Evidence for paternal kin recognition and paternally biased behaviors is mixed among primates. We investigate whether infant handling behaviors exhibit paternal kin biases in wild white-faced capuchins monkeys (Cebus capucinus) by comparing interactions between infants and genetic sires, potential sires, siblings (full sibling, maternal, and paternal half-siblings) and unrelated handlers. We us...

Following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), approximately 60-70% of oocytes are fertilized and of these embryos, approximately 45% withstand in-vitro culture conditions to produce healthy blastocysts. The efficiency of implantation of 2-4-cell embryos selected at the pronuclear stage and that of blastocysts are comparable. However, prolonged selection of embryos in vitro (4-5 days), has ...

A case-control study was conducted to test the hypothesis that paternal occupation is a risk factor for Wilms' tumour in offspring. Occupations associated with exposure to lead (Pb) and to hydrocarbons were examined by computing odds ratios, all of which were greater than unity but not by a statistically significant margin. When painters were considered separately, children whose fathers had be...

We examined the polymorphisms in the PIT1 gene of 103 pigs and compared their frequencies in the maternal and paternal lineages of the Pietrain and Large White breeds, which have undergone divergent selection for over 30 years. DNA samples extracted from the blood of these animals were amplified by PCR and genotyped by RFLP, using the restriction enzyme RsaI. The data were analyzed with the chi...

BACKGROUND Despite extensive efforts, the causes of autism remain unknown. Advancing paternal age has been associated with various neurodevelopmental disorders. We aim to investigate three unresolved questions: (a) What is the association between paternal age and autism spectrum disorders (ASD)?; (b) Does paternal age moderate the genetic and environmental etiological factors for ASD? (c) Does ...

In most species, males do not abandon offspring or reduce paternal care when they are cuckolded by other males. This apparent lack of adjustment of paternal investment with the likelihood of paternity presents a potential challenge to our understanding of what drives selection for paternal care. In a comparative analysis across birds, fish, mammals, and insects we identify key factors that expl...

BACKGROUND The role of fathers in the development of obesity in their offspring remains poorly understood. We evaluated associations of missing paternal demographic information on birth certificates with perinatal risk factors for childhood obesity. METHODS Data were from the Linked CENTURY Study, a database linking birth certificate and well-child visit data for 200,258 Massachusetts childre...

OBJECTIVE To explore the association between maternal and paternal age and risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in offspring. DESIGN Historical birth cohort study. SETTING Kaiser Permanente (KP) in Northern California. PARTICIPANTS All singleton children born at KP from January 1, 1995, to December 31, 1999, were included in the study. We identified 593 children who had ASD diagnoses ...

Control of the expression of the human insulin-like growth factor II gene is known to be complex, displaying both tissue-specific and developmental regulation. Insulin-like growth factor II is expressed at high levels in most tissues in the human fetus and appears to be important in fetal growth. In adult life, high levels of expression are found chiefly in liver, kidney, skin, nerve, and muscl...