Of grandmothers, grandfathers and wicked step-grandparents: differential impact of paternal grandparents on grandoffspring survival

'Historisch diente Verwandtschaft als die essentiellste Quelle für wirtschaftliche Unterstützung und Sicherheit. Aus einer evolutionären Perspektive gesehen jedoch sollten Investitionen in Bezug auf Angehörige den Grad von Vertrauen in genetische Verbundenheit reflektieren. Deshalb sollten patrilineale Verwandte weniger gewillt sein Unterstützung zu leisten als matrilineare Abgehörige, was erklären könnte, warum Großmütter mütterlicherseits sich oft als die am fürsorglichsten herausstellen, gefolgt von Großvätern mütterlicherseits, der Großmutter väterlicherseits und zuletzt dem Großvater väterlicherseits. Der Zweck der vorliegenden Studie ist es, großelterliche Investmentstrategien zu untersuchen, wenn beide Großeltern nahe bei ihren Nachkommen leben. In diesem Kontext bezieht sich geographische Nähe auf das Leben in derselben Dorfgemeinschaft. Demographische Informationen wurden aus den deutschen Dorfgenealogien Dannstadt/ Schauernheim (1480-1880) und Hochdorf/ Assenheim (1412-1912) entnommen. Alle empirischen Ergebnisse basieren auf Daten aus der Haushaltsebene. Betrachtete man die Rollen der Großeltern in Bezug auf das Überleben von Kleinkindern, wurde deutlich, dass Großeltern mütterlicherseits keine Auswirkungen zeigten, während Großeltern väterlicherseits scheinbar einen dazu differierenden Einfluss hatten. Die Mutter des Vaters hatte einen positiven Einfluss auf das Überleben ihrer Enkel. Nach dem ersten Geburtstag des Kindes gewann jedoch der förderliche Einfluss der Großmutter väterlicherseits eine statistische Bedeutung. Dieser Zeitpunkt implizierte eine großmütterliche Besorgnis direkt bezogen auf die Schwiegertochter und weniger auf das Enkelkind selbst. Im Gegensatz dazu übte der Großvater väterlicherseits einen negativen Einfluss auf die Überlebenschancen der Enkelkinder aus, was auf Konflikte in Bezug auf Ressourcen hinweisen könnte. Insgesamt ist anzunehmen, dass der eindeutige Ausgang der vorliegenden Studie durch geographische Nähe und strenge patriarchale Bindungen hätte unterstützt werden können, die beständig in bäuerlichen Familien vorgefunden wurden. Ländliche Gemeinden sind oft durch patrilineare Wohnverhältnisse, Arbeits- und Erbmuster charakterisiert, eingebunden in eine Generationenabfolge in der Landwirtschaft, weil landwirtschaftliches Auskommen Individuen an spezifische Ressourcen bindet.' (Autorenreferat)'Historically, kin served as the most essential source for economic assistance and security. However, from an evolutionary perspective, investments in next of kin should reflect the degree of confidence in genetic relatedness. Therefore, patrilineal relatives should be less willing to render support than matrilineal relatives, which might explain why the maternal grandmother is often found to be the most caring, followed by the maternal grandfather, the paternal grandmother, and lastly, the paternal grandfather. The purpose of the present study is to investigate grandparental investment strategies, when both sets of grandparents live close to their offspring. In this context, geographic proximity refers to living within the same village community. Demographic information was extracted from the German village genealogies of Dannstadt/ Schauernheim (1480-1880) and Hochdorf/ Assenheim (1412-1912). All empirical results are based on household-level data. When grandparental roles in infant survival were considered, it became evident that maternal grandparents were of no consequence, while paternal grandparents seemed to impact differentially. The father's mother had a positive influence on offspring survival. However, after the infant's first birthday, the beneficial impact of the paternal grandmother seized to be of statistical significance. This timing implies grandmaternal solicitude directly bestowed on the daughter-in-law, rather than the grandchild itself. In contrast, the paternal grandfather exerted a negative effect on grandoffspring survival, which may be indicative of resource conflicts. Overall, it is hypothesized that the unique outcome of the current study may have been fostered by geographic proximity and strong patriarchal ties invariably found in farm families. Rural communities are often characterized by patrilineal residence, work and inheritance patterns, tied in with a generation succession in farming, as agricultural subsistence ties individuals to specific resources.' (author's abstract

»For Better or Worse, Till Death Us Do Part« – Spousal Age Gap and Differential Longevity: Evidence from Historical Demography

Based on a set of 2,371 family related entries dating from 1688 to 1921, the current study tried to verify longevity differentials due to interspousal age difference. For the purpose of the analysis, age-heterogamy was operationalized in terms of sample-specific marital age gap (3.2 years) with a standard deviation of 6.1 years. Based on this, five marriage groups were isolated. Female mean age at marriage experienced a slight increase over time, while the male mean at marriage decreased. This led to an appreciable narrowing of the spousal age gap. Age-homogamous unions were most prevalent in the lower socio-economic class (day-laborers, industrial workers) (p<0.01). In both husband- older and wife-older unions, the interspousal gap increased with marriage order. In accord with previous studies, mean age at death varied significantly by marriage group. Females, who married younger men, died later than females, who married older men. In contrast, male longevity was most depressed within age-similar marriages, while those who married older or younger wives displayed higher life spans. Overall, marriage to a younger spouse seemed to increase longevity prospects (p<0.05). These differentials were not exclusively a function of the marital age gap, but were affected by diverse confounders such as reproductive output and socio-economic status

Comprehensive molecular characterization of gastric adenocarcinoma

Gastric cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths, but analysis of its molecular and clinical characteristics has been complicated by histological and aetiological heterogeneity. Here we describe a comprehensive molecular evaluation of 295 primary gastric adenocarcinomas as part of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. We propose a molecular classification dividing gastric cancer into four subtypes: tumours positive for Epstein–Barr virus, which display recurrent PIK3CA mutations, extreme DNA hypermethylation, and amplification of JAK2, CD274 (also known as PD-L1) and PDCD1LG2 (also knownasPD-L2); microsatellite unstable tumours, which show elevated mutation rates, including mutations of genes encoding targetable oncogenic signalling proteins; genomically stable tumours, which are enriched for the diffuse histological variant and mutations of RHOA or fusions involving RHO-family GTPase-activating proteins; and tumours with chromosomal instability, which show marked aneuploidy and focal amplification of receptor tyrosine kinases. Identification of these subtypes provides a roadmap for patient stratification and trials of targeted therapies

God, Faith, and Death: The Impact of Biological and Religious Correlates on Mortality

Marked denominational mortality differentials have been docu- mented for various time periods and geographic locations. From a historical perspective, death rates among Catholics are often found to be higher than those among Protestants or Jews. Using a conceptual model based on the life history approach, biomedical and sociocultural factors of causation are ex- trapolated. In total, 5513 historical entries from family reconstitution were available. Selection of data was guided by the inclusion of information about religious affiliation. Only married couples with children as well as single mothers were considered. Of these, 1855 entries were of Roman Catholic (C), 1143 of Lutheran/Protestant (L/P), and 609 of Reformed Calvinist (R) denomination. With a focus on both adult and subadult mortality, this study attempted to document that the cultural patterns associated with religious be- havior are merely proximate determinants, while the ultimate causes are bio- logical in nature. Survival prospects depended on demographic and familial characteristics such as age-at-first-birth, spacing and stopping behavior, in- fant care, and targeted sibship size, rather than religiosity

More than a Leap of Faith: The Impact of Biological and Religious Correlates on Reproductive Behavior

Using a conceptual model that integrates both social and biomedical factors of causation, this paper tries to delineate the pathways through which the reproductive characteristics of a multidenominational community are characterized. In total, 5513 historical entries from family reconstitution were available. Selection of data was guided by the inclusion of information about religious affiliation. Only married couples with children as well as single mothers with the relevant information were considered. Of these, 1855 entries were of Roman Catholic (C), 1143 of Lutheran/Protestant (L/P2), and 609 of Reformed Calvinist (R) denomination. The analysis documented differential nuptiality and fertility patterns, which at first glance may be interpreted along religious lines. However, the paper attempts to show that these various sociocultural patterns associated with religious behavior are merely proximate determinants, while the ultimate causes are biological in nature (i.e., differential parental age at marriage or birth, different parity progression regimes, differences in median interpregnancy interval, as well as highly variable sibship size within the denominational groups)

Comprehensive molecular characterization of gastric adenocarcinoma

Gastric cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths, but analysis of molecular and clinical characteristics has been complicated by histological and aetiological heterogeneity. Here we describe a comprehensive molecular evaluation of 295 primary gastric adenocarcinomas as part of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. We propose a molecular classification dividing gastric cancer into four subtypes: tumours positive for Epstein-Barr virus, which display recurrent PIK3CA mutations, extreme DNA hypermethylation, and amplification of JAK2, CD274 (also known as PD-L1) and PDCD1LG2 (also known as PD-L2); microsatellite unstable tumours, which show elevated mutation rates, including mutations of genes encoding targetable oncogenic signalling proteins; genomically stable tumours, which are enriched for the diffuse histological variant and mutations of RHOA or fusions involving RHO-family GTPase-activating proteins; and tumours with chromosomal instability, which show marked aneuploidy and focal amplification of receptor tyrosine kinases. Identification of these subtypes provides a roalmap for patient stratification and trials of targeted therapiesclose19