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Golden snub-nosed monkeys ( Rhinopithecus roxellana ), as typical arboreal group-living Old World monkeys, provide an appropriate animal model to research manual laterality and explore the factors affecting hand preference in nonhuman primates. This study investigated hand preference based on 63 subjects and four spontaneous manual tasks (including unimanual and bimanual feeding and grooming), and assessed the effects of age, gender and type of task on handedness in R. roxellana . A population-level left-handedness was found not only in the bimanual coordinated tasks (bimanual feeding and grooming), but also in one unimanual reaching task (unimanual feeding). There were no significant differences between the sexes in either direction or strength of hand preference among any task. However, a significant difference between adults and juveniles was found in the unimanual feeding task. This is the first report on handedness in unimanual and bimanual feeding tasks that require bipedal posture in wild R. roxellana . Furthermore, this study demonstrated spontaneous feeding tasks reported previously only in the quadrupedal posture in this species, supporting the importance of factors such as posture and task complexity in the evolution of primate manual lateralization.

Objectives: Partial androgen deficiency of the aging male (PADAM) is characterised by a deficiency in serum androgen levels. Both electroacupuncture (EA) and mild moxibustion (MM) can raise serum testosterone levels in PADAM. We investigated the mechanisms underlying the use of EA and MM in a rodent model of PADAM., Methods: Fifty rats received cyclophosphamide injection over 5 consecutive days to induce PADAM, which was verified by comparing total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone (FT) levels with 10 non-PADAM healthy control rats (CON). Successful modelling was confirmed in 43 of 50 rats, 40 of which were randomly divided into untreated (PADAM), EA-treated (PADAM+EA), MM-treated (PADAM+MM), and androlin (AD)-treated (PADAM+AD) groups (n=10 each). EA and MM were administered at BL23 and CV4 acupuncture points for 8 weeks, and no treatment was given to rats in the PADAM and CON groups. Serum levels of luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), mRNA expression of cytochrome P450c17 (P450c17) and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (3β-HSD1), and protein levels of cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage (P450scc), 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 3 (17β-HSD3) and steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) were evaluated after 8 weeks., Results: Both EA and mild MM significantly increased serum TT and FT levels with MM displaying superiority. P450scc, 17β-HSD3 and SF-1 protein expression, and P450c17 and 3β-HSD1 mRNA expression, were significantly increased and serum LH and FSH levels were significantly decreased in PADAM+EA and PADAM+MM relative to PADAM rats. Moreover, serum LH and FSH levels were significantly lower and 17β-HSD3 protein expression significantly higher in PADAM+MM relative to PADAM+EA rats., Conclusions: EA and MM at the BL23 and CV4 acupuncture points appear to be effective treatments for PADAM, and MM displays superior efficacy to EA., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/)

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) intervention on expression of cytochrome P 450 side chain cleavage (P 450 scc) and 17 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 3 (17 β-HSD3) in the testis in partial androgen deficiency of aging male (PADAM) rats so as to reveal its mechanism underlying improving PADAM., Methods: Thirty male SD rats were randomly and equally divided into control, model, and EA groups. The PADAM model was established by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (20 mg · kg(-1) · d(-1)), once daily for 5 days. EA (20-30 Hz, 1-3 mA) was applied to bilateral "Shenshu" (BL 23) and "Guanyuan" (CV 4) for 15 min, once daily for 8 weeks. Serum total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone (FT) levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression levels of P 450 scc/17 β-HSD3 proteins and mRNA in the testis tissue were assayed by immunohistochemistry, Western bolt (WB) and RT-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), separately., Results: Compared with the control group, both serum TT, FT levels and expression levels of P450 scc/17 β-HSD3 proteins and mRNA in the testis tissue in the model group were significantly down-regulated (P<0.01). After EA intervention, compared with the model group, the cyclophosphamide-induced decrease of serum TT, FT levels and the expression levels of P 450 scc/17 β-HSD3 proteins and mRNA in the testis was reversed in the EA group (P<0.01)., Conclusion: EA intervention is effective in up-regulating serum TT and FT, testicular P 450 scc and 17 β-HSD3 proteins and mRNA levels in PADAM rats, which may be one of its mechanisms underlying improvement of PADAM.

Purpose: To determine the associations of myopia and axial length (AL) with major age-related eye diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related cataract, and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG)., Design: Population-based, cross-sectional study., Participants: A total of 3400 Indians (75.6% response rate) aged 40 to 84 years in Singapore., Methods: Refractive error was determined by subjective refraction, and AL was determined by noncontact partial coherence laser interferometry. Age-related macular degeneration and DR were defined from retinal photographs according to the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading System and Airlie House classification system, respectively. Age-related cataract was diagnosed clinically using the Lens Opacity Classification System (LOCS) III system. Glaucoma was defined according to International Society for Geographical and Epidemiological Ophthalmology criteria., Main Outcome Measures: Age-related macular degeneration, DR, age-related cataract, and POAG., Results: Myopic eyes (spherical equivalent [SE] <-0.5 diopter [D]) were less likely to have AMD (early plus late AMD) (odds ratio [OR], 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.25-0.79) or DR (OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.46-0.98) compared with emmetropic eyes; each millimeter increase in AL was associated with a lower prevalence of AMD (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.65-0.89) and DR (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.63-0.86). Myopic eyes were more likely to have nuclear (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.13-2.20) and posterior subcapsular (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.10-2.72) cataract, but not cortical cataract (P = 0.64); each millimeter increase in AL was associated with a higher prevalence of posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC) (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.07-1.55), but not nuclear (P = 0.77) or cortical (P = 0.39) cataract. Eyes with high myopia (SE <-6.0 D) were more likely to have POAG (OR, 5.90; 95% CI, 2.68-12.97); each millimeter increase in AL was associated with a higher prevalence of POAG (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.13-1.80)., Conclusions: Myopic eyes are less likely to have AMD and DR but more likely to have nuclear cataract, PSC, and POAG. The associations of myopia with AMD, DR, and POAG are mostly explained by longer AL. However, the association between myopia and nuclear cataract is explained by lens refraction rather than AL., (Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The present study was to characterize the avenanthramide-rich extract (ARE) from oat bran and assess its effect on activity and gene expression of antioxidant enzymes in D-galactose-induced oxidative-stressed mice. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis found that ARE had 6.07% N-(3',4'-dihydroxycinnamoyl)-5-hydroxyanthranilic acid (Bc), 4.37% N-(4'-hydroxycinnamoyl)-5-hydroxyanthranilic acid (Bp), and 5.36% N-(4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxycinnamoyl)-5-hydroxyanthranilic acid (Bf). In addition, ARE was also rich in vanillic acid (0.60%), caffeic acid (0.50%), syringic acid (0.54%), p-coumaric acid (0.16%), ferulic acid (0.08%), and sinapic acid (0.03%). Administration of D-galactose markedly lowered not only the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) but also the gene expression of manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD), copper-zinc SOD, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) mRNA in mice. Administration of ARE significantly reversed the D-galactose-induced oxidative stress by increasing the activity of the antioxidant enzymes and upregulating their gene expression. This was accompanied by a significant decrease in the malondialdehyde (MDA) level in mice given ARE compared to the control. The results demonstrated that ARE possessed the antioxidant activity and was effective against D-galactose-induced oxidative stress.

Drug use among older adults is a growing concern, particularly for the burgeoning Hispanic population. Older adults seeking drug treatment will double over the next decade to almost 6 million. Cultural factors influence drug use, and more specifically, Hispanic cultural values influence heroin use. This study explored Mexican-American injection drug users' adherence to traditional Hispanic cultural values and their impact on cessation. Ethnographic interviews endorsed contextualized influences of values on heroin use. Cultural values functioned dichotomously, influencing both initiation and cessation. Understanding the impact of cultural values on substance abuse is critical given the changing demographics in American society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we propose a design using a guiding system, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), IEEE 802.15.1 short-range wireless transmission technology and the Internet to fabricate a blood pressure measurement (BPM) which works in cooperation with a health management system. Our design has many advantages, including being easy to use by the aged, low cost and wireless connectivity. It allows the early detection of high blood pressure and provides a doctor with a means for observing a patient's health over a long period. The guiding system provides video guide features for the measuring steps, reminds the patient of the measurement results and makes suggestions. We propose here a new design to determine the BPM posture in order to increase the BPM reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]