Perineal repair of a full‐thickness rectal prolapse in a wild Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii)

A Delorme's procedure perineal surgical repair was performed in a wild adult male Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) with a chronic persistent rectal prolapse that had been unsuccessfully treated by 6 previous surgeries. The rectal prolapse did not recur, and the orangutan was successfully released to the wild, 6 weeks later.     

Imbalance Between Nitric Oxide and Dopamine May Underly Aggression in Acute Neurological Patients

The neurochemical basis of aggressive behavior in humans is not fully understood. In this study we explored the relationship between aggressiveness (as measured by the Overt Aggression Scale), cognitive performance (as measured by the Mini Mental State Examination), and biochemical markers of dopamine neurotransmission (homovanillic acid, HVA) and nitric oxide synthesis (nitrite plus nitrate, NO _x ) in cerebrospinal fluid from 70 patients with acute brain disorders, mainly brain infections. Aggressive behavior and cognitive performance showed an inverse correlation. NO _x /HVA ratio was inversely correlated to aggressive behavior, and positively correlated to cognitive performance. A subanalysis with antipsychotic-naïve patients confirmed those results. The balance between nitric oxide and dopamine could be related to the cognitive control of aggressive impulse.