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PubMed1999

Nutrient, fatty acid, amino acid and mineral analysis of natural prey of the Hawaiian monk seal, Monachus schauinslandi.

Proximate nutrients, gross energy content, mineral, amino acid and fatty acid composition were determined for teleost, cephalopod and crustacean prey of the Hawaiian monk seal. Crude protein was highest in the octopus, Octopus cyanea (80.0%), crude fat was highest in the Muraenid teleost, Gymnothorax eurostus (14.1%), whereas crude ash was highest in the lobster, Panulirus marginatus (11.6%). Gross energies ranged from 4.0 +/- 0.01 kcal g-1 in the Labrid teleost Bodianus bilulunatus to 6.0 +/- 0.12 kcal g-1 in the moray eel, Gymnothorax undulatus. Essential amino acids occurred in lower concentrations as a percentage of the total amino acids (35.8 +/- 2.6%) than non-essential amino acids (64.2 +/- 2.6%), but the ratio of individual amino acids to total amino acid concentrations were similar to those required by some monogastric terrestrial species and fingerling salmon. The fatty acid concentrations varied widely among species (range = 1.2-16.5 mg 100 mg-1); however, the teleosts had higher total fatty acids than the non-teleosts. This study indicates that, from a nutritional standpoint, some prey may be more beneficial to the Hawaiian monk seal; however, these prey are not necessarily the most abundant or available to some populations of the monk seal.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1993

A Thai monk: an agent for smoking reduction in a rural population.

Monks in a rural community in northern Thailand were observed to conduct anti-smoking activities. To evaluate the effects of the monks' efforts on change of people's smoking behaviour and attitudes, we conducted a survey of adults > or = 15 years of age in this village (intervention village sample) and a randomly selected village (control village sample) in the same subdistrict. Between March and April 1991, we interviewed 372 individuals in the intervention village and 664 in the control village. The two villages were of similar socioeconomic status. The proportion of ever smokers who had tried to quit was greater in the intervention sample (79.6%) than in the control sample (72.0%) (P = 0.048). The proportion of former smokers who had stopped smoking for > or = 1 year was significantly greater in the intervention sample (25.5% of ever smokers) than in the control sample (16.6%) (P = 0.011). Of current smokers in the intervention village, 45.8% reported smoking less tobacco during the year preceding the survey than in the previous 1-year period compared with 35.2% in the control village (P = 0.034). Many former smokers (80.3%) in the intervention village cited the suggestion of a monk as one important reason for quitting compared with 25.6% in the control village (P = 0.000). The proportion of individuals who were well aware of the harmful effects of smoking on health was greater in the intervention village than in the control village. Religious leaders may be helpful in a community-based smoking prevention programme.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Self-reported morbidity and disability among Trappist and Benedictine monks.

Studies of religious groups that impose prudent lifestyles on their members show low mortality rates in these groups, but it is unclear whether their morbidity rates are also low. The authors studied the prevalence of self-reported morbidity and disability among Trappist and Benedictine monks in the Netherlands. A health interview survey was administered in seven monasteries; the response rate was 67% (n = 134). Rates of morbidity and disability among monks were compared with those among all Dutch males by calculation of standardized morbidity ratios, adjusting for age and (in the case of morbidity) education. Self-reported morbidity among monks was similar to that in the general population (e.g., for one or more chronic conditions: standardized morbidity ratio = 1.07, 95% confidence interval 0.89-1.26), but rates of disability related to activities of daily living were much higher (e.g., for any trouble sitting down and getting up from a chair: standardized morbidity ratio = 2.21, 95% confidence interval 1.44-3.32). The authors hypothesize that a prudent lifestyle may prolong life, but at the expense of a higher prevalence of disability.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

An epidemiological study of headache among the Monks of Athos (Greece).

The Monks of Athos in Greece constitute a particular group with unusual sleep schedule and specific diet. In order to study the frequency of headache among them, a special questionnaire was designed. Four hundred forty-nine monks below the age of 50 were approached, 39 of whom suffered from frequent (more than one episode per month, in the last 6 months) headaches (8.68%). The prevalence of migraine was 1.78% (0.66% with aura and 1.11% without) and of tension-type headache 3.34% (1.33% chronic and 2% episodic). Furthermore, 1.87% of monks suffered from mixed headaches (tension-type and migraine attacks as well). Cluster headache was not traced.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

The concentration of serum lipids in Zen monks and control males in Japan.

The concentrations of total, low density lipoprotein (LDL), and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglyceride and apoprotein B have been examined in Zen monks whose intake of animal products was almost negligible for 2 to 8 years, and in age-matched (24 to 35 years) control Japanese males who eat Western style food. The mean levels of total, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol, and apoprotein B were 135.1 +/- 16.7, 73.0 +/- 11.6, 50.4 +/- 9.6, and 70.6 +/- 15.6 mg/dl, respectively in Zen monks. These levels were 28.5, 32.8, 18.8, and 23.9% lower in Zen monks than in control Japanese males. These values are statistically significant compared to those of the controls (p less than 0.01). There were no significant changes in the level of triglyceride in both groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Seasonal testosterone pattern in Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi).

Blood samples from four captive male Hawaiian monk seals were collected at intervals of one month for one year for testosterone assay. Plasma testosterone concentrations, measured by radioimmunoassay, revealed a clear seasonal pattern. The lowest mean testosterone concentration (0.09 +/- 0.04 ng ml-1) occurred in January, and the highest (1.78 +/- 0.40 ng ml-1) in June. The seasonal occurrence of births and of injuries related to mating in wild populations of Hawaiian monk seals showed a distinct association with the period of high testosterone. This study supports other data that indicate that the Hawaiian monk seal is a seasonal breeder and is reproductively active for longer than monachine seals that live in higher latitudes.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

[Changes in average life span of monks and nuns in Poland in the years 1950-2000].

The aim of the research was to find out if healthy lifestyle influences the longevity. The group of 906 monks and 866 nuns who worked and died in Poland in the years 1950-2000 was regarded as people who conducted a healthy lifestyle. The population of adult Poles was chosen as a control group. As a result of the research it is reported that: 1) since 1950 till middle 1960's people in monasteries lived shorter than adult Poles [in the first ten years of the research the average life span of monks was 2.4 years shorter (t162 = 1.99, p = 0.047) and nuns lived 9 years shorter (t56 = 4.2, p < 0.001)], since the middle of 1970's till the end of 1980's the group in question lived as long as the general population, finally, for the last ten years of the investigated period of time people in monasteries lived longer [monks 2.5 (t219 = 2.5, p < 0.05), nuns 2.9 years longer (t209 = 4.6, p < 0.001)]; 2) since 1950's till 2000 the average life span in the investigated group of both sexes was increasing at the rate of 0.175 (t98 = 3.9, p < 0.001) years per calendar year greater than this value in the general population and there is no reason to assume that there have been differences between sexes; 3) as far as men are concerned, joining a monastery in the case of man enter into the monastery a year earlier prolongs life for about 0.1 year (F1,842 = 3.8, P one side test = 0.026). In case of women this relation was not significant (F1,804 < 0.1). The shorter life of people in monasteries after the second world war might be interpreted as a result of their socio-political situation at that time. In the course of time their standard of living and the access to medical treatment has been improving gradually, so their longevity is increasing faster. In the context of the investigated problem the most important results were obtained from the last ten years. These results indicate that healthy lifestyle prolongs life.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Evidence of saxitoxin derivatives as causative agents in the 1997 mass mortality of monk seals in the Cape Blanc Peninsula.

Monk seals in Cape Blanc (Western Sahara coast) suffered a mass mortality during May-July 1997 which was attributed to a morbillivirus. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis on tissues of seals killed during the outbreak and on related fauna showed peaks with retention times coincident with those of some saxitoxin derivatives but their identity was not proved. Here we present results of further HPLC analyses that unambiguously prove the identity of these toxins by mass spectrometry (MS), supporting the hypothesis that this mortality of monk seals was caused by biotoxins rather than by a morbillivirus.

Africa↗
PubMed1991

The Monk Hard-Top prosthesis for displaced intracapsular fractures of the femoral neck.

The Monk Hard-Top prosthesis was inserted without operative mortality in 85 patients, with an average age of 81 years, presenting with Intracapsular Fracture of the Femoral Neck, Garden grade 3 or 4. At review, 60% of the patients walked unaided, without pain. Only 6% of those reviewed had a poor functional outcome. Fifty-three per cent of the patients returned to their previous environment and 47% had died 6 months postoperatively. The prosthesis is more difficult to dislocate, once inserted properly, than either a Thompson Hemiarthroplasty or a Primary Total Hip replacement. It is less likely to sustain Component Disassembly than other types of bipolar hemiarthroplasty. The Monk Hard Top Prosthesis is recommended for the treatment of Garden grade 3 or 4 Intracapsular Fractures of the Femoral Neck in elderly people.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

A pre- and post-MARPOL Annex V summary of Hawaiian monk seal entanglements and marine debris accumulation in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, 1982-1998.

Entanglements of Hawaiian monk seals, Monachus schauinslandi, were documented in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) from 1982 to 1998, and debris which presented a threat of entanglement was inventoried and removed from 1987 to 1996. A total of 173 entanglements was documented. The number of entanglements did not change after implementation of MARPOL Annex V in 1989. Pups and juvenile seals were more likely to become entangled than older seals, and became entangled primarily in nets, whereas entanglement of subadults and adults was more likely to involve line. The subpopulation of seals at Lisianski Island experienced the most entanglements, although Lisianski did not accumulate the most debris. Localized high entanglement rates may gravely affect individual monk seal subpopulations. Accumulation of debris has not diminished since implementation of Annex V, nor has occurrence of derelict drift nets abated since a 1989 moratorium. Debris washing ashore has likely been circulating in the North Pacific Ocean for some time.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Monk seal mortality: virus or toxin?

During the past few months, more than half of the total population of about 300 highly endangered Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) on the western Saharan coast of Africa, died in a mysterious disease outbreak. Epizootiological and postmortem findings were reminiscent of similar outbreaks amongst pinniped and cetacean species in recent years, which were caused by an infection with newly discovered morbilliviruses (for review see osterhaus et al.). Virological, as well as toxicological, analysis performed on tissue samples collected from relatively fresh carcasses during the outbreak indicate that infection with a virus closely related to dolphin morbillivirus (DMV), possibly originating from affected dolphins in the same area, was the primary cause of the outbreak. Therefore it is concluded that vaccination with a safe and effective non-replicating vaccine should be considered as a management tool in the conservation of Mediterranean monk seals.

Africa, Western↗
PubMed1999

Morbilliviruses in Mediterranean monk seals.

Two morbilliviruses were isolated from Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus), one from a stranded animal in Greece and the other one from carcasses washed ashore during a mass die-off in Mauritania. From both viruses N and P gene fragments were sequenced and compared to those of other known morbilliviruses. The monk seal morbilliviruses most closely resembled previously identified cetacean morbilliviruses, indicating that interspecies transmission from cetaceans to pinnipeds has occurred.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Low protein diet and chronic renal failure in Buddhist monks.

Clinical observations were made in five Buddhist monks with chronic renal failure on a low protein diet. These monks consumed only one meal and meditated three to four times a day. The estimated protein intake was from 15 to 19 g a day. Renal function remained stable over three years of observation. The general condition was satisfactory without any evidence of protein energy malnutrition. The data were compared with those of another group of patients who had a comparable degree of impairment of renal function but who consumed three meals a day of low protein diet. Protein intake was estimated to be from 25 to 30 g a day. These patients developed uraemia with severe renal failure and protein deficiency within three years. The findings support the role of protein restriction in maintenance of renal function in chronic renal failure and perhaps suggest a beneficial role for meditation.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Acetabular erosion and the Monk "hard top" hip prosthesis.

Nine cases of acetabular erosion following insertion of the Monk "hard top" hip prosthesis for subcapital fractures are presented. All of these patients had significant symptoms and represented 5% of the total group. In our experience acetabular erosion has proved to be a significant complication of the Monk "hard top" prosthesis.

Acetabulum↗
PubMed2006

Patellofemoral pain syndrome in Tibetan Buddhist monks.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome is a common diagnosis in athletes and especially runners. This article discusses 3 cases of patellofemoral pain caused by pronounced inactivity and prolonged knee hyperflexion at altitude in a unique population of Tibetan Buddhist monks. In this case, the monks responded well to a program of activity modification and exercises.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Toxoplasmosis in a Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi).

Toxoplasma gondii infection in marine mammals is intriguing and indicative of contamination of the ocean environment with oocysts. T. gondii was identified in a Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) that had visceral and cerebral lesions. Tachyzoites were found in the lymph nodes, spleen, diaphragm, heart, adrenal glands, and brain. A few tissue cysts were found in sections of the cerebrum. The diagnosis was confirmed serologically, by immunohistochemical staining with T. gondii-specific polyclonal rabbit serum, and by the detection of T. gondii DNA. The genotype was determined to be type III by restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the SAG2 gene. This is the first report of T. gondii infection in a Hawaiian monk seal.

Adrenal Cortex↗
PubMed1980

Aseptic loosening of the Monk hip prosthesis.

In a preliminary report concerning 104 Monk arthroplasties satisfactory results were found within an observation time of 1.6 years (Hansen & Rechnagel 1977). However an early tendency for aseptic loosening was recorded. At a follow-up of the same patients after 5 years it was found that 17 patients, with their primary prostheses in place, had died. Of the remaining 86 prostheses not less than 50% had been removed because of loosening causing symptoms. Furthermore at re-examination of 39 patients with 43 of the primary prostheses still in situ radiological and clinical evidence of progressive aseptic loosening was present. The aetiology of the loosening is discussed and it is suggested that wear of the polyethylene cap plays an important role. It is concluded that the "soft top" Monk prosthesis cannot be recommended for replacement arthroplasty of the hip.

Follow-Up Studies↗
PubMed2005

A comparison of four serologic assays in screening for Brucella exposure in Hawaiian monk seals.

A survey for Brucella spp. antibodies was undertaken on 164 serum samples from 144 Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) from the northwestern Hawaiian Islands collected between 1995 and 2002. The buffered antigen plate agglutination test (BPAT), the indirect enzyme immunoassay (I-ELISA), the competitive enzyme immunoassay (C-ELISA), and the fluorescence polarization assay (FPA) were compared with regard to their ability in detecting antibodies to Brucella spp. in the serum samples. Overall, antibodies were detected in 28 (17.1%) animals, using the BPAT test, 25 (15.2%) by the C-ELISA, and 19 (11.6%) in the I-ELISA and the FPA test, using thresholds established for cattle. No evidence of gross pathology consistent with clinical brucellosis was noted in any of the seropositive animals tested. Although further work would be necessary to validate these tests for use with monk seals it appears that both the C-ELISA and the FPA tests would be appropriate as diagnostic screening tests for detection of antibodies to Brucella spp. in this species.

Agglutination Tests↗