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Although testosterone is generally considered to promote dominance behaviors, in humans it fosters behaviors appropriate to achieving and maintaining social status, contingent upon the situation. Recent cross-sectional studies, such as Inoue et al. (Sci Rep 7:5335, 2017), have shown that dominance behaviors induced by testosterone are modulated by high status. Yet, it remains ambiguous whether a rise in social status within real-world social groups reshapes the relationship between testosterone and dominance behavior. To investigate this longitudinal question, we added a second wave to Inoue et al.'s study, collecting further data after an interval of 2 years. Members of a university rugby team that adheres to a rigid hierarchical order rooted in seniority played the Ultimatum Game with teammates and provided saliva for assays of testosterone and cortisol. Our analysis reveals that individuals with higher baseline salivary testosterone levels exhibited more dominance as their position in the hierarchy increased according to their seniority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although testosterone is generally considered to promote dominance behaviors, in humans it fosters behaviors appropriate to achieving and maintaining social status, contingent upon the situation. Recent cross-sectional studies, such as Inoue et al. (Sci Rep 7:5335, 2017), have shown that dominance behaviors induced by testosterone are modulated by high status. Yet, it remains ambiguous whether a rise in social status within real-world social groups reshapes the relationship between testosterone and dominance behavior. To investigate this longitudinal question, we added a second wave to Inoue et al.'s study, collecting further data after an interval of 2 years. Members of a university rugby team that adheres to a rigid hierarchical order rooted in seniority played the Ultimatum Game with teammates and provided saliva for assays of testosterone and cortisol. Our analysis reveals that individuals with higher baseline salivary testosterone levels exhibited more dominance as their position in the hierarchy increased according to their seniority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, developing and maintaining sustainable societies is becoming a notable social concern, and studies on altruism and prosociality toward future generations are increasing in importance. Although altruistic behaviors toward future generations have previously been observed in some experimental situations, it remains unknown whether prosocial preferences toward future others are based on equality or joint outcome orientations. In the present research, we exploratorily investigated preferences regarding resource distribution by manipulating the time points (i.e., present/future) of the participants and their imaginary partners. The results indicate that prosocial preference toward future others was as strong as that toward present others and seemed to be based on a joint outcome prosocial preference. Notably, when participants and their partners were at different time points, participants preferred to leave resources for the persons in the future. The findings indicate that the type of altruistic preference toward future others may differ from that toward present others, which is mainly equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endogenous testosterone promotes behaviours intended to enhance social dominance. However, recent research suggests that testosterone enhances strategic social behaviour rather than dominance seeking behaviour. This possibility has not been tested in a population whose members are known to vary in social status. Here, we explored the relationship between pre-existing social status and salivary testosterone level among members of a rugby team at a Japanese university, where a strong seniority norm maintains hierarchical relationships. Participants played a series of one-shot Ultimatum Games (UG) both as proposer and responder. Opponents were anonymised but of known seniority. We analysed participants’ acquiescence (how much more they offered beyond the lowest offer they would accept). The results showed that, among the most senior participants, higher testosterone was associated with lower acquiescence. Conversely, higher testosterone among the lower-status participants was associated with higher acquiescence. Our results suggest that testosterone may enhance socially dominant behaviour among high-status persons, but strategic submission to seniority among lower-status persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 3-year-old boy who was referred to the hospital regarding his erythroderma with severe scales and was diagnosed with suggestive of harlequin ichthyosis (HI). The patient was suggested to be treated with etretinate and tacalcitol for his whitish scales. The article also discusses the survival and mortality rates for patients with HI.

Purpose: This study evaluates optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings of the macula in patients with a history of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Methods: We enrolled 112 patients (age: 6–15 years) and categorized them into 3 groups: gestational age (GA) < 36 weeks with or without a history of ROP (ROP group, preterm group) and GA ≥37 weeks. We included 1 eye of each patient and measured the retinal thickness of the macula by OCT. Results: The ROP group demonstrated the worst VA and the shallowest foveal depression. Furthermore, foveal depression significantly correlated with birth weight, GA, ganglion cell layer/inner plexiform layer (GCL-IPL) thickness, and a history of ROP. Conclusions: This study established a correlation of fovea formation with premature birth, damage of GCL-IPL, and a history of ROP. The retention of the inner retina possibly contributes to abnormal foveal morphology in patients with a history of ROP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impersonal cooperation among strangers enables societies to create valuable public goods, such as infrastructure, public services, and democracy. Several factors have been proposed to explain variation in impersonal cooperation across societies, referring to institutions (e.g., rule of law), religion (e.g., belief in God as a third-party punisher), cultural beliefs (e.g., trust) and values (e.g., collectivism), and ecology (e.g., relational mobility). We tested 17 preregistered hypotheses in a meta-analysis of 1,506 studies of impersonal cooperation in social dilemmas (e.g., the Public Goods Game) conducted across 70 societies (k = 2,271), where people make costly decisions to cooperate among strangers. After controlling for 10 study characteristics that can affect the outcome of studies, we found very little cross-societal variation in impersonal cooperation. Categorizing societies into cultural groups explained no variance in cooperation. Similarly, cultural, ancestral, and linguistic distance between societies explained little variance in cooperation. None of the cross-societal factors hypothesized to relate to impersonal cooperation explained variance in cooperation across societies. We replicated these conclusions when meta-analyzing 514 studies across 41 states and nine regions in the United States (k = 783). Thus, we observed that impersonal cooperation occurred in all societies—and to a similar degree across societies—suggesting that prior research may have overemphasized the magnitude of differences between modern societies in impersonal cooperation. We discuss the discrepancy between theory, past empirical research and the meta-analysis, address a limitation of experimental research on cooperation to study culture, and raise possible directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidases are thought to be key enzymes in the catabolism of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. However, little is known about the enzymes of this type in basidiomycetes. We investigated endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidases in basidiomycetes using fluorescence-labeled glycoasparagines as substrates. Flammulina velutipes showed high activity and its enzyme was named endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase FV (Endo FV). The enzyme purified from the fruiting bodies of F. velutipes was separated into two forms. Endo FV was specific for high mannose and hybrid-type oligosaccharides. The enzyme was remarkably less active against asparagine-linked oligosaccharides attached to glycoproteins. It transferred an asparagine-linked oligosaccharide to Glc, but not to Gal. cDNA of Endo FV was cloned. It was composed of a 996-bp open reading frame encoding 331 amino acid residues. A recombinant Endo FV expressed in Escherichia coli showed enzymatic activity. The Endo FV gene in the genome of F. velutipes had no introns. The gene encoding Endo FV showed little homology with genes of known endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidases. A chitinase active site motif existed in the deduced primary structure, indicating that Endo FV belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 18. The deduced amino acid sequence of Endo FV had regions conserved in class III chitinases from fungi though it showed little homology with the sequence of any other endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidases. A folding model of Endo FV indicated it to be homologous with the tertiary structure of Endo H which is quite similar in specificity for asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. This study suggests that Endo FV may become similar to Endo H in substrate specificity as a result of evolutionary convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors discuss a study at Hyogo College of Medicine Hospital in Japan on the therapeutic effects and safety of dupilumab in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis who visited the hospital from April 2018 to May 2019, with highlights such as measurement of disease activity at the baseline visit and weeks 4 and 16, the baseline clinical attributes of the patients, and frequency of dupilumab-induced conjunctivitis in patients with a previous history of conjunctivitis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surgical success of sulcus fixation of Baerveldt glaucoma implant (BGIs) in special reference to corneal damage.Methods: This observational prospective cohort study included 24 patients who underwent a median of 3.0 previous intraocular surgeries and sulcus fixation of BGIs for the first time. The intraocular pressure (IOP), the number of ocular hypotensives used, corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), and logMAR-converted best-corrected visual acuity (VA) of each patient were measured preoperatively and postoperatively until 12 months after surgery. Surgical success was evaluated after 12 months based on the reduction of IOP (5-21 mmHg and > 20% reduction), corneal damage (postoperative development of decompensation, unmeasurable ECD, or ECD reduction of > 20%), loss of light perception, and need for additional surgeries.Results: Surgical success was noted in 16 (66.7%) patients when corneal damage was included as a failure criterion, whereas surgery was successful in 21 (87.5%) patients when solely judged using IOP control similarly as previous clinical trials. The median IOP decreased from 27.5 mmHg preoperatively to 14.5 mmHg postoperatively (P < 0.0001). The number of ocular hypotensives was significantly reduced postoperatively (P < 0.0001). The median postoperative ECD reduction was only 0.15%, although ECD could not be measured during follow-up or it was significantly reduced by > 20% in six patients. VA was not significantly reduced after surgery. Adverse effects were observed in 15 patients (62.5 cumulative %).Conclusion: Sulcus fixation of BGIs may be effective and safe in patients with glaucomatous eyes who underwent multiple prior intraocular surgeries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We previously reported that eyes with hypotony maculopathy (HM) after trabeculectomy (TLE) exhibited more reduction of axial length (AL) than those without HM, suggesting that inward collapse of the scleral wall may contribute to the development of HM after TLE. However, we did not evaluate change in choroidal thickness (CT), which could influence AL measures. We compared the magnitude and rate of AL and CT changes in eyes with and without HM by simultaneously measuring these parameters before and after TLE. Methods: We enrolled 77 eyes of 77consecutive patients with glaucoma, who underwent TLE between March 2014 and March 2016. Intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness, keratometry, AL, and CT were measured pre- and postoperatively, up to 6 months. These biometrics were compared in eyes with and without HM. Results: The 14 patients who developed HM were significantly younger than those who did not. The eyes with HM exhibited significantly reduced AL (2.8%) compared to those without HM (0.7%). There was no significant difference in CT change between the two groups. The rate of AL reduction was significantly correlated with age, postoperative IOP, and preoperative AL. Post-adjustment logistic regression analysis revealed that eyes with AL reduction rate ≥ 2% had 11.67 higher risk for developing HM (95% confidence interval, 1.28–106.6; P = 0.03). Conclusions: AL reduction rates ≥ 2% were significantly associated with HM. Excessive reduction in AL, which was seen in eyes with HM, was not an artificial measure resulting from choroidal thickening but rather reflected reductions in the anterior-posterior diameter of the eyeball. Inward collapse of the scleral wall leads to redundancy of the chorioretinal tissue, contributing to the development of HM after TLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the combined estimate of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) count developed by Medeiros et al. as a tool for diagnosis of glaucoma in Japanese patients. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Thirty-one eyes of 19 healthy controls and 106 eyes of 70 glaucoma patients underwent standard automated perimetry (SAP) and three types of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging using the Cirrus, RTVue, and 3D-OCT instruments. RGC counts derived from SAP and SD-OCT data were estimated using the Harwerth model (SAPrgc and OCTrgc, respectively), from which the combined RGC count estimates (CRGC) were calculated using the formula developed by Medeiros et al. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were conducted for mean deviation (MD), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT), and CRGC. Results: The mean OCTrgc derived from the Cirrus, RTVue, and 3D-OCT instruments were 1150, 1245, and 1316 (× 1000 cells), respectively, for the control group and 463, 519, and 516 (× 1000 cells), respectively, for the patient group. SAPrgc of the controls' group was 1526 and the patients' group, 731 (× 1000 cells), and were consistently greater than OCTrgc in both groups (a generalized estimating equation model, p < 0.001). Partial area under the curve (pAUC) of MD was 0.178, and that of RNFLT and CRGC for the three OCT instruments were 0.185, 0.18, 0.189 and 0.196, 0.196, 0.197, respectively. CRGC had larger pAUC than MD, whereas there was no or marginal difference in pAUC between CRGC and cpRNFLT, irrespective of OCT device used or glaucoma severity. Conclusion: CRGC proved well suited to discriminate glaucoma patients from controls. However, its clinical utility did not seem to overwhelm isolated structural measures in the tested Japanese patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]