The role of prolactin and testosterone in mediating seasonal differences in the self-grooming behavior of male meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus.

Self-grooming in response to the odors of conspecifics is a form of olfactory communication among meadow voles. The amount of time meadow voles spend self-grooming when they encounter the odors of conspecifics varies seasonally, with males targeting the odors of reproductively active females only during the breeding season. Other odor related behaviors in male voles such as odor preferences for conspecifics and the attractiveness of their odors to conspecifics vary seasonally as well.

A far-red fluorescent contrast agent to image epidermal growth factor receptor expression.

Recent developments in optical technologies have the potential to improve the speed and accuracy of screening and diagnosis of curable precancerous lesions and early cancer, thereby decreasing the costs of detection and management of epithelial malignancies. The development of molecular-specific contrast agents for markers of early neoplastic transformation could improve the detection and molecular characterization of premalignant lesions. In the oral cavity, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpression has been identified in early stages of premalignant lesions of the oral squamous cell carcinoma; therefore, real-time assessment of EGFR expression could serve as a biomarker for oral neoplasia.

Vision enhancement system for detection of oral cavity neoplasia based on autofluorescence.

Background: Early detection of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the oral cavity can improve survival. It is often difficult to distinguish neoplastic and benign lesions with standard white light illumination. We evaluated whether a technique that capitalizes on an alternative source of contrast, tissue autofluorescence, improves visual examination.

Confocal microscopy for real-time detection of oral cavity neoplasia.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to characterize features of normal and neoplastic oral mucosa using reflectance confocal microscopy.

Experimental Design: Oral cavity biopsies were acquired from 17 patients at the Head and Neck Clinic of The University of Texas M. D.