Diagnosis and treatment of infertility in male great apes

Increased concern for maintenance of endangered species in captivity has prompted increased interest in monitoring the fertility of captive animals. This paper outlines methods for discrimination between lack of reproduction and infertility, and provides guidelines for identification of physiological causes of infertility. The role of environment in infertility is discussed, and suggestions are made for correction of environmental deficiencies. A brief review of the potential for infectious infertility is followed by an outline of appropriate treatments. It appears that a primary cause of physiological infertility in the gorilla is spermatogenic arrest, and it also appears possible that this defect may be corrected by alterations in environment and management. In summary, the outlook for continued breeding of great apes in captivity is bright, and efforts in the past few years to identify and alleviate potential causes for infertility and nonreproduction are beginning to yield good results.     

The development of infant play in a captive group of lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

Three infant gorillas born at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center of Emory University were studied during their first year and one-half of life for various aspects of behavior, including solitary and social play, using both focal animal and one-zero sampling. The appearance of play in these infants followed a developmental trend, beginning with mother-infant play, and followed by solitary play, and then social play among peers. Mothers were initially very vigilant, repeatedly interrupting infant peer play bouts, this relaxing toward the end of the first year. Evidence for a possible sex difference in active social play is presented.     

Hominoid trichotomy: A molecular overview

The subject of this review is an issue that was hotly debated even before the emergence of molecular data into the field of primate systematics. It is an understatement to say that dissenting opinions exist as to whether the chimpanzee (Pan) or gorilla (Gorilla) is the closest relative of humans (Homo) or whether, in fact, a three-way split in an ancestral population resulted in three separate lineages that are evolutionarily equidistant. The purpose of this review is to introduce the novice to the problems and methodologies of molecular phylogenetic analysis and to summarize the studies that have applied this approach in attempting to resolve the human-African ape trichotomy. The intent is to present the contribution of each study to the resolution of higher primate relationships.     

Morphology and relationships of the orangutan fatty cheek pads

The present paper examines the anatomical relationships as well as possible developmental and functional relationships of the fatty cheek pad characteristic of the adult male orangutan. The research involves the dissection of 11 orangutans of both sexes in a variety of age categories. All specimens possess either a fat pad or a subcutaneous connective tissue fascial compartment in the lateral face extending superiorly from slightly above the inferior border of the mandible to the temporal region. In immature specimens as well as adult females, fat deposits within the connective tissue compartment are scarce or nonexistent, whereas pubescent male specimens or older possess accumulations of fibro-fatty tissues in this region. The extensive fat accumulations of the adult male cheek flange are related to age and sex and to modifications in related facial musculature, especially mm. platysma, zygomaticus, orbicularis oculi, and orbitotemporalis and frontalis. These muscles are clearly related to the cheek pad structures in both sexes but appear to assume a supportive role in the males. The cheek pad has no direct bony attachments, but its mass may have a significant effect on facial morphology. The development of the cheek pad is temporally variable and its function remains speculative although the presence of a fully developed flange may be related to behavioral modifications.     

年轻恒牙作为基牙制备后脱敏处理临床效果评价

目的：观察年轻活髓牙牙体制备后脱敏处理的临床效果;材料与方法：随机选择23例双端固定桥义齿以两侧活髓牙为基牙中的23颗活髓牙作实验牙,临床虎体制备后给以脱敏处理,于制备后24小时、一周及二周进行随访统计,并与另外23颗牙作对比;结果：经脱敏剂脱敏处理的年轻活髓牙牙本质过敏症状明显低于不做脱敏处理的活髓牙。     

年轻恒牙与成熟恒牙牙髓中ConA的表达

目的　研究刀豆素A (ConcanavalinA ,ConA)在人的年轻恒牙与成熟恒牙牙髓中的表达特征 ,以进一步了解牙髓发育成熟过程。方法　采用ABC法 ,对年轻恒牙和成熟恒牙牙髓标本进行ConA的免疫组化染色 ,并做图像定量分析。结果　ConA主要在牙髓成纤维细胞和成牙本质细胞的胞浆染色 ,同时在细胞外基质中可见阳性染色。年轻恒牙组呈强阳性染色 ,成熟恒牙组呈弱阳性染色。图像分析表明两组间灰度值有显著性差异 (P <0 0 1)。结论　年轻恒牙和成熟恒牙的牙髓组织中ConA的表达不同 ,提示可利用凝集素在组织细胞的表达情况来研究牙髓的分化、成熟状态。     

Orangutan pantomime: elaborating the message

We present an exploratory study of forest-living orangutan pantomiming, i.e. gesturing in which they act out their meaning, focusing on its occurrence, communicative functions, and complexities. Studies show that captive great apes may elaborate messages if communication fails, and isolated reports suggest that great apes occasionally pantomime. We predicted forest-living orangutans would pantomime spontaneously to communicate, especially to elaborate after communication failures. Mining existing databases on free-ranging rehabilitant orangutans'' behaviour identified 18 salient pantomimes. These pantomimes most often functioned as elaborations of failed requests, but also as deceptions and declaratives. Complexities identified include multimodality, re-enactments of past events and several features of language (productivity, compositionality, systematicity). These findings confirm that free-ranging rehabilitant orangutans pantomime and use pantomime to elaborate on their messages. Further, they use pantomime for multiple functions and create complex pantomimes that can express propositionally structured content. Thus, orangutan pantomime serves as a medium for communication, not a particular function. Mining cases of complex great ape communication originally reported in functional terms may then yield more evidence of pantomime.