Reducing stress and stereotypic behaviors in captive female pygmy slow lorises (Nycticebus pygmeaus).

Improving captive conditions of pygmy slow lorises (Nekaris and Nijman have recently suggested that the pygmy slow loris should be called the pygmy loris and is distinctive enough to warrant a new genus, Xanthonycticebu) (Nycticebus pygmeaus) poses many challenges because detailed aspects of their lives in the wild are incomplete. This hinders efforts to replicate sustainable environments for them. To improve their well-being in captivity, eight rescued female pygmy slow lorises at the Japan Monkey Center (JMC) were socially housed in two types of groups following their solitary housing: two pairs and one group of four individuals. They spent much of their time in affiliative behaviors, as well as sharing sleeping sites after placement in a social group. The purpose of my study was to examine whether social housing helped in reducing stress by comparing fecal glucocorticoids and stereotypic behaviors when housed alone and when with conspecifics. Overall, the levels of fecal glucocorticoids were significantly lower when socially housed than when kept alone. One individual exhibited stereotypic behavior when housed alone, but this behavior disappeared after social housing. These findings support recent evidence that pygmy slow lorises are social animals and will benefit from group housing in captivity. We conclude that social housing of pygmy slow lorises improves their well-being by reducing stress levels, and that their group housing in captivity can provide dividends for the conservation of this endangered nocturnal primate because lorises intended for release should find it easier to adapt to natural conditions.

Social relationships among captive male pygmy slow lorises (Nycticebus pygmaeus): Is forming male same-sex pairs a feasible management strategy?

Little is known about the social behavior of pygmy slow lorises, in particular, the social relationships of same-sex individuals have rarely been investigated. The Slow Loris Conservation Center was built at the Japan Monkey Center to enhance the welfare of confiscated slow lorises, promote their conservation, improve public education, and perform scientific research on the species. In the course of improving housing conditions, several same-sex pairs of pygmy slow lorises were formed. We monitored their behaviors and fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) levels to understand whether male same-sex pairings could be a feasible management strategy. The subjects were 10 male and 6 female lorises for comparison, all of whom were over 5 years old. We successfully formed five pairs of male lorises after eight formation attempts. Male pairs initially showed some aggressive behaviors; however, the rate decreased approximately 10 days after introduction. All of the male pairs eventually exhibited extensive affiliative social behaviors, including allogrooming and social play, during the dark (active) phase, and sleep site sharing during the light (inactive) phase. The rate of sleep site sharing during the light phase was higher than expected, suggesting that the pairs preferred to stay near each other. There was no evidence of increased stress after a long period of male-male social housing. Female same-sex pairs and male-female pairs demonstrated a high level of affiliative behaviors right after the introduction. These results highlight the flexibility and high sociability of this species and indicate that such same-sex pairings are a feasible option for their social management.

Reduced size of sebaceous gland and altered sebum lipid composition in mice lacking fatty acid binding protein 5 gene.

Fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) are capable of binding long-chain FA and are involved in intracellular FA transport and signal transduction. In sebaceous glands, FABP5 is highly expressed in differentiated sebocytes; though, its function remains unclear. In this study, we examined the role of FABP5 in sebocytes using FABP5-deficient mice. The size of sebaceous glands was significantly reduced, while the sebum volume was increased with altered lipid composition in FABP5-deficient mice. However, no significant differences were discerned in the expression of proliferation or differentiation markers including Blimp1, c-myc, Ki67 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR)γ between wild-type and FABP5-deficient sebaceous glands. The expression of cellular retinoic acid binding protein-2 (CRABP2) that is a competitor of FABP5 for RA signalling was increased in FABP5-deficient mice. These results suggest that FABP5 is involved in the regulation of sebaceous gland activity through modulation of cellular lipid signalling and/or metabolism in the sebocytes.

Improving Adjuvant Liver-Directed Treatment Recommendations for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Artificial Intelligence-Based Decision-Making Tool.

PURPOSE: Liver-directed therapy after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) can lead to improvement in survival for selected patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there is uncertainty in the appropriate application and modality of therapy in current clinical practice guidelines. The aim of this study was to develop a proof-of-concept, machine learning (ML) model for treatment recommendation in patients previously treated with TACE and select patients who might benefit from additional treatment with combination stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA). METHODS: This retrospective observational study was based on data from an urban, academic hospital system selecting for patients diagnosed with stage I-III HCC from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2018, treated with TACE, followed by adjuvant RFA, SBRT, or no additional liver-directed modality. A feedforward, ML ensemble model provided a treatment recommendation on the basis of pairwise assessments evaluating each potential treatment option and estimated benefit in survival. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-seven patients met inclusion criteria, of whom 54 (23%) and 49 (21%) received combination of TACE and SBRT or TACE and RFA, respectively. The ML model suggested a different consolidative modality in 32.7% of cases among patients who had previously received combination treatment. Patients treated in concordance with model recommendations had significant improvement in progression-free survival (hazard ratio 0.5; P = .007). The most important features for model prediction were cause of cirrhosis, stage of disease, and albumin-bilirubin grade (a measure of liver function). CONCLUSION: In this proof-of-concept study, an ensemble ML model was able to provide treatment recommendations for HCC who had undergone prior TACE. Additional treatment in line with model recommendations was associated with significant improvement in progression-free survival, suggesting a potential benefit for ML-guided medical decision making.

Behavioral Changes of Solitary Housed Female Pygmy Slow Lorises (Nycticebus pygmeaus) after Introduction into Group Enclosures.

Pygmy slow lorises (Nycticebus pygmaeus) are threatened with extinction in the wild. Their nocturnal lifestyle and small size make them difficult to study in their natural habitat, but increasing evidence suggests that they are more social than previously thought. Our study was designed to assess the sociability of pygmy slow lorises by transferring six adult females from solo cages into environmentally enriched group home cages at the Japan Monkey Centre's Slow Loris Conservation Centre. Two females were paired to create one group, while the other four were placed together in a second group. We compared their social interactions, activity budgets, and postural behaviors before and after social housing was initiated. We found that all-female slow loris groups had a high degree of sociality, preferred to stay close to each other, nested together every night, and spent less time in locomotion and more time grooming than when living alone. These results suggest that female pygmy slow lorises actively seek companions when available. The captive housing of all-female groups of lorises could lead to better husbandry practices and improved animal welfare by allowing them to have conspecific companions. We conclude that isosexual groups of pygmy slow lorises should be preferred over single housing when possible.

Epidermal FABP (FABP5) regulates keratinocyte differentiation by 13(S)-HODE-mediated activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are postulated to serve as lipid shuttles that solubilize hydrophobic fatty acids and deliver them to appropriate intracellular sites. Epidermal FABP (E-FABP/FABP5) is predominantly expressed in keratinocytes and is overexpressed in the actively proliferating tissue characteristic of psoriasis and wound healing. In this study, we found decreased expression of the differentiation-specific proteins keratin 1, involucrin, and loricrin in E-FABP(-/-) keratinocytes relative to E-FABP(+/+) keratinocytes. We also determined that incorporation of linoleic acid was significantly reduced in E-FABP(-/-) keratinocytes. Although linoleic acid did not directly affect keratinocyte differentiation, keratin 1 expression was induced by the linoleic acid derivative 13(S)-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13(S)-HODE), and this induction was concomitant with increased NF-κB activity. In E-FABP(-/-) keratinocytes, the expression of 13(S)-HODE and the subsequent induction of NF-κB activity was lower than in wild-type keratinocytes. The reduction of linoleic acid in E-FABP(-/-) keratinocytes led to decreased cellular 13(S)-HODE content, resulting in decreased keratin 1 expression through downregulation of NF-κB activity. The regulation of fatty acid metabolism by E-FABP during keratinocyte differentiation suggests that E-FABP may have a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.