Stages Of Reproductive Life Research Articles

Tailoring Treatment of Depression for Women Across the Reproductive Lifecycle:The Importance of Pregnancy, Vasomotor Symptoms, and Other Estrogen-Related Events in Psychopharmacology

Compared with men, women are at increased risk of depression, especially at several reproductive-related lifecycle points. This may be partially due to changing levels of estrogen, a hormone that can affect levels of neurotransmitters and neural proteins. As estrogen levels vary throughout the lifespan, risk of depression in women also varies, and not all treatments are appropriate or effective at all times. In adolescence, onset of depression may be associated with onset of puberty, but treating underage girls with antidepressants can risk suicidality. In females of childbearing age, mood disturbances associated with menstrual cycles signal a risk for later full-blown major depressive disorder. In depressed pregnant and postpartum women, risks of treatment versus risks of nontreatment are intricate and require case-by-case evaluation. In perimenopause, vasomotor symptoms may be harbingers of oncoming depression and also may signal the presence of dysregulated hormones and neurotransmitters. Relieving vasomotor symptoms may be a necessary dimension of treating depression. In postmenopause, response to selected antidepressants may depend on whether the patient is also taking hormone-replacement therapy. To attain optimal outcomes, modern psychopharmacologists must tailor treatment of depression to a woman's reproductive stage of life.

Stereotypes of Women in Different Stages of Their Reproductive Life: Data From Mexico and the United States

College students from Mexico and the United States (n = 349) were surveyed to explore stereotypes regarding women in different menstrual cycle phases and other stages of reproductive life. Participants from both countries defined a premenstrual or menstrual woman as irritable and moody and a menopausal woman as old and irritable. A woman with a hysterectomy was defined as sad, and only Americans used other words that did not have any negative connotation. Participants used some positive adjectives to describe other stages. For example, a pregnant woman was defined as happy, but only by Mexicans. Finally, a woman with a young baby was defined in both countries as happy; however, Americans implied that having a baby is complicated. The findings are discussed in light of sociocultural differences and similarities.

Migrations and Biological Characteristics of Adfluvial Coaster Brook Trout in a South Shore Lake Superior Tributary

AbstractWe used fish traps and electrofishing surveys to characterize the biology, life history traits, and potential biotic interactors important to the rehabilitation of native, adfluvial coaster brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis in Lake Superior. This study focused on the Salmon Trout River, Michigan, which is the site of the last known remnant population of adfluvial brook trout on the south shore of Lake Superior. The brook trout captured in passive traps (weirs) in the river ranged from 56 to 554 mm in total length (TL) and from 0 (young of the year) to 6 years of age. This population displayed a protracted 5‐month migration into the river but one that included relatively few fish. Coaster brook trout in this population appear to initiate adfluvial migrations near age 3 and 300 mm TL. Relative weight values increased with fish length and therefore reproductive life stage, possibly indicating the shift from river to lake habitats. This population of coaster brook trout is small and subject to potential biotic interactions with exotic species and population limitation because of an active fishery in the lake and river. Migratory runs of brook trout coincided with large runs of coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch, and the instream juvenile salmonid composition included proportionately high densities of coho salmon and rainbow trout O. mykiss. In addition, Floy tag return data indicated that exploitation of reproductive‐age Salmon Trout River coaster brook trout was at least 12% and may have been as high as 50% in the open waters of Lake Superior. A recent increase in the legal minimum length limit and reduction of the daily bag limit for recreational harvest may slow or reverse this trend.

Need for research on estrogen receptor function: Importance for postmenopausal hormone therapy and atherosclerosis

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in men and women worldwide. Although rare in premenopausal women, its incidence rises sharply after menopause, indicating atheroprotective effects of endogenous estrogens. This review discusses the differential effects of estrogen receptor function on atherosclerosis progression in pre- and postmenopausal women, including aspects of gender differences in vascular physiology of estrogens and androgens. Recent advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, estrogen receptor function, and hormone therapy are reviewed, with particular emphasis on clinical and molecular issues. Whether hormone therapy can improve cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women remains controversial. Current evidence suggests that the vascular effects of estrogen are affected by the stage of reproductive life, the time since menopause, and the extent of subclinical atherosclerosis. The mechanisms of vascular responsiveness to sex steroids during different stages of atherosclerosis development remain poorly understood in women and men. In view of the expected increase in the prevalence of atherosclerotic vascular disease worldwide due to population aging, research is needed to determine the vascular mechanism of endogenous and exogenous sex steroids in patients with atherosclerosis. Such research may help to define new strategies to improve cardiovascular health in women and possibly also in men.

You Can’t Be Old Before You Are Young: Aging and Pedagogy

rative of aging and pedagogy that mitigates the terror by contesting and refuting cultural stereotypes. The force of our narrative is, we feel, enhanced by recent research into the physiology, neurology, and psychology of aging, especially of women's aging. Our story of change and development grows not merely from the experience that comes with years. We are not merely experienced pedagogues and humans, garnering knowledge from years of attentive living, although we are that: we are also different mentally, emotionally, and physically than we were thirty years ago. Recent studies of female aging suggest that there is substance to Margaret Mead's formulation of post-menopausal vigor. In the 1970s we rejected the reductive formulation is destiny, and we still reject it when it is used to mean that women are purely reproductive entities. We feel empowered, however, by new research that suggests that female biology is sufficiently rich and complicated to allow for physical, mental, and emotional changes that encourage new and powerful priorities and understandings of the world and our place in it (see, for example, Brizendine, quoting Protopopescu; Motzer; Morgan; and Labouvie-Vief). While many women in the reproductive stages of life are vulnerable to moodaltering hormonal shifts, are emotionally labile, and are easily distracted by cultural as well as physical/neurological pressure to mate and procreate (Brizendine, quoting Light and Tang), postmenopausal women can be less subject to such messages. Indeed, despite the plethora of crippling cultural messages that women's worth begins with sexual attractiveness and ends with menopause, many women with high career momentum at our stage of life view their work as more central to their identities than the beauty/mating/ motherhood paradigm of their twenties, thirties, and forties. Such women also demonstrate higher levels of self-acceptance, independence, effective functioning and physical health than other women (Helson 2001, Helson and Soto 2005).

Women's Preconceptional Health and Use of Health Services: Implications for Preconception Care

To improve understanding of women's use of health care before pregnancy, by analyzing how the health status and health risks of pre- and interconceptional women are associated with health services use. Data are from a cross-sectional random-digit dial telephone survey of a representative sample of 2002 women ages 18-45 years from the Central Pennsylvania Women's Health Study (CePAWHS). A subsample of 1,325 respondents with current reproductive capacity, classified by reproductive life stage (preconceptional or interconceptional), was analyzed. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine how health needs (including indices of health status and health risks related to adverse pregnancy outcomes) are associated with five indicators of health services use (receipt of a regular physical exam, obstetrician-gynecologist [ob/gyn] visit, receipt of a set of recommended screening services, receipt of health counseling services on general health topics, and receipt of pregnancy-related counseling), controlling for predisposing and enabling variables. Only half of women at risk of pregnancy report receiving counseling about pregnancy planning in the past year. One-third of women surveyed did not receive routine physical examinations and screening services, and over half received little or no health counseling. Multivariate analyses showed that all the measures of health needs except for negative health behavior were related to some type of health services use. Psychosocial stress was associated with having a recent ob/gyn visit, with receiving general health counseling, and with receiving pregnancy planning counseling. Cardiovascular risk was positively associated with receiving general health counseling and a regular physical exam, but negatively associated with seeing an ob/gyn. Positive health behaviors were associated with receiving screening services and with receiving general health counseling. Preconceptional reproductive life stage was positively associated with receiving a regular physical exam and negatively associated with having an ob/gyn visit. Pre- and interconceptional women with specific health care needs may not receive appropriate health care before pregnancy. Improving pregnancy experiences and outcomes requires more comprehensive preconception health care and more preventive care before the first pregnancy.

The age distribution, rates, and types of surgery for stress urinary incontinence in the USA

The objective of this study was to describe the distribution of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) surgery across age groups in the USA in 2003. Patients were grouped into four age categories: reproductive, perimenopausal, postmenopausal, and elderly. Data from the 2003 National Hospital Discharge Survey and National Census were used to estimate surgical rates by age group. In 2003, 129,778 women underwent 165,776 surgical procedures for SUI. Of these women, 12.2, 53.0, 30.4, and 4.5% belonged to reproductive, perimenopausal, postmenopausal, and elderly age groups, respectively. Surgical rates (per 10,000 women) were 4, 17, 19, and 9 in these age groups, respectively. Complications occurred most frequently in reproductive age women. Overall, SUI surgical rates were similar for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women and exceeded that in the elderly population. The greatest percentage of surgical procedures occurred in perimenopausal women. Women at all stages of reproductive life may seek surgical treatment for SUI.

Estrogen effects on arteries vary with stage of reproductive life and extent of subclinical atherosclerosis progression

The past several years have been marked by confusion and controversy concerning whether estrogens are cardioprotective. The issue is of utmost public health importance because coronary heart disease (CHD) remains the leading cause of death among postmenopausal women. Fortunately, a unifying hypothesis has emerged that reproductive stage is a major determinant of the effect of estrogens on atherosclerosis progression, complications, and plaque vulnerability. PREMENOPAUSAL YEARS: Premenopausal atherosclerosis progression seems to be an important determinant of postmenopausal atherosclerosis and thus the risk for CHD. Clearly, plasma lipids/lipoproteins influence this progression; however, estradiol deficiency seems to be the major modulator. Both monkeys and women with premenopausal estrogen deficiency develop premature atherosclerosis, an effect that can be prevented in both species by estrogen-containing oral contraceptives. PERIMENOPAUSAL/EARLY POSTMENOPAUSAL YEARS: During this stage, there are robust estrogen benefits. Monkeys given estrogens immediately after surgical menopause have a 70% inhibition in coronary atherosclerosis progression. Estrogen treatment prevented progression of atherosclerosis of women in the Estrogen in the Prevention of Atherosclerosis Trial. A meta-analysis of women younger than 60 years given hormone therapy had reduced total mortality (relative risk = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39-0.95). LATE POSTMENOPAUSAL YEARS: This stage is one in which there are no or possible deleterious estrogen effects. Monkeys lose CHD benefits of estrogens when treatment is delayed. The increase in CHD events associated with initiating hormone therapy 10 or more years after menopause seems to be related to up-regulation of the plaque inflammatory processes and plaque instability and may be down-regulated by statin pretreatment.

Therapy Insight: guidelines for selection of contraception in women with rheumatic diseases

Use of contraceptives by women with rheumatic diseases, especially those with systemic lupus erythematosus, has long been thought to carry risks, such as disease exacerbation, thrombosis and other adverse effects. The use of effective contraception has, therefore, been avoided, despite many affected women being of reproductive age. Knowledge of risks and benefits of contraceptive methods in the general population has improved, as have the safety and effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives. Methods of administration have evolved and now include transdermal and intravaginal routes, a progesterone-releasing intrauterine device, and an extended-cycle oral contraceptive. Birth control pills are not all alike; the risk of adverse effects varies depending on the amount of estrogen and type of progestin used. Data show that patients with stable systemic lupus erythematosus are not at increased risk of disease flare while taking standard oral contraceptives. Despite a lack of randomized studies, evidence strongly suggests that the elevated risk of thrombosis makes estrogen-containing contraceptives unsuitable for patients with antiphospholipid antibody. Other important issues include potential interactions between hormonal contraceptives and other medications and possible risk of infection if an intrauterine device is used. Rheumatologists are increasingly working with gynecologists and patients to make choices about which contraceptive methods to use. Decisions should be individualized according to the patient's medical status, personal preference, and stage of reproductive life.

Attitudes Toward Fragile X Mutation Carrier Testing from Women Identified in a General Population Survey

Fragile X syndrome is primarily due to a CGG repeat expansion found in the FMR1 X-linked gene. In a previous study, we conducted focus groups with women to assess their attitudes towards fragile X carrier screening. In this follow-up study, we conducted in-depth interviews of general population reproductive-age women who were identified as carriers. We explored their attitudes toward testing for carrier status of the fragile X mutation. These women underwent screening primarily to participate in a research project rather than in search of a diagnosis for specific symptoms. As such, these women were wholly unprepared for positive carrier results. Their responses about their results and carrier screening, in many cases, were being worked out over the course of the interview itself. The most salient finding of this work is the apparent lack of relevance of carrier status to these women. Many expressed that although the information could be relevant in the future, it is not relevant at this stage of their lives in terms of family planning (either with respect to having unaffected offspring or to premature ovarian failure) and personal relationships. Although issues of abortion seemed prominent in the focus groups, we found that carrier status did not have an apparent effect on women's attitudes about termination. We hypothesize this may be related to the fact that women had not processed their new carrier status and had not related it to previously-formed personal opinions. The findings of this work have significant implications for genetic counseling and population screening. Genetic counselors should be mindful that general population women may not recognize the immediate importance of their carrier status even when literature is provided and discussed prior to providing a sample. As part of comprehensive genetic counseling, counselors should identify the reproductive life stage of the woman receiving the new information and help her identify when this information would be more meaningful in her life. Counselors can assist in setting up a personalized road map with specific types of services that will be more applicable to the woman as her carrier status becomes more relevant.

Expanding networks: Signaling components in and a hypothesis for the evolution of metamorphosis

Metamorphosis is a substantial morphological transition between 2 multicellular phases in an organism's life cycle, often marking the passage from a prereproductive to a reproductive life stage. It generally involves major physiological changes and a shift in habitat and feeding mode, and can be subdivided into an extended phase of substantial morphological change and/or remodeling, and a shorter-term phase (for example, marine invertebrate "settlement," insect "adult eclosion," mushroom fruiting body emergence) where the actual habitat shift occurs. Disparate metamorphic taxa differ substantially with respect to when the habitat shift occurs relative to the timing of the major events of morphogenetic change. I will present comparative evidence across a broad taxonomic scope suggesting that longer-term processes (morphogenetic changes) are generally hormonally regulated, whereas nitric oxide (NO) repressive signaling often controls the habitat shift itself. Furthermore, new evidence from echinoids (sea urchins, sand dollars) indicates a direct connection between hormonal and NO signaling during metamorphosis. I incorporate 2 hypotheses for the evolution of metamorphosis-one involving heterochrony, the other involving phenotypic integration and evolutionarily stable configurations (ESCs)-into a network model for metamorphosis in echinoderms (sea urchins, starfish, and their kin). Early indications are that this core regulatory network can be acted upon by natural selection to suit the diverse ecological needs of disparate metamorphic organisms, resulting in evolutionary expansions and contractions in the core network. I briefly speculate on the ways that exposure to xenobiotic pollutants and other compounds might influence successful settlement of juveniles in the wild. Indeed, environmentally regulated life history transitions-such as settlement, metamorphosis, and reproductive maturation-may be developmental periods that are especially sensitive to such pollutants.

Sleep dysfunction in women and its management

Women generally have more complaints about sleep, compared with men of the same age. At various stages of reproduction, the reasons for these complaints become rather obvious--menstrual cramps and discomfort, pregnancy and postpartum factors, and menopausal hot flashes can fragment sleep. In addition, there are lifestyle factors, such as going to bed late and getting up early in order to attend to various family responsibilities, restricting the time allowed for sleep. Factors outside a woman's control, such as caregiving for sick family members during the night, can also result in disrupted sleep patterns, with little opportunity to make up for the lost sleep on weekends or days off. This article discusses the types of insomnia commonly experienced by women during key reproductive stages of life and proposes gender-specific assessment and management strategies. Pharmacologic management of sleep problems is useful for brief episodes of insomnia, but not usually desirable during pregnancy and lactation, or for management of chronic insomnia. For most women, regardless of reproductive stage, nonpharmacologic strategies that involve behavioral therapies, or short-term focused use of hypnotics at key time points, are more effective for quality of life than is long-term use of pharmacologic interventions.

Preconceptional health: Risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes by reproductive life stage in the Central Pennsylvania Women’s Health Study (CePAWHS)

This study used population-based data to examine how health status and risks vary by reproductive life stage, with particular focus on the proximal risks for preterm birth and low birthweight (LBW) infants in preconceptional and interconceptional women. Data are from the Central Pennsylvania Women's Health Study (CePAWHS), which included a telephone survey of a representative sample of 2,002 women ages 18-45 years residing in largely rural central Pennsylvania. Women were classified according to reproductive stage--preconceptional, interconceptional, and postconceptional--on the basis of pregnancy history and reproductive capacity. Multiple indicators of health status and health risks were examined by reproductive stage, stratified by age group (ages 18-34 and ages 35-45). Results show that many risk factors varied significantly by reproductive stage and by age group within reproductive stage. Preconceptional and interconceptional women exhibited several unhealthy behaviors (e.g., binge drinking, nutritional deficits, physical inactivity). Younger pre- and interconceptional women (ages 18-34) had more gynecologic infections, some less favorable health behaviors, and more psychosocial stress than older women (ages 35-45) in the same reproductive stages. Older preconceptional women were more likely to have chronic conditions (hypertension, high cholesterol) than younger preconceptional women. Results suggest how interventions could be tailored to women's reproductive stages.

Expression Pattern of a Homeotic Gene, HOXA5, in Normal Breast and in Breast Tumors

Introduction: Homeotic (HOX) gene products are now known to be functionally associated with breast cancer biogenesis. Recent evidence has indicated that HOXA5 regulates both p53 and progesterone receptor expression levels in breast cancer cells. In addition, HOXA5 has been shown to interact and regulate the activity of another protein referred to as Twist. As homeotic genes play a pivotal role in development, we sought to decipher the expression pattern in both normal breast tissues and in breast carcinomas. Methods: RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were performed, to assay the levels of HOXA5 expression, on a panel of normal breast tissue and its corresponding primary breast tumors. Results and Conclusions: We show that HOXA5 expression was maintained at stable levels at different reproductive stages of a woman's life, except during lactation. This evidence indicates that HOXA5 may play a role in maintaining the differentiated state within the breast epithelium. However, nearly 70% of all breast carcinomas had decreased HOXA5 protein levels as compared to normal breast tissues. In addition, we demonstrate that HOXA5 protein expression levels in breast carcinomas inversely co-relates with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) expression. Furthermore, we found that the survival rate amongst the different low levels of HOXA5 expressing breast tumors was not significant, indicative of an early tumorigenesis process in the absence of innate levels of HOXA5 in normal breast cells.

Review of Women's Mental Health: A Comprehensive Textbook.

SUSAN G. KORNSTEIN and ANITA H. clayTON (Eds.) Women's Mental Health: A Comprehensive Textbook New York: Guilford Press, 2004, 638 pages (ISBN 1-59385-144-8, US$35.00, Paperback) This book was so helpful that I could not put it down to write a review. I was too busy consuming the chapters. Most of the chapters yielded a rich harvest of supplementary material for the lectures I was concurrently delivering to summer session classes on psychology and the psychology of women. Many psychology textbooks now incorporate extensive empirical findings concerning gender differences and women's particular experiences with psychopathology. However, they seem to do so in noncontextualized chunks, making it difficult for readers to put the pieces of the puzzle together to grasp the bigger picture of women's mental health, including experiences of depression and anxiety over the lifespan and across different reproductive stages. Few textbooks thoroughly answer questions about women's experiences while employing an integrated approach to address multidimensional considerations (work, family, concomitant health considerations, reproductive stages, or gender-specific effects of drugs, for example). Furthermore, it is rare to read about the psychopathology and timing of particular disorders related to women's varied reproductive stages of life (puberty, reproductive years, perimenopause, and menopause). This book provides a welcome and refreshing contrast. Reproductive cycle events are examined as critical factors with regard to women's mental health. A context is provided to examine how intricate reproductive events might act as triggers for the onset or exacerbation of mental health symptoms. Thus, connections are made between neuroendocrine and neurotransmitter systems, stages in the reproductive cycle, and pharmacological treatment of particular disorders. Given this context, when considering how to treat a young woman with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder who wishes to get pregnant and bear children, an interested reader could reflect on necessary considerations for the appropriate timing - including administration and tapering - of treatments such as lithium that would alleviate symptoms as much as possible for the woman, while avoiding potentially harmful effects on a foetus. To their great credit, the more than 70 contributors to this book provide a perspective that frames women as normal (not abnormal or pathological) while they negotiate assorted mental health concerns. The text is pitched in such a way that a reader saddled with a DSM-style diagnostic label, herself, would not feel objectified while reading the textbook (although some chapters are better at this than others and perhaps this is inevitable given the 37 diverse chapters). As a clinical psychologist, I found this textbook very appealing. It is largely written by contributors with the credentials of physicians and psychiatrists, yet the language and concepts are highly accessible to an informed reader without a medical degree. The chapters contain valuable recent information that would allow a mental health practitioner to review empirical findings in the medical literature regarding varied diagnoses while obtaining sophisticated information in an easy-to-digest format. Comprehensive information is laid out for all of the most common DSM-IV TR diagnoses such as anxiety and mood disorders that affect women in large proportions. Biased by my current task-orientation as a lecturer, it seemed to me that this book would be ideal for all feminist university instructors wishing to complement their lectures with salient, comprehensive, and up-to-date material, not yet incorporated into the undergraduate textbooks. This book would also be highly useful for graduate students specializing in clinical psychology and the psychology of women. The editors expected it to be used by clinicians, researchers, and students of psychiatry. However, the language and style of writing render the information accessible to readers with even a rudimentary knowledge of neurobiology and psychiatric diagnoses. …

Specyfika rozwoju osobniczego Homo sapiens na tle ssaków łożyskowych i Naczelnych

During ontogeny, there are many phenomena which significantly differentiate humans from other mammals, including Primates. The present considerations and analysis of regression applied for many species to illustrate allometric relations of developmental spurts of height and weight to final values of these parameters in adults, allow to compare processes of growth of Homo sapiens with other Primates and to submit the following results: In Homo sapiens, the maximal rate of growth in length and body mass exists at the prenatal period (during gestation), and after birth, it decelerates. In the evolution of human ontogeny, two new stages occurred: The first one is „childhood" which is manifested by slow body growth and intense brain development. The second one is named „adolescence" and includes pubertal spurt of many body variables. In Humans, as compare with other Primates, the infancy and juvenile stages had been shortened. Human puberty begins when the postnatal rate of growth in height and weight is the lowest since birth and there is a considerable delay in puberty and sexual maturation than in other Primates. The adolescent growth spurt shortens the time needed to reach sexual maturity, which could have been much longer as the result of a slow growth that childhood. Sexual dimorphism in the intensity of pubertal spurt of body mass is smaller in Humans than in other Primates. On the contrary, sexual dimorphism in onset of puberty and growth rate in height at this stage is rather well manifested. The adolescent stage is divided into two parts because there is a delay of years between puberty and the onset of the adult reproductive stage of life.

In situ Characterization of Gonadotropin- Releasing Hormone-I, -III, and Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase Expression in the Brain of the Sea Lamprey, Petromyzon marinus

The distribution of lamprey gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-I and -III has been extensively characterized by immunocytochemistry in the forebrain of the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus. However, the cellular location of lamprey GnRH-III mRNA expression by in situ hybridization in the lamprey brain has not been determined. We show for the first time the location of expression of lamprey GnRH-III, as well as provide a more comprehensive in situ study of lamprey GnRH-I and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD; GABA-synthesizing enzyme) mRNA expression in the brain of the lamprey in different reproductive life stages. Colorimetric and dual-label fluorescent amplification methods of in situ hybridization were used on brain tissue sections of adult, juvenile, and larval sea lamprey. In each life stage of the lamprey, expression of lamprey GnRH-I was shown in the preoptic area (POA) and the hypothalamus forming the characteristic arc-like cell population extending from the preoptic nucleus (NPO) to the neurohypophysis. Lamprey GnRH-III expression was also seen in the POA of each life stage in close proximity to lamprey GnRH-I mRNA containing neurons. GAD expression was shown in distinct cell clusters in and around the POA, in the olfactory bulb, in the dorsal thalamus beneath the habenular region, and also in the ventral-medial hypothalamus stretching from the periventricular region to the anterior portion of the rhombencephalon. Using dual-label in situ hybridization, we have shown that lamprey GnRH-I and -III mRNA are colocalized in the same cells in the POA in adult lampreys. Dual-label in situ hybridization also showed close proximity of GAD mRNA containing neurons and GnRH containing neurons in the POA. These data suggest that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) may directly affect GnRH release in the brain of the sea lamprey.

Ban Chiang, A Prehistoric Village Site in Northeast Thailand I: The Human Skeletal Remains (review)

Reviewed by: Ban Chiang, A Prehistoric Village Site in Northeast Thailand I: The Human Skeletal Remains Marc Oxenham Ban Chiang, A Prehistoric Village Site in Northeast Thailand I: The Human Skeletal Remains. Michael Pietrusewsky and Michele Toomay Douglas. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, University Museum Monograph 111, 2002. 493 pp. $100.00 (hardcover). ISBN 0-924171-92-8. This is the first major publication on the past human biology of a Southeast Asian assemblage to combine a bioarchaeological and more traditional quantitative-qualitative [End Page 162] morphological analysis. The result is a very well-integrated study of the inhabitants of Ban Chiang, who lived some 4100 to 800 years ago on the northern aspect of the Khorat Plateau. Pietrusewsky is a prominent biological anthropologist who has been researching in the Asia-Pacific region for over a quarter century. Douglas analyzed the Ban Chiang assemblage for her doctoral thesis under the supervision of Pietrusewsky. The monograph is presented as 13 chapters of variable length with five extensive appendices and a CD-ROM that provides a wealth of data on various pathologies, skeletal completeness, nonmetric variation, and so forth. Moreover, a very useful index has also been included. The introductory chapter briefly reviews the history of archaeological work in Thailand previous to the Ban Chiang excavations in the 1970s. The site itself is then introduced followed by the chief aims of the monograph, which include the effects of sedentism and agricultural intensification, evidence for social hierarchy, and patterns of (and explanations for) differential health. Chapter 2 is a very brief review of methods employed in excavation, skeletal preparation, recording, sex and age-at-death determination, stature estimation, and nonmetric trait pathology recording. While much of these data are summarized in the appendixes, the specific details, including the frequent problems and solutions that arise with fragmentary material concerning age and sex determination, are not reviewed. This is a troubling oversight given skeletal preservation problems detailed in Chapter 3 and reliance on accurate constitutive data in the subsequent palaeodemographic analysis in Chapter 4. Chapter 3 goes on to review aspects of skeletal completeness, mortuary behavior, and general taphonomic factors that can affect skeletal preservation and notes some that have impacted the Ban Chiang assemblage specifically. Detailed data analysis begins in Chapter 4 with an investigation of the demographic makeup of the assemblage. They note that, overall, the age-at-death distribution approaches that observed in general for archaeological populations. The sex ratios were slightly dissimilar between the temporally earlier and later subsamples of the assemblage, although they suggest this to be more artifactual than indicative of actual demographic sex ratio differences. The mortality profiles differed by sex and this was attributed to increased female mortality during their principle reproductive life stage. The authors also employ a number of demographic formulae that have been demonstrated to be robust to age-at-death estimation and sampling biases. A combination of the juvenile-adult ratio and measure of mean childhood mortality suggested that the Ban Chiang population had low levels of fertility and was likely static or even slightly declining. However, a measure of the proportion of juvenile and old dependents was extremely low and suggested to the authors that life was relatively "easy" in terms of this measure at least. Chapter 5 describes the sample in terms of qualitative and quantitative measures of cranial morphology. Pietrusewsky has published extensively on morphological variation, microevolutionary change, and migratory patterns within the East Asian and Pacific region. The chief findings in this chapter were that the sample is morphologically consistent with an East Asian and/or Pacific ancestry. Moreover, the study seems to suggest the practice of exogamy at Ban Chiang, with males clustering in terms of specific sets of nonmetric traits. A concise examination of dental morphology notes the relative small size of the Ban Chiang molar dentition and finds some evidence for genetic continuity within the temporally earlier grouping and possible genetic discontinuity between the two samples. The authors also suggest the series, as a whole, is allied with the Sundadont dental pattern. However, the results of this particular analysis can only be provisional given the restricted number of traits examined. Most dental pathologies examined by bioarchaeologists are...

Modelling the population dynamics of the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera ( Dacus) tryoni: a cohort-based approach incorporating the effects of weather

Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera ( Dacus) tryoni (QFF) is arguably the most costly horticultural insect pest in Australia. Despite this, no model is available to describe its population dynamics and aid in its management. This paper describes a cohort-based model of the population dynamics of the Queensland fruit fly. The model is primarily driven by weather variables, and so can be used at any location where appropriate meteorological data are available. In the model, the life cycle is divided into a number of discreet stages to allow physiological processes to be defined as accurately as possible. Eggs develop and hatch into larvae, which develop into pupae, which emerge as either teneral females or males. Both females and males can enter reproductive and over-wintering life stages, and there is a trapped male life stage to allow model predictions to be compared with trap catch data. All development rates are temperature-dependent. Daily mortality rates are temperature-dependent, but may also be influenced by moisture, density of larvae in fruit, fruit suitability, and age. Eggs, larvae and pupae all have constant “establishment” mortalities, causing a defined proportion of individuals to die upon entering that life stage. Transfer from one immature stage to the next is based on physiological age. In the adult life stages, transfer between stages may require additional and/or alternative functions. Maximum fecundity is 1 400 eggs per female per day, and maximum daily oviposition rate is 80 eggs/female per day. The actual number of eggs laid by a female on any given day is restricted by temperature, density of larva in fruit, suitability of fruit for oviposition, and female activity. Activity of reproductive females and males, which affects reproduction and trapping, decreases with rainfall. Trapping of reproductive males is determined by activity, temperature and the proportion of males in the active population. Limitations of the model are discussed. Despite these, the model provides a useful agreement with trap catch data, and allows key areas for future research to be identified. These critical gaps in the current state of knowledge exist despite over 50 years of research on this key pest. By explicitly attempting to model the population dynamics of this pest we have clearly identified the research areas that must be addressed before progress can be made in developing the model into an operational tool for the management of Queensland fruit fly.

Correlates of women’s preferences for treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding

This cross-sectional survey investigated factors associated with treatment preferences of women with menorrhagia. Women ( n=474) aged 35–54 years referred to gynaecology out-patient clinics for menorrhagia were mailed a self-administered questionnaire before their first clinic visit. The main outcome measure was treatment preference. Hysterectomy and conservative treatment (combined with no treatment) were favoured equally often. In a multivariate analysis, completed family size ( P=0.003), menstrual pain ( P=0.02), irregular periods ( P=0.03), and higher age ( P=0.04) predicted hysterectomy preference, as did lower education level ( P=0.001), gynaecologist consultations ( P=0.002), and unemployment ( P=0.03). The psychological factors assessed were not associated with treatment preference. In conclusion, rational considerations regarding stage of reproductive life and severity of symptoms were linked to women’s treatment preferences. However, education, employment status and use of specialists’ services guided women’s preferences even more powerfully than menstrual symptoms and burden caused by them. Doctors should pay more attention to motivating women for a trial of conservative treatment since only half of the women reported previous treatment for their menstrual problem.