| genomic tools for the use of nonhuman primates in translational research. | nonhuman primates (nhps) are important preclinical models for understanding the etiology of human diseases and for developing therapies and vaccines to cure or eliminate disease. most human diseases have genetic components. therefore, to be of maximal utility, the nhp species used for translational science should be as well characterized in regard to their genome and transcriptome as possible. this article reviews the current status of genomic information for the five nhp species used most often ... | 2017 | 28838069 |
| renal vascular and glomerular pathologies associated with spontaneous hypertension in the nonhuman primate chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus. | hypertension is a complex, multifactorial disease affecting an estimated 78 million adults in the united states. despite scientific gains, the etiology of human essential hypertension is unknown and current experimental models do not recapitulate all the behavioral and physiological characteristics of the pathology. researchers should assess the translational capacity of these models and look to other animal models for the discovery of new therapies. chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus, the african gre ... | 2017 | 28659284 |
| hematologic and biochemical ris for an aged population of captive african green monkeys (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). | established ris for geriatric african green monkeys (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) are critical for clinical differentiation of normal aging from disease-related changes in this population. | 2017 | 28543372 |
| radiosynthesis and in vivo evaluation of [(11)c]a1070722, a high affinity gsk-3 pet tracer in primate brain. | dysfunction of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (gsk-3) is implicated in the etiology of alzheimer's disease, parkinson's disease, diabetes, pain, and cancer. a radiotracer for functional positron emission tomography (pet) imaging could be used to study the kinase in brain disorders and to facilitate the development of small molecule inhibitors of gsk-3 for treatment. at present, there is no target-specific or validated pet tracer available for the in vivo monitoring of gsk-3. we radiolabeled the smal ... | 2017 | 28485573 |
| the demographic and adaptive history of the african green monkey. | relatively little is known about the evolutionary history of the african green monkey (genus chlorocebus) due to the lack of sampled polymorphism data from wild populations. yet, this characterization of genetic diversity is not only critical for a better understanding of their own history, but also for human biomedical research given that they are one of the most widely used primate models. here, i analyze the demographic and selective history of the african green monkey, utilizing one of the m ... | 2017 | 28199709 |
| in vivo evaluation of [(18)f]fecimbi-36, an agonist 5-ht2a/2c receptor pet radioligand in nonhuman primate. | we recently reported the radiosynthesis and in vitro evaluation of [(18)f]-2-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-n-(2-(2-fluoroethoxy)benzyl)ethanamine, ([(18)f]fecimbi-36) or ([(18)f]1), an agonist radioligand for 5ht2a/2c receptors in postmortem samples of human brain. herein we describe the in vivo evaluation of [(18)f]fecimbi-36 in vervet/african green monkeys by pet imaging. pet images show that [(18)f]fecimbi-36 penetrates the blood-brain barrier and a low retention of radioactivity is observed ... | 2017 | 27889455 |
| blood cell respirometry is associated with skeletal and cardiac muscle bioenergetics: implications for a minimally invasive biomarker of mitochondrial health. | blood based bioenergetic profiling strategies are emerging as potential reporters of systemic mitochondrial function; however, the extent to which these measures reflect the bioenergetic capacity of other tissues is not known. the premise of this work is that highly metabolically active tissues, such as skeletal and cardiac muscle, are susceptible to differences in systemic bioenergetic capacity. therefore, we tested whether the respiratory capacity of blood cells, monocytes and platelets, are r ... | 2016 | 27693859 |
| effects of heated hydrotherapy on muscle hsp70 and glucose metabolism in old and young vervet monkeys. | increasing heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) in aged and/or insulin-resistant animal models confers benefits to healthspan and lifespan. heat application to increase core temperature induces hsps in metabolically important tissues, and preliminary human and animal data suggest that heated hydrotherapy is an effective method to achieve increased hsps. however, safety concerns exist, particularly in geriatric medicine where organ and cardiovascular disease commonly will preexist. we evaluated young ve ... | 2016 | 27188431 |
| a comparison of adult body size between captive and wild vervet monkeys (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) on the island of st. kitts. | weight and 34 morphological measurements were obtained from 103 vervet monkeys living either in the wild or in captive colonies derived from the wild populations on the island of st. kitts in the eastern caribbean. all measures were taken during the same week, eliminating bias that might result from changing seasonal environmental conditions. vervets on st. kitts are all descended from a small number of individuals brought to the island approximately 400 years ago from west africa, thus eliminat ... | 2016 | 26801341 |
| vitamin d heritability and effect of pregnancy status in vervet monkeys (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) under conditions of modest and high dietary supplementation. | the two objectives of the current study were to: 1) investigate the genetic contributions to variations in serum vitamin d concentrations under two dietary conditions (a standard monkey biscuit diet vs. a diet designed to model typical american consumption); and 2) explore the interaction of vitamin d with pregnancy status using a cohort of pedigreed female vervet/african green monkeys. | 2016 | 26708407 |
| variable responses of human and non-human primate gut microbiomes to a western diet. | the human gut microbiota interacts closely with human diet and physiology. to better understand the mechanisms behind this relationship, gut microbiome research relies on complementing human studies with manipulations of animal models, including non-human primates. however, due to unique aspects of human diet and physiology, it is likely that host-gut microbe interactions operate differently in humans and non-human primates. | 2015 | 26568112 |
| pair housing of vervets/african green monkeys for biomedical research. | vervets, also known as african green monkeys, are a nonhuman primate species widely used in biomedical research. however, there are currently few references available describing techniques and rates of success for pair-housing this species. we present data from four cohorts of vervets from three different facilities: (i) the wake forest vervet research colony (vrc; n = 72 female pairs, n= 52 male pairs), (ii) the university of louisiana at lafayette-new iberia research center (ul-nirc; n = 57 fe ... | 2017 | 26539878 |
| hematology and clinical chemistry measures during and after pregnancy and age- and sex-specific reference intervals in african green monkeys (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). | clinical decisions and experimental analyses often involve the assessment of hematology and clinical chemistry. using clinical pathology to assess the health status of nhp in breeding colonies or data from studies than involve pregnancy can often be complicated by pregnancy status. this study had 2 objectives regarding the hematology and clinical chemistry of african green monkeys (agm, chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus): 1) to compare pregnant or recently postpartum animals with nonpregnant, nonlact ... | 2015 | 26224434 |
| sequencing strategies and characterization of 721 vervet monkey genomes for future genetic analyses of medically relevant traits. | we report here the first genome-wide high-resolution polymorphism resource for non-human primate (nhp) association and linkage studies, constructed for the caribbean-origin vervet monkey, or african green monkey (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus), one of the most widely used nhps in biomedical research. we generated this resource by whole genome sequencing (wgs) of monkeys from the vervet research colony (vrc), an nih-supported research resource for which extensive phenotypic data are available. | 2015 | 26092298 |
| characterization of ovarian aging and reproductive senescence in vervet monkeys (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). | female vervet monkeys (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) are used as an experimental model for chronic diseases relevant to women's health. however, reproductive senescence (menopause) has not yet been characterized for vervet monkeys. here we describe the histologic, hormonal, and menstrual markers of reproductive senescence in vervet monkeys from the wake forest vervet research colony. ovaries from monkeys (age, 0 to 27 y) were serially sectioned (5 μm), stained, and photographed. in every 100th s ... | 2014 | 24512962 |
| orchidectomy does not significantly affect spine synapse density in the ca3 hippocampal subfield in st. kitts vervet monkeys (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). | gonadal hormones induce significant changes in cognitive function, associated with alterations in the structure of the hippocampus. we have previously shown that androgens increase the number of spine synapses in the ca1 stratum radiatum of the monkey hippocampus. recent evidence, however, suggests that loss of testicular hormone production may have variable effects on neuroplasticity in different regions of the hippocampus. to test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of orchidectomy in the ... | 2014 | 24269983 |
| assessing the pulsatility of luteinizing hormone in female vervet monkeys (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). | specific alterations in the pulsatility of luteinizing hormone (lh) are linked to obesity-related subfertility in ovulatory women. vervet monkeys (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) are an old world nonhuman primate that develops obesity and has a menstrual cycle similar to humans. we evaluated follicular-phase lh pulses in 12 adult normal-weight female vervets. serum was collected every 10 min for 4 h by using a tether device in conscious, freely moving monkeys on menstrual cycle days 2 through 5. s ... | 2013 | 24210020 |
| effects of a western-type diet on plasma lipids and other cardiometabolic risk factors in african green monkeys (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). | our goal was to assess a nonhuman primate diet that mimicked the western-type diet of humans with regard to palatability and the diet's effects on plasma lipid concentrations and other cardiometabolic risk factors. we evaluated male (n = 8) and female (n = 11) african green monkeys (vervets; chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) that initially were fed a standard diet. each cohort then was divided into 2 groups, which received either standard chow or the western diet. food consumption and fecal quality ... | 2013 | 23849442 |
| development of amyloid burden in african green monkeys. | the vervet is an old world monkey increasingly being used as a model for human diseases. in addition to plaques and tangles, an additional hallmark of alzheimer's disease is damage to neurons that synthesize noradrenaline (na). we characterized amyloid burden in the posterior temporal lobe of young and aged vervets, and compared that with changes in na levels and astrocyte activation. total amyloid beta (aβ)40 and aβ42 levels were increased in the aged group, as were numbers of amyloid plaques d ... | 2013 | 23601810 |
| 25(oh)d3 and cardiovascular risk factors in female nonhuman primates. | to determine if interindividual differences in plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin d(3) (25(oh)d(3)) have pathophysiologic significance, we evaluated a cohort of female monkeys, seeking to identify associations with clinically relevant cardiovascular risk factors, including age, abdominal obesity (waist circumference), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (hdl-c). | 2012 | 22876774 |
| a non-human primate system for large-scale genetic studies of complex traits. | non-human primates provide genetic model systems biologically intermediate between humans and other mammalian model organisms. populations of caribbean vervet monkeys (chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) are genetically homogeneous and large enough to permit well-powered genetic mapping studies of quantitative traits relevant to human health, including expression quantitative trait loci (eqtl). previous transcriptome-wide investigation in an extended vervet pedigree identified 29 heritable transcripts ... | 2012 | 22556363 |
| faecal glucocorticoid metabolite monitoring as a measure of physiological stress in captive and wild vervet monkeys. | the development of non-invasive techniques to analyse physiological stress in mammalian species has revolutionised field-based endocrinology. however, careful validation of the methods used to determine faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fgcm) and other hormone concentrations are required on a species- and sex-specific basis. in this study, we performed an adrenocorticotropic hormone (acth) stimulation test on four (two male and two female) captive vervet monkeys (chlorocebus pygerythrus) to dete ... | 2017 | 28843615 |
| automated synthesis of 1-[(11)c]acetoacetate on a trasis aio module. | we automated radiochemical synthesis of 1-[(11)c]acetoacetate in a commercially available radiochemistry module, trasis allinone by [(11)c]carboxylation of the corresponding enolate anion generated in situ from isopropenylacetate and meli, and purified by ion-exchange column resins.1-[(11)c]acetoacetate was synthesized with high radiochemical purity (95%) and specific activity (~ 66.6gbq/µmol, n = 30) with 35% radiochemical yield, decay corrected to end of synthesis. the total synthesis required ... | 2017 | 28806598 |
| high leptospira seroprevalence in captive and wild-caught vervet monkeys ( chlorocebus sabeus) on the caribbean island of saint kitts. | leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance. very little information is available on leptospira infection in nonhuman primates. we report herein a high seroprevalence (49.4%; 95% confidence interval: 41.6-57.2%) to leptospira serovars in vervet monkeys ( chlorocebus sabeus) on the caribbean island of saint kitts. monkeys bred in captivity ( n = 81) had a significantly higher seroprevalence compared to wild-caught monkeys ( n = 81; p < 0.05). seroprevalence to serovar bataviae was si ... | 2017 | 28782434 |
| resilience of experimentally seeded dietary traditions in wild vervets: evidence from group fissions. | controlled laboratory experiments have delivered extensive and compelling evidence for the diffusion and maintenance of socially learned behavior in primates and other animals. such evidence is rarer in the wild, but we show that a behavior seeded in a majority of individuals within vervet monkey (chlorocebus pygerythus) groups may be sustained across several years. here, we report results of two natural fission events in such groups that offer novel evidence of the resilience of socially transm ... | 2017 | 28762524 |
| comparison of gastrointestinal parasite communities in vervet monkeys. | | 2017 | 28685946 |
| changes in nonhuman primate brain function following chronic alcohol consumption in previously naïve animals. | chronic alcohol abuse is associated with neurophysiological changes in brain activity; however, these changes are not well localized in humans. non-human primate models of alcohol abuse enable control over many potential confounding variables associated with human studies. the present study utilized high-resolution magnetoencephalography (meg) to quantify the effects of chronic etoh self-administration on resting state (rs) brain function in vervet monkeys. | 2017 | 28622627 |
| analysis of bmaa enantiomers in cycads, cyanobacteria, and mammals: in vivo formation and toxicity of d-bmaa. | chronic dietary exposure to the cyanobacterial toxin β-n-methylamino-l-alanine (bmaa) triggers neuropathology in non-human primates, providing support for the theory that bmaa causes a fatal neurodegenerative illness among the indigenous chamorro people of guam. however, since there are two stereoisomers of bmaa, it is important to know if both can occur in nature, and if so, what role they might play in disease causation. as a first step, we analysed both bmaa enantiomers in cyanobacteria, cyca ... | 2017 | 28620737 |
| dalcetrapib and anacetrapib differently impact hdl structure and function in rabbits and monkeys. | inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (cetp) increases hdl cholesterol (hdl-c) levels. however, the circulating cetp level varies and the impact of its inhibition in species with high cetp levels on hdl structure and function remains poorly characterized. this study investigated the effects of dalcetrapib and anacetrapib, the two cetp inhibitors (cetpis) currently being tested in large clinical outcome trials, on hdl particle subclass distribution and cholesterol efflux capacity of se ... | 2017 | 28515138 |
| creating a simian model of guam als/pdc which reflects chamorro lifetime bmaa exposures. | the theory that β-n-methylamino-l-alanine (bmaa), a cyanobacterial toxin, contaminates traditional food supplies of the chamorro people of guam is supported by the recent finding that chronic dietary exposure to l-bmaa in vervets (chlorocebus sabaeus) triggers the formation of neurofibrillary tangles (nft) and β-amyloid plaques in the brain. in the first experiment, we found that all four vervets receiving a 210 mg/kg dose for 140 days developed nft and sparse amyloid deposits. in the second exp ... | 2017 | 28478528 |
| ketamine induced converged synchronous gamma oscillations in the cortico-basal ganglia network of nonhuman primates. | n-methyl-d-aspartate (nmda) antagonists are widely used in anesthesia, pain management, and schizophrenia animal model studies, and recently as potential antidepressants. however, the mechanisms underlying their anesthetic, psychotic, cognitive, and emotional effects are still elusive. the basal ganglia (bg) integrate input from different cortical domains through their dopamine-modulated connections to achieve optimal behavior control. nmda antagonists have been shown to induce gamma oscillation ... | 2017 | 28468999 |
| cardiac troponin t and fast skeletal muscle denervation in ageing. | ageing skeletal muscle undergoes chronic denervation, and the neuromuscular junction (nmj), the key structure that connects motor neuron nerves with muscle cells, shows increased defects with ageing. previous studies in various species have shown that with ageing, type ii fast-twitch skeletal muscle fibres show more atrophy and nmj deterioration than type i slow-twitch fibres. however, how this process is regulated is largely unknown. a better understanding of the mechanisms regulating skeletal ... | 2017 | 28419739 |
| snake scales, partial exposure, and the snake detection theory: a human event-related potentials study. | studies of event-related potentials in humans have established larger early posterior negativity (epn) in response to pictures depicting snakes than to pictures depicting other creatures. ethological research has recently shown that macaques and wild vervet monkeys respond strongly to partially exposed snake models and scale patterns on the snake skin. here, we examined whether snake skin patterns and partially exposed snakes elicit a larger epn in humans. in task 1, we employed pictures with cl ... | 2017 | 28387376 |
| reduced intestinal motility, mucosal barrier function, and inflammation in aged monkeys. | we aimed to examine the general health and intestinal physiology of young and old non-human primates with comparable life histories and dietary environments. | 2017 | 28346561 |
| β-n-methylamino-l-alanine (bmaa) perturbs alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism pathways in human neuroblastoma cells as determined by metabolic profiling. | β-methylamino-l-alanine (bmaa) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid that induces long-term cognitive deficits, as well as an increased neurodegeneration and intracellular fibril formation in the hippocampus of adult rodents following short-time neonatal exposure and in vervet monkey brain following long-term exposure. it has also been proposed to be involved in the etiology of neurodegenerative disease in humans. the aim of this study was to identify metabolic effects not related to excitotoxicity ... | 2017 | 28161796 |
| wildlife population dynamics in human-dominated landscapes under community-based conservation: the example of nakuru wildlife conservancy, kenya. | wildlife conservation is facing numerous and mounting challenges on private and communal lands in africa, including in kenya. we analyze the population dynamics of 44 common wildlife species in relation to rainfall variation in the nakuru wildlife conservancy (nwc), located in the nakuru-naivasha region of kenya, based on ground total counts carried out twice each year from march 1996 to may 2015. rainfall in the region was quasi-periodic with cycle periods dependent on the rainfall component an ... | 2017 | 28103269 |
| social learning, culture and the 'socio-cultural brain' of human and non-human primates. | noting important recent discoveries, we review primate social learning, traditions and culture, together with associated findings about primate brains. we survey our current knowledge of primate cultures in the wild, and complementary experimental diffusion studies testing species' capacity to sustain traditions. we relate this work to theories that seek to explain the enlarged brain size of primates as specializations for social intelligence, that have most recently extended to learning from ot ... | 2016 | 28034660 |
| effects of alcohol on c-myc protein in the brain. | alcoholism is a disorder categorized by significant impairment that is directly related to persistent and extreme use of alcohol. the effects of alcoholism on c-myc protein expression in the brain have been scarcely studied. this is the first study to investigate the role different characteristics of alcoholism have on c-myc protein in the brain. we analyzed c-myc protein in the hypothalamus and amygdala from five different animal models of alcohol abuse. c-myc protein was increased following ac ... | 2017 | 27832980 |
| prenatal alcohol exposure affects progenitor cell numbers in olfactory bulbs and dentate gyrus of vervet monkeys. | fetal alcohol exposure (fae) alters hippocampal cell numbers in rodents and primates, and this may be due, in part, to a reduction in the number or migration of neuronal progenitor cells. the olfactory bulb exhibits substantial postnatal cellular proliferation and a rapid turnover of newly formed cells in the rostral migratory pathway, while production and migration of postnatal neurons into the dentate gyrus may be more complex. the relatively small size of the olfactory bulb, compared to the h ... | 2016 | 27801790 |
| meaning, intention, and inference in primate vocal communication. | two core questions in the study of speech evolution are whether nonhuman primate signals should be conceived as referential, and what the role of social cognition is in primate communication. current evidence suggests that the structure of primate vocalizations is largely innate and related to the affective/motivational state of the caller, with a probabilistic and underdetermined relationship between specific events and calls. moreover, nonhuman primates do not appear to express or comprehend c ... | 2016 | 27773691 |
| evaluation of a flexible nota-rgd kit solution using gallium-68 from different (68)ge/(68)ga-generators: pharmacokinetics and biodistribution in nonhuman primates and demonstration of solitary pulmonary nodule imaging in humans. | radiopharmaceuticals containing the motive tripeptide arginyl-glycyl-asparatic acid (rgd) are known to target ανβ3 integrins during tumor angiogenesis. a more generic kit radiolabeling procedure accommodating ga-68 from different generators was developed for nota-rgd and evaluated for its versatile use and safety in subsequent in vivo applications. the [(68)ga]nota-rgd kit was further verified for its expected biodistribution and pharmacokinetics in nonhuman primates and its clinical sensitivity ... | 2017 | 27743211 |
| matrix factorization reveals aging-specific co-expression gene modules in the fat and muscle tissues in nonhuman primates. | accurate identification of coherent transcriptional modules (subnetworks) in adipose and muscle tissues is important for revealing the related mechanisms and co-regulated pathways involved in the development of aging-related diseases. here, we proposed a systematically computational approach, called icegm, to identify the co-expression gene modules through a novel mathematical framework of higher-order generalized singular value decomposition (ho-gsvd). icegm was applied on the adipose, and hear ... | 2016 | 27703186 |
| subthalamic, not striatal, activity correlates with basal ganglia downstream activity in normal and parkinsonian monkeys. | the striatum and the subthalamic nucleus (stn) constitute the input stage of the basal ganglia (bg) network and together innervate bg downstream structures using gaba and glutamate, respectively. comparison of the neuronal activity in bg input and downstream structures reveals that subthalamic, not striatal, activity fluctuations correlate with modulations in the increase/decrease discharge balance of bg downstream neurons during temporal discounting classical condition task. after induction of ... | 2016 | 27552049 |
| large neutral amino acids levels in primate cerebrospinal fluid do not confirm competitive transport under baseline conditions. | in rodents, transport of large neutral amino acids (lnaas) across the blood brain barrier (bbb) and blood-cerebrospinal fluid (csf) barrier is mediated by high affinity carriers. net brain lnaa levels are thought to be determined mainly by this competitive transport from plasma. since the affinity for lnaa transport at the bbb in primates is considerably higher than in rodents, brain influx and by extension lnaa brain levels, should be even more dependent on competitive transport. given that lna ... | 2016 | 27521685 |
| intergroup variation of social relationships in wild vervet monkeys: a dynamic network approach. | social network analysis is a powerful tool that enables us to describe and quantify relationships between individuals. so far most of the studies rely on the analyses of various network snapshots, but do not capture changes over time. here we use a stochastic actor-oriented model (saom) to test both the structure and the dynamics of relationships of three groups of wild vervet monkeys. we found that triadic closure (i.e., the friend of a friend is a friend) was significant in all three groups wh ... | 2016 | 27445890 |
| microbial translocation and skeletal muscle in young and old vervet monkeys. | intestinal barrier dysfunction leads to microbial translocation (mt) and inflammation in vertebrate and invertebrate animal models. age is recently recognized as a factor leading to mt, and in some human and animal model studies, mt was associated with physical function. we evaluated sarcopenia, inflammation, mt biomarkers, and muscle insulin sensitivity in healthy female vervet monkeys (6-27 years old). monkeys were fed consistent diets and had large and varied environments to facilitate physic ... | 2016 | 27194407 |
| corpus luteum as a novel target of weight changes that contribute to impaired female reproductive physiology and function. | obesity and malnutrition are associated with decreased fecundity in women. impaired reproductive capacity in obese women is often attributed to anovulation. however, obese women with ovulatory cycles also have reduced fertility, but the etiology of their impaired reproduction is only partially understood. accumulating evidence suggests that obesity directly impairs oocyte and embryo quality as well as endometrial receptivity. in obese women, urinary progesterone metabolite excretion is decreased ... | 2016 | 27187064 |
| do vervets and macaques respond differently to bmaa? | vervets with chronic dietary exposure to bmaa develop neurofibrillary tangles (nft) and sparse β-amyloid plaque-like deposits in the brain. macaques dosed via oral gavage with bmaa developed marked neurological signs in the absence of cell death. these differences may result from increased vulnerability of macaques to bmaa, the higher effective dose they received via oral gavage, and the possibility of stable adducts due to the bicarbonate used to neutralize their bmaa dose. confirmation of chro ... | 2016 | 27133441 |
| brain-wide insulin resistance, tau phosphorylation changes, and hippocampal neprilysin and amyloid-β alterations in a monkey model of type 1 diabetes. | epidemiological findings suggest that diabetic individuals are at a greater risk for developing alzheimer's disease (ad). to examine the mechanisms by which diabetes mellitus (dm) may contribute to ad pathology in humans, we examined brain tissue from streptozotocin-treated type 1 diabetic adult male vervet monkeys receiving twice-daily exogenous insulin injections for 8-20 weeks. we found greater inhibitory phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 in each brain region examined of the dia ... | 2016 | 27076423 |
| cannabinoid receptors cb1 and cb2 modulate the electroretinographic waves in vervet monkeys. | the expression patterns of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (cb1r) and the cannabinoid receptor type 2 (cb2r) are well documented in rodents and primates. in vervet monkeys, cb1r is present in the retinal neurons (photoreceptors, horizontal cells, bipolar cells, amacrine cells, and ganglion cells) and cb2r is exclusively found in the retinal glia (müller cells). however, the role of these cannabinoid receptors in normal primate retinal function remains elusive. using full-field electroretinograph ... | 2016 | 27069692 |
| vervets and macaques: similarities and differences in their responses to l-bmaa. | | 2016 | 27032904 |
| vervets reveal a cause of neurodegeneration. | | 2016 | 26886664 |
| direct visualization and mapping of the spatial course of fiber tracts at microscopic resolution in the human hippocampus. | while hippocampal connectivity is essential to normal memory function, our knowledge of human hippocampal circuitry is largely inferred from animal studies. using polarized light microscopy at 1.3 µm resolution, we have directly visualized the 3d course of key medial temporal pathways in 3 ex vivo human hemispheres and 2 ex vivo vervet monkey hemispheres. the multiple components of the perforant path system were clearly identified: superficial sheets of fibers emanating from the entorhinal corte ... | 2017 | 26874183 |
| adult age confounds estimates of static allometric slopes in a vertebrate. | in many animal groups, the size of male genitalia scales shallowly with individual body size. this widespread pattern appears to admit some exceptions. for instance, steep allometries have been reported for vertebrate genitalia. this exception, however, may be due to a confounding effect arising from the continued growth of some structures during adulthood in vertebrates. consider the possibility that genitalia continue to grow in adults while body size does not. if so, taking measurements from ... | 2015 | 26778894 |
| alterations in levels and ratios of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the temporal cortex and liver of vervet monkeys from birth to early adulthood. | deficiencies in omega-3 (n-3) long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (lc-pufas) and increases in the ratio of omega-6 (n-6) to n-3 lc-pufas in brain tissues and blood components have been associated with psychiatric and developmental disorders. most studies have focused on n-3 lc-pufa accumulation in the brain from birth until 2years of age, well before the symptomatic onset of such disorders. the current study addresses changes that occur in childhood and adolescence. postmortem brain (cortical ... | 2016 | 26705667 |
| a review: the current in vivo models for the discovery and utility of new anti-leishmanial drugs targeting cutaneous leishmaniasis. | the current in vivo models for the utility and discovery of new potential anti-leishmanial drugs targeting cutaneous leishmaniasis (cl) differ vastly in their immunological responses to the disease and clinical presentation of symptoms. animal models that show similarities to the human form of cl after infection with leishmania should be more representative as to the effect of the parasite within a human. thus, these models are used to evaluate the efficacy of new anti-leishmanial compounds befo ... | 2015 | 26334763 |
| localized population divergence of vervet monkeys (chlorocebus spp.) in south africa: evidence from mtdna. | vervet monkeys are common in most tree-rich areas of south africa, but their absence from grassland and semi-desert areas of the country suggest potentially restricted and mosaic local population patterns that may have relevance to local phenotype patterns and selection. a portion of the mitochondrial dna control region was sequenced to study patterns of genetic differentiation. | 2016 | 26265297 |
| osteoarthritic changes in vervet monkey knees correlate with meniscus degradation and increased matrix metalloproteinase and cytokine secretion. | meniscus injury increases osteoarthritis risk but its pathobiology in osteoarthritis is unclear. we hypothesized that older adult vervet monkeys would exhibit knee osteoarthritic changes and the degenerative menisci from these animals would secrete matrix metalloproteinases (mmps) and pro-inflammatory cytokines that contribute to the development of osteoarthritis. | 2015 | 26033163 |
| age-related structural changes in upper extremity muscle tissue in a nonhuman primate model. | longitudinal studies of upper extremity aging in humans include logistical concerns that animal models can overcome. the vervet is a promising species with which to study aging-related processes. however, age-related changes in upper extremity muscle structure have not been quantified in this species. this study measured age-related changes to muscle structure, examined relationships between muscle structure and measures of physical performance, and evaluated the presence of rotator cuff tears. | 2015 | 25963066 |
| hippocampal neuron populations are reduced in vervet monkeys with fetal alcohol exposure. | prenatal exposure to beverage alcohol is a major cause of mild mental retardation and developmental delay. in nonendangered alcohol-preferring vervet monkeys, we modeled the most common nondysmorphic form of fetal alcohol syndrome disorder with voluntary drinking during the third trimester of pregnancy. here, we report significant numerical reductions in the principal hippocampal neurons of fetal alcohol-exposed (fae) offspring, as compared to age-matched, similarly housed conspecifics with isoc ... | 2015 | 25913787 |
| the effects of chronic alcohol self-administration in nonhuman primate brain networks. | long-term alcohol abuse is associated with change in behavior, brain structure, and brain function. however, the nature of these changes is not well understood. in this study, we used network science to analyze a nonhuman primate model of ethanol self-administration to evaluate functional differences between animals with chronic alcohol use and animals with no exposure to alcohol. of particular interest was how chronic alcohol exposure may affect the resting state network. | 2015 | 25833027 |
| the creation of a measurable contusion injury in skeletal muscle. | the effect that compressed air massage (cam) has on skeletal muscle has been ascertained by the morphological and morphometric evaluation of healthy vervet monkey and rabbit skeletal muscle. how cam may influence the process of healing following a contusion injury is not known. to determine how cam or other physiotherapeutic modalities may influence healing, it is necessary to create a minor injury that is both reproducible and quantifiable at the termination of a pre-determined healing period. ... | 2014 | 25686259 |
| a model for determining baseline morphometrics of skeletal myofibres. | the minimum diameter method of morphometry (mdm) is used to measure and detect changes in myofibre diameters (fd). the mdm is used to identify pathology in skeletal muscle. in such studies, an assumption is made that the mean fd in a particular muscle in both limbs is essentially the same. this study explored this premise to determine the accuracy of mdm as a means of morphometric analysis. muscle biopsies were obtained from the left (g1) and right (g2) tibialis anterior of four vervet monkeys a ... | 2014 | 25685981 |
| the static allometry of sexual and non-sexual traits in vervet monkeys. | sexual traits vary tremendously in static allometry. this variation may be explained in part by body size-related differences in the strength of selection. we tested this hypothesis with in two populations of vervet monkeys, using estimates of the level of condition dependence for different morphological traits as a proxy for body size-related variation in the strength of selection. in support of the hypothesis, we found that the steepness of allometric slopes increased with the level of conditi ... | 2015 | 25684824 |
| chemotherapy of second stage human african trypanosomiasis: comparison between the parenteral diamidine db829 and its oral prodrug db868 in vervet monkeys. | human african trypanosomiasis (hat, sleeping sickness) ranks among the most neglected tropical diseases based on limited availability of drugs that are safe and efficacious, particularly against the second stage (central nervous system [cns]) of infection. in response to this largely unmet need for new treatments, the consortium for parasitic drug development developed novel parenteral diamidines and corresponding oral prodrugs that have shown cure of a murine model of second stage hat. as a rat ... | 2015 | 25654243 |
| the endocannabinoid system within the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the vervet monkey. | the endocannabinoid system mainly consists of cannabinoid receptors type 1 (cb1r) and type 2 (cb2r), their endogenous ligands termed endocannabinoids (ecbs), and the enzymes responsible for the synthesis and degradation of ecbs. these cannabinoid receptors have been well characterized in rodent and monkey retinae. here, we investigated the expression and localization of the ecb system beyond the retina, namely the first thalamic relay, the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dlgn), of vervet monk ... | 2015 | 25575947 |
| selection of models for the analysis of risk-factor trees: leveraging biological knowledge to mine large sets of risk factors with application to microbiome data. | establishment of a statistical association between microbiome features and clinical outcomes is of growing interest because of the potential for yielding insights into biological mechanisms and pathogenesis. extracting microbiome features that are relevant for a disease is challenging and existing variable selection methods are limited due to large number of risk factor variables from microbiome sequence data and their complex biological structure. | 2015 | 25568281 |
| low circulating levels of bisphenol-a induce cognitive deficits and loss of asymmetric spine synapses in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of adult male monkeys. | bisphenol-a (bpa) is widely used in the manufacture of plastics, epoxy resins, and certain paper products. a majority of the population in the developed world is routinely exposed to bpa from multiple sources and has significant circulating levels of bpa. although bpa is categorized as an endocrine disruptor with a growing literature on adverse effects, it is uncertain whether cognitive dysfunction is induced in humans by exposure to bpa. the present study examined the impact of bpa in primate b ... | 2015 | 25557059 |
| a deficit in face-voice integration in developing vervet monkeys exposed to ethanol during gestation. | children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders display behavioural and intellectual impairments that strongly implicate dysfunction within the frontal cortex. deficits in social behaviour and cognition are amongst the most pervasive outcomes of prenatal ethanol exposure. our naturalistic vervet monkey model of fetal alcohol exposure (fae) provides an unparalleled opportunity to study the neurobehavioral outcomes of prenatal ethanol exposure in a controlled experimental setting. recent work has r ... | 2014 | 25470725 |
| in the blink of an eye: relating positive-feedback sensitivity to striatal dopamine d2-like receptors through blink rate. | for >30 years, positron emission tomography (pet) has proven to be a powerful approach for measuring aspects of dopaminergic transmission in the living human brain; this technique has revealed important relationships between dopamine d2-like receptors and dimensions of normal behavior, such as human impulsivity, and psychopathology, particularly behavioral addictions. nevertheless, pet is an indirect estimate that lacks cellular and functional resolution and, in some cases, is not entirely pharm ... | 2014 | 25339755 |
| on quantitative comparative research in communication and language evolution. | quantitative comparison of human language and natural animal communication requires improved conceptualizations. we argue that an infrastructural approach to development and evolution incorporating an extended interpretation of the distinctions among illocution, perlocution, and meaning (austin 1962; oller and griebel 2008) can help place the issues relevant to quantitative comparison in perspective. the approach can illuminate the controversy revolving around the notion of functional referentia ... | 2014 | 25285057 |
| muscle heat shock protein 70 predicts insulin resistance with aging. | heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) protects cells from accumulating damaged proteins and age-related functional decline. we studied plasma and skeletal muscle (skm) hsp70 levels in adult vervet monkeys (life span ≈ 25 years) at baseline and after 4 years (≈10 human years). insulin, glucose, homeostasis model assessment scores, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein and total plasma cholesterol, body weight, body mass index, and waist circumference were measured repeatedly, with change over time esti ... | 2015 | 24532784 |
| the effect of the pheroid delivery system on the in vitro metabolism and in vivo pharmacokinetics of artemisone. | the objectives were to determine the pharmacokinetics (pk) of artemisone and artemisone formulated in the pheroid® drug delivery system in primates and to establish whether the formulation affects the in vitro metabolism of artemisone in human and monkey liver and intestinal microsomes. | 2014 | 24511903 |
| role of the c-terminal region of vervet monkey polyomavirus 1 vp1 in virion formation. | recently, we detected novel vervet monkey polyomavirus 1 (vmpyv) in a vervet monkey. among amino acid sequences of major capsid protein vp1s of other polyomaviruses, vmpyv vp1 is the longest with additional amino acid residues in the c-terminal region. to examine the role of vmpyv vp1 in virion formation, we generated virus-like particles (vlps) of vmpyv vp1, because vlp is a useful tool for the investigation of the morphological characters of polyomavirus virions. after the full-length vmpyv vp ... | 2014 | 24419975 |
| rod photoreceptors express gpr55 in the adult vervet monkey retina. | cannabinoids exert their actions mainly through two receptors, the cannabinoid cb1 receptor (cb1r) and cannabinoid cb2 receptor (cb2r). in recent years, the g-protein coupled receptor 55 (gpr55) was suggested as a cannabinoid receptor based on its activation by anandamide and tetrahydrocannabinol. yet, its formal classification is still a matter of debate. cb1r and cb2r expression patterns are well described for rodent and monkey retinas. in the monkey retina, cb1r has been localized in its neur ... | 2013 | 24244730 |
| cyp1a1 and cyp1b1-mediated biotransformation of the antitrypanosomal methamidoxime prodrug db844 forms novel metabolites through intramolecular rearrangement. | db844 (cpd-594-12), n-methoxy-6-{5-[4-(n-methoxyamidino)phenyl]-furan-2-yl}-nicotinamidine, is an oral prodrug that has shown promising efficacy in both mouse and monkey models of second stage human african trypanosomiasis. however, gastrointestinal (gi) toxicity was observed with high doses in a vervet monkey safety study. in the current study, we compared the metabolism of db844 by hepatic and extrahepatic cytochrome p450s to determine whether differences in metabolite formation underlie the o ... | 2014 | 24186380 |
| the effects of alcohol on the nonhuman primate brain: a network science approach to neuroimaging. | animal studies have long been an important tool for basic research as they offer a degree of control often lacking in clinical studies. of particular value is the use of nonhuman primates (nhps) for neuroimaging studies. currently, studies have been published using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fmri) to understand the default-mode network in the nhp brain. network science provides an alternative approach to neuroimaging allowing for evaluation of whole-brain connectivity. in this study, ... | 2013 | 23905720 |
| safety, pharmacokinetic, and efficacy studies of oral db868 in a first stage vervet monkey model of human african trypanosomiasis. | there are no oral drugs for human african trypanosomiasis (hat, sleeping sickness). a successful oral drug would have the potential to reduce or eliminate the need for patient hospitalization, thus reducing healthcare costs of hat. the development of oral medications is a key objective of the consortium for parasitic drug development (cpdd). in this study, we investigated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of a new orally administered cpdd diamidine prodrug, 2,5-bis[5-(n-methoxyamidino)- ... | 2013 | 23755309 |
| pyroglutamate-3 amyloid-β deposition in the brains of humans, non-human primates, canines, and alzheimer disease-like transgenic mouse models. | amyloid-β (aβ) peptides, starting with pyroglutamate at the third residue (pyroglu-3 aβ), are a major species deposited in the brain of alzheimer disease (ad) patients. recent studies suggest that this isoform shows higher toxicity and amyloidogenecity when compared to full-length aβ peptides. here, we report the first comprehensive and comparative ihc evaluation of pyroglu-3 aβ deposition in humans and animal models. pyroglu-3 aβ immunoreactivity (ir) is abundant in plaques and cerebral amyloid ... | 2013 | 23747948 |
| müller cells express the cannabinoid cb2 receptor in the vervet monkey retina. | the presence of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (cb1r) has been largely documented in the rodent and primate retinae in recent years. there is, however, some controversy concerning the presence of the cb2 receptor (cb2r) within the central nervous system. only recently, cb2r has been found in the rodent retina, but its presence in the primate retina has not yet been demonstrated. the aim of this study was twofold: 1) to characterize the distribution patterns of cb2r in the monkey retina and comp ... | 2013 | 23630038 |
| potent social learning and conformity shape a wild primate's foraging decisions. | conformity to local behavioral norms reflects the pervading role of culture in human life. laboratory experiments have begun to suggest a role for conformity in animal social learning, but evidence from the wild remains circumstantial. here, we show experimentally that wild vervet monkeys will abandon personal foraging preferences in favor of group norms new to them. groups first learned to avoid the bitter-tasting alternative of two foods. presentations of these options untreated months later r ... | 2013 | 23620053 |
| social coordination: patience is a virtue for vervet monkeys. | free-ranging vervet monkeys can solve a complex, multi-player coordination problem, learning to remain outside a 'forbidden circle' imposed by one member of the troop, in the absence of any social learning, communication, or policing by more dominant animals. | 2013 | 23618664 |
| vervet monkeys solve a multiplayer "forbidden circle game" by queuing to learn restraint. | in social dilemmas, the ability of individuals to coordinate their actions is crucial to reach group optima. unless exacted by power or force, coordination in humans relies on a common understanding of the problem, which is greatly facilitated by communication. the lack of means of consultation about the nature of the problem and how to solve it may explain why multiagent coordination in nonhuman vertebrates has commonly been observed only when multiple individuals react instantaneously to a sin ... | 2013 | 23541727 |
| age-related degenerative functional, radiographic, and histological changes of the shoulder in nonhuman primates. | nonhuman primates have similar shoulder anatomy and physiology compared to humans, and may represent a previously underutilized model for shoulder research. this study sought to identify naturally occurring bony and muscular degeneration in the shoulder of nonhuman primates and to assess relationships between structural and functional aspects of the shoulder and measures of physical function of the animals. we hypothesized that age-related degenerative changes in the shoulders of nonhuman primat ... | 2013 | 23352182 |
| prenatal exposure to bisphenol a impacts midbrain dopamine neurons and hippocampal spine synapses in non-human primates. | prevalent use of bisphenol-a (bpa) in the manufacture of resins, plastics and paper products has led to frequent exposure of most people to this endocrine disruptor. some rodent studies have suggested that bpa can exert detrimental effects on brain development. however as rodent models cannot be relied on to predict consequences of human exposure to bpa during development, it is important to investigate the effects of bpa on non-human primate brain development. previous research suggests that bp ... | 2013 | 23337607 |
| spontaneous emergence, imitation and spread of alternative foraging techniques among groups of vervet monkeys. | animal social learning has become a subject of broad interest, but demonstrations of bodily imitation in animals remain rare. based on voelkl and huber's study of imitation by marmosets, we tested four groups of semi-captive vervet monkeys presented with food in modified film canisters ("aethipops'). one individual was trained to take the tops off canisters in each group and demonstrated five openings to them. in three groups these models used their mouth to remove the lid, but in one of the gro ... | 2012 | 23071698 |
| maternal and offspring dopamine d4 receptor genotypes interact to influence juvenile impulsivity in vervet monkeys. | the merging of psychological and genetic methodologies has led to an increasing appreciation of environmental moderators of the relationships between genotype and phenotype. here we used a nonhuman-primate model to study the moderating effect of the mother's genotype on the association of a dopamine d4 receptor (drd4) gene polymorphism with juvenile impulsivity, assessed in a standardized social-challenge test. the results showed that juvenile carriers of the rare 5-repeat variant of the exon ii ... | 2012 | 22961771 |
| force-generation capacity of single vastus lateralis muscle fibers and physical function decline with age in african green vervet monkeys. | previous studies on the contractile properties of human myofibrils reported increase, decrease, or no change with aging, perhaps due to the differences in physical activity, diet, and other factors. this study examined physical performance and contractile characteristics of myofibrils of vastus lateralis (vl) muscle in young adult and old african green vervet monkeys. animals were offered the same diet and lived in the same enclosures during development, so we were able to examine skeletal muscl ... | 2013 | 22923428 |
| evidence for ape and human specializations in geniculostriate projections from vglut2 immunohistochemistry. | vesicular glutamate transporters (vgluts) reuptake glutamate into synaptic vesicles at excitatory synapses. vglut2 is localized in the cortical terminals of neuronal somas located in the main sensory nuclei of the thalamus. thus, immunolabeling of cortex with antibodies to vglut2 can reveal geniculostriate terminal distributions in species in which connectivity cannot be studied with tract-tracing techniques, permitting broader comparative studies of cortical specializations. here, we used vglut ... | 2012 | 22889767 |
| myosin heavy chain isoform expression in the vastus lateralis muscle of aging african green vervet monkeys. | non-human primates (nhp) represent an emerging animal model for the study of physical function, and provide opportunities for exploration of relationships of muscle biomolecular changes with age. one such primate model, the african green vervet monkey, has been used extensively in biomedical research but little is known regarding skeletal muscle composition, expression of myosin heavy chain (mhc) isoforms, and changes with age. in the present study we examined the effects of age on vastus latera ... | 2012 | 22617406 |
| similarity in food cleaning techniques within matrilines in wild vervet monkeys. | social learning and the formation of traditions rely on the ability and willingness to copy one another. a central question is under which conditions individuals adapt behaviour to social influences. here, we demonstrate that similarities in food processing techniques emerge on the level of matrilines (mother-offspring) but not on the group level in an experiment on six groups of wild vervet monkeys that involved grapes covered with sand. monkeys regularly ate unclean grapes but also used four c ... | 2012 | 22558201 |
| developmental patterns of hair cortisol in male and female nonhuman primates: lower hair cortisol levels in vervet males emerge at puberty. | studies have yielded inconsistent results with regard to effects of age and sex on short-term markers of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (hpa) activity. hair cortisol provides a retrospective proxy measure of the cumulative activity of the hpa axis over the preceding 3- to 4-month period. in order to describe potential developmental trends in this biomarker, we assessed hair cortisol levels between 1 and 12 years of age in a cross-sectional study of 350 vervets (222 females and 128 males). monkey ... | 2012 | 22497987 |
| paracetamol prevents hyperglycinemia in vervet monkeys treated with valproate. | valproate administration increases the level of the inhibitory transmitter, glycine, in the urine and plasma of patients and experimental animals. nonketotic hyperglycinemia (nkh), an autosomal recessive disorder of glycine metabolism, causes increased glycine concentrations in blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid (csf), most likely due to a defect in the glycine cleavage enzyme or possibly deficits in glycine transport across cell membranes. we investigated the relationship between the hypergl ... | 2012 | 22350964 |
| characterization of pulmonary alveolar esterases of the primate cercopithecus pygerythrus. | to evaluate and classify the hydrolases of the primate lung. | 1997 | 9090710 |
| essential fatty acids and modern lifestyle: a reappraisal. | controversy surrounds the effects of dietary fish oil supplementation on atherosclerosis. three studies were undertaken, where vervet monkeys were fed either a western atherogenic diet (wad) or a high carbohydrate diet (hcd). the first study indicated that enhanced atherosclerosis may be the result of an imbalance of fatty acids in plasma and tissue lipids as eicosapentaenoic acid (epa; c20:5 ω3) was increased with fish oil (fo) supplementation at the expense of arachidonic acid (aa; c20:4 ω6). ... | 1996 | 24394571 |
| 'concealed ovulation' and sexual signals in primates. | the absence of conspicuous sexual signals in some primates, particularly humans and vervets, has been interpreted as evidence that females of these species are 'concealing' ovulation from males. this conclusion is unjustified: the null hypothesis of no adaptation, that the absence of conspicuous sexual signals has resulted from the absence of selective pressures maintaining such adaptations, is both more parsimonious and better fits the facts. the related suggestion that there has been adaptatio ... | 1992 | 1618432 |
| atherosclerosis. chronic effects of fish oil and a therapeutic diet in nonhuman primates. | prolonged testing of marine fish oil (fo) as a dietary supplement is necessary because of widespread claims that it is antiatherogenic. the basis for such claims is inadequate because atherogenesis is chronic and may not respond to short-term changes induced by dietary treatments. a proven (vervet) model of atherosclerosis promoted by an atherogenic diet (ad) was used to test dietary supplementation with atlantic pilchard fo for 20 months in 47 omnivorous nonhuman primates. responses were contro ... | 2016 | 1851432 |
| thinking like a vervet. | | 1991 | 17840868 |
| effect of chronic amphetamine administration on dopaminergic systems in the vervet brain: relationship to findings in the brains of schizophrenics. | | 1983 | 6131000 |
| in vitro studies on the trabecular meshwork of the primate eye. | small pieces of the chamber angle region of a vervet eye containing only a lamella of the corneosclera and the trabecular meshwork were cultured in vitro and studied by light and electron microscopy at various intervals. the explanted trabecular meshwork underwent a rapid dedifferentiation. the activation of the trabecular cells is demonstrated by an increasing amount of encoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes and mitochondria. they are capable of phagocytosis for detritus and pigment granules. in the ... | 1975 | 804279 |