Family counts: deciding when to murder among the Icelandic Vikings

In small scale societies, lethal attacks on another individual usually invite revenge by the victim's family. We might expect those who perpetrate such attacks to do so only when their own support network (mainly family) is larger than that of the potential victim so as to minimise the risk of retaliation. Using data from Icelandic family sagas, we show that this prediction holds whether we consider biological kin or affinal kin (in-laws): on average, killers had twice as many relatives as their victims. These findings reinforce the importance of kin as a source of implicit protection even when they are not physically present. The results also support Hughes' (1988) claim that affines are biological kin because of the shared genetic interests they have in the offspring generation.     

Indicators of Postoperative Pain in Syrian Hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)

Despite the use of Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) in research, little is known about the evaluation of pain in this species. This study investigated whether the frequency of certain behaviors, a grimace scale, the treat-take-test proxy indicator, body weight, water consumption, and coat appearance could be monitored as signs of postoperative pain in hamsters in a research setting. Animals underwent no manipulation, anesthesia only or laparotomy under anesthesia. An ethogram was constructed and used to determine the frequencies of pain, active and passive behaviors by in-person and remote videorecording observation methods. The Syrian Hamster Grimace Scale (SHGS) was developed for evaluation of facial expressions before and after the surgery. The treat-take-test assessed whether surgery would affect the animals’ motivation to take a high-value food item from a handler. The hypothesis was that behavior frequency, grimace scale, treat-take-test score, body weight, water consumption, and coat appearance would change from baseline in the surgery group but not in the no-intervention and anesthesia-only groups. At several time points, pain and passive behaviors were higher than during baseline in the surgery group but not the anesthesia-only and no-intervention groups. The SHGS score increased from baseline scores in 3 of the 9 animals studied after surgery. The frequency of pain behaviors and SHGS scores were highly specific but poorly sensitive tools to identify animals with pain. Behaviors in the pain category were exhibited by chiefly, but not solely, animals that underwent the laparotomy. Also, many animals that underwent laparotomy did not show behaviors in the pain category. Treat-take-test scores, body weight, water consumption, and coat appearance did not change from baseline in any of the 3 groups. Overall, the methods we tested for identifying Syrian hamsters experiencing postoperative pain were not effective. More research is needed regarding clinically relevant strategies to assess pain in Syrian hamsters.

Pain experienced by laboratory animals can affect both animal welfare and research results. Little is known about the evaluation of pain in Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) in the laboratory setting. However, various research models using Syrian hamsters involve surgery and are presumed to cause pain.^16,47,49 In 2018 alone, the USDA reported that 35,695 hamsters were used for research studies involving painful procedures.⁴⁸ Previously published behaviors exhibited by hamsters in response to pain include hunched posture with head down, reluctance to move, increased depression or aggression, extended sleep periods, and weight loss.^7,8,10,16,21 How these behaviors are affected by factors such as the type of painful stimulus, anesthetic protocol, handling procedures, and environmental conditions is unclear. The practicality of observing these signs in the research environment is uncertain and likely complicated by the nocturnal nature of Syrian hamsters and an assumed propensity of this species to mask pain, much like other prey species.^8,14,16A significant need exists for published data investigating whether behavioral observations or other clinical indicators can help recognize, quantify, or monitor pain in hamsters in a research setting. Detailed behavioral observations and well-controlled studies are needed to develop a system to assess postoperative pain in laboratory animals.^8,33 Moreover, little information is available on the efficacy of analgesic agents in hamsters.¹ The few studies of analgesics in hamsters rely on the mitigation of evoked pain responses (such as using a hot plate), which has limited relevance to clinical situations such as postoperative pain.^8,32,36,51 To date, no published literature has evaluated the efficacy or safety of analgesics to treat postoperative pain in hamsters. Validated real-time and practical methods for evaluating pain in Syrian hamsters would support the evaluation of analgesic efficacy in this species.Various assessments have been developed to identify signs of pain in other species. Behavioral ethograms have been used to evaluate pain and analgesic efficacy in mice, rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs in the research environment.^{5,6,20,23,25,34,35,39-41,53} Another tool used to evaluate pain in animals is the grimace scale, which has been developed for mice, rats, rabbits, ferrets, cats, sheep, pigs, horses, and even harbor seals.^{3,4,9,11,13,15,19,22,26,30,37,45,50} The use of a proxy indicator, such as burrowing and time-to-integrate-to-nest in mice and time-to-consume in guinea pigs, can be used as an additional tool for the evaluation of pain.^{5,17,18,35,38}Because none of the previously mentioned assessment techniques were specific to hamsters, we here explored using these approaches to detect pain in Syrian hamsters that underwent laparotomy in a laboratory setting. We developed a species-specific ethogram and the Syrian Hamster Grimace Scale (SHGS). We also devised a novel proxy indicator of pain for use in Syrian hamsters, the treat-take-test (TTT), which is based on hamsters’ natural behavior to hoard food.^16,46,49,52 Although water intake, body weight, and coat appearance are non-specific indicators of pain, we also measured these parameters.^5,19,23,33 Furthermore, we analyzed the effects of the presence of an observer and time of day. We hypothesized that behavior frequency, grimace scale, treat-take-test score, body weight, water consumption, and coat appearance would change from baseline in the surgery group but not in the no-intervention and anesthesia-only groups.     

A calcium and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase present in differentiating Dictyostelium discoideum

Abstract A protein kinase from Dictyostelium discoideum which phosphorylates the synthetic peptide, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase substrate (CDPKS, amino acid sequence: PLRRTLSVAA) and is stimulated by Ca²⁺/calmodulin is described. This is the first report of a protein kinase with these characteristics in D. discoideum . The enzyme was partially purified by Q-Sepharose chromatography. The protein kinase is very labile, and rapidly loses Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependence upon standing at 4°C, even in the presence of protease inhibitors, making further purification and characterisation difficult. In the active fractions, a 55 kDa polypeptide is labelled with [γ-³² P]ATP in vitro under conditions in which intramolecular rather than intermolecular reactions are favoured. The phosphorylation of this peptide is stimulated in the presence of Ca²⁺ and calmodulin but not Ca²⁺ alone. Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent stimulation is inhibited in the presence of the calmodulin antagonist, trifluoperazine (TFP). It is proposed that the 55 kDa polypeptide may represent the autophosphorylated form of the enzyme.     

Regulation of the hepatic response to glucagon: role of insulin, growth hormone and cortisol

The hepatic response to glucagon was investigated in five groups of animals: (1) controls; (2) excess growth hormone (GH; tumor-bearing); (3) streptozotocin-induced diabetic; (4) cortisol-treated, and (5) insulin-treated animals. Blood samples were collected from the animal models and hepatocytes were prepared and used for glucagon-binding studies and studies of total glucose production, gluconeogenesis and glycogen determinations. Glucagon binding was elevated in GH-tumor-bearing and cortisol-treated hepatocytes but lower in hepatocytes from diabetic animals. Basal total glucose production wash higher in hepatocytes from diabetic rats but not changed in hepatocytes from GH-tumor-bearing, insulin-treated or cortisol-treated animals. Glucagon significantly stimulated total glucose production in hepatocytes from control, insulin-treated and cortisol-treated but not diabetic and GH tumor models. Gluconeogenesis as evaluated by alanine conversion to glucose was significantly increased in hepatocytes from diabetic and cortisol-treated animals and was significantly lower in hepatocytes from GH-tumor-bearing animals. Glucagon failed to significantly stimulate gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes from diabetic and tumor-bearing animals. Hepatic glycogen content was significantly decreased in diabetic and GH-tumor-bearing animals but not changed in insulin-treated and cortisol-treated animals. We conclude that increased glucagon binding was not always correlated with an increase in glucagon-stimulated glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis or increased sensitivity to glucagon. Persistent hyperinsulinism may effectively suppress glucagon- or cortisol-stimulated pathways.     

Impact of global warming on the distribution and survival of the gelada baboon: a modelling approach

The gelada baboon is a graminivorous primate whose ecology is unusually sensitive to ambient temperature. A systems model of the socio-ecology of the gelada is used to predict the impact of global warming on the species’ altitudinal distribution. The species’ lower altitudinal limit will rise by ≈ 500 m for every 2 °C increase in global mean temperature. A 7 °C rise in temperature would be sufficient to result in the species being confined to a small number of isolated mountain peaks, where its chances of survival will be greatly reduced. Changes in local climate are also likely to have significant effects on agricultural practice on the Ethiopian highlands, and this in turn is likely to have repercussions for the distribution patterns of the gelada by further constraining the habitat available to them.     

Diabetes in Urban African Americans. XII. Anthropometry for Assessing Municipal Hospital Outpatients Recently Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective : Abdominal obesity is associated with insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk factors, but there has been little information published to advance the use of abdominal anthropometry in the care of diabetic patients. Research Methods and Procedures : A cross-sectional survey of municipal hospital outpatients recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (73 men and 142 women of whom 89% were African Americans). Age-adjusted linear regression was used to compare the supine sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD), supine waist circumference, four anthropometric ratios, and the body mass index (kg/m²) for their ability to predict serum fasting C-peptide and lipid levels. Results : The best predictor of log-transformed C-peptide was SAD/height (p<0.0001 for men; p = 0.0003 for women). SAD/thigh circumference was the best predictor of log-transformed triglycerides for men (p = 0.002) and of total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol for women (p = 0.043). The body mass index was less able to predict C-peptide, HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol than was SAD/height or SAD/thigh circumference or waist circumference/height. Discussion : Anthropometric indices of abdominal obesity appear to be correlated with insulin production and lipid risk factors among municipal-hospital, type 2 diabetic patients much as they are in other studied populations. Since anthropometric data are inexpensively obtained and immediately available to the practitioner, their utility for preliminary clinical assessment deserves to be tested in prospective outcome studies.     

The incorporation of 32 P into spectrin aggregates following incubation of erythrocytes in 32 P-labelled inorganic phosphate

32P was incorporated into spectrin by incubation of fresh erythrocytes with 32Pi and glucose. The dimer and tetramer aggregates revealed only covalently-bound incorporation of phosphorus, while a higher aggregate of spectrin revealed both covalent and non-covalent incorporation. The specific activity of the covalently-bound phosphorus in all oligomers was identical, suggesting that the state of association is independent of phosphorylation. The non-covalent incorporation was shown to be due to the association of ATP with this higher aggregate. The nucleotide appers not to be bound directly to spectrin but rather to component 5 (erythrocyte actin) which is also found to be associated with this highly aggregated spectrin structure.