Influence of Estradiol on Cortisol Secretion in Ovariectomized Cynomolgus Macaques (\u3ci\u3eMacaca fascicularis\u3c/i\u3e)

In an investigation of cortisol secretion in fully mature, ovariectomized cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis), we compared monkeys that were given either placebo (OVX, n = 26) or 17β estradiol (E2 ) (EST, n = 26) in a daily oral dose. Serum cortisol concentrations were measured prior to the experimental manipulation and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months following initiation of treatment. Pretreatment cortisol values did not differ between groups. Assessment of the treatment period values revealed that cortisol concentrations were significantly higher (≈10%) in the EST than in the OVX monkeys. Cortisol also varied significantly across periods of sampling. This time‐dependent variation was attributable to elevations in months 6 and 9 (when daylight was generally long), relative to months 3 and 12 (when daylight was relatively short). The modest stimulatory effect of estrogen on corticosteroid production observed in this study is consistent with what has been seen in women, and contrasts with the more robust effects observed in New World monkeys. The possible relationship between season and cortisol secretion observed here has not been previously described in monkeys

The Date of Kanishka since 1960

The 1960 London Conference on the Date of Kanishka involved many leading scholars of Central and South Asian studies and had a profound impact on the field. This article examines the historiography of the central problem posed at the conference: In what year did the era of Kanishka commence? It traces the advances in evidence that led to the solution of AD 127 between 2000 and 2010. The complexity of this process is often omitted in historiographical accounts, which opens the final solution to criticism and also fails to address why the field polarised after 1960 and found it so hard to reconcile new evidence. The article suggests that the eventual solution was a result of the cumulative effect of new data. It also shows that the field as a whole arrived at a solution long before it arrived at a consensus. This suggests that the failure of new evidence to bring about a solution more quickly is a major challenge to South and Central Asian studies in the future