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This article focuses on the ancient Greek and Coptic euchologia containing a little-known monastic liturgical ritual used when a monk exchanged his coenobitic way of life for a solitary one. The oldest Greek manuscripts which preserve this ritual date back to the 10th century. In the Coptic environment, it is found in manuscripts from the 14th century. Nevertheless, long before these dates, Syriac literary sources mention an office for the blessing of the monastic cells, which contains several elements in common with the Greek and Coptic liturgical texts. As the ritual is no longer included in the modern euchologia, the article highlights the traces of the custom and the monastic reasons of this tacitly accepted forgetfulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of physical activity and sport has become part of the prison world as an important right of inmates. The aims of this study were to ascertain the degree of satisfaction of inmates in penitentiary centres with the socio-sports basketball programme carried out by the Real Madrid Foundation (RMF), as well as their perceptions of the influence of this programme on life in the centre and on their social reintegration. To this end, 309 inmates in 21 prisons were surveyed. The results indicated that the participants reported that they had learned aspects related to the democratic values they had worked on, and that the programme had had a favourable influence on their personal development and on their prison life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During recent rescue excavations conducted on Petra Zoranića square in Zadar, the remains of an earlier-known church were discovered, which has been identified as the Church of St. Peter of the Windlass mentioned in medieval documents. A sarcophagus with an engraved epitaph of Georgius, preist and recluse, was found in the south-west corner of the church. The sarcophagus fully corresponds to the formational and decorative standards of identical monuments from the latter half of the eighth and first half of the ninth centuries. This does not comply with the radiocarbon dating of the remains of the deceased individual found in the sarcophagus. At some point in his life, Georgius opted for the strictest form of solitary life, which implied lifelong isolation from the outside world, inside the walls of a small cell. His interment in a sarcophagus on which he is referred to as PRESBITER ET RECLAVSVS suggests that he persisted in this to the end of his life [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to provide a clinical review of a unique, emerging form of severe social withdrawal that has been described in Japan. This paper begins with a case vignette, then reviews the case definition, epidemiology, psychopathology, differential diagnosis, and treatment and management of the condition. Called hikikomori, it is well known to both the psychiatric community and general public in Japan but it has never been reviewed in the English medical literature. Patients are mostly adolescent and young adult men who become recluses in their parents' homes for months or years. They withdraw from contact with family, rarely have friends, and do not attend school or hold a job. Never described before the late 1970s, hikikomori has become a silent epidemic with tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of cases now estimated in Japan. The differential diagnosis includes anxiety and personality disorders, but current nosology in the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders may not adequately capture the concept of hikikomori. Treatment strategies are varied and lack a solid evidence base, but often include milieu, family, and exposure therapy. Much further research, including population-based and prospective studies, needs to be conducted to characterize and provide an evidence base for treatment of this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Envenomations can occur from a variety of species. They can cause symptoms that range from minor skin irritation to systemic signs and symptoms, organ failure, and even death. Knowing the signs and symptoms of envenomation are important for management and disposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The Loxosceles reclusa, commonly known as the brown recluse spider, is responsible for virtually all cases of spider bites leading to a significant necrosis. Case Report: We report the case of a 72-year-old man who presented to the Emergency Department complaining of back pain, weakness, and diarrhea. The patient stated that he sustained a bug bite 1 week before presenting to the hospital. His wound was necrotizing in nature and after an exhaustive work-up, the most likely etiology was found to be envenomation by a brown recluse spider, Loxosceles reclusa. Conclusion: This is an endemic cause of a necrotizing wound bite in areas of the Midwestern and Southern United States, but it is rarely reported in the Northeast. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]