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PubMedDate not supplied

Methoxychlor given in the periimplantation period blocks sexual arousal in male mice.

To determine whether pesticide methoxychlor (MXC) alters sexual arousal in male offspring, pregnant ICR mice remained untreated or received daily subcutaneous injections (s.c.) of olive oil, 33.0 mg/kg bw purified (95%) MXC, or 0.33 mg/kg bw estradiol-173 in vehicle on Days 5 to 7 of pregnancy. Live births were recorded in all groups except the estradiol group. At 4 months, untreated or olive oil-treated male offspring exhibited normal sexual arousal. When placed near a plastic partition with an estrus female behind it, these males spent significantly more time near the partition than near a vacant half of the cage and exhibited a sharp increase in plasma testosterone. MXC-exposed males showed no sexual arousal, spent much less time near the partition with an estrus female, and exhibited significantly lower plasma testosterone levels. Exposure to purified MXC close to implantation alters the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis and compromises male sexual behavior in offspring.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Adolescent unwed prospective fathers: readiness for fatherhood and behaviors toward the mother and the expected infant.

Despite the increased emphasis on assessing and meeting the needs of unmarried pregnant adolescents, less than adequate attention has been directed toward understanding unwed adolescent prospective fathers who frequently are the mates of pregnant teenagers. As part of a prenatal education intervention study, 28 unmarried adolescent fathers responded to a questionnaire containing items about their readiness for fatherhood, antepartal behavioral interactions, and projected postpartal behaviors with their pregnant adolescent partners, as well as their projected behaviors with their infants. The adolescent males reported that initially they either were definitely unready for paternity (75%) or were undecided about readiness for fatherhood (21%). However, as pregnancy advanced beyond the second trimester, only 57% of the respondents did not want to become fathers. To a significant extent, those who did not were least likely to engage in behaviors supportive of their mate's health antepartally, or to indicate a desire to care for and interact with their expected infant. In addition, they tended to project lower levels of postnatal involvement with the adolescent mothers of their children as compared to those males who were more accepting of their pending fatherhood. Moreover, males who had maintained long prepregnancy relationships with their mates tended to be more supportive of them prenatally, and to perceive themselves as maintaining close relationships with both the mothers and infants after delivery. Finally, 86% of the adolescent fathers planned to work to contribute to the support of their infants. The data demonstrate that unreadiness for fatherhood may be associated with responsible as well as irresponsible behaviors. Accordingly, these data are interpreted as having implications for the establishment of programs and policies which focus on the adolescent male population in order to interdict the high rate of unwed adolescent pregnancy.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

Choosing Health and the inner citadel.

It is argued in this paper that the latest UK government white paper on public health, Choosing Health, is vulnerable to a charge of paternalism. For some years libertarians have levelled this charge at public health policies. The white paper tries to avoid it by constant reference to informed choice and choice related terms. The implication is that the government aims only to inform the public of health issues; how they respond is up to them. It is argued here, however, that underlying the notion of informed choice is a Kantian, "inner citadel" view of autonomy. According to this view, each of us acts autonomously only when we act in accord with reason. On such a view it is possible to justify coercing, cajoling, and conning people on the basis that their current behaviour is not autonomous because it is subject to forces that cause irrational choice, such as addiction. "Informed choice" in this sense is compatible with paternalism. This paternalism can be seen in public health policies such as deceptive advertising and the treatment of "bad habits" as addictions. Libertarians are bound to object to this. In the concluding section, however, it is suggested that public health can, nonetheless, find ethical succour from alternative approaches.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The evolution of alternative reproductive strategies: fitness differential, heritability, and genetic correlation between the sexes.

Paternity analyses using molecular markers have become standard in studies of mating systems, parentage, and kinship. In systems where individuals exhibit alternative mating strategies, molecular analyses have been productively used to estimate the reproductive success of each behavioral type and hence the fitness consequences to each individual. Here we review the fitness results in a system of five alternative mating strategies present in one population of side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana). Males in this population adopt one of three behavioral strategies that differ in their degree of territoriality and mate guarding. In contrast, females adopt one of two strategies that differ in offspring quantity and quality. We use paternity analyses to estimate the fitness of each morph, the heritability of reproductive strategy, and the correlation in strategy between the sexes and discuss the implications of our findings for the evolution and maintenance of reproductive polymorphism in this and other systems.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Behavioral outcomes among children of alcoholics during the early and middle childhood years: familial subtype variations.

This study examined early behavioral outcomes among young children of alcoholics (COAs) as a function of differences in subtype of paternal alcoholism. Participants were 212 children (106 girls and 106 boys, ages 3 through 8) and both of their biological parents. Families were characterized as antisocial alcoholics, nonantisocial alcoholics, and nonalcoholic controls. There were significant familial subtype group differences on parent report measures of children's total behavior problems, externalizing behavior, and internalizing behavior, and on measures of children's intellectual functioning and academic achievement. In all instances, COAs had poorer functioning than controls. In the behavior problem domain, but not for the domain of intellectual functioning, children from antisocial alcoholic families had greater problems than children from nonantisocial alcoholic families. In addition to the subtype effects, boys had higher levels of behavior problems than girls in all three areas, and older children had more internalizing problems than younger children. Maternal functioning pertaining to lifetime alcohol problem involvement and antisocial behavior also contributed to child subtype differences in internalizing behavior. Results indicate that, even at very early ages, male and female COAs are heterogeneous populations that are distinguishable by way of familial subtype membership, as well as distinguishable from their non-COA peers. Thus, findings underscore the need to consider the heterogeneity of alcoholism when looking at its effects on child development.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed2001

A bayesian framework for parentage analysis: the value of genetic and other biological data.

We develop fractional allocation models and confidence statistics for parentage analysis in mating systems. The models can be used, for example, to estimate the paternities of candidate males when the genetic mother is known or to calculate the parentage of candidate parent pairs when neither is known. The models do not require two implicit assumptions made by previous models, assumptions that are potentially erroneous. First, we provide formulas to calculate the expected parentage, as opposed to using a maximum likelihood algorithm to calculate the most likely parentage. The expected parentage is superior as it does not assume a symmetrical probability distribution of parentage and therefore, unlike the most likely parentage, will be unbiased. Second, we provide a mathematical framework for incorporating additional biological data to estimate the prior probability distribution of parentage. This additional biological data might include behavioral observations during mating or morphological measurements known to correlate with parentage. The value of multiple sources of information is increased accuracy of the estimates. We show that when the prior probability of parentage is known, and the expected parentage is calculated, fractional allocation provides unbiased estimates of the variance in reproductive success, thereby correcting a problem that has previously plagued parentage analyses. We also develop formulas to calculate the confidence interval in the parentage estimates, thus enabling the assessment of precision. These confidence statistics have not previously been available for fractional models. We demonstrate our models with several biological examples based on data from two fish species that we study, coho salmon (Oncorhychus kisutch) and bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). In coho, multiple males compete to fertilize a single female's eggs. We show how behavioral observations taken during spawning can be combined with genetic data to provide an accurate calculation of each male's paternity. In bluegill, multiple males and multiple females may mate in a single nest. For a nest, we calculate the fertilization success and the 95% confidence interval of each candidate parent pair.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

The effect of time of day on sperm competition and male reproductive success in laboratory rats.

The study was designed to test the hypothesis that siring success of male rats depends on when during the receptivity period the matings occur. In Experiment 1, females were mated with pairs of males differing in coat colour genetic marker. The males copulated with the female successively, either about 1 hour apart at dusk (schedule AA) or about 1 hour apart around midnight (BB) or one at dusk and the other around midnight (AB). The males mating first had lesser siring success under the schedule AB than under the other two schedules. In Experiment 2, females were mated under the same regimen as in Experiment 1. One male of each competing pair had its spermatozoa labeled by 3H-thymidine. The proportions of spermatozoa of the labeled males were identified in samples from uterine horns and oviducts. Balanced contributions of both males were recorded in uterus in all groups. No definitive conclusion concerning oviductal sperm composition could be reached. In both experiments, night-mating males copulated more quickly. It is suggested that copulation at about midnight is advantageous in intermale reproductive competition and that the function of the diurnal variation in the speed of male sexual behaviour might be clarified on this ground.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

The birth interval hypothesis-does it really indicate the end of the primipaternity hypothesis.

Recent Norwegian data suggest the presence of a causal relationship between prolonged birth intervals and the risk for preeclampsia in subsequent pregnancies. It has been proposed that the birth interval data explain the known association between a change in paternity and the risk for preeclampsia. In this review, the authors explore alternative explanations for the Norwegian findings, and as such argue that there is currently no reason to reject the primipaternity hypothesis.

Birth Intervals↗
PubMed2003

Paternity success and the direction of sexual selection in a field population of a semelparous marsupial, Antechinus agilis.

Antechinus agilis is a small sexually size dimorphic marsupial with a brief annual mating period of 2-3 weeks. All males die after this period, and females give birth to up to 10 young. Mating is thought to be promiscuous, however, there is no field data to confirm this. Using microsatellites, we investigated paternity patterns over two seasons in a wild population. Male weight was significantly positively related to the number of females fertilized and with the number of offspring sired, in both years. Furthermore, selection gradients indicated selection for larger males. Both results suggest that size dimorphism in A. agilis can be explained by sexual selection for larger males. The proportion of offspring sired within litters, did not relate to male size. Therefore, larger males are more successful through higher mating access, not through their sperm outcompeting that of smaller males. As expected from their known ranging behaviour, the number of offspring within litters left unassigned to a father did not depend on the grid location of the mother. Female size did not differ between successful reproducing and unsuccessful females. However, females that weaned offspring had larger heads than females that did not wean offspring. Males did not 'prefer' mating with larger females, nor did assortative mating occur. From our results, the mating system of A. agilis is clearly promiscuous. Selection for larger males occurred in both years, even though in one year the operational sex ratio was highly female biased, suggesting that the potential reproductive rate is a better predictor of the direction of sexual selection in A. agilis.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Two-generation reproduction study by dosing with glutaraldehyde in the drinking water of CD rats.

Adult male and female CD rats (F0) were dosed with glutaraldehyde (GA; CAS number 111-30-8) in drinking water at concentrations of 0 (controls), 50, 250, or 1000 ppm for a 10-wk prebreed period and through mating, gestation, and lactation. Resultant F1 offspring, selected to be parents of the next generation, were continued on the same regime from prebreed through lactation. Twenty-eight parental animals per sex per generation for each dose group were evaluated for clinical signs, body weight (absolute and gain), and water and food consumption. The offspring were evaluated for survival and body weight to weaning. Necropsy and light microscopic examination of removed tissues were conducted in all F0 and F1 parents and in 10 offspring/sex/group/generation. Average daily consumptions of GA (as mean +/- SD) for the low, intermediate, and high concentrations were respectively 4.25 +/- 0.87, 17.50 +/- 4.16, and 69.07 +/- 14.58 mg/kg/d for F0 parental males, and 6.68 +/- 0.78, 28.28 +/- 4.09, and 98.37 +/- 11.71 mg/kg/d for F0 parental females. The corresponding values for the F1 parents were 4.53 +/- 1.02, 21.95 +/- 4.88, and 71.08 +/- 16.21 mg/kg/d for males and 6.72 +/- 0.84, 29.57 +/- 5.41, and 99.56 +/- 16.72 mg/kg/d for females. There were no effects on parental fertility and mating performance or on pup viability and litter size in any generation. No apparent treatment-related histopathology was seen in parents or offspring. Parental body weights and body weight gains were significantly reduced at 1000 ppm at a few isolated time periods, particularly during prebreed. Food consumption was significantly reduced at 1000 ppm for F0 and F1 parents during the prebreed and gestation periods, and at 250 ppm for F0 males during prebreed and gestation and F1 females during gestation and lactation. Water consumption by the F0 and F1 parents of the 250 at 1000 ppm groups was reduced throughout the prebreed period. At 1000 ppm, average litter weights were reduced over lactation d 21-28 for the F1 and F2 offspring. The no-observed-effect level (NOEL) for adult toxicity was 50 ppm and for offspring 250 ppm. There were no indications of reproductive toxicity, and the NOEL for this study was therefore > 1000 ppm.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Sex between people with "mental retardation": an ethical evaluation.

Is sex between people with "mental retardation" [1] morally permissible and, if at all, under what conditions? This paper tries to answer this question, but only with regard to sex between biologically mature individuals with mild or moderate mental retardation. First, the concepts of "sexual activity" and mental retardation" are analysed briefly, which is challenging given the widely divergent and sometimes rather awkward definitions of these concepts. On the basis of this analysis, it is argued that the liberal principle of mutual consent, if taken as a necessary condition of permissible sex, has unacceptable consequences for people with mental retardation. Many forms of sex between them would be morally impermissible, given the fact that their limited powers of practical reasoning will often make valid consent well-nigh impossible. As an alternative to the liberal principle of permissible sex, conditions are specified that include the additional consent of caretakers. If people with mental retardation do not have the capacities of practical deliberation required for valid consent, care providers with mature reasoning powers should act as their substitutes. Finally, some important implications for the moral education of future care professionals are spelled out.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Paternal age and its effects on reproduction in C57BL/6NNia mice.

The reproductive capabilities of 6- and 24-month-old C57BL/6NNia male mice were compared after being paired for one month with a 4-month-old proven-fertile female. All of the younger males mated, with 96% yielding a litter; only 42% of aged males mated, with 65% siring young. There were no statistical differences in the litter sizes, nor any congenital defects noted in offspring from either age group. There was no evidence of aneuploidy in 10-day-old embryos sired from males of either age group. Aged males that failed to mate had lower body weight, a lower hematocrit, hypertrophied adrenal glands and seminal vesicles, decreased fructose levels in seminal vesicle fluid, atrophied testes with fewer sperm that were less motile, lower testosterone levels, and a greater percentage of degenerating epithelium lining seminiferous tubules. The latter group of aged mice, while appearing and acting as vigorous as aged mice that had mated, may have been experiencing disease processes associated with aging which subsequently impaired reproduction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in Prader-Willi and "Prader-Willi-Like" patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and symptoms in a group of patients presenting with "Prader-Willi-like" features but without the genetic abnormalities associated with PWS. METHOD: 16 patients aged 4 through 20 years were evaluated in a clinic specializing in the assessment and management of behavioral and food-related problems in PWS. Eight patients were found to have key features of the syndrome but did not have a PWS genotype. These PWS-like subjects were matched to 8 clinic patients with a confirmed deletion of the PWS critical region of the paternally derived chromosome 15. All subjects were evaluated for obesity, IQ, food-related problems, maladaptive behaviors, and non-food-related OC symptoms. RESULTS: There were no differences between the 2 groups with respect to measures of obesity, IQ, food-related difficulties, or overall maladaptive behaviors. The PWS group showed significantly greater numbers of OC symptoms and greater symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PWS have elevated numbers of OC symptoms and significant symptom-related impairment which are not explained by developmental delay, food-related difficulties, or obesity. OC symptoms are part of a behavioral phenotype that accompanies deletions on the proximal long arm of chromosome 15 in PWS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Behavioural genetics: why eugenic selection is preferable to enhancement.

Criminal behaviour is but one behavioural tendency for which a genetic influence has been suggested. Whilst this research certainly raises difficult ethical questions and is subject to scientific criticism, one recent research project suggests that for some families, criminal tendency might be predicted by genetics. In this paper, supposing this research is valid, we consider whether intervening in the criminal tendency of future children is ethically justifiable. We argue that, if avoidance of harm is a paramount consideration, such an intervention is acceptable when genetic selection is employed instead of genetic enhancement. Moreover, other moral problems in avoiding having children with a tendency to criminal behaviour, such as the prospect of social discrimination, can also be overcome.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Health risk behavior of rural low-income expectant fathers.

OBJECTIVE: To assess expectant fathers' health risk behaviors and attitudes about pregnancy-related health issues. Pregnancy may be viewed as a teachable moment: a time when women are receptive to health advice and take action to improve their health and the health of their babies. Pregnancy may also be a teachable moment for expectant fathers, although men's behaviors are rarely considered as part of prenatal care or in associated research. DESIGN: Cross-sectional prevalence study. SAMPLE: Rural low-income expectant fathers (N=138) whose pregnant partners had enrolled in a Medicaid managed care health plan. MEASUREMENT: A telephone survey measuring five health risk behaviors, sociodemographic variables, and pregnancy- and behavior change-related attitudes. RESULTS: Analyses found the following: 49.3% smoked cigarettes; 30.4% engaged in hazardous drinking in the past month; 27.5% had very low physical activity levels; 94.9% had at-risk fruit/vegetable intake; and 42% had weight-related health risk (25.4% met body mass index [BMI] criteria for obesity). Further, 47.9% of the men engaged in three or more of five assessed health risk behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: This sample of expectant fathers engages in high rates of health risk behaviors. Failure to address the health risk behavior of men during prenatal care represents a missed opportunity to improve paternal, maternal, and family health.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The psychosis of fatherhood: a clinical study.

The psychosis of fatherhood is classified as an acute delusional disorder. It has been psychodynamically correlated with preoedipal conflicts. Common elements were identified in 6 men who were about to become fathers for the first time. Their personal histories and their clinical pictures were very similar. It is our hypothesis that up to the moment of facing the impact of becoming fathers themselves, these subjects had managed to avoid the oedipal conflict. As a consequence of this avoidance, they failed to identify with the father figure and to incorporate the paternal function into their symbolic universe. Once they accepted the concrete reality of fatherhood, these men underwent an acute psychotic crisis having inadequately interiorized paternal role models for themselves. We believe that this sort of psychopathological behavior becomes clinically manifest only when triggered by impending fatherhood.

Adult↗