Reindeer

Orf is a parapoxvirus infection. It is widespread in sheep and goats, especially affecting lambs and kids.
In humans, it occurs rarely and is often underdiagnosed due to the self-limiting evolution. Transmission is
achieved through direct contact with sick animals or indirectly through contaminated objects and food. The
clinical picture of human orf is dominated by the presence of single inflammatory nodule, exudation, appeared at
the site of inoculation and evolving into 6 stages: maculopapular (erythematous papule from debut) in the target
(the nodule with centrally bulla, concentric aspect), exudative (acute exudative nodule), regenerative (surface
crust), papillomatous (papillomatous-looking surface), regression (removing the crust and healing), self-limiting
evolving in 6-8 weeks. The diagnosis of orf is eminently clinical and based on correct history. If possibe, we must
perform an electron microscopy of biopsy material.Treatment is symptomatic and prevents complications. Orf is
not an disabling disease. The amputation of the finger is very rarely necessary. The orf is a disease that
strengthens the belief of doctors that cooperation between the veterinary doctor and dermatologist is highly
beneficial to all our patients.

Tissues from 45 moose and 4 cattle were collected to assess the health of country foods near uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan. Bone, liver, kidney, muscle and rumen contents were analyzed for uranium, radium-226 (226Ra), lead-210 (210Pb), and polonium-210 (210Po). Cesium-137 (137Cs), potassium-40 (40K), and 27 trace metals were also measured in some tissues. Within the most active mining area, Po in liver and muscle declined significantly with distance from tailings, possibly influenced by nearby natural uranium outcrops. Moose from this area had significantly higher 226Ra, 210Pb, 210Po, and 137Cs in some edible soft tissues vs. one control area. However, soil type and diet may influence concentrations as much as uranium mining activities, given that a) liver levels of uranium, 226Ra, and 210Po were similar to a second positive control area with mineral-rich shale hills and b) 210Po was higher in cattle kidneys than in all moose. Enhanced food chain transfer from rumen content...

This article describes evidence for contact and exchange among Mesolithic communities in Poland and Scandinavia, based on the interdisciplinary analysis of an ornamented bâ ton percé from Gołębiewo site 47 (Central Poland). Typological and chronological-cultural analyses show the artefact to be most likely produced in the North European Plain, during the Boreal period. Carbon-14 dating confirms the antiquity of the artefact. Ancient DNA analysis shows the artefact to be of Rangifer tarandus antler. Following this species designation, a dispersion analysis of Early-Holocene reindeer remains in Europe was conducted, showing this species to exist only in northern Scandinavia and northwestern Russia in this period. Therefore, the bâton from Gołębiewo constitutes the youngest reindeer remains in the Euro-pean Plain and southwestern Scandinavia known to date. An attempt was made to determine the biogeographic region from which the antler used to produce the artefact originates from. To this end, comprehensive δ 18 O, δ 13 C and δ 15 N isotope analyses were performed. North Karelia and South Lapland were determined as the most probable regions in terms of isotopic data, results which correspond to the known distribution range of Rangifer tarandus at this time. In light of these finds, the likelihood of contact between Scandinavia and Central Europe in Early Holocene is evaluated. The bâ ton percé from Gołębiewo is likely key evidence for long-distance exchange during the Boreal period.

Tuberculosis of free-ranging and captive wildlife, including species implicated in the maintenance and transmission of Mycobacterium bovis, is a difficult disease to diagnose and control. Historically, diagnosis of tuberculosis has relied largely upon assays of cell-mediated immunity (CMI), such as tuberculin skin testing. This approach, however, is problematic or impractical for use with many wildlife species. Increasingly, in vitro diagnostic tests, including gamma interferon (IFN-gamma)-based assays, are replacing or complementing skin testing of cattle and humans. Analogous assays are unavailable for most wildlife because of a lack of species-specific immunological reagents. This report describes the development and validation of a whole-blood assay to quantify antigen-specific IFN-gamma mRNA expression by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR. Oligonucleotide primers and probes were designed and tested for reactivity towards several susceptible species of interest with respect to tuberculosis infection. The assay was subsequently optimized to quantify the IFN-gamma mRNA expression in elk and red deer (Cervus elaphus) and was evaluated for its ability to detect mycobacterial antigen-specific responses of experimentally tuberculosis-infected animals. The assay was a simple, rapid, and sensitive measure of antigen-specific CMI. The IFN-gamma mRNA responses correlated well with IFN-gamma protein production and showed performance in determining an animal's infection status superior to that of either lymphocyte proliferation or IFN-gamma protein enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods. An additional advantage is the ease with which the assay can be modified to reliably quantify IFN-gamma expression by using consensus sequences of closely related species or of other species for which IFN-gamma sequence information is available.

Archaeological sites of the Swabian Jura (southwestern Germany) have revealed unique mobile art assemblages made from mammoth ivory. The largest figurine is the Löwenmensch from the Hohlenstein-Stadel in the Lone Valley. Within the same archaeological context as the Löwenmensch, a remarkable number of reindeer antlers have been found. Antlers are often excluded from faunal analysis because they do not necessarily represent dead animals and hence potential food resources; however, there must be some reason for the fact that they occur within the archaeological context.
This study investigates the significance of small reindeer antlers within the Hohlenstein-Complex through the analysis of the materials from the excavations in 1997 and 1998 in front of the cave and from Robert Wetzel’s excavations in the 1930s in the 19th and 20th excavation meter inside Hohlenstein-Stadel. To analyze accumulation agents, we classified reindeer antler remains into fragments, cast antlers and antlers attached to the skull. We also used morphology and metric analysis to identify the sex and age of the animals. The annual cycle of antler growth enabled us to establish the season when reindeer migrated through the Lone Valley during the Paleolithic. Finally, we considered the context of the Löwenmensch figurine, which dates to the early Aurignacian.
Reindeer antlers outnumber reindeer bones from the excavations in 1997 and 1998. All small reindeer antlers not only indicate one season, but also specify the location where the group of females and young reindeer passed through the Lone Valley during their spring migrations. While the collection of reindeer antlers in front of the Hohlenstein-Complex presumably represent a natural accumulation, the cast antlers inside Hohlenstein-Stadel appear to result from anthropogenic activities. These anthropogenically modified antler fragments were also found in the context of the Löwenmensch figurine.
The consistent use of the Lone Valley as a migration route between summer and winter pastures indicates the predictability of reindeer as a resource not only for raw materials but also for food. During this study, small cast reindeer antlers turned out to be an informative find category, especially in the context of the analysis of subsistence strategies. The certainty of resources, as in time and location of reindeer migrations, was likely an important factor for the settlement dynamics of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, and not only in the Lone Valley. Furthermore, the way these antlers were introduced into the archaeological context as an organic non-food source provides additional insights into the use of resources in the past.

This report serves to recount major contributions in the field of paleontology, throughout the lifetime of the South Dakota Academy of Science. The Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science has provided an invaluable venue for the descriptions and establishments of type specimens, poorly known bio-chronologic faunas, and research that covers many other aspects of paleontology. In several cases, the Proceedings provides the only recorded or citable information on a fossil site, taxonomic component, stratigraphic occurrence, or other information not provided elsewhere. We chronicle some of the most notable paleontological contributions through the South Dakota Academy of Science, and the major contributors who fully utilized this venue to make a wide variety of information available. There is great value in providing a venue for peer-reviewed research in a more academically relaxed atmosphere, which can be better utilized for citation. Some research may not be deemed significant enough for journals with more perceived prestige, and this hinders the release of potentially valuable information. Quality of research appears to be erroneously gauged by a journal's impact factor or notoriety rather than the content provided by the contributor. These accounts should not only serve to chronicle contributions, but encourage researchers to service this venue for continued academic productivity and further enrich the academic value of the organization.