An immune challenge of female great tits decreases offspring survival and has sex-specific effects on offspring body size

Abstract Investment in immunity is expected to decrease (costly immunity) or enhance (terminal investment) reproductive performance. Here, we tested the effects of activation of the immune system in female great tits (Parus major) on (1) their reproductive effort and (2) the survival and body condition of their offspring, controlling for chick sex. We injected females tending 3-day-old chicks with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) or saline (control) and recorded their provisioning rates 6 days later, during the expected peak of antibody production. We measured tarsus length and body mass in 11-day-old chicks and monitored changes in brood size. We found that female provisioning rates were unaffected by the SRBC challenge. An analysis without an outlier, however, showed a significant challenge-by-hatch date interaction. This interaction indicated that female provisioning rates decreased with hatch dates in the SRBC but not in the control nests, suggesting a stronger effect in later breeders. Chick body mass was not affected by female immunisation nor by its interaction with chick sex. However, we found a significant challenge-by-sex interaction on offspring tarsus. In SRBC nests, the difference in tarsus length between male and female chicks was lower than in controls, suggesting sex-dependent effects of the challenge on offspring structural growth. Finally, chick mortality was greater in SRBC nests compared with controls, but chick survival probability was not affected by sex. Overall, our results support the costly immunity but not the terminal investment hypothesis in the great tit.

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Egg size predicts motor performance and postnatal weight gain of Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami) hatchlings

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z04-070 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 82 (6) ◽

pp. 972-979 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Ann Göth ◽

Christopher S Evans

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Motor Performance ◽

Egg Size ◽

Heat Sources ◽

Offspring Survival ◽

Chick Survival ◽

Tarsus Length ◽

Detection Software ◽

Alectura Lathami ◽

Postnatal Weight Gain

Birds usually influence offspring survival through the amount of parental care they provide. Megapodes have evolved a different life history. Eggs are incubated by external heat sources, and chicks dig themselves out of their underground nest and live independently of their parents. Egg size is one of the few means by which females can influence chick survival. We found that in the Australian Brush-turkey, Alectura lathami Gray, 1831, eggs and hatchlings varied considerably in size, with a ratio of 1.62 between the largest and the smallest egg. Egg size was positively correlated with hatchling body mass and tarsus length. It also significantly predicted the chicks' motor performance: chicks from larger eggs dug their way out of their underground nest faster and were more active when kept in a resting box and monitored by motion detection software. The main advantage of reaching the surface more quickly is likely that such chicks will have more time to find suitable food, refuge, and a tree for roosting at night while still feeding on their internal yolk reserves. Egg size also interacted significantly with body mass during the first 10 months of life. A size advantage at hatching thus seems to have an immediate effect on motor performance and a longer term effect on the ability to gain mass.

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Changes in Children’s Body Composition and Posture during Puberty Growth

Children ◽

10.3390/children8040288 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 288

Author(s):

Wojciech Rusek ◽

Joanna Baran ◽

Justyna Leszczak ◽

Marzena Adamczyk ◽

Rafał Baran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Adipose Tissue ◽

Regression Analysis ◽

Body Mass ◽

Pelvic Obliquity ◽

The Body ◽

Body Posture ◽

Older Children ◽

The Difference ◽

The Right

The main goal of our study was to determine how the age of children, puberty and anthropometric parameters affect the formation of body composition and faulty body posture development in children. The secondary goal was to determine in which body segments abnormalities most often occur and how gender differentiates the occurrence of adverse changes in children’s body posture and body composition during puberty. The study group consisted of 464 schoolchildren aged from 6–16. Body posture was assessed with the Zebris system. The composition of the body mass was tested with Tanita MC 780 MA body mass analyzer and the body height was measured using a portable stadiometer PORTSTAND 210. The participants were further divided due to the age of puberty. Tanner division was adopted. The cut-off age for girls is ≥10 years and for boys it is ≥12 years. The analyses applied descriptive statistics, the Pearson correlation, stepwise regression analysis and the t-test. The accepted level of significance was p < 0.05. The pelvic obliquity was lower in older children (beta = −0.15). We also see that age played a significant role in the difference in the height of the right pelvis (beta = −0.28), and the difference in the height of the right shoulder (beta = 0.23). Regression analysis showed that the content of adipose tissue (FAT%) increased with body mass index (BMI) and decreased with increasing weight, age, and height. Moreover, the FAT% was lower in boys than in girls (beta negative equal to −0.39). It turned out that older children (puberty), had greater asymmetry in the right shoulder blade (p < 0.001) and right shoulder (p = 0.003). On the other hand, younger children (who were still before puberty) had greater anomalies in the left trunk inclination (p = 0.048) as well as in the pelvic obliquity (p = 0.008). Girls in puberty were characterized by greater asymmetry on the right side, including the shoulders (p = 0.001), the scapula (p = 0.001) and the pelvis (p < 0.001). In boys, the problem related only to the asymmetry of the shoulder blades (p < 0.001). Girls were characterized by a greater increase in adipose tissue and boys by muscle tissue. Significant differences also appeared in the body posture of the examined children. Greater asymmetry within scapulas and shoulders were seen in children during puberty. Therefore, a growing child should be closely monitored to protect them from the adverse consequences of poor posture or excessive accumulation of adipose tissue in the body.

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Contributions of source population and incubation temperature to phenotypic variation of hatchling Chinese skinks

Current Zoology ◽

10.1093/cz/zoaa063 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hong-Liang Lu ◽

Yan-Fu Qu ◽

Hong Li ◽

Xiang Ji

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Phenotypic Variation ◽

Incubation Temperature ◽

Tail Length ◽

Population Variation ◽

Phenotypic Traits ◽

Source Population ◽

Relative Importance ◽

The Difference ◽

Hatchling Size

Abstract Phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation are viewed as the main factors that result in between-population variation in phenotypic traits, but contributions of these factors to phenotypic variation vary between traits and between species and have only been explored in a few species of reptiles. Here, we incubated eggs of the Chinese skink (Plestiodon chinensis) from 7 geographically separated populations in Southeast China at 3 constant temperatures (24, 28, and 32 °C) to evaluate the combined effects of clutch origin, source population, and incubation temperature on hatchling traits. The relative importance of these factors varied between traits. Nearly all examined hatchling traits, including body mass, snout–vent length (SVL), tail length, head size, limb length, tympanum diameter, and locomotor speed, varied among populations and were affected by incubation temperature. Measures for hatchling size (body mass and SVL) varied considerably among clutches. Source population explained much of the variation in hatchling body mass, whereas incubation temperature explained much of the variation in other examined traits. Our results indicate that between-population variation in hatchling traits of P. chinensis likely reflects the difference in natural incubation conditions and genetic divergence.

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Modeling the schizophrenias: subunit-specific NMDAR antagonism dissociates frontal δ and hippocampal θ modulation of ~140 Hz oscillations

10.1101/191882 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Benjamin Pittman-Polletta ◽

Kun Hu ◽

Bernat Kocsis

Keyword(s):

Negative Symptoms ◽

Paradoxical Sleep ◽

Positive Symptom ◽

Saline Control ◽

Cortical Function ◽

Specific Effects ◽

High Frequency Oscillations ◽

Dopaminergic Tone ◽

Phase Amplitude ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACTNMDAR antagonism alters mesolimbic, hippocampal, and cortical function, acutely reproducing the positive, cognitive, and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. These physiological and behavioral effects may depend differentially on NMDAR subtype-and region-specific effects. The dramatic electrophysiological signatures of NMDAR blockade in rodents include potentiated high frequency oscillations (HFOs, ~140 Hz), likely generated in mesolimbic structures, and increased HFO phase-amplitude coupling (PAC), a phenomenon related to goal-directed behavior and dopaminergic tone. This study examined the impact of subtype-specific NMDAR antagonism on HFOs and PAC. We found that positive-symptom-associated NR2A-preferring antagonism (NVP-AAM077), but not NR2B-specific antagonism (Ro25-6985) or saline control, replicated increases in HFO power seen with nonspecific antagonism (MK-801). However, PAC following NR2A-preferring antagonism was distinct from all other conditions. While θ-HFO PAC was prominent or potentiated in other conditions, NVP-AAM077 increased δ-HFO PAC and decreased θ-HFO PAC. Furthermore, active wake epochs exhibiting narrowband frontal δ oscillations, and not broadband sleep-associated δ, selectively exhibited δ-HFO coupling, while paradoxical sleep epochs having a high CA1 θ to frontal δ ratio selectively exhibited θ-HFO coupling. Our results suggest: (1) NR2A-preferring antagonism induces oscillopathies reﬂecting frontal hyperfunction and hippocampal hypofunction; and (2) HFO PAC indexes cortical vs. hippocampal control of mesolimbic circuits.

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Abstract 17944: Effects of School-Based Interventions on Body Mass Index in Children and Adolescents: a Systematic Overview and Meta-analysis

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.130.suppl_2.17944 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽

Author(s):

Jiyoon J Park ◽

Randa Bakhet ◽

Danica Karl ◽

Fei Yuan ◽

Eva Lonn

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Mass Index ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Body Mass ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Control Groups ◽

School Based ◽

School Based Interventions ◽

The Difference ◽

Dietary Modifications

Background: Childhood obesity is a major public health threat. Various school-based interventions (SBIs) to prevent obesity through physical activity and/or dietary modifications were implemented. However, the effectiveness of such SBIs remains unproven. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of SBIs. Methods: We searched for RCTs of SBIs published since 1990. To be eligible studies had to have an RCT design, to include children aged 6-18 years and SBIs were defined as non-pharmacological and non-surgical interventions carried out in a school setting with a minimum duration of 12 weeks. The primary outcome was change in body mass index (BMI. For each study the difference in the mean change in BMI between the intervention and the control groups was computed. The summary estimate for the difference in mean change in BMI and the 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed using a weighted inverse variance approach and a random- effects model. The I 2 statistic was used to test for heterogeneity. Results: Of 504 studies identified, 41 involving 42 430 participants met the inclusion criteria. SBIs varied greatly between studies by type, duration and delivery. In 10 RCTs the SBI focused on physical activity, in 6 on dietary modifications and in 25 on both physical activity and dietary modifications. SBIs duration ranged from 12 weeks to 4 years. There was no significant difference in mean BMI change between the intervention and the control groups (mean difference = -0.281kg/m 2 ; 95% CI -0.584 to 0.022), although there was significant heterogeneity between the RCTs’ findings (Figure). We found also no consistent impact on other measures of adiposity, physical activity patterns, dietary intakes and psychosocial health and wellbeing. Conclusions: SBIs had no substantial impact on BMI in children aged 6-18 years. Further research is needed to identify effective interventions to prevent childhood obesity.

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Patterns of Growth in Nestling Indian Barn-Owls

The Condor ◽

10.1093/condor/104.4.885 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 104 (4) ◽

pp. 885-890 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rajarathinavelu Nagarajan ◽

Krishinamoorthy Thiyagesan ◽

Rajagopalan Natarajan ◽

Ramalingam Kanakasabai

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Body Length ◽

Wing Length ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

The Body ◽

Logistic Growth ◽

Adult Size ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Tarsus Length ◽

Bill Length

Abstract We examined nestling growth patterns of the Indian Barn-Owl (Tyto alba stertens) in Tamilnadu, Southern India, with reference to body mass, body length, bill length, bill width, wing length, wingspan, tail length, tarsus length, and middle claw length. Body mass reached an asymptote of 447.0 ± 6.8 g during week 7, which was 10% higher than the adult mass. Then it significantly declined to 437.0 ± 10.9 g at fledging. At the end of week 4, the body length, bill length, bill width, tarsus length, and middle toe length had surpassed 50% of adult sizes. The wingspan and tarsus length reached almost adult size by the time of fledging. A logistic growth curve was found to be a good fit for all the growth variables and explained between 71% (wing length) and 86% (body length) of the variance. Patrones de Crecimiento en Polluelos de Tyto alba stertens Resumen. Examinamos los patrones de crecimiento de polluelos de Tyto alba stertens en Tamilnadu, sudoeste de India, en relación al peso y el largo del cuerpo, el largo y el ancho del pico, el largo del ala y su envergadura, y el largo de la cola, los tarsos y de la garra mediana. El peso corporal alcanzó una asíntota de 447.0 ± 6.8 g durante la séptima semana, el cual fue un 10% mayor que el peso de los adultos. Posteriormente, durante el período de volantones, el peso corporal disminuyó hasta 437.0 ± 10.9 g. Al final de la cuarta semana, el largo del cuerpo, el largo y el ancho del pico, y los largos del tarso y del dedo mediano habían sobrepasado el 50% de los tamaños adultos. La envergadura del ala y el largo del tarso casi alcanzaron tamaños adultos durante el período de volantones. Se encontró que una curva de crecimiento logístico se ajustó bien a todas las variables de crecimiento y explicó un 71% (largo del ala) y un 86% (largo del cuerpo) de la varianza.

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The Role of Lean Body Mass as a Nutritional Index in Chinese Peritoneal Dialysis Patients—Comparison of Creatinine Kinetics Method and Anthropometric Method

Peritoneal Dialysis International ◽

10.1177/089686080002000622 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 20 (6) ◽

pp. 708-714 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Cheuk-Chun Szeto ◽

Johnathan Kong ◽

Alan K.L. Wu ◽

Teresa Y.H. Wong ◽

Angela Y.M. Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Peritoneal Dialysis ◽

Serum Albumin ◽

Lean Body Mass ◽

Body Mass ◽

Chinese Patients ◽

Nutritional Indices ◽

Protein Nitrogen ◽

Creatinine Kinetics ◽

The Mean ◽

The Difference

Objective To compare, in Chinese continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients, the creatinine kinetics method (LBM-CK) and the anthropometric method (LBM-AM) for determining lean body mass (LBM). Design Single-center cross-sectional study. Patients and Methods We studied 151 unselected CAPD patients (78 males, 73 females). We calculated LBM-CK and LBM-AM using standard formulas. The results of the two methods were then compared by the Bland and Altman method. Dialysis adequacy and other nutritional indices, including total Kt/V, weekly creatinine clearance (CCr), residual glomerular filtration rate (GFR), protein nitrogen appearance (PNA), subjective global assessment (SGA), and serum albumin, were measured simultaneously. Results The mean age of the patients was 55.6 ± 12.2 years, and the mean duration of dialysis was 33.6 ± 28.5 months. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.7 ± 3.7. The average LBM-AM was 43.6 ± 8.0 kg; the average LBM-CK was 33.0 ± 9.3 kg. The difference between the calculated LBM-AM and LBM-CK was 10.7 kg, with LBM-AM always giving a higher value; the limits of agreement were –5.8 kg and 27.1 kg. The difference between the two measures correlated with residual GFR (Pearson r = 0.629, p < 0.001). After normalizing for desired body weight, LBM-AM was only modestly correlated with serum albumin level. No correlations were found between overall SGA score or normalized protein nitrogen appearance (nPNA) and LBM-AM or LBM-CK. Conclusions In Chinese patients at least, a substantial discrepancy exists between LBM-AM and LBM-CK. The difference is especially marked in patients with significant residual renal function. The optimal method for determining LBM remains obscure in Chinese CAPD patients. Moreover, LBM correlated poorly with other nutritional indices. Multiple parameters should be taken into consideration in an assessment of nutritional status of CAPD patients.

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Regulation of PDGF-A: a possible mechanism for angiotensin II-induced vascular growth

AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpheart.1995.269.1.h356 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 269 (1) ◽

pp. H356-H364 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

D. H. Wang ◽

R. L. Prewitt ◽

S. J. Beebe

Keyword(s):

Angiotensin Ii ◽

Physiological Saline ◽

Nuclear Antigen ◽

Saline Control ◽

Ang Ii ◽

Resistance Arteries ◽

Gene And Protein Expression ◽

The Difference ◽

A Chain ◽

Differential Control

This study was designed to determine the effects of angiotensin II infusion on structure of conduit and resistance arteries and to see if the effects correlate with changes in platelet-derived growth factor A chain (PDGF-A) gene and protein expression. Wistar rats were subcutaneously infused by osmotic minipump with either angiotensin II (ANG II) at 200 ng.kg-1.min-1 or physiological saline (control) for 14 days. Tail-cuff systolic blood pressure was significantly higher in ANG II compared with control rats beginning the second day of infusion and continuing to the end of 2 wk. Both aorta and external spermatic artery (first-order arteriole of the cremaster muscle) developed increased wall-to-lumen ratios in the ANG II rats, but this occurred by hypertrophy of the wall in the aorta and reduction of the lumen in the arteriole. Digoxigenin-labeled cRNA probes were used for in situ hybridization of vascular sections to identify PDGF-A mRNA. Gene expression of PDGF-A in ANG II rats was upregulated in the hypertrophied aorta and the nonhypertrophied arteriole. With the use of immunocytochemistry techniques, PDGF-A and proliferating cell nuclear antigen were increased in the aorta but not in the arterioles of ANG II rats compared with control rats. These results suggest that the difference in growth response between the aorta and the arteriole induced by ANG II may lie in posttranscriptional modification of PDGF-A mRNA, differential control of transition, or turnover of PDGF-A protein.

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Body mass changes in male Daubenton's bats Myotis daubentonii (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) during the seasonal activity period

Mammalia ◽

10.1515/mamm.2004.028 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 68 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Jorge A. Encarnação ◽

Markus Dietz ◽

Uwe Kierdorf ◽

Volkmar Wolters

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Reproductive Activity ◽

Activity Period ◽

Adult Males ◽

Body Mass Changes ◽

Myotis Daubentonii ◽

The Difference ◽

Juvenile Males ◽

Wallis Anova

Body mass changes of adult and juvenile male Daubenton’s bats were studied in a summer habitat in Hesse (Germany) in the years 1998-2001. Animals from the resident population were regularly captured along the flight path from April to October, and body mass was determined using a digital balance. Body mass of adult individuals differed significantly among fortnightly periods (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA by ranks: H = 141.75, p < 0.001). Body mass increased significantly from the second half of April (median: 7.0 g) to the first half of May (median: 7.8 g). Between the second half of May and the first half of August, median body mass fluctuated between 7.8 g and 8.3 g. From the second half of July (median: 7.9 g) to the second half of August (median: 8.4 g), and the second half of September (median: 9.3 g) body mass again significantly increased. The highest median body mass (9.6 g) was recorded in the second half of October. Median body mass of juvenile males ranged between 6.5 g in the first half of July and 8.5 g in the second half of October. Differences in body mass over the studied period were significant (H = 21.70, p < 0.01). During the months July, August, and September, body mass of adult males was significantly higher than that of juveniles, whereas in October the difference was no longer of statistical significance. It is suggested that the decrease in body mass observed in some adult males in September was related to their reproductive activity.

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Twenty-year time trends in hypertension prevalence in Yi people of China: three successive cross-sectional studies, 1996–2015

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-022714 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (10) ◽

pp. e022714 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jia Zhang ◽

Shaoping Wan ◽

Biao Zhang ◽

Fen Dong ◽

Li Pan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Body Mass ◽

Final Analysis ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Related Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hypertension Prevalence ◽

The Past ◽

Female Farmers ◽

The Difference

ObjectiveTo explore the trend of hypertension prevalence and related factors in Yi people from 1996 to 2015.MethodsThree successive cross-sectional surveys were conducted in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in 1996, 2007 and 2015, respectively. A total of 8448 participants aged 20–80 years (5040 Yi farmers, 3408 Yi migrants) were included in final analysis.ResultsOverall, the age-standardised prevalence of hypertension in migrants was significantly higher than in farmers. Furthermore, the age-standardised prevalence rates increased from 10.1% to 15.3% to 19.6% in Yi migrants and from 4.0% to 6.3% to 13.1% in Yi farmers during 1996 to 2007 to 2015. The highest 2015-to-1996 ratio of age-standardised hypertension prevalence was in male farmers (ratio=4.30), whereas despite the highest prevalence of hypertension, the equivalent figure in male migrants was 1.57. The older age, overweight and obesity were persistent risk factors of hypertension in three periods. After adjusted for age and body mass index, the difference of hypertension prevalence between 1996 and 2015 then vanished in male migrants (OR=1.335; 95% CI: 0.884 to 2.015) and female farmers (OR=1.267; 95% CI: 0.590 to 2.719). The disparities of hypertension prevalence between Yi migrants and farmers were not statistically significant in all subgroups when adjusted for age, body mass index and education.ConclusionsOver the past two decades, the hypertension prevalence in Yi people has significantly increased. Yi migrants were more likely to be hypertensive than Yi farmers which was predominantly driven by the discrepancy of body mass index between them.

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