The Rejection of the Epicurean Ideal of Pleasure in Late Antique Sources: not Only Misunderstandings

Epicureanism was seen by its opponents, both 'pagan' and Christian, as the philosophy of pleasure and atheism. From the theological point of view, the accusation of atheism was incorrect, since Epicurus and the Epicureansadmitted of the existence of deities, and posited them as models of moral perfection, while denying their interest in human affairs, i.e. providence. This denial aimed at guaranteeing their imperturbability (ataraxia). From the ethical point of view, the ideal of pleasure (hedone), on which I shall concentrate here, was grossly misunderstood or distorted by the opponents of Epicureanism, who generally did not take into consideration the moderation, equilibrium, and serenity that the superior 'catastematic pleasure' (Epicurus's real ideal of pleasure) involved. I shall analyse the attitude of late-antique sources, especially Christian, toward Epicureanism and its ethics. A great many of Usener's and Arrighetti's fragments of Epicurus indeed come from Christian late-antique authors, such as Clement, Origen, Eusebius, Lactantius, and Augustine, but other patristic authors should be added, such as Basil and Gregory of Nyssa. Even if patristic interest in Epicureanism is often critical, and sometimes imprecise or distorted, nevertheless it is tangible. I shall focus on the authors who make the most interesting use of Epicurean sources, particularly with respect to the ethical doctrine: Origen, Dionysius of Alexandria, Lactantius, Ambrose, Jerome and Augustine, Gregory Nyssen, and Nazianzen, the only one who really understood and praised Epicurus's notion of hedone. I shall also argue that the fading away of the availability and use of good sources on Epicureanism, along with the disappearance of the Epicurean school itself, brought about an impoverishment in the understanding of, and hostility to, Epicurus and Epicureanism.O Epicurismo foi visto pelos seus oponentes, tanto pagãos quanto cristãos, como a filosofia do prazer e do ateísmo. Do ponto de vista teológico, a acusação de ateísmo era incorreta, desde que o Epicuro e os epicuristas admitiram a existência de divindades e depositaram neles os ideais de perfeição, enquanto negavam seu interesse nos negócios humanos, isto é, a providência. Esta negação visa garantir sua imperturbabilidade (ataraxia). Do ponto de vista ético, o ideal de prazer (hedone), no qual eu irei me concentrar, foi grosseiramente mal-entendido ou distorcido pelos oponentes do Epicurismo, que geralmente não consideravam a moderação, equilíbrio, e serenidade que o "Prazer Catastemático" superior (verdadeiro ideal de prazer do Epicuro) envolvia. Analisarei a atitude em fontes tardo-antigas, especialmente cristãs, a cerca do Epicuro e sua ética. Grande parte de fragmentos do Epicuro de Usener e Arrighetti na verdade são de autores cristãos tardo-antigos, como Clemente, Orígenes, Eusébio, Lactêncio, e Agostinho, mas outros autores patrísticos deveriam ser adicionados, como Basílio e Gregório de Nyssa. Mesmo se o interesse patrístico no Epicurismo fosse frequentemente de crítica, e às vezes imprecisa ou distorcida, no entanto, é tangível. Focarei nos autores que mais se interessaram no uso de documentos do Epicuro, particularmente a despeito da doutrina ética: Orígenes, Dionísio de Alexandria, Lactêncio, Ambrósio, Jerônimo e Agostinho, Gregório Nyssen, e Nazianzeno, o único que realmente entendeu e elogiou noção de hedone do Epicuro. Também argumentarei acerca do desaparecimento da disponibilidade de uso de boas fontes sobre o Epicuro, juntamente com o desaparecimento da própria escola epicurista, que provocou um empobrecimento na compreensão e na hostilidade do Epicuro e epicurismo

Extradural Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumour at T7 Level in a 2-Year-Old Dog

The aim of this report is to describe an unusual localization of nerve sheath tumour (NST), clinical presentation, imaging, surgical management, and outcome in a 2-year- old dog. A 2-year-old female American Staffordshire Terrier presented with non- ambulatory paraparesis, thoracolumbar hyperaesthesia, hindlimb hyperreflexia, and mild muscle atrophy. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an extradural mass at T7-T8, without vertebral lesions. Surgical treatment consisted in resection of the soft tissue mass through dorsal laminectomy. The dog was ambulatory within 24hours and free of recurrence at 18 months postoperatively. Histopathologic and features of immunohistochemistry were consistent with NST. The NST of this report was similar to those described before, but exhibited unusual characteristics, such as being extradural, without extension into intervertebral forami- na, and being located in an atypical region (T7-T8). Moreover, survival time and relapse- free interval are greater than previously reported for similar cases

New perspectives in Veterinary Forensic Sciences

Over the last years, the knowledge on the veterinary forensic sciences has experienced a rapid increase as evidenced by number of peer- reviewed publications, textbooks, and inclusion of the topic in many veterinary medical conferences. However, most of the information in veterinary forensic medicine is still acquired by human forensic literature. This lack of information is currently considered a serious problem in veterinary forensic medicine. Indeed, although it is undeniably true that the mechanisms of forensic injuries as well as the post-mortem cadaveric changes are similar between humans and animals, the different morphology, weight, and tissue resistance of animals compared to human anatomy and other species-specific factors make the information validated in human forensic medicine not always applicable in the veterinary forensic field. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis work is to summarize the studies carried out throughout the PhD scholarship, which were based on development of new methodological approaches in the veterinary forensic field. As regard to injuries secondary to neglect, particular interest was given to post-mortem findings in emaciated dogs. Indeed, our study offers new insights in the differential involvement of the liver in the pathogenesis of starvation and cachexia. A quantitative assessment of the number of portal tracts in histological samples has proven to be a useful tool assisting the determination of the cause and mechanism of death in abused animals, not as a unique and definite determination, but as supporting evidence together with the other findings suggestive of starvation. In addition, as regards the estimation of age in puppies, we have conducted studies aimed at identifying new indirect methods to assess the age of puppies in association with other methods described in literature. A morphometric study of the kidney and an immunohistochemical study were then carried out in order to establish if there is a correlation between the number of glomeruli and age of puppies and to evaluate the positivity of the glomeruli to the anti-a-Actin smooth muscle antibody. Finally, as regard to forensic traumatology, we investigated the applicability of the forensic necropsy for the identification and monitoring of accidental and non-accidental injuries in dogs and cats when a body is recovered in outdoor crime scenes and no witness testimony is available. Together, these findings will provide useful tools to increase the knowledge in the veterinary forensic field

The Rejection of the Epicurean Ideal of Pleasure in Late Antique Sources: not Only Misunderstandings

Epicureanism was seen by its opponents, both 'pagan' and Christian, as the philosophy of pleasure and atheism. From the theological point of view, the accusation of atheism was incorrect, since Epicurus and the Epicureansadmitted of the existence of deities, and posited them as models of moral perfection, while denying their interest in human affairs, i.e. providence. This denial aimed at guaranteeing their imperturbability (ataraxia). From the ethical point of view, the ideal of pleasure (hedone), on which I shall concentrate here, was grossly misunderstood or distorted by the opponents of Epicureanism, who generally did not take into consideration the moderation, equilibrium, and serenity that the superior 'catastematic pleasure' (Epicurus's real ideal of pleasure) involved. I shall analyse the attitude of late-antique sources, especially Christian, toward Epicureanism and its ethics. A great many of Usener's and Arrighetti's fragments of Epicurus indeed come from Christian late-antique authors, such as Clement, Origen, Eusebius, Lactantius, and Augustine, but other patristic authors should be added, such as Basil and Gregory of Nyssa. Even if patristic interest in Epicureanism is often critical, and sometimes imprecise or distorted, nevertheless it is tangible. I shall focus on the authors who make the most interesting use of Epicurean sources, particularly with respect to the ethical doctrine: Origen, Dionysius of Alexandria, Lactantius, Ambrose, Jerome and Augustine, Gregory Nyssen, and Nazianzen, the only one who really understood and praised Epicurus's notion of hedone. I shall also argue that the fading away of the availability and use of good sources on Epicureanism, along with the disappearance of the Epicurean school itself, brought about an impoverishment in the understanding of, and hostility to, Epicurus and Epicureanism.O Epicurismo foi visto pelos seus oponentes, tanto pagãos quanto cristãos, como a filosofia do prazer e do ateísmo. Do ponto de vista teológico, a acusação de ateísmo era incorreta, desde que o Epicuro e os epicuristas admitiram a existência de divindades e depositaram neles os ideais de perfeição, enquanto negavam seu interesse nos negócios humanos, isto é, a providência. Esta negação visa garantir sua imperturbabilidade (ataraxia). Do ponto de vista ético, o ideal de prazer (hedone), no qual eu irei me concentrar, foi grosseiramente mal-entendido ou distorcido pelos oponentes do Epicurismo, que geralmente não consideravam a moderação, equilíbrio, e serenidade que o "Prazer Catastemático" superior (verdadeiro ideal de prazer do Epicuro) envolvia. Analisarei a atitude em fontes tardo-antigas, especialmente cristãs, a cerca do Epicuro e sua ética. Grande parte de fragmentos do Epicuro de Usener e Arrighetti na verdade são de autores cristãos tardo-antigos, como Clemente, Orígenes, Eusébio, Lactêncio, e Agostinho, mas outros autores patrísticos deveriam ser adicionados, como Basílio e Gregório de Nyssa. Mesmo se o interesse patrístico no Epicurismo fosse frequentemente de crítica, e às vezes imprecisa ou distorcida, no entanto, é tangível. Focarei nos autores que mais se interessaram no uso de documentos do Epicuro, particularmente a despeito da doutrina ética: Orígenes, Dionísio de Alexandria, Lactêncio, Ambrósio, Jerônimo e Agostinho, Gregório Nyssen, e Nazianzeno, o único que realmente entendeu e elogiou noção de hedone do Epicuro. Também argumentarei acerca do desaparecimento da disponibilidade de uso de boas fontes sobre o Epicuro, juntamente com o desaparecimento da própria escola epicurista, que provocou um empobrecimento na compreensão e na hostilidade do Epicuro e epicurismo

Pathologic characterization of white striping myopathy in broiler chickens

ABSTRACT: White striping (WS) is an emerging myopathy of broiler chickens characterized by white striation of muscle. Despite the recent advances, the pathomechanism underlying the WS remains elusive.The aim of this study was to characterize morphological and molecular features of WS in broiler chickens. 50 pectoralis muscles were collected from 55 days old ROSS 308 broiler chickens with a mean weight of 3.5 kg. Samples were snap frozen and analyzed by histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence. Real-time-PCR was used to evaluate the expression of different cytokines.Histological lesions were observed in all examined animals, both with and without macroscopic evidence of WS. WS muscles showed endomysial and perivascular inflammatory infiltrates of macrophages and cluster of differentiation (CD)8-positive T lymphocytes with severe myofiber atrophy, necrosis, fibrosis and replacement by adipose tissue. There was diffuse sarcoplasmic and sarcolemmal overexpression of the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I). The severity of the histologic lesions was positively correlated with the macroscopic degree of white striations. IL-6, IL-17 and lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-α factor (LITAF) were overexpressed in severe lesions of WS. The presence of the CD8/MHC I complexes, together with the higher expression of IL-6, IL-17 and LITAF in severe degree of WS, suggest that the immune response may be involved in the progression of this myopathy and can be consistent with a hypoxia-induced inflammatory myopathy. These results help to understand the pathomechanism of WS contributing to the reduction of economic losses and improving poultry welfare

An Overview of Neoplasia in Captive Wild Felids in Southern Italy Zoos

The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of neoplasms in captive wild felids in Southern Italy zoos over a 13-year period (2008-2021) and to investigate macroscopic and histologic tumor findings in these animals. A total of 24 cases were necropsied, 9 males and 15 females, with age ranging from 6 to 19 years, including 12 tigers (Panthera tigris), 7 leopards (Panthera pardus), 4 lions (Panthera leo), and 1 black jaguar (Panthera onca). Diagnosis of neoplasm was made in 14/24 cases (58.3%). Tumors diagnosed were two cholangiocarcinomas, two hemangiosarcomas of the liver, two uterine leiomyomas, a renal adenocarcinoma, an adrenal gland adenoma, a thyroid carcinoma, an oral squamous cell carcinoma, an osteoma, a meningioma, a mesothelioma, an esophageal leiomyosarcoma, a muscoloskeletal leiomyosarcoma and a thyroid adenoma. The malignant and benign tumors were 62.5 and 37.5%, respectively. Among malignant tumors, no metastasis was observed in 50% of cases; in 10% of cases metastasis involved only regional lymph nodes; and distant metastases were found in 40% of cases. Based on our findings, the liver was the most frequent primary tumor site (25%). The high rates of malignant and widely metastatic neoplasms suggest the importance of active monitoring and management of neoplasia in these threatened and endangered species