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Birth Date (birth + date)
Selected AbstractsSeasonal birth patterns in myositis subgroups suggest an etiologic role of early environmental exposuresARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 8 2007Leora J. Vegosen Objective To evaluate whether seasonal early environmental exposures might influence later development of autoimmune disease, by assessing distributions of birth dates in groups of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). Methods We assessed birth patterns in groups of patients with juvenile-onset IIM (n = 307) and controls (n = 3,942) who were born between 1970 and 1999, and in groups of patients with adult-onset IIM (n = 668) and controls (n = 6,991) who were born between 1903 and 1982. Birth dates were analyzed as circular data. Seasonal clustering was assessed by the Rayleigh test, and differences between groups by a rank-based uniform scores test. Results The overall birth distributions among patients with juvenile IIM and among patients with adult IIM did not differ significantly from those among juvenile and adult controls, respectively. Some subgroups of patients with juvenile IIM had seasonal birth distributions. Hispanic patients with juvenile-onset IIM had a seasonal birth pattern (mean birth date October 16) significantly different from that of Hispanic controls (P = 0.002), who had a uniform birth distribution, and from that of non-Hispanic patients with juvenile-onset IIM (P < 0.001), who had a mean birth date of May 2. Juvenile dermatomyositis patients with p155 autoantibody had a birth distribution that differed significantly from that of p155 antibody,negative juvenile dermatomyositis patients (P = 0.003). Juvenile IIM patients with the HLA risk factor allele DRB1*0301 had a birth distribution significantly different from those without the allele (P = 0.021). Similar results were observed for juvenile and adult IIM patients with the linked allele DQA1*0501, versus juvenile and adult IIM patients without DQA1*0501, respectively. No significant patterns in birth season were found in other subgroups. Conclusion Birth distributions appear to have stronger seasonality in juvenile than in adult IIM subgroups, suggesting greater influence of perinatal exposures on childhood-onset illness. Seasonal early-life exposures may influence the onset of some autoimmune diseases later in life. [source] The relationship of the birth date of rat sympathetic neurons to the target they innervateDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 3 2010D. P. Chubb Abstract In many parts of the nervous system, neurons with the same function often have similar "birth dates" (the time their precursor withdrew from the cell cycle). We investigated the birth dates of eight functional classes of rat sympathetic postganglionic neurons by injecting bromodeoxyuridine during embryonic development, while retrograde tracing and immunohistochemistry were used to identify postganglionic neurons of different functional classes in the mature animals. The times of withdrawal from the cell cycle overlapped, but there were significant differences in the peak time of withdrawal for most of the classes. Furthermore, sympathetic cholinergic postganglionic neurons had a significantly greater proportion of their total population labelled with bromodeoxyuridine than did any of the noradrenergic classes of neurons, indicating prenatal class-specific differences in the handling of bromodeoxyuridine. Together, our findings indicate that, prior to extending axons to their targets, different functional classes of sympathetic neurons show differences in phenotype. Developmental Dynamics 239:897,904, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Fishery-induced demographic changes in the timing of spawning: consequences for reproductive success,FISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 3 2009Peter J. Wright Abstract Demography can have a significant effect on reproductive timing and the magnitude of such an effect can be comparable to environmentally induced variability. This effect arises because the individuals of many fish species spawn progressively earlier within a season and may produce more egg batches over a longer period as they get older, thus extending their lifetime spawning duration. Inter-annual variation in spawning time is a critical factor in reproductive success because it affects the early environmental conditions experienced by progeny and the period they have to complete phases of development. By reducing the average lifetime spawning duration within a fish stock, fishing pressure could be increasing the variability in reproductive success and reducing long-term stock reproductive potential. Empirical estimates of selection on birth date, from experiments and using otolith microstructure, demonstrate that there is considerable variation in selection on birth date both within a spawning season and between years. The few multi-year studies that have linked egg production with the survival of progeny to the juvenile stage further highlight the uncertainty that adults face in timing their spawning to optimize offspring survival. The production of many small batches of eggs over a long period of time within a season and over a lifetime is therefore likely to decrease variance and increase mean progeny survival. Quantifying this effect of demography on variability in survival requires a focus on lifetime reproductive success rather than year specific relationships between recruitment and stock reproductive potential. Modelling approaches are suggested that can better quantify the likely impact of changing spawning times on year-class strength and lifetime reproductive potential. The evidence presented strengthens the need to avoid fishing severely age truncated fish stocks. [source] Sir Francis Knollys's Latin dictionary: new evidence for Katherine Carey*HISTORICAL RESEARCH, Issue 209 2007Sally Varlow A Latin dictionary once owned by Sir Francis Knollys has come to light containing his records of his marriage to Katherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn, and the births of their fourteen children. These previously unpublished details (here transcribed) strengthen the argument that Katherine was an illegitimate child of Henry VIII, born during his affair with Anne Boleyn's sister. Sir Francis's handwritten notes also reveal his wife's remarkably successful series of pregnancies; and the birth date of his daughter Lettice , branded a ,she-wolf' by Elizabeth I , who turns out to be younger than is usually claimed when she married Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester. [source] Serologic survey of swine workers for exposure to H2N3 swine influenza AINFLUENZA AND OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES, Issue 3 2010Amanda Beaudoin Please cite this paper as: Beaudoin et al. (2010) Serologic survey of swine workers for exposure to H2N3 swine influenza A. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 4(3), 163,170. Background, Of the 16 influenza A hemagglutinin (H) subtypes, only H1, H2 and H3 viruses have been shown to cause sustained human infection. Whereas H1 and H3 viruses currently circulate seasonally in humans, H2 viruses have not been identified in humans since 1968. In 2006, an H2N3 influenza virus was isolated from ill swine in the United States. Objective, To assess the potential for zoonotic influenza transmission, the current study looked for serologic evidence of H2 influenza infection among workers at two swine facilities, some exposed and some unexposed to H2N3-positive pigs. Methods, The sera were assessed for antibodies to swine H2 influenza and currently circulating seasonal human influenza A subtypes H1N1 and H3N2. Workers were interviewed to obtain details such as age, influenza vaccination history, experiences of influenza-like-illness, and use of personal protective equipment and hygiene when working with pigs. Exposure and risk factors for positive antibody titers were compared for exposed and unexposed individuals as well as for H2 antibody-positive and H2 antibody-negative individuals. Results, Blood was taken from 27 swine workers, of whom four had positive H2 antibody titers (,1:40). Three of the positive employees were born before 1968 and one had an unknown birth date. Only one of these workers had been exposed to H2N3-positive pigs, and he was born in 1949. Conclusions, These data do not support the hypothesis that swine workers were infected with the emergent swine H2N3 influenza A virus. [source] Selection for birth date in North Sea haddock and its relation to maternal ageJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2005PETER J. WRIGHT Summary 1Birth date can be important to lifetime reproductive success. However, selection for birth date has rarely been addressed in fish, despite the opportunity provided by otolith microstructure. 2This study examined the relationship between maternal age, spawning time and early survivorship in the North Sea haddock stock. Temporal changes in egg production were compared with the birth date distribution of progeny surviving to the demersal phase in 1994, 1996 and 1999, when the age structure of the spawning stock differed. 3Estimates of intra-annual variation in stock egg production indicated that first-time spawning 2-year-olds began spawning much later than older age-classes. 4The form and magnitude of selection on birth date varied between years, indicating that the production of multiple batches of eggs over an extended period has some adaptive significance to progeny survival. 5Survivorship was consistently poor from the late spawning period when age 2 females contributed most to stock egg production. This persistent selection against late hatched offspring could reflect either low parental investment, as age 2 females produce smaller eggs, or the short length of the growing season prior to settlement. 6Variability in birth date selection, particularly with respect to first vs. subsequent years of spawning, implies a strong selection pressure for a long reproductive lifespan. As such, reproductive potential in this and other exploited fish species with a similar reproductive trait may have been affected adversely by the general decline in repeat spawning females in recent years. [source] Climate and population density induce long-term cohort variation in a northern ungulateJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Mads C. Forchhammer Summary 1,Density-dependent and climatic conditions experienced by individuals before and after birth differ considerably between cohorts. Such early environmental variability has the potential to create persistent fitness differences among cohorts. Here we test the hypothesis that conditions experienced by individuals in their early development will have long-term effects on their life history traits. 2,We approached this by analysing and contrasting the effects of climate (the North Atlantic Oscillation, NAO) and population density at year of birth on cohort birth weight, birth date, litter size, age of maturity, survival and fecundity of Soay sheep, Ovies aries L., ewes in the population on the island of Hirta, St Kilda, Scotland. 3,Significant intercohort variations were found in life history traits. Cohorts born after warm, wet and windy (high NAO) winters were lighter at birth, born earlier, less likely to have a twin and matured later than cohorts born following cold and dry (low NAO) winters. High population densities in the winter preceding birth also had a negative effect on birth weight, birth date and litter size, whereas high postnatal densities delayed age of first reproduction. 4,High NAO winters preceding birth depressed juvenile survival but increased adult survival and fecundity. The negative influence of high NAO winters on juvenile survival is likely to be related to mothers' compromised physical condition while the cohort is in utero, whereas the positive influence on adult survival and fecundity may relate to the improved postnatal forage conditions following high NAO winters. High pre- and postnatal population densities decreased juvenile (neonatal, yearling) and adult (2,4 years) survivorship but had no significant effect fecundity. [source] Postnatal growth and reproductive biology of Rhinolophus hipposideros (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae)JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Guido Reiter Abstract The timing of birth and postnatal growth in lesser horseshoe bats Rhinolophus hipposideros were studied during 2000 and 2001 at three maternity roosts located in the provinces of Carinthia and Salzburg, Austria. Postnatal growth curves for length of forearm and body mass were determined separately for the different colonies and years. Cooler weather during June 2001 coincided with a median birth date that was 8 days later than in 2000, whilst the difference between colonies was 4 and 5 days, respectively, for the pooled data of both years. Cool temperatures in June also coincided with a longer duration of the parturition period. Postnatal growth rates were higher than in most other bat species but differences between years and colonies were considerable. These differences may be attributed to the ambient roost temperatures, whereby the young of two cooler roosts showed significantly reduced growth rate during 8 days of cool weather in 2000. Moreover, later born and therefore smaller pups were more strongly affected by low temperatures than earlier born and larger ones. The mean length of forearm of young lesser horseshoe bats at the beginning of September equalled that of adult bats, whilst their body mass was still lower. Non-volant juveniles did not cluster following the nightly emergence of adult females, and a preferred location within the roosts could not be identified. High and very low roost temperatures, however, did have an influence on the location of non-volant young in the colonies. [source] Birth seasonality and interbirth interval of captive Rhinopithecus bietiAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2006Liang-Wei Cui Abstract This study, which is based on 10 years of birth records, shows that black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) in captivity display marked birth seasonality. The birth season starts in December and ends in June, with a peak from March to May, and a median birth date of April 10. More male infants than female ones are born in captivity. More males were born at the Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ) than at the Kunming Zoo (KZ). Of 17 interbirth intervals (IBIs), 29% were from females that had lost an infant at <1 year of age or experienced stillbirth, and 71% were from females whose infant survived more than 1 year. The mean IBI for the former group (428±SD 87 days) was significantly shorter than that for the latter group (706±71 days), in agreement with reports of other Colobine species. Infant mortality was lower in captivity than in the field, which may reflect the relatively stable food availability and climate in captivity compared to the harsh conditions in the wild. Am. J. Primatol. 68:1,7, 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Seasonal birth patterns in myositis subgroups suggest an etiologic role of early environmental exposuresARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 8 2007Leora J. Vegosen Objective To evaluate whether seasonal early environmental exposures might influence later development of autoimmune disease, by assessing distributions of birth dates in groups of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). Methods We assessed birth patterns in groups of patients with juvenile-onset IIM (n = 307) and controls (n = 3,942) who were born between 1970 and 1999, and in groups of patients with adult-onset IIM (n = 668) and controls (n = 6,991) who were born between 1903 and 1982. Birth dates were analyzed as circular data. Seasonal clustering was assessed by the Rayleigh test, and differences between groups by a rank-based uniform scores test. Results The overall birth distributions among patients with juvenile IIM and among patients with adult IIM did not differ significantly from those among juvenile and adult controls, respectively. Some subgroups of patients with juvenile IIM had seasonal birth distributions. Hispanic patients with juvenile-onset IIM had a seasonal birth pattern (mean birth date October 16) significantly different from that of Hispanic controls (P = 0.002), who had a uniform birth distribution, and from that of non-Hispanic patients with juvenile-onset IIM (P < 0.001), who had a mean birth date of May 2. Juvenile dermatomyositis patients with p155 autoantibody had a birth distribution that differed significantly from that of p155 antibody,negative juvenile dermatomyositis patients (P = 0.003). Juvenile IIM patients with the HLA risk factor allele DRB1*0301 had a birth distribution significantly different from those without the allele (P = 0.021). Similar results were observed for juvenile and adult IIM patients with the linked allele DQA1*0501, versus juvenile and adult IIM patients without DQA1*0501, respectively. No significant patterns in birth season were found in other subgroups. Conclusion Birth distributions appear to have stronger seasonality in juvenile than in adult IIM subgroups, suggesting greater influence of perinatal exposures on childhood-onset illness. Seasonal early-life exposures may influence the onset of some autoimmune diseases later in life. [source] Serum concentrations of interferon-, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 eight years after an early respiratory syncytial virus infectionCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 1 2005H. Juntti Summary Background Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection may influence the development of recurrent wheezing and atopy, but the mechanisms are unclear. Objective The purpose was to evaluate serum concentrations of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), CD14, IgE, IL-5 and IFN-, in children 6,10 years after an RSV infection and their correlation with subsequent asthma and atopy. Methods Fifty-one subjects admitted to hospital for RSV infection during the first year of life and controls matched for birth date and sex underwent clinical examinations including lung function, skin prick and blood tests. Results The RSV subjects had significantly higher serum concentrations of IFN-, and sICAM-1 than the controls (for IFN-, 224.9 pg/mL (standard deviation (SD) 271.3) vs. 187.1 pg/mL (372.9), difference 37.8 pg/mL, 95% confidence interval (CI) ,90.3 to 166.0, P=0.05; for sICAM-1 170.2 ng/mL (SD 63) vs. 147.8 ng/mL (SD 57), difference 22.4 ng/mL, 95% CI ,1.4 to 46.1, P=0.04). The RSV subjects with asthma had significantly higher concentrations of IFN-, than the controls with asthma, and the RSV subjects with wheezing during the previous 12 months had significantly higher concentrations of both IFN-, and sICAM-1 than the controls with wheezing. Conclusions Children hospitalized for RSV infection in infancy still differ in IFN-, and sICAM-1 production 6,10 years after the infection. The data suggest that the pathomechanism of asthma and wheezing after an early RSV infection may be different from that of children without an early RSV infection. [source] The relationship of the birth date of rat sympathetic neurons to the target they innervateDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 3 2010D. P. Chubb Abstract In many parts of the nervous system, neurons with the same function often have similar "birth dates" (the time their precursor withdrew from the cell cycle). We investigated the birth dates of eight functional classes of rat sympathetic postganglionic neurons by injecting bromodeoxyuridine during embryonic development, while retrograde tracing and immunohistochemistry were used to identify postganglionic neurons of different functional classes in the mature animals. The times of withdrawal from the cell cycle overlapped, but there were significant differences in the peak time of withdrawal for most of the classes. Furthermore, sympathetic cholinergic postganglionic neurons had a significantly greater proportion of their total population labelled with bromodeoxyuridine than did any of the noradrenergic classes of neurons, indicating prenatal class-specific differences in the handling of bromodeoxyuridine. Together, our findings indicate that, prior to extending axons to their targets, different functional classes of sympathetic neurons show differences in phenotype. Developmental Dynamics 239:897,904, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Life histories of Eucalanus bungii and Neocalanus cristatus (Copepoda: Calanoida) in the western subarctic Pacific OceanFISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 2004ATSUSHI TSUDA Abstract Life cycles of the large suspension-feeding copepods, Eucalanus bungii and Neocalanus cristatus were investigated by seasonal sampling in the western subarctic Pacific. Eucalanus bungii has a diapause from August to March at copepodite stages between copepodite 3 (C3) and C6 female. We propose that individuals with early birth dates are young of overwintering C5 and C6-females that develop to C4 in their birth year, while individuals with late birth dates are young of overwintering C4 that develop to C3 in their birth year. Thus, a majority of the population has annual generations alternating with biennial generations. Neocalanus cristatus showed life history almost identical to the population in the Alaskan gyre. Timing of the life cycle in N. cristatus is very close to that in the eastern subarctic gyre, but that of E. bungii is 2 months earlier than in the eastern subarctic. This difference is probably caused by the timing difference in the maximum primary production in the two areas and the plasticity of the life cycle strategy in E. bungii. [source] Validation of daily increment formation in otoliths of juvenile and adult European anchovyJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2003P. Cermeño The otoliths of juveniles and adults of European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus held in aquaria were marked by immersion in oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) at concentrations between 350 and 410 mg l,1 for 12 h. Counts of microincrements between fluorescent bands validated the daily otolith increment formation. The otolith increments were easily readable at ×400 with average increment widths of c. 1·1 µm. Validation was successfully demonstrated in juveniles and adults maintained for short periods in the aquaria in the summer. For European anchovy captured as juvenile and reared to adults, however, increment formation appeared less than daily. The daily periodicity of the otoliths in juvenile European anchovy implies that counting of microincrements can be used to study their birth dates. The application of this technique to adults, however, may lead to the underestimation of actual age and further research needs to be done to clarify the reasons for the apparent loss of the daily rhythm over long periods. [source] Seasonal birth patterns in myositis subgroups suggest an etiologic role of early environmental exposuresARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 8 2007Leora J. Vegosen Objective To evaluate whether seasonal early environmental exposures might influence later development of autoimmune disease, by assessing distributions of birth dates in groups of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). Methods We assessed birth patterns in groups of patients with juvenile-onset IIM (n = 307) and controls (n = 3,942) who were born between 1970 and 1999, and in groups of patients with adult-onset IIM (n = 668) and controls (n = 6,991) who were born between 1903 and 1982. Birth dates were analyzed as circular data. Seasonal clustering was assessed by the Rayleigh test, and differences between groups by a rank-based uniform scores test. Results The overall birth distributions among patients with juvenile IIM and among patients with adult IIM did not differ significantly from those among juvenile and adult controls, respectively. Some subgroups of patients with juvenile IIM had seasonal birth distributions. Hispanic patients with juvenile-onset IIM had a seasonal birth pattern (mean birth date October 16) significantly different from that of Hispanic controls (P = 0.002), who had a uniform birth distribution, and from that of non-Hispanic patients with juvenile-onset IIM (P < 0.001), who had a mean birth date of May 2. Juvenile dermatomyositis patients with p155 autoantibody had a birth distribution that differed significantly from that of p155 antibody,negative juvenile dermatomyositis patients (P = 0.003). Juvenile IIM patients with the HLA risk factor allele DRB1*0301 had a birth distribution significantly different from those without the allele (P = 0.021). Similar results were observed for juvenile and adult IIM patients with the linked allele DQA1*0501, versus juvenile and adult IIM patients without DQA1*0501, respectively. No significant patterns in birth season were found in other subgroups. Conclusion Birth distributions appear to have stronger seasonality in juvenile than in adult IIM subgroups, suggesting greater influence of perinatal exposures on childhood-onset illness. Seasonal early-life exposures may influence the onset of some autoimmune diseases later in life. [source] | ||||||||||||||||