Management of Dental Disease in Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) and Potential Use of Cone-Beam Computed Tomography.

Oral disease involving teeth is a common cause of morbidity in aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) under managed care. Cases can be challenging due to the species' unique skull and dental anatomy and limited veterinary literature. A retrospective evaluation was performed on dental examinations in nine aardvarks housed at a single zoological institution in the United States between 1995 and 2021. The prevalence of dental disease in this population was 88%, with most cases categorized as mild (4/8). Clinical signs were only seen in three cases. Facial swelling prior to surgery was the most common clinical sign (3/8). Dental pathology was more common in the mandibular teeth (27/38) compared to the maxillary teeth (11/38). Dental abnormalities found upon intraoral examination included the presence of dental points (7/8), crown elongation (3/8), purulent material within the oral cavity (4/8), loose teeth (2/8), periodontal pockets (2/8), and oronasal fistula (1/8). Three patients required dental extractions with a lateral buccostomy approach. Diagnostic imaging was performed in most cases (7/8), with two cases undergoing cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to characterize dental pathology that was difficult to fully evaluate with standard radiography. Tomographic findings are described in both cases. CBCT was found to be a helpful tool for diagnosing and characterizing dental disease in aardvarks.

Reduced Inhibitory Inputs On Basolateral Amygdala Principal Neurons Following Long-Term Alcohol Consumption.

Recent studies have shown that manipulating basolateral amygdala (BLA) activity can affect alcohol consumption, particularly following chronic and/or long-term intake. Although the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear, the BLA is highly sensitive to emotional stimuli including stress and anxiety. Negative emotional states facilitate alcohol craving and relapse in patients with alcohol use disorders. Consequently, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of long-term (10 weeks) alcohol drinking on synaptic activity in BLA principal neurons. We utilized an intermittent drinking paradigm in rats, which facilitated escalating, binge-like alcohol intake over the 10 week drinking period. We then recorded spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents of BLA principal neurons from long-term alcohol drinking rats and aged-matched water drinking controls. Excitatory postsynaptic current properties from long-term alcohol drinking rats were unchanged compared to those from age-matched water drinking controls. Conversely, we observed significant reductions of inhibitory postsynaptic current amplitude and frequency in long-term ethanol drinking rats compared to age-matched water drinking controls. These results highlight substantive decreases in basal inhibitory synaptic activity of BLA principal neurons following long-term alcohol consumption. A loss of inhibitory control in the BLA could explain the high incidence of compulsive drinking and stress- or anxiety-induced relapse in patients with alcohol use disorders.

Cortical synaptic and dendritic spine abnormalities in a presymptomatic TDP-43 model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Layer V pyramidal neurons (LVPNs) within the motor cortex integrate sensory cues and co-ordinate voluntary control of motor output. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) LVPNs and spinal motor neurons degenerate. The pathogenesis of neural degeneration is unknown in ALS; 10% of cases have a genetic cause, whereas 90% are sporadic, with most of the latter showing TDP-43 inclusions. Clinical and experimental evidence implicate excitotoxicity as a prime aetiological candidate. Using patch clamp and dye-filling techniques in brain slices, combined with high-resolution confocal microscopy, we report increased excitatory synaptic inputs and dendritic spine densities in early presymptomatic mice carrying a TDP-43Q331K mutation. These findings demonstrate substantive alterations in the motor cortex neural network, long before an overt degenerative phenotype has been reported. We conclude that increased excitatory neurotransmission is a common pathophysiology amongst differing genetic cases of ALS and may be of relevance to the 95% of sporadic ALS cases that exhibit TDP-43 inclusions.

Word juncture behaviours in young children's spontaneous speech production.

The present study explores word boundary behaviours in the spontaneous speech of a group of 6 preschool children. Speech collected in play settings is examined for the presence of normal and atypical connected speech behaviours, and to identify specific instances of open and close word juncture behaviours. The findings suggest that developmental and adult-like features co-exist in the speech of typically-developing children and that developmental changes occur in connected speech behaviours between the ages of 2-3 years. In particular, a shift from equal numbers of close and open junctures, to a preference for close junctures is noted. Individual differences are also apparent between speakers, and these are discussed.