Marriage Without Procreation? A Biblical Analysis

Children are a gift from God. Psalm 127:3 says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward” (NKJV). They are not only a gift, but a natural result of the sexual expression of marriage. This naturalness is reinforced by God’s command to Adam and Eve to procreate (Genesis 1:28). Because of the value of children and the mandate given to the first parents, it is no surprise that marriage and procreation are tightly linked. Many believe it is wrong for fertile couples to never have children. However, an analysis of the purpose of marriage, natural law, and the biblical evidence suggests that though marriage as a general principle ought to lead to procreation, it is not morally wrong for married couples to never have children

Varicella Zoster aseptic meningitis: Report of an atypical case in an immunocompetent patient treated with oral valacyclovir

Varicella Zoster when described has the typical presentation of a dermatomal distribution of a rash and can further lead to CNS complications. This can be treated accordingly with the proper protocol, but if the presentation is atypical and the protocol is challenged or changed per specific patient outcomes, new developments can occur. Here we present a case of a 29-year-old Caucasian female that presented to the emergency department with headache, photophobia, and chills for 5 days. She was previously healthy and immunocompetent; CSF PCR analysis revealed a VZV infection causing acute aseptic meningitis with no shingles rash eruption on physical examination. The patient was not willing to stay hospitalized for the duration of the treatment. This gave us an opportunity to treat her with an oral, rather than IV, antiviral. The patient was successfully treated with oral valacyclovir 2 g Q6H after only receiving two days of IV acyclovir. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a patient with VZV-associated meningitis successfully treated with oral valacyclovir. Keywords: Aseptic meningitis, Varicella Zoster virus, Oral valacyclovir, Atypical meningitis, Immunocompetent, Cranial nerve deficit

Predicting Baylisascaris procyonis Roundworm Prevalence, Presence and Abundance in Raccoons (Procyon lotor) of Southwestern Ohio Using Landscape Features

Raccoon roundworm is a leading cause of a neurological disease known as larva migrans encephalopathy in vertebrates. We determined that roundworm prevalence is significantly lower in Beavercreek Township than other townships surveyed, and that mean patch size and proportion of landscape modified by urbanization or by agriculture are good predictors of roundworm prevalence and abundance in raccoons. The proportion of landscape modified by urbanization was the best predictor of roundworm presence. These data will facilitate predictions regarding roundworm prevalence in areas that have not been previously sampled, and contribute to devising management strategies against the spread of raccoon roundworm