Genetic parameters and estimated genetic gains in young rubber tree progenies

The objective of this work was to assess the genetic parameters and to estimate genetic gains in young rubber tree progenies. The experiments were carried out during three years, in a randomized block design, with six replicates and ten plants per plot, in three representative Hevea crop regions of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Twenty-two progenies were evaluated, from three to five years old, for rubber yield and annual girth growth. Genetic gain was estimated with the multi-effect index (MEI). Selection by progenies means provided greater estimated genetic gain than selection based on individuals, since heritability values of progeny means were greater than the ones of individual heritability, for both evaluated variables, in all the assessment years. The selection of the three best progenies for rubber yield provided a selection gain of 1.28 g per plant. The genetic gains estimated with MEI using data from early assessments (from 3 to 5-year-old) were generally high for annual girth growth and rubber yield. The high genetic gains for annual girth growth in the first year of assessment indicate that progenies can be selected at the beginning of the breeding program. Population effective size was consistent with the three progenies selected, showing that they were not related and that the population genetic variability is ensured. Early selection with the genetic gains estimated by MEI can be made on rubber tree progenies.

Personality trait risk factors for attempted suicide among young women with eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE: - Clinical observations and a review of the literature led us to hypothesize that certain personality and character traits could provide improved understanding, and thus improved prevention, of suicidal behaviour among young women with eating disorders. METHOD: - The clinical group consisted of 152 women aged between 18 and 24 years, with DSM-IV anorexia nervosa/restrictive type (AN-R = 66), anorexia nervosa/purging type (AN-P = 37), bulimia nervosa/non-purging type (BN-NP = 9), or bulimia nervosa/purging type (BN-P = 40). The control group consisted of 140 subjects. The assessment measures were the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-second version (MMPI-2) scales and subscales, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) used to control for current depressive symptoms, plus a specific questionnaire concerning suicide attempts. RESULTS: - Suicide attempts were most frequent in subjects with purging behaviour (30.0% for BN-P and 29.7% for AN-P). Those attempting suicide among subjects with eating disorders were mostly students (67.8%). For women with AN-R the scales for 'Depression' and 'Antisocial practices' represented significant suicidal risk, for women with AN-P the scales for 'Hysteria', 'Psychopathic deviate', 'Shyness/Self-consciousness', 'Antisocial Practices', 'Obsessiveness' and 'Low self-esteem' were risk indicators and for women with BN-P the 'Psychasthenia', 'Anger' and 'Fears' scales were risk indicators. CONCLUSION: - This study provides interesting results concerning the personality traits of young women with both eating disorders and suicidal behaviour. Students and those with purging behaviour are most at risk. Young women should be given more attention with regard to the risk of suicide attempts if they: (a). have AN-R with a tendency to self-punishment and antisocial conduct, (b). have AN-P with multiple physical complaints, are not at ease in social situations and have antisocial behaviour, or (c). if they have BN-P and tend to be easily angered with obsessive behaviour and phobic worries. The MMPI-2 is an interesting assessment method for the study of traits indicating a risk of suicidal behaviour in young subjects, after controlling for current depressive pathology.

Efficiency and significance of multiple vocal signals in sibling competition

Animals can compete for resources by displaying various acoustic signals that may differentially affect the outcome of competition. We propose the hypothesis that the most efficient signal to deter opponents should be the one that most honestly reveals motivation to compete. We tested this hypothesis in the barn owl (Tyto alba) in which nestlings produce more calls of longer duration than siblings to compete for priority access to the indivisible prey item their parents will deliver next. Because nestlings increase call rate to a larger extent than call duration when they become hungrier, call rate would signal more accurately hunger level. This leads us to propose three predictions. First, a high number of calls should be more efficient in deterring siblings to compete than long calls. Second, the rate at which an individual calls should be more sensitive to variation in the intensity of the sibling vocal competition than the duration of its calls. Third, call rate should influence competitors' vocalization for a longer period of time than call duration. To test these three predictions we performed playback experiments by broadcasting to singleton nestlings calls of varying durations and at different rates. According to the first prediction, singleton nestlings became less vocal to a larger extent when we broadcasted more calls compared to longer calls. In line with the second prediction, nestlings reduced vocalization rate to a larger extent than call duration when we broadcasted more or longer calls. Finally, call rate had a longer influence on opponent's vocal behavior than call duration. Young animals thus actively and differentially use multiple signaling components to compete with their siblings over parental resources.

Prevalence and predictors of suicide attempt in an incidence cohort of 661 young people with first-episode psychosis

OBJECTIVES: Studies investigating suicidal behaviour in psychosis rarely focus on incidence cohorts of first-episode patients. This is important, because patients who refuse study participation have higher rates of comorbid substance use disorders and longer duration of untreated psychosis as well as worse course illness, variables potentially linked to higher prevalence of suicidal behaviour. The aims of the present study were therefore to examine the prevalence and predictors of suicide and suicide attempt before and during the first 18-24 months of treatment. METHOD: A retrospective file audit of 661 patients was carried out. RESULTS: Six patients (0.9%) died by suicide, 93 (14.3%) attempted suicide prior to entry, and 57 (8.7%) did so during treatment. Predictors of suicide attempt were: previous attempt (odds ratio (OR)=45.54, 95% confidence interval (CI)=9.46-219.15), sexual abuse (OR=8.46, 95%CI=1.88-38.03), comorbid polysubstance (OR=13.63, 95%CI=2.58-71.99), greater insight (OR=0.17, 95%CI=0.06-0.49), lower baseline Global Assessment of Functioning Scale and Scale of Occupational and Functional Assessment score (OR=0.96, 95%CI=0.62-0.91; OR=0.98, 95%CI=0.95-0.99), and longer time in treatment (OR=1.05, 95%CI=1.03-1.08). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of suicidal behaviour was high, indicating that suicidal behaviour in incidence populations is higher than in non-epidemiological cohorts of first-episode patients. The rate of repetition of suicide attempt among the sample, however, was lower than expected, suggesting that specialist services can play a role in reducing suicide risk.

Fibronectin in the area opaca of the young chick embryo. Immunofluorescence and immuno-electron-microscopic study

Distribution of fibronectin-like immunoreactivity was studied in the area opaca of the young chick embryo (stages 4-6 HH) by use of the immunofluorescence and protein A-coupled to colloidal gold techniques. Fibronectin, associated to the basement membrane, formed a fibrillar network, the pattern of which changed from the centre to the periphery of the area opaca. At the ultrastructural level, differences in fibronectin distribution were found between non-moving and moving cells. The epithelial-like cells presented fibronectin staining exclusively on their basal side. Actively migrating cells (edge and mesodermal cells) showed immunoreactive material localized around their entire surface and within the cytoplasm. The fibronectin distribution is discussed in relation to three important phenomena taking place during the early growth of the area opaca: anchorage and migration of the edge cells, modification of cell shape in relation to mechanical tension, and expansion of the area vasculosa.

Family Alliance as a Moderator of the Link Between Maternal Postpartum Depression and Child Symptoms Assessed by Both Parents

We investigated the moderating effect of family relationships on the links between maternal postpartum depression and child symptoms in a low-risk community sample of families with 3-month-old infants (n = 57). The level of maternal depression was assessed by the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale from a clinical interview, child symptoms by the Symptom Check List completed by both parents, and family relationships by direct observation of father-mother-baby interactions (Lausanne Trilogue Play). Families were categorized as high coordination or low coordination from their overall coordination level throughout the play. Results showed no significant links between maternal depression level and child symptoms reported by both parents. Mothers with a high depressive level in high coordination families tended to report more symptoms in their child than did mothers with lower depressive scores, whereas this link was not found in low coordination families. Prevention perspectives and clinical implications of these results are discussed.

Alcohol consumption and binge drinking in young adult childhood cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND: This study compared frequency of alcohol consumption and binge drinking between young adult childhood cancer survivors and the general population in Switzerland, and assessed its socio-demographic and clinical determinants. PROCEDURE: Childhood cancer survivors aged <16 years when diagnosed 1976-2003, who had survived >5 years and were currently aged 20-40 years received a postal questionnaire. Reported frequency of alcohol use and of binge drinking were compared to the Swiss Health Survey, a representative general population survey. Determinants of frequent alcohol consumption and binge drinking were assessed in a multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 1,697 eligible survivors, 1,447 could be contacted and 1,049 (73%) responded. Survivors reported more often than controls to consume alcohol frequently (OR = 1.7; 95%CI = 1.3-2.1) and to engage in binge drinking (OR = 2.9; 95%CI = 2.3-3.8). Peak frequency of binge drinking in males occurred at age 24-26 years in survivors, compared to age 18-20 in the general population. Socio-demographic factors (male gender, high educational attainment, French and Italian speaking, and migration background from Northern European countries) were most strongly associated with alcohol consumption patterns among both survivors and controls. CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of alcohol consumption found in this study is a matter of concern. Our data suggest that survivors should be better informed on the health effects of alcohol consumption during routine follow-up, and that such counseling should be included in clinical guidelines. Future research should study motives of alcohol consumption among survivors to allow development of targeted health interventions for this vulnerable group.

Overweight in Swiss children and associations with children's and parents' characteristics et Worldwide trends in childhood obesity

(1) Surpoids chez les enfants suisses et associations avec certaines caractéristiques chez les enfants et leurs parents Le but de cette étude était de mesurer la prévalence du surpoids et de l?obésité chez les enfants de sixième année du canton de Vaud (âge moyen de 12 ans) et les facteurs associés au surpoids. Les données ont été récoltées lors d?une étude menée par l?Institut universitaire de médecine sociale et préventive. Tous les enfants scolarisés en 6ème année à l?école publique du canton de Vaud entre septembre 2005 et mai 2006 étaient éligibles à participer à cette étude. Le taux de participation a atteint 76% (soit 5207 enfants de 12,3 ans en moyenne). Le poids et la taille des enfants ont été mesurés à l?école par des assistants de recherche et les enfants ont rempli, en classe, un questionnaire structuré sur leur mode de vie (notamment : temps quotidien passé à regarder la télévision, à jouer à des jeux sur écran; fréquence de la pratique de diverses activités physiques; fréquence de la consommation de fruits ou de légumes). Des informations sur les parents (niveau d?éducation, nationalité, poids et taille) ont été récoltées au moyen d?un questionnaire structuré envoyé par courrier à ceux-ci. Nous avons utilisé les critères de l?International Obesity Task Force, qui définit les valeurs-seuils de l'indice de masse corporelle pour le surpoids et pour l?obésité, par age et par sexe. La prévalence du surpoids (obésité incluse) dans la population était de 15% chez les garçons et de 12% chez les filles, et la prévalence de l?obésité était de 2% dans les deux sexes. Nous avons trouvé que le surpoids était associé de façon indépendante avec le temps passé à regarder la télévision, ainsi qu?avec certaines caractéristiques des parents, comme le surpoids, un bas niveau d?éducation et une nationalité étrangère. En conclusion, un enfant sur sept est en surpoids ou obèse dans le canton de Vaud. Ces chiffres indiquent un important défi de santé publique, même si cette prévalence dans le canton de Vaud est, actuellement, moindre que dans beaucoup d?autres pays d?Europe, et bien moindre qu?en Amérique du Nord. Les associations entre le surpoids infantile et le temps passé à regarder la télévision, ainsi que les associations avec des variables liées au milieu socio-culturel des parents indiquent plusieurs pistes d?intervention pour prévenir le surpoids chez les enfants. Il est probable que les mesures de prévention ne devraient pas se limiter aux approches individuelles, mais devraient aussi inclure des mesures structurelles sur l?environnement social, physique et économique visant à réduire les facteurs obésogènes dans la société.<br/><br/>Objective: The objective was to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children in a canton of Switzerland and the association with various characteristics of the parents and the children. Research Methods and Procedures: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in all children of the sixth school grade of the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Weight and height were measured, and selected lifestyle variables were assessed with a self-administered semiquantitative questionnaire. Information on children?s parents was gathered through a mailed structured questionnaire. Overweight and obesity were based on the International Obesity Task Force criteria. Results: Of 6873 eligible children, 5207 (76%) participated (2621 boys, 2586 girls; mean age, 12.3 years; standard deviation, 0.5 year). The prevalence of overweight (including obesity) was 15.0% (95% confidence interval, 13.7% to 16.4%) in boys and 12.4% (11.1% to 13.7%) in girls, and the prevalence of obesity was 1.8% (1.3% to 2.3%) and 1.7% (1.2% to 2.2%), respectively. In both univariate and multivariate analyses, overweight was strongly associated with high television viewing time and selected characteristics of the parents (overweight, low educational level, and foreign nationality). Discussion: The prevalence of pediatric overweight and obesity was lower in this region of Switzerland than in several European countries. The correlates of overweight found in this region suggest areas for potential interventions.