We and others have previously shown that the dopamine D4 exon III repeat (D4DR) and the serotonin-transporter promoter region (5-HTTLPR) polymorphisms are not only associated with adult personality traits 1-7 but also with temperament in 2-week-old neonates. 8 We now report the results of a second study of these infants and their temperament at 2 months using Rothbart's Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ).9 There were significant negative correlations between neonatal orientation and motor organization as measured by the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) 10 at 2 weeks and negative emotionality, especially distress in daily situations, at 2 months of age. There were significant main effects for negative emotionality and distress when the infants were grouped by the D4DR and the 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms. Infants with long D4DR alleles had significantly lower scores on Negative Emotionality These infants showed most negative emotionality and most distress to daily situations, temperament traits that are perhaps the underpinning of adult neuroticism.The initial findings of associations between D4DR and adult Novelty Seeking 1,6 and 5-HTTLPR and Neuroticism or Harm Avoidance 5 fueled a number of similar investigations some of which did not corroborate these associations across cultural and ethnic groups. [11][12][13][14][15] We postulated that genetic effects on personality might be more clearly understood by studying the first expressions of personality, that is, infant temperament. In order to study the association between temperament and specific genetic polymorphisms, we initiated a longitudinal study of human temperament. We 8 examined a group of infants shortly after birth using the Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Scale (NBAS).10 Cord blood was collected at birth and DNA is available for these subjects. Significant multivariate and univariate main effects were observed for D4DR on four temperament clusters. Infants with long D4DR alleles received higher scores on these clusters than infants with short D4DR alleles. There was also a significant interaction between D4DR and 5-HTTLPR. The effect of s/s 5-HTTLPR was to lower the scores on the orientation cluster for the group of neonates lacking long D4DR alleles. Orientation is a behavioral cluster reflecting alertness and visual and auditory orienting behavior in neonates perhaps akin to adult Novelty Seeking.We are continuing to follow the development of these infants and have now assessed their temperament at 2 months of age using Rothbart's Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ). 9 In the current report we examined the relationship between neonatal behavior and 2-month temperament and the association between two genetic polymorphisms, D4DR and 5-HTTLPR, and temperament at 2 months. All statistical tests were carried out using Statistica or SPSS for Windows. Analyses were based on the classification of the D4DR genotype into long (6-8) and short (2-5) repeats which we also used for the neonatal study. 8 We have discussed in some detail the rationale justific...
Ritual female genital surgery is usually associated with Muslim countries although it is normative also among Ethiopian Coptic Christians. Ethiopian Jewish women immigrants to Israel report that ritual female genital surgery was normative in their culture in Ethiopia, but expressed no desire to continue the custom in Israel. This contrasts with Israeli Bedouin Muslims, who were reported to regard ritual female genital surgery as an important part of their identity. Physical examination of 113 Ethiopian Jewish immigrant women in Israel found a variety of lesions in about a third of women, with 27% showing total or partial clitoral amputation. The heterogeneity of the physical findings contrasts with uniform verbal reports in interviews of having undergone a ritual of female genital surgery.
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