Finger Ridge Count Research Articles

Finger ridge-count correlations: Race, sex and hand differences

Race, sex and hand differences were tested using z -transformation of the means of correlation coefficients between ridge-counts of (a) fingers of right hand among themselves; (b) fingers of left hand among themselves; (c) non-homologous fingers of right and left hands; (d) homologous fingers, for two samples: o (1) individual data for 26 male and 12 female populations; (2) population means for 195 male and 165 female populations. Differences were observed between homologous and non-homologous fingers and between fingers of right and left hands. No significant sexual or racial differences appear from this analysis.

Dermatoglyphic feature of myocardial infarction patients.

An association reported between certain dermatoglyphic features and myocardial infarction (MI) in Japanese males is investigated using a sample of Caucasian males. The frequencies in each of the four Galtonian pattern types (arch, ulnar loop, radial loop, whorl) defined on each of the ten primary digital pattern areas, as well as several synthetic fields for the MI and control groups, are compared. Total and absolute finger ridge count for the same pattern areas in the two samples are similarly studied. No differences in the distributions of these features significant at the 0.01 level or less could be demonstrated between the MI and control samples. A search for combinations of features to correctly classify the individuals into the two groups was similarly inconclusive. Differences in sample size and racial homogeneity that may account for this failure to reproduce the results of the study of Japanese males are discussed. Finally, statistics describing the distributions of the dermatoglyphic features in the test and control samples are presented for comparison with future investigations.

Finger ridge-count variation in 45,X Turner's syndrome.

Finger ridge-counts of 109 45,X Turner's syndrome patients were compared to normal controls by means of discriminant functions. Each subject was represented by 20 variables, a radial and an ulnar count for each digit. Not only do Turner patients exhibit larger counts, but the distribution of counts over the digits is altered considerably. The Turnernormal differences appear to correspond to previously defined developmental fields.

Genetic studies on total finger ridge count among Telaganya Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh, India

SummaryInvestigations carried out in many populations on the genetics of total ridge count of fingers have shown that the trait is determined mainly by additive genes. However, the phenotypic variance differs among the populations. In the present investigation, the genetics of total finger ridge count in the Telaganya Brahmin population of Andhra Pradesh, India, has been studied in detail and compared with the earlier results.

Variations on dermal ridges in nine population groups of Maharashtra, India. I. Intra- and interpopulation diversity.

From rolled fingerprints of 646 males belonging to nine endogamous groups of Maharashtra, India, the intra- and interpopulation variability is studied by considering three traits: total finger ridge count (TFRC), absolute total finger ridge count (ATFRC) and finger pattern intensity index (FPII). Complete distributions are reported for the three major clusters: five caste Hindus, three tribes, and the Parsees. Dermatoglyphic distances computed by Mahalanobis' D2 are compared with genetic distances.

Quantitative twin analysis of radial and ulnar ridge counts and ridge count diversity.

Analysis of variance was performed on the radial and ulnar finger ridge counts and ridge count diversity index in 360 twin sets from which estimates of genetic variance were obtained. Findings for radial and ulnar counts paralleled those previously obtained for finger pattern type and ridge count (larger of radial and ulnar count). In contrast, ridge count diversity showed no indication of unequal total variances, as previously found for the total ridge count. One must be cautious not to exclude genetic influences on traits, such as the thumb variables in this study, where there are unequal total variances between monozygotic and dizygotic twins and the more conservative estimate of genetic variance is not significant.

Finger ridge-count variability in Sub-Saharan Africa

Mean finger ridge-count data were obtained, primarily from literature sources, for 31 male and 24 female sub-Saharan African samples. The 10 finger ridge-counts and total ridge-count were used as independent variables in a multiple regression analysis, latitude and longitude serving in turn as the dependent variables. The results show that it is not the magnitude of the ridge-counts themselves that is important, but rather contrasts between groups of digits. The most important geographically patterned variation in ridge-counts consists of contrasts between digits 4 and 5 and digits 2 and 3. South and south-east African populations are characterized by low contrasts, west Africans by high contrasts and, south-west Africans are intermediate. The geographical patterning of the contrast agrees well with known patterns of gene flow into and within the continent as determined by serological genes. Principal components analysis was also carried out to determine whether within-group components corresponding to the geographically relevant between-group variation could be identified. The third, fourth and fifth components drew the same types of contrasts between the groups of digits identified in the multiple regression analysis, but they were relatively unimportant. The geographically important principal components would have been overlooked in a traditional multivariate analysis of finge ridge-counts, since the analysis would have been dominated by pattern size. We conclude that finger ridge-counts are potentially very useful in population studies, but account must be taken of their multicomponent nature.

Finger Ridge Counts of the Ammassalimiut Eskimo of Greenland and Other Eskimo Population Groups: The Founder Effect and Interbreeding

Finger Ridge Counts of the Ammassalimiut Eskimo of Greenland and Other Eskimo Population Groups: The Founder Effect and Interbreeding

Dermatoglyphic and radiographic findings in a mother and daughter with pseudohypoparathyroidism

The dermatoglyphic features of a mother and daughter with pseudohypoparathyroidism were compared with those of 19 other reported PHP cases and with findings typical of 45,X Turner syndrome. Our observations included large patterns with a predominance of whorls, unusual accidental patterns on the third fingers, elevated total and absolute finger ridge counts, extralimital digital triradii, intermediately placed axial triradii, and a single complete transverse palmar crease. With barium-coated hand radiographs, the positions of the palmar digital triradii were compared with those of the underlying metacarpal and carpal bones. Normally, the fourth digital triradii (c) are superficial to the epiphyseal region of the proximal phalanx, near the fourth M-P joint. In our cases, the c triradii were distal to the proximal phalanx, near the fourth M-P joint. In our cases, the c triradii were distal to the M-P joint, adjacent to the diaphysis of the proximal phalanx. These findings, related to post-natal differences in growth potential of osseous structures and overlying dermal ridge tissues in this disease, may also be relevant to other syndromes with abnormal development of the hand. The need for further delineation of PHP dermatoglyphics and comparison of findings with data from Turner syndrome and normals is stressed.

Finger and palmar dermatoglyphics of a Yoruba (Nigeria) sample.

Finger and palm prints of 126 male and 55 female Yoruba are reported using both quantitative and qualitative procedures. In general, the Yoruba fit into established geographical gradients for sub-saharan African populations. Whorl frequencies on the digits are relatively low, as is the frequency of palmar patterning. Finger ridge-counts, those of males in particular are high by African standards, and much higher than the previously reported data from Nigeria. Due to the lack of data on patterns of geographic variation in total finger ridge-count, little can be made of these findings at present.

Fingerprint pattern factors.

Factor analysis was employed using the ulnar ridge count, radial ridge count, ridge count (the larger of the radial or ulnar count as generally used for calculating total ridge count), and pattern type for each finger in 720 twins. Pattern type and ulnar count displayed parallel factor loadings while loadings for radial and ridge count also paralleled each other. This relationship did not hold for the index finger, indicating the importance of pattern direction and greater pattern diversity for this digit. Total ridge count was most closely associated with a factor of ring and little finger radial and ridge count and only secondarily with an index finger factor. When radial and ulnar counts were deleted to make comparisons with earlier studies, the result was factors having groupings of variables identical with previous reports. It appears that factor analysis results in consistent extraction of identical or very similar factors from different populations, and the use of radial and ulnar counts adds more information than when only the larger of the two counts is considered.

Dermatoglyphics of American Blacks.

AbstractDermatoglyphics of 100 male and 100 female phenotypically normal Black Americans living in New York City were analyzed. The significant bimanual asymmetry was noted only for patterns in the second and the third interdigital areas of the palms. The significant sex differences included excess of digital arch patterns in females and higher mean finger ridge counts in males.Distribution of dermatoglyphic characteristics of Black Americans in our study was compared to those of Black Americans studied by Steinberg et al. ('75) and Caucasian Americans studied by Schaumann and Alter ('76). The results show that significant differences in the dermatoglyphics exist not only between the Caucasian and Black subjects but also between the two groups of Black Americans.

Estimation of the variance components for dermal ridge count.

Refinements of the scoring algorithm to estimate variance components from pedigree data are developed. Subsequent to these modifications, heritability estimates were readily obtained from data for over 50 traits, including total finger ridge count reported here. A significant contribution to the total variance of ridge count could be attributed to the effects of dominance, a finding not previously reported for this dermatoglyphic trait.

Dermatoglyphs of Klinefelter's syndrome.

The dermatoglyphs of 28 Japanese with Klinefelter's syndrome [24 XXY; 2 XXYY; 1 XXXY; 1 XXXXY] were compared with 544 male and 129 female controls. These patients showed high frequencies...

DERMATOGLYPHICS IN FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME

An exposure of the fetus to deleterious agents during the period of formation of epidermal patterns may result in abnormalities of dermatoglyphics. To test the validity of this assertion the dermatoglyphics of 4 male and 13 female unrelated black children with fetal alcohol syndrome were studied. In all cases the diagnosis was based on characteristic clinical stigmata and a history of maternal heavy drinking during pregnancy. Since the number of male patients in the study was inadequate for any group comparisons, only the dermatoglyphics of female patients were compared to those of 100 black female controls from the New York area. Significant differences between the patients and normal subjects were observed. The patients had (1) a lower frequency of whorls (13.1 versus 31.3) and a higher frequency of ulnar (73.8 versus 58.5) and radial (6.2 versus 1.7) loops (P<.005), and (2) a higher a-b ridge count (82.3 ± 3.01 versus 74.27 ± 1.10). No differences were found in the total finger ridge count, the width of the atd angle, and palmar and hallucal patterns. One patient had simian lines and another had Sidney lines on both hands. Because of the relatively small number of patients in the study, it is impossible to be definitive about the observed differences. However, if these observations could be confirmed in a larger sample of patients, the dermatoglyphics may serve as a useful marker in the fetal alcohol syndrome.

Sex and lateral asymmetry of the finger ridge-count.

In a sample 719 individuals, the bimanual difference in ridge-count (right minus left) differed only slightly between the two sexes, the mean difference being 0-621 (females minus males). This is not statistically significant, but further evidence suggests that this difference may be real.

Extensions to pedigree analysis III. Variance components by the scoring method

The classic variance components for simple polygenic traits - additive, dominance, and environmental variance - have traditionally been estimated from sample covariances between first-degree relatives. If data is gathered on pedigrees, this statistical procedure wastes information. Recently Elston & Stewart suggested an alternative likelihood procedure that uses all the information in a set of pedigrees. A refinement of their method based on the scoring technique gives rapidly converging maximum likelihood estimates of the variance components and of the male and female means. Tests of statistical hypotheses about the various parameters can then be made by the likelihood ratio method. Furthermore, using classical regression analysis, the estimated parameter values allow prediction of unknown trait values from known trait values within a pedigree. These methods should apply to traits like total finger ridge count and to quantitative measurements associated with disease traits. Since the model postulates independent environmental effects and no assortative mating, its utility in human behaviour genetics seems limited.

Finger Patterns and Ridge Counts of Patients with Klinefelter&amp;rsquo;s Syndrome (47, XXY) among the Japanese

Finger prints of a series of 48 Japanese patients with Klinefelter's syndrome (47, XXY) were studied as to frequencies of patterns and ridge counts. The patients displayed frequencies of the finger patterns on all digits similar to those of normal female controls. The finger patterns on individual digits of the patients, nevertheless, showed frequencies distinguishable from those of both normal male and female controls; arch pattern on digit I was significantly higher in incidence in Klinefelter's syndrome, whereas on digit II, ulnar loops were significantly more frequent and whorls less frequent in the patients. The patients were also noted to show significantly lower ridge counts for loops and whorls as compared with the normal controls. In Klinefelter's syndrome, significant diminution of the total finger ridge counts was demonstrable and this has been attributed not so much to the increased incidence of arches as to the frequent occurence of patterns with low ridge counts. The frequencies of finger patterns on all digits similar to those of normal females, the increased occurrence of patterns with low ridge counts as compared with the normal females, noted in the present series, are the characteristic features that are in common with those reported on white patients with this syndrome.

A non-linear function for maximizing the parent-offspring regression

In the quantitative inheritance of finger-ridge counts, it is conventional to take the largest of the ulnar and radial ridgecounts as a measure of the pattern size. In the case of a loop, there is but one measurement, a radial count on an ulnar loop, and an ulnar count on a radial loop. In a whorl there are (usually) two counts, and it is in this instance when the convention is used. In the case of an arch, both ulnar and radial counts are zero.

Dermatoglyphics in Down's syndrome

Dermatoglyphic data were obtained from 235 cytogenetically confirmed patients of Down's syndrome. The data were correlated and compared with 230 controls. Printing and transparent adhesive tape photography methods were used to get the dermatoglyphic prints. Patients' total finger ridge counts and 'atd' angles differed significantly from that of the controls. Mostly ulnar loop pattern was observed in the patients. Abnormal dermatoglyphic features such as, simian crease, Sydney line and patterns in the hypothenar and interdigital areas have occurred more frequently in the patients. Dermatoglyphics and the analyses carried out have proved that they are invaluable in their clinical value, in selecting patients of Down's syndrome for cytogenetic analysis.