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The age and parity of female primates could reflect their physical condition and reproductive experience. Consequently, the individual age-parity dependent condition of mothers and the survival of their offspring represents a fitness tradeoff. This reproductive tradeoff is expressed in the individual birth sex ratio, offspring mortality and interbirth interval (IBI). Maternal antenatal and postnatal investment hypotheses predict that more female offspring are produced by experienced mothers in poor condition (Trivers-Willard hypothesis), and that offspring mortality decreases and IBI shortens with parity (targeted reproductive effort hypothesis). Here we test the latter predictions in captive populations of the endangered Francois' langur (Trachypithecus francoisi), using long-term demographic and reproductive data from 21 Chinese zoos and three breeding centers. In these captive populations, birth sex ratio changed slightly from male-biased to female-biased as parity increased above five offspring in experienced mothers, consistent with the Trivers-Willard hypothesis. Although mortality of male offspring was greater than female offspring, overall offspring mortality did not vary with maternal parity. There was no significant difference in duration of postnatal care or IBI between male and female offspring. However, IBI for both female and male offspring shortened overall with increasing parity, as predicted by the targeted reproductive effort hypothesis. Females with more reproductive experience that produce more female offspring are critical to captive breeding programs that aim to increase the overall viable population size of this endangered species. Significance statement: For primates with a slow life-history, it is important to understand how mothers age and parity affects their reproductive fitness. We investigated maternal investment strategies of captive Francois' langurs, specifically the effect of age and parity on the birth sex ratio, offspring mortality and interbirth interval. Mothers relied more on parity (i.e., their experience) to adjust the birth sex ratio, and had more sons in the first few parities. Mothers also spent significantly less time taking care of offspring as their reproductive experience increased and physical condition was likely declining. Thus, Francois' langurs are able to adjust their investment in reproduction as they become more experienced (greater parity) to optimize reproductive fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To explore the correlation between uric acid/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (UHR) and visceral fat area (VFA) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods A total of 909 patients with T2DM treated in National Metabolic Management Center (MMC) of the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University from May 2018 to July 2020 were enrolled in this study. The general clinical information and physical examination [including height, weight, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), neck circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference, VFA and subcutaneous fat area (SFA)] were collected. Body mass index (BMI), waist hip ratio (WHR) and VFA/SFA ratio (V/S) were calculated. And glucose metabolism indexes [fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS), 2 hour postprandial plasma glucose (2hPG), 2 hour postprandial insulin (2hINS) and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbAlc)], biochemical indexes [total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), --glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr)] and thyroid hormone [free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), sensitivity thyrotropin stimulating hormone (sTSH)] were conducted on all subjects. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), homeostasis model assessment of β--cell function (HOMA-β) and UHR were calculated. Meanwhile, according to UHR, all patients were divided into tertiles, which included group Q1 (UHR≤21.10%, 303 cases), group Q2 (21.10%31.06%, 303 cases). Based on VFA, patients were divided into control group (VFA<100, 597 cases) and visceral obesity (VO) group (VFA≥100, 312 cases). The differences between groups were compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test and χ2 test. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between UHR and various indicators, and multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of VFA in T2DM patients. Results Compared with group Q1, the proportions of males, smoking, drinking, the proportion of hyperlipidemia, FINS, HOMA-β, TG, GGT, Scr, BMI, neck circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference, WHR, VFA, SFA and V/S in groups Q2 and Q3 were all increased, while SBP, DBP, 2hINS, HOMA-IR, ALT, AST, FT3 only increased in group Q3. Age, TC, LDL-C only decreased in group Q3. Compared with group Q2, the proportion of males, hyperlipidemia, DBP, HOMA-IR, TG, ALT, γ-GT, BMI, waist circumference and VFA in group Q3 were increased, while age and LDL-C decreased (P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis indicated that UHR was positively correlated with VFA and V/S(r=0.328, 0.205, both P<0.001. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that UHR was independently correlated with VFA (β =0.241, 95%CI 0.097-0.384, P<0.01). Compared with control group, UHR in VO group was statistically significantly higher (P<0.01). Conclusion There is a positive correlation between UHR and VFA as well as V/S in patients with T2DM, and it has clinical value for early warning of VO in the T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recently, monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) as a novel inflammatory biomarker has drawn lots of attention. This study was conducted in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to investigate the correlation between MHR and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Methods: Totally, 1,051 patients with T2DM from the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University were enrolled and classified as MAFLD (n = 745) group and non-MAFLD (n = 306) group according to the MAFLD diagnostic criteria. In contrast, patients were also separated into four groups based on MHR quartiles. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements were performed. The visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) of participants were measured by dual bioelectrical impedance. Fatty liver was assessed by ultrasonography. Results: The MHR level of subjects in the MAFLD group was statistically greater than that in the non-MAFLD group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, MHR was higher in the overweight or obese MAFLD group compared with that in the lean MAFLD group (P < 0.05). The area under the ROC Curve (AUC) assessed by MHR was larger than that of other inflammatory markers (P < 0.01). The cutoff value of MHR was 0.388, with a sensitivity of 61.74% and a specificity of 56.54%. For further study, binary logistic regression analyses of MAFLD as a dependent variable, the relationship between MHR and MAFLD was significant (P < 0.01). After adjusting for many factors, the relationship still existed. In the four groups based on MHR quartiles, groups with higher values of MHR had a significantly higher prevalence of MAFLD (P < 0.05). The percentage of patients with obese MAFLD increased as the MHR level increased (P < 0.01). Among different quartiles of MHR, it showed that with the increasing of MHR, the percentage of patients with MAFLD who had more than four metabolic dysfunction indicators increased, which was 46.39, 60.52, 66.79, and 79.91%, respectively, in each quartile. Conclusion: Monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio is a simple and practicable inflammatory parameter that could be used for assessing MAFLD in T2DM. T2DM patients with higher MHR have more possibility to be diagnosed as MAFLD. Therefore, more attention should be given to the indicator in the examination of T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mammal gastrointestinal tracts harbor diverse bacterial communities that play important roles in digestion, development, behavior, and immune function. Although, there is an increasing understanding of the factors that affect microbial community composition in laboratory populations, the impact of environment and host community composition on microbiomes in wild populations is less understood. Given that the composition of bacterial communities can be shaped by ecological factors, particularly exposure to the microbiome of other individuals, inter-specific interactions should impact on microbiome community composition. Here, we evaluated inter-population and inter-specific similarity in the fecal microbiota of Przewalski's gazelle (Procapra przewalskii), an endangered endemic ruminant around Qinghai Lake in China. We compared the fecal bacterial communities of three Przewalski's gazelle populations, with those of two sympatric ruminants, Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata) and Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries). The fecal bacterial community richness (Chao1, ACE) did not vary across the three Przewalski's gazelle populations, nor did the composition vary between species. In contrast, the managed Przewalski's gazelle population had higher bacterial diversity (Shannon and Simpson) and was more similar to its sympatric Tibetan sheep in beta diversity than the wild Przewalski's gazelle populations. These results suggest that ecological factors like host community composition or diet affect Przewalski's gazelle's gastrointestinal bacterial community. The role of bacterial community composition in maintaining gastrointestinal health should be assessed to improve conservation management of endangered Przewalski's gazelle. More broadly, captive breeding and reintroduction efforts may be impeded, where captive management results in dysbiosis and introduction of pathogenic bacteria. In free ranging populations, where wildlife and livestock co-occur, infection by domestic pathogens and diseases may be an underappreciated threat to wild animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated glucocorticoid (GC) concentration and increased vigilance are two common responses to predation risk in mammals. Chronic high-level GC concentration and vigilance occur at the expense of other life maintenance and reproduction activities, reflecting a trade-off between individual survival and future fecundity. Przewalski's gazelle (Procapra przewalskii) is a group-living ungulate endemic to the high-altitude Qinghai Lake region of China. Group-size effect on gazelle vigilance has been examined, yet little is known about how their GC concentration is affected by group size or reproductive status. In this study, we examined the effect of group size and reproductive status on faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations and individual vigilance during different stages of the reproduction cycle (i.e. non-breeding, lambing and rutting) in free-ranging adult female Przewalski's gazelles. Group size did not influence FGMs significantly, but mean vigilance duration increased with group size. The gazelles' FGMs and vigilance peaked in lambing season. FGMs showed no difference between rutting season and non-reproductive season, but vigilance was lowest in the rutting season. FGMs correlated with vigilance frequency and vigilance duration. Antipredator responses of female Przewalski's gazelles appear to change with reproductive status but not with group size in free-ranging females. Management measures should be taken in the lambing season to minimize stress on mother gazelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocal individuality is a prerequisite for individual recognition, especially when visual and chemical cues are not available or effective. Vocalizations encoding information of individual identity have been reported in many social animals and should be particularly adaptive for species living in large and complexly organized societies. Here, we examined the individuality in coo calls of adult male golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) living in a large and multilevel society. Coo calls are one of the most frequently occurring call types in R. roxellana and likely serve as the signals for contact maintenance or advertisement in various contexts including group movement, foraging, and resting. From April to October 2016, April to July 2017, and September to October 2017, we recorded a total of 721 coo calls from six adult males in a provisioned, free-ranging group and one adult male in captivity in Shennongjia National Park, China. We selected 162 high-quality recordings to extract 14 acoustic parameters based on the source-filter theory. Results showed that each of all parameters significantly differed among individuals, while pairwise comparisons failed to detect any parameter that was different between all pairs. Furthermore, a discriminant function analysis indicated that the correct assignment rate was 80.2% (cross-validation: 67.3%), greater than expected by chance (14.3%). In conclusion, we found evidence that coo calls of adult male R. roxellana allowed the reliable accuracy of individual discrimination complementarily enhanced by multiple acoustic parameters. The results of our study point to the selective pressures acting on individual discrimination via vocal signals in a highly gregarious forest-living primate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]