Long-term effects of infant rearing condition on the acquisition of dominance rank in juvenile and adult rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

We examined the effects of early rearing experience on the development of dominance status in 53 juvenile (age 3) and then in 38 adult (ages 5-8) rhesus macaques. Based on previous research investigating the behavioral outcomes of nursery-rearing, we predicted that mother-reared (MR) monkeys would outrank peer-only reared (PR) monkeys, which would in turn outrank surrogate/peer-reared (SPR) subjects. Juvenile MR and PR subjects did not differ in ranks, but monkeys from both rearing backgrounds outranked SPR cage-mates at age 3. Independent of rearing condition, high-ranking juveniles gained the most weight between ages 1-3, suggesting that low status may be associated with decreases in early weight gain. Adult MR subjects outranked both PR and SPR subjects, with PR animals occupying intermediate ranks. These results indicate that impoverished early experiences, such as adult absence and limited social interaction, are useful predictors of future social success in rhesus macaques.     

噬菌体抗体库固相筛选条件的初步研究

目的:探讨噬菌体抗体库的固相筛选条件,为筛选方案的设计提供实验依据。方法:利用多种针对HEVNE2蛋白的特异性噬菌体人源抗体和非特异性噬菌体人源抗体,对噬菌体抗体与抗原的结合时间、抗原包被的浓度、洗涤强度和洗脱方式等多种筛选的条件进行初步探索。结果:阳性噬菌体抗体与抗原反应1min,就可较好结合,洗涤次数为20～30次、洗涤液的pH为5时,筛选得到的阳性率最高。包被抗原的浓度对筛选的阳性率没有明显影响,用10mg/L抗原竞争洗脱60min,可得到较高的阳性率。结论:噬菌体抗体库的筛选是一个非常复杂的过程,其中的各个条件之间有着密切的联系,应该根据具体情况进行调整。     

经尿道等离子前列腺切除术患者术前术后性生活状况对比分析

目的:探究良性前列腺增生(benign prostatic hyperplasia,BPH)患者采用经尿道等离子前列腺切除术(transurethral plasmakinetic prostatectomy,TUPKP)治疗对其性生活状况的影响。方法:选择2011年2月至2014年2月期间来我院治疗的198例BPH患者为研究对象,采用随机数字表法分为实验组和对照组,分别为100例与98例。实验组患者采用TUPKP术进行治疗,对照组患者给予经尿道前列腺电切术(TURP)治疗,比较两组患者术前、术后6个月、12个月的国际前列腺症状评分(IPSS)、生活质量指数评分(QOL)以及国际勃起功能指数评分简表(IIEF-5)评分的变化;观察两组患者术前、术后射精状况的差异。结果:治疗前,两组患者的IPSS评分、QOL评分无差异性(P>0.05);两组患者在术后6、12个月的IPSS评分和QOL评分均较术前显著降低(P<0.05),但两组患者之间比较,术后6、12个月的评分无差异性(P>0.05);治疗前,两组患者的IIEF-5评分差异性较小(P>0.05);两组患者在术后6、12个月的IIEF-5评分均较治疗前降低(P<0.05),且实验组患者的IIEF-5评分较对照组降低更为明显,具有统计学意义(P<0.05);经过手术治疗,实验组患者发生ED状况的例数显著低于对照组患者,具有明显差异性(P<0.05);在精量增加、精量减少、逆行射精、射精疼痛等状况,两组患者差异性较小(P>0.05)。结论:TUPKP治疗BPH患者,能够显著降低IIEF-5评分、IPSS评分以及QOL评分,减少阴茎勃起功能障碍状况的发生,对患者的术后性生活影响较经尿道前列腺电切术小,是一种令BPH患者满意的治疗方法。     

A structural equation model relating oral condition,denture quality,chewing ability,satisfaction, and oral health-related quality of life in complete denture wearers

ObjectivesTo investigate the relationship between mandibular ridge form, stability and retention of mandibular complete denture, accuracy of jaw relation recording, patients’ perception of chewing ability, satisfaction with dentures and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in complete denture wearers.MethodsA total of 183 edentulous patients, who visited the Dental Hospital of Tokyo Medical and Dental University for new complete dentures, were recruited. Oral examination was performed. Cawood and Howell's method was used to grade the mandibular ridge form. The stability and retention of the mandibular complete denture were assessed using Kapur method. Accuracy of jaw relation recording was evaluated using a newly developed jaw relation index. Patients’ perception of chewing ability was rated using a food intake questionnaire. Patients’ satisfaction with complete dentures was assessed on a 100-mm visual analogue scale. OHRQoL was measured using the Japanese version of the Oral Health Impact Profile for edentulous subjects. A structural equation model was constructed based on the hypothesis that oral condition and denture quality would be related to chewing ability, satisfaction and OHRQoL.ResultsSignificant relationships were found between mandibular ridge form, stability of mandibular complete denture, accuracy of jaw relation recording, perceived chewing ability, satisfaction and OHRQoL. Various fit indices were within acceptable limits.ConclusionsOral condition and denture quality were related to patients’ perception of chewing ability, satisfaction with dentures and OHRQoL in complete denture wearers.Clinical significanceA favourable oral condition and denture quality are important for successful complete denture therapy.     

Intrahippocampal cholinergic grafts in aged rats compensate impairments in a radial maze and in a place learning task

Summary Age-related cognitive impairments were studied in rats kept in semi-enriched conditions during their whole life, and tested during ontogeny and adult life in various classical spatial tasks. In addition, the effect of intrahippocampal grafts of fetal septal-diagonal band tissue, rich in cholinergic neurons, was studied in some of these subjects. The rats received bilateral cell suspensions when aged 23–24 months. Starting 4 weeks after grafting, they were trained during 5 weeks in an 8-arm maze made of connected plexiglass tunnels. No age-related impairment was detected during the first eight trials, when the maze shape was that of a classical radial maze in which the rats had already been trained when young. The older rats were impaired when the task was made more difficult by rendering two arms parallel to each other. They developed an important neglect of one of the parallel tunnels resulting in a high amount of errors before completion of the task. In addition, the old rats developed a systematic response pattern of visits to adjacent arms in a sequence, which was not observed in the younger subjects. None of these behaviours were observed in the old rats with a septal transplant. Sixteen weeks after grafting, another experiment was conducted in a homing hole board task. Rats were allowed to escape from a large circular arena through one hole out of many, and to reach home via a flexible tube under the table. The escape hole was at a fixed position according to distant room cues, and olfactory cues were made irrelevant by rotating the table between the trials. An additional cue was placed on the escape position. No age-related difference in escape was observed during training. During a probe trial with no hole connected and no proximal cue present, the old untreated rats were less clearly focussed on the training sector than were either the younger or the grafted old subjects. Taken together, these experiments indicate that enriched housing conditions and spatial training during adult life do not protect against all age-related deterioration in spatial ability. However, it might be that the considerable improvement observed in the grafted subjects results from an interaction between the graft treatment and the housing conditions.     

Emergency department revisits for nontraumatic dental conditions in Massachusetts

BackgroundInadequate access to oral health care and palliative care provided in the emergency department (ED) creates a pattern of repeat nontraumatic dental condition (NTDC) ED visits. The authors examined NTDC ED revisits and assessed the determinants associated with these visits in Massachusetts.MethodsThe authors examined NTDC ED revisits in Massachusetts during 2013 using the Massachusetts All-Payer Claims Database. The authors report patient characteristics of those who made a single NTDC ED visit and of those who made NTDC ED revisits within 30 days of the index NTDC ED visit. The authors used a multilevel logistic regression model to examine the determinants associated with NTDC ED repeat visits.ResultsIn 2013, 21.5% of NTDC ED visits were revisits. Men from 26 through 35 years of age who were enrolled in Medicaid and who did not make an outpatient dental office visit within 30 days of the index NTDC ED visit had increased odds of repeat visits.ConclusionsThe sizable proportion of NTDC ED repeat visits indicates that certain patients in Massachusetts experience consistent and systematic barriers in accessing appropriate and timely oral health care.Practical ImplicationsPrioritizing young adults and Medicaid enrollees for ED diversion programs and setting up a formal referral process via connecting patients to dental offices and community health centers after an NTDC ED visit may reduce NTDC ED revisits and provide appropriate oral health care to these patients.     

基于多梯度方向脑神经扩散张量成像的质量评价

Diffusion tensor MRI(DT-MRI or DTI) is emerging as an important non-invasive technology for elucidating internal brain structures.It has recently been utilized to diagnose a series of diseases that affect the integrity of neural systems to provide a basis for neuroregenerative studies.Results from the present study suggested that neural tissue is reconstructed with multiple diffusion-weighted gradient directions DTI,which varies from traditional imaging methods that utilize 6 gradient directions.Simultaneously,the diffusion tensor matrix is obtained by multiple linear regressions from an equation of echo signal intensity.The condition number value and standard deviation of fractional anisotropy for each scheme can be used to evaluate image quality.Results demonstrated that increasing gradient direction to some extent resulted in improved effects.Therefore,the traditional 6 and 15 directions should not be considered optimal scan protocols for clinical DTI application.In a scheme with 20 directions,the condition number and standard deviation of fractional anisotropy of the encoding gradients matrix were significantly reduced,and resulted in more clearly and accurately displayed neural tissue.Results demonstrated that the scheme with 20 diffusion gradient directions provided better accuracy of structural renderings and could be an optimal scan protocol for clinical DTI application.     

内窥镜下前路颈椎间盘切除碳素纤维Cage置入治疗颈椎病

自1955年Robinson和Smith首次应用颈前路椎间盘切除、椎间融合以来,该技术取得了良好的临床效果。当前,内窥镜途径在治疗颈椎病方面有较好的临床效果,且Cage在临床上亦有较广泛的应用     

Optimal heating conditions for forming a mouthguard using a circle tray: Effect of different conditions on the thickness and fit of formed mouthguards

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the optimal heating conditions for sheet forming using a circle tray by comparing the thickness and fit of mouthguards formed under different conditions.MethodsMouthguards were fabricated using ethylene vinyl acetate sheets (4.0 mm thick) and a vacuum forming machine. The working model was trimmed to a height of 20 mm at the incisor and 15 mm at the first molar. Two forming conditions were compared: square sheets were pinched by the clamping frame attached to the forming machine; and round sheets were pinched at the top and bottom and stabilized by a circle tray. Each condition was defined when the sheet sagged by 10-mm or 15-mm below the level of the clamp. The thickness of the sheet was determined for the incisal and molar portion. Additionally, the difference in fit according to the forming conditions was measured by examining the cross section. Differences in the thickness or the fit due to forming conditions were analyzed using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Bonferroni's multiple comparison tests.ResultsThe thickness after formation was thicker at the 10-mm condition than that of 15-mm, and the fit at the 15-mm condition was better when that of 10-mm with square and round sheets.ConclusionWithin the limitation of this study, it was suggested that when forming a mouthguard using a 4.0-mm EVA sheet and a circle tray on a vacuum forming machine, the sheet should be formed at a sagging distance of 10-mm.