Assessment of fertility and infertility in boron-exposed Turkish subpopulations: 3. Evaluation of fertility among sibs and in "borate families"

As a part of a work to reveal the health effects of boron and its compounds, fertility and infertility states of sibs of probands, contacted and interviewed in the field, and of their spouses were given. The purposes were to prevent duplications seemingly inevitable in a relatively small community with prevailing consanguinity while analyzing marriages over respective generations and to reveal if there occurred an aggregation of infertile couples. Any family without offspring after about the second year of marriage was considered primary infertile as adopted throughout the study and such families were ascertained through the individual pedigree charts set up according to the instructions of the proband, he (she) himself (herself) being excluded. The rates of childless families of this type were 0.0–3.4% among male and 0.9–3.8% among female sibs of the participant, and 2.3–10.0% among male and 0.0–5.6% among female sibs of his (her) spouse with averages of 2.3% of 1589, 2.6% of 1589, 4.0% of 1314, and 3.3% of 1436 instances, respectively. The differences were insignificant and the rates were not different from those concerning probands themselves and that of a comparable segment of the Turkish population. “Borate families/kindreds” with two or more members engaged in the borate industry were also assessed in order to detect if there was a significant clustering of infertiles within the kindred. Although it was difficult to compare with a matched group, few couples were examples of familial concentration of infertility. These results provided further support that boron exposure does not affect human reproduction primarily and most probably secondarily. This work was partly presented to the 10th International Symposium on Trace Elements in Man and in Animal (TEMA-10), Evian, France, May 2–7, 1999.     

Low frequency of infertility among workers in a borate processing facility

In order to rule out the possibility of omitting some individuals in the study at field visits described in previous articles, either because of the reluctance of the subject or because of his appointment elsewhere, fertility and infertility states of borate workers of the Borax and Acid Plants in Bandirma, Balikesir are given. Balikesir is one of the four provinces with large borate deposits of Turkey, and Bandirma is 1 of its 19 districts. This county is relatively far away from borate deposits, and drinking water piped out through the springs has a boron amount between 0.10 and 0.82 ppm B. That the participants are occupationally exposed to the mineral in essence is therefore conceivable. At the first phase of the investigation, 191 workers were interviewed, as detailed previously. Among these, there were six infertiles of the primary type with a rate 3.1%. Boron-unrelated infertile couples among sibs were found to be 2.6–3.6%, and 3.2% for three-generation marriages—none being higher than those revealed in different sets of controls. In the second stage of work, computerized files of all workers of the facility and all employees of the general management sharing the same location were checked without an interview. Twenty-four subjects (3.4%) out of 712 workers were childless versus 2.7% among 108 employees, and 2.2% among 91 workers of a distantly located sulfuric acid plant of the same complex. The differences were not significant, and these recent findings support the conclusion already reached almost unambiguously that boron exposure at the present levels does not interfere with human reproduction.     

Case-control study of whether subfertility in men is familial.

OBJECTIVE--To test the hypothesis that subfertility in men is familial and to examine the distribution of subfertility within families for consistency with a genetic cause. DESIGN--Case-control study and segregation analysis. SETTING--Two teaching hospitals in Leeds. SUBJECTS--Cases (probands) were men with an abnormal sperm count who attended a subfertility clinic and whose partners had no major factor contravening fertility. Controls were fathers of two or more children recruited through vasectomy clinics or a maternity department. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--The incidence of involuntary childlessness among brothers with partners and among sisters and second and third degree male relatives. When possible clinical and laboratory details were obtained from involuntarily childless brothers. RESULTS--Seventeen of the 148 (11.5%) brothers of probands but none of the 169 brothers of controls had sought medical advice for childlessness (P < 0.0005). Four probands had more than one involuntarily childless brother. There were six further brothers whose childlessness was thought to be involuntary bringing the total prevalence of subfertility among brothers of probands to 16%. Segregation analysis was consistent with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance accounting for 60% of subfertility in men. Seventeen of the 346 (4.9%) uncles of probands and 10 of 420 (2.8%) uncles of controls were reported to be involuntarily childless (P = 0.09), but there was no difference in childlessness among sisters. In three families sperm counts from "affected" brothers confirmed the diagnosis and showed considerable similarities within but not between families. CONCLUSION--Subfertility in men has a familial component, and the observations are consistent with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance in over half the cases. Several different genes are probably involved.     

Frequency,origin, and survival of aneuploids in tetraploid ryegrass

Aneuploids with 26 to 30 chromosomes occurred in progenies of induced tetraploids of Lolium perenne in a frequency of 6 to 23% in C₁ families, 12% in C₂ and 6% in advanced generations. The most frequent types had 27 and 29 chromosomes. Most were apparently recovered through female transmission, which varied for aneuploid gametes with different chromosome numbers and which probably depended on the chromosome involved. In general, aneuploids showed a reduction in fertility. Even with the same chromosome number, fertility varied perhaps as a result of differences between the chromosomes involved. Aneuploids could not be distinguished from eu-tetraploids on a morphological basis. Tetraploids late and early in respect to flowering did not differ in aneuploid frequency. No reversion to diploidy was observed in successive generations.     

A natural hybrid ofMonophyllaea (Gesneriaceae) in the tropical rain forests of West Sumatra

A natural hybrid (2n = 21) between the parapatric rain forest speciesMonophyllaea hirtella (2n = 20) andM. horsfieldii (2n = 22) (Gesneriaceae) has been observed at Sg. Lubuk Paraku, Padang, W. Sumatra. The hybrids showed intermediary characters between the parental species in the inflorescence structure, flower size and colour, indumentum, chromosome numbers, and habitat. The 29% pollen fertility of a single hybrid specimen suggests that the genetical isolation between the parental species may break down and reproduction over subsequent generations may occur.     

Inbreeding and true seed in tetrasomic potato. II. Selfing and sib-mating in heterogeneous hybrid populations of Solanum tuberosum

 Inbreeding depression may affect the performance of consecutive generations of potatoes propagated by true potato seed (TPS). The effect of inbreeding was established using selfed and sib-mated generations of five TPS families. Correlation coefficients were calculated between the level of inbreeding and different traits. Inbreeding depression was expressed mainly by pollen viability, as measured by its stainability (r=−0.912, P<0.01), and tuber yield (r=−0.837, 0.01<P<0.05). The results also indicated that without unavoidable selection inbreeding depression is expected to be more evident. Furthermore, the TPS families responded quite differently to inbreeding depression. They did not show the same amount of depression for yield as they did for the characters concerning fertility. The high tuber-yielding families displayed a greater inbreeding depression for tuber yield than the lower-yielding families. Received: 10 November 1997 / Accepted: 3 March 1998     

Consanguinity, fertility of couples and mortality of children in the high Atlas population (commons of Anougal and Azgour, Marrakesh, Morroco)

This study analyses the relationship between consanguinity, fertility and child mortality in a rural population of two moroccan High-Atlas valleys. Among this very endogamous population, we have reconstituted, by inquiries, for each family, the totality of its reproductive life as well as the genealogic relationships that exist between the spouses on several generations. The analysis carried out on the group of families with women who are over 40 years old (438 families) has shown that the population was very strong related (28% of marriages are consanguineaous). A positive association between levels of fertility, infant mortality and consanguinity was observed.     

Multigenerational Effects of Heavy Metals on Feeding,Growth, Initial Reproduction and Antioxidants in Caenorhabditis elegans

Earlier studies showed that toxicities of excessive metals lasted over generations. Yet, these studies mainly employed one-generation exposure, and the effects of multigenerational challenges need further studies. Presently, Caenorhabditis elegans were exposed to cadmium, copper, lead and zinc for four consecutive generations (G1 to G4) at environmental concentrations. The feeding, growth, initial reproduction, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were determined. All data were represented in the percentage of that in control (POC), and POC in the control was normalized to 100%. In G1 and G2, the POC values in feeding, growth and initial reproduction were generally within 10% of the control (100%), indicating non-significant effects. The POC values in SOD and CAT were significantly higher than 100%, showing stimulatory effects. In G3 and G4, the POC values in feeding, growth and initial reproduction were significantly lower than 100%, showing inhibitory effects which were more severe in G4 than in G3. Meanwhile, SOD and CAT continuously showed stimulatory effects, and the stimulatory effects on SOD increased from G1 to G4. The effects with multigenerational challenges were different from those in one-generation exposure. The effects in later generations demonstrated the importance of multigenerational challenges in judging long-term influences of metals.     

Intergenerational transmission of fertility in Spain among cohorts born during the first half of twentieth century

It is known that historically fertility is correlated between generations of the same family. These links tend to be explained either in terms of the biogenetic determinants of reproduction or by the transmission of intra-familial values associated with reproduction and family life. Less is known about the micro-determinants of these links or about the extent to which the progressive modernization of reproductive outcomes over the past century has affected behavior. In this paper, we will address these issues for Spain with data from the Socio-Demographic Survey (SDS) carried out in 1991 and including data on cohorts born between 1900 and 1946. These data enable us to explore the micro determinants of fertility at different points of time during this period. Our results point to the existence of a significant correlation between intergenerational reproductive outcomes that persists and strengthens throughout this period of demographic change. Results confirm the importance of birth order in large family groups where firstborn offspring are more likely to have larger families than subsequent siblings. There is also evidence that the strength of these intergenerational ties increases with the onset of more modern demographic behavior characterized by sharply declining fertility. The results presented here promise to condition future debates on the subject.     

Familial Aggregation of Morbid Obesity

Recent studies have shown major gene effects for obesity in randomly ascertained families. To investigate the familial aggregation of a specific subset of obesity, which is particularly prone to medical complications, families with morbid obesity were studied. This condition occurs in 1%-2%of the population and is defined as 45.5 kg (100 pounds) or more over ideal weight. First-degree relatives of 221 morbidly obese probands (1560 adults) were identified, and height and weight (current and greatest) were obtained from each family member. Morbid obesity occurred in the family members of the probands 8 times more often than in the general population. Of the morbidly obese probands, 48% had one or more first-degree relatives who were also morbidly obese compared to a 6% population estimate. By the ages of 20–24, 12% of the morbidly obese probands were already 45.5 kg or more overweight, and 45% were 22.7 kg (50 pounds) or more overweight. There was little difference in the prevalence of familial morbid obesity by the gender of the probands: 47% of the male probands and 48% of the female probands had another morbidly obese relative, while 67% and 53% of the early onset (before age 25) male and female probands, respectively, had one or more first-degree relatives who were also morbidly obese. In addition to the extreme degree of familial aggregation, the prevalence of morbid obesity in parent-offspring sets was calculated within the morbidly obese families. Morbidly obese families who have one or two morbidly obese parents have a 2.6 times increased risk (p<0.002) of having one or more morbidly obese adult offspring, compared to families who have neither parent morbidly obese. Evidence for trimodality of the body mass index distribution was found for each gender (p = 0.0006 for male relatives and p = 0.075 for female relatives). The strong familial aggregation of morbid obesity indicates the need for further understanding of the genetic determinants of this extreme clinical disorder and how environmental factors affect the genetic expression of the trait. (OBESITY RESEARCH 1993;1:261–270)     

Green algae in spruce forests in the north-east of European Russia

The green algal communities in podzolic soils under coniferous forest in N.E. European Russia were studied in areas that were subjected to different technogenic pollution intensities. Sixty-five green algal species belonging to 4 classes, 12 orders, 20 families and 27 genera were recorded. The algal communities in the investigated soils of the different type spruce phytocoenoses included from 15 to 38 taxa on one site. Indicator species were identified for background spruce forests (Chalmydomonas gelatinosa, Tetracystis aggregata, T. dissociata, Pseudopleurococcus botryoides, Myrmecia bisecta) and for aerotechnogenically polluted spruce forests (Actinochloris sphaerica). The results may be used for the monitoring of the ecological state of biota in soils under boreal forests of protected areas and spruce forests exposed to intense aerial technogenic pollution. Presented at the International Symposium Biology and Taxonomy of Green Algae V, Smolenice, June 26–29, 2007, Slovakia.     

Vanadium levels in urine and cystine levels in fingernails and hair of exposed and normal persons

Vanadium was determined by radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) with proven accuracy in urine of workers occupationally exposed to vanadium-rich dust in a vanadium pentoxide production plant, and values in the range of 3.02–762 ng/mL (median 33.0 ng/mL) were found. In a control group consisting of administrative workers of the plant, urinary vanadium levels were found in the range of 1.05–53.4 ng/mL (median 2.53 ng/mL), whereas in an another control group of occupationally nonexposed persons, these values amounted to 0.066–0.489 ng/mL (median 0.212 ng/mL). Accuracy of the results was tested by analysis of reference material IAEA A-13 Animal Blood and NIST SRM-1515 Apple Leaves, and very good agreement was found with literature and the NIST certified values, respectively. Unlike urine, no significant differences were found for cystine levels in fingernails and hair of exposed and control persons.     

Nickel Hyperaccumulation in the Serpentine Flora of Cuba

Extraordinary uptake (hyperaccumulation) of nickel (Ni), reachingconcentrations of 0.1–5.0%, about 1000-times greater thanthose usually found in flowering plants, has been reported overthe period 1948–1996 in about 190 species that grow onNi-rich serpentine soils derived from ultramafic rocks in variousparts of the world. A recent study of the families Buxaceaeand Euphorbiaceae identified a further 80 Ni hyperaccumulatorsfrom the very large ultramafic flora of Cuba, the largest numberfound to date in any one country. A much wider investigationof the elemental content of plants from the Cuban ultramaficflora, reported here with representative analyses of the correspondingsoils, has revealed Ni hyperaccumulation in an additional 50taxa (in 16 genera and eight families). The number of hyperaccumulatorsis greatest on the oldest serpentine soils, which are believedto have been available for colonization for the last 10–30million years. Both Ni hyperaccumulators, and serpentine endemicspecies generally, are much more frequent on these old soils,occurring in the eastern and western extremities of Cuba, thanon those developed within the last million years in the centralpart of the country. Hyperaccumulating plants of the familiesAcanthaceae, Asteraceae, Clusiaceae, Myrtaceae, Ochnaceae, Oleaceae,Rubiaceae and Tiliaceae are discussed.Copyright 1999 Annalsof Botany Company. Nickel, hyperaccumulation, serpentine flora, Cuba.     

Reproductive toxicity in boron exposed workers in Bandirma, Turkey

Boric acid and sodium borates have been considered as being “toxic to reproduction and development”, following results of animal studies with high doses. However unfavorable effects of boron exposure on reproduction and development have not been proved in epidemiological studies so far. The aim of the present study was to investigate the reproductive toxicity indicators in highly exposed workers employed in a boric acid production plant in Band?rma, Turkey. Two hundred and four workers participated in this study. The mean blood boron concentration of the high exposure group of workers was 223.89 ± 69.49 (152.82–454.02) ng/g. Unfavorable effects of boron exposure on the reproductive toxicity indicators were not observed.     

Dynamics of Maize Carbon Contribution to Soil Organic Carbon in Association with Soil Type and Fertility Level

Soil type and fertility level influence straw carbon dynamics in the agroecosystems. However, there is a limited understanding of the dynamic processes of straw-derived and soil-derived carbon and the influence of the addition of straw carbon on soil-derived organic carbon in different soils associated with different fertility levels. In this study, we applied the in-situ carborundum tube method and ¹³C-labeled maize straw (with and without maize straw) at two cropland (Phaeozem and Luvisol soils) experimental sites in northeast China to quantify the dynamics of maize-derived and soil-derived carbon in soils associated with high and low fertility, and to examine how the addition of maize carbon influences soil-derived organic carbon and the interactions of soil type and fertility level with maize-derived and soil-derived carbon. We found that, on average, the contributions of maize-derived carbon to total organic carbon in maize-soil systems during the experimental period were differentiated among low fertility Luvisol (from 62.82% to 42.90), high fertility Luvisol (from 53.15% to 30.00%), low fertility Phaeozem (from 58.69% to 36.29%) and high fertility Phaeozem (from 41.06% to 16.60%). Furthermore, the addition of maize carbon significantly decreased the remaining soil-derived organic carbon in low and high fertility Luvisols and low fertility Phaeozem before two months. However, the increasing differences in soil-derived organic carbon between both soils with and without maize straw after two months suggested that maize-derived carbon was incorporated into soil-derived organic carbon, thereby potentially offsetting the loss of soil-derived organic carbon. These results suggested that Phaeozem and high fertility level soils would fix more maize carbon over time and thus were more beneficial for protecting soil-derived organic carbon from maize carbon decomposition.     

Sublethal effects of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes) on the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) under laboratory conditions

Sublethal effects were evaluated in subsequent generations of whiteflies Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) arising from parental generations exposed in the four nymphal stages to the fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin. Examples of such effects include impaired fertility, production of malformations or external variations, and reduced survival of later generations. Malformations of the head, legs, wings or abdomen were not observed in adults derived from treated nymphs, nor were negative effects observed in the fecundity and fertility of the descendants of the whiteflies treated with the fungus. However, moulting problems were observed in insects descended from B. bassiana-treated whiteflies. This is the first time that such effects have been reported, with almost 30% of imagos resulting from treated nymphs unable to detach completely from the exuvia. A gradual reduction in mortality rates between subsequent generations was observed. The importance of these results is discussed in the light of findings from other studies into the effects of entomopathogenic fungi on pest insects.     

Anticipation in bipolar affective disorder.

Anticipation refers to the increase in disease severity or decrease in age at onset in succeeding generations. This phenomenon, formerly ascribed to observation biases, correlates with the expansion of trinucleotide repeat sequences (TNRs) in some disorders. If present in bipolar affective disorder (BPAD), anticipation could provide clues to its genetic etiology. We compared age at onset and disease severity between two generations of 34 unilineal families ascertained for a genetic linkage study of BPAD. Life-table analyses showed a significant decrease in survival to first mania or depression from the first to the second generation (P < .001). Intergenerational pairwise comparisons showed both a significantly earlier age at onset (P < .001) and a significantly increased disease severity (P < .001) in the second generation. This difference was significant under each of four data-sampling schemes which excluded probands in the second generation. The second generation experienced onset 8.9-13.5 years earlier and illness 1.8-3.4 times more severe than did the first generation. In additional analyses, drug abuse, deaths of affected individuals prior to interview, decreased fertility, censoring of age at onset, and the cohort effect did not affect our results. We conclude that genetic anticipation occurs in this sample of unilineal BPAD families. These findings may implicate genes with expanding TNRs in the genetic etiology of BPAD.     

Effect of Bt maize on the reproduction and development of saprophagous Diptera over multiple generations

A laboratory experiment was used to quantify the effects of Bt maize on Drosophila melanogaster and Megaselia scalaris, representatives of two saprophagous dipteran families (Drosophilidae, Phoridae). Freshly hatched larvae were reared on a diet containing decaying maize leaves. Two transgenic maize varieties, expressing Cry3Bb1 or Cry1Ab, and their corresponding isolines were tested. In an additional treatment, a solution of pure Cry1Ab was added to the maize diet. According to quantitative ELISA analyses, all Bt diets and all larvae feeding on Bt maize contained low concentrations of Cry proteins but Cry proteins were not detected in adults, thus, predators of the larvae are exposed to Cry proteins whereas predators of adult flies are not. Highest concentrations were in larvae feeding on a maize diet supplemented with a Cry1Ab protein solution. The developmental time and fertility (offspring/female) were measured over four generations for D. melanogaster and over three generations for M. scalaris. Only a few significant differences were found between transgenic and non-transgenic treatments but the differences were not consistent and did not indicate any negative effects of Bt proteins. We conclude that D. melanogaster and M. scalaris larvae are not affected in the long term when feeding and developing on decaying Cry1Ab and Cry3Bb1 maize leaves.     

Magnified Risks From Cigarette Smoking for Coronary Prone Families in Utah

The contribution of currently accepted risk factors to the familiality of early coronary heart disease (CHD) is poorly understood. In a telephone and mail survey, risk factor and disease morbidity and mortality data were collected from 100 proband and 185 control families encompassing about 40,000 person-years of experience. Probands were white married men who had died of CHD by age 45. There was a threefold increase in CHD incidence among first-degree relatives of probands compared with control families. In all, 67% of probands had at least one first-degree relative with early CHD, and 29% had two or more first-degree relatives with early CHD compared with 8% of the control families with two or more cases of early CHD.The most striking new finding of this study is the apparently magnified liability of cigarette smoking in families prone to have early coronary heart disease. This effect was seen strongly at younger ages (under 50). Furthermore, in about a third of all families with a history of early CHD, smoking seemed to be the only risk factor contributing to the familial occurrence of the disease. The findings show a large excess absolute risk for CHD among smoking members of proband families and further suggest a possibly heritable susceptibility to the deleterious effects of smoking in many families prone to early coronary disease. Modification of coronary risk factors, especially cigarette smoking, would be of greatest benefit among members of high-risk families.     

Vegetation recovery patterns in early volcanic succession

Permanently plots were monitored from 1983 to the present on Mount Usu after the eruptions of 1977–78 which destroyed the pre-eruption vegetation by 1–3 m thick accumulations of ash and pumice in order to clarify the processes and mechanisms of succession. Until now, 163 species were recorded in the summit area. Most of these species were derived from vegetative reproduction throughout the volcanic deposits. Vegetative reproduction plays a major role on increases in cover. Although long-distance seed-dispersal species could immigrate to the crater basin, their cover increase was slow. Seedbank species only established in gullies where the original topsoil was exposed by erosion. Most annuais were supplied by the seedbank in the original topsoil and woody species originated via immigration, suggesting that the source greatly determines the species composition of establishing vegetation. Annual seedlings showed low survival, while overwintering perennial seedlings steadily established. Ground surface movements strongly restricted increases in plant cover and the distance from source vegetation was the principal determinant of plant density. Due to differences in disturbance intensity, successional rates were higher in the stable substrates outside gullies and lower on the exposed original topsoil in some gullies. Recipient of the Botanical Society Award of Young Scientists, 1994