Muscle parameters in men and oxidative stress markers.

Background: The oxidative handicap hypothesis posits that testosterone-dependent traits, such as muscle mass and strength, may be costly to develop due to testosterone's pro-oxidative properties, leading to increased oxidative stress. This hypothesis suggests that only individuals with superior biological conditions can afford these costs. This study examines the oxidative handicap hypothesis, exploring the relationship between muscle mass or handgrip strength and oxidative stress markers in men.

Autoimmune Hashimoto's Disease and Feminization Level-Testing .

Morphological femininity depends mainly on estrogen levels at puberty and is perceived as a cue of a woman's biological condition. Due to the immunostimulant properties of estradiol, estradiol-dependent feminine traits are expected to be positively related to immunity. However, heightened immunity in women may increase the risk of autoimmune disease, thus the relationship between femininity and immune quality may be complex.

Birth size and the serum level of biological age markers in men.

Previous studies showed that intrauterine growth restrictions, resulting in smaller body size at birth, are associated with altered development and the risk of age-related diseases in adult life. Thus, prenatal development may predict aging trajectories in humans. The study aimed to verify if body size at birth is related to biological age in adult men.

Kin term mimicry hypothesis.

Adaptive mimicry in animals is a well-known phenomenon. Here, we propose that a similarly adaptive strategy in humans is using kin terms for people who are not closely genetically related. Irrespective of the initiator attributing a kin term to a non-kin, we call this kin term mimicry (KTM).

On-demand, remote and lossless manipulation of biofluid droplets.

The recent global outbreaks of epidemics and pandemics have shown us that we are severely under-prepared to cope with infectious agents. Exposure to infectious agents present in biofluids (, blood, saliva, urine ) poses a severe risk to clinical laboratory personnel and healthcare workers, resulting in hundreds of millions of hospital-acquired and laboratory-acquired infections annually. Novel technologies that can minimize human exposure through remote and automated handling of infectious biofluids will mitigate such risk.

Perceived facial age and biochemical indicators of glycemia in adult men and women.

Glycemia is linked with one of the key mechanisms underlying the aging process and inter-individual differences in biological age. Previous research showed that glucose level is linked with perceived age in elder individuals. This study aimed to verify if glycemia is related to perceived facial age in healthy adult individuals as interventions in younger and healthy cohorts are crucial for preventing the onset of age-related diseases.

S-Klotho level and physiological markers of cardiometabolic risk in healthy adult men.

S-Klotho is perceived as a biomarker of healthy aging that has been shown to be inversely associated with cardiometabolic risk in elderly individuals. The aim of this study was to test if s-Klotho level is associated with cardiometabolic risk markers in younger healthy men in order to verify the possible role of s-Klotho level as an early marker of cardiometabolic risk. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 186 healthy men (M=35.

No evidence for association between human body odor quality and immune system functioning.

Previous studies have shown that women perceive male faces with a more reactive immune system as more attractive, but whether body odor might likewise provide cues to immune function has not been investigated yet. These two studies tested a possible relationship between body odor quality and immunoreactivity (Study 1) and immune system function (Study 2). In Study 1, we collected body odor samples from 21 men just before and two weeks after vaccination against hepatitis A/B and meningococcus.

Towards Efficient Luminescent Solar Energy Concentrator Using Cuprorivaite Infrared Phosphor (CaCuSiO)-Effect of Dispersing Method on Photoluminescence Intensity.

Cuprorivaite, also known as Egyptian blue (EB), CaCuSiO, has been utilized as an important blue pigment for thousands of years. It shows a 430-800 nm broad excitation band and an intense 910-920 nm near-infrared (NIR) emission peak at room temperature. The application that motivates the current research is for luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) usage.

The evolution of perennially enlarged breasts in women: a critical review and a novel hypothesis.

The possession of permanent, adipose breasts in women is a uniquely human trait that develops during puberty, well in advance of the first pregnancy. The adaptive role and developmental pattern of this breast morphology, unusual among primates, remains an unresolved conundrum. The evolutionary origins of this trait have been the focus of many hypotheses, which variously suggest that breasts are a product of sexual selection or of natural selection due to their putative role in assisting in nursing or as a thermoregulatory organ.

Predicted reproductive longevity and women's facial attractiveness.

Physical attractiveness has been shown to reflect women's current fecundity level, allowing a man to choose a potentially more fertile partner in mate choice context. However, women vary not only in terms of fecundity level at reproductive age but also in reproductive longevity, both influencing a couple's long-term reproductive success. Thus, men should choose their potential partner not only based on cues of current fecundity but also on cues of reproductive longevity, and both may be reflected in women's appearance.

Sex differences in the association of childhood socioeconomic position and later-life depressive symptoms in Europe: the mediating effect of education.

Purpose: We aimed to study sex differences in the association of childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) with later-life depressive symptoms, the mediating effect of education and explore regional differences across Europe.

Methods: The study included 58,851 participants (55% women, mean age 65 years) from the multicentre, population-based Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. Interviews were conducted in six waves and included measurements of childhood SEP (household characteristics at the age of 10) and depressive symptoms (EURO-D scale).

Masculinity and immune system efficacy in men.

Masculinity-related morphological traits are supposed to be honest indicators of a man's biological quality. While some studies showed that sexually dimorphic traits are related to various aspects of biological condition such as general health, immunity or fertility, still little is known about the relationship between masculine traits and the effectiveness of innate and adaptive immunity in humans. The aim of this study was to see if masculine traits, which are dependent on androgen levels in foetal and pubertal stages of development, are related to the immune quality in healthy men.

Pharyngeal Detection of as a Possible Factor Related to Disgust Sensitivity in Humans.

Disgust triggers behavioral avoidance of pathogen-carrying and fitness-reducing agents. However, because of the cost involved, disgust sensitivity should be flexible, varying as a function of an individual's immunity. Asymptomatic colonization with often results from weakened immunity and is a potential source of subsequent infections.

Birth size and morphological femininity in adult women.

Background: Women's morphological femininity is perceived to develop under the influence of sex hormones and to serve as a cue of estradiol level, fertility and health in mating context. However, as the studies on direct relationship between femininity and sex steroid levels have reported mixed results, it is still not well understood what factors contribute to inter-women variation in morphological femininity. Epidemiological studies show that indicators of adverse conditions during intrauterine growth and development in utero, such as low birthweight or relative thinness at birth, influence women's physiology ovarian functioning and may be associated with life-time exposure to estradiol in women.

Universality of the Triangular Theory of Love: Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Triangular Love Scale in 25 Countries.

The Triangular Theory of Love (measured with Sternberg's Triangular Love Scale - STLS) is a prominent theoretical concept in empirical research on love. To expand the culturally homogeneous body of previous psychometric research regarding the STLS, we conducted a large-scale cross-cultural study with the use of this scale. In total, we examined more than 11,000 respondents, but as a result of applied exclusion criteria, the final analyses were based on a sample of 7332 participants from 25 countries (from all inhabited continents).

Facial appearance and metabolic health biomarkers in women.

Facial appearance has been suggested to provide an honest cue of an individual's biological condition. However, there is little direct evidence that facial attractiveness reflects actual health. Here we tested if facial appearance is related with metabolic health biomarkers.

Do adipokines levels influence facial attractiveness of young women?

Objectives: Facial attractiveness is thought to reflect an individual's biological condition. This seems to be largely explained by the relationship between facial appearance and body adiposity, a trait that affects various aspects of body homeostasis, including fertility and immunity. The aim of this study was to test if, a part of adipose tissue amount, also levels of hormones secreted by adipose tissue are reflected in women's appearance, focusing on the two most abundant adipokines.

Prenatal exposure to oestrogens estimated by digit ratio (2d/4d) and breast size in young nulliparous women.

Digit ratio (2d/4d) in humans is commonly used as a proxy for the exposure to oestrogens and androgens in prenatal life. Masculinisation/feminisation in adults may be also related to digit ratio and therefore to the oestrogen/androgen ratio in prenatal life. It has been shown, for instance, that Waist-to-Hip ratio (WHR) and the amount and distribution of body fat are related to digit ratio in women.

Maternal breast volume in pregnancy and lactation capacity.

Objectives: Successful breastfeeding, crucial for a child's development, depends on a woman's ability to initiate lactation, milk yield, and composition. Those traits differ among women, but the cause and physiological mechanisms responsible for this variation are not fully understood yet. Growing evidence shows that lactation and milk composition vary among women and depend on maternal traits.

Human body symmetry and immune efficacy in healthy adults.

Objectives: More symmetric organisms are perceived as more attractive. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) i.e.

Body symmetry and reproductive hormone levels in women.

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), a morphological marker of developmental stability, may be related to an individual's biological condition, e.g., health or fertility.

Author Correction: Free mate choice does not influence reproductive success in humans.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.