An Epidemiological Study on Candida Albicans in the Oral Cavity

Author Institution: Department of Microbiology, Department of Microbiology and College of Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Department of Botany, Ohio State UniversityCandida albicans is found to occur in the oral cavity of individuals, whether or not they have oral disease. In our survey, 79 subjects were grouped according to oral rinse colony counts and clinical examinations as being noncarriers of C. albicans, non-diseased carriers of C. albicans, or diseased carriers of C. albicans. Answers to a number of questions on medical history, dietary practices and oral hygiene were recorded. Data obtained were tested by the Chi Square test, and 2 categories showed significant differences between noncarriers of C. albicans, non-diseased carriers of C albicans, and diseased carriers of C. albicans. More individuals in the noncarrier and diseased carrier groups were regular alcoholic beverage drinkers; and more individuals in the non-diseased carrier of C. albicans and diseased carrier of C. albicans groups were hormone users

A new look at neurobehavioral development in rhesus monkey neonates (Macaca mulatta)

The Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) evaluates a newborn infant’s autonomic, motor, state, temperament, and social-attentional systems, which can help to identify infants at risk of developmental problems. Given the prevalence of rhesus monkeys being used as an animal model for human development, here we aimed to validate a standardized test battery modelled after the NBAS for use with non-human primates called the Infant Behavioral Assessment Scale (IBAS), employing exploratory structural equation modeling using a large sample of rhesus macaque neonates (N=1056). Furthermore, we examined the repeated assessments of the common factors within the same infants to describe any changes in performance over time, taking into account two independent variables (infant sex and rearing condition) that can potentially affect developmental outcomes. Results revealed three factors (Orientation, State Control, and Motor Activity) that all increased over the first month of life. While infant sex did not have an effect on any factor, nursery-rearing led to higher scores on Orientation but lower scores on State Control and Motor Activity. These results validate the IBAS as a reliable and valuable research tool for use with rhesus macaque infants and suggest that differences in rearing conditions can affect developmental trajectories and potentially pre-expose infants to heightened levels of cognitive and emotional deficiencies

Analysing trajectories of a longitudinal exposure: A causal perspective on common methods in lifecourse research

Longitudinal data is commonly analysed to inform prevention policies for diseases that may develop throughout life. Commonly methods interpret the longitudinal data as a series of discrete measurements or as continuous patterns. Some of the latter methods condition on the outcome, aiming to capture ‘average’ patterns within outcome groups, while others capture individual-level pattern features before relating these to the outcome. Conditioning on the outcome may prevent meaningful interpretation. Repeated measurements of a longitudinal exposure (weight) and later outcome (glycated haemoglobin levels) were simulated to match three scenarios: one with no causal relationship between growth rate and glycated haemoglobin; two with a positive causal effect of growth rate on glycated haemoglobin. Two methods that condition on the outcome and one that did not were applied to the data in 1000 simulations. The interpretation of the two-step method matched the simulation in all causal scenarios, but that of the methods conditioning on the outcome did not. Methods that condition on the outcome do not accurately represent a causal relationship between a longitudinal pattern and outcome. Researchers considering longitudinal data should carefully determine if they wish to analyse longitudinal data as a series of discrete time points or by extracting pattern features

Do “birds of a feather flock together” or do “opposites attract”? Behavioral responses and temperament predict success in pairings of rhesus monkeys in a laboratory setting

The growing recognition that social needs of primates in captivity must be addressed can present challenges to staff at primate facilities charged with implementing pair-housing solutions for animals. Unfortunately, there are few published papers that identify individual characteristics that might facilitate the social pairing process, and those that have looked at pre-pairing measures of behavior have produced mixed results. Using a database of n = 340 isosexual pairing attempts, we report that measures associated with responses to a standardized infant assessment protocol (the BioBehavioral Assessment program) predict success in pairing attempts that occurred years later. Behavioral responses to a brief separation and relocation, to a human intruder challenge, as well as ratings of temperament, were obtained from rhesus monkeys at 3-4 months of age. Logistic regression was used to identify potential predictors of success when animals were paired up to 10 years after the behavioral assessments. Among females, success was higher when members of a pair were more similar (i.e., a smaller difference scores) in patterns of emotional responding (Emotionality, Nervous temperament) during the infant assessments. In contrast, among males, success was higher when the pair had lower mean values for Gentle and Nervous temperament scores; when the members were younger; when pairs had a greater weight difference; and when they came from the same rearing background. Together, our results suggest that broad measures reflecting patterns of emotionality in response to challenge, which can be assessed in infancy (but which remain relatively stable throughout life) can be usefully employed to increase the likelihood of success in pairing attempts. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22464, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Enhanced Antibody Responses Elicited by a CpG Adjuvant Do Not Improve the Protective Effect of an Aldrithiol-2-Inactivated Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Therapeutic AIDS Vaccine▿

The potential benefit of using unmethylated CpG oligoribodeoxynucleotides (ODN) as an adjuvant in a therapeutic simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) vaccine consisting of AT2-inactivated SIVmac239 was evaluated in SIV-infected rhesus macaques receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). We hypothesized that using CpG ODN as an adjuvant in therapeutic vaccination would enhance SIV-specific immune responses and suppress SIV replication after ART was stopped. To test our hypothesis, we immunized chronically SIV-infected rhesus macaques receiving ART with one of the following therapeutic vaccines: (i) AT2-inactivated SIVmac239, (ii) CpG10103 plus AT2-inactivated SIVmac239, (iii) CpG10103, and (iv) saline. While immunization with CpG plus AT2-SIVmac239 significantly increased SIV-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titers, the mean plasma viral RNA (vRNA) level in these animals after ART did not differ from those of saline-treated animals. The AT2-inactivated SIVmac239-immunized animal group had a significantly higher mean SIV-specific gamma interferon T-cell response after three immunizations and lower plasma vRNA levels for 6 weeks after ART was withdrawn compared to the saline-treated animal group. Compared to the saline control group, the animal group treated with CpG alone had a significantly higher mean SIV-specific lymphocyte proliferation index and a higher rate of plasma vRNA rebound after ART. These results demonstrate that while the use of CpG as an adjuvant enhances SIV-specific antibody responses, this does not improve the control of SIV replication after ART is stopped. The lack of benefit may be related to the high levels of SIV-specific lymphocyte proliferation in the CpG adjuvant group

Predicting romantic interest during early relationship development: A preregistered investigation using machine learning

There are massive literatures on initial attraction and established relationships. But few studies capture early relationship development: the interstitial period in which people experience rising and falling romantic interest for partners who could—but often do not—become sexual or dating partners. In this study, 208 single participants reported on 1,065 potential romantic partners across 7,179 data points over 7 months. In stage 1, we used random forests (a type of machine learning) to estimate how well different classes of variables (e.g., individual differences vs. target-specific constructs) predicted participants’ romantic interest in these potential partners. We also tested (and found only modest support for) the perceiver × target moderation account of compatibility: the meta-theoretical perspective that some types of perceivers experience greater romantic interest for some types of targets. In stage 2, we used multilevel modeling to depict predictors retained by the random-forests models; robust (positive) main effects emerged for many variables, including sociosexuality, sex drive, perceptions of the partner’s positive attributes (e.g., attractive and exciting), attachment features (e.g., proximity seeking), and perceived interest. Finally, we found no support for ideal partner preference-matching effects on romantic interest. The discussion highlights the need for new models to explain the origin of romantic compatibility