GENETIC ANALYSIS OF MORNINGNESS AND EVENINGNESS

We studied the influence of genetic factors on individual differences in morningness-eveningness in a sample of Dutch twin families. Data were collected from adolescent twins (mean age 17.8 yr) and their parents (mean age of fathers 48.0 yr and of mothers 46.0 yr) and a sample of older twins (mean age 46.5 yr). Scores on morningness-eveningness were rated on a 5-point scale. Parents were more morning oriented than their children, and women were more morning oriented than men. With a twin-family study, separation of genetic and environmental influences on variation in morningness-eveningness is possible. Including parents and older twins in the study makes it possible to explore generation differences in these effects. The correlation between monozygotic twins was more than twice the correlation between dizygotic twins. This indicates that genetic effects may not operate in an additive manner. Therefore, a model that included genetic dominance was explored. Biometrical model fitting showed no sex differences for the magnitude of genetic and environmental factors. The total heritability—the sum of additive and nonadditive genetic influences—for morningness-eveningness was 44% for the younger generation and 47% for the older generation. However, the genetic correlation between the generations turned out to be lower than 0.5, suggesting that different genes for morningness-eveningness are expressed in both generations. (Chronobiology International, 18(5), 809–822, 2001)     

Season of Birth and Morningness: Comparison Between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

The present study explored the possible role of the photoperiod at birth on morningness by collecting data in the northern (Italy) and southern (Australia) hemispheres. To assess circadian typology, the Composite Scale of Morningness (CS) was administered to a sample of 1734 university students (977 Italian and 757 Australian; 1099 females and 635 males; age 24.79?±?7.45 yrs [mean?±?SD]). Consistent with the literature, females reported higher CS scores (morningness) than males, and Australian participants reported higher CS scores than Italian participants. Allowing for the fact the seasons are reversed between the hemispheres, the results are in line with previous studies. The authors found more evening types were born during the seasons associated with longer photoperiod (spring and summer), and more morning types were born during the seasons associated with shorter photoperiod (autumn and winter), indirectly supporting an imprinting-like phenomenon played by the photoperiod at birth. (Author correspondence: vincenzo.natale@.unibo.it)     

The Circadian Energy Scale (CIRENS): Two Simple Questions for a Reliable Chronotype Measurement Based on Energy

This study presents the Circadian Energy Scale (CIRENS), a very short and simple chronotype measurement tool based on energy. The CIRENS consists of two introspective questions about the usual energy level (very low, low, moderate, high, or very high, scored 1 to 5) in the morning and in the evening. The difference between energy level scores (?4 to 4) felt by respondents in the evening and morning defines the chronotype score and classification. A concurrent validity analysis of the CIRENS with the widely used Horne and Östberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) was conducted using a sample of 225 college students, and with MSFsc, a sleep-based chronotype assessment tool based on the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ), using a sample of 34,530 subjects (18–83 yrs, 27% males). This large sample was collected in a Web survey for behavioral correlates of the CIRENS with variables previously associated with chronotype differences. The correlation of the CIRENS chronotype score was r?=??.70 with the MEQ and r?=?.32 with the MSFsc. CIRENS chronotype scores declined with age and were not affected by sex. Both CIRENS and MSFsc chronotype scores were related to differences in tobacco, caffeine, and cola soft-drink consumption (all higher in evening types). The CIRENS provides a simple chronotype index and a measure of absolute energy throughout the day and seems to be a reliable chronotype assessment tool that may be useful both clinically and for large-scale studies. (Author correspondence: diogorlara@gmail.com)     

SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN PHASE CHARACTERISTICS OF ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT MALES IN A NATURALISTIC SUMMERTIME CONDITION

Our aim was to compare the circadian phase characteristics of healthy adolescent and young adult males in a naturalistic summertime condition. A total of 19 adolescents (mean age 15.7 years) and 18 young adults (mean age 24.5 years) with no sleep problems took part in this study. Two-night polysomnographic (PSG) sleep recordings and 24h secretion patterns of urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin were monitored in all 37 subjects. Sleep-wake patterns were initially assessed at home using a standard sleep diary. Circadian assessment included the measure of dim light melatonin offset (DLMOff) and the morningness-eveningness (M/E) questionnaire. As expected, compared to young adults, adolescents habitually spent more nocturnal time in bed and spent more time (and percentage) in delta sleep. No difference was found between adolescents and young adults on multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) sleep onset latencies, M/E, melatonin secretion measures (24h total, nighttime, daytime, and night ratio), and DLMOff. For the subjects as a whole, correlational analyses revealed a significant association between the DLMOff and M/E and between both these phase markers and habitual bedtimes, habitual rising times, and melatonin secretion measures (daytime levels and the night ratio). No association was found between phase markers and daytime sleepiness or sleep consolidation parameters such as sleep efficiency or number of microarousals. These results together indicate that adolescents and young adults investigated during summertime showed similar circadian phase characteristics, and that, in these age groups, an evening phase preference is associated with a delayed melatonin secretion pattern and delayed habitual sleep patterns without a decrease in sleep consolidation or vigilance. (Chronobiology International, 17(4), 489–501, 2000)     

Role of Patient Chronotype on Circadian Pattern of Myocardial Infarction: A Pilot Study

Population-based studies indicate the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is greatest in the morning, during the initial hours of diurnal activity. The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether chronotype, i.e., morningness and eveningness, impacts AMI onset time. The sample comprised 63 morning- and 40 evening-type patients who were classified by the Horne-Östberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) in the hospital after experiencing the AMI. The average wake-up and bed times of morning types were ～2?h earlier than evening types. Although the lag in time between waking up from nighttime sleep and AMI onset during the day did not differ between the two chronotypes, the actual clock-hour time of the peak in the 24-h AMI pattern did. The peak in AMI of morning types occurred between 06:01 and 12:00?h and that of the evening types between 12:01 and 18:00?h. Although the results of this small sample pilot study suggest one's chronotype influences the clock time of AMI onset, larger scale studies, which also include assessment of 24-h patterning of events in neither types, must be conducted before concluding the potential influence of chronotype on the timing of AMI onset. (Author correspondence: dryavuzselvi@yahoo.com).     

SEXUAL CONFLICT AND INTERACTING PHENOTYPES: A QUANTITATIVE GENETIC ANALYSIS OF FECUNDITY AND COPULA DURATION IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Many reproductive traits that have evolved under sexual conflict may be influenced by both sexes. Investigation of the genetic architecture of such traits can yield important insight into their evolution, but this entails that the heritable component of variation is estimated for males and females—as an interacting phenotype. We address the lack of research in this area through an investigation of egg production and copula duration in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Despite egg production rate being determined by both sexes, which may cause sexual conflict, an assessment of this trait as an interacting phenotype is lacking. It is currently unclear whether copula duration is determined by males and/or females. We found significant female, but not male, genetic variance for egg production rate that may indicate reduced potential for ongoing sexually antagonistic coevolution. In contrast, copula duration was determined by significant genetic variance in both sexes. We also identified genetic variation in egg retention among virgin females. Although previously identified in wild populations, it is unclear why this should be present in a laboratory stock. This study provides a novel insight into the shared genetic architecture of reproductive traits that are the subject of sexual conflict.     

QUANTITATIVE GENETIC ESTIMATES OF MORPHOMETRIC VARIATION IN WILD-CAUGHT AND LABORATORY-REARED HOUSEFLIES

Quantitative genetic estimates of morphometric traits in the housefly, Musca domestica L, were made on parents captured in the wild or reared in the laboratory. Phenotypic variation of morphometric traits declined within the laboratory, but as the additive genetic component of variation also declined, there was no net change in ???narrow-sense heritabilities of these traits across environments. Additive genetic variances were inflated only when wild-caught females were used as parents, suggesting that a maternal effect was present.     

水稻苗期根系性状的数量遗传分析

根系不仅是水稻吸水吸肥和支持地上部的重要器官 ,同时也是许多重要生理活性物质的合成器官 ,发达的根系是水稻生长发育和产量形成的基础〔1,2〕。在我国水稻生产中具有重要地位的杂交水稻之所以高产稳产 ,其生理基础之一就是其根系发达 ,吸肥吸水能力强 ,生理代谢旺盛 〔3,4〕。由于对根系的观测很烦琐 ,因此在过去的育种实践中很少将其列入育种计划。今天 ,随着分子标记技术的发展 ,分子标记辅助选择 (marker- assisted selection,MAS)使得育种学家能较简便地对根系性状进行有针对性的选择和改良〔5,6〕。因此 ,有必要进一步加强对水稻…     

PARENTAL ENFORCEMENT OF BEDTIME DURING CHILDHOOD MODULATES PREFERENCE OF JAPANESE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR EVENINGNESS CHRONOTYPE

We examined the effect of home bedtime discipline during childhood on morningness and eveningness (M-E) preference by Japanese junior high school students. M-E was assessed by the M-E Questionnaire (MEQ) of Torsvall and Åkerstedt (the higher the score, the greater the preference for morningness), and parental determination of bedtime during childhood was ascertained using an original questionnaire. The average M-E score of adolescents living in urban Kochi City (mean ± SD; 15.10 ± 3.42) was significantly lower (P <. 01) than the score of those in suburban districts (16.14 ± 3.44). Overall, 43.1% of the junior high school students in Kochi City compared to 53.0% of the students living in suburban districts had their bedtime decided during childhood by parents (P <. 01). In Kochi City, the M-E score for boys (14.62 ± 3.51) was lower (P <. 01) than girls (15.53 ± 3.28). During childhood, parents decided the bedtime for 49% of the girls compared to 36.6% of the boys (P <. 01). Boys whose bedtime was not decided by parents during childhood had a somewhat stronger preference for eveningness (14.20 ± 3.53) (P <. 05) compared to those whose bedtime was decided by parents (15.12 ± 3.36). The results suggest bedtime discipline at home during childhood has an effect on adolescent chronotype, modulating the extent of shift to eveningness in Japanese junior high school boys in particular. (Chronobiology International, 18(5), 823–829, 2001)     

Circadian Typology and Sensation Seeking in Adolescents

The relationship of circadian typology with personality has been largely studied in adults, but there are few studies exploring such relationship in adolescents. Adolescence has been associated with a greater tendency to eveningness preference, sleeping problems, poorer academic achievement, earlier substance use, or risky behaviors, and it is suggested that this association might be mediated by personality factors. Given the relevance of identifying the behavioral outcomes of young evening types to detect and prevent health problems, the present study aimed to explore, for the first time, the relationship between sensation seeking and circadian typology in an adolescent sample of 688 students (51.45% boys) from 12 to 16 yrs old. They answered the Spanish versions of the Morningness-Eveningness Scale for Children (MESC) and the Junior Sensation Seeking Scale (J-SSS), which includes four subscales measuring Thrill and Adventure Seeking, Experience Seeking, Disinhibition, and Boredom Susceptibility. Analyses showed that boys obtained significantly higher scores than girls on J-SSS total score and all subscales except Boredom Susceptibility, whereas evening-type adolescents of both sexes scored significantly higher than neither types and than morning types on J-SSS total score. These results indicate that evening-type adolescents show a greater desire for varied, new, complex, and intense sensations, and they are ready for experiencing more risks than morning types. The implications of this study suggest the need of being aware of individual differences in the SS trait in evening-type adolescents, as well as taking into account the wide variety of behaviors associated with it, either prosocial or antisocial, to design better preventive health and academic programs. (Author correspondence: anna.muro@uab.cat)     

Association between moringness-eveningness preference and mental/physical premenstrual symptoms in Japanese females 12 to 31 years of age

This study investigates the relationship between circadian typology, i.e., morningness-eveningness (M-E) preference, and the occurrence and severity of premenstrual mental and physical symptoms among 154 young Japanese female university students (range, 18 to 31 yrs; mean±S.D., 20.69±3.69 yrs) and 417 junior high school students (range, 12 to 15 yrs; mean±S.D., 14.29±0.67 yrs) living in an urban or suburban area of Kochi prefecture. Female university students experienced melancholy mood more frequently than did males, and the female university students who frequently became melancholy were more evening-typed than those who did not experience melancholy. Female university students who experienced frequent fluctuations in mood and/or menstrual pain were more evening-typed than those who were not so affected. M-E preference of junior high school students was not correlated with stability of mood or frequency of menstrual pain. In urban areas, however junior high school students who had very stable menstrual cycles were significantly more morning-typed than those whose menstrual cycles were not stable. In suburban areas, the bedtimes of female junior high students who had stable menstrual cycles were significantly earlier than those whose menstrual cycle duration was not stable. A physiological relationship between the circadian system, M-E, and attributes of the menstrual cycle seems to be present in adolescent female Japanese junior high school students.     

AGING AND THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM OF MELATONIN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF CHINESE SUBJECTS 30–110 YR OF AGE

Although previous reports indicate that nocturnal plasma melatonin secretion declines with age, some recent findings do not support this point. In the present cross-sectional study, we documented serum melatonin concentrations at two time points, 02:00 and 08:00h, in 144 persons aged 30–110 yr and found a significant age-related decline. It began around the age of 60 and reached a very significantly lower level in subjects in their 70s and over 80 yr of age (P<0.01, when compared with age <60 yr). Nocturnal melatonin levels were higher among (post-menopausal only) women than men overall (P<0.05). In the older age-groups, nocturnal melatonin levels did not differ between healthy controls and subjects with high blood pressure or ischemic heart disease. To further check these results, we also assessed the circadian pattern of serum melatonin in four subgroups of healthy men, aged 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, and 60–69 yr: blood samples were taken at 2h intervals from 08:00 to 22:00h and hourly from 22:00 to 08:00h. Our results showed generally similar circadian melatonin patterns that peaked at night with very low levels during the daytime. No significant difference was found among the three younger groups, but nocturnal melatonin levels were significantly lower in the men in their 60s.     

CIRCADIAN VARIATION IN ONSET OF ACUTE CARDIOGENIC PULMONARY EDEMA IS INDEPENDENT OF PATIENTS' FEATURES AND UNDERLYING PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CAUSES

Background. The present study aimed to confirm the existence of a circadian pattern in the onset of acute pulmonary edema (APE) and to verify whether sex, age, preexisting diseases, and clinical causes determining the event may influence it. Subjects and Methods. The study considered all consecutive cases of APE observed at the St. Anna General Hospital of Ferrara, Italy, during a 7-year period from January 1, 1992, to December 31, 1998. The sample population was divided into subgroups by sex, age (<75 and ≥75 years), presence or absence of diabetes and hypertension, clinical causes determining the event (i.e., acute myocardial infarction (AMI), pulmonary embolism, arrhythmias). The most important associated or concomitant diseases were also considered (i.e., coronary heart disease and angina, previous myocardial infarction, chronic cardiac failure, dilatative cardiopathy, chronic atrial fibrillation, valvular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic cor pulmonale, malignancy, chronic renal failure). Time of symptom onset of each event was recorded accurately, then tabulated into 24 increments of 1h (e.g., 06:00 to 06:59 was reported as 6 A.M.). For statistical chronobiological analysis, partial Fourier series were used. Results. During the 7-year period, 1321 consecutive cases of APE in 1014 different subjects were observed. The majority of events occurred at night, and statistical analysis showed a 24h rhythmicity both in the total sample population and in all considered subgroups, with the only exception being patients with pulmonary embolism and arrhythmias, for which the small number of cases made the study of rhythms in APE impossible. Conclusions. The nighttime preference in the occurrence of APE appears to be quite independent of all demographic features or underlying pathophysiological causes. (Chronobiology International, 17(5), 705–715, 2000)     

CIRCADIAN VARIABILITY OF BILIRUBIN IN HEALTHY MEN DURING NORMAL SLEEP AND AFTER AN ACUTE SHIFT OF SLEEP

Bilirubin is a laboratory test widely used for patient care, especially neonatal patients and patients with anemia or suspected liver disorders. Bilirubin has also been shown to be associated with sleep pattern and oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the variation of bilirubin in a group of healthy individuals with normal night sleep as well as during acutely displaced sleep, as sleep timing varies immensely between individuals while clinical samples are still mainly taken in the morning. We studied the diurnal variation of bilirubin during night-sleep and day-sleep conditions in seven healthy volunteers. Serum samples were collected every hour (50 samples/individual) to evaluate the effect of different sampling times and sleep displacement on the test results. The mean acrophases (peak time) occurred at 10.6?h during the night-sleep condition and at 18.4?h during the day-sleep condition. The diurnal intraindividual variation was high during both the night-sleep and day-sleep conditions, with coefficients of variation (CV) in the range of 12.8 to 42.5%. The diurnal variation was higher during the day compared to night-sleep condition. Thus, bilirubin sampling should be restricted to the morning, preferably after a normal night sleep, to minimize intraindividual variation. (Author correspondence: anders.larsson@akademiska.se)     

中国汉族髋骨的性别差异和判断

本文研究乌鲁木齐市附近出土的汉族达到成年尺寸的正常髋骨(男115块,女54块,性别主要借助骨盆形态来判断)。测量了耻骨长、坐骨长、髋臼径及坐骨大切迹宽、深等八个项目。列表和图显示了各项数据的分布。利用这些图表可以帮助鉴别中国汉人髋骨的性别。经统计方法检验,这些特征在性别和人种之间有非常显著或显著的差异,汉人与美国白人及爱斯基摩人较接近。     

不同群体鳙的生长性能与遗传分析

1982至1986年,在上海与广东两地精养鱼池中,对来源于不同繁殖群体的鳙,即长江水系天然繁殖的鳙和人工繁殖的鳙,珠江水系天然繁殖和人工繁殖的鳙,用随机区组成试验法观察比较了2龄和3龄阶段的生长速度,结果一致表明：在同一环境里,天然繁殖鳙比人工繁殖鳙长得快,长江天然繁殖鳙比珠江天然繁殖鳙长得快,长江人工繁殖鳙比珠江人工殖鳙长得快,差距约5％左右,方差组分和遗传相关分析进一步揭示,遗传因子在不同繁殖群体鳙的生长差异上起有重要作用。     

大鼠交叉上核中SS和VIPmRNA昼夜节律的研究

用Ｎｏｒｔｈｅｒｎｂｌｏｔ杂交方法分析ＬＤ循环条件下大鼠ＳＣＮ和ＣＸ的ＳＳｍＲＮＡ和ＶＩＰｍＲＮＡ丰度的昼夜变化，结果表明这两种ｍＲＮＡ昼夜间的相对含量在ＣＸ中基本不变，而在ＳＣＮ中则呈现规律性变化的模式，与双侧眼球摘除后大鼠ＳＣＮｍＲＮＡ丰度昼夜变化的实验结果相比较，ＳＳｍＲＮＡ丰度变化不受外界光的影响，具有内源性的昼夜节律，而ＶＩＰｍＲＮＡ丰度的昼夜变化则受外界光的影响。     

鳙幼鱼在静水和流水下昼夜游泳节律初步研究

正游泳行为是鱼类最基本的生命活动,是其逃避敌害、猎食、迁徙、求偶和躲避灾害环境的重要手段~[1—3]。在通常情况下鱼类游泳是通过游泳速度和时间进行描述的,可将其分为巡弋游泳能力(Cruising swimming performance)、