The Influence of Oxytocin on Maternal Care in Lactating Dogs

In recent years, many studies on the role of oxytocin (OXT) in the onset of parental care, regulation of social bonding, and modulation of the emotional state have been published. However, its possible regulation of maternal behavior in lactating dogs has not been investigated yet. For this reason, the present study aimed at assessing potential correlations between salivary oxytocin and maternal behavior in 25 lactating Labrador Retriever dogs. Salivary concentrations of OXT (sOXT) were unrelated to the amount of maternal care except for a weak negative correlation with sniffing/poking behavior. Moreover, sOXT was positively correlated with the percentage of male puppies. Sniffing/poking behavior, in turn, was positively correlated with the duration of time the mothers spent out of the whelping box, while the number of male puppies showed a positive correlation with lateral nursing, a position known to provide puppies the easiest access to the milk. Taken together, these results suggest that sOXT may not be strongly associated with maternal care dynamics but could be correlated with sex-biased parental investment in dogs.

Views from Below: Inspectors’ Coping with Hybrid Accountabilities

Regulation of long-term care service provision is a case of hybrid accountabilities. How do inspectors who are responsible for the implementation of regulations handle the uncertainties arising from hybrid accountabilities? While the prevailing scholarly consensus is that hybridity creates tensions that have a negative impact on the quality of regulation, this article shows that different accountabilities can reinforce each other. However, situations in which inspectors can develop a positive stance toward hybridity and integrate competing logics are rare. Hybrid professionalism among inspectors requires training, education, and resources as well as a joint regulatory culture with inspectees—preconditions that are hardly present in recent institutional settings of long-term care regulation.

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CARE REGULATION AT NATIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL LEVELS IN LATVIA

The number of foreign patients who use medical services in Latvia increases every year and health care institutions have to provide quality services. The research problem is related to lack of a unified quality system in Latvian healthcare industry. The aim of the study is to introduce suggestions regarding the implementation of the international requirements to health systems outlined by the Directive 2011/24/EU. Research method is a focus group discussion with 8 Latvian health care experts and executives. Research results indicate that health care provider measures are introduced to a higher grade than national level measures reflecting the need for more comprehensive systemic changes in the governance of the system. Main improvements should be made regarding e-health system on national level, and medical follow-ups on institutional level.