Meissner corpuscles (MCs) are specialized mechanoreceptors located exclusively in the papillae of glabrous skin. They are confined largely to cutaneous pads of the extremities and respond to transient, phasic, or vibratory stimuli. Though absent in most eutherian taxa, MCs are reported in all primates studied, being most developed in modern humans. The location of MCs between the internal ridges of the epidermis indicates they are well situated to detect friction or deformation at the external surface. Accordingly, MCs are hypothesized to provide primates generally with an enhanced tactile perception. However, the selective pressures favoring greater somatosensory acuity in primates are seldom considered. Interestingly, primate digital dexterity varies greatly. In general, dexterity improves with the extent to which foraging requires food manipulation or textural evaluation. This observation implies that MC density could vary accordingly. Here we report on the density of MCs in five anthropoid taxa selected to represent diverse dietary regimes. Results show that greater MC density correlates with the extent to which primates are frugivorous; however, locomotor and/or phylogenetic effects cannot be discounted.

In Wave 2, the prevalence of BV was higher and increased with age while the prevalence of Candida was low and declined with age. A 5-year age increase contributed to the prevalence change across waves. Methods refinements in Wave 2 improved the detection of BV and Candida and clarified their relationship with age.

Collection of vaginal self-swab specimens from older women in a population-based study is feasible and provides novel data on microenvironmental characteristics of the female genital tract relevant to analyses of gynecologic health, sexual activity and problems, and immune and inflammatory function.

Objective Establish current population-based vaginal estrogenization norms for postmenopausal U.S. women. Methods Using a U.S. national probability sample of 868 postmenopausal women ages 57 to 85 years (mean age 67.6±0.3 years; 21.6±0.5 years since menopause), we calculated the epithelial Maturation Value generated from self–collected vaginal specimens and compared findings with historical clinical data. Linear and logistic regression were used to describe the relationship between vaginal estrogenization and sociodemographic, physical, gynecological and sexual characteristics. Results Among postmenopausal women, mean Maturation Value was 46.6±0.8 (SD 17.4, range 2.5–100) and stable across age groups. In every age group, vaginal estrogenization was higher among postmenopausal non-users of hormone therapy in the 2005–06 US cohort than reported for the 1960s Canadian clinical cohort. Maturation Value was also higher among women who used menopausal hormone therapy in the prior 12 months compared to those who did not (55.1±1.2 vs. 44.4±0.9, p<0.001). In multivariate analyses, hormone therapy use, obesity and African American race were each independently associated with higher Maturation Value. Overall, Maturation Value was not associated with sexual activity, but low Maturation Value was associated with vaginal dryness during intercourse among sexually active women. Conclusions Compared to 1960s clinical data, current population estimates revealed higher vaginal estrogenization across all age groups and no decline with age. The strongest independent correlates of vaginal estrogenization in postmenopausal U.S. women were current hormone therapy use, obesity, and African American race. Post-menopause, half of all women exhibit low vaginal estrogenization.

These novel protocols yielded interpretable urinary OT and AVP values, with sufficient variation for analyzing their social and physiological associations. The problem of mild dehydration is also likely common in animal field studies, which may also benefit from these collection and assay protocols.