The biblical teaching on creation in modem Christian theology: a study of the relation between certain old testament scholars and certain theological writers of the twentieth century

one problem faced by modern Christian theologians in expounding a doctrine of creation is the relationship between the biblical material relating to creation and modern scientific understanding of the universe, it has been claimed that biblical scholars have provided the necessary insights for overcoming this problem and forging fruitful links between the biblical reflection and scientific conclusions, but their work has been ignored by theologians, to the detriment of the doctrine of creation. In this enquiry the various parts of this claim are tested. The work of four twentieth century theological writers is examined to 6ee what use they make of biblical material in discussing the doctrine of creation; then the "work of four twentieth century biblical scholars is examined to see what insights are offered into the biblical reflection on creation. Drawing the results of these two studies together, it is shown that there is a close correspondence between the theological writers' and the biblical scholars' views of the biblical material on creation, and that the dominant theme of the common view is that the biblical interest in creation is secondary to the biblical concern with man and his salvation. It is further shown that this view ignores important features of the biblical reflection on creation, and a presentation of the biblical reflection is given which takes account of these neglected insights. A doctrine of citation based on this representation of the biblical material is developed in outline and it is claimed that such a doctrine offers a basis for mutually beneficial discussion of creation and related topics between scientists and theologians

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

Background: Many patients with COVID-19 have been treated with plasma containing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Methods: This randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]) is assessing several possible treatments in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 177 NHS hospitals from across the UK. Eligible and consenting patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either usual care alone (usual care group) or usual care plus high-titre convalescent plasma (convalescent plasma group). The primary outcome was 28-day mortality, analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936. Findings: Between May 28, 2020, and Jan 15, 2021, 11558 (71%) of 16287 patients enrolled in RECOVERY were eligible to receive convalescent plasma and were assigned to either the convalescent plasma group or the usual care group. There was no significant difference in 28-day mortality between the two groups: 1399 (24%) of 5795 patients in the convalescent plasma group and 1408 (24%) of 5763 patients in the usual care group died within 28 days (rate ratio 1·00, 95% CI 0·93–1·07; p=0·95). The 28-day mortality rate ratio was similar in all prespecified subgroups of patients, including in those patients without detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at randomisation. Allocation to convalescent plasma had no significant effect on the proportion of patients discharged from hospital within 28 days (3832 [66%] patients in the convalescent plasma group vs 3822 [66%] patients in the usual care group; rate ratio 0·99, 95% CI 0·94–1·03; p=0·57). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at randomisation, there was no significant difference in the proportion of patients meeting the composite endpoint of progression to invasive mechanical ventilation or death (1568 [29%] of 5493 patients in the convalescent plasma group vs 1568 [29%] of 5448 patients in the usual care group; rate ratio 0·99, 95% CI 0·93–1·05; p=0·79). Interpretation: In patients hospitalised with COVID-19, high-titre convalescent plasma did not improve survival or other prespecified clinical outcomes. Funding: UK Research and Innovation (Medical Research Council) and National Institute of Health Research

CT colonography standards

Computed tomography (CT) colonography is the established successor to the barium enema for the detection of colonic neoplasia due to superior performance and patient experience. Consequently, CT colonography is widely disseminated across Western populations and increasingly provided by both subspecialist and general radiologists alike. As a result, CT colonography is now part of the core training curriculum for radiology in the UK. However, study data shows wide performance gaps between centres and between individuals of differing experience, which is perhaps unsurprising given the complexity of the CT colonography technique and interpretation. This article summarizes the background, evolution and recommendations of the CT colonography standards document (Appendix) developed by the International CT Colonography Standards Collaboration, which included highly experienced radiologists, radiographers, gastroenterologists, and screening experts. These standards are intended to guide and support radiology teams across the world by promoting methods for improving the quality of CT colonography technique and the patient experience

Antimicrobial host defense peptides in an arteriviral infection: differential peptide expression and virus inactivation

Antimicrobial host defense peptides (AHDPs) are effective against a wide range of microbes, including viruses. The arteriviral infection caused by porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a devastating pandemic that causes the most economically significant disease of swine. We sought to determine if the expression of AHDPs was influenced by infection with PRRSV, and if porcine AHDPs have direct antiviral activity against PRRSV. Because pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) are primary targets of PRRSV infection, gene expression of porcine AHDPs was evaluated in lungs from fetal and 2-wk-old congenitally infected pigs. In PRRSV-positive lungs and PAMs, gene expression of most porcine AHDPs showed little upregulation. However, gene expression of porcine β-defensin-1 (pBD-1), pBD-4, pBD-104, pBD-123, and pBD-125 were downregulated more than threefold in 2-wk-old congenitally infected pig lungs. Incubation of PRRSV with pBD-3 or PG-4 significantly inhibited viral infectivity in MARC-145 cells. Using nine protegrin or protegrin-derived peptides, we determined that a cyclic analog of PG-4 increased anti-PRRSV activity, and that substitution of phenylalanine with valine eliminated most PG-4 antiviral activity. In PAMs, pBD-3 and PG-4 at 5–40 μg/mL consistently suppressed PRRSV titers. Collectively, these findings suggest a potential role for some porcine AHDPs as innate antiviral effectors in PRRSV infection. Moreover, modulation of porcine innate immune mechanisms with AHDPs may be one means of limiting the impact of this costly pandemic viral disease