Behavioral Responses of Nursing Home Residents to Visits From a Person with a Dog,a Robot Seal or aToy Cat

Previous studies suggest that contact with dogs can positively affect the wellbeing of elderly people in nursing homes, but there is a lack of research investigating the causal pathways of these effects. One such path- way may relate to the behavioral responses of the elderly when interacting with a dog. The present study compared the immediate behavioral responses of nursing home residents to bi-weekly visits from a person accompanied by either a dog, a robot seal (PARO®), or a soft toy cat, using a randomized controlled design. A total of 100 nursing home residents com- pleted the study. Each participant received a total of 12 visits, during which their behaviors, including interactions between the visitor and the accom- panying animal (real or artificial), were recorded. Also, data on cognitive im- pairment, presence of depressive symptoms, age, time lived in the nursing home, dementia diagnoses, and gender were collected. We found that the immediate responses to, and interaction with, the visiting animal depended on the type of animal that was brought along. The dog and the interactive robot seal triggered the most interaction, in the form of physical contact (F(2,103) = 7.50, p < 0.001), eye contact (F(4,151) = 6.26, p < 0.001), and verbal communication (F(4,195) = 2.87, p < 0.05). As well, the cognitive impairment level of the residents affected with whom they interacted. The higher the cognitive impairment level, the more interaction was directed toward the animal and less toward humans, regardless of visit type (F(2,101) = 4.10, p < 0.05). The dogs and the robot seal stimulated the residents to more in- teraction, compared with the toy cat, but the robot seal failed to maintain the attention at the same level over time. The cognitive functioning of the residents correlated with the level of interaction, and this needs to be studied further.     

Electron cytochemical demonstration of sulfhydryl groups in keratohyalin granules and in the peripheral envelope of cornified cells

Summary Although it is widely accepted that sulfhydryl and disulfide groups are important in keratinization, it has generally not proved possible to demonstrate these in the keratohyalin granules.A type of nuclear and cytoplasmic keratohyalin granule and the peripheral envelope adjacent to the plasma membrane in cornified cells show considerable Cytochemical similarity (Jessen, 1970). These sites have now been shown to react highly specifically with silver-methenamine. Blocking experiments indicate that sulfhydryl groups are responsible for this reaction.The findings in the present paper confirm the validity of the previous suggestion that there are several types of keratohyalin granules, of which one type is of widespread occurrence in keratinizing tissue and may be involved in the deposition of the peripheral envelope in cornified cells.The author wishes to thank Dr. H. Moe and Dr. D. P. Knight for valuable discussion. This work was supported by grants from The Danish Medical Research Council (512-149/69 and 512-1008/71) and The Danish Science Research Council (512-1009/71).     

Non-cutaneous peripheral thermosensitivity in the goat (Capra hircus)

1. A 0.2 m2 area of the trunk skin was denervated and its center was externally cooled or warmed, when central body temperature was lowered. 2. When the denervated skin was cooled, the central body temperature, at which shivering occurred, was significantly higher than with warming of the denervated skin. 3. It is concluded that the difference was caused by temperature signals originating from thermoreceptors in tissue layers underneath the denervated skin.