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MEDIA KIT
Spring must be here. I awake in the morning to the sound of house finches calling from a branch in the tree from which a feeder hangs. It is a delightful trill that seems to go on forever. Who cannot enjoy the sheer delight and gaiety of the song? Especially the intended recipient - the female of the species. It seems as if the bird is welcoming the longer hours of daylight and the warmer days. They are busy at the feeder, garnering the necessary nutrition that will lead to first building a nest in the nearby cedar hedge, to egg-laying and subsequent fledglings.
Another, maybe not so welcome sound is that of the Red shafted Flicker, as it drums on whatever is available in order to attract a mate. Gone are the days when a tree or log would suffice. With the advent of civilization there are much more appealing instruments with more resonating sound. These include our metal chimneys, insulators on hydro and telephone poles, garbage cans and cedar siding. The flicker too is calling and staking out its territory. I well remember camping in a Provincial Camp ground in northern B.C. and at 3.30 am was rudely awakened by a Flicker greeting dawn by hammering on a garbage can right beside our tent. Goodbye to night in a hurry.
Although some Robins do spend the winter in the Okanagan Valley, late February and early March heralds the arrival of large flocks, many of whom are destined for the boreal forests far to the north. Folks living across the prairies particularly identify with the spring song of the Robin as the signal that winter is coming to an end. The remaining berries on the Russian Olive and Mountain Ash trees of the previous year provide food to replenish these birds as they push north. It almost appears that the robin has a brighter orange breast at this time of as well as a bright and cheerful song.
The first swallow was seen by me on March 8th but in the last few days there have been many more. Obviously there are insects on which to feed. They seem never to stop, flying erratically to scoop up the flying insects. Most of these swallow are Violet-Green Swallows also on their way north, some going as far as Alaska.
I have noticed that there does not appear to be so many House Sparrows this year. Maybe the winter weather caused a decline in their numbers. On a recent trip to the United Kingdom, I learned that the decline in sparrows in that country was attributed to the lead in gasoline. With the introduction of non leaded gasoline the trend has been stopped and an increase in numbers sparrows has been noted.
I have heard ravens calling and watch them as they perform their aerial acrobatic flying around Mount Bouchere.
The Great Horned has been calling and I would imagine that the young have hatched already and the adults are now busy feeding them. The young will not fledge until July.
The oh so beautiful male Ringed-necked Pheasant very cautiously approaches the feeder in my garden. Sunlight on the rusty body, the many colored wing feathers and the contrasting white collar are a joy to see. This is always the best time of the year for the birder – as these feathered creatures are dressed in their finest attire and their vocal cords would dazzle a Metropolitan New York Opera fan.
Pat Westheuser
Central Okanagan Naturalist Club |
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Antidepressants on a molecular basis |
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In my last column I covered the reasons why antidepressants are not considered dependency-forming even though they are associated with withdrawal symptoms. Today I’d like to spend a little more time discussing how these medications work in our brains to treat mood and anxiety disorders.
Antidepressants are prescribed by the millions in North America and there is a general misunderstanding about what they do in the brain. Many people seem to think of these drugs as ‘happy’ pills or narcotics and don’t trust the medical community’s ability to administer them appropriately.
Before examining exactly what antidepressants are doing in the brain, it is important to understand what is going wrong when a mood disorder occurs.
Although the exact answer to this question is not fully understood, it is known that genetic and environmental factors work together to create a physiological change in the depressed brain.
Different cells in the body communicate with one another by means of chemicals called neurotransmitters. There are many different types of neurotransmitters at work throughout the body and it seems clear that some of these are not working properly in the brains of people with mood disorders.
In particular, the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine do not seem to function correctly in depression.
While there are many different kinds of antidepressants available, all of them work by altering the way these chemicals transmit signals between cells in the brain.
In fact, all antidepressants affect one or more of the neurotransmitters - serotonin, norepinephrine or dopamine.
These neurotransmitters are involved in many body systems, but play a particularly important role in mood and the body’s response to stress.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are the most commonly used antidepressants today.
SSRIs block serotonin transport and are very successful in the treatment of depression. SNRIs block both serotonin and norepinephrine and are also very effective.
Blocking serotonin works because the concentration of serotonin in the connections between neurons (called synapses) is controlled directly by its reuptake into the neuron. Blocking this reuptake alters the concentration of the chemical and affects the mood and stress response. They work by selectively binding to the carrier that transports serotonin back into pre-synaptic storage sites. This allows more time for serotonin to bind to receptors in the synapse as it is supposed to do.
Older antidepressant medications called tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) also affected serotonin levels, but were not very specific. They altered serotonin levels throughout the body and not only in the mood centres. They also affected several other neurotransmitters and interacted with various other receptors all of which caused unsatisfactory side effects, which is one reason why these are rarely used today.
All of these medications can be effective at treating depression and different people respond to different drugs. By far the most commonly used of them all are the newer medications, which have achieved a better balance between benefits and side-effects.
As medical science improves, the exact mechanisms of action of each drug become a little clearer. There are still some aspects, however, that are not completely understood. For example, we know that SSRIs enhance serotonin transmission, but we are just beginning to get a glimpse of why it needs enhancing and of what effects the neurotransmitters have on genetic expression.
Depressions used to be separated into those that were strictly an illness versus those that were a psychological reaction to various stressors, but this distinction is now obsolete since most depressions involve a little of both to varying degrees.
Although the technical explanations behind the effectiveness of antidepressant medications are interesting, it is not necessary for you to fully understand them in order to receive benefits from treatment. Speak with your doctor if you have further questions or are considering getting treatment for a mood disorder.
Dr. Latimer, president of Okanagan Clinical Trials and local psychiatrist, can be reached at (250) 862-8141 or by email at
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STEM CELL THERAPY IS NOW A REALITY IN DOGS |
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Stem cells are simply cells in the body that can change into various cell types and also aid in healing. Everyone has stem cells and a company out of California has taken advantage of this knowledge. The company is Vet-Stem and is based in San Diego.
At this time, the company has developed a system in which stem cells from a dog are obtained and concentrated from the dog’s own adipose (fat) tissue. Thus, these are not embryonic stem cells but adult stem cells since they are not derived from an embryo. The concentrated cells are then injected into an arthritic joint of the same dog, usually the hip, elbow, or shoulder. Within 3 months, the patient is much more comfortable and active as a result.
The procedure is quite simple. Once a veterinarian establishes a diagnosis of arthritis in a joint of a dog and it is determined that it is causing the patient major pain and a decreased quality of life, that dog becomes a candidate for the procedure. Under general anesthetic, adipose tissue is harvested from just under the skin or from the abdomen of the dog. The adipose tissue is then sent overnight to Vet-Stem’s laboratory where the stem cells are isolated and sent back to the veterinarian the next day. The veterinarian then injects the cells into the arthritic joint.
The results have been very good. At a cost of $2,000.00 it may seem very expensive but compared to a total hip replacement, it is quite economic. At this time, Vet-Stem is developing other uses for their technology and one day veterinarians may be using stem cells to heal diseased organs in their patients. |
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Tritrichomonas Foetus in Cats |
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Recently, a new cause of diarrhea has been discovered in cats. It is a one-celled organism known as . It is the same protozoan parasite that causes bovine trichomoniasis, a reproductive disorder in cattle. In cats it causes a severe diarrhea that can take months to go away on its own if it is left untreated. Although the diarrhea can even contain blood, the affected cats usually eat well.
Diagnosis is quite easy. A fecal sample is submitted to a lab and thru DNA technology and a process known as PCR (polymerase chain reaction) a quick and accurate diagnosis can be made. Once the diagnosis is made, treatment commences for 2 weeks with an oral treatment that is an anitprotozoal agent known as ronidazole. This medication is quite effective but difficult to obtain in Canada. In some cases, I have obtained it through formulating veterinary pharmacies in the United States. Because it is a formulated product, this is a perfectly legal practice according to the Bureau of Veterinary Drugs.
Once the patient has undergone treatment for 2 weeks, another fecal test can be done to ensure that the parasite has been eradicated. Prevention is common sense. Keep the litter box clean and disinfected. The parasite is relatively weak in the environment and easily killed.
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