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For many species, where status is a vital motivator that can affect health, social hierarchies influence behavior. Social hierarchies that include dominant-submissive relationships are common in both animal and human societies. These relationships can be affected by interactions with others and with their environment, making them difficult to analyze in a controlled study. Rather than a simple dominance hierarchy, this formation has a complicated presentation that allows rats to avoid aggression. Status can be stagnant or mutable, and results in complex societal stratifications. Here we describe a complex diving-for-food task to investigate rodent social hierarchy and behavioral interactions. This animal model may allow us to assess the relationship between a wide range of mental illnesses and social organization, as well as to study the effectiveness of therapy on social dysfunction.

Background Patients with GBS may develop hypoalbuminemia following treatment with Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG), which is related to a poorer outcome. This report presents a patient with GBS and his clinical response to two courses of IVIG treatments in association with his albumin level. Case report: A previously healthy 21-year-old male was admitted to the GICU due to GBS with severity grade 5 (required assisted ventilation). IVIG treatment was initiated. Over the next two weeks there was no clinical improvement and Albumin level dropped from 4.5 gr/dL to a nadir of 2.3 gr/dL. A second course of IVIG was initiated. After initiation of the second course the patient’s albumin began rising to 3.0 gr/dL and a clinical improvement followed this rise. Subsequently, he was weaned from mechanical ventilation within a few days. Conclusions When considering a second course of IVIG treatment, serum albumin levels may be considered a biomarker as part of the decision algorithm.

Acute liver injury (ALI) plays a crucial role in the development of hepatic failure, which is characterized by severe liver dysfunction including complications such as hepatic encephalopathy and impaired protein synthesis. Appropriate animal models are vital to test the mechanism and pathophysiology of ALI and investigate different hepatoprotective strategies. Due to its ability to perform chemical transformations, carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is widely used in the liver to induce ALI through the formation of reactive oxygen species. CCl4 exposure can be performed intraperitoneally, by inhalation, or through a nasogastric or orogastric tube. Here, we describe a rodent model, in which ALI is induced by CCl4 exposure through an orogastric tube. This method is inexpensive, easily performed, and has minimal hazard risk. The model is highly reproducible and can be widely used to determine the efficacy of potential hepatoprotective strategies and assess markers of liver injury.

Background Obesity is considered a global epidemic. Until recently, laparoscopic adjustable gastric binding (LAGB) was routinely offered as a means of weight reduction for selected patient populations. Previous case series have documented several pulmonary complications following LAGB. In the current study, we explored the rate of long-term respiratory deterioration associated with LAGB. Methods The study is a historical cohort study of medical records of subjects who underwent LAGB at Soroka University Medical Center in Israel between January 1997 and July 2008. After the exclusion of short-term respiratory events, respiratory morbidity during the three years following the operation was compared with that three years prior to the operation. Subjects whose respiratory status worsened following surgery were further compared with those whose status either remained unchanged or improved. Results The final analysis included 3084 subjects, of whom 709 (22.9%) had documented respiratory morbidity following surgery. Compared to pre-operative respiratory status, respiratory deterioration following LAGB was found in 590 subjects (19.1%). Risk factors associated with the worsening of respiratory status were age ≤28 or ≥46 years (odds ratio [OR] = 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.71 and OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.09–1.85, respectively), female gender (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.06–1.63), and pre-operative documentation of respiratory morbidity. Conclusions The rate of deterioration in the respiratory status observed among subjects who underwent LAGB was high. Consequently, physicians should be aware of the possible link, even years after the surgery, between respiratory symptoms and a history of LAGB.