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McCrory, P., Turner, M., LeMasson, B., Bodere, C., & Allemandou, A. (2006). An analysis of injuries resulting from professional horse racing in France during 1991-2001: a comparison with injuries resulting from professional horse racing in Great Britain during 1992-2001. Br J Sports Med, 40(7), 614–618.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: It has been previously shown that professional jockeys suffer high rates of fatal and non-fatal injuries in the pursuit of their occupation. Little is known, however, about differences in injury rates between countries. AIM: To determine the rate of fatal and non-fatal injuries in flat and jump jockeys in France and to compare the injury rates with those in Great Britain and Ireland Method: Prospectively collected injury data on professional jockeys were used as the basis of the analysis. RESULTS: Limb fractures occur four times more often in both flat and jump racing in France than in Great Britain. Similarly dislocations are diagnosed 20 times more often in flat and three times more often in jump racing. This difference is surprising given that French jockeys have fewer falls per ride than their British counterparts in flat racing, although they do have more falls than the British in jump racing. Similarly concussion rates seem to be higher in French jockeys, although there may be a difference in the diagnostic methods used in the different countries. By contrast, soft tissue injuries account for a far smaller percentage of injuries than in Great Britain. CONCLUSION: There are striking differences in injury rates between countries which may be explained in part by a difference in track conditions-for example, harder tracks in France-or different styles of racing--for example, larger fields of horses per race in France.
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Thomas, K. E., Annest, J. L., Gilchrist, J., & Bixby-Hammett, D. M. (2006). Non-fatal horse related injuries treated in emergency departments in the United States, 2001-2003 (Vol. 40).
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To characterise and provide nationally representative estimates of persons with non-fatal horse related injuries treated in American emergency departments. METHODS: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) is a stratified probability sample comprising 66 hospitals. Data on injuries treated in these emergency departments are collected and reported. NEISS-AIP data on all types (horseback riding and otherwise) of non-fatal horse related injuries from 2001 to 2003 were analysed. RESULTS: An estimated 102,904 persons with non-fatal horse related injuries (35.7 per 100,000 population) were treated in American emergency departments each year from 2001 to 2003 inclusive. Non-fatal injury rates were higher for females (41.5 per 100,000) than for males (29.8 per 100,000). Most patients were injured while mounted on a horse (66.1%), commonly from falling or being thrown by the horse; while not mounted, injuries most often resulted from being kicked by the horse. The body parts most often injured were the head/neck region (23.2%), lower extremity (22.2%), and upper extremity (21.5%). The most common principal diagnoses were contusions/abrasions (31.4%) and fractures (25.2%). For each year that was studied, an estimated 11 502 people sustained traumatic brain injuries from horse related incidents. Overall, more than 11% of those injured were admitted to hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Horse related injuries are a public health concern not just for riders but for anyone in close contact with horses. Prevention programmes should target horseback riders and horse caregivers to promote helmet use and educate participants about horse behaviour, proper handling of horses, and safe riding practices.
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Danchin, E., Giraldeau, L. - A., Valone, T. J., & Wagner, R. H. (2004). Public information: from nosy neighbors to cultural evolution. Science, 305(5683), 487–491.
Abstract: Psychologists, economists, and advertising moguls have long known that human decision-making is strongly influenced by the behavior of others. A rapidly accumulating body of evidence suggests that the same is true in animals. Individuals can use information arising from cues inadvertently produced by the behavior of other individuals with similar requirements. Many of these cues provide public information about the quality of alternatives. The use of public information is taxonomically widespread and can enhance fitness. Public information can lead to cultural evolution, which we suggest may then affect biological evolution.
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Corr, J. A. (2004). Nuns and monkeys: investigating the behavior of our oldest old. Sci Aging Knowledge Environ, 2004(41), pe38.
Abstract: The use of nonhuman primates, particularly rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), as the best model for human physiological and cognitive aging is broadly accepted. Studies employing nonhuman primates to investigate behavioral changes that may occur with increasing age, however, are not common mostly because of the unavailability of appropriate subjects. Recent longitudinal human studies suggest that individual personality might play a large role in aging “successfully” and in the retention of high levels of cognition into old age. As a result of the demographic trend of increasing numbers of aged monkeys and apes in captivity, an opportunity exists to further investigate behavioral aging using the monkey model.
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Scott, L. D. (2006). Living donor liver transplant--is the horse already out of the barn? Am J Gastroenterol, 101(4), 686–688.
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Joffe, T. H., & Dunbar, R. I. (1997). Visual and socio-cognitive information processing in primate brain evolution. Proc Biol Sci, 264(1386), 1303–1307.
Abstract: Social group size has been shown to correlate with neocortex size in primates. Here we use comparative analyses to show that social group size is independently correlated with the size of non-V1 neocortical areas, but not with other more proximate components of the visual system or with brain systems associated with emotional cueing (e.g. the amygdala). We argue that visual brain components serve as a social information 'input device' for socio-visual stimuli such as facial expressions, bodily gestures and visual status markers, while the non-visual neocortex serves as a 'processing device' whereby these social cues are encoded, interpreted and associated with stored information. However, the second appears to have greater overall importance because the size of the V1 visual area appears to reach an asymptotic size beyond which visual acuity and pattern recognition may not improve significantly. This is especially true of the great ape clade (including humans), that is known to use more sophisticated social cognitive strategies.
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Nicol, C. J., Yoon, M., Ward, J. M., Yamashita, M., Fukamachi, K., Peters, J. M., et al. (2004). PPARgamma influences susceptibility to DMBA-induced mammary, ovarian and skin carcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis, 25(9), 1747–1755.
Abstract: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, plays a role in adipocyte differentiation, type II diabetes, macrophage response to inflammation and is suggested to influence carcinogen-induced colon cancer. Studies done in vitro and in vivo also revealed that PPARgamma ligands might promote differentiation and/or regression of mammary tumors. To directly evaluate the role of PPARgamma in mammary carcinogenesis, PPARgamma wild-type (+/+) or heterozygous (+/-) mice were administered 1 mg 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) by gavage once a week for 6 weeks and followed for a total of 25 weeks. Compared with congenic PPARgamma(+/+) littermate controls, PPARgamma(+/-) mice had early evidence for increased susceptibility to DMBA-mediated carcinogenesis based on a 1.6-fold increase in the percentage of mice with skin papillomas, as well as a 1.7-fold increase in the numbers of skin papillomas per mouse (P < 0.05). Similarly, PPARgamma(+/-) mice also had a 1.5-fold decreased survival rate (P = 0.059), and a 1.7-fold increased incidence of total tumors per mouse (P < 0.01). Moreover, PPARgamma(+/-) mice had an almost 3-fold increase in mammary adenocarcinomas (P < 0.05), an over 3-fold increase in ovarian granulosa cell carcinomas (P < 0.05), an over 3-fold increase in malignant tumors (P < 0.02) and a 4.6-fold increase in metastatic incidence. These results are the first to demonstrate an increased susceptibility in vivo of PPARgamma haploinsufficiency to DMBA-mediated carcinogenesis and suggest that PPARgamma may act as a tumor modifier of skin, ovarian and breast cancers. The data also support evidence suggesting a beneficial role for PPARgamma-specific ligands in the chemoprevention of mammary, ovarian and skin carcinogenesis.
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Griffin, D. R. (2001). Animals know more than we used to think (Vol. 98).
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Horner, V., Whiten, A., Flynn, E., & de Waal, F. B. M. (2006). Faithful replication of foraging techniques along cultural transmission chains by chimpanzees and children. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 103(37), 13878–13883.
Abstract: Observational studies of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have revealed population-specific differences in behavior, thought to represent cultural variation. Field studies have also reported behaviors indicative of cultural learning, such as close observation of adult skills by infants, and the use of similar foraging techniques within a population over many generations. Although experimental studies have shown that chimpanzees are able to learn complex behaviors by observation, it is unclear how closely these studies simulate the learning environment found in the wild. In the present study we have used a diffusion chain paradigm, whereby a behavior is passed from one individual to the next in a linear sequence in an attempt to simulate intergenerational transmission of a foraging skill. Using a powerful three-group, two-action methodology, we found that alternative methods used to obtain food from a foraging device (“lift door” versus “slide door”) were accurately transmitted along two chains of six and five chimpanzees, respectively, such that the last chimpanzee in the chain used the same method as the original trained model. The fidelity of transmission within each chain is remarkable given that several individuals in the no-model control group were able to discover either method by individual exploration. A comparative study with human children revealed similar results. This study is the first to experimentally demonstrate the linear transmission of alternative foraging techniques by non-human primates. Our results show that chimpanzees have a capacity to sustain local traditions across multiple simulated generations.
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Kraft, C. N., Urban, N., Ilg, A., Wallny, T., Scharfstadt, A., Jager, M., et al. (2007). [Influence of the riding discipline and riding intensity on the incidence of back pain in competitive horseback riders]. Sportverletz Sportschaden, 21(1), 29–33.
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: The connection between morphologic changes of the spine and the intensity of training has been assessed for a number of sport activities. The influence of horseback riding on the spine has only rarely been evaluated. The aim of our study was to evaluate to what degree horseback riders suffer from back pain and whether there is an association between this parameter and the category i. e. the intensity of horseback riding. Furthermore we wanted to judge whether riding may have a positive effect on pre-existent back pain. METHODS: 508 horseback riders (63.2 % females; 36.8 % males) competing in either dressage, showjumping or vaulting were interviewed using a questionnaire. Apart from biometric data, the intensity with which riding was performed and the localisation and intensity (VAS) of back pain was assessed. Furthermore, in the case of existing back pain, riders were asked whether different riding disciplines and paces changed the intensity of pain. RESULTS: 300 dressage riders (59.1 %), 188 showjumpers (37.0 %) and 20 vaulters (3.9 %) with an average age of 33.5 Jahre (12 – 77 years) were questioned. The incidence of back pain was 72.5 %. A significant correlation between back pain and riding discipline respectively gender or riding level could not be found. Discrepancies in VAS-score for dressage riders (3.95 +/- 0.13), show jumpers (4.10 +/- 0.16) and vaulters (3.76 +/- 0.5) were marginal and not significant (p > 0.05). Overall 58.7 % resp. 15.2 % reported to have pain in the lumbar i.e cervical spine. Despite the fact that a large fraction of dressage riders claimed to have problems in these spine areas with 57.7 % resp. 68.8 %, this finding was not significant compared to the other riding disciplines. While 61.6 % of dressage riders reported an improvement of their back pain when riding, this was only the case in 40.9 % of show jumpers. CONCLUSION: Compared to the general population, a high incidence of back pain is found among riders. A significant correlation between the intensity of riding or the riding discipline and frequency or severity of back pain could not be found. For riders with pre-existent back pain the pace “walk” seems to have a positive influence on pain intensity.
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