Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| a comparison of locomotor responses to some psychotropic drugs and cerebral receptors in the acomys cahirinus and the laboratory mouse. | comparative studies of the laboratory mouse and acomys cahirinus have shown differences in their motor activity patterns and motor responses to morphine, apomorphine and clonidine. the two species also differed in respect of the density of cerebral alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, but no significant differences between other types of receptors (alpha 1-adrenergic, beta-adrenergic, opiate mu and delta, and spiroperidol binding sites) were found. it is suggested that the high excitability of the acom ... | 1987 | 2830608 |
| a comparison of postnatal thermal physiology and energetics in an altricial (gerbillus perpallidus) and a precocial (acomys cahirinus) rodent species. | 1. daily weight increase is polyphasic in gerbillus perpallidus whereas it follows a linear pattern in acomys cahirinus. 2. young a. cahirinus achieve full homeothermic capacities much earlier (less than or equal to 12 days old) than g. perpallidus (19-21 days old). 3. the differences in the development of the two species are reflected in the alterations of their metabolic rates. 4. in both species, age-dependent phases of development are obvious, beginning, however, much later in g. perpallidus ... | 1988 | 2900101 |
| electrophysiological effects of dopamine receptor stimulation in the hippocampus of acomys cahirinus. | the effect of dopamine receptor agonists on the spontaneous bioelectrical activity of ca1 layer neurons in the hippocampal slice preparation from the acomys and rat has been studied. the selective d1 receptor agonist skf 38393 diminished the neuronal firing rate while the selective d2 receptor agonist ly 171555 (quinpirole) evoked an excitatory reaction, however, a great proportion of hippocampal neurons remained unresponsive to skf 38393 and ly 171555. both dopamine and apomorphine elicited mai ... | 1988 | 2908137 |
| effect of insulin and 2-deoxy-d-glucose on feeding and plasma glucose levels in the spiny mouse. | adult male spiny mice (acomys cahirinus) were challenged with 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-dg) or regular insulin, and food intake or plasma glucose concentration was measured. mice did not increase their food intake over baseline levels following treatment with 2-dg (62.5-1000 mg/kg). in contrast, regular insulin injections (1-50 u/kg) stimulated a modest, but significant increase in feeding, which was apparent within 2 hr at a low dose of 1 u/kg. however, a marked hyper- and hypoglycemia (compared to ... | 1988 | 3070582 |
| the acomys cahirinus (spiny mouse) as a new model for biological and neurobehavioural studies. | acomys cahirinus is a precocial murid and a comparison of its development with altricial species of the same family, such as the rat and mouse, may shed some light on the relationship between genetic and environmental factors in the development. the use of acomys in neurobehavioural studies and its comparison with mouse and rat may be particularly profitable. behavioural, differences particularly in the exploratory behaviour, are paralleled by differences in the brain anatomy. therefore acomys s ... | 1988 | 3075753 |
| a comparative study of myelination in precocial and altricial murid rodents. | the development of myelin staining was compared in two closely related rodent species, the precocial acomys cahirinus and altricial rattus norvegicus. while the progression of myelin staining was similar in both species (motor tracts myelinated before sensory systems, which were followed by forebrain fiber systems), the timing of maturation differed considerably: (1) at the same postconception age (pc38) rattus was substantially more mature than acomys, suggesting a relatively earlier onset of m ... | 1988 | 3219591 |
| species differences in hepatic microsomal drug-metabolizing enzymes. | the activity of some metabolizing enzymes was assessed in the liver microsomes of acomys cahirinus, mice and rats. the enzymatic studies were followed by the determination of cerebral level of apomorphine (apo), imipramine (imi) and its metabolite desipramine (dmi) of animals treated with a single dose of apo or imi. it was found that the level of cytochrome p-450 and the activity of imi demethylase and glucuronyltransferase in the liver microsomes of rats was significantly higher than those in ... | 1988 | 3222176 |
| a comparison of norepinephrine stimulated inositol phosphate accumulation in cerebral cortex of the acomys cahirinus, the laboratory mice and the rat. | 1988 | 3222183 | |
| brain choline acetyltransferase and muscarinic receptor sites, brain and liver cholinesterases in precocial acomys cahirinus and altricial rat during post-natal development. | brain choline acetyltransferase, acetylcholinesterase with its molecular forms, and muscarinic receptor sites, as well as liver total cholinesterases were evaluated during the first postnatal month in pups of a precocial (acomys cahirinus) and altricial (rat) murid species. at birth the levels of brain cholinergic markers were higher in the acomys than in the rat, but in adulthood the differences were smaller or even reversed. the postnatal increase up in the markers to weaning was considerably ... | 1988 | 3253718 |
| precocity and plasticity: odor deprivation and brain development in the precocial mouse acomys cahirinus. | altering the early olfactory environment of animals can have dramatic consequences on the development of brain regions which subserve olfaction. the present study indicates that early odor deprivation has a more severe effect on a species which is born relatively mature than it does on related species which are not. the results call into question prevailing notions about the developmental continuity between animals born in divergent ontogenetic states. | 1988 | 3362353 |
| effect of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve on insulinemia and glycemia in acomys cahirinus mice. | to investigate the parasympathetic regulation of the endocrine pancreas in spiny mice (acomys cahirinus), unilateral electrical stimulations of the left cervical vagus nerve were performed in these animals and their controls, the albino mice. plasma insulin and glucose levels were measured before and after the stimulation. the stimulation parameters were: 2-2.5 v, 14 hz, 1 msec for the albino mice and 3 v, 14 hz, 1 msec or 15-20 v, 20 hz, 1 msec for the spiny mice. already 2 min after the start ... | 1988 | 3293988 |
| spiny mouse's (acomys cahirinus) use of its distance senses in prey localization. | this study examined the relative importance that olfaction, audition and vision played in the spiny mouse's localization of insect prey. these three senses were blocked singly or in various combinations so that a mouse was tested under 8 different situations with a tethered live cricket and four with a dead cricket. the mice did not rely on one particular sense more than the others, but in certain situations olfaction and audition proved more important than vision in the localization of a live c ... | 1988 | 24896404 |
| husbandry and hematology of captive spiny mice (acomys cahirinus). | 1989 | 2593647 | |
| reduced early and late phase insulin response to glucose in isolated spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) islets: a defective link between glycolysis and adenylate cyclase. | the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) exhibits low insulin responsiveness to glucose with a nearly absent early phase release. the alternative fuel-secretagogue glyceraldehyde (10 mmol/l) produced a maximal early insulin response in rat islets but failed to affect early response in acomys; however, it potentiated the late insulin response in both species alike. glucagon (1.5 mumol/l) potentiated the early insulin response to intermediate (8.3 mmol/l) glucose in rat and acomys islets by two- and fou ... | 1989 | 2477292 |
| the development of olfactory preferences for artificial odors briefly experienced by the precocial spiny mouse young. | groups of pups, aged 2, 4, 6, 12, 16, and 18 days of the precocial murid rodent spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus), were each exposed for 1.5 h to one of the experimental odors, cinnamon or cumin, present in the surrounding environment. the odors were not contingent upon home-cage odors or any other reinforcers. this simple exposure produced a strong preference for the exposed odor in multichoice preference tests carried out 48 h after the exposure in pups from groups aged 2 through 16 days. older p ... | 1989 | 2590153 |
| prenatal neurogenesis in the telencephalon of the precocial mouse acomys cahirinus. | [3h]thymidine autoradiography was employed to examine the times of formation of the major neuronal classes in the forebrain of the precocial mouse acomys cahirinus. dams received 3 thymidine injections over a 24 h period on either embryonic day 14, 18, 20, 22, 29 or 36. age-related changes in the distribution and number of heavily labeled cells were noted. acomys exhibited later onset and more protracted periods of cell generation than the phylogenetically related, altricial laboratory rat or mo ... | 1989 | 2616023 |
| development of sex differences in the response of spiny mouse pups to adult male odors. | using a three-choice preference test, olfactory-mediated investigatory activity in response to adult male urine odor was examined in a precocially active rodent, the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) aged between 3-26 days. temporally related sex differences were seen in the time spent in the presence of the odors of father's or unfamiliar adult male's urine, or distilled (control) water. neither male nor female pups discriminated between odors from the father and strange adult males. after the fir ... | 1989 | 2629001 |
| trypanosoma acomys (wenyon, 1909): reproductive forms and course of parasitemia in the natural host acomys cahirinus (desmarest, 1819). | trypanosoma acomys (stercoraria, trypanosomatidae) was studied in the laboratory-bred spiny mouse acomys cahirinus. only trypomastigotes were found in peripheral blood, whereas the thymus of experimentally infected a. cahirinus showed amastigote syncytial reproductive forms whose nuclei of nuclei ranged from 2 to 128. these reproductive forms were detected 9-10 days after the i.p. injection of spiny mice with trypanosomes obtained from primary lung cultures. transitional trypomastigote-like form ... | 1989 | 2755930 |
| a comparative study of prenatal development in the olfactory bulb, neocortex and hippocampal region of the precocial mouse acomys cahirinus and rat. | unlike the remainder of the rodent subfamily muridae, acomys cahirinus (the 'spiny' mouse) is born in a precocial state after a long (39 day) gestation. in this paper, the development of the olfactory bulb, neocortex and hippocampal formation of acomys from prenatal days 14-34 was examined and the rate of maturation compared with that of its cousin, the laboratory rat (rattus norvegicus). at the earliest stages examined, acomys was approximately 2 days less mature than the same post-conception a ... | 1989 | 2791267 |
| differences in beta-adrenergic regulation of cyclic amp formation in cerebral cortical slices of the rat and spiny mouse--acomys cahirinus. | in both the rat and acomys cahirinus the adrenergic cyclic amp generating system in the brain is dependent not only on beta-, but also on alpha-adrenoceptors. the relative role of alpha-adrenoceptors is much greater in the acomys cahirinus. this feature makes the acomys an interesting animal model for investigating the role of alpha-beta-adrenoceptor coupling in generation of cyclic amp and the mechanism of action of antidepressant treatment. | 1990 | 1980732 |
| effect of exogenous insulin on meal patterns and stomach emptying in the spiny mouse. | male adult spiny mice (acomys cahirinus) were acutely challenged with a single dose of regular insulin or saline vehicle sc; either food intake, meal frequency and meal duration, or stomach emptying were then measured. meal frequency, as well as amount eaten, was significantly higher over a 6-hr period following both 10 and 30 u/kg of insulin than following vehicle injection. meal duration remained essentially the same across all conditions. when 30 u/kg of insulin was administered either 15 min ... | 1990 | 2201984 |
| animals as reservoir hosts for leishmania in qualyobia governorate, egypt. | a total of 239 rodents were collected from el-khanka, shebin el-kanater, el-kanater, shoubra el khima, qualiob, tokh, benha and kafr-shokr and identified as mus musculus (30), rattus rattus (78), rattus norvegicus (35), arvicanthus niloticus (62) and acomys cahirinus (34). examination of these rodents showed the presence of cutaneous lesions in two r. rattus, three r. norvegicus and one a. cahirinus which showed no leishmania parasites neither by smear nor by culture. on examination of the liver ... | 1990 | 2230335 |
| the influence of maternal labels on dietary preferences of spiny mouse weanlings. | to assess the influence of conspecific chemical cues on the development of dietary preferences, spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) weanling were tested for their responses to food items that were partially eaten (thus, presumably labeled) by various categories of conspecifics. consumption of a highly preferred novel food (fresh carrot) labeled by the pups' parents, or mother alone, was greater than that of a clean sample of the same food. the presence of labels emanating from the father or an alien ... | 1990 | 2236255 |
| an unusual pattern of copulatory behavior in a south american cricetid rodent: akodon molinae. | we describe the copulatory behavior and the morphology of the male genital tract of a member of a tribe (akodontini) for which no information on copulatory behavior has been available. copulation in akodon molinae is characterized by multiple intromissions with no intravaginal thrusting, a single ejaculation, and a brief lock with the deposit of a plug. this pattern is unusual because of the combination of locking with both multiple intromissions and plugs. the latter combination, and similar st ... | 1990 | 2225764 |
| maternal discrimination and the development of sex differences in exploratory behaviour in infant spiny mice (acomys cahirinus). | the present paper reports sex differences in exploratory behaviour by infant spiny mice, acomys cahirinus, that may, in part, be related to differences in maternal behaviour towards pups; like some other rodents, mother acomys differentiate behaviourally between male and female pups. in experiment 1 infant acomys were allowed to explore a novel arena. this experiment showed that even by day 3 (the day of birth = day 1) female acomys explored a novel environment more than males; they entered the ... | 1991 | 1771244 |
| drinking behavior in the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) following putative dipsogenic challenges. | male spiny mice (acomys cahirinus) were challenged with several putative dipsogenic stimulus conditions: hypertonic sodium chloride (nacl), 24-h water deprivation, d,l-isoproterenol hcl, angiotensin ii (aii) and polyethylene glycol (peg), or control conditions, in within-subjects designs. water intake and drinking pattern were monitored electronically in the home cage over a 2--6-h test period without food present, during the light portion of the l/d cycle. in addition, hematocrits were measured ... | 1991 | 1871204 |
| naturally occurring degrading events in axon terminals of the dentate gyrus and stratum lucidum in the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) during maturation, adulthood and aging. | the naturally occurring dynamics of presynaptic axon terminals were investigated in the dentate gyrus and stratum lucidum of the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) during maturation, adulthood and aging. a sensitive and selective silver-staining technique was applied to analyze neuronal lysosome accumulation (la), indicating synaptic degradation during development. la was quantified by counting silver grains in the inner third and outer two thirds of the molecular layer, granular layer, and the infr ... | 1992 | 1286623 |
| a relationship between circulating natural glucocorticoids and the mechanical responses of the heart in atricial and precocial rodents. | 1. a comparison was made of the mechanical performance of heart muscle from mouse, an atricial mammal, with corticosterone as glucocorticoid and spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus), a precocial mammal, with cortisol as glucocorticoid. 2. force-frequency responses were negative in mouse and positive in spiny mouse. 3. during recovery, there was a gradual increase and an overshoot in the mouse, while in the spiny mouse there was an initial enhanced response, diminishing gradually with time. 4. high cal ... | 1992 | 1361898 |
| distance perception in the spiny mouse acomys cahirinus: vertical jumping. | acomys cahirinus, a precocial muroid, that has shown precise jumping in the natural habitat, did not jump from 25 cm in a laboratory situation. to investigate this further, a. cahirinus were observed jumping from platforms at two different heights, onto different sized checkered substrates and from a visual cliff. adult animals discriminated between platforms that were 6.4 cm and 25.4 cm above the substrate and between small and large checkered patterns on the floor. most adult animals and neona ... | 1992 | 1454491 |
| [a morphometric study of postnatal synaptogenesis in the neocortex of precocial and altricial rodents]. | quantitative electronmicroscopic studies have been made on the development of synapses in two modally different areas of the brain (v-vi layers of the visual and auditory cortex) in the rat and mouse acomys cahirinus within first two weeks of their postnatal life. the density of synapses as well the relative amount of different types of synapses (symmetrical, asymmetrical, axo-spinal and synapses with large amounts of synaptic vesicles) were measured. it was shown that only in rats the developme ... | 1992 | 1523896 |
| behavioral response of altricial and precocial rodent fetuses to acute umbilical cord compression. | norway rat fetuses (rattus norvegicus) exhibit a stereotypic behavioral response when the umbilical cord is experimentally compressed with a vascular clamp. in this study, the development of the fetal behavioral response to cord compression was compared in altricial and precocial rodents, which differ markedly in neural and motor maturity at the time of birth. both altricial and precocial species showed some form of behavioral response to umbilical cord compression. fetuses of two altricial spec ... | 1992 | 1586357 |
| [the effect of early partial postnatal deafferentation of the visual cortex on synapse formation]. | a quantitative analysis of the synaptic population of the upper layers of the visual cortex of mice acomys cahirinus has shown that the process of postnatal synaptogenesis proceeds during all the period of observations (1-13 days), the intensity of morphological differentiation of various types of synapses being higher during the first 5 days of life. partial deafferentation of the visual cortex (dissection of the corpus callosum) in 3-, 5- and 13-day-old acomyses results in changes of synapses ... | 1992 | 1343253 |
| ultrastructure of kolmer's crystalloid in the pinealocytes of the common spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus dimidiatus). | light- and electron-microscopical observations revealed a rod-like inclusion body in the pinealocytes of the common spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus dimidiatus). ultrastructurally, the body is composed of a varying number of tubes whose wall consists of thin filaments aligned in helical arrangement. the inner and outer surface of the wall is covered with ribosome-like granules. based on a morphological analysis it is concluded that the body described in the present investigation is identical with k ... | 1993 | 8269483 |
| daily rhythms of body temperature in acomys russatus: the response to chemical signals released by acomys cahirinus. | two species of spiny mice of the genus acomys--the golden spiny a. russatus and the common spiny a. cahirinus--are sympatric in the arid and hot parts of the rift valley in israel. the coexistence of these two species is due to exclusion of a. russatus mice by a. cahirinus mice from nocturnal activity. the aim of this research was to study if odor signals released by a. cahirinus mice can play a role in the exclusion of a. russatus mice. a. russatus mice with an implanted transmitter recording b ... | 1993 | 8319316 |
| larval occurrence of hydatigera taeniaeformis batsch (1786) (cestoda: taeniidae) in the liver of wild rodents in egypt. | hydatigera taeniaeformis batsch (1786) was found in the liver of six species of egyptian wild rodents. wanas et al., (1990) found the total incidence of this larval stage to be 20.0% among cestode infection. it was found in (40.9%) rattus norvegicus; (33.3%) gerbillus gerbillus; (26.8%) rattus rattus; (25.0%) mus musculus; (16.6%) acomys cahirinus; and (7.2%) arvicanthis niloticus. the cysts of hydatigera taenioformis was always occupying the marginal surfaces of both right and left lobes and so ... | 1993 | 8376855 |
| stability of preference for odors after short-term exposure in young spiny mice. | the stability of olfactory preferences for artificial odors was studied in young spiny mouse pups (acomys cahirinus). subjects aged between 2 and 20 days were exposed to the odor of either cinnamon or cumin for 1.5 hr. the durability of preferences for the familiar versus novel odor was subsequently monitored in a three-choice preference test. the results suggest the existence of a sensitive phase for learning odor characteristics, through simple exposure, between days 2 and 18 of the pups' post ... | 1993 | 8440404 |
| organ-to-body weight ratio in the egyptian spiny mouse acomys cahirinus. | 1994 | 7933979 | |
| interaction between acari ectoparasites and rodents in suez governorate, egypt. | from the medical point of view, the relation between man and rodents comes in the priority. some rodent populations are wild but others are commensal and live in close association with man. they steal his food and conveying many zoonotic diseases. their arthropod ectoparasites play an important role in conveying or transmitting these zoonotic diseases. several disorders and diseases of man are tick borne relapsing fever, rocky mountain spotted fever, lyme disease, and many others. besides numero ... | 1995 | 7665934 |
| biotransformation in egyptian spiny mouse acomys cahirinus. | the activities of several representative biotransformation enzymes were determined in male and female spiny mouse tissues. cytochrome p450 monooxygenase activity toward benzo(a)pyrene was significantly greater in female spiny mouse intestine than in males. activity toward benzphetamine in both sexes was high in the liver, with little activity in the kidney and intestine. sulfotransferase activity was high in kidney and intestine of female spiny mice but undetectable in the same tissues in males. ... | 1995 | 7749597 |
| the cairo spiny mouse acomys cahirinus shows a strong affinity to the mongolian gerbil meriones unguiculatus. | the classification of the african spiny mice (genus acomys) within the muridae family of rodents has been fraught with controversy. morphological data suggest a close affinity between this group and true old world mice of the genus mus. however, the combined results of immunological, biochemical, and dna melting studies suggest that spiny mice should not even be considered as members of the murinae subfamily. to further elucidate the position of the spiny mice within the rodent phylogenetic tree ... | 1996 | 8583903 |
| development and consequences of insulin resistance: lessons from animals with hyperinsulinaemia. | studies involving genetically and nutritionally induced diabetes in animals indicate that early hyperinsulinaemia is the causative factor of tissue insulin resistance, leading to compensatory insulin oversecretion and pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction. the models for this syndrome, which occurs in association with obesity (thus termed "diabesity" here), concern either species with a sturdy pancreas, capable of long-lasting oversecretion, or those with labile beta cells which cannot sustain the in ... | 1996 | 8792092 |
| respiratory rhythm generation in a precocial rodent in vitro preparation. | in vitro preparations for studying the neural control of respiration consisting of brainstem and spinal cord regions isolated from the newborn (po-p1) precocial rodent, acomys cahirinus (spiny mouse) are described. spiny mice have a longer gestation period (39 days) than laboratory rats (22 days) and mice (20 days) and thus are born in a considerably more mature state. we sought to determine if in vitro preparations isolated from spiny mice would spontaneously generate a respiratory motor patter ... | 1996 | 8833542 |
| effect of passage of babesia ovis in the gerbil (acomys cahirinus) on the course of infection in splenectomized lambs. | splenectomized gerbils (acomys cahirinus) have been found to be susceptible to babesia ovis applied via blood inoculation, whereas intact gerbils were not infected. blood from splenectomized latently infected gerbils caused infection in a splenectomized lamb. intact acomys cahirinus gerbils did not become infected by b. ovis, and all captured rodents in an enzootic area, intact and splenectomized, were found to be negative for b. ovis. it can thus be concluded that acomys cahirinus does not serv ... | 1996 | 8916410 |
| the chromosome complement of acomys spp. (rodentia, muridae) from oursi, burkina faso--the ancestral karyotype of the cahirinus-dimidiatus group? | we present here data on chromosome banding analysis (r- and c-bands) of acomys sp. (rodentia, muridae) from oursi, burkina faso, characterized by 2n = fn = 68 and comparison of its banding patterns with those of acomys dimidiatus from saudi arabia (2n = 38, fn = 70), studied previously. the study revealed complete homology between acrocentric chromosomes of acomys sp. and chromosome arms of 16 pairs of metacentric and two pairs of acrocentric chromosomes of a. dimidiatus. in addition to monobrac ... | 1996 | 8939364 |
| a new coccidian from acomys cahirinus desmarest, 1819, from evolution canyon, lower nahal oren, mount carmel, israel. | in 1994, fresh fecal samples were collected and examined for coccidian parasites from 43 spiny mice (acomys cahirinus) and from 60 wood mice (apodemus mystacinus). the 2 genera of rodents inhabit an area in lower nahal oren. mount carmel, israel, known as evolution canyon, which consists of opposite-facing slopes that are geologically identical, but micro-climatically very different. acomys cahirinus is found primarily on the warmer and drier south-facing slope (sfs), whereas a. mystacinus prima ... | 1997 | 9105310 |
| histology and enzymatic activity in the postnatal development of limb muscles in rodents. | the present work examines how increases in spontaneous motor capabilities during postnatal development are reflected in enzymatic activity and the histology of hindlimb muscles of the dormouse (eliomys melanurus), the jird (meriones tristrami), the vole (microtus socialis), and the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus). the precocial neonate of the spiny mouse had the most advanced developmental state of young myofibers with striations as early as 1 week after delivery. at the same age, the altricial n ... | 1998 | 9523911 |
| photoperiodic responses of four wild-trapped desert rodent species. | the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the photoperiod on reproductive status and body and lipid masses in four egyptian desert rodent species (dipodillus dasyurus, acomys cahirinus, gerbillus andersoni, and gerbillus pyramidum). adult males and females were housed in long days for 11 wk. at that time, one-half of the animals were killed and the remaining animals were moved to short days (sds) for 11 wk. some individuals of gerbillus andersoni and gerbillus pyramidum had access t ... | 1998 | 9843891 |
| intrageneric phylogeny of acomys (rodentia, muridae) using mitochondrial gene cytochrome b. | this paper investigates interspecies relationships within the genus acomys (spiny mice) by analyzing entire mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1141 bp). this gene provides strong phylogenetic signal, as shown by high support of the topology obtained (bootstrap value and rna support number). the phylogeny is congruent with inferences from allozymes for the species considered. controversial taxonomy of acomys cahirinus, dimidiatus, airensis, and ignitus is clarified, with their specific ranks confir ... | 1998 | 9668005 |
| analysis of some biophysical and biochemical parameters of long bones of spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) in its life cycle. | 1999 | 10353008 | |
| differential behavioural and hormonal responses of voles and spiny mice to owl calls. | rodents usually respond to the presence of owls by reducing overall activity, in particular foraging. in this study, a playback of recorded tawny owl, strix aluco, calls was sufficient to induce a marked effect in the social (gunther's) vole, microtus socialis. some of the voles exposed to owl calls reduced their activity ('freeze' pattern) unlike control voles exposed to a human voice. other voles, however, dashed around the cage ('flee' pattern). owl calls also increased corticosterone levels ... | 1999 | 10564611 |
| overnutrition in spiny mice (acomys cahirinus): beta-cell expansion leading to rupture and overt diabetes on fat-rich diet and protective energy-wasting elevation in thyroid hormone on sucrose-rich diet. | previous studies: the investigation of diabetes propensity in spiny mice, performed in geneva and jerusalem colonies, is reviewed. spiny mice live in semi-desert regions of the eastern mediterranean countries. those transferred to geneva in the 1950s were maintained on a rodent diet supplemented by fat-rich seeds. they became obese, exhibited pancreatic islet hyperplasia and hypertrophy. low insulin secretion response was characteristic of this species, despite ample pancreatic content of insuli ... | 2000 | 10751749 |
| intestinal helminths of spiny mice (acomys cahirinus dimidiatus) from st katherine's protectorate in the sinai, egypt. | spiny mice, acomys cahirinus dimidiatus, inhabiting the wadis close to st katherine in the mountains of the sinai peninsula, were trapped and their helminth parasites were studied. sixty one mice provided faeces for analysis and 27 were killed and autopsied. six species of helminths were recorded (the spirurid nematodes, protospirura muricola (74.1%) and mastophorus muris (11.1%), the oxyuroid nematodes, dentostomella kuntzi (59.3%), aspiculuris africana (3.7%), and syphacia minuta (3.7%) and th ... | 2000 | 10831051 |
| notes on mites of the family myobiidae (acari: prostigmata) parasitising rodents (mammalia: rodentia) in iran. | six mite species of the family myobiidae, radfordia (austromyobia)persica sp. n., radfordia (austromyobia) merioni bochkov, dubinina et chirov, 1990, radfordia (radfordia) acomys fain et lukoschus, 1977, radfordia (radfordia) affinis (poppe, 1896), radfordia (graphiurobia) dyromys fain et lukoschus, 1973, and myobia (myobia) murismusculi (schrank, 1781) were found in iran on the rodents gerbillus cheesmani thomas, meriones libycus lichtenstein, acomys cahirinus (desmarest), alus musculus l., dry ... | 2000 | 10833020 |
| morphology, topography and cytoarchitectonics of the otic ganglion in egyptian spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus, desmarest). | using the thiocholine method of koelle and friedenwald and histological techniques, the otic ganglion in egyptian spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus, desmarest) was studied. the ganglion was found to be a single oval cluster of neurocytes, situated at the medial and posterior surface of the mandibular nerve just above the maxillary artery. the ganglion is composed of typical ganglionic neurons in compact arrangement without a thick connective-tissue capsule. | 2001 | 11234700 |
| audiograms of five species of rodents: implications for the evolution of hearing and the perception of pitch. | behavioral audiograms were determined for five species of rodents: groundhog (marmota monax), chipmunk (tamias striatus), darwin's leaf-eared mouse (phyllotis darwinii), golden hamster (mesocricetus auratus), and egyptian spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus). the high-frequency hearing of these animals was found to vary inversely with interaural distance, a typical mammalian pattern. with regard to low-frequency hearing, the animals fell into two groups: those with extended low-frequency hearing (chip ... | 2001 | 11470193 |
| albert renold memorial lecture: molecular background of nutritionally induced insulin resistance leading to type 2 diabetes--from animal models to humans. | albert renold strived to gain insight into the abnormalities of human diabetes by defining the pathophysiology of the disease peculiar to a given animal. he investigated the israeli desert-derived spiny mice (acomys cahirinus), which became obese on fat-rich seed diet. after a few months hyperplasia and hypertrophy of beta-cells occurred leading to a sudden rupture, insulin loss and ketosis. spiny mice were low insulin responders, which is probably a characteristic of certain desert animals, pro ... | 2001 | 11795838 |
| temporal partitioning among diurnally and nocturnally active desert spiny mice: energy and water turnover costs. | nocturnal acomys cahirinus and diurnally active a. russatus coexist in hot rocky deserts. diurnal and nocturnal activity exposes them to different climatic challenges. a doubly-labelled water field study revealed no significant differences in water turnover between the species at all seasons, reflecting the adaptations of a. russatus to water conservation. in summers the energy expenditure of a. russatus tended to be higher than that of a. cahirinus. energy requirements of a. cahirinus in winter ... | 2001 | 11163930 |
| comparative non-shivering thermogenesis in adjacent populations of the common spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) from opposite slopes: the effects of increasing salinity. | we compared non-shivering thermogenesis between two adjacent populations of the common spiny mouse acomys cahirinus from different habitats, in relation to increasing salinity. individuals were captured from the north- and south-facing slopes of the same valley, that represent "mediterranean" and "desert" habitats, respectively. we hypothesized that the two populations of mice would differ in their thermoregulatory capacities, reflecting their need to cope with the environmental stress in each h ... | 2002 | 11824399 |
| the effects of season and dietary salt content on body temperature daily rhythms of common spiny mice from different micro-habitats. | we compared body temperature (t(b)) daily rhythms in two populations of common spiny mice, acomys cahirinus, during summer and winter months in relation to increasing dietary salt content. mice were collected from the north and south facing slopes (nfs and sfs) of the same valley, that are exhibiting mesic and xeric habitats, respectively. during the summer, whilst mice were offered a water source containing 0.9% nacl, sfs individuals had t(b) peak values at 24:00, whereas nfs individuals had pe ... | 2002 | 12020645 |
| the structure of the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) ovary during development. | the study presents the structure of the ovaries of the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) during the first months of life. the ovaries in neonate females exhibit a large number of primordial and primary follicles, sometimes clustered in nests. the growing follicles were also observed within the ovary at that period. the first, early antral follicles appeared in the ovary during the second week of life. in the group of 60-day old females, the structure of the ovaries was characterized by a significan ... | 2002 | 12056623 |
| morphology, topography and cytoarchitectonics of the pterygopalatine ganglion in egyptian spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus, desmarest). | using the thiocholine method of koelle and friedenwald and histological techniques the pterygopalatine ganglion in egyptian spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus, desmarest) was studied. the ganglion was found to be a single irregular cluster of neurocytes, situated on the medial surface of the maxillary nerve. the ganglion is composed of oval, elliptical and sometimes fusiform ganglionic neurones in compact arrangement without a thick connective-tissue capsule. | 2002 | 12164048 |
| host specificity and foraging efficiency in blood-sucking parasite: feeding patterns of the flea parapulex chephrenis on two species of desert rodents. | parasite species can adapt to ecological, behavioral, physiological and biochemical traits of a particular host species. the flea parapulex chephrenis occurs on the spiny mouse acomys cahirinus, but does not occur on a co-existing gerbil, gerbillus dasyurus. to test the hypothesis that the host species affects feeding parameters of a host-specific flea, we studied the feeding rate, rate of blood digestion and resistance to starvation of p. chephrenis when feeding on a. cahirinus and g. dasyurus. ... | 2003 | 12739133 |
| a comparative study on cardiac ganglia in midday gerbil, egyptian spiny mouse, chinchilla laniger and pigeon. | using the thiocholine method and histological techniques, the topography and morphology of cardiac ganglia in midday gerbil, egyptian spiny mouse, chinchilla laniger and pigeon were studied. the results demonstrated that cardiac ganglia in all investigated species are embedded in epicardial fat. they formed plexo-ganglionic structures. each of them composed of many ganglia (from seven up to 36) different in size and shape, and interconnected by fascicles of nerve fibres. comparative analysis sho ... | 2003 | 12823098 |
| human zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis and associated sand flies (diptera: psychodidae) in sheikh atiya village, southern sinai, egypt. | zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in sinai peninsula. human cases were recorded from the northern sinai, however little was known about the disease in southern sinai. during entomological surveys conducted southern sinai in summers of 1997-1999, a clinically confirmed zcl case was encountered for the first time in sheikh atiya village in june 1999. the parasite was isolated and identified as l. major using cellulose acetate electrophoresis. a total of 784 phlebotomine sand flies were c ... | 2003 | 14708854 |
| rodents in open space adjust their behavioral response to the different risk levels during barn-owl attack. | previous studies have revealed that the response of prey species to predatory risk comprised either freezing (when the prey remained immobile), or fleeing (when it ran frantically in order to remove itself from the vicinity of the predator). other studies, however, have suggested that the prey will adjust its behavior to risk level. the present study was designed to follow the attacks of a barn owl (tyto alba) on common spiny mice (acomys cahirinus) and social voles (microtus socialis guntherei) ... | 2003 | 14614781 |
| local variation in helminth burdens of egyptian spiny mice (acomys cahirinus dimidiatus) from ecologically similar sites: relationships with hormone concentrations and social behaviour. | populations of egyptian spiny mice (acomys cahirinus dimidiatus) in a fragmented montane wadi system in the sinai showed significant differences in the abundance of gut helminths. differences in parasite load between populations were positively associated with measures of androgen activity but showed no significant relationship with glucocorticoid activity. social discrimination tests with adult males from different wadis showed that those from sites with greater helminth abundance were less lik ... | 2003 | 12895278 |
| locomotor activity in common spiny mice (acomys cahirinuse): the effect of light and environmental complexity. | rodents typically avoid illuminated and open areas, favoring dark or sheltered environments for activity. while previous studies focused on the effect of these environmental attributes on the level of activity, the present study tested whether the spatio-temporal structure of activity was also modified in illuminated compared with dark and complex compared with open arenas. for this, we tested common spiny mice (acomys cahirinus) in empty or stone-containing arenas with lights on or lights off. | 2004 | 15537426 |
| differential energy costs of winter acclimatized common spiny mice acomys cahirinus from two adjacent habitats. | the common spiny mouse acomys cahirinus, of ethiopian origin, has a widespread distribution across arid, semi-arid and mediterranean parts of the arabian sub-region. we compared the daily energy expenditure (dee), water turnover (wto) and sustained metabolic scope (susms=dee/resting metabolic rate) of two adjacent populations during the winter. mice were captured from north- and south- facing slopes (nfs and sfs) of the same valley, comprising mesic and xeric habitats, respectively. both dee and ... | 2004 | 15123215 |
| anatomical and histological data on the ciliary ganglion in the egyptian spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus desmarest). | the morphology and topography of the ciliary ganglion in the egyptian spiny mouse were studied with use of histochemical and histological techniques. the ciliary ganglion of the egyptian spiny mouse consisted of between 3 and 4 agglomerations of nerve cells. the largest was situated at the point where the ventral branch of the oculomotor nerve divides into two branches. the next two smaller aggregations were located on the superior and lateral surfaces of the optic nerve where it crossed the ocu ... | 2004 | 15478100 |
| the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) completes nephrogenesis before birth. | the spiny mouse is relatively mature at birth. we hypothesized that like other organs, the kidney may be more developed in the spiny mouse at birth, than in other rodents. if nephrogenesis is complete before birth, the spiny mouse may provide an excellent model with which to study the effects of an altered intrauterine environment on renal development. due to its desert adaptation, the spiny mouse may have a reduced cortex-to-medulla ratio but an equivalent total nephron number to the c57/bl mou ... | 2005 | 15741606 |
| circadian activity rhythms in the spiny mouse, acomys cahirinus. | circadian locomotor rhythms were examined in adult common spiny mice, acomys cahirinus. spiny mice demonstrated nocturnal activity, with onset of activity coinciding promptly with onset of darkness. re-entrainment to 6-h delays of the light-dark cycle was accomplished faster than to 6-h advances. access to running wheels yielded significant changes in period and duration of daily activity. novelty-induced wheel running had no effect on phase of activity rhythms. circadian responses to light at v ... | 2005 | 16176823 |
| sex-biased parasitism, seasonality and sexual size dimorphism in desert rodents. | we investigated seasonality of gender differences in the patterns of flea infestation in nine rodent species to test if sex-biased parasitism in terms of mean abundance, species richness, prevalence and the level of aggregation (a) varies among hosts and between seasons, and (b) is linked to sexual size dimorphism. sexual size differences were significant in both summer and winter in acomys cahirinus, gerbillus pyramidum and meriones crassus, and in winter only in acomys russatus, gerbillus dasy ... | 2005 | 16025350 |
| energy costs of blood digestion in a host-specific haematophagous parasite. | fleas consume and digest blood from their hosts. we hypothesized that the energy costs of digestion of blood by fleas is dependent on the host species. to test this hypothesis, we studied co2 emission, a measure of energy expenditure, during digestion of a blood meal taken by parapulex chephrenis from a preferred (acomys cahirinus) and a non-preferred (gerbillus dasyurus) host. we predicted that the energy cost of digestion would be lower for a. cahirinus blood than that for g. dasyurus. male an ... | 2005 | 15961735 |
| seasonal thermogenic acclimation of diurnally and nocturnally active desert spiny mice. | diurnally active golden spiny mice (acomys russatus) and nocturnal common spiny mice (acomys cahirinus) coexist in hot rocky deserts of israel. diurnal and nocturnal activities expose these species to different climatic conditions. nonshivering thermogenesis (nst) capacity of individuals of both species immediately upon removal from the field exhibited seasonal changes, with no significant interspecific difference. colony-reared mice of either species transferred in the laboratory from long to s ... | 2006 | 10685905 |
| geographic variation in body size: the effects of ambient temperature and precipitation. | latitudinal trends in body size have been explained as a response to temperature- or water-related factors, which are predictors of primary production. we used the first principal component calculated from three body parameters (weight, body length and the greatest length of the skull) of a sample of mammals from israel and sinai to determine those species that vary in size geographically, and whether such variation is related to annual rainfall, average minimum january temperature and average m ... | 2006 | 16525785 |
| temporal variation in parasite infestation of a host individual: does a parasite-free host remain uninfested permanently? | host individuals not infested by parasites at a given time are either permanently free from parasites or could be infested at other times. we studied temporal variation in the presence or absence of fleas (siphonaptera) on individual rodents of two species (gerbillus dasyurus and acomys cahirinus) and questioned if and how an individual rodent can change its infestation status temporally. change in infestation status by fleas over time was found in 45.5% of g. dasyurus and 35.9% of a. cahirinus. ... | 2006 | 16628454 |
| spiny mice (acomys cahirinus) do not respond to thymus-independent type 2 antigens. | analysis of the immune system of spiny mice (acomys cahirinus) has been limited. originally grouped with mus, acomys has recently been placed closer to meriones (gerbils). this study compared immunity in acomys, mus, and meriones. lymphocytes from all rodents examined proliferated in response to mitogen and superantigen stimulation. only mus t cells responded to anti-cd3 stimulation. acomys, like meriones, and mus that express xid, did not respond to thymus-independent type 2 antigens. flow cyto ... | 2006 | 16698082 |
| nutritionally induced diabetes in desert rodents as models of type 2 diabetes: acomys cahirinus (spiny mice) and psammomys obesus (desert gerbil). | the dietary effects of hyperglycemia increasingly result in type 2 diabetes in humans. two species, the spiny mice (acomys cahirinus) and the desert gerbil (psammomys obesus), which have different metabolic responses to such effects, are discussed. spiny mice exemplify a pathway that leads to diabetes without marked insulin resistance due to low supply of insulin on abundant nutrition, possibly characteristic of a desert animal. they respond with obesity and glucose intolerance, beta-cell hyperp ... | 2006 | 16804196 |
| immunohistochemical localization of estrogen receptors eralpha and erbeta in the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) ovary during postnatal development. | this study was designed to determine the expression pattern of estrogen receptor (er) subtypes in the acomys cahirinus ovarian cells during its postnatal development. immunohistochemical studies revealed the presence of eralpha and erbeta in germinal epithelium cells and interstitial tissue. both these er subtypes were also seen in granulosa cells and oocytes of growing follicles, however, the level of erbeta expression was higher in comparison with eralpha. in contrast to erbeta, eralpha protei ... | 2007 | 17180742 |
| topography of arterial circle of the brain in egyptian spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus, desmarest). | using stained acryl latex-injected techniques, the arterial circle of the brain in acomys cahirinus desmarest was studied. results revealed an important individual variability of investigated structure. three morphological variants were found: (1) the lack of typical arterial circle--opened in front and the back side, (2) partial opened at the back side, (3) completely closed arterial circle. this finding is opposed to many species of mammals, including rodents, and especially laboratory mouse. ... | 2007 | 17371389 |
| between-host phylogenetic distance and feeding efficiency in hematophagous ectoparasites: rodent fleas and a bat host. | we hypothesized that a parasite exploits most effectively its principal host, less effectively a host that is phylogenetically close to its principal host, and least effectively a host that is phylogenetically distant from its principal host. we tested this hypothesis by quantifying the feeding efficiency of two flea species (parapulex chephrenis and xenopsylla ramesis) on two rodents, acomys cahirinus, the specific host of p. chephrenis, and meriones crassus, a preferred host of x. ramesis, and ... | 2007 | 17297629 |
| maternal creatine: does it reach the fetus and improve survival after an acute hypoxic episode in the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus)? | we hypothesized that elevating creatine in the maternal diet would reach fetal and placental tissues and improve fetal survival after acute hypoxia at birth. | 2008 | 18295173 |
| the effects of sex, age and commensal way of life on levels of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in spiny mice (acomys cahirinus). | we studied levels of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (gcm) in a social rodent - egyptian spiny mouse. as breeding adults are socially dominant over subadults, and adolescent males are driven away by the dominant males, we addressed the question whether animals within extended families are stressed differently depending upon their social category. in addition, we evaluated whether there are differences between non-commensal (outdoor) and commensal (adapted to human settlements) populations. conc ... | 2008 | 18586285 |
| helminths collected from imported pet murids, with special reference to concomitant infection of the golden hamsters with three pinworm species of the genus syphacia (nematoda: oxyuridae). | a total of 210 individuals of 13 species belonging to 4 subfamilies of muridae imported into japan as pets were examined; 5 species of syphacia (nematoda: oxyuridae), aspiculuris tetraptera (nematoda: heteroxynematidae), and rodentolepis nana (cestoidea: hymenolepididae) were collected. concurrent infection with 3 pinworm species, syphacia mesocriceti, syphacia stroma, and syphacia peromysci, was recorded for the first time in the golden hamster, mesocricetus auratus. syphacia mesocriceti was al ... | 2008 | 18605784 |
| burrowing: a sensitive behavioural assay, tested in five species of laboratory rodents. | in the burrowing test, mice or rats spontaneously empty a tube filled with food pellets, gravel or other substances. the test is extremely simple to perform, the apparatus is inexpensive and readily constructed. it exploits a natural rodent behaviour, provides quantitative data under controlled laboratory conditions, and has proved extremely sensitive to prion disease in mice (mus musculus), cytokines in rats (rattus norvegicus), lipopolysaccharide in mice and rats, strain differences and brain ... | 2009 | 19373978 |
| apparatus for collection of fecal samples from undisturbed spiny mice (acomys cahirinus) living in a complex social group. | assessment of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites has become a widely used method for monitoring stress responses. because most small rodents are social animals whose physiologic parameters are affected by social stimuli, individual housing may compromise these data. nevertheless, housing rodents in families or social groups may be an important limitation to the experimental design. the challenge is to collect samples from individual rodents while avoiding stress-associated effects from the samplin ... | 2009 | 19383218 |
| detection of bartonella spp. in wild rodents in israel using hrm real-time pcr. | the prevalence of bartonella spp. in wild rodents was studied in 19 geographical locations in israel. one hundred and twelve rodents belonging to five species (mus musculus, rattus rattus, microtus socialis, acomys cahirinus and apodemus sylvaticus) were included in the survey. in addition, 156 ectoparasites were collected from the rodents. spleen sample from each rodent and the ectoparasites were examined for the presence of bartonella dna using high resolution melt (hrm) real-time pcr. the met ... | 2009 | 19595521 |
| neuroprotective properties of melatonin in a model of birth asphyxia in the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus). | birth asphyxia is associated with disturbed development of the neonatal brain. in this study, we determined if low-dose melatonin (0.1 mg/kg/day), administered to the mother over 7 days at the end of pregnancy, could protect against the effects of birth asphyxia in a precocial species - the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus). at 37 days of gestation (term is 38-39 days), pups were subjected to birth asphyxia (7.5 min uterine ischemia) and compared to cesarean section-delivered controls. at 24 h of a ... | 2009 | 19684403 |
| seasonal variation of infestation rate with lice, tick and mite among rodents in certain egyptian regions. | four species of mites (ornithonyssus bacoti, haemolaelaps glusgowi, echinolaelaps echinolelaps & dermanyssus gallinae), two species of ticks (rhipicephalus sanguineus & hyalomma dromedarrii) and one species of lice (polyplax spinulose) were identified on rodents during 4 successive seasons (2005) trapped in five governorates (suez, menoufia, giza, damietta and beni-sewaf). the rodents were rattus norvegicus, rattus rattus alexandrinus, rattus rattus frugivourus, acomys cahirinus and mus musculus ... | 2009 | 19795768 |
| neuropathology and functional deficits in a model of birth asphyxia in the precocial spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus). | birth asphyxia can result in sensory impairment, learning and memory deficits without gross brain injury and severe motor deficits. we developed a model of birth asphyxia resulting in mild neurological injury and cognitive impairment using a long-gestation species with precocial fetal development. spiny mice (acomys cahirinus) underwent caesarean-section delivery or 7.5 min of asphyxia at 37 days gestational age (term is 39 days). brain histology was examined at 1 and 7 days of age, and behaviou ... | 2009 | 19851070 |
| is the high concentration of ascorbic acid in the eye an adaptation to intense solar irradiation? | ascorbic acid is known to exist in high concentration in the aqueous humor of the eye in many species. it has been observed that diurnal mammals have a very high concentration in aqueous humor whereas nocturnal mammals do not. it has been hypothesized that ascorbic acid protects the eye from the harmful effects of sunlight. we have discovered that of two closely related species of spiny mice, the diurnal species (acomys russatus) has a concentration in aqueous humor that is 35 times higher than ... | 2009 | 2793364 |
| acomys, the closest relatives to gerbils, do express pdx-1 protein and have similar islet morphology to gerbils. | acomys, also called spiny mice, were once used as a diabetes model. we have recently demonstrated that the closest relatives to the acomys, members of the family gerbillinae, lack the transcription factor pdx-1. therefore, we sought to determine if members of this family also lack pdx-1, and describe the pancreatic morphology in three different species of acomys: acomys cahirinus (egyptian spiny mouse), acomys cilicicus (asia minor spiny mouse) and acomys dimidiatus (eastern spiny mouse). we suc ... | 2009 | 21099272 |
| does acquired resistance of rodent hosts affect metabolic rate of fleas? | we studied whether (a) previous infestation of a rodent host with fleas and (b) the reproductive effort of fleas affect the rate of co(2) emission in two flea species, host-specific parapulex chephrenis and host-opportunistic xenopsylla ramesis when feeding on their typical and atypical rodent hosts. we measured the rate of co(2) emission in preovipositing and ovipositing female fleas fed on either pristine or previously infested acomys cahirinus (typical host of p. chephrenis) and dipodillus da ... | 2009 | 19350621 |
| infestation experience of a rodent host and offspring viability of fleas: variation among host-parasite associations. | we studied survival and development of preimagoes and the ability to withstand starvation of adults in two flea species, host-specific parapulex chephrenis and host-opportunistic xenopsylla ramesis, when parent fleas fed on a typical (acomys cahirinus and dipodillus dasyurus, respectively) or an atypical (d. dasyurus and a. cahirinus, respectively) rodent host that either had never been parasitized by fleas (pristine) or had previously been exposed to fleas. we asked whether a repeatedly infeste ... | 2010 | 20853416 |
| masking and temporal niche switches in spiny mice. | activity patterns are the product of interactions between an internal circadian clock and direct responses to photic and nonphotic features of the environment that are said to "mask" the influence of that clock. evolutionary transitions between nocturnality and diurnality involve changes in mechanisms underlying both of these processes. here, the authors examined how masking influences activity patterns of golden spiny mice ( acomys russatus), which can be either nocturnal or diurnal, and common ... | 2010 | 20075300 |
| spiny mice modulate eumelanin to pheomelanin ratio to achieve cryptic coloration in "evolution canyon," israel. | coat coloration in mammals is an explicit adaptation through natural selection. camouflaging with the environment is the foremost evolutionary drive in explaining overall coloration. decades of enquiries on this topic have been limited to repetitive coat color measurements to correlate the morphs with background/habitat blending. this led to an overwhelming endorsement of concealing coloration as a local phenotypic adaptation in animals, primarily rodents to evade predators. however, most such s ... | 2010 | 20090935 |
| the substructure of the suprachiasmatic nucleus: similarities between nocturnal and diurnal spiny mice. | evolutionary transitions between nocturnal and diurnal patterns of adaptation to the day-night cycle must have involved fundamental changes in the neural mechanisms that coordinate the daily patterning of activity, but little is known about how these mechanisms differ. one reason is that information on these systems in very closely related diurnal and nocturnal species is lacking. in this study, we characterize the suprachiasmatic nucleus (scn), the primary brain structure involved in the genera ... | 2010 | 20134153 |
| distribution of androgen and progesterone receptors in the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus) ovary during postnatal life. | this study describes the localization of androgen (ar) and progesterone (pr) receptors in the developing ovary in the spiny mouse. the immunohistochemical analysis showed for the first time the expression of ar and pr proteins in the ovary as early as in one day-old females. both ar and pr were present in germinal epithelium cells, stromal cells as well as in the granulosa and theca layer of ovarian follicles. on days 7, 14, 21, 30, 60 and 90, the distribution of ar and pr depended on the stage ... | 2010 | 20349022 |
| behavioural effects of near-term acute fetal hypoxia in a small precocial animal, the spiny mouse (acomys cahirinus). | we have previously developed a model of near-term intra-uterine hypoxia producing significant neonatal mortality (37%) in a small laboratory animal - the spiny mouse - which has precocial offspring at birth. the aim of the present study was to determine if this insult resulted in the appearance of behavioural abnormalities in those offspring which survived the hypoxic delivery. behavioural tests assessed gait (using footprint patterns), motor coordination and balance on an accelerating rotarod, ... | 2010 | 19590246 |
| light masking in the field: an experiment with nocturnal and diurnal spiny mice under semi-natural field conditions. | light masking has been studied almost exclusively in the laboratory. the authors populated four field enclosures with locally coexisting nocturnal acomys cahirinus and diurnal a. russatus, and monitored their body temperatures (t(b)) using implanted temperature-sensitive radio transmitters. a 3-h light pulse was initiated at the beginning of two consecutive nights; preceding nights were controls. a. cahirinus t(b) and calculated activity levels decreased significantly during the light pulse, dem ... | 2011 | 21182406 |