Are chimpanzees really so poor at understanding imperative pointing? Some new data and an alternative view of canine and ape social cognition

There is considerable interest in comparative research on different species’ abilities to respond to human communicative cues such as gaze and pointing. It has been reported that some canines perform significantly better than monkeys and apes on tasks requiring the comprehension of either declarative or imperative pointing and these differences have been attributed to domestication in dogs. Here we tested a sample of chimpanzees on a task requiring comprehension of an imperative request and show that, though there are considerable individual differences, the performance by the apes rival those reported in pet dogs. We suggest that small differences in methodology can have a pronounced influence on performance on these types of tasks. We further suggest that basic differences in subject sampling, subject recruitment and rearing experiences have resulted in a skewed representation of canine abilities compared to those of monkeys and apes

Glossary of woodland words

Published November 1983. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

Effects of canagliflozin on myocardial infarction:a post hoc analysis of the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial

AIMS: Given the benefits of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibition (SGLT2i) in protecting against heart failure in diabetic patients, we sought to explore the potential impact of SGLT2i on the clinical features of patients presenting with myocardial infarction (MI) through a post-hoc analysis of CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial.METHODS AND RESULTS: Individuals with type 2 diabetes and history or high risk of cardiovascular disease (CANVAS Program) or type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CREDENCE) were included. The intervention was Canagliflozin 100 or 300 mg (combined in the analysis) or placebo. MI events were adjudicated as ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-STEMI as well as type 1 MI or type 2 MI. 421 first MI events in the CANVAS Program and 178 first MI events in the CREDENCE trial were recorded (83 fatal, 128 STEMI, 431 non-STEMI, and 40 unknown). No benefit of canagliflozin compared with placebo on time to first MI event was observed (HR 0.89; 95% CI 0.75, 1.05). Canagliflozin was associated with lower risk for non-STEMI (HR 0.78; 95% CI 0.65, 0.95) but suggested a possible increase in STEMI (HR 1.55; 95% CI 1.06, 2.27), with no difference in risk of type 1 or type 2 MI. There was no change in fatal MI (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.78, 1.93).CONCLUSIONS: Canagliflozin was not associated with a reduction in overall MI in the pooled CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial population. The possible differential effect on STEMI and Non-STEMI observed in the CANVAS cohort warrants further investigation.</p

Empagliflozin in patients post myocardial infarction rationale and design of the EMPACT-MI trial

Background : Patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) are at risk for developing heart failure (HF) and subsequently are at an increased risk of mortality. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors have been proven to improve outcomes in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction, and, in the case of empagliflozin, in HF with preserved ejection fraction even without diabetes, but their efficacy and safety in the post-MI population has not yet been evaluated. Methods : The EMPACT-MI trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of empagliflozin compared with placebo in patients hospitalized for MI with or at high risk of new onset HF, in addition to standard care. EMPACT-MI is a streamlined, multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial randomizing 5,000 participants at approximately 480 centers in 22 countries. Eligible patients presenting with spontaneous MI must have new signs or symptoms of pulmonary congestion requiring treatment or new left ventricular dysfunction (LVEF&lt;45%), and at least one additional risk factor for development of future HF. Eligible and consenting patients are randomized to empagliflozin 10mg or placebo daily in addition to standard of care within 14 days of hospital admission for MI. The primary composite endpoint is time to first hospitalization for HF or all-cause mortality. Conclusions : EMPACT-MI will inform clinical practice regarding the role of empagliflozin in patients after an MI with high risk for the development of future HF and mortality

Functional MRI in Awake Unrestrained Dogs

Because of dogs' prolonged evolution with humans, many of the canine cognitive skills are thought to represent a selection of traits that make dogs particularly sensitive to human cues. But how does the dog mind actually work? To develop a methodology to answer this question, we trained two dogs to remain motionless for the duration required to collect quality fMRI images by using positive reinforcement without sedation or physical restraints. The task was designed to determine which brain circuits differentially respond to human hand signals denoting the presence or absence of a food reward. Head motion within trials was less than 1 mm. Consistent with prior reinforcement learning literature, we observed caudate activation in both dogs in response to the hand signal denoting reward versus no-reward

Baseline characteristics of patients enrolled in the EMPACT‐MI trial

Aims: Empagliflozin has been shown to reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and in those with heart failure. The impact of empagliflozin in post-acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients is unknown. Methods and results: The Study to Test the Effect of Empagliflozin on Hospitalization for Heart Failure and Mortality in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (EMPACT-MI) trial screened 6610 participants with AMI and randomized 6522 to empagliflozin or placebo in addition to standard of care. The median (interquartile) age was 64 (56–71) years and 75.1% of patients were male. Major comorbidities included hypertension (69.1%), type 2 diabetes (31.7%), prior myocardial infarction (13.0%), and atrial fibrillation (10.9%). The majority (74.3%) of patients presented with an ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Overall, 56.9% of patients had acute signs or symptoms of congestion requiring treatment and 78.3% had left ventricular systolic dysfunction with ejection fraction &lt;45%. Clinical characteristics, including baseline demographics, rates of revascularization, and cardiovascular medications at discharge were largely comparable to recent trials of the post-AMI population. Conclusion: The EMPACT-MI trial will establish the benefit and risks of empagliflozin treatment in patients with AMI