BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Amphicarpic plants produce aerial and subterranean fruits on an individual plant, and these heteromorphic diaspores give rise to plants that differ in growth and ecology. Amphicarpaea edgeworthii is a summer annual amphicarpic species that grows over a range of light levels. We aimed to compare the response to shading intensity of plants of A. edgeworthii grown throughout their life cycle from aerial seeds (ASP) and from subterranean seeds (SSP). We hypothesized that vegetative and reproductive growth of plants from ASP and SSP respond differently to light. Plants were grown from ASP and SSP under 0, 46, 71 and 90% shading intensities. With plant height as a covariate, vegetative biomass of ASP and SSP did not differ. Leaf area and seed production of SSP were greater and internode length less than they were for ASP in all shading intensities. Aerial and subterranean seed yield, seed mass and number for both ASP and SSP were highest in full light. Aerial seed yield was affected more than subterranean seed yield by shading intensity. The growth and reproductive responses of ASP and SSP of A. edgeworthii may be adaptive to the range of low to high light environments in which this species grows.

背景与目标： : 两栖类植物在单个植物上产生空中和地下果实，这些异形的双孢子会产生生长和生态不同的植物。Amphicarpaea edgeworthii是一种夏季的一年生两栖动物，生长在一定范围的光照水平上。我们旨在比较在整个生命周期中从空中种子 (ASP) 和地下种子 (SSP) 生长的A. edgeworthii植物对阴影强度的响应。我们假设ASP和SSP植物的营养和生殖生长对光的反应不同。从ASP和SSP在0、46、71和90% 遮光强度下生长植物。以株高为协变量，ASP和SSP的营养生物量没有差异。在所有阴影强度下，SSP的叶面积和种子产量均大于ASP，节间长度小于ASP。在全光下，ASP和SSP的空中和地下种子产量，种子质量和数量最高。遮荫强度对空中种子产量的影响大于地下种子产量的影响。A. edgeworthii的ASP和SSP的生长和生殖响应可能适应该物种生长的低至高光环境范围。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Blooms of Microcystis aeruginosa frequently occur in many eutrophic lakes in China, however, there is very little experimental study on the relationship between Microcystis and rotifers from Chinese waters. The effects of different concentrations of toxic M. aeruginosa PCC7820 on two common freshwater rotifers Brachionus calyciflorus and B. rubens were investigated in laboratory experiments. B. calyciflorus was able to utilize this strain of M. aeruginosa as a food source. However, M. aeruginosa suppressed the survival and reproduction of B. calyciflorus at the highest concentration (10(6) cells/ml) probably due to the inadequate nutrition. B. rubens was inhibited by toxic M. aeruginosa PCC7820 and the inhibition increased with the increasing Microcystis concentration. Our study indicates that the two rotifers have different sensitivities to toxic M. aeruginosa and that toxic cyanobacteria may affect zooplankton community structure by differentially inhibiting the different zooplankton taxa.

背景与目标： : 铜绿微囊藻在中国许多富营养化的湖泊中经常出现水华，但是关于中国水域微囊藻与轮虫之间关系的实验研究很少。在实验室实验中，研究了不同浓度的有毒铜绿假单胞菌PCC7820对两种常见的淡水轮虫花椰菜和红粉菌的影响。B. calyciflorus能够利用这种铜绿假单胞菌菌株作为食物来源。然而，铜绿假单胞菌在最高浓度 (10(6) 个细胞/ml) 下抑制了花萼金杆菌的存活和繁殖，这可能是由于营养不足所致。B.铜绿假单胞菌PCC7820对红斑红斑的抑制作用随着微囊藻浓度的增加而增强。我们的研究表明，两种轮虫对有毒的铜绿假单胞菌具有不同的敏感性，有毒的蓝藻可能通过不同的抑制浮游动物的分类群而影响浮游动物的群落结构。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Spirulina maxima, an edible micro-organism useful in human nutrition, was examined for its effect on general reproductive performance and for peri- and postnatal toxicity in rats at levels of 0, 10, 20 and 30% (w/w) incorporated into the diet. There was no reduction in body weight gain in males or females and no deaths or clinical signs of toxicity. Treatment was not associated with any adverse effect on any measure of reproductive performance, including male and female fertility and duration of gestation. There was no increase in the number of abnormal pups at caesarean section or at birth. S. maxima consumption did not result in adverse effects on developmental markers of the pups.

背景与目标： 螺旋藻是一种可用于人类营养的可食用微生物，研究了其对0、10、20和30% (w/w) 水平的大鼠的总体生殖性能以及围生和产后毒性的影响。饮食。男性或女性的体重增加没有减少，也没有死亡或临床毒性迹象。治疗对任何生殖性能指标 (包括男性和女性的生育能力和妊娠时间) 都没有任何不利影响。剖腹产或出生时的异常幼崽数量没有增加。S. maxima消费不会对幼崽的发育标记产生不利影响。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The sexes often have different phenotypic optima for important life-history traits, and because of a largely shared genome this can lead to a conflict over trait expression. In mammals, the obligate costs of reproduction are higher for females, making reproductive timing and rate especially liable to conflict between the sexes. While studies from wild vertebrates support such sexual conflict, it remains unexplored in humans. We used a pedigreed human population from preindustrial Finland to estimate sexual conflict over age at first and last reproduction, reproductive lifespan and reproductive rate. We found that the phenotypic selection gradients differed between the sexes. We next established significant heritabilities in both sexes for all traits. All traits, except reproductive rate, showed strongly positive intersexual genetic correlations and were strongly genetically correlated with fitness in both sexes. Moreover, the genetic correlations with fitness were almost identical in men and women. For reproductive rate, the intersexual correlation and the correlation with fitness were weaker but again similar between the sexes. Thus, in this population, an apparent sexual conflict at the phenotypic level did not reflect an underlying genetic conflict over the studied reproductive traits. These findings emphasize the need for incorporating genetic perspectives into studies of human life-history evolution.

背景与目标： : 对于重要的生活史特征，性别通常具有不同的表型最优，并且由于大量共享的基因组，这可能导致性状表达冲突。在哺乳动物中，雌性的繁殖成本较高，这使得繁殖时间和繁殖速度特别容易引起性别之间的冲突。尽管野生脊椎动物的研究支持这种性冲突，但在人类中仍未探索。我们使用了来自工业化前芬兰的纯种人口来估计最初和最后一次生殖，生殖寿命和生殖率随年龄的发生性冲突。我们发现表型选择梯度在性别之间有所不同。接下来，我们在所有性状的两性中都建立了显着的遗传力。除生殖率外，所有性状均显示出强烈的正向性间遗传相关性，并且与两性的适应性都具有强烈的遗传相关性。此外，男性和女性与健康的遗传相关性几乎相同。就生殖率而言，两性相关性和与适应性的相关性较弱，但两性之间又相似。因此，在该人群中，表型水平上的明显性冲突并未反映出所研究生殖性状的潜在遗传冲突。这些发现强调了将遗传观点纳入人类生活史进化研究的必要性。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND AND AIMS:The reproductive costs for individuals with the female function have been hypothesized to be greater than for those with the male function because the allocation unit per female flower is very high due to the necessity to nurture the embryos until seed dispersal occurs, while the male reproductive allocation per flower is lower because it finishes once pollen is shed. Consequently, males may invest more resources in growth than females. This prediction was tested across a wide geographical range in a tree with a dimorphic breeding system (Fraxinus ornus) consisting of males and hermaphrodites functioning as females. The contrasting ecological conditions found across the geographical range allowed the evaluation of the hypothesis that the reproductive costs of sexual dimorphism varies with environmental stressors. METHODS:By using random-effects meta-analysis, the differences in the reproductive and vegetative investment of male and hermaphrodite trees of F. ornus were analysed in 10 populations from the northern (Slovakia), south-eastern (Greece) and south-western (Spain) limits of its European distribution. The variation in gender-dimorphism with environmental stress was analysed by running a meta-regression between these effect sizes and the two environmental stress indicators: one related to temperature (the frost-free period) and another related to water availability (moisture deficit). KEY RESULTS:Most of the effect sizes showed that males produced more flowers and grew more quickly than hermaphrodites. Gender differences in reproduction and growth were not minimized or maximized under adverse climatic conditions such as short frost-free periods or severe aridity. CONCLUSIONS:The lower costs of reproduction for F. ornus males allow them to grow more quickly than hermaphrodites, although such differences in sex-specific reproductive costs are not magnified under stressful conditions.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND:The incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Denmark has doubled in women since 1970, whereas it has been almost unchanged in men. OBJECTIVES:To investigate whether age at first childbirth and number of births have an effect on the risk of developing MS. METHODS:The cohort consisted of 1403 patients with MS of both sexes, identified through the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Registry, with clinical onset between 2000 and 2004. For each case, 25 control persons were drawn by random from the Danish Civil Registration System matched by sex, year of birth, and residential municipality. RESULTS:More female cases than controls had no childbirths or fewer births before clinical onset (p=0.018) but only in the last five years preceding onset (p<0.0001). Childbirths within five years before clinical onset reduced the risk of MS onset in women: OR=0.54 (95% CI 0.41-0.70, p<0.0001) for one child and OR=0.68 (95% CI 0.53-0.87, p=0.002) for more than one child. Parental age at first childbirth had no effect on the risk of MS. CONCLUSIONS:The data did not suggest reversed causality between childbirth and MS.

背景与目标：

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背景与目标： -2

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Major tissue remodelling occurs in hormone responsive tissues of the female genital tract, at ovulation and during gestation, involving proteolysis and inflammation. Disorders of tissue remodelling events are associated with infertility in women with luteinized unruptured follicle syndrome and with gestational pathologies as preeclampsia. Ovulation impairment is an important factor of infertility and a major concern in reproductive medicine. The gonadotrophin discharge inducing ovulation triggers proteolytic activities involved in the breakdown of the follicular wall and elicits an acute inflammatory reaction in the ovary. Tight control of these reactions is required to allow successful ovulation while avoiding excessive tissue damage. Anticoagulant heparan sulfate proteoglycans (aHSPG), like heparin, possess a pentasaccharide sequence which binds and activates antithrombin III. These proteoglycans are produced by endothelial cells and are thought to endow the vascular wall with antithrombotic properties. aHSPG are also present in the reproductive tract; in the ovary they are strongly expressed in granulosa cells of preovulatory follicles and they are co-localised with serine protease inhibitors involved in the control of proteolytic activities at ovulation. The presence of aHSPG in the oviduct, in the uterus and in human follicular fluid, suggests that they could play additional distal roles in gestation. The females exhibited impaired ovarian function as well as intrauterine growth restriction linked to delayed placenta development. In these mice, the placenta is challenged by inflammation at mid-gestation, occasionally resulting in miscarriage and maternal death. Collectively, these observations suggest that aHSPG are involved in the control of inflammatory events occurring during tissue remodelling in hormone-responsive tissues. Further studies are needed to identify the inflammation mediators involved in this process.

背景与目标： : 主要组织重塑发生在女性生殖道的激素反应性组织中，在排卵和妊娠期间，涉及蛋白水解和炎症。组织重塑事件的障碍与黄体化未破裂卵泡综合征和妊娠病理为先兆子痫的女性的不育有关。排卵障碍是不孕症的重要因素，也是生殖医学的主要关注点。促性腺激素释放诱导排卵会触发参与卵泡壁破裂的蛋白水解活动，并在卵巢中引起急性炎症反应。需要严格控制这些反应，以使排卵成功，同时避免过度的组织损伤。抗凝血硫酸乙酰肝素蛋白聚糖 (aHSPG) 与肝素一样，具有结合并激活抗凝血酶III的五糖序列。这些蛋白聚糖是由内皮细胞产生的，被认为赋予血管壁抗血栓形成特性。aHSPG也存在于生殖道中; 在卵巢中，它们在排卵前卵泡的颗粒细胞中强烈表达，并且与参与控制排卵时蛋白水解活性的丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂共定位。输卵管，子宫和人卵泡液中aHSPG的存在表明它们可能在妊娠中起其他远端作用。女性表现出卵巢功能受损以及与胎盘发育延迟有关的宫内生长受限。在这些小鼠中，胎盘在妊娠中期受到炎症的挑战，偶尔会导致流产和孕产妇死亡。总的来说，这些观察结果表明，aHSPG参与了激素反应性组织中组织重塑过程中发生的炎症事件的控制。需要进一步的研究来确定参与此过程的炎症介质。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVE:Due to the extensive use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in assisted reproduction, not only among couples with severe male factor infertility problems, but to a broader scale, a lot of concern has been raised regarding the safety of the method and its implications in epigenetic control and imprinting dysregulation. This review means to provide a comprehensive report of the published scientific data, outline putative associations between ICSI and epigenetic control, and suggest measures to improve the current state of affairs and reach more scientifically consolidated results. METHODS:This review was conducted by studying a broad spectrum of articles dealing with the subject of epigenetic control and its relation with ICSI. We tried to view the two subjects as parallel procedures that occur in the organism and by delineating the molecular and biochemical steps that comprise them make suggestions about putative associations between ICSI and epigenetic control. CONCLUSIONS:No hard evidence presented at the moment can prove or disapprove ICSI's implications in epigenetic control. Nevertheless, we take the view that more comprehensive, long-term, and properly designed studies are imperative to be applied on a large-scale basis. We urge cautiousness, since the welfare of our progeny is what is at stake.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The hypothalamic hormone GnRH is a central driver of pituitary gonadotropin secretion, controlling pulsatile gonadotropin secretion, modulating gonadal steroid feedback, and bringing about full fertility in the adult. Thus, understanding GnRH neuronal regulation is essential to understanding the neurohumoral control of human reproduction. Genetic tools were used in patients with GnRH deficiency (i.e. idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism), a clinical syndrome that results from the failure of a normal pattern of pulsatile GnRH, to discover upstream modulators of GnRH secretion (1). In 2003, homozygosity mapping of two consanguineous pedigrees led to the identification of loss of function mutations in KISS1R (a G protein coupled receptor) by two groups (2, 3). In parallel, the Kiss1r(-/-) mouse was shown to be a phenocopy of the human GnRH-deficient state, demonstrating that the function of KISS1R/Kiss1r is conserved across mammalian species (4). Just before these human genetic discoveries, the ligand for kisspeptin-1 receptor [KISS1R; also known as G protein coupled receptor 54 (GPR54)], was discovered to be kisspeptin. Soon thereafter a large array of experimental studies began assembling genetic, expression, physiologic, transgenic, knockdown, and electrophysiological data to characterize the physiology of kisspeptin and its seminal role in modulating GnRH release.

背景与目标： 下丘脑激素GnRH是垂体促性腺激素分泌的主要驱动因素，控制搏动性促性腺激素分泌，调节性腺类固醇反馈，并在成年人中实现完全生育。因此，了解GnRH神经元调节对于理解人类生殖的神经体液控制至关重要。在患有GnRH缺乏症 (即特发性促性腺激素性性腺功能减退症) 的患者中使用了遗传工具，这是一种由脉动GnRH正常模式失败引起的临床综合征，以发现GnRH分泌的上游调节剂 (1)。2003年，两个近亲谱系的纯合作图导致两组 (2,3) 鉴定了KISS1R (一种g蛋白偶联受体) 功能突变的丧失。同时，Kiss1r(-/-) 小鼠被证明是人类GnRH缺陷状态的现象，表明KISS1R/Kiss1r的功能在整个哺乳动物物种中是保守的 (4)。就在这些人类遗传发现之前，kisspeptin-1受体的配体 [KISS1R; 也称为g蛋白偶联受体54 (GPR54)] 被发现是kisspeptin。此后不久，大量的实验研究开始收集遗传，表达，生理，转基因，敲低和电生理学数据，以表征kisspeptin的生理学及其在调节GnRH释放中的重要作用。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Considering the existing conflicts about how an elevated body mass index (BMI) affects fertility, this study had the objective of evaluating the impact of overweight and obesity on the results of IVF/ICSI (in-vitro fertilisation/intracytoplasmatic sperm injection) performed at the Human Reproduction Centre of Faculdade de Medicina do ABC. Retrospective data from 208 IVF cycles of 191 women, performed at our laboratory from February through June, 2008, were used to calculate their BMI. On the basis of the results, the patients were divided into two groups: Group 1: BMI <25 kg/m(2) and Group 2: BMI  ≥ 25 kg/m(2). Of the 208 cycles, 137 were from patients with BMI <25 kg/m(2) and 71 cycles from patients with BMI  ≥ 25 kg/m(2). Patients' ages and the number of cycles with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist and antagonist were similar in both groups. The doses of follicle-stimulating hormone used for ovarian induction per cycle, the number of retrieved oocytes, fertilisation rate, embryo quality and number of transferred and frozen embryos, the hyperstimulation, pregnancy rates, miscarriage rate and live birth rates showed no statistically significant differences. BMI does not appear to be a good parameter for the definition of IVF success. The association with other methodologies may produce more consistent data about body composition and its impact on fertility.

背景与目标： : 考虑到关于体重指数 (BMI) 升高如何影响生育能力的现有冲突，这项研究的目的是评估超重和肥胖对在aculdade de Medicina do ABC人类生殖中心进行的IVF/ICSI (体外受精/胞浆内精子注射) 结果的影响。回顾性数据来自191名妇女的208个IVF周期，从2月到2008年6月在我们的实验室进行，用于计算他们的BMI。根据结果将患者分为两组: 第一组: bmi   <25千克/m(2) 和第二组: bmi   ≥ 25千克/m(2)。在208个周期中，137个周期来自bmi   <25千克/m(2) 的患者，71个周期来自bmi   ≥ 25千克/m(2) 的患者。两组患者的年龄和使用促性腺激素释放激素激动剂和拮抗剂的周期数相似。每个周期用于卵巢诱导的促卵泡激素的剂量，卵母细胞的回收数量，受精率，胚胎质量以及转移和冷冻胚胎的数量，过度刺激，妊娠率，流产率和活产率均无统计学差异。BMI似乎不是定义IVF成功的良好参数。与其他方法的关联可能会产生有关身体成分及其对生育力影响的更一致的数据。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVES:There is evidence to suggest that high perceived stress in early pregnancy is associated with increased rates of miscarriage. Our objective was to determine if psychological stressors have an impact on medically assisted reproduction (MAR) cycle outcomes including miscarriage rates. STUDY DESIGN:A survey-based study of women recruited prior to commencing MAR treatment and followed prospectively for treatment outcome (negative/positive pregnancy test, miscarriage) during the study period 2013-2015. The survey focused on perceived stress, emotional well-being, maternal social support and outlook. The women were asked to grade their responses according to a specified scale. RESULTS:320 women responded to the survey (response rate 64 %, 320/498). 290 (90 %, 290/320) women proceeded to MAR of which 58 % (n = 167/290) conceived. Analysis of stressful life events in the preceding 12 months, including job stress or serious financial problems did not reveal significance in terms of conception. A small number had experienced serious illness in the preceding 12 months which demonstrated significance in terms of not achieving pregnancy. Overall, there were high rates of emotional wellbeing, very high rates of maternal support and medium to low levels of perceived stress and this did not differ amongst those who conceived and failed to conceive. The data were further analysed according to livebirth and miscarriage (biochemical pregnancy and miscarriage). Analysis of stressful life events revealed a higher rate of miscarriage amongst those who reported a stressful/demanding job (p < 0.05). A number of women reported non-specified stressful life events and separation/divorce in higher numbers amongst the miscarriage group, reaching statistical significance, however the numbers are small thus limiting interpretation. Psychological factors had no impact on the risk of miscarriage amongst the group. CONCLUSION:This study suggests that stressors do not impact greatly on conception rates from MAR but may negatively impact on miscarriage rates. Job-related stress, in particular, is associated with higher risk of miscarriage. This suggests that there may be a role for stress management in early pregnancy.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: In contrast to the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, surprisingly little is known about the molecular aspects of reproduction in parasitic helminths. Investigations into such aspects would provide an improved understanding of the fundamentals of sexual differentiation, development, maturation and behaviour, as well as sex-specific genes and their expression. Such knowledge could lead to new means of parasite control by interfering with or disrupting one or more of these processes, which is particularly important given the emerging problems with genetic resistance in parasitic nematodes against anthelmintic drugs. This chapter brings together some relevant information on the sexual biology of C. elegans, summarizes studies of gender-specific expression in selected parasitic helminths of socio-economic significance, describes advanced molecular techniques for the analysis of gender-specific genes, and indicates the prospects for genomic research on reproductive processes and the implications thereof for controlling parasitic helminths.

背景与目标： 与自由生活的线虫秀丽隐杆线虫相反，令人惊讶的是，对寄生蠕虫中繁殖的分子方面知之甚少。对这些方面的研究将有助于更好地理解性别分化、发育、成熟和行为的基本原理，以及性别特异性基因及其表达。这种知识可以通过干扰或破坏这些过程中的一个或多个来产生新的寄生虫控制手段，鉴于寄生线虫对驱虫药的遗传抗性正在出现问题，这一点尤其重要。本章汇集了秀丽隐杆线虫性生物学的一些相关信息，总结了对某些具有社会经济意义的寄生蠕虫中性别特异性表达的研究，介绍了分析性别特异性基因的先进分子技术，并指出了生殖过程基因组研究的前景及其对控制寄生蠕虫的意义。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND AND AIMS:Intraspecific variation in foundation species of forest ecosystems can shape community and ecosystem properties, particularly when that variation has a genetic basis. Traits mediating interactions with other species are predicted by simple allocation models to follow ontogenetic patterns that are rarely studied in trees. The aim of this research was to identify the roles of genotype, ontogeny and genotypic trade-offs shaping growth, defence, and reproduction in aspen. METHODS:We established a common garden replicating over 500 aspen genets in Wisconsin, USA. Trees were measured through the juvenile period into the onset of reproduction, for growth, defence chemistry (phenolic glycosides, condensed tannins), nitrogen, extrafloral nectaries, leaf morphology (specific leaf area), flower production, and foliar herbivory and disease. We also assayed the TOZ19 sex marker and heterozygosity at 10 microsatellite loci. KEY RESULTS:We found high levels of genotypic variation for all traits, and high heritabilities for both the traits and their ontogenetic trajectories. Ontogeny strongly shaped intraspecific variation, and trade-offs among growth, defence, and reproduction supported some predictions while contradicting others. Both direct resistance (chemical defence) and indirect defence (extrafloral nectaries) declined during the juvenile stage, prior to the onset of reproduction. Reproduction was higher in trees that were larger, male, and had higher individual heterozygosity. Growth was diminished by genotypic allocation to both direct and indirect defence as well as to reproduction, but we found no evidence of trade-offs between defence and reproduction. CONCLUSIONS:Key traits affecting the ecological communities of aspen have high levels of genotypic variation and heritability, strong patterns of ontogeny, and clear trade-offs among growth, defence, and reproduction. The architecture of aspen's community genetics-its ontogeny, trade-offs and especially its great variability-is shaped by both its broad range and diverse community of associates and in turn further fosters that diversity.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The antiviral activity of the combination of distamycin A (DA) Pand hydroxyurea (HU) on the reproduction of vaccinia and pseudorabies viruses was investigated. The drug combination exerted a significant synergic inhibitory effect on the vaccinia virus yield and on the plaque formation in chick embryo cells. Similar experiments on pseudorabies virus showed an additive effect. The possible mechanism of the mutual enhancement of the antiviral activity is discussed.

背景与目标： : 研究了distamycin A (DA) 和羟基脲 (HU) 组合对牛痘和伪狂犬病病毒繁殖的抗病毒活性。该药物组合对牛痘病毒的产量和鸡胚细胞中的斑块形成具有显着的协同抑制作用。对伪狂犬病病毒的类似实验显示出累加效应。讨论了抗病毒活性相互增强的可能机制。