Seeking Sanctity in our Contemporary World

Talking about sanctity in our contemporary world, from a Christian perspective, is like talking about the precious stone in the story. Undoubtedly, there are many today who still search for sanctity-and even crave for it, perhaps thinking that this is something reserved for the elite few.peer-reviewe

Effect of soil waterlogging on below-ground biomass allometric relations in Norway spruce

An increasing importance is assigned to the estimation and verification of carbon stocks in forests. Forestry practice has several long-established and reliable methods for the assessment of aboveground biomass; however we still miss accurate predictors of belowground biomass. A major windthrow event exposing the coarse root systems of Norway spruce trees allowed us to assess the effects of contrasting soil stone and water content on belowground allocation. Increasing stone content decreases root/shoot ratio, while soil waterlogging leads to an increase in this ratio. We constructed allometric relationships for belowground biomass prediction and were able to show that only soil waterlogging significantly impacts model parameters. We showed that diameter at breast height is a reliable predictor of belowground biomass and, once site-specific parameters have been developed, it is possible to accurately estimate belowground biomass in Norway spruce

Cutting for the stone

Stone in the bladder was a common affliction throughout Europe until the early years of this century when for reasons possibly dietary but still obscure it became very much less frequently especially in children. The operation for its removal, ‘cutting for the stone’, or lithotomy, is one of the very oldest in surgery, and indeed, in many centuries of pre-anaesthetic and pre-Listerian era, lithotomy was one of the very few ’cold’ or elective operations to which man submitted, the distressing features of the malady out-weighting the hellish torments and the mortal risks of the operation. For fairly obvious reasons of relative accessibility and safety, the perineal approach to the bladder was the original and the classical one, and it is to perineal lithotomy that I shall confine myself in this account. The position in which the patient was placed, securely bound or forcibly held for the operation remains as an unforgettable feature of surgical vocabulary even though we now use it for other perineal procedures.peer-reviewe

Fat residue and use-wear found on Acheulian biface and scraper associated with butchered elephant remains at the site of Revadim, Israel

The archaeological record indicates that elephants must have played a significant role in early human diet and culture during Palaeolithic times in the Old World. However, the nature of interactions between early humans and elephants is still under discussion. Elephant remains are found in Palaeolithic sites, both open-air and cave sites, in Europe, Asia, the Levant, and Africa. In some cases elephant and mammoth remains indicate evidence for butchering and marrow extraction performed by humans. Revadim Quarry (Israel) is a Late Acheulian site where elephant remains were found in association with characteristic Lower Palaeolithic flint tools. In this paper we present results regarding the use of Palaeolithic tools in processing animal carcasses and rare identification of fat residue preserved on Lower Palaeolithic tools. Our results shed new light on the use of Palaeolithic stone tools and provide, for the first time, direct evidence (residue) of animal exploitation through the use of an Acheulian biface and a scraper. The association of an elephant rib bearing cut marks with these tools may reinforce the view suggesting the use of Palaeolithic stone tools in the consumption of large game

Carved Stone Fragment of Sanidine Trachyte from the Viljandi Castle

This article examines the medieval carved stone fragment found in the course of archaeological excavations from a stable boys’ house in the third bailey of the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Viljandi (Estonia), which was built during the Middle Ages. It is likely that the piece of carved stone ended up in the layer of ruins when the buildings in the third bailey were demolished. Based thereon, no conclusions can be drawn about the original location of the carved stone – it may have been brought from somewhere in the vicinity. However, based on the place it was buried it is clear that the stone was carved before the second half of the 16th century.The carved stone fragment is a wedge-shaped piece of light grey limestone-like stone, which is few centimetres thick, 6–9 cm long and 5–8 cm wide, with carved profiling still visible on its sides. This mineralogicalpetrographical picture of carved stone fragment is characteristic of alkali volcanic rock trachyte, and considering the relationships of main minerals, it is more precisely characteristic of porphyritic sanidine trachyte from the Drachenfels Hill in Germany.Carved stone fragment is extremely small and seriously damaged, but the fine profiling is clearly visible. It is more likely that it comes from a small form. Since, in the Estonian context, this is a rare material, it is more believable that was a precious, rather than a mundane, object. First off, one would assume that it was a sacrament niche, but naturally there are other possibilities

Timelines of the "free-particle" and "fixed-particle" models of stone-formation: theoretical and experimental investigations

Two major theories on renal stone formation will be reviewed, the “free-particle” and “fixed-particle” mechanisms. These theories combine data on intrinsic factors (inborn metabolic errors), extrinsic factors (diet), renal cell responses and the physico-chemistry and biochemistry of urine into mechanisms of stone formation. This paper describes the specific role of time in both mechanisms. The timeline of crystal- and stone formation was deducted from literature data and was measured for two stones using radioisotope decay analysis. The stones of similar size and composition showed, respectively, a timeline of a few years and a development that took decades. In combination with data on stone architecture and patient characteristics these timelines are explained using the free-particle and fixed-particle mechanisms. Consideration of the timeline of stone formation has clinical implications. We conclude that the fixed-particle mechanism can be a slow process where decades pass between the first formation of a precipitate in the renal interstitium and the clinical presentation of the stone. Added to the fact that the mechanism of this initial precipitation is still ill defined, the conditions that started fixed-particle stone formation in an individual patient can be obscure. Blood and urine analysis in such patients does not necessarily reveal the individual’s risk for recurrence as lifestyle may have changed over time. This is in fact what defines the so-called idiopathic stoneformers. For these patients, prevention of outgrowth of previously formed precipitates, papillary plaques, may be more relevant than prevention of new plaque formation. In contrast, a patient who has formed a stone in a relatively short time through the free-particle mechanism is more likely to show abnormal values in blood and urine that explain the starting event of stone formation. In these patients, measurement of such values provides useful information to guide preventive measures. © 2016, The Author(s)

Confirming the function of a Final Bronze Age wine processing site in the Nuraghe Genna Maria in Villanovaforru (South Sardinia)

The stone artefact in the hut γ of the NuragheGenna Maria, object of this study, is part of a compound still unpublished today and dated to the Nuragic period. It was found during a 1991 excavation, revealing a situation unchanged since the collapse occurred between the 10th and 9th century B.C., thus preserving the situation at the time of the collapse to this day. The presence of tartaric acid - the marker considered to determinate the presence of wines or products deriving from grapes - has been determined using HPLC-DAD and UHPLC-HQOMS. So the findings under examination, together with the overall evaluation of the archaeological aspects examined, suggests to positively consider the stone artifact as a "laccus" (the latin word for wine presses, still used in the Sardinian language today ) for grape crushing. The internal slope of the floor of the "laccus" allowed the extraction of juice with rapid separation of juice from berry skins. The presence in Sardinia of a large number of "stone wine presses" ("palmenti" in Italian) such as that of the Nuraghe Genna Maria studied in this article, brings a contribution to their dating and confirm the existence of an oenological industry on the island in the Archaic period (9th-10th century B.C.)

Ureteroscopy for stone disease in the paediatric population: lessons learned and outcomes in a Nordic setting

Introduction: Paediatric stone disease is rare in the Nordic communities. Still, the condition can require surgical intervention in the form of ureteroscopy (URS). Here, we report outcomes achieved at a regional (tertiary) centre. Patients and methods: Retrospective analysis was performed of consecutive patients (<18 years of age) undergoing URS for stone disease between 2010 and 2021. Outcomes of interest included stone-free rate (SFR) determined using a definition of no residual fragments ⩾ 3 mm on imaging and complications classified according to Clavien–Dindo system. Results: In total, 23 patients underwent 47 URS procedures for a total of 31 stone episodes. Mean age was 9 (range 1–17) years and male-to-female ratio was 6:17. Overall, 35% had at least one medical comorbidity. Ultrasound determined preoperative stone status in 87%. Mean largest index and cumulative stone sizes were 9 (range 3–40) and 12 (range 3–40) mm, respectively. Overall, 32% had multiple stones. Lower pole was the commonest stone location (39%). No patients underwent elective pre-operative stenting. Ureteral access sheaths were not used in any cases. Access to upper urinary tract at first procedure was successful in 94%. Initial and final SFR was 61% and 90%, respectively. No intra-operative complications were recorded. Overall post-operative complication rate was 17.5%. Urinary tract infection (CD II) was the commonest adverse event (12.5%). Conclusion: Paediatric URS can be delivered in the setting of a regional centre without compromising outcomes. This includes when carried out by adult endourologists, without routine pre-stenting and omitting use of ureteric access sheath.publishedVersio

The effect of serum levels of vitamin D in stone recurrencein patients with urinary tract stone

Introduction: The role of vitamin D in kidney stone disease and its effect on stone formation is still controversial. Objectives: To find out the possible role of 25(OH) D3 as an intrinsic factor in urinary calcium stone formers (SFs; individuals with one episode during the last 5 years and individuals with more than one episode during the last 5 years), we investigated the effect of serum levels of vitamin D on recurrence of urinary stones in SFs and control subjects (non-SFs). Patients and Methods: A total of 30 patients with first episode of urolithiasis (group A) and 30 patients with more than one episode of urolithiasis during the last 5 years (group B) aged 18 or older enrolled in this study and underwent metabolic evaluation including the measurement of serum level of 25(OH)D3, parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium and uric acid. Thirty age and sex-matched patients who had never urinary stone episode (non-SFs) were considered as control group. The patients in this study were selected among those admitted in Urology Department of Kashani hospital during the last year. Individuals excluded from the study were subjects with hyperparathyroidism or with the previous history of hyperparathyroidism. Results: Mean level of 25(OH) D3 was positively correlated with recurrent stone (mean 19.89±7.6 in the control group versus 47.21±19.77 in the group with the recurrent stone disease). The recurrent stone group (SFs) had the higher serum level of 25(OH) D3 than the control. No correlation was observed between the serum levels of PTH and 25(OH) D3 (r =0. 13, P =0.11) in both control and urinary SFs group. Conclusion: High serum level of vitamin D has an important effect on the pathogenesis of repeated urolithiasis. High serum levels of 25(OH) D3 were detected in the group with recurrent kidney stone disease. But it seems there was no relation between serum level of vitamin D3 and one episode of urolithiasis. Based on the results of this study, the high level of vitamin D3 may have a significant role in inducing the recurrence of urinary stone