Palmar flexion creases in schizophrenia

Palmar flexion creases have been studied in schizophrenics with a family history of schizophrenia or other psychiatric disorders and without such a background, and compared to a control population. Palmar flexion creases have been analyzed according to the method suggested byBali & Chaube (1971). When compared to controls, differences in the DRBC and TRBC frequencies are significant in the subgroup with no family history, supporting the existence of biological heterogeneity in schizophrenia, and of congenital factors when there is no known genetic background.     

A study of palmar flexion creases in the Mediterranean Populations of Delta de l'Ebre and Murcia (Spain)

This brief report is part of an extensive research which aims to describe different somathoscopic and dermatoglyphic characters of the Spanish population of the Mediterranean. Palmar flexion creases are of a somathoscopic character, independent of dermatoglyphics, they have been scarcely studied in European populations compared to other geographical areas. In this study the results of two Spanish Mediterranean Populations (Delta de l'Ebre and Murcia) have been reported. In the Spanish variation range, Delta de l'Ebre shows the lowest DRBC frequencies, while Murcia presents the highest. Comparisons with various Indian samples also show extreme statistical differences, due to their opposite distribution of the SRBC and TRBC types with respect to Europeans, except for the Punjabi population, which seems to be more similar to the Europeans than to the Indians.     

Types and combinations of axial triradii among the 20 Dhangar castes of Maharashtra,India

Bilateral palmar prints of 3000 males belonging to 20 endogamous Dhangar castes of Maharashtra, India, have been analysed for types and combinations of axial triradii after Cummins and Midlo (1943). Altogether 17 types of axial triradii were found among the Dhangars, but only typest, t′, tt″ occur in appreciable frequencies. The magnitude of intercaste differentiation in respect to axial triradii is considerably low; only 13 caste-pairs (6.84%) out of 190 pairs showed significant difference at the 5% level. Compared to several other palmar elements, like palmar true patterns, main line terminations, palmar flexion creases, the axial triradius has a considerably low level of differentiation among these nomadic, seminomadic and settled Dhangar castes. This suggests that the axial triradii are perhaps more stable compared to many other palmar elements. These results need to be confirmed by data from other populations.     

Hypothyroidism in reproductively inhibited prairie deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdi) from laboratory populations

Several thyroid function parameters were compared between reproductively inhibited prairie deer mice of both sexes taken from laboratory populations and corresponding reproductively capable controls. The results of these experiments indicated the following: 1) prairie deer mice females had a statistically significant daily variation in mean serum thyroxine concentration and males displayed a similar trend; 2) total serum thyroxine and triiodothyronine were significantly lower in both male and female reproductively inhibited population animals compared with reproductively capable controls; 3) several morphometric characteristics of the thyroid of male and female population prairie deer mice were significantly different from that of control males and females, suggesting functional hypothyroidism in both sexes; 4) thyroid histology of male population deer mice was different from that of female population animals. In males, the data suggested that thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) stimulation was deficient due to some undetermined secondary hypothyroidism. In females, reduced serum thyroxine and triiodothyronine concentrations were observed due to primary hypothyroidism of unknown origin. The interrelationship between thyroid and adrenal function is discussed here and it is concluded that each of the systems may contribute to the observed reproductive inhibition. In particular, it was noted that the mechanism of response between population males and females may be quite different. No conclusive data are available to suggest whether one or the other system is the primary controller of the reproductive inhibition.     

中国十一个少数民族的皮纹研究 Ⅱ.掌纹

研究了中国11个少数民族(其中回族两个群体)5013人的掌纹样本,计算出了a—b脊线数、atd角、掌褶纹类型、掌纹真实花样、掌纹主线各个项目的基本参数,比较了不同民族、性别、左右侧以及人种间的差异。各民族的掌纹各具特点而又显示出蒙古人种的一般特征。     

Meta-analysis of sex differences in gene expression in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder which influences around 1 % of the worldwide population. Differences between male and female patients with schizophrenia have been noted. There is an earlier age of onset in males compared with females with this diagnosis, and in addition, there are differences in symptom profiles between the sexes. The underlying molecular mechanism of sex difference remains unclear. Here we present a comprehensive analysis to reveal the sex differences in gene expression in schizophrenia with stringent statistics criteria. We compiled a data set consisting of 89 male controls, 90 male schizophrenia patients, 35 female controls and 32 female schizophrenia patients from six independent studies of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in postmortem brain. When we tested for a sex by diagnosis interaction on gene expression, 23 genes were up-regulated and 23 genes were down-regulated in the male group (q-value?<?0.05), several genes are related to energy metabolism, while 4 genes are located on sex chromosome. No genes were statistically significant in the female group when multiple testing correction were conducted (q-value <0.05), most likely due to the small sample size. Our protocol and results from the male group provide a starting point for identifying the underlying different mechanism between male and female schizophrenia patients.     

Body composition assessment in type 1 diabetes mellitus patients over 15 years old.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to assess the anthropometric characteristics and body composition in type 1 diabetic patients and compare the results with a randomly selected control population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied 75 type 1 diabetic patients, 43 male and 32 female, recruited from consecutive diagnosed type 1 diabetic patients attending the Endocrine Unit and treated with a intensive insulin regimen, and 93 control subjects, 44 males and 49 females representative of the census of this city. We performed a dietary recall in patients and determined anthropometric characteristics, both in patients and controls, body weight, height, body-mass index, waist-hip ratio and body composition parameters: total body water, free-fat mass, body free-fat mass, fat mass and body fat by bioelectrical impedance analyser. RESULTS: In diabetic male patients, we observed lower waist-hip ratio than in controls, 0.84 +/- 0.06 vs. 0.88 +/- 0.07, p = 0.021, higher free-fat mass in female diabetic patients, 48.5 +/- 5.6 vs. 45.6 +/- 5.9 kg, p = 0.03, lower fat mass in male diabetic patients, 9.5 +/- 6.9 vs. 14.6 +/- 8.5 kg, p = 0.003. We did not find any correlation among the parameters of body composition and dietary macronutrient intake in patients. CONCLUSIONS: The present study exposes the differences in anthropometric characteristics and body composition in type 1 diabetes mellitus, especially lower waist-hip ratio in male, higher free-fat mass in female and lower fat mass in male.     

Lack of species-specific primer effects of odours from female Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, and brown trout, Salmo trutta

We exposed, in two successive spawning seasons, individually placed precocious male Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) and brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) parr to odour stimuli (ovarian fluid and urine mix) from ovulated conspecific or heterospecific anadromous females. Atlantic salmon parr had significantly higher plasma concentrations of the hormones 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17,20β-P), 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) and testosterone (T) after exposure to odours from conspecific females or from brown trout females compared to parr exposed to a control solution (0.9% NaCl). We did not observe any significant differences between the hormone levels in salmon parr exposed to the two female odours. The salmon parr exposed to conspecific odours had significantly higher volumes of strippable milt compared to the controls, but we did not find any significant differences when comparing the effect of the two female odours. Brown trout parr had significantly higher plasma 17,20β-P levels following exposure to heterospecific female odours compared to control males, but there was no significant difference between males exposed to the different female odours. We did not observe any significant differences in plasma levels of T and 11-KT and in milt volumes between exposed and control trout. Taken together, the results from both tested species indicate that the potency of heterospecific stimuli in stimulating increased plasma sex steroid hormone levels in male parr was as strong as stimuli from conspecific females. The results are discussed in connection to observed hybridisation between the two sympatric species.     

Disorders of finger flexion crease formation in various congenital anomalies of human development]

Deviations in finger flexion crease formation and ridge counts were analysed in normal and deformed (Down syndrome, arthrogriposis, diastrophic dysplasia) hands. Certain interrelation was found between decrease in the ridge count and the number of the finger flexion creases in Down syndrome. The changes observed agree with the hypothesis that intersegmental borders, and later, the joints and finger flexion creases are laid out on the basis of the positional information which is directed by morphogenetic gradients. This model enables us to interpret more or less unequivocally the changes in flexion creases in patients with arthrogriposis and diastrophic dysplasia (dwarfism).     

The inheritance of aggressiveness in the convict cichlid fish, Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum (Pisces: Cichlidae).

Intraspecific comparisons in aggression were made between X-irradiated (2 times 500 R) ancestors and untreated control animals. Bites delivered to sub-adult conspecifics were counted to measure aggressiveness. When compared with corresponding controls, a significant reduction in male aggressiveness was found in the post-irradiation F1 generation. A greater variation in bites delivered occurred among the F2 post-irradiation generations than among the control equivalents. Three distinct back-cross generations were obtained as follows. a single F1 female from the irradiated line was mated to (a) her high aggressive (I-A) and (b) her low aggressive (I-NA) F2 son; a F1 control female was mated to her low aggressive F2 son. In the back-cross generations, both I-A and C-NA males were more aggressive than I-NA males. No differences were found between I-A and C-NA back-cross males. The findings are discussed in terms of a two-factor model based on Mendelian laws.     

A masculinized skeletomusculature is not necessary for male-typical patterns of food-protective movement

Although sexual dimorphism in movement has been documented in rodents, the extent to which it relates to dimorphic neural control versus dimorphic body size/structure is unclear. We have shown previously that male and female rats are sexually dimorphic with regards to the lateral movements and hindpaw stepping they use to protect a food item. We addressed the question of whether this sexual dimorphism is due to sex differences in peripheral skeletomusculature or in the CNS by examining the movement composition used during dodging to protect a food item by tfm-affected males and their wild-type male (WTM) and female (WTF) controls. The tfm-affected male, while genetically male, develops internal testes that secrete testosterone, but is phenotypically female due to a failure of androgen receptor-mediated masculinization of the periphery. Masculinization of the CNS of tfm-affected males, however, is primarily accomplished by the actions of testosterone's aromatized metabolite estradiol acting via estrogen receptors. Thus the tfm-affected male provides an assay by which the relative contributions of the skeletomusculature or CNS to sex differences in movement organization can be addressed. We found that female wild-type animals were significantly different from both the tfm-affected and wild-type males. There were no significant differences in dodge patterns used by tfm-affected males and their wild-type male controls. This study provides evidence that the sex differences in dodging patterns are mediated primarily by CNS mechanisms and are not primarily dependent on a male- or female-typical skeletomusculature.     

Exogenous melatonin elevates the plasma leptin and thyroxine concentrations of the mink (Mustela vison)

Eight male and eight female minks were given exogenous melatonin as subcutaneous implants. The plasma leptin and thyroxine concentrations were measured. The leptin concentrations showed clear seasonal variations and differences between the experimental groups. In September most of the control females had undetectable plasma leptin concentrations, but the melatonin-treated females had detectable concentrations significantly higher than the leptin levels of the controls. Most of the males had undetectable leptin concentrations, too. In October the plasma leptin levels had increased significantly in all the groups except the control males. The melatonin-treated minks had significantly higher leptin levels than the controls. There was a significant rise in the thyroxine levels from September to October and the melatonin-treated groups had significantly higher thyroxine levels than the controls. The effects of exogenous melatonin are very pronounced in the mink. Melatonin elevates the plasma leptin and thyroxine levels possibly by direct and indirect mechanisms.     

Bone mass in Guamanian patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and parkinsonism-dementia

Bone mass, as assessed by measurements of total subperiosteal diameter and medullary width of the second metacarpal bone on hand-wrist radiographs, was evaluated for 31 Guamanian patients (15 males, 16 females) with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), 67 patients (39 males, 28 females) with parkinsonism-dementia (PD), and 66 (34 males, 32 females) nonaffected Guamanian controls. Comparisons between the two disease groups and between each disease group and the nonaffected controls were made taking into account the sex, age, and disability status of each participant. At all ages, ALS patients of both sexes had significantly lower percent cortical areas (PCA) than did nonaffected controls. The ALS males also had significantly lower PCA than PD males, although no significant differences were observed between female ALS and PD patients. The PD patients of either sex had a lower PCA when compared to controls, but the differences were not statistically significant. The observed differences in PCA were due solely to increased medullary width, suggesting that the diminished cortical bone thickness resulted from greater bone resorption rather than differential bone growth. Longitudinal studies support the cross-sectional findings of accelerated bone loss among ALS patients. It is not possible to determine from the present data whether the observed differences in PCA of the second metacarpal of the ALS patients are due to atrophy of the first interosseous muscle, to a generalized resorption process inherently associated with the development and progression of ALS, or to factors not accounted for by the present analysis.     

On the variability of “flexion creases” in the distal plantar areas of newborns

The plantae of 83 male and 95 female healthy, full-term Caucasian newborns from Austria (gestational age 235–301 days) were photographed and the flexion creases in the distal part were examined. Analysis of the creases was done under four different aspects, the main evaluation based on a scheme of nine creases introduced by Schenk and Patzer (1959). Two transversal (No. 1 and No. 9) and three longitudinal (Nos. 3, 6, and 7) creases are always or predominantly present, a finding corresponding with the data of Schenk on 52 male and 48 female newborns from Germany. In addition, the nine plantar creases were evaluated according to six degrees of expression, and some typical crease combinations are shown. Bilateral and bisexual similarity prevails. The results of this study might serve investigations of different populations and of medical disorders.     

Morphometric changes associated with sex and development in the Malpighian tubules of Aedes aegypti

The Malpighian tubules of Aedes aegypti showed significant differences in their diameters between male and female larvae, male and female pupae, male larvae and male adults and male pupae and male adults. In every case, female values were greater than in males. Measurements of mean nuclear areas of the principal and stellate cells from Malpighian tubules, taken in males and females during development, showed that this parameter in both types of cell was significantly greater in females than in male larvae, pupae and adult stages. In males, significant differences between developmental stages were observed only in comparison with the nuclear area of larvae and adults in the principal cells, but in females, every comparison between stages showed significant differences except between pupae and adults in stellate cells. The frequency distribution of nuclear area values, in development, for male stellate and principal cells, were mostly concentrated in the first seven classes among the 30 classes considered in every stage, while for females, the frequency dropped drastically in the same classes from larvae to pupae and adults, moving to classes of higher values. Considering the importance of Malpighian tubules in insect physiology, the meaning of the differences detected are discussed on the basis of different metabolic levels, between sexes and developmental stages.     

Steroid receptor antibodies in autoimmune disorders

Sera from patients with autoimmune disorders have been analyzed for the presence of antibodies against the estrogen receptor. About 42% of the male and 34% of the female patients had measureable levels of antibody under our assay conditions. However, whereas the male patient population had significantly higher levels of anti-estrogen receptor than normal males, there was no significant difference between female patients and controls. Separation of the estrogen receptor by sucrose gradient centrifugation into the large (9-10S) and small (4S) molecular weight forms demonstrated that only the large form was antigenic, suggesting that the antibodies are not interacting with the steroid binding subunit. The clinical significance of increased levels of antibodies against the estrogen receptor in a percentage of male patients remains to be established.     

Quantitative dermatoglyphic markers in fra-X-syndrome

Quantitative dermatoglyphic characters of fingers and palms of 61 male patients with fra-X-syndrome and 20 female heterozygote carriers were analysed and compared with the data from 84 male and 90 female normal individuals. Univariate and multivariate analysis of the data led to the following conclusions: 1. The fra-X-syndrome patients show higher ridge count and higher MLI value (increased transversality of the main lines), and lower a-b ridge counts than the controls. In addition to this, differences are observed also for the diversity and asymmetry measures. 2. Discriminant analysis as applied to the sexes separately, showed that 75% of males can be correctly classified in their group. However, the percent of correctly classified females is lower than the males; it is 70% (fra-X female) ad 64.4% (control female). 3. D2-matrix and the comparison of TFR C values support the hypothesis of X-chromosomal doses effect on the dermatoglyphics.     

Great bustard population structure in central Spain: concordant results from genetic analysis and dispersal study.

We found significant sex differences in the mtDNA genetic structure and dispersal patterns of great bustards in a population of 11 breeding groups, "leks", in central Spain. The analysis of genetic distances showed that the female population was divided into three groups of leks separated by ca. 50 km, whereas male haplotypes were randomly distributed among leks. Genetic distances among pairs of leks were positively correlated with geographical distances in females but not in males. While female haplotype distributions were homogeneous among leks at close distances, differences in male genetic structure were highly variable even between two close leks. These results from genetic analyses were concordant with those from a radiotracking study on natal dispersal. Natal dispersal distances were higher in males than in females. Also, the frequency of movement of a female between two leks was positively correlated with their genetic affinity and geographical proximity. In males, the frequency of movement was correlated with geographical proximity but not with genetic affinity. Males dispersed among genetically unrelated leks, contributing to keep nuclear genetic diversity in the population, whereas females tended to be philopatric. These results suggest that isolation-by-distance influences the distribution of maternal lineages at a regional level.     

Effects of honey bees on colonies of Exoneura asimillima,an Australian native bee

Honey bee hives were placed, during two consecutive summers, in an experimental site which contained natural and artificially placed colonies of Exoneura asimillima, a semi-social, native bee. Two classes of colonies were studied: founders, and established colonies. Nests and contents were collected from an experimental site and three control sites following several months of exposure at the experimental site to the apiary honey bee population. Nest contents were analysed for differences among sites in colony population parameters which could have been caused by resource competition with introduced honey bees. Colony founding and overall colony survival were also considered. During the first season, the average number of large larvae plus prepupae per colony was significantly higher in the experimental site than in the control site. This difference could, however, have been the result of a two-week gap in sampling all the sites. All nest parameters showed high variability and there were no other significant differences between the two kinds of site. In the experimental site during the second season there were, relative to the control sites, significantly fewer total numbers of adult males and females in established nests and in all nests combined, significantly more immatures of all stages in founder nests and significantly lower adult male:female ratio. Although preliminary in nature, the data suggest that, in the experimental plots, E. asimillima showed: (i) increased adult emigration, (ii) increased brood rearing success, and/or (iii) relatively later colony founding, compared to the three controls. The possibility of resource competiton with honey bees causing the observed changes is discussed, along with alternative explanations.     

Male Competition,Mating Success and Female Choice in a Seasonally Breeding Primate (Erythrocebus patas)

Mammals with restricted breeding seasons often show brief but intense bouts of male competition for mates and male reproductive success has been attributed to male competitive abilities, with the most aggressively successful males able to control access to fertile females, or with females choosing to mate with such males. We studied male competition, mating behaviour and female mate selection in patas monkeys, a primate with a restricted breeding period. We observed two habituated patas groups in Laikipia District, Kenya, during Jun.-Aug. 1983. During the study, one group had a single resident male while the other group had multiple adult males. Within the multimale group, experienced adult males were no more successful than the subadult male. The sole resident male had a significantly higher rate of fights won (p < 0.02) although he did not differ from the multimale group males in rate of aggression or initiation of fights. We found no significant differences in either mating success or female preference based on males' experience or residency. The rates at which males copulated with and were solicited by females were not significantly correlated. We found no evidence of stable dominance ranks among males in the multimale group and aggressive success was not significantly correlated with copulation rate for males in the multimale group. Subadult males were responsible for the majority of copulations observed during the final third of the breeding season. Our observations of this patas population showed a fluid number of males in groups, with the same groups able to shift rapidly from single to multimale structure. This fluidity may result from the large fluctuations in numbers of breeding-age males and females observed over 4 yr of studying this population.