Sing to the Lord a New Song: John Calvin and the Spiritual Discipline of Metrical Psalmody

The purpose of this essay is to evaluate the way that psalmody - specifically metrical psalmody - serves as a sort of spiritual discipline. In other words, this essay seeks to demonstrate how the singing of psalms can be a tool to aid in spiritual growth. Much of the research for this essay focuses on the theological writings of the Protestant reformer John Calvin, as well as the way in which he incorporated metrical psalmody into his liturgical framework. The research also comprises primary writings from Aristotle, Plato, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Basil, and Saint Augustine - all of whom influenced Calvin’s own philosophy regarding the use of art, music, and psalmody in worship. Additional areas examined in this research include the historical musical development of psalmody and the collection and arrangement of metrical psalms into psalters. For reference, specific examples of metrical psalms and psalters have been added. These additional areas and examples help to give a more holistic understanding of the nature of metrical psalmody, and they help to show how it may accurately be considered a spiritual discipline

Sing to the Lord a New Song: John Calvin and the Spiritual Discipline of Metrical Psalmody

The purpose of this essay is to evaluate the way that psalmody - specifically metrical psalmody - serves as a sort of spiritual discipline. In other words, this essay seeks to demonstrate how the singing of psalms can be a tool to aid in spiritual growth. Much of the research for this essay focuses on the theological writings of the Protestant reformer John Calvin, as well as the way in which he incorporated metrical psalmody into his liturgical framework. The research also comprises primary writings from Aristotle, Plato, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Basil, and Saint Augustine - all of whom influenced Calvin’s own philosophy regarding the use of art, music, and psalmody in worship. Additional areas examined in this research include the historical musical development of psalmody and the collection and arrangement of metrical psalms into psalters. For reference, specific examples of metrical psalms and psalters have been added. These additional areas and examples help to give a more holistic understanding of the nature of metrical psalmody, and they help to show how it may accurately be considered a spiritual discipline

Sing to the Lord a New Song: John Calvin and the Spiritual Discipline of Metrical Psalmody

Music has the power to shape us, to mold our thoughts and actions, to teach us. It is this truth that the Protestant reformer John Calvin recognized and sought to employ as he included the singing of psalms in his liturgy. In addition to corporate worship, Calvin encouraged his congregation to view the singing of the Psalms as a spiritual discipline; that by singing, people would be trained in holiness. To accomplish this goal, he worked to collect metrical psalms—psalms rewritten with meter and rhyme in the vernacular language—into a unified psalter that could be used in daily life

Familial thymic aplasia - Attempted reconstitution with fetal thymus in a Millipore diffusion chamber

A 10-week-old female infant with familial congenital thymic aplasia without delayed hypersensitivity to common skin-test antigens underwent fetal-thymus implantation. Six hours after the implantation of a fetal thymus enclosed in a Millipore chamber phytohemagglutinin responsiveness was demonstrable in the patient's peripheral lymphocytes. The infant's death of aspiration pneumonia nine days after implantation did not allow evaluation of the extent of the immunologic reconstitution. Thymic-cell immunologic function can be induced in man with fetal-thymus humoral factors

Immunodiagnosis of tuberculosis: new questions, new tools conference 2008

Human infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis exists as a spectrum of conditions ranging from asymptomatic infection to active disease. Novel, accurate tuberculosis immunodiagnostics have been introduced over the last decade, but it remains challenging to timely diagnose active disease and to accurately distinguish asymptomatic M. tuberculosis infection from immune memory resulting from a prior infection eradicated by the host response. The conference titled Immunodiagnosis of Tuberculosis: New Questions, New Tools, which was held on September 21-23, 2008 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States, brought together basic scientists and clinical experts to discuss recent progress in tuberculosis research and diagnosis. Global analyses of M. tuberculosis biology and the host immune response, with emphasis on systems approaches to the study of host-pathogen interactions, were presented. Moreover, conference participants discussed new tests in the pipeline and reviewed new technologies leading to novel assay formats. The discussion included technologies ranging from simple, inexpensive point-of-care tests to automated molecular platforms for detection of multiple infections based on the “lab on a chip” concept. It was also recognized that the utility of any new diagnostic relies on laboratory capacity, accessibility, costs, and test deployment. The conference included lessons from the field. For example, the application of existing technologies to neglected areas, such as diagnosis in children and HIV+ populations, was discussed

Population structure and associated phenotypes of Salmonella enterica serovars Derby and Mbandaka overlap with host range

BACKGROUND:The Salmonella enterica serovar Derby is frequently isolated from pigs and turkeys whereas serovar Mbandaka is frequently isolated from cattle, chickens and animal feed in the UK. Through comparative genomics, phenomics and mutant construction we previously suggested possible mechanistic reasons why these serovars demonstrate apparently distinct host ranges. Here, we investigate the genetic and phenotypic diversity of these two serovars in the UK. We produce a phylogenetic reconstruction and perform several biochemical assays on isolates of S. Derby and S. Mbandaka acquired from sites across the UK between the years 2000 and 2010. RESULTS:We show that UK isolates of S. Mbandaka comprise of one clonal lineage which is adapted to proficient utilisation of metabolites found in soya beans under ambient conditions. We also show that this clonal lineage forms a biofilm at 25 °C, suggesting that this serovar maybe well adapted to survival ex vivo, growing in animal feed. Conversely, we show that S. Derby is made of two distinct lineages, L1 and L2. These lineages differ genotypically and phenotypically, being divided by the presence and absence of SPI-23 and the ability to more proficiently invade porcine jejunum derived cell line IPEC-J2. CONCLUSION:The results of this study lend support to the hypothesis that the differences in host ranges of S. Derby and S. Mbandaka are adaptations to pathogenesis, environmental persistence, as well as utilisation of metabolites abundant in their respective host environments

Population pharmacokinetics and dosing recommendations for the use of deferiprone in children younger than 6 years

AIMS: Despite long clinical experience with deferiprone, there is limited information on its pharmacokinetics in children < 6 years of age. Here we assess the impact of developmental growth on the pharmacokinetics of deferiprone in this population using a population approach. Based on pharmacokinetic bridging concepts, we also evaluate whether the recommended doses yield appropriate systemic exposure in this group of patients. METHODS: Data from a study in which 18 paediatric patients were enrolled were available for the purposes of this analysis. Patients were randomised to three deferiprone dose levels (8.3, 16.7 and 33.3 mg/kg). Blood samples were collected according to an optimised sampling scheme in which each patient contributed to a maximum of five samples. A population pharmacokinetic model was developed using NONMEM v.7.2. Model selection criteria were based on graphical and statistical summaries. RESULTS: A one-compartment model with first-order absorption and first-order elimination best described the pharmacokinetics of deferiprone. Drug disposition parameters were affected by body weight, with both clearance and volume increasing allometrically with size. Simulation scenarios show that comparable systemic exposure (AUC) is achieved in children and adults after similar dose levels in mg/kg, with median (5-95(th) quantiles) AUC values respectively of 340.6 (223.2-520.0) and 318.5 (200.4-499.0) µmol/L*h at 75 mg/kg/day and 453.7 (297.3-693.0) and 424.2 (266.9-664.0) at 100 mg/kg/day t.i.d. doses. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the current findings, a dosing regimen of 25 mg/kg t.i.d. is recommended in children below 6 years of age, with the possibility of titration up to 33.3 mg/kg t.i.d

Rhinitis in the geriatric population

The current geriatric population in the United States accounts for approximately 12% of the total population and is projected to reach nearly 20% (71.5 million people) by 2030[1]. With this expansion of the number of older adults, physicians will face the common complaint of rhinitis with increasing frequency. Nasal symptoms pose a significant burden on the health of older people and require attention to improve quality of life. Several mechanisms likely underlie the pathogenesis of rhinitis in these patients, including inflammatory conditions and the influence of aging on nasal physiology, with the potential for interaction between the two. Various treatments have been proposed to manage this condition; however, more work is needed to enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology of the various forms of geriatric rhinitis and to develop more effective therapies for this important patient population

Macrophage phenotype is associated with disease severity in preterm infants with chronic lung disease.

The etiology of persistent lung inflammation in preterm infants with chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD) is poorly characterized, hampering efforts to stratify prognosis and treatment. Airway macrophages are important innate immune cells with roles in both the induction and resolution of tissue inflammation