Sex differences in infant integration in a semifree-ranging group of Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus,L. 1758) at Salem,Germany

Sixteen multiparous Barbary macaque females with newborns were studied over a 16 month period within the context of their naturally formed group. Analysis of their social behavior revealed 1) triadic interactions involving focal females, their newborns, and other group members occurred mainly with other females; and 2) mothers with female newborns interacted mainly with females of their own matriline, while mothers with male newborns interacted mainly with nonmatriline females. Observed in two successive birth seasons, this pattern indicates that partners of maternal interactions chose each other according to the sex of the newborn. Measures of distance from the mother also reflected differences between infants of different sex. At about five months of age, female infants were observed close to their mothers significantly more often than males. This finding follows the pattern of a sex-specific infant socialization process which integrates female infants into the network of their matrilines and male infants into the broader group. This sex-specific integration pattern is interpreted as supporting female philopatry and male dispersal. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Sex Differences in Captive Olive Baboon Behavior During the First Fourteen Days of Life

I discuss newborn baboon behavioral and proximity sex differences in a population of captive olive baboons (Papio anubis) living in a social group of >500 individuals. The data are based upon 20-min focal observations of 42 mother-newborn pairs (n = 27, n = 15) for infant-days 1–7 and 36 pairs (n = 23, n = 13) for infant-days 8–14 collected late-May through late-November 2001. I examined the first two weeks of infant life via behavioral, proximity, and approach-leave/contact analyses in order to determine whether behavioral sex differences exist during the first few days of life. I examine and analyze these 2 weeks independently due to different sample sizes. I used data from the total available sample population of 57 infants (n = 36, n = 21) to discuss birth, survivorship, and infant weight. Statistically significant age and/or age-sex interactions exist for all of the behavior and proximity measures during either infant-week 1 or 2. Moreover, there is a statistically significant difference in the birth sex ratio in the sample population but no significant difference in infant mortality by sex. There are also relative and significant differences in mothers' treatment of their newborn males and females. There are also some general tendencies for female newborns on average to suckle less and to explore more per focal observation than male infants do as they age. Conversely, male newborns average slightly more time per focal observation 1 m from the mother than do female infants. However, the observed differences may be influenced by maternal behavior in that mothers have higher rates of contact with their female than their male infants.     

Reproductive performance of captive collared peccaries (Tayassu tajacu) in the eastern Amazon

This study analyses reproductive parameters resulting from 74 parturitions in a population of captive collared peccaries in the eastern Amazon (Belém, State of Pará, Brazil) during a 65-month survey. Parturitions were homogeneously distributed throughout the year. The average litter size was 1.85 newborns per parturition. Collared peccary females had a newborn sex ratio of 52.6% females and 47.4% males. The mean age at first parturition was 639, although, the earliest first parturition occurred at age of 381 days. Estimated parturition-conception interval was 58 days. Mean farrowing interval was 196 days and mean production was 1.03 litters and 1.86 newborns per year per female. Mortality rate in newborns less than 2 months old was 26.9% of the total newborn population. Most identified causes of death were abandonment by the mother (22.2%) and trauma due to aggression (13.9%). Newborn deaths occurred mainly during the first two days of life. This study suggests that the collared peccary possesses interesting reproductive parameters for its introduction in captive breeding programmes in the Amazon region.     

A developmental study of girls with trisomy X.

Development of 11 girls (ages 2-10 years) with 47,XXX karyotype identified in a newborn survey is compared with eight girls having a mosaic sex chromatin pattern and with the normal siblings of each group. Delay in early motor development and speech, a mild intellectual deficit, and disturbance in interpersonal relationships occurred in one-third of the index cases, a higher frequency than in the comparison groups. two-thirds were considered normal and adequately adjusted. No consistent phenotype was found.     

Prospective means of decreasing suppurative-septic diseases in puerperae and newborn infants

The comparative analysis of the occurrence of purulent septic diseases in mothers during the puerperal period and in newborns, observed in a maternity hospital before and after the introduction of the system of keeping newborns together with their mothers, showed a considerable decrease in the morbidity rate among newborn infants (6 times) and in occurrence of mastitis among puerperae (30 times). This is attributed to a decrease in the frequency of the colonization of newborns and mothers in the puerperal period by the hospital strains of staphylococci belonging to epidemic phagotypes. The gradual elimination of staphylococci of phagotype 80, which dominated for several years, from the hospital was observed. To decrease the morbidity rate, the introduction of the system of keeping newborn infants with their mothers in all maternity hospitals of the USSR is proposed.     

Normative data for total and free acid-labile subunit of the human insulin-like growth factor-binding protein complex in pre- and full-term newborns and healthy boys and girls throughout postnatal development

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) circulate in plasma as part of a 150-kD complex that also contains IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), a protein that binds IGF-I and IGF-II with high affinity, and an acid-labile subunit (ALS) that does not directly bind IGFs. Because the ALS assay methods currently being used are relatively new, there is a need for updated normative reference data. We report the normative data in 17 preterm infants (10 males and 7 females), 30 normal full-term newborns (15 males and 15 females) and 150 normal children who where divided into 5 groups according to their Tanner stage (15 males and 15 females per group). Serum levels of total and free ALS were significantly lower in premature infants than in full-term newborns, but all newborns had significantly lower levels than Tanner stage-I children (p<0.001, ANOVA). A significant increase was seen between Tanner stages I-III in both sexes (p<0.001, ANOVA). No differences were found between sexes at any developmental age studied. Significant correlations (p<0.001) were seen between total and free ALS concentrations and IGF-I (r = 0.50 and 0.60, respectively), free IGF-I (r = 0.37 and 0.36), IGF-II (r = 0.37 and 0.27), IGFBP-1 (r = -0.48 and -0.49), IGFBP-2 (r = -0.44 and -0.51) and IGFBP-3 (r = 0.67 and 0.59) at all Tanner stages. However, no correlation was found with IGFBP-1, -2 or -3 levels at birth. This study shows normal values in a population of preterm infants and healthy Spanish newborns and subjects of both sexes at all stages of pubertal development and indicate the different relationships between the components of the IGF system during intra- and extrauterine life.     

A spectral analysis of the periodic components in the heart rhythm structure of newborn infants

Spectral analysis of spontaneous heart rate fluctuations were assessed in 12 healthy newborn infants and in 14 low birth weight newborns. The orthostatic test was performed by the change of newborns posture. High-frequency fluctuations at the respiratory rate were detected in healthy infants and orthostatic reactions of heart rate resembled the same reactions in healthy adults. High-frequency (respiratory) fluctuations were diminished in low-birth weight infants. It is supposed that respiratory fluctuations can be used as a sign of newborn infants well-being and maturation.     

Lymphotoxin production and blast cell transformation by cord blood lymphocytes: dissociated lymphocyte function in newborn infants

The correlation between phytohemagglutinin-induced blast cell transformation and production of lymphotoxin was studied in the cord blood lymphocytes of 17 normal newborn infants. Twelve normal adults served as controls. Blast cell transformation by newborn lymphocytes was somewhat greater than that of adults. By contrast, lymphotoxin production by the newborns was only 40% of the value for the adult controls. When a lymphotoxin index (ratio of lymphotoxin production to transformation) was calculated, it was found that, for any degree of transformation, newborn lymphocytes produced only about one-fourth as much lymphotoxin as did adult lymphocytes. The combination of normal blastogenesis with diminished lymphokine production represents a dissociation of in vitro lymphocyte function. This phenomenon, which appears to be a stage in the maturation of cellular immune competence, may in part explain the undue susceptibility of newborn infants to certain mycobacterial, fungal, and viral infections.     

Birth-season interactions of adult female Japanese Macaques(Macaca fuscata) without newborn infants

The affiliative interactions of 11 adult female Japanese macaques that did not deliver an infant during the 1981 birth season of the Arashiyama West troop were examined. Consideration was given to the effects of kinship as a structuring element in these birth-season interactions and to the degree of association with various categories of troop members based on age, sex, and (in the case of adult females) whether or not the females were new mothers. Females without infants interacted predominantly with their yearling off-spring, although it was the behavior of the offspring that precipitated the interaction. These females were active in soliciting affiliation with nonkin new mothers, whereas female matrilineal relatives with new infants approached and remained in proximity to them more than did nonrelated new mothers. Females without newborns groomed and approached nonkin infants more than infants within their own matriline, and these infants were predominantly those of females in the highest-ranking matriline of the troop. Adult males were responsible for 40% of all grooming received from nonkin by the females without newborns, and these males approached them significantly more than did other adult females without infants. These patterns demonstrate that the structure of social relationships is influenced by the particular dynamics of troop contexts such as birth seasons, as well as by enduring, broad-based affinities which are less affected by cyclic changes in troop context.     

Season of Birth and Early Neonatal Events. The Rise of Serum Bilirubin

A prospective study on the rise of serum bilirubin during the first 24 hours of life has been carried out in a sample of 343 newborns from the population of Rome. The rise of serum bilirubin level during the first 24 hours of life depends on season of birth showing a minimum in the Autumn. The phenomenon is much more marked in female than in male newborn infants. Recent studies suggest a beneficial action of bilirubin due to its protective effect from secondary oxidants. Since the newborn infant is very sensible to oxidative damage, it is possible that seasonal variation of bilirubin level during the first few days of life may influence further development and susceptibility to pathological manifestations.     

Variation of anthropometric traits in normal newborns]

Variation of the set of anthropometric traits was studied in 302 normal singleton newborns (174 boys, 128 girls). Birth order has a significant effect on birth weight, body length and circumference of head and breast. The number of minor deviations from development per newborn (stigma) is negatively correlated with body weight and size. The number of stigma is significantly higher in a group of newborns deviated in normal body proportions. The index of fluctuating asymmetry is negatively correlated with body weight and size.     

Season of Birth and Early Neonatal Events. The Rise of Serum Bilirubin

A prospective study on the rise of serum bilirubin during the first 24 hours of life has been carried out in a sample of 343 newborns from the population of Rome. The rise of serum bilirubin level during the first 24 hours of life depends on season of birth showing a minimum in the Autumn. The phenomenon is much more marked in female than in male newborn infants. Recent studies suggest a beneficial action of bilirubin due to its protective effect from secondary oxidants. Since the newborn infant is very sensible to oxidative damage, it is possible that seasonal variation of bilirubin level during the first few days of life may influence further development and susceptibility to pathological manifestations.     

Chromosome studies in a neonatal population

The results of chromosome studies on 6809 consecutive newborn infants are presented. One hundred and one (1.48%) were heterozygous for a marker chromosome, the significance of which is not at present clear. Twenty-two infants (0.32%) had a major chromosome abnormality. Only six of these infants (0.09%) had a clinically recognizable abnormal phenotype (Down''s syndrome). The occult chromosome abnormalities included five sex chromosome abnormalities (one 47,XYY; two 47,XXY; two 47,XXX) and 11 balanced translocations. Seven of these were t(DqDq) and four were reciprocal translocations. The results of the present survey are combined with four other similar neonatal surveys in which a total of 23,328 newborns have been screened. Of these, 117 (0.5%; range 0.65-0.32%) had major chromosome abnormalities. The majority of these (72.7%) would not have been detected at birth without chromosome studies, an important fact in the context of prenatal diagnosis of chromosome disease and the early ascertainment of high-risk families.     

Post-conception reproductive competition in cooperatively breeding common marmosets

Common marmosets are cooperatively breeding monkeys that exhibit high female reproductive skew. Subordinate females usually fail to breed as a consequence of ovulation suppression and inhibition of sexual behavior, and, even when they do breed, typically rear fewer infants than dominants. We evaluated possible mechanisms of post-conception reproductive competition by comparing hormonal profiles across pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, infant survivorship, and behavior in laboratory-housed families containing one (N=9) or two (N=7) breeding females. Breeding females in plurally breeding groups did not exhibit well-defined dominance relationships and rarely engaged in escalated aggression with one another. No significant differences were found among singly breeding mothers, plurally breeding mothers, and plurally breeding daughters in urinary chorionic gonadotropin or estradiol sulfate concentrations during pregnancy, fetal biparietal diameter, frequency of spontaneous abortion, frequency of stillbirths, number of live-born infants per litter, or infant mortality rates. When females gave birth while another female in the family was pregnant, however, their infants were highly likely to be killed. The perpetrator was definitively identified in only one family, in which a pregnant female killed her daughter's infant. These results are consistent with observations of free-living common marmosets and suggest that breeding females do not regularly influence one another's pregnancy outcomes, but that they may commonly kill each other's infants, especially during their own pregnancy. Our findings further suggest that infanticide by breeding females may have selected for the evolution of reproductive restraint in subordinate female marmosets.     

RESUSCITATION OF NEWBORN PREMATURE INFANTS—A Clinical Study of the Use of Positive Pressure Respiration

The Goddard-Bennett-Lovelace hand resuscitator was used for initiating respiration in 87 newborn infants with respiratory difficulties, during a five-month period at the Los Angeles County General Hospital. On alternate days, when the respirator was not used, 126 comparable infants received resuscitation by mouth-to-tracheal pressure and other means. Neither term infants nor previable infants benefited by use of the hand resuscitator, but premature infants weighing more than 1,000 gm. had a definite advantage, with a mortality of only 13 per cent for those treated with the resuscitator against 34 per cent among the controls.Neither roentgen nor postmortem studies of the lungs disclosed any consistent effect of any resuscitative measure employed.     

Cyclic Seasonal Variation of G-6-PD Deficiency in Newborn Infants from Sardinia

Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase has been studied in 5267 consecutive newborn infants from Sardinian population during a four years period. The proportion of G-6-PD deficient female infants is much higher in those conceived in the winter-spring than among those conceived in summer-autumn, resulting in a lower sex ratio among G-6-PD deficient infants conceived in winter-spring as compared to G-6-PD deficient infants conceived in the summer-autumn. The overall frequency of the gene for G-6-PD deficiency is much lower in infants conceived in the summer period than in infants conceived in the other seasons. A greater reproductive efficiency of G-6-PD deficient males in the winter-spring season and/or some effect at post zygotic level favouring the survival of heterozygous G-6-PD deficient females conceived in the winter-spring period could contribute to the pattern described. Fresh vegetables containing oxidative substances are more abundant in the spring time. These substances may interact with seasonal reproductive cycles influencing reproduction efficiency of G-6-PD deficient males and/or the relative survival rate of heterozygous female embryos.     

Resuscitation of newborn premature infants; a clinical study of the use of positive pressure respiration

The Goddard-Bennett-Lovelace hand resuscitator was used for initiating respiration in 87 newborn infants with respiratory difficulties, during a five-month period at the Los Angeles County General Hospital. On alternate days, when the respirator was not used, 126 comparable infants received resuscitation by mouth-to-tracheal pressure and other means. Neither term infants nor previable infants benefited by use of the hand resuscitator, but premature infants weighing more than 1,000 gm. had a definite advantage, with a mortality of only 13 per cent for those treated with the resuscitator against 34 per cent among the controls. Neither roentgen nor postmortem studies of the lungs disclosed any consistent effect of any resuscitative measure employed.     

Influence of maternal pregravid weight, height and body mass index on birth weight of male and female newborns

The study included 2300 healthy couples and their healthy newborns delivered vaginally from singleton, normal term (37-42 weeks) pregnancies in Sibenik, Zadar and Split (Croatia). Both fathers and mothers of male newborns were older and had a higher weight than those of female newborns (p < 0.05). Gestational age and birth weight were higher in male than female newborns (p < 0.001). Increasing maternal pregravid weight led to increasing birth weight of both male and female newborns (p < 0.001). Furthermore, increasing maternal height and body mass index resulted in increasing birth weight of male and female newborns (p < 0.001). Thus, the fathers and mothers of male infants were older than those of female infants (p < 0.05), and increasing pre-gravid body weight, body height and body mass index were associated with a higher birth weight in both male and female newborns.     

Reproductive efficiency of captive Chinese- and Indian-origin rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) females

Reproductive and survival records (n=2,913) from 313 Chinese-origin and 365 Indian-derived rhesus macaques at the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC) spanning three generations were studied. Least-squares analysis of variance procedures were used to compare reproductive and infant survival traits while proportional hazards regression procedures were used to study female age at death, number of infants born per female, and time from last birth to death. Chinese females were older at first parturition than Indian females because they were older when placed with males, but the two subspecies had similar first postpartum birth interval (1st PPBI) and lifetime postpartum birth interval (LPPBI). Females that gave birth to stillborn infants had shorter first postpartum birth intervals (1st PPBI) than females giving birth to live infants. Postpartum birth intervals decreased in females from age 3 to 12 but then increased again with advancing age. Chinese infants had a greater survival rate than Indian infants at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year of age. Five hundred and forty-three females (80.01%) had uncensored, or true records for age at death, number of infants born per female, and time from the birth until death whereas 135 females (19.91%) had censored records for these traits. Low- and high-uncensored observations for age at death were 3 and 26 years for Chinese, and 3 and 23 years for Indian females. Uncensored number of infants born per female ranged from 1 to 15 for Chinese females and 1 to 18 for Indian females. Each of these traits was significantly influenced by the origin×generation interaction in the proportional hazards regression analyses, indicating that probabilities associated with age at death, number of infants born per female, and time from last birth to death for Chinese and Indian females did not rank the same across generations.     

Universal newborn screening for Hb H disease in California

Newborn screening is an accepted public health measure to ensure that appropriate health care is provided in a timely manner to infants with hereditary/metabolic disorders. Alpha-thalassemia is a common hemoglobin (Hb) disorder, and causes Hb H (beta4) disease, and usually fatal homozygous alpha(0)-thalassemia, also known as Hb Bart's (gamma4) hydrops fetalis syndrome. In 1996, the State of California began to investigate the feasibility of universal newborn screening for Hb H disease. Initial screening was done on blood samples obtained by heel pricks from newborns, and stored as dried blood spots on filter paper. Hb Bart's levels were measured as fast-moving Hb by automated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) identical to that currently used in newborn screening for sickle cell disease. Subsequent confirmation of Hb H disease was done by DNA-based diagnostics for alpha-globin genotyping. A criterion of 25% or more Hb Bart's as determined by HPLC detects most, if not all cases of Hb H disease, and few cases of alpha-thalassemia trait. From January, 1998, through June, 2000, 89 newborns were found to have Hb H disease. The overall prevalence for Hb H disease among all newborns in California is approximately 1 per 15,000. Implementation of this program to existing newborn hemoglobinopathy screening in populations with significant proportions of southeast Asians is recommended. The correct diagnosis would allow affected infants to be properly cared for, and would also raise awareness for the prevention of homozygous alpha(0)-thalassemia or Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis syndrome.