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Effects of paternal heat stress on the in vivo development of preimplantation embryos in the mouse.

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of paternal heat stress on the in vivo development of preimplantation embryos in the mouse. Synchronised B6CBF1 female mice were mated either to a control male mouse or to one that had been exposed at 7, 21 or 35 days previously, for 24 h to an ambient temperature of 36+/-0.3 degrees C and 66+/-5.6% relative humidity. Embryos were collected from the oviducts of mice at 14-16 h, 34-39 h or 61-65 h after mating or from the uterus at 85-90 h after mating and their developmental status was evaluated morphologically. The number of cells within blastocysts was also determined using bisbenzimide-propidium iodide staining. Paternal heat stress 7 days before mating reduced the proportion of embryos developing from 4-cell (4-C) to morulae (M), hatched blastocysts, total blastocysts and the number of inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) cells in the blastocyst. Paternal heat stress 21 days prior to mating reduced the proportion of 2-C and 4-C to M embryos with no embryos developing to blastocysts. There were also increases in the number of 1-C and abnormal embryos recorded at this time. Paternal heat stress 35 days before mating decreased the proportion of 2-C embryos, expanded blastocysts and ICM and TE cells in the blastocyst. These results support previous work demonstrating that both the sperm in the epididymis and germ cells in the testis are susceptible to damage by environmental heat stress, with spermatocytes being the most vulnerable. This study also demonstrates that subtle effects on the male such as a short exposure to elevated environmental temperatures can translate to quite profound paternal impacts on early embryo development.

Animals↗

Effects of maternal and paternal age on Caucasian and Native American preterm births and birth weights.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of maternal and paternal age on Native American and Caucasian infants. Data were abstracted from birth records compiled in North Dakota from 1978 to 1992. Native Americans had a 45% higher risk for preterm births, a 140% higher risk for low birth weight (LBW) (<2500 g), and a 131% higher risk for very LBW (<1500 g) compared with Caucasians. Maternal and paternal age both had a "U-shaped" effect on preterm birth. However, while the risk for preterm birth was increased for both teenage mothers and fathers, the risk was also significantly increased only for mothers between the ages of 36-40 and 41-45. There was also a "U-shaped" relationship between LBW and parental age, and again the risk was statistically significant for different age groups. For mothers, the risk was decreased significantly for those 26 to 30 years of age, whereas for fathers, it was increased significantly for those <20 years of age. There was also a significant interaction between paternal age and race, with teenage Native American fathers having a slight (4%), but statistically significant, increased risk for having LBW children compared with teenage Caucasian fathers. The relationship between parental age and very LBW was also "U-shaped," but while the odds ratios for each maternal age group were significant, none of the odds ratios for any of the paternal age groups was statistically significant. The influence of teenage fathers on preterm and LBWs has not been previously reported, and the finding that paternal age has a greater influence among Native Americans is especially intriguing and deserving of further investigation.

Birth Weight↗

Paternal age and birth defects: how strong is the association?

BACKGROUND: Although the association between maternal age and the risks of birth defects has been well studied, the evidence from population data linking paternal age with birth defects was limited and inconsistent. METHODS: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study of 5,213,248 subjects from the 1999-2000 birth registration data of the USA. Multiple logistic regressions were used to estimate the independent effect of paternal age on all birth defects and 21 specific defects groups after adjusting for potential confounding of maternal age, race, education, marital status, parity, prenatal care initiation, maternal smoking and alcohol drinking during pregnancy. RESULTS: A total of 77,514 (1.5%) birth defects were recorded in the study cohort. The adjusted odds ratios were 1.04 (1.01, 1.06), 1.08 (1.04, 1.12), 1.08 (1.02, 1.14) and 1.15 (1.06, 1.24), respectively, for infants born to fathers 30-35, 40-44, 45-49 and over 50 years (test for trend, P = 0.0155), when compared with those infants born to fathers aged 25-29 for any birth defect. Advanced paternal age was associated with increased risks of heart defects, tracheo-oesophageal fistulaoesophageal atresia, other musculoskeletal/integumental anomalies, Down's syndrome and other chromosomal anomalies. Fathers under 25 years of age were also at increased risks of spina bifida/meningocele, microcephalus, omphalocele/gastroschisis and other musculoskeletal/integumental anomalies. CONCLUSIONS: Infants born to older fathers have a slightly increased risk of birth defects. Young paternal age is also associated with slightly increased risk of several selected birth defects in their offspring. However, given the weak association, paternal age appears to play a small role in the aetiology of birth defects.

Adult↗

Paternal effects on the defensive behavior of honeybees.

The defensive behavior of 52 hybrid honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies from four sets of crosses was studied and compared with that of European and Africanized bee colonies. Colonies containing F(1) hybrid workers were obtained through reciprocal crosses between European and Africanized bees. The total number of stings deposited by workers in a moving leather patch in 1 min was recorded. In each of the four sets of crosses, bees from hybrid colonies of Africanized paternity left more stings in leather patches than bees from hybrid colonies of European paternity. Results strongly suggest paternal effects of African origin increasing the defensive behavior of hybrid colonies. Although some degree of dominance was observed for high-defensive behavior in one of the four sets of crosses involving European paternity, most of the dominance effects reported in the literature appear to be the result of paternal effects. Several hypotheses to explain this phenomenon, as well as the implications of these effects on the fitness and breeding of honeybees are discussed.

Aggression↗

A critical analysis of paternity determination using HLA and five erythrocyte antigen systems.

Five hundred and thirty-seven cases of disputed paternity in North Carolina were tested for five erythrocyte polymorphisms, HLA antigens, or both. The data were analyzed to evaluate the ability of the tests to exclude the alleged father or to include the alleged father as the biological father. Incompatibility between the phenotypes of the alleged father, and those of the mother and child, were found in 40.6% of black males and 30.3% of white males (P less than 0.005). The rates of exclusion appeared to vary between countries in which the cases originated, although the significance of the differences could not be determined because of the small sample size. Using a Bayesian approach and 0.5 as the prior probability of paternity, we calculated the posterior probability of paternity for HLA and five erythrocyte systems combined as well as for HLA and erythrocyte systems separately. The probability of paternity values based on the combined HLA and RBC tests exceeded 95% in 299 of the 345 nonexcluded cases as compared to only 218 cases based on HLA tests alone and 36 cases based on erythrocyte tests alone. We conclude that in approximately 10% of paternity cases in the population served by this laboratory, the information obtained is inconclusive. To resolve these cases, additional polymorphisms and/or a panel of genetic tests systems which can provide greater than 95% probability of exclusion is required.

Bayes Theorem↗

Empirical paternity exclusion rates.

We have developed an empirical method of estimating paternity exclusion rates for any genetic system by counting exclusions among fictitious "nonfather" paternity cases generated from true paternity disputes. Especially for multiallele multiloci systems, this technique has advantages over traditional formulae methods in that it replaces tedious (and, in some cases, impossible) computations with simple data file manipulations, and it avoids introducing quantities such as gametic disequilibrium and recombination fraction that are difficult to measure. Exclusion rates for standard and one-parent paternity cases are given for three racial groups (Caucasians, blacks, and Hispanics) in four genetic systems (HLA, ABO, MNSs, and Rh). Beside the method, of interest are our findings of higher HLA exclusion rates (93.25% for Caucasians, 94.62% for blacks, and 95.82% for Hispanics) compared with rates previously reported and high combined exclusion rates (89.59% for Caucasians, 91.65% for blacks, and 92.54% for Hispanics) in one-parent paternity cases.

ABO Blood-Group System↗

Two-man and two-sibling paternity cases.

Traditional genetic marker systems rarely fail to resolve paternity disputes when two or more men are accused, except when men are brothers. A sibling of the biologic father may not be excluded by these laboratory tests and sometimes yields calculated odds of paternity that are equal to or higher than the true male parent. Resolved two-brother cases were compared with resolved cases involving two unrelated men. In each case, the residual odds of paternity were determined for each man and the greater was divided by the lesser to produce a paternity fraction. The paternity fraction is a useful indicator of biologic parentage when it exceeds a value of 10 (log10 of-the-odds score greater than or equal to 1). Tests for alleles at highly heterozygous loci are indicated in initial laboratory evaluations of cases involving brothers. Human leukocyte antigen and variable number of tandem repeat polymorphisms appear suitable.

Alleles↗

The single testis: paternity after presentation as unilateral cryptorchidism.

PURPOSE: We determine if paternity is reduced among men with monorchidism (absent or removed testis) compared to men with unilateral cryptorchidism corrected during childhood by orchiopexy and controls. The group of men with an absent testis was determined among males presenting during childhood with only 1 descended testis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were obtained by medical record review and a detailed questionnaire. Only men who had been successful at or attempted paternity for whom we had complete data were included in the study from the entire cohort of 584 men with former cryptorchidism, 23 with absent testis, 26 treated with orchiectomy and 706 controls. RESULTS: Percentages of men reporting success after attempting paternity did not differ among men with an absent testis (15 of 15, 100%), treated with orchiectomy (17 of 20, 85.0%), with corrected unilateral cryptorchidism (313 of 349, 89.7%) and controls (412 of 442, 93.2%). There was no difference for a subgroup of men with cryptorchidism judged to have an atrophic testis at orchiopexy (17 of 20, 85%) or those who underwent orchiectomy at initial attempted orchiopexy (8 of 10, 80%) and men who had subsequently undergone orchiopexy (9 of 10, 90.0%). Paternity was also not reduced in the group of men with only 1 testis (32 of 35, 91.4%) (monorchism plus orchiectomy) compared to either the corrected unilateral cryptorchid group or the control group. Of 637 testes 183 were recorded as impalpable on examination before surgery and 23 testes were absent, including 7 recorded as palpable. In fact, 12.1% (23 of 190) of testes that should have been recorded as impalpable were absent. CONCLUSIONS: This study failed to indicate that paternity is diminished among men with a single testis compared with the general population, regardless of the origin of the loss. About 12% of unilateral impalpable testes judged to be impalpable on examination before surgery were found to be absent after surgical exploration.

Adolescent↗

The influence of paternal age on down syndrome.

PURPOSE: Children born to older parents are at greater risk for genetic abnormalities, such as Down syndrome. The influence of maternal age on Down syndrome is well established but little is known about the genetic consequences of advanced paternal age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data on the incidence of Down syndrome from 1983 to 1997 (3,419 cases) were obtained from the New York State Department of Health congenital malformations registry. Parental age was modeled as individual age groups and by a single linear covariate (drift model). The log linear chi-square test and a test of significance of different explanatory variables were used to evaluate these models to determine significance. We compared actual Down syndrome rates by maternal age with the estimated rate corrected for paternal age. RESULTS: From 1983 to 1997 a dramatic increase in the number of infants born to parents 35 years or older was observed. During the 15-year study period there was an increase of 111% and 60% in the number of mothers and fathers 35 years old or older, respectively. There was no parental age influence on Down syndrome until age 35 years and older. A paternal age effect was seen in association with a maternal age of 35 years and older, and it was most pronounced when maternal age was 40 years and older (p = 0.0004). In this later maternal age group the paternal contribution to Down syndrome was 50%. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced paternal age combined with maternal age significantly influences the incidence of Down syndrome. This effect may represent a paradigm for other genetic abnormalities in children of older fathers.

Adult↗

Loss of oestrus, concealed ovulation and paternity confusion in free-ranging Hanuman langurs.

Ovarian cycles in catarrhine primates are uniquely characterized by prolonged periods of sexual activity in which the timings of ovulation and copulation do not necessarily correspond. According to current hypotheses of primate social evolution, extended sexuality in multi-male groups might represent part of a female strategy to confuse paternity in order to reduce the risk of infanticide by males. We test this hypothesis by examining mating behaviour in relation to timing of ovulation and paternity outcome in a multi-male group of free-living Hanuman langurs. Using faecal progestogen measurements, we first document that female langurs have extended receptive periods in which the timing of ovulation is highly variable. Next, we demonstrate the capacity for paternity confusion by showing that ovulation is concealed from males and that copulations progressively decline throughout the receptive phase. Finally, we demonstrate multiple paternity, and show that despite a high degree of monopolization of receptive females by the dominant male, non-dominant males father a substantial proportion of offspring. We believe that this is the first direct evidence that extended periods of sexual activity in catarrhine primates may have evolved as a female strategy to confuse paternity.

Animals↗

Paternity-parasitism trade-offs: a model and test of host-parasite cooperation in an avian conspecific brood parasite.

Efforts to evaluate the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of conspecific brood parasitism in birds and other animals have focused on the fitness costs of parasitism to hosts and fitness benefits to parasites. However, it has been speculated recently that, in species with biparental care, host males might cooperate with parasitic females by allowing access to the host nest in exchange for copulations. We develop a cost-benefit model to explore the conditions under which such host-parasite cooperation might occur. When the brood parasite does not have a nest of her own, the only benefit to the host male is siring some of the parasitic eggs (quasi-parasitism). Cooperation with the parasite is favored when the ratio of host male paternity of his own eggs relative to his paternity of parasitic eggs exceeds the cost of parasitism. When the brood parasite has a nest of her own, a host male can gain additional, potentially more important benefits by siring the high-value, low-cost eggs laid by the parasite in her own nest. Under these conditions, host males should be even more likely to accept parasitic eggs in return for copulations with the parasitic female. We tested these predictions for American coots (Fulica americana), a species with a high frequency of conspecific brood parasitism. Multilocus DNA profiling indicated that host males did not sire any of the parasitic eggs laid in host nests, nor did they sire eggs laid by the parasite in her own nest. We used field estimates of the model parameters from a four-year study of coots to predict the minimum levels of paternity required for the costs of parasitism to be offset by the benefits of mating with brood parasites. Observed levels of paternity were significantly lower than those predicted under a variety of assumptions, and we reject the hypothesis that host males cooperated with parasitic females. Our model clarifies the specific costs and benefits that influence host-parasite cooperation and, more generally, yields precise predictions about expected levels of host male paternity. These predictions will enable a more rigorous assessment of field studies designed to test adaptive hypotheses of host-parasite cooperation.

Animals↗

Problems arising from the use of the HLA system in paternity testing.

Characterization of the HLA antigens present on lymphocytes has become an important procedure in paternity testing. This paper presents data on two cases in which the HLA antigens exhibited by the mother, child and alleged father were consistent with paternity but where the other genetic markers clearly showed exclusion of paternity. The use of HLA data alone to calculate probability of paternity in these two cases produced misleading figures. Caution must be exercised in using HLA results to calculate the probability of paternity, especially when there is reason to believe that the alleged and natural fathers are relatives.

Female↗

Deterministic paternity exclusion using RAPD markers.

The Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique can potentially provide hundreds of polymorphic markers for use by ecologists studying mating systems in natural populations. We consider here the implications of the dominance displayed by RAPD markers for deterministic paternity assignment. Our goal was to provide a means for assessing the costs associated with such a study for ecologists who might be considering the use of RAPD markers for paternity analysis. The theoretical expected proportion of offspring for which all males except the true father can be exlucded (P(ET)) is calculated for both dominant and codominant marker systems. The ability to assign paternity unambiguously generally increases with the number of loci and the frequency of the recessive allele (but only up to a point), and decreases with increasing sample size (number of individuals surveyed). The gain in P(ET) with decreasing sample size is unexpectedly slight. Not surprisingly, the performance of dominant markers at paternity exclusion is, in general, greatly exceeded by codominant markers, with the exception of the case in which the frequency of the recessive allele is high at all loci. In this case, codominant markers perform only slightly better than do dominant markers. Thus, a researcher should expect to score more than 50 RAPD loci for each offspring for most applications of paternity exclusion analysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alleles↗

Determination of paternity in dragonflies by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA fingerprinting.

We used Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting to address issues of paternity in two odonate species. Amplification artifacts of RAPD markers were controlled by assessing paternity patterns relative to the banding patterns generated by quantitative mixtures of DNA from putative parents ('synthetic offspring'). In the aeshnid dragonfly Anax parthenope, for which the mating histories of both males and females were unknown, we found strong evidence for complete paternity success for the contact guarding male. In the highly polygamous libellulid dragonfly Orthetrum coerulescens, we detected and quantified mixed paternity in sequentially produced offspring clutches and demonstrated that fertilization success is correlated with the duration of copulation. Our results suggest that RAPD fingerprinting is suitable to address issues of paternity in systems which are genetically uncharacterized and produce large offspring clutches.

Animals↗

The frequency of multiple paternity suggests that sperm competition is common in house mice (Mus domesticus).

Sexual selection is an important force driving the evolution of morphological and genetic traits. To determine the importance of male-male, postcopulatory sexual selection in natural populations of house mice, we estimated the frequency of multiple paternity, defined as the frequency with which a pregnant female carried a litter fertilized by more than one male. By genotyping eight microsatellite markers from 1095 mice, we found evidence of multiple paternity from 33 of 143. Evidence for multiple paternity was especially strong for 29 of these litters. Multiple paternity was significantly more common in higher-density vs. lower-density populations. Any estimate of multiple paternity will be an underestimate of the frequency of multiple mating, defined as the frequency with which a female mates with more than a single male during a single oestrus cycle. We used computer simulations to estimate the frequency of multiple mating, incorporating observed reductions in heterozygosity and levels of allele sharing among mother and father. These simulations indicated that multiple mating is common, occurring in at least 20% of all oestrus cycles. The exact estimate depends on the competitive skew among males, a parameter for which we currently have no data from natural populations. This study suggests that sperm competition is an important aspect of postcopulatory sexual selection in house mice.

Animals↗

Review of recent epidemiological studies on paternal occupations and birth defects.

The main findings reported by recent epidemiological studies on paternal occupations and birth defects are reviewed, and the main limitations associated with these studies discussed. Epidemiological studies on paternal occupations and birth defects were reviewed for the period 1989 to 1999 inclusive. Systematic searches were made with search engines with related keywords. There were several common paternal occupations that were repeatedly reported to be associated with birth defects. These paternal occupations were janitors, painters, printers, and occupations exposed to solvents; fire fighters or firemen; and occupations related to agriculture. The common weaknesses in most of these studies include inaccurate assessment of exposures, different classification systems, different inclusion criteria of birth defects, and low statistical power. It is concluded that epidemiological studies, reported in the past decade, suggest that several common paternal occupations are associated with birth defects. Future studies could be focused on these specific, rather than general, occupational groups so that causative agents may be confirmed and thus enable appropriate preventive measures to be taken.

Bias↗

Prenatal paternity testing using DNA extracted from coelomic cells.

OBJECTIVE: Prenatal paternity testing can be performed following invasive prenatal diagnosis with amniocentesis or CVS. Coelocentesis is a new technique that could be used as an alternative method early in the first trimester of pregnancy. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential use of the DNA extracted from coelomic cells in the prenatal paternity testing. METHODS: Coelocentesis was performed in 20 singleton pregnancies at 7-9 weeks of gestation immediately before surgical termination of pregnancy. Chorionic cells from the placenta and blood cells from the parents were processed by the standard salt extraction method. Two loci, TPO and Apo B, were used for paternity testing in the DNA of coelomic cells, chorionic cells and blood cells. RESULTS: There was concordance in the results obtained from the coelomic cells and chorionic villi. In two cases only the polymorphisms used were not conclusively informative for paternity exclusion. CONCLUSIONS: Coelomic cells are potentially useful for early paternity testing.

Apolipoproteins B↗

Application of the GPT system in paternity cases.

Experiments show that the GPT starch gel pattern of any given blood sample is fully reproducible, and that an individual's GPT type is constant at least after the age of 1 month. GPT isoenzyme patterns are influenced and may be changed during storage of unfrozen blood. The interval between sampling and preparation of haemolysate should therefore not exceed 4 days. In haemolysates kept at -25 degrees C the isoenzyme patterns remain unchanged for at least many months. The GPT system forms a valuable means for statistical information in paternity cases. Thus, the overall chance is 18.7% for paternity exclusion or strong evidence against paternity for a falsely alleged father. Based on a material of 1,316 paternity cases, it is concluded that the GPT system is a valuable supplement to other systems of genetic markers in cases of disputed paternity.

Alanine Transaminase↗