Pathologic Features of the Intervertebral Disc in Young Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers Confirms Chondrodystrophy Degenerative Phenotype Associated With Genotype.

Chondrodystrophy results in predictable and progressive biochemical and structural changes to the intervertebral disc, resulting in early onset degeneration and dystrophic mineralization of the disc. Accelerated degeneration and mineralization of the intervertebral disc are common in multiple dog breeds and can result in compromised function, herniation, pain, and a variety of neurological sequelae. A mutation responsible for chondrodystrophy in dogs has been identified as an aberrant fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) retrogene insertion on chromosome 12 (CFA12) and is associated with short stature of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Segregation of the CFA12 FGF4 retrogene in this dog breed provides an opportunity to examine the effect of retrogene presence on radiographic and histologic appearance of chondrodystrophic disc degeneration within a single breed. Here we found that in the intervertebral discs isolated from 2 dogs with the CFA12 FGF4 genotype, the nucleus pulposus was largely replaced by cartilaginous tissue, and physaliferous notochordal cells were rarely if ever identified. These findings are in contrast to the normal histologic findings in 2 breed-matched dogs lacking the mutation. The findings are consistent with premature chondroid degeneration of the intervertebral disc and suggest that the presence of the CFA12 FGF4 retrogene is sufficient to cause the chondrodystrophic phenotype

Selections from the poetry of the Afghans (1862)

Selections from the poetry of the Afghans : from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. Literally tr. from the original Pushto, with notices of the different authors, and remarks on the mystic doctrine and poetry of the Ṣūfí

Desert Encounters

What does the hermit life mean to a Benedictine monk used to living in community? This article makes the case that the hidden riches of living as an anchorite in the desert can deepen one’s commitment to living with others, as well as expand one’s interreligious horizons. Such are my reflections from a recent sabbatical stay in the high-desert region of south-central Colorado

Selections from the poetry of the Afghans (1862)

Selections from the poetry of the Afghans : from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. Literally tr. from the original Pushto, with notices of the different authors, and remarks on the mystic doctrine and poetry of the Ṣūfí

Studies on the pathology of bacterial kidney disease (Renibacterium salmoninarum) in coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

With the intensification of the aquaculture industry along the west coast of Canada, there has been a concomitant increase in the prevalance of bacterial kidney disease (BKD) (Renibacterium salmoninarum)(Rs) in production and government hatchery facilities. Due to the paucity of information on the pathogenesis and epizootiology of Rs, treatment and control measures have been confounded and emergance of BKD exacerbated. Initially, to enhance specificity over conventional histochemistry for demonstration of Rs in histological sections an avidin biotin conjugated immunoperoxidase technique was developed for us to monitor the histopathological manifestation of BKD. To ascertain the temporal and spatial hlstogenesis of BKD. coho (Oncorhvnchus kisutch) and Atlantic (Salmo salar) salmon ware challenged experimentally by intraperitoneal injection and naturally by cohabitation with Rs-innoculated fish than serially sampled. Histopathology revealed lesions consistent with past case reports and investigations, as well as previously undescribed manifestations including, inflammatory call kinetics in the renal perivascular compartment, cresentic glomerulonephritis, extrarenal dissemination (via septic emboli or direct extension), and ovarian follicular cell accumulation of Rs. Pseudocyst formation, renal interstitial hyperplasia and meningoencephalitis were also characterized. The granulomatous response in coho salmon was predominantly histiocytic, whereas, in Atlantic salmon a tuberculoid response was more apparent. In either species a profound call mediated immunity was adduced. To further resolve the nature of the inflammatory response, coho and Atlantic salmon were immunosuppressed by administration of suprapharmacologic doses of glucocorticosteroids. On challange with Rs both species incurred an earlier onset and greater rate of mortality than immunocompetent cohorts. The granulomatous response appeared irregular and expansive with exuberent intra- and extracellular Rs growth. These observations may be attributed to inhibition of prostaglandin and leukotrienne synthesis, as well as an inability to immunologically prima phagocytes. To evaluate the inflammogenic potential o£ somatic, cell- wall associated, and soluble fractions of Rs, coho and Atlantic salmon were injected and serially sampled for histopathology. Past studies on Rs virulance determinants and pathogenic mechanisms have focused almost exclusively on a soluble protein, designated p57. In this investigation no histological alterations were appreciated in fish challenged with cell-wall associated or soluble (p57) fractions, however, mild, multifocal pyogranulomata were noted in the renal interstitium of coho and Atlantic salmon challenged with the somatic or peptidoglycan fraction of Rs. Peptidoglycans of a number of mammalian pathogens are strongly inflammogenic, poorly biodegradable, and persist in host tissue for protracted periods. Chemical resolution and in vivo evaluatlon of subcellular components of Rs is warranted to further resolve the pathogenesis of BKD in salmonid species

The Monastic Ideal and the Glorified/Spiritual Resurrection Body: An Exercise in Speculative Theology

An imaginative exploration of the possible attributes of the glorified, spiritual, postresurrection human body in the Christian tradition (see 1 Cor 15:35-50), by integrating Scripture, gender studies, monastic spirituality, and patristic theological sources

Hospitality in the Benedictine Monastic Tradition

A reflection on the importance of Benedictine hospitality in Scripture, the Rule of Benedict, interreligious dialogue, and in our uprooted and immigrant world of today

Selections from the poetry of the Afghans (1862)

Selections from the poetry of the Afghans : from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. Literally translated from the original Pushto, with notices of the different authors, and remarks on the mystic doctrine and poetry of the Ṣūfís

Monks as Model Men: Gender Anomalies or Heroic Ideal?

The movie The Mask You Live In portrays gender socialization for men in the United States today as dominated by a trajectory emphasizing ruthless competition, a never-ending search for prestige in material wealth, and a largely self-serving quest to overcome and control women. The movie graphically depicts all the accompanying psychological dysfunction, legal difficulties, and emotional distress experienced by boys and young men desperately trying to conform to such a scripted model of masculinity. Anthropological research invites alternate ways of thinking about the relationship between sex and gender. This is especially true among those who claim a close relationship with the supernatural or transcendent. Can the methodology of cultural anthropology provisionally expand the consideration of gender variants to provide other ways of modeling masculinity without discarding the underlying gender binary altogether? Catholic Christian monastics —men and women who commit to communal devotional and service roles in the light of transcendent aims and ends—demonstrate the potential for providing healthier alternative masculinity scripts. More specifically, can monks successfully model and communicate such an alternative masculinity for men in a higher educational institutional setting

Overcoming the challenges of studying conservation physiology in large whales : a review of available methods

Large whales are subjected to a variety of conservation pressures that could be better monitored and managed if physiological information could be gathered readily from free-swimming whales. However, traditional approaches to studying physiology have been impractical for large whales, because there is no routine method for capture of the largest species and there is presently no practical method of obtaining blood samples from free-swimming whales. We review the currently available techniques for gathering physiological information on large whales using a variety of non-lethal and minimally invasive (or non-invasive) sample matrices. We focus on methods that should produce information relevant to conservation physiology, e.g. measures relevant to stress physiology, reproductive status, nutritional status, immune response, health, and disease. The following four types of samples are discussed: faecal samples, respiratory samples (‘blow’), skin/blubber samples, and photographs. Faecal samples have historically been used for diet analysis but increasingly are also used for hormonal analyses, as well as for assessment of exposure to toxins, pollutants, and parasites. Blow samples contain many hormones as well as respiratory microbes, a diverse array of metabolites, and a variety of immune-related substances. Biopsy dart samples are widely used for genetic, contaminant, and fatty-acid analyses and are now being used for endocrine studies along with proteomic and transcriptomic approaches. Photographic analyses have benefited from recently developed quantitative techniques allowing assessment of skin condition, ectoparasite load, and nutritional status, along with wounds and scars from ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement. Field application of these techniques has the potential to improve our understanding of the physiology of large whales greatly, better enabling assessment of the relative impacts of many anthropogenic and ecological pressures.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe