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PubMed2003

The reliability of telephone interviews compared with in-person interviews using memory aids.

PURPOSE: Information obtained by telephone interviews and in-person interviews is generally considered comparable, but it is unclear if extensive memory aids can be used effectively with telephone interviews. We compared a telephone interview to an in-person interview using the same questionnaire and memory aids in both. METHODS: A convenience sample of 103 women, aged 25 to 69 years, completed a telephone interview and at least four weeks later, completed an in-person interview. Memory aids included a life events calendar, cue lists, and worksheets. RESULTS: Agreement values, measured by kappa/weighted kappa, were as follows: parity (1.00), age at menarche (0.76), menopausal status (0.95), a history of reproductive organ surgery (0.98) or tubal ligation (0.91), self-reported infertility (0.76), and a first degree family history of breast/ovarian cancer (0.90). Agreement values for duration variables, measured by the intraclass correlation, were as follows: lactation (0.96), oral contraceptive use (0.98), any hormone replacement therapy (0.98), exclusive estrogen and progesterone therapy (0.83), and exclusive estrogen therapy (0.99). CONCLUSIONS: The good to excellent level of agreement found in this study indicates that telephone administration of our questionnaire with extensive memory aids is a reliable method of obtaining detailed exposure information relative to in-person interviews.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reproductive life of Bhoksa women.

The paper discusses the reproductive life of 111 ever-married Bhoksa women. The mean age at marriage for women of all ages among Bhoksas, like other tribal populations, is high, unlike the caste populations. The mean ages at first birth of the pooled sample and of the completed fertility cases suggest late and early marriages of the older and younger generations. The maximum number of marriages occur between 15 and 19 years and of first births between 16 and 20 years. Percentage of reproductive wastage is high in both the lower and higher age groups. Young mothers with low birth orders and older mothers with high birth orders display a high frequency of reproductive wastage. Evidently, both birth order and the age of the mother have effects on reproductive wastage. Average number of children ever born (including stillbirth but not abortion or miscarriage) per mother of all ages is the highest among Bhoksas of all the studied ethnic groups of India. The Bhoksa, like caste populations, show a high number of children ever born per mother of completed fertility. Quite a high masculinity in the secondary sex ratio, like other mongoloid population is noticed. The contribution of mortality component to the Total Index of Opportunity for Selection is more than that of the fertility component. Bhoksas conform to the general low range of net reproductive index, which is however greater than unity, suggesting that they are in a growth stage.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2003

Isolation and characterization of porcine circovirus type-2 from sera of stillborn fetuses.

In order to examine an association between porcine circovirus type-2 (PCV2) infection and reproductive failure in pigs, sera (n = 171) from stillborn fetuses were collected from 3 different farms with prolonged histories of reproductive problems. These sera were tested for the presence of antibodies to PCV2 using an immunoperoxidase monolayer assay. Of the 171 sera tested, 28 had PCV2 antibody titers of > or = 1:16. When these 28 samples were tested by a polymerase chain reaction assay,13 were found to contain PCV2 viral DNA. Of these 13 samples containing both PCV2 antibodies and viral DNA, 9 yielded PCV2 on virus isolation. Amino acid sequences comprising open reading frame 2 of PCV2 from 2 of these isolates were compared to PCV2 isolates from cases of post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). The amino acid sequences of the 2 isolates from stillborn pigs were shown to be nearly identical to each other, as well as to other PCV2 isolates associated with reproductive failure. When compared with PMWS isolates, the isolates from the stillborn fetuses showed differences of at least 2 amino acids. These results confirm previous findings that transplacental infection of PCV2 occurs in the field and that stillbirths in pigs may be associated with PCV2 infections. At present, the significance of minor differences in amino acid sequences is not known.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Reproductive termination in female Japanese monkeys: A comparative life history perspective.

This study explores the question of reproductive termination (loss of reproductive ability) in female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) from the Arashiyama West (Texas) troop. We used a large sample of completed lives to identify reproductively terminated female Japanese macaques and to consider reproductive termination in Japanese macaques from a comparative life history perspective, which permits meaningful comparisons to be made with human female menopause. We classified a female as reproductively terminated if the time lag between last parturition and death exceeded two standard deviations of the female's own mean lifetime interbirth interval (Caro et al. [1995] Int. J. Primatol. 16:205-220). Seventy of the 95 females in the sample had at least 3 infants over their lifetime (the minimum required for the calculation of a mean and standard deviation), and thus were included in the analysis. Of these 70 females, 20 showed reproductive termination. Reproductively terminated females ranged in age from 14.5-32.7 years, although in females under age 25, reproductive termination was unlikely. The majority of females up to age 25 showed continued parturition. However, after age 25, reproductive termination was population-wide. Length of postreproductive life for reproductively terminated females varied from 0.07-4.4 years, with a mean of 2.08 years. Variation in length of postreproductive life was not related to the age at death of the female. While the occurrence of population-wide reproductive termination after 25 years does suggest similarities with human female menopause, the age at which this termination occurs is very late in the life span, and it was experienced by only 2.9% of the population. Female Japanese monkeys over age 25 are visibly aged and show outward signs of weakness and deterioration, quite unlike the healthy middle age of menopausal human females. Accordingly, as a life history characteristic, reproductive termination in Japanese macaques does not appear to coincide with menopause as experienced by human females.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Orchestration of avian reproductive effort: an integration of the ultimate and proximate bases for flexibility in clutch size, incubation behaviour, and yolk androgen deposition.

How much effort to expend in any one bout of reproduction is among the most important decisions made by an individual that breeds more than once. According to life-history theory, reproduction is costly, and individuals that invest too much in a given reproductive bout pay with reduced reproductive output in the future. Likewise, investing too little does not maximize reproductive potential. Because reproductive effort relative to output can vary with predictable and unpredictable challenges and opportunities, no single level of reproductive effort maximizes fitness. This leads to the prediction that individuals possessing behavioural mechanisms to buffer challenges and take advantage of opportunities would incur fitness benefits. Here, we review evidence in birds, primarily of altricial species, for the presence of at least two such mechanisms and evidence for and against the seasonal coordination of these mechanisms through seasonal changes in plasma concentrations of the pituitary hormone prolactin. First, the seasonal decline in clutch size of most bird species may partially offset a predictable seasonal decline in the reproductive value of offspring. Second, establishing a developmental sibling-hierarchy among offspring may hedge against unpredictable changes in resource availability and offspring viability or quality, and minimize energy expenditure in raising a brood. The hierarchy may be a product, in part, of the timing of incubation onset relative to clutch completion and the rate of yolk androgen deposition during the laying cycle. Because clutch size should influence the effects of both these traits on the developmental hierarchy, we predicted and describe evidence in some species that females adjust the timing of incubation onset and rate of yolk androgen deposition to match clutch size. Studies on domesticated precocial species reveal an inhibitory effect of the pituitary hormone prolactin on egg laying, suggesting a possible hormonal basis for the regulation of clutch size. Studies on the American kestrel (Falco sparverius) and other species suggest that the seasonal increase in plasma concentrations of prolactin may regulate both a seasonal advance in the timing of incubation onset and a seasonal increase in the rate of yolk androgen deposition. These observations, together with strong conceptual arguments published previously, raise the possibility that a single hormone, prolactin, functions as the basis of a common mechanism for the seasonal adjustment of reproductive effort. However, a role for prolactin in regulating clutch size in any species is not firmly established, and evidence from some species indicates that clutch size may not be coupled to the timing of incubation onset and rate of yolk androgen deposition. A dissociation between the regulation of clutch size and the regulation of incubation onset and yolk androgen deposition may enable an independent response to the predictable and unpredictable challenges and opportunities faced during reproduction.

Androgens↗
PubMed1988

The impact of first-birth timing on divorce: new evidence from a longitudinal analysis based on the Central Population Register of Norway.

"The association between divorce risks in first marriage and the timing of the first birth is inspected in a life-table analysis of registered birth and marriage histories from Norway. One of the main conclusions is that the high propensity to divorce among women who have had a premarital birth is not confined to those who marry someone other than the father of their child. Also, women who have had a premarital child with their husband, run a much higher risk of marital breakup than do those who had their first baby in wedlock.... It is argued that couples who postpone childbearing beyond two years of marriage may have particularly low divorce rates." (SUMMARY IN FRE)

Birth Order↗
PubMed2000

Parental investment strategies in two species of nuthatch vary with stage-specific predation risk and reproductive effort.

Life-history theory predicts that differences in reproductive effort and residual reproductive value among species should result in differences in the level of risk that parents are willing to tolerate to themselves versus their offspring. Specifically, highly fecund and shorter-lived species are expected to place greater value in current offspring than themselves, whereas less fecund and longer-lived species are expected to place greater value in their own survival and future breeding opportunities. Here, we test the prediction that parental investment decisions are correlated with life histories by comparing risk-taking behaviour in two species of nuthatch that differ in reproductive effort: the white-breasted nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis (more fecund, lower survival) and the red-breasted nuthatch, S. canadensis (less fecund, higher survival). We experimentally manipulated stage-specific predation risk by presenting models of an adult predator (hawk) and an egg predator (wren) and measured the willingness of males to feed incubating females on the nest. We found that both species of nuthatch responded to predators by increasing the length of time between visits and aborting more visits to the nest. However, as predicted by their life histories, S. carolinensis displayed a significantly stronger response to the egg predator, whereas S. canadensis responded more strongly to the adult predator. Thus, species can differ in their willingness to tolerate risk to themselves and their young, and such differences appear to be related to differences in investment in current reproduction and the probability of future survival. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

The reproductive phenology of an Amazonian ant species reflects the seasonal availability of its nest sites.

In saturated tropical ant assemblages, reproductive success depends on queens locating and competing for scarce nest sites. Little is known about how this process shapes the life histories of tropical ants. Here I investigate the relationship between nest site availability and an important life history trait, reproductive phenology, in the common Amazonian ant species Allomerus octoarticulatus. A. octoarticulatus is a plant-ant that nests in the hollow, swollen stem domatia on Cordia nodosa. I provide evidence that nest sites are limiting for A. octoarticulatus. Most queens produced by A. octoarticulatus colonies died before locating suitable host plants, and most queens that located hosts died before founding colonies, probably from intraspecific competition among queens for control of host plants. I further show that the reproductive phenology of A. octoarticulatus closely matches the seasonal availability of its nest sites, domatia-bearing C. nodosa saplings. Both the production and flight of A. octoarticulatus reproductives, and the number of C. nodosa saplings available for colonization by ants, peaked from March to May. There was correlative evidence that A. octoarticulatus colonies use temperature as a cue to synchronize their reproduction to the availability of C. nodosa saplings: both the production of reproductives by ant colonies and the number of C. nodosa saplings available for colonization were correlated with temperature, and not with rainfall. All of these results suggest that nest site limitation constrains the reproductive phenology of A. octoarticulatus.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2005

Life history affects the evolution of reproductive isolation among species of Coreopsis (Asteraceae).

The evolution of reproductive isolation within Coreopsis is investigated by integrating phylogenetic data with estimates of pollen viability of plants from inter- and intraspecific crosses. Three different models that predict F1 fitness are compared. The first uses ITS pairwise distances, the second is based on phylogenetic branch lengths derived from DNA sequences, and the third elaborates on the second model by dividing branch length according to reconstructions of the evolution of life history. This is the first study to use phylogenetic branch-length estimates for predicting levels of reproductive isolation. Estimated branch lengths (model 2) predict hybrid fitness more accurately than simply genetic distance (model 1) but only very slightly. This is probably because the two variables are strongly correlated in Coreopsis. Prediction is substantially improved by allowing evolutionary rates to differ between annual and perennial branches (model 3). A bootstrapping procedure indicates that the life-history effect is statistically significant. The more rapid evolution of reproductive isolation within annual species of Coreopsis may be due to differing mechanisms of reproductive isolation, that is, chromosomal rearrangements rather than genetic incompatibilities.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMed2006

Rembrandt's Bathsheba, possible lactation mastitis following unsuccessful pregnancy.

Deformity of the left breast and axilla observed in Rembrandt's famous painting "Bathsheba at her toilet" (1654, Louvre Paris) has been discussed by several researchers. Proposed diagnoses were breast cancer and abscess due to tuberculosis. The present article reviews previous articles written concerning the left breast abnormalities of Bathsheba and carefully examines other works of Rembrandt modeled by Hendrickje and painted around 1654. Previous diagnosis of breast cancer and tuberculous mastitis is less probable. Because Hendrickje survived for more then 9 years after the painting and in other works modeled by Hendrickje shows no signs of cachexia or permanent changes in the left breast. The most likely diagnosis of the left breast deformity of Bathsheba is a sequela of lactation mastitis abscess following miscarriage or premature childbirth without breast feeding.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed2003

Establishing appropriate measures for monitoring aging in birds: comparing short and long lived species.

In order to reveal patterns of reproductive aging in birds we focus on a short lived species, the Japanese quail and the American kestrel, which has a life span of medium length. Quail have been studied extensively in the laboratory as models for understanding avian endocrinology and behavior, and as a subject for toxicological research and testing. In the lab, Japanese quail show age-related deterioration in endocrine, behavioral, and sensory system responses; the American kestrel is relatively long lived and shows moderate evidence of senescence in the oldest birds. Using data collected from captive kestrels at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, a database was designed to document selected parameters over the life cycle of the kestrels. Life table data collated from many species indicate that longer lived species of birds show senescence in survival ability but this pattern has not been established for reproductive function. We suggest that useful comparisons among species can be made by identifying stages in reproductive life history, organized on a relative time scale. Preliminary data from quail and kestrels, admittedly only two species, do not yet indicate a pattern of greater reproductive senescence in longer-lived birds.

Aging↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiology of breast cancer in young women.

Breast cancer is a rare disease in young women, yet is the leading cause of cancer deaths in all ethnic groups in the United States and many parts of the world. The epidemiology for breast cancer in young women is reviewed, focusing on women under 40, prior to the recommended screening age. Specific age comparison groups used and results for young women vary in the literature, yet there are some common results. Young women have low incidence rates of breast cancer compared to older women. However, cancer incidence increases at a faster rate with increasing age in young women. Their cancers tend to be larger and higher grade with poorer prognostic characteristics, resulting in a higher risk of recurrence and death from breast cancer when compared to older women. Many of the usual risk factors for breast cancer in older women also increase risk in younger women including increasing age, Black race, family history, later age at first birth and menarche, radiation exposure and lack of physical activity. Risk factors that have specific relevance to young women include reproductive factors, history of induced abortion or miscarriage, oral contraceptive use, smoking, and radiation exposure, most specifically for treatment of Hodgkin Disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Reproduction in captive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).

Though sexual maturation may begin at around one year of age, first successful reproduction of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is likely to be later, and it is generally recommended that animals not be mated before 1.5 years of age. The average gestation period is estimated to be 143 to 144 days. A crown-rump length measurement taken by use of ultrasonography during the linear, rapid, prenatal growth phase (between approx. days 60 and 95) can be compared against standard growth curves to estimate delivery date to within 3 to 4 days, on average. Marmosets produce more young per delivery than does any other anthropoid primate, and have more variation in litter size. Many long-established colonies report that triplets are the most common litter size, and there is documented association between higher maternal body weight and higher ovulation numbers. Higher litter sizes generally do not generate higher numbers of viable young. Marmosets are unusual among primates in having a postpartum ovulation that typically results in conception and successful delivery; reported median inter-birth intervals range from 154 to 162 days. However, pregnancy losses are quite common; one study of a large breeding colony indicated 50 percent loss between conception and term delivery. The average life span for breeding females is around six years; the range of reported average lifetime number of litters for a breeding pair is 3.45 to 4.0. Our purpose is to provide an overview of reproduction in the common marmoset, including basic reproductive life history, lactation and weaning, social housing requirements, and common problems encountered in the captive breeding of this species. A brief comparison between marmoset and tamarin reproduction also will be provided.

Animals↗