Oxytocin enhances the appropriate use of human social cues by the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) in an object choice task.

It has been postulated that the neuropeptide, oxytocin, is involved in human-dog bonding. This may explain why dogs, compared to wolves, are such good performers on object choice tasks, which test their ability to attend to, and use, human social cues in order to find hidden food treats. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of intranasal oxytocin administration, which is known to increase social cognition in humans, on domestic dogs' ability to perform such a task. We hypothesised that dogs would perform better on the task after an intranasal treatment of oxytocin. Sixty-two (31 males and 31 females) pet dogs completed the experiment over two different testing sessions, 5-15 days apart. Intranasal oxytocin or a saline control was administered 45 min before each session. All dogs received both treatments in a pseudo-randomised, counterbalanced order. Data were collected as scores out of ten for each of the four blocks of trials in each session. Two blocks of trials were conducted using a momentary distal pointing cue and two using a gazing cue, given by the experimenter. Oxytocin enhanced performance using momentary distal pointing cues, and this enhanced level of performance was maintained over 5-15 days time in the absence of oxytocin. Oxytocin also decreased aversion to gazing cues, in that performance was below chance levels after saline administration but at chance levels after oxytocin administration.

Erratum to: Oxytocin enhances the appropriate use of human social cues by the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) in an object choice task.

Erratum to: Anim Cogn (2015) 18:767­775 DOI 10.1007/s10071-015-0843-7. Unfortunately, in the original publication the word 'receptor' under the sub-heading 'The effect of gender on the efficacy of oxytocin' has been incorrectly published as 'peptide'. The correct text should read as below. Oestrogen is known to enhance the production of oxytocin and its receptor (Rissman 2008), and this may explain why the female dogs in this study did not perform as well as human female subjects in other tests of social cognition, as the majority (88 %) had been spayed, thereby reducing the volume of oestrogen their bodies would be producing. The online version of the original article can be found under doi:10.1007/s10071-015-0843-7.

Sympatric cryptic species in the crinoid genus Cenolia (Echinodermata: Crinoidea: Comasteridae) delineated by sequence and microsatellite markers.

The marine species of the southern coast of Australia have not been well studied with regard to molecular connectivity. Cryptic species are expected to be prevalent on this coastline. Here, we investigate the crinoid genus Cenolia (Echinodermata: Crinoidea: Comasteridae) using molecular methods to elucidate cryptic species and phylogenetic relationships. The genus Cenolia dominates the southern Australian crinoid fauna in shallow waters. Few studies have examined crinoids for cryptic species at a molecular level and these have been predominantly based on mitochondrial data. We employ the nuclear markers 28S rRNA and ITS-2 in addition to the mitochondrial COI. Six divergent mitochondrial clades were identified. Gene flow between confirmed clades was subsequently examined by the use of six novel microsatellite markers, showing that sympatric taxa with low mtDNA divergences (1.7% K2P) were not interbreeding in the wild. The type specimens of Cenolia benhami and C. spanoschistum were examined, as well as all six divergent clades. Morphological characters dividing taxa were refined. Due to comb pinnule morphology, the New Zealand species benhami was determined to belong to the genus Oxycomanthus (nov. comb.). Three new species of Cenolia (including the Australian "benhami") require description.

Antitropical distributions and species delimitation in a group of ophiocomid brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea: Ophiocomidae).

In this paper we examine the phylogeny and biogeography of the temperate genera of the Ophiocomidae (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) which have an interesting asymmetrical anti-tropical distribution, with two genera (Ophiocomina and Ophiopteris) previously considered to have a separate species in both the North and South hemispheres, and the third (Clarkcoma) diversifying in the southern Australian/New Zealand region. Our phylogeny, generated from one mitochondrial and two nuclear markers, revealed that Ophiopteris is sister to a mixed Ophiocomina/Clarkcoma clade. Ophiocomina was polyphyletic, with O. nigra and an undescribed species from the South Atlantic Ocean sister to a clade including Clarkcoma species and O. australis. The phylogeny also revealed a number of recently diverged lineages occurring within Clarkcoma, some of which are considered to be cryptic species due to the similarity in morphology combined with the apparent absence of interbreeding in a sympatric distribution, while the status of others is less certain. The phylogeny provides support for two transequatorial events in the group under study. A molecular clock analysis places both events in the middle to late Miocene. The analysis excludes a tectonic vicariance hypothesis for the antitropical distribution associated with the breakup of Pangaea and also excludes the hypothesis of more recent gene flow associated with Plio/Pleistocene glacial cycling.

Prone extralevator abdominoperineal excision of the rectum with porcine collagen perineal reconstruction (Permacol™): high primary perineal wound healing rates.

PURPOSE: Extralevator abdominoperineal excision of the rectum (elAPER) is arguably the modern surgical approach to low rectal cancer and yet results in large defects that may necessitate plastic surgical reconstruction. This study aims to evaluate the quality of prone elAPER surgery with Permacol™ repair of the perineum. The primary end point studied was the rate of primary perineal wound healing. METHODS: Data were prospectively collected for consecutive patients having prone elAPER at a single institution to assess surgical morbidity together with pathological and cancer-specific outcomes. RESULTS: Between 2006 and 2012, 48 patients had prone elAPER with median age of 63 (40-86). Thirty-four patients (72.3%) received neoadjuvant treatment. Median length of stay was 9 days (6-66). With a prone approach, three patients had specimen perforation (6.4%) and seven patients had circumferential margin involvement (14.9%). Complete perineal wound healing was achieved in 34 patients (73.9%) at 4 weeks. Four patients (8.3%) were unhealed at 6 months; one patient required a perineal sinus to be laid open, and another patient required plastic surgical reconstruction. No perineal wound herniae have been identified during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Acceptable oncological outcomes are achieved with the prone extralevator approach. The technique achieves high rates of primary healing, making it an attractive option in centres without access to plastic reconstructive expertise.

Solitary jejunal diverticulum: a rare unexpected cause of chronic pneumoperitoneum.

Jejunal diverticula are a rare acquired herniation of the mucosa and submucosa through the muscularis propria. They are asymptomatic in the majority of cases; however, they can present with non-specific abdominal symptoms and rarely complicate leading to acute abdomen. Perforation usually results in symptoms and signs of acute peritonitis and it is not an identifiable aetiology of chronic pneumoperitoneum. Computed tomography scanning may identify intestinal wall oedema, air bubbles travelling through the mesentery, free intra-abdominal air and/or fluid. Radiological diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion of such pathology. We report a case of an isolated jejunal diverticulum as a cause for aseptic chronic pneumoperitoneum.

Wings or winds: inferring bat migration in a stepping-stone archipelago.

Eocene ocean currents and prevailing winds correlate with over-water dispersals of terrestrial mammals from Africa to Madagascar. Since the Early Miocene (about 23 Ma), these currents flowed in the reverse direction, from the Indian Ocean towards Africa. The Comoro Islands are equidistant between Africa and Madagascar and support an endemic land vertebrate fauna that shares recent ancestry predominantly with Madagascar. We examined whether gene flow in two Miniopterus bat species endemic to the Comoros and Madagascar correlates with the direction of current winds, using uni- and bi-parentally inherited markers with different evolutionary rates. Coalescence-based analyses of mitochondrial matrilines support a Pleistocene (approximately 180,000 years ago) colonization event from Madagascar west to the Comoros (distance: 300 km) in the predicted direction. However, nuclear microsatellites show that more recent gene flow is restricted to a few individuals flying against the wind, from Grande Comore to Anjouan (distance: 80 km).

Stable hole doping of graphene for low electrical resistance and high optical transparency.

We report on the p doping of graphene with the polymer TFSA ((CF(3)SO(2))(2)NH). Modification of graphene with TFSA decreases the graphene sheet resistance by 70%. Through such modification, we report sheet resistance values as low as 129 Ω, thus attaining values comparable to those of indium-tin oxide (ITO), while displaying superior environmental stability and preserving electrical properties over extended time scales. Electrical transport measurements reveal that, after doping, the carrier density of holes increases, consistent with the acceptor nature of TFSA, and the mobility decreases due to enhanced short-range scattering. The Drude formula predicts that competition between these two effects yields an overall increase in conductivity. We confirm changes in the carrier density and Fermi level of graphene through changes in the Raman G and 2D peak positions. Doped graphene samples display high transmittance in the visible and near-infrared spectrum, preserving graphene's optical properties without any significant reduction in transparency, and are therefore superior to ITO films in the near infrared. The presented results allow integration of doped graphene sheets into optoelectronics, solar cells, and thermoelectric solar cells as well as engineering of the electrical characteristics of various devices by tuning the Fermi level of graphene.

Dietary protein intervention during the postdosing phase of aflatoxin B1-induced hepatic preneoplastic lesion development.

The effects of high and low dietary protein intervention on the growth and development of hepatic preneoplastic lesions were examined. Inbred male F344 rats fed a semipurified (AIN-76) 20% casein diet were given doses orally of aflatoxin B1 (10 doses, each 250 micrograms/kg). One week after the last dose, animals were fed diets containing either 5 or 20% casein. Animals fed a 5% casein diet throughout the 12-week postdosing period had a marked reduction in development of gamma-glutamyltransferase-positive foci. Animals fed a 20% casein diet throughout the same period had the highest response. Groups fed the 5% casein diet for half of the postdosing period and 20% for the other half had intermediate responses. The data show that the high response observed in animals fed a high-protein diet can be inhibited by the postinitiation intervention of a low-protein diet. Likewise, the low response observed in the animals fed a low-protein diet was increased by the introduction of a high-protein diet late in the experiment.

Effect of high and low dietary protein on the dosing and postdosing periods of aflatoxin B1-induced hepatic preneoplastic lesion development in the rat.

Aflatoxin B1-induced liver lesion development is readily modified by dietary protein intake. Earlier work had shown that low-protein diets enhanced the acutely toxic lesion but depressed the carcinogenic lesion. This study examined the emergence of these lesions as a function of dietary protein intake, particularly with respect to whether the protein modification occurred during or after the aflatoxin B12 dosing period. High (20%) and low (5%) casein diets were fed to growing Fischer 344 rats during the dosing and postdosing periods of aflatoxin B2-induced hepatic preneoplastic lesion development. Focal areas of hepatocellular alteration were identified and quantitated by staining sections of liver for gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT). Animals fed low casein diets during the dosing period displayed a characteristic spectrum of lesions including hepatomegaly, severe bile duct proliferation, cholangiofibrosis, and a tendency for developing large remodeling GGT-positive foci. These lesions were regarded as symptomatic of acute hepatoxicity. Animals fed high-protein diets during the dosing period had small, densely stained, GGT-positive foci, with only mild bile duct proliferation and no cholangiofibrosis, hepatomegaly, or large, remodeling GGT-positive foci. During the postdosing period, protein modulation markedly influenced the total number of foci. Animals fed high casein diets during this period exhibited an approximate 6-fold increase in the number of foci, regardless of the level of protein fed during the earlier dosing period. The marked increase in foci number (as well as area of liver occupied) in high casein diet animals during the postdosing period is regarded as an increased tendency for tumor development.

Linear dose-response curve for the hepatic macromolecular binding of aflatoxin B1 in rats at very low exposures.

The possibility of a low dose threshold for rat liver macromolecular binding of aflatoxin B1 was investigated. Doses in ng/kg of radiolabeled aflatoxin B1 produced measurable covalent binding of aflatoxin to DNA, RNA, and protein, and the extent of this binding increased linearly over a dose range of 10 to 1000 ng/kg. Macromolecular adduct formation was observed at the lowest dose used (10 ng/kg) which is within the human exposure range. Although diethyl maleate caused a reduction in hepatic glutathione from 5 to 2.3 mumol/g of liver and a slight increase in macromolecular adduct levels, the dose-response curve for macromolecular adduct formation remained linear in both diethyl maleate-pretreated and control groups. These results indicate that macromolecular binding of aflatoxin B1 is essentially a linear function of dose at low exposures and that hepatic glutathione offers little if any protection against this binding.

Effects of repeated microwave irradiations to the albino rabbit eye.

Albino rabbits were exposed to repeated microwave irradiations once daily for a month. Clinical examination was carried out for a period up to one year. No changes occurred below 300 mW./cm.2. At and above this level posterior subcapsular iridescence and posterior cortical cataracts were produced. The histologic findings in posterior subcapsular iridescence are presented. It appears that the nonprogressive posterior cortical cataracts are a result of the temperature levels generated by the microwaves in the immediate retrolental area.

Intraocular copper foreign bodies. Use of dexamethasone to suppress inflammation.

In an attempt to prevent the intense inflammatory response to intravitreal copper foreign bodies in the rabbit eye, varying dosages of dexamethasone sodium phosphate were administered daily via the subconjunctival route. The steroid appeared to behave systemically and had similar effects in both the injected and the noninjected eyes. Its effect was similar also regardless of the concentration of copper within the foreign body. Nine days of dexamethasone therapy prevented a substantial number of copper foreign bodies from becoming totally encapsulated during that time. Furthermore, a delay in the onset of the inflammatory response to the foreign body was noted. In a few instances, inflammation was completely suppressed during the entire course of therapy.

Microwave lens effects in humans. II. Results of five-year survey.

Individuals selected on the basis of likelihood of occupational exposure to microwaves were subjected to a biomicroscopic examination of the lens. Control personnel were also examined along with them, the examiners having no knowledge of the exposure history of any examinee prior to or during the examination. Objective evidence of lens abnormality (opacities, vacuoles, or posterior subcapsular iridescence) was recorded and a comparison made between the two groups on the basis of that evidence. The comparison showed the two groups to be essentially the same and did not support the hypothesis that human lens damage is occurring in the military environment in this country. Instead, it tended to support the assumption that the existing safety level of 10 MW/sq cm is adequate.

Should I testify for a patient?

Many physicians are reluctant to serve in the role of expert witness in a suit whose defendant is a physician. However, by fulfilling this role in an objective, professional manner, the physician-witness can act in the best interest of both patients and the medical community.

Ocular malingering and hysteria: diagnosis and management.

Confronted with a claim of poor vision in the absence of any apparent pathology, the ophthalmologist must consider the possibility that the patient is malingering or hysterical. The authors define four categories of such patients, and recommend diagnostic approaches for each. Specific diagnostic tests are described, as are methods of managing patients once the diagnosis of malingering or hysteria has been made.

Histochemical localization of intraocular copper foreign bodies.

Alizarin blue, rhodanine, and rubeanic acid stains cytochemically localized copper in rabbit eyes harboring intravitreal copper foreign bodies of varying copper composition. Local deposition presented in small amounts in areas adjacent to the foreign body (fibrous capsule, adjacent retina, and surrounding macrophages). The localized pattern was more frequent with the 60% copper alloy, when the foreign body was encapsulated or shiny, and when the aqueous copper concentration was normal. The generalized pattern of copper deposition revealed moderate to marked amounts of copper within the following multiple intraocular structures: (1) the posterior cortex of the lens, (2) the vitreous cavity, either in free-floating macrophages or in macrophages on the surface of the retina, (3) the retina, either within monocytic macrophages, Müller cells, or extracellularly in granular clumps, and (4) the fibrous capsule around the foreign body. Copper in several eyes was observed within macrophages that were clustered around the central retinal vessels within the optic nerve. The generalized pattern was frequent with the pure copper foreign body, when the copper foreign body was tarnished, and when copper concentration of the aqueous humor was elevated. There was a direct toxic effect of copper on the lens in the form of local opacification in the posterior cortex but no clinical or histochemical evidence of a Kayser-Fleisher ring or a sunflower cataract.

Oil gavage effects on tumor incidence in the National Toxicology Program's 2-year carcinogenesis bioassay.

Numerous studies have reported a positive relationship between dietary fat and chemically induced tumor incidence. The results of the 2-year carcinogenesis bioassay used by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), in which test compounds were administered to rodents by corn oil gavage, provide an opportunity to compare the effects of fat on chemically induced and naturally occurring tumors. Oil gavage increases the fat intake about threefold, equivalent to a 15% fat diet. Only 2 oil gavage effects were observed in the NTP carcinogenesis bioassay. First, pancreatic hyperplasia was increased from 2.6% in untreated controls to 12.6% in male Fischer 344/N vehicle control rats; however, this sporadic and weak effect did not influence the outcome of carcinogenesis bioassays. Second, leukemia/lymphoma incidence was about 50% lower in male vehicle controls than in the untreated control rats; in contrast, this strong effect increased survival by 8-10%. Therefore, oil gavage had an apparent protective effect in male Fischer 344/N rats. The absence of growth enhancement for the relatively high background level of tumors in oil gavage-treated rats was remarkable and is inconsistent with observations in rat mammary tumor model studies. Because it is impossible to extrapolate the enhancing effect of a high fat diet on tumor growth from rodent tumor models to the NTP carcinogenesis bioassay, great caution should be used in extrapolating from rodent tumor model studies to the human situation.