Contagious Yawning in African Elephants Responses to Other Elephants and Familiar Humans.

While spontaneous yawning is common across all vertebrate classes, contagious yawning is less common and has been observed only in a few species of social animals. Interspecific contagious yawning in response to yawning by humans has been observed only by chimpanzees and dogs. After confirming additional occurrences of intraspecific contagious yawning in a group of captive African elephants previously studied, we further investigated the potential for the same group of elephants to engage in interspecific contagious yawning with familiar human handlers.

Elephant-Initiated Interactions with Humans: Individual Differences and Specific Preferences in Captive African Elephants ().

South Africa has seen a recent increase in the number of African elephants () maintained in reserves and parks and managed in free contact, where they may spend a significant amount of time in close proximity to humans. This study investigates how individual elephants choose to initiate interactions with humans by examining whether interaction types and frequencies vary both between elephants and with regards to the category of human involved in the interaction. Observations were made on a herd of seven captive African elephants frequently exposed to elephant handlers (guides), volunteers (who carry out general observations for the park's research unit), and tourists.

When Yawning Occurs in Elephants.

Yawning is a widely recognized behavior in mammalian species. One would expect that elephants yawn, although to our knowledge, no one has reported observations of yawning in any species of elephant. After confirming a behavioral pattern matching the criteria of yawning in two Asian elephants () in a zoological setting, this study was pursued with nine captive African elephants () at a private reserve in the Western Cape, South Africa, the Knysna Elephant Park.

Is there a causal relationship between the hypoxia-ischaemia associated with cardiorespiratory arrest and subdural haematomas? An observational study.

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of subdural haematomas (SDHs) occurring in infants presenting following atraumatic cardiorespiratory collapse. This study was a review of retrospective case notes, brain imaging and post-mortem examinations carried out in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and emergency department (ED) in a tertiary paediatric centre in the UK. The study included infants and children less than 4 years old dying in the ED or admitted to the PICU after atraumatic cardiorespiratory arrest.

Methadone toxicity in infants: a report of two fatalities.

Fatalities in infants resulting from methadone toxicity are rare within the United Kingdom. We report two cases of fatality attributed to methadone toxicity in infants aged 3(1/2) and 15 months of age, respectively. One of the two cases was also associated with diazepam ingestion.

A case of infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy: connatal Seitelberger disease.

We present a male stillbirth with infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (connatal Seitelberger disease). Following the development of polyhydramnios with an ultrasound scan showing severe distal arthrogryposis, the mother was induced at 38 weeks. A moderately macerated severely intrauterine growth restricted male stillbirth was delivered.

Tracheal agenesis with unique anatomy.

A premature infant with a unique form of tracheal agenesis is described. The combination of difficulty in intubation, abnormal course of the nasogastric tube on plain x-ray, and gastric perforation raised the suspicion of an upper airway malformation. Tracheal agenesis is an extremely rare, typically fatal, congenital anomaly with scattered case reports of its successful management.

Epidural haemorrhage of the cervical spinal cord: a post-mortem artefact?

Spinal epidural haemorrhage is a rare entity that occurs uncommonly in adults and rarely in children. It has a typical clinical presentation, although to date, the cause for the majority of cases remains unknown. We present a series of cases where epidural haemorrhage was identified at post-mortem, principly to the cervical cord, in cases outside the age range usually reported for clinical epidural haemorrhage, and with no underlying pathology to account for the finding.

Detection of parvovirus B19 in macerated fetal tissue using in situ hybridisation.

Aims: To compare the application of a non-radioactive in situ hybridisation (ISH) technique with an immunocytochemical technique for the detection of human parvovirus B19 in formalin fixed, paraffin wax embedded sections of macerated fetal tissue.

Methods: Archived samples of liver, lung or kidney from 19 human fetuses were investigated for parvovirus B19 using a full length digoxigenin labelled DNA probe of 5.5 kb; bound probe was detected using an anti-digoxigenin (alkaline phosphatase) conjugate and visualised using NBT/BCIP.

Developing a European professional record of achievement in engineering: towards portable qualifications.

This paper describes a Leonardo da Vinci pilot project the aim of which is to establish a Professional Record of Achievement within the engineering industry for developing and recording career development plans and the resulting requirements for learning and for personal and professional development. recording learning achievements and professional development, and the accumulation of credit towards relevant qualifications. The project will draw upon recent experiences and developments in different countries.

Correlation of pS2 expression of involved lymph nodes in relation to primary breast carcinoma.

Expression of the pS2 protein in breast carcinoma is a useful guide to prognosis and response to tamoxifen. We have investigated pS2 protein expression in both the primary tumour and lymph node metastases (LNM) using a computer-assisted image analysis system. In a consecutive series of 208 patients undergoing surgical excision of primary breast cancer with axillary clearance, 89 patients were found to have involved lymph nodes.

Immunocytochemical staining of pS2 protein in fine-needle aspirate from breast cancer is an accurate guide to response to tamoxifen in patients aged over 70 years.

Fine-needle aspirates from 52 breast cancers in 50 patients over 70 years of age were immunocytochemically stained for pS2 protein. All patients were treated with tamoxifen 40 mg/day and followed up at intervals of 2 months. The size of the tumour was serially assessed with calipers and portable ultrasonography.

Adenovirus and intranuclear inclusions in appendices in intussusception.

Aims: To examine the light and electron microscopic features of appendices removed at the time of surgical reduction of intussusception in children; and to confirm that the viral inclusions seen in some of them are due to adenovirus.

Methods: A series of 39 appendices from cases of intussusception and 15 control appendices were reviewed. Light microscopic examination of haematoxylin and eosin stained sections was performed on all of them and one appendix with large numbers of inclusions was examined by electron microscopy.

Immunocytochemistry in the assessment of pS2 protein expression in fine needle aspiration cytology from breast carcinoma.

pS2 protein is a cysteine-rich polypeptide, of unknown function, the expression of which is induced in the human cancer cell line MCF-7 by oestrogen. The availability of a murine monoclonal antibody to human pS2 protein has prompted us to evaluate its expression in 47 cases of primary breast carcinoma. Using a double indirect immunoperoxidase technique, we compared the expression of pS2 protein in fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology smears with that in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from subsequently excised tumours from the same patients.

Ureterosigmoidostomy complicated by polyp formation. Report of two cases.

Neoplasia associated with ureterosigmoidostomy is uncommon but important. Two patients, one of whom developed symptoms five years after the ureterosigmoidostomy had been taken down, are reported. The authors support the theory that these tumors may arise from the ureter.

Mucinous biliary papillomatosis: a tumour in need of wider recognition.

We report three cases of mucinous biliary papillomatosis occurring high in the extrahepatic bile ducts. Histological assessment of malignancy is difficult and subjective because there is no unequivocal evidence of stromal invasion. Using anti-laminin antibodies to assess the basement membranes of these tumours we have found a large number of discontinuities in the epithelial basement membrane.

NED survival in head and neck cancer (post-mortem correlations).

A common feature of reporting head and neck squamous cancer statistics in recent years has been to consider patients dying with no evident disease (NED) as successfully treated. We present two patients who died with no clinically evident squamous cancer and who could therefore have been reported as cured but for autopsy findings which showed significant distant spread. These findings are supported by several reports of distant metastases in squamous head and neck cancer and it is suggested that rates of post-mortem examinations be included in survival figures in the future.

Localized giant pseudopolyposis of the colon in ulcerative colitis. Report of a case.

Localized giant pseudopolyposis of the colon is a rare complication of both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. It is not regarded as being premalignant, but it may masquerade clinically as a malignancy. This report presents a case and reviews others reported in the literature.