USURY VERSUS BANK CREDIT

Any individual, regardless of religion, social status, training or time of its existence in history was drawn like a magnet for money and power offered by them. The problem that is to be discussed briefly in the following pages has the purpose of obtaining money appealing to lenders or bankers. We do not intend to highlight the differences and similarities between the two precepts, trying to ignore the time factor, we present more a parallel between the two. An interesting parallel that highlights the origin of credit in times long forgotten, when the need of money urged you to knock at the usurer’s door.lenders, bankers, credit

THE EMERGENCE OF MONEY – INSIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE AGES AND THE NEED OF BANKS

Money is the blood of the economy. Here is an aphorism validated by historical experience, a historical truth that transcends all ages and all economic and political systems. (Buzatu N., G. Popa, 2003). Since ancient times, people were forced to exchange goods and services, natural conditions, cultural and religious backgrounds, were abundant in some areas and partially or totally absent in others.As a consequence of certain historically determined relations of production, at a certain stage of social development money came as a necessary product of the change process. (Kiriþescu C. Costin, Emilian M. Dobrescu, 1998). The emergence of money required to create specialized institutions to deal with their management, institutions, known as banks. Timing banks can not be ascertained accurately due to the distant past. This article proposes not only an overview of historical events that have marked the emergence of money and banks or a definition of terms, but wants to make an incursion at a time "long forgotten in the mists of time, but so strongly anchored in reality because of the emergence of money and the banks accordingly.money, banks, merchant, usurer, bill

Intake of Plant Based Foods and Colorectal Cancer. A Case-Control Study in Romania

Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents the third most common type of cancer worldwide with high incidence rates in our country as well. Both dietary habits and lifestyle factors have a strong contribution in preventing colorectal cancer. A healthy dietary pattern based on adequate intake of fruit, non-starchy vegetables, and whole grains is associated with positive outcomes regarding CRC development. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the dietary intake of plant-based food and food groups, along with lifestyle habits of CRC patients. A case-control study was conducted during April 2015 – October 2017. Patients (n=151) recently diagnosed with CRC and undergoing conventional treatment were recruited from Medisprof Oncology Hospital. Controls (n=151) were selected randomly from generally healthy adults. Dietary and lifestyle data were collected during a face to face interview and the applied lifestyle questionnaire included 74 items. The results showed that intake of specific food groups with high content of bioactive components was significantly higher in the control group compared to the CRC group (p<0.05), even though overall vegetable intake was similar between groups (p=0.51). Results also showed significant lower intakes of fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, nuts and legumes in the CRC group

Determination of the total content of metals, polyphenols, flavonoids and the antioxidant capacity of methanolic and chloroformic extracts from Cichorium intybus

The study aimed to assess the metal content, total polyphenols, and flavonoids in the plant Cichorium intybus L gathered from Bihor, Romania, and to emphasize the antioxidant activity of its bioactive constituents. The materials and methods involved the extraction of two types of extracts from the Cichorium intybus L plant using the Soxhlet extraction method. The extracts were prepared using two different solvents, namely 50% methanol and chloroform. The purpose of this extraction was to assess and compare the total phenolic and flavonoid content, as well as to determine the antioxidant capacity of the extracts using the DPPH and FRAP methods. The methanolic chicory extract had a higher total content of polyphenolic compounds (57.98 ± 0.60 mg GAE/g dry floss) and flavonoids (5.94 ± 0.08 mg QE/g dry floss) compared to the chloroform extract (55.28 ± 1.11 mg GAE/g dry floss) and (5.54 ± 0.13 mg QE/g dry floss). This indicates that methanol is a more effective solvent for extraction than chloroform. The results of the study indicate that the chloroform chicory extract exhibited a higher percentage of inhibition (74.10 ± 0.22%) compared to the methanolic extract (67.47 ± 0.65%) when tested for antioxidant capacity using the DPPH method. Conversely, the methanol extract from chicory demonstrated a higher antioxidant capacity (856.80 µmol TE/g dry chicory) than the chloroform extract (771 µmol TE/g dry chicory) according to the FRAP method. The Cichorium intybus L plant has the potential to yield phytopharmaceutical compounds that can help maintain or enhance human health

Plus- and Minus-End Directed Microtubule Motors Bind Simultaneously to Herpes Simplex Virus Capsids Using Different Inner Tegument Structures

Many viruses depend on host microtubule motors to reach their destined intracellular location. Viral particles of neurotropic alphaherpesviruses such as herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) show bidirectional transport towards the cell center as well as the periphery, indicating that they utilize microtubule motors of opposing directionality. To understand the mechanisms of specific motor recruitment, it is necessary to characterize the molecular composition of such motile viral structures. We have generated HSV1 capsids with different surface features without impairing their overall architecture, and show that in a mammalian cell-free system the microtubule motors dynein and kinesin-1 and the dynein cofactor dynactin could interact directly with capsids independent of other host factors. The capsid composition and surface was analyzed with respect to 23 structural proteins that are potentially exposed to the cytosol during virus assembly or cell entry. Many of these proteins belong to the tegument, the hallmark of all herpesviruses located between the capsid and the viral envelope. Using immunoblots, quantitative mass spectrometry and quantitative immunoelectron microscopy, we show that capsids exposing inner tegument proteins such as pUS3, pUL36, pUL37, ICP0, pUL14, pUL16, and pUL21 recruited dynein, dynactin, kinesin-1 and kinesin-2. In contrast, neither untegumented capsids exposing VP5, VP26, pUL17 and pUL25 nor capsids covered by outer tegument proteins such as vhs, pUL11, ICP4, ICP34.5, VP11/12, VP13/14, VP16, VP22 or pUS11 bound microtubule motors. Our data suggest that HSV1 uses different structural features of the inner tegument to recruit dynein or kinesin-1. Individual capsids simultaneously accommodated motors of opposing directionality as well as several copies of the same motor. Thus, these associated motors either engage in a tug-of-war or their activities are coordinately regulated to achieve net transport either to the nucleus during cell entry or to cytoplasmic membranes for envelopment during assembly

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10&nbsp;years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37&nbsp;years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

A study of CP violation in B-+/- -&gt; DK +/- and B-+/- -&gt; D pi(+/-) decays with D -&gt; (KSK +/-)-K-0 pi(-/+) final states

A first study of CP violation in the decay modes $B^\pm\to [K^0_{\rm S} K^\pm \pi^\mp]_D h^\pm$ and $B^\pm\to [K^0_{\rm S} K^\mp \pi^\pm]_D h^\pm$, where $h$ labels a $K$ or $\pi$ meson and $D$ labels a $D^0$ or $\overline{D}^0$ meson, is performed. The analysis uses the LHCb data set collected in $pp$ collisions, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb$^{-1}$. The analysis is sensitive to the CP-violating CKM phase $\gamma$ through seven observables: one charge asymmetry in each of the four modes and three ratios of the charge-integrated yields. The results are consistent with measurements of $\gamma$ using other decay modes