Do long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) know what others can and cannot hear?

Theory of mind has been defined as the ability to attribute mental sates such as perceptions, knowledge, and belief to others. Studies examining theory of mind in primates have been the center of intense controversy. Much of the research on this subject has focused on designing methodologies to test a primate’s ability to discern the perceptions of others. Namely, many studies have examined an individual’s knowledge of what others can and cannot see. However, other sensory modalities have not undergone as much extensive research. This study aimed to replicate the methodology of a previous experiment with the addition of two novel experimental conditions. Individual long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) were allowed to approach one of two identical, lidded, clear boxes which had jingle bells attached to them. One of the boxes had the metal bits removed from inside of the jingle bells attached to it, thus creating one “silent” box and leaving the remaining one “noisy”. The experimenter either looked directly at the subject, down at the ground between their knees, or in the novel conditions, turned their back to the subject, or wore a welder’s mask while facing the subject after demonstrating each box’s auditory properties. It was predicted that subjects would choose to approach the silent container in the latter three conditions. The results indicated that subjects selected boxes at random in all conditions. Additionally, in order to explore the possibility of perspective-taking representing a derived trait in the genus Macaca, a phylogeny of the genus was created and annotated to display the presence of perspective-taking as a phenotypic trait in extant species. Three likely evolutionary scenarios leading to the current distribution of perspective-taking are postulated and analyzed for parsimony through the number of assumed gains and losses. The most parsimonious tree suggests that perspective taking could be a conserved trait among the order, giving credence to the argument that some other variable was responsible the negative results in this experiment. It is suggested that the results of the present study represent an artifact of the social environment of the subject population. Moreover, arguments are made for the development of more naturalistic studies for examining mental state attribution in primates.

Feasibility of MR-Based Body Composition Analysis in Large Scale Population Studies

Introduction Quantitative and accurate measurements of fat and muscle in the body are important for prevention and diagnosis of diseases related to obesity and muscle degeneration. Manually segmenting muscle and fat compartments in MR body-images is laborious and time-consuming, hindering implementation in large cohorts. In the present study, the feasibility and success-rate of a Dixon-based MR scan followed by an intensity-normalised, non-rigid, multi-atlas based segmentation was investigated in a cohort of 3,000 subjects. Materials and Methods 3,000 participants in the in-depth phenotyping arm of the UK Biobank imaging study underwent a comprehensive MR examination. All subjects were scanned using a 1.5 T MR-scanner with the dual-echo Dixon Vibe protocol, covering neck to knees. Subjects were scanned with six slabs in supine position, without localizer. Automated body composition analysis was performed using the AMRA Profiler™ system, to segment and quantify visceral adipose tissue (VAT), abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASAT) and thigh muscles. Technical quality assurance was performed and a standard set of acceptance/rejection criteria was established. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all volume measurements and quality assurance metrics. Results Of the 3,000 subjects, 2,995 (99.83%) were analysable for body fat, 2,828 (94.27%) were analysable when body fat and one thigh was included, and 2,775 (92.50%) were fully analysable for body fat and both thigh muscles. Reasons for not being able to analyse datasets were mainly due to missing slabs in the acquisition, or patient positioned so that large parts of the volume was outside of the field-of-view. Discussion and Conclusions In conclusion, this study showed that the rapid UK Biobank MR-protocol was well tolerated by most subjects and sufficiently robust to achieve very high success-rate for body composition analysis. This research has been conducted using the UK Biobank Resource.

Survivorship and Clinical Outcome of the Minimally Invasive Uniglide Medial Fixed Bearing, All-polyethylene Tibia, Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty at a Mean Follow-up of 7.3 Years

Background: Medial UKA performed in England and Wales represents 7 to 11% of all knee arthroplasty procedures, and is most commonly performed using mobile-bearing designs. Fixed bearing eliminates the risk of bearing dislocation, however some studies have shown higher revision rates for all-polyethylene tibial components compared to those that utilize metal-backed implants. The aim of the study is to analyse survivorship and maximum 8-year clinical outcome of medial fixed bearing, Uniglide unicompartmental knee arthroplasty performed using an all-polyethylene tibial component with a minimal invasive approach. Methods: Between 2002 and 2009, 270 medial fixed UKAs were performed in our unit. Patients were reviewed pre-operatively, 5 and 8 years post-operatively. Clinical and radiographic reviews were carried out. Patients’ outcome scores (Oxford, WOMAC and American Knee Score) were documented in our database and analysed. Results: Survival and clinical outcome data of 236 knees with a mean 7.3 years follow-up are reported. Every patient with less than 4.93 years follow-up underwent a revision. The patients’ average age at the time of surgery was 69.5 years. The American Knee Society Pain and Function scores, the Oxford Knee Score and the WOMAC score all improved significantly. The 5 years survival rate was 94.1% with implant revision surgery as an end point. The estimated 10 years survival rate is 91.3%. 14 patients were revised before the 5 year follow-up. Conclusion: Fixed bearing Uniglide UKA with an all-polyethylene tibial component is a valuable tool in the management of a medial compartment osteoarthritis, affording good short term survivorship.

Behçet's syndrome: literature review and clinical case report

Behçet's disease (BD) is a multi-systemic vascular disorder characterized by oral and genital ulcers, as well as cutaneous, ocular, arthritic, vascular, central nervous system and gastrointestinal involvement. It usually affects young adults, and its pathological origin is unknown. The case of a 47-year-old woman with recurrent ulcers in the oral cavity is presented. She linked the pain with sitting and during the sexual act, with vaginal and oral cavity pain, due to the lesions present at those sites, as well as swelling and pain in the knees, making walk painful. The patient was kept under observation and underwent multidisciplinary treatment with prescription of topical and systemic drugs to improve quality of life. Dentists should be aware of BD and the need of multidisciplinary treatment to increase the patient's quality of life.

Stairway Uniformity Measurement: What Lateral Location Should Be Measured?

BACKGROUND: This project addressed an unresolved issue involving measurement methods for determining step uniformity. Leading experts on stairway safety agree that lack of step uniformity within a flight contributes to risk of missteps. A relatively new method for precisely measuring step dimensions is the nosing-to-nosing method. An issue in applying the method is lack of agreement on the lateral location to make the measurements. That location depends on where stairway users ascend and descend relative to the width of the steps. A prior investigator examined people descending to determine the lateral distance between the handrail center and the mid-line of the person’s body. He found the median was 44 cm. AIM: The two objectives of the experiment were to: (1) determine if a different set of stairway users will have the same median lateral distance from the handrail as those described in the prior observational study, and (2) determine if the lateral distance of participants is affected by their direction of travel and use of a handrail. METHODS: The investigators established visible distance markers on one stairway in a campus building and videotaped volunteer students ascending and descending the flight of stairs. Each of the 16 participant ascended with and without using the handrail, and each descended with and without using the handrail. Images were printed and analyzed to determine their lateral distance between the inner edge of the handrail and a point midway between the participant’s knees. Results were analyzed statistically to test hypotheses corresponding to the two objectives. RESULTS: The previous study found a median lateral distance of 44 cm when measured from the center of the handrail. Using comparable data, the median found in this study was 25 cm. Results of this study indicated that lateral distance from the handrail is significantly affected by the direction of travel and by use of the handrail. The greatest lateral distance was for ascending with the handrail. The shortest lateral distance was for descending without the handrail. VALUE: Committees develop and periodically revise standards for stairways leading to fire exits and workplace facilities. The practical value of this project is providing empirical evidence that standard developing committees may consider when convening to update their requirements and guidelines on how to measure step uniformity.