PurposeTo study the influence of xenotransplantation on follicular recruitment and growth in cryopreserved/thawed human ovarian tissue.MethodTwo 3-mm pieces of cryopreserved/thawed human ovarian tissue obtained from female cancer patients (n = 11) were xenotransplanted into a subcutaneous neck pouch of 6-week-old ovarectomized SCID mice (n = 33) for 4 (n = 18) and 12 (n = 15) weeks.ResultThirty-two out of 33 mice survived the entire observation periods. Graft recovery rate was 95.58 % (65 of 68 grafts). The percentages of primordial follicles after 4 weeks (P < 0.001) and 12 weeks (P = 0.009) of grafting were significantly lower in comparison to pregraft controls. The percentage of secondary follicle was significantly higher after 4 weeks of grafting (P = 0.018) and after 12 weeks (P = 0.001) of grafting in comparison to pregraft controls. Ki67 immunohistochemistry showed that proliferative follicles were significantly higher after 4 and 12 weeks of grafting compared to pregraft controls (P < 0.001). All follicles analyzed by TUNEL staining appeared healthy after xenotransplantation. The expression level of PTEN was reduced by 2.47-fold after 4 weeks of xenotransplantation, and this result was significant when 2−ΔCt were analyzed (P = 0.042).ConclusionThe higher proportion of growing follicles compared to resting follicles observed after xenotransplantation is most likely due to downregulation of PTEN gene expression followed by acceleration of follicular recruitment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10815-016-0769-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is increasingly used to address impaired social competence in patients with acquired brain injury. However, the efficacy of AAT has not been tested in these patients. We used a randomised, controlled within subject trial to determine the effects of AAT on social competence in patients undergoing stationary neurorehabilitation. Participants received both AAT sessions and paralleled conventional therapy sessions. The patients’ social behaviour was systematically coded on the basis of video recordings of therapy sessions. Moreover, mood, treatment motivation and satisfaction was measured during each therapy session. We analysed 222 AAT and 219 control sessions of 19 patients with linear mixed models. Patients showed a significantly higher amount of social behaviour during AAT. Furthermore, patients’ positive emotions, verbal and non-verbal communication, mood, treatment motivation and satisfaction were increased in the presence of an animal. Neutral emotions were reduced but no effect was found regarding negative emotions. Our results show that AAT increases aspects of social competence and leads to higher emotional involvement of patients with acquired brain injury, reflected in higher social engagement, motivation and satisfaction during a therapeutic session.

The aim of this study was to investigate inpatient and staff member attitudes toward and experiences with ward cats, and identify possible mechanisms for how cats affect patient satisfaction in a psychiatric clinic. Thirty-three inpatients diagnosed with depression or psychosis residing on wards with and without cats and 17 staff members working on wards with cats participated in semi-structured interviews using a cross-sectional study design. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and correlations. The results showed that 17 out of 19 inpatients and all the staff members liked having a cat on their ward. Further, 12 out of 14 inpatients on wards without cats would like having a cat on their ward. Inpatient perceptions of the cat’s impact on the ward atmosphere correlated significantly with their emotional relationship with the cat (p = 0.015, r = 0.561), how often they saw the cat (p = 0.002, r = 0.676), and if they liked cats in general (p = 0.041, r = 0.486). Our results highlight the positive attitudes of inpatients and staff members toward ward cats and the potential of ward cats to enhance patient satisfaction. This influence might be mediated by factors such as the frequency of contact, the relationship between each patient and the cat, and each patient’s attitude toward cats in general.

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