Indian dance ants. The new owner of the throne has the ability to expand the ovaries, reducing the size of the brain to take over the responsibility of reproduction for the whole herd. The battle for the throne Ants have a relatively simple “class” distribution system. While the queen is responsible for laying eggs, the rest of the herd must find food, feed the ants, join the battle, and build nests. Only male ants and queens are capable of reproduction, and other ants cannot. If the queen dies, the whole herd must suffer the same fate. Similarly, the Indian dance ants (Harpegnathos Saltator scientific name) include queens, reproductive males and a group of worker ants who are females. Queen ants hold the highest position in the ant colony, living 5 times longer. Only it is allowed to give birth. In most species of ants, the queen is born, not chosen from a herd. However, the Indian jumping ants allow worker ants to compete for a chance to sit on the throne, becoming a queen ant. Research published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences in early April showed that, in this species, if the queen died, about 70% of the female ants in the herd would compete for the throne. . The fight lasted for about 40 days. The opponents used the beard to fight until the competing group had 5 – 10 remaining. These animals continue to spend the next days to reproduce because the ovaries are enlarged while the brain shrinks up to 25%. After the war, the winning child will expand her fertility like a queen and become the second queen. The others return to being a worker, so the ovaries shrink and the brain enlarges again. Professor Clint Penick, the lead author of the study, commented: “This is an unprecedented miracle in the insect world. The toughness of this species allows them to swap roles in the herd. Professor Penick has spent many years studying the Indian dance ants. When worker ants become queen ants, they are called “gamergates”. All worker ants in the herd are capable of reproduction, but they are only allowed to do so when they win the throne. In the natural world, many species of insects, like bees, also compete for dominance. But the jumping ants fight to give birth, which really impressed the scientific experts. When a gamergate becomes a queen, its body goes through a complex transformation process. The queen will stop producing the venom, change its behavior like evading intruders, not hunting. Notably, their brains shrank by 25%, while the ovaries were enlarged by 5%. Indian dance ants can shrink the brain, enlarge the ovaries. Looking for a solution To analyze the queen ant transformation, Penick and his team selected 60 gamergates, painted them to distinguish them, then quarantined them for several weeks. When isolated, gamergate decreased fertility. But when they returned to the herd, they were captured and imprisoned by the worker ants. Penick explains that the gamergates are being controlled by the whole herd. The worker ants stopped the other ants from reproducing because this behavior was beyond the queens of the queen ants. If it was discovered that a member with the same function as the queen ant, the worker ants would bite and detain it for many days even though it did not endanger its life. Scientists hypothesize that this behavior causes a series of internal changes to the gamergates, making them likely to become queen ants but also as worker ants. The transformation happens in a few days. The reason the Indian jumping ant’s brain can shrink is because the gamergate does not have to use the brain to forage, protect the nest from predators. Their main job is to reproduce, while worker ants need large brains to think about these problems. Another reason gamergate shrinks the brain is to conserve energy. This behavior has also been observed in the Etruscan shrew, a small mammal. Their brains shrink in the winter to limit energy, helping to keep other parts of the body warm. Some other animals also have the ability to change brain size such as ground squirrels, birds. White-crested sparrows, for example, create 68,000 new nerve cells during the breeding season to help them recognize mating calls. In winter, when food is scarce, some of the nerve cells die on their own, and in the spring, they revive again. But this phenomenon is rare in insects such as ants. While Rachelle Adams, a researcher in ant evolution and ecology at Ohio State University, thinks maybe this behavior is not as special as we think it is. The problem is that scientists have not fully understood and discovered about the Indian hopping ants may be the foundation for further research in this field. As brain modification is studied more and can be found in many different species, it will have special significance in understanding the human brain. For example, research into the brains of the Indian gerbil helps to understand more about genetic control, the ability of genes to control flexibility in animals and towards humans.

The baby’s appearance is as tall as other peers but has not had any menstrual cycle yet. Recently, the residual mass has grown gradually and resembles the genitals in boys, so the family brought them to Ho Chi Minh City for examination.

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Dr. Pham Ngoc Thach, Deputy Director of Children’s Hospital 2, on April 15, said the baby had an enlarged clitoris. The size of the clitoris is many times larger than that of a girl of the same age, the external genitals look like a boy’s. The urethra and vagina empty into the same hole, into a channel called the urogenital sinuses. Ultrasound shows that the baby has a minimized uterus and ovarian cysts.

Dr. Thach and Dr. Phan Le Minh Tien and his team performed a reconstructive surgery for the baby on April 14. Doctors small the clitoris, return to normal shape, ensure blood supply and especially preserve the sensory nerve bundle. The urogenital sinus enlargement system helps separate the urethral tube and the vaginal canal, meticulously reconstructing the accompanying labia.

“Morphology is true to the most female sex”, Dr. Thach shared. Currently, the baby’s health is restored, the incision is dry and clean and has a good psychological state.

The baby is undergoing surgery for genital imaging using the technique of cutting the clitoris. This technique is now widely applied in pediatric surgery centers around the world by ensuring the aesthetics and preserving clitoral function.

According to Dr. Thach, clitoral hypertrophy in children is a birth defect of the external genitalia in women. Clitoris size big and long as boys of the same age, even larger. This defect is common in bisexual women, meaning that the female chromosome 46 XX and has female genitals such as the vagina, uterus, ovaries but the external genitals look like boys.

The cause of masculinization is that since the fetus, the baby is affected by a large amount of male hormones passed from the mother, or the baby has a congenital adrenal proliferation that creates this condition, called the syndrome. genital – adrenal. In more common cases, the clitoris is very large and the vagina and urethra are in a normal position. In case of severe maleization, the vagina and urethra pour into a tube called the urinary sinus.

When the diagnosis of clitoral enlargement due to congenital adrenal proliferation, the child must first receive stable hormonal treatment, then have surgery to reconstruct the external genitals. The purpose of surgery is to shrink the clitoris and separate the vagina, urethra into two separate lines, reshape the baby’s lips to achieve the female genital shape.

If diagnosed and treated early, girls will have female genital morphology – normal function and can completely marry and give birth. Late diagnosis can lead to serious metabolic disorders, psychological effects, and gender.

Each year, Children’s Hospital 2 receives about 6 cases of clitoral enlargement. “More than half of the girls with clitoral enlargement treated at the hospital are mistaken for male sex,” said Dr. Thach.

The age of surgery is usually 3 to 5 years old, before the baby goes to school to avoid psychological influences as well as the relatively easier operation of surgery than late surgery. Girls who still do not have menstrual periods should be examined in hospitals to screen and avoid missing defects.

1. Why does menopause make skin dry and itchy?

Most women start menopause between the ages of 40 and 58. This is when a woman’s ovaries stop releasing eggs, ending their menstrual periods, and the production of the hormone estrogen is present. downtrend.

Estrogen is a hormone that plays a very important role in the female body. It marks and stimulates the maturation of the girlfriend’s body during puberty, while keeping the bones and joints strong. In addition, estrogen is also a factor that promotes the formation of collagen and oils on the skin. As menopause approaches, estrogen production levels drop significantly, leaving many women experiencing dry, itchy skin.

Reduced estrogen production and hormonal imbalances in the body not only slow down oil production on the skin, but also decrease the body’s ability to retain moisture.

The first areas where dry skin develops are usually the T-zone or elbows. However, dry or flaky skin can occur all over the body, anywhere on the body, from the face, back, chest to elbows, legs, genitals and even nails. .

These skin changes can begin early in the menopause and are in danger of being permanent. However, understanding the underlying causes of menopausal dryness will help you take the right remedies and significantly improve the unpleasant symptoms.

As menopause approaches, estrogen production levels drop significantly, leaving many women experiencing dry, itchy skin.

2. Take care of dry skin during menopause

To lane dry skin becomes smoother and more fresher, ladies in period Menopause Here are some simple tips can be applied:

Add healthy fats

types fat axit essential, such as omega – 3 There are mainly in salmon, seaweed oil, walnuts, help to raise the natural protective barrier and retain moisture for the skin. Therefore, women Menopause You should include many of these foods in your daily diet to prevent and improve your condition dry skin.

Apply sunscreen regularly

To keep your skin healthy, you should maintain the habit of wearing a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day.

Dry skin, wrinkles, moles, freckles and skin cancer can all be caused by overexposure to the sun. Therefore, you should choose sunscreens that are able to protect the skin from UVA and UVB rays. Even on cloudy and sunny days, you still need to wear sunscreen, as UV damage that damages the skin can penetrate clouds, fog, or even snow.

Do not take a hot shower

A hot shower can feel comfortable and relaxing, but hot water can be a factor in your dry skin.

In addition, you should only shower for a certain amount of time, cleaning areas of skin that are really needed with shower gel or soap, such as feet, groin and armpits. Your back, legs and arms are usually not too dirty, so just clean them gently with warm water.

Use a gentle shower gel or soap

Aromatic, antibacterial, or deodorant soaps can irritate and strip the skin of natural oils. This causes the skin to become even more itchy and dry. For this reason, choose products that are mild, have no fragrance or have a mild fragrance.

Fully moisturize the skin

Within a few minutes of taking a warm bath, you should apply moisturizer to your skin. You can choose moisturizers that contain mineral oils, lactic acid, hyaluronic acid, or contain antioxidants like vitamin C and green tea.

At the same time, to help moisturize the best penetration into the skin, you should exfoliate regularly during the week with products containing beta-hydroxy or alpha acid.

Avoid drinking alcohol or nicotine

These are all substances that can cause dry skin and premature aging. Ideally, you should adequately hydrate your body through filtered water, mineral water or juice.

Do exercise

Period women Menopause should maintain daily exercise routine to improve cardiovascular health, bones and joints as well as keep skin healthier. Because exercise is also a way to help the body increase collagen production, keeping our skin young and fresh.

In fact, the change Hormonal period Menopause It is not the only cause of dry skin. Other conditions like hypothyroidism, lack of vitamins and fungal infections It can also cause skin problems. Therefore, if you have followed a careful skin care regimen but still have problems dry skinIt’s best to see a dermatologist.