristics determined by a simple physical examination - whorl formed relief papillary muscles of the skin. Even in 1894, the Portuguese physician Cheyrou proposed constitutional classification of individuals based on the form of hands, fingers and nails, and singled out provided seven types by these features. There are suggestions of the correlation between the papillary pattern and certain types of pathology. The similar correlation is shown between whorl and strength, and endurance muscles, and the ability to fine-motor coordination. It is proved that the nature of papillary pattern is controlled by several genes and is unchanged for the whole life of an individual. Changes in performance of finger and sometimes palmar dermatoglyphics are sproved to correlate with multiple congenital malformations, congenital heart defects, syndactyly, chromosomal abnormalities (Down syndrome, Edwards, Patau, "cat's cry", etc.) (see section 8.7. "Pathophysiology of heredity"). The correlation between these parameters and autoimmune diseases, such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis is also shown.

Dominance in the work of one of the hands of individuals allowed to establish a constitutional right and left phenotypes.

Bilateral constitution relates to functional asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres (R. Sperry 1981). In right-handers the left hemisphere is in charge of abstract thinking, linguistic skills, the right one is in charge of spatial orientation, musical artistic abilities, emotions. 5-8% of individuals in childhood are left- handed, some of them are "retrained" in artificial righties.

Imposing motor stereotype that runs counter to the Constitution, has a negative impact on psychomotor development of the retrained lefties. This is the source of the wealth of data on slower physical development of left-handed children, their increased anxiety compared to the right-handed peers. Statistics are available on the relationship between left-handedness and increased predisposition to autoimmune diseases, including CNS demyelinating disease. There is evidence of a specific course of mental illness in the left-handed, for example, schizophrenia proceeds more favorably, and alcoholism - harder. Left-handed demonstrate higher percentage of the often and long-suffering individuals and have lowered resistance to diseases of the respiratory system.

Date: 2015-01-11; view: 1134