Personality in nonhuman primates: a review and evaluation of past research

Scientific reports of personality in nonhuman primates are now appearing with increasing frequency across a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, anthropology, endocrinology, and zoo management. To identify general patterns of research and summarize the major findings to date, we present a comprehensive review of the literature, allowing us to pinpoint the major gaps in knowledge and determine what research challenges lay ahead. An exhaustive search of five scientific databases identified 210 relevant research reports. These articles began to appear in the 1930s, but it was not until the 1980s that research on primate personality began to gather pace, with more than 100 articles published in the last decade. Our analyses of the literature indicate that some domains (e.g., sex, age, rearing conditions) are more evenly represented in the literature than are others (e.g., species, research location). Studies examining personality structure (e.g., with factor analysis) have identified personality dimensions that can be divided into 14 broad categories, with Sociability, Confidence/Aggression, and Fearfulness receiving the most research attention. Analyses of the findings pertaining to inter‐rater agreement, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, generally support not only the reliability of primate personality ratings scales but also point to the need for more psychometric studies and greater consistency in how the analyses are reported. When measured at the level of broad dimensions, Extraversion and Dominance generally demonstrated the highest levels of inter‐rater reliability, with weaker findings for the dimensions of Agreeableness, Emotionality, and Conscientiousness. Few studies provided data with regard to convergent and discriminant validity; Excitability and Dominance demonstrated the strongest validity coefficients when validated against relevant behavioral criterion measures. Overall, the validity data present a somewhat mixed picture, suggesting that high levels of validity are attainable, but by no means guaranteed. Discussion focuses on delineating major theoretical and empirical questions facing research and practice in primate personality. Am. J. Primatol. 72:653–671, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Activity of Six Essential Oils Extracted from Tunisian Plants against Legionella pneumophila

The aim of this study was to investigate the composition of six essential oils extracted from Tunisian plants, i.e., Artemisia herba‐alba Asso , Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck , Juniperus phoenicea L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Ruta graveolens L., and Thymus vulgaris L., and to evaluate their activity against Legionella pneumophila (microdilution assays). Eight Legionella pneumophila strains were studied, including the two well‐known serogroup 1 Lens and Paris strains as controls and six environmental strains isolated from Tunisian spas belonging to serogroups 1, 4, 5, 6, and 8. The essential oils were generally active against L. pneumophila. The activities of the A. herba‐alba, C. sinensis, and R. officinalis essential oils were strain‐dependent, whereas those of the J. phoenicea and T. vulgaris oils, showing the highest anti‐Legionella activities, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) lower than 0.03 and lower than or equal to 0.07 mg/ml, respectively, were independent of the strains' serogroup. Moreover, the microorganisms treated with T. vulgaris essential oil were shorter, swollen, and less electron‐dense compared to the untreated controls. Isoborneol (20.91%), (1S)‐α‐pinene (18.30%) β‐phellandrene (8.08%), α‐campholenal (7.91%), and α‐phellandrene (7.58%) were the major components isolated from the J. phoenicea oil, while carvacrol (88.50%) was the main compound of the T. vulgaris oil, followed by p‐cymene (7.86%). This study highlighted the potential interest of some essential oils extracted from Tunisian plants as biocides to prevent the Legionella risk.     

The antimicrobial activity of the appetite peptide hormone ghrelin

The present study examined the antimicrobial activity of the peptide ghrelin. Both major forms of ghrelin, acylated ghrelin (AG) and desacylated ghrelin (DAG), demonstrated the same degree of bactericidal activity against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), while bactericidal effects against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) were minimal or absent, respectively. To elucidate the bactericidal mechanism of AG and DAG against bacteria, we monitored the effect of the cationic peptides on the zeta potential of E. coli. Our results show that AG and DAG similarly quenched the negative surface charge of E. coli, suggesting that ghrelin-mediated bactericidal effects are influenced by charge-dependent binding and not by acyl modification. Like most cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs), we also found that the antibacterial activity of AG was attenuated in physiological NaCl concentration (150mM). Nonetheless, these findings indicate that both AG and DAG can act as CAMPs against Gram-negative bacteria.     

Within-plant distribution and emission of sesquiterpenes from Copaifera officinalis

Copaifera officinalis, the diesel tree, is known for massive production of oleoresin, mainly composed of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. In this study, composition of these sesquiterpenes and their concentrations in leaves, stems and roots of C. officinalis at two developmental stages, including the three-week old (TW) seedlings and two-year old (TY) trees, were determined. The leaves of TW seedlings and TY trees contained similar number of sesquiterpenes, which also had comparable concentrations. The stems of TW seedlings had higher concentrations of sesquiterpenes than those of TY trees. In contrast, the number of sesquiterpene species and their concentrations in the roots of TW seedlings were much lower than those in the roots of TY trees. Cluster analysis of sesquiterpenes estimated that there are at least four terpene synthase genes involved in the production of sesquiterpenes in C. officinalis. Because sesquiterpenes are highly volatile, emissions of sesquiterpenes from healthy and wounded TW seedlings were examined using headspace analysis. Whereas very low emission of sesquiterpenes was detected from undamaged plants, the physically injured seedlings emitted a large number of sesquiterpenes, the quality and the relative quantity of which were similar to those in leaves determined using organic extraction. The implications of our findings to the biosynthetic pathways leading to the production of sesquiterpenes as well as their biological roles in C. officinalis are discussed.     

Human and rodent amyloid-β peptides differentially bind heme: Relevance to the human susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease

Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides are implicated in the neurodegeneration of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We previously investigated the mechanism of neurotoxicity of Aβ and found that human Aβ (huAβ) binds and depletes heme, forming an Aβ-heme complex with peroxidase activity. Rodent Aβ (roAβ) is identical to huAβ, except for three amino acids within the proposed heme-binding motif (Site-H). We studied and compared heme-binding between roAβ and huAβ. Unlike roAβ, huAβ binds heme tightly (K_d = 140 ± 60 nM) and forms a peroxidase. The plot of bound (huAβ-heme) vs. unbound heme fits best to a two site binding hyperbola, suggesting huAβ possesses two heme-binding sites. Consistently, a second high affinity heme-binding site was identified in the lipophilic region (site-L) of huAβ (K_d = 210 ± 80nM). The plot of (roAβ-heme) vs. unbound heme, on the other hand, was different as it fits best to a sigmoidal binding curve, indicating different binding and lower affinity of roAβ for heme (K_d = 1 μM). The effect of heme-binding to site-H on heme-binding to site-L in roAβ and huAβ is discussed. While both roAβ and huAβ form aggregates equally, rodents lack AD-like neuropathology. High huAβ/heme ratio increases the peroxidase activity. These findings suggest that depletion of regulatory heme and formation of Aβ-heme peroxidase contribute to huAβ’s neurotoxicity in the early stages of AD. Phylogenic variations in the amino acid sequence of Aβ explain tight heme-binding to huAβ and likely contribute to the increased human susceptibility to AD.     

Scanning orientation and polarization effects for XRQA radiochromic film

Gafchromic XRQA radiochromic film, is an effective tool for quality assurance and dose assessment in kilovoltage radiotherapy and diagnostic applications. Like other Gafchromic film products, XRQA film exhibits a variation in dose to reflected optical density response with angle of rotation when analysed with a light source that is partially or fully polarised such as a desktop scanner. Although warnings are not given on manufacturers specifications, this can affect dosimetry accuracy and we recommend that it is essential to scan all XRQA films in the same orientation. The effect is not as pronounced as EBT Gafchromic film. The magnitude of this variation has been measured and shown to be up to 16 ± 2% (1SD) using a fully linear polarised light source was seen with a 90° angle rotation. This would be the maximum variation seen on a desktop scanner with a fully polarised light source. For our standard desktop scanner (Epson v700) a mean variation of 2 ± 1% from 0 cGy to 20 cGy applied dose was measured as compared to 8 ± 2% for EBT Gafchromic. We recommend that to decrease uncertainty in dose measurement, accurate alignment of the calibration films to experimental films be performed on a regular basis. This is especially important if your desktop scanner has a high degree of polarization of its light source.     

Efficacy and safety of rabeprazole, amoxicillin, and gatifloxacin after treatment failure of initial Helicobacter pylori eradication

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of a 7-day regimen of gatifloxacin (400 mg daily), amoxicillin (1 g twice a day), and rabeprazole (20 mg twice a day) in the secondary eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection. METHODS: Eligible patients with persistent infection following one or more conventional clarithromycin-containing triple therapies were enrolled in this open-label trial. Eradication of infection was documented by (14)C-urea breath test a minimum of 4 weeks after therapy and 2 weeks off any acid suppressive therapy. Culture of H. pylori and in vitro susceptibility testing to amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and gatifloxacin was done in cases of failed eradication. RESULTS: A total of 45 patients (22 females:23 males; mean age 44.5 +/- 13 years) were enrolled. Eradication occurred in 38 patients [both per-protocol (PP) and intention-to-treat analysis: 84.4%; 95% CI: 74-95%]. No significant adverse effects were reported. In vitro susceptibility testing showed no secondary resistance to gatifloxacin or amoxicillin in any of the seven nonresponders. Smoking, age, and sex were not predictors of potential eradication failure. CONCLUSIONS: A 7-day regimen of gatifloxacin, rabeprazole, and amoxicillin is effective after failed eradication therapy for H. pylori and does not appear to result in secondary resistance. This combination is simple, well tolerated, and may lead to higher compliance and lower costs.     

Anterolateral thigh fasciocutaneous island flaps in perineoscrotal reconstruction

This study presents the authors' experience using the anterolateral thigh fasciocutaneous flap for complex perineal and scrotal reconstruction. Anterolateral thigh fasciocutaneous island flaps were performed in seven patients between January and June of 2000 (six male, one female; mean age, 52 years; age range, 9 to 72 years). Four of the seven patients had scrotal or perineal defects after multiple debridements for Fournier's gangrene. Two of these four had exposed testicles. Three flaps were used for recurrent ischial ulcers. A true septocutaneous perforator (type 1) running between the rectus femoris and the vastus lateralis muscles was found in only two patients. In four patients, the cutaneous perforators were found to be intramuscular, originating from the descending branch (type 2). In the other patient, the musculocutaneous perforator originated from the lateral circumflex femoris artery independently (type 3). In these cases, intramuscular dissections were performed to follow each perforator to its main trunk. Mean follow-up was 8 months (range, 5 to 10 months), and all flaps survived. Three patients developed minor wound dehiscence in the posterior aspect of the perineal wound because of fecal contamination and skin maceration. Both wounds healed secondarily. Scrotal reconstruction with the anterolateral thigh flap gave an excellent aesthetic result. The authors conclude that the anterolateral thigh flap is a reliable flap for perineoscrotal reconstruction.