Bernard Lonergan and New Testament interpretation

Recent explorations in New Testament hermeneutics registers the need for a more wholistic approach to the text that also takes into consideration the role of the interpreter. This thesis investigates the potential of the theological method of jesuit theologian Bernard Lonergan (d. 1984) in the task of interpretation. His methodology is promising as a hermeneutical tool as his theological framework takes into consideration both theological operations and the theologian as subject. While this study finds that there are distinct advantages in his approach, it also finds that there is need for development in the affective realm. In this regard, the work of Robert Doran is drawn on as a complement to Lonergan's methodology. Doran's contribution is significant, yet it is also restrictive. To broaden the perspective, the thesis draws on Jungian psychological material and it is suggested that both Lonergan's and Doran's findings can be more fully exploited as a hermeneutical tool, if the understanding of the role and function of the symbol is expanded

Bernard Lonergan and New Testament interpretation

Recent explorations in New Testament hermeneutics registers the need for a more wholistic approach to the text that also takes into consideration the role of the interpreter. This thesis investigates the potential of the theological method of jesuit theologian Bernard Lonergan (d. 1984) in the task of interpretation. His methodology is promising as a hermeneutical tool as his theological framework takes into consideration both theological operations and the theologian as subject. While this study finds that there are distinct advantages in his approach, it also finds that there is need for development in the affective realm. In this regard, the work of Robert Doran is drawn on as a complement to Lonergan's methodology. Doran's contribution is significant, yet it is also restrictive. To broaden the perspective, the thesis draws on Jungian psychological material and it is suggested that both Lonergan's and Doran's findings can be more fully exploited as a hermeneutical tool, if the understanding of the role and function of the symbol is expanded

Eye-specific retinogeniculate segregation proceeds normally following disruption of patterned spontaneous retinal activity

Background: Spontaneous retinal activity (SRA) is important during eye-specific segregation within the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), but the feature(s) of activity critical for retinogeniculate refinement are controversial. Pharmacologically or genetically manipulating cholinergic signaling during SRA perturbs correlated retinal ganglion cell (RGC) spiking and disrupts eye-specific retinofugal refinement in vivo, consistent with an instructive role for SRA during visual system development. Paradoxically, ablating the starburst amacrine cells (SACs) that generate cholinergic spontaneous activity disrupts correlated RGC firing without impacting retinal activity levels or eye-specific segregation in the dLGN. Such experiments suggest that patterned SRA during retinal waves is not critical for eye-specific refinement and instead, normal activity levels are permissive for retinogeniculate development. Here we revisit the effects of ablating the cholinergic network during eye-specific segregation and show that SAC ablation disrupts, but does not eliminate, retinal waves with no concomitant impact on normal eye-specific segregation in the dLGN. Results: We induced SAC ablation in postnatal ferret pups beginning at birth by intraocular injection of a novel immunotoxin selective for the ferret vesicular acetylcholine transporter (Ferret VAChT-Sap). Through dual-patch whole-cell and multi-electrode array recording we found that SAC ablation altered SRA patterns and led to significantly smaller retinal waves compared with controls. Despite these defects, eye-specific segregation was normal. Further, interocular competition for target territory in the dLGN proceeded in cases where SAC ablation was asymmetric in the two eyes. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate normal eye-specific retinogeniculate development despite significant abnormalities in patterned SRA. Comparing our current results with earlier studies suggests that defects in retinal wave size, absolute levels of SRA, correlations between RGC pairs, RGC burst frequency, high frequency RGC firing during bursts, and the number of spikes per RGC burst are each uncorrelated with abnormalities in eye-specific segregation in the dLGN. An increase in the fraction of asynchronous spikes occurring outside of bursts and waves correlates with eye-specific segregation defects in studies reported to date. These findings highlight the relative importance of different features of SRA while providing additional constraints for computational models of Hebbian plasticity mechanisms in the developing visual system. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1749-8104-9-25) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Iminosugar idoBR1 isolated from Cucumber Cucumis sativus reduces inflammatory activity

Cucumbers have been anecdotally claimed to have anti-inflammatory activity for a long time, but the active principle was not identified. idoBR1, (2R,3R,4R,5S)-3,4,5-trihydroxypiperidine-2-carboxylic acid, is an iminosugar amino acid isolated from fruits of certain cucumbers, Cucumis sativus (Cucurbitaceae). It has no chromophore and analytically behaves like an amino acid making detection and identification difficult. It has anti-inflammatory activity reducing lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in THP-1 cells and ex vivo human blood. It showed selective inhibition of human α-l-iduronidase and sialidases from both bacteria (Tannerella forsythia) and human THP-1 cells. idoBR1 and cucumber extract reduced the binding of hyaluronic acid (HA) to CD44 in LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells and may function as an anti-inflammatory agent by inhibiting induced sialidase involved in the production of functionally active HA adhesive CD44. Similar to the related iminosugars, idoBR1 is excreted unchanged in urine following consumption. Its importance in the diet should be further evaluated

Healthcare utilization among migrants to the UK: cross-sectional analysis of two national surveys

Funder: The Health FoundationObjective: To contribute objective evidence on health care utilization among migrants to the UK to inform policy and service planning. Methods: We analysed data from Understanding Society, a household survey with fieldwork from 2015 to 2017, and the European Health Interview Survey with data collected between 2013 and 2014. We explored health service utilization among migrants to the UK across primary care, inpatient admissions and maternity care, outpatient care, mental health, dental care and physiotherapy. We adjusted for age, sex, long-term health conditions and time since moving to the UK. Results: Health care utilization among migrants to the UK was lower than utilization among the UK-born population for all health care dimensions except inpatient admissions for childbirth; odds ratio (95%CI) range 0.58 (0.50–0.68) for dental care to 0.88 (0.78–0.98) for primary care). After adjusting for differences in age and self-reported health, these differences were no longer observed, except for dental care (odds ratio 0.57, 95%CI 0.49–0.66, P < 0.001). Across primary care, outpatient and inpatient care, utilization was lower among those who had recently migrated, increasing to the levels of the nonmigrant population after 10 years or more since migrating to the UK. Conclusions: This study finds that newly arrived migrants tend to utilize less health care than the UK population and that this pattern was at least partly explained by better health, and younger age. Our findings contribute nationally representative evidence to inform public debate and decision-making on migration and health

Perceived Barriers to Weight Management in Primary Care—Perspectives of Patients and Providers

BACKGROUND: Despite the consequences of overweight and obesity, effective weight management is not occurring in primary care. OBJECTIVE: To identify beliefs about obesity that act as barriers to weight management in primary care by surveying both patients and providers and comparing their responses. DESIGN: Anonymous, cross-sectional, self-administered survey of patients and providers of a Veteran’s Administration Primary Care Clinic, distributed at the clinic site. SUBJECTS: Forty-eight Internal Medicine providers and 488 patients. MEASUREMENTS: Beliefs, attitudes, and experiences with weight management as well as demographic characteristics were collected through a questionnaire. RESULTS: Providers and patients differed significantly on many beliefs about weight. Providers were more likely than patients to perceive that patients lack self-control to stay on a diet and that fattening food in society and lack of time for exercise were prime factors in weight gain. They also expressed more interest in helping patients with weight management than patients desiring this. Patients were more likely to state that weight problems should be managed on one’s own, talking to a provider is not helpful, providers blame them for their weight problem, and that appointments contain sufficient time for weight discussion. CONCLUSION: Providers and patients emphasize different barriers to weight management. Providers need to be aware of the beliefs that their patients hold to improve weight management discussions and interventions in primary care

(5S,6R)-5-Methyl-6-phenyl-4-propyl-1,3,4-oxadiazinane-2-thione

The title mol­ecule, C13H18N2OS, is an oxadiazinanthione derived from (1R,2S)-norephedrine. There are two molecules in the asymmetric. Both adopt roughly half-chair conformations; however, the 5-position carbon orients out of opposite faces of the oxadiazinanthiones plane in the two molecules. In the crystal structure, they are oriented as a dimer linked by a pair of N—H⋯S hydrogen bonds. The absolute configuration has been established from anomalous dispersion and confirms the known stereochemistry based on the synthetic procedure

Association of Accelerometry-Measured Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Events in Mobility-Limited Older Adults: The LIFE (Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders) Study.

BACKGROUND:Data are sparse regarding the value of physical activity (PA) surveillance among older adults-particularly among those with mobility limitations. The objective of this study was to examine longitudinal associations between objectively measured daily PA and the incidence of cardiovascular events among older adults in the LIFE (Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders) study. METHODS AND RESULTS:Cardiovascular events were adjudicated based on medical records review, and cardiovascular risk factors were controlled for in the analysis. Home-based activity data were collected by hip-worn accelerometers at baseline and at 6, 12, and 24&nbsp;months postrandomization to either a physical activity or health education intervention. LIFE study participants (n=1590; age 78.9±5.2 [SD] years; 67.2% women) at baseline had an 11% lower incidence of experiencing a subsequent cardiovascular event per 500&nbsp;steps taken per day based on activity data (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.84-0.96; P=0.001). At baseline, every 30&nbsp;minutes spent performing activities ≥500&nbsp;counts per minute (hazard ratio, 0.75; confidence interval, 0.65-0.89 [P=0.001]) were also associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular events. Throughout follow-up (6, 12, and 24&nbsp;months), both the number of steps per day (per 500&nbsp;steps; hazard ratio, 0.90, confidence interval, 0.85-0.96 [P=0.001]) and duration of activity ≥500&nbsp;counts per minute (per 30&nbsp;minutes; hazard ratio, 0.76; confidence interval, 0.63-0.90 [P=0.002]) were significantly associated with lower cardiovascular event rates. CONCLUSIONS:Objective measurements of physical activity via accelerometry were associated with cardiovascular events among older adults with limited mobility (summary score &gt;10 on the Short Physical Performance Battery) both using baseline and longitudinal data. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION:URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01072500