A study of the Apostle Paul's approach to the law in Galatians chapters 2 and 3.

The need for this research grew out of the challenges faced by the writer in his involvement with Christian and Jewish perceptions of Paul and the impassioned response his writing on the law seemed to evoke. This paper investigates Galatians chapters 2 and 3 in an attempt to derive a slightly different reading of Paul‟s treatment of the law to that which permeates traditional Christian and Jewish theology. It briefly assesses historical sensitivities that may well have provoked the defense of Jewish identity discernable in covenantal nomism, the very issues Paul was attempting to address for Gentile covenant membership in light of Christ. Confined to this challenge, he commits to expositing the law‟s purpose, drawing conclusions on works-righteousness, faith and the inevitable outcome for Christian Gentile conformity to Jewish covenantal obligations. The paper assesses claims that Qumran had a works-righteousness policy representative of a universal Jewish system of works-righteousness, the significance of faith through the lens of Habakkuk 2:4, and Paul‟s attempt at expounding the law as the means of a „schoolmaster‟ until the advent of Christ. The discussion confines the Galatian argument to that which was originally contended, the insistence on Gentile conformity to Jewish covenantal nomism and not the commonly held Pauline affront to Jewish law in an attempt to correct universal Jewish apostasy. This assists in helping to relieve Paul of the persona of him rejecting every element of his national heritage visible in his „alleged‟ polemic against the law

Hemostatic function and progressing ischemic stroke: D-dimer predicts early clinical progression

<p><b>Background and Purpose:</b> Early clinical progression of ischemic stroke is common and is associated with increased risk of death and dependency. We hypothesized that activation of the coagulation system is an important contributor in some cases of deterioration. We aimed to characterize alterations in circulating hemostatic markers in patients with progressing stroke.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> Consecutive acute ischemic stroke admissions were recruited. Progressing stroke was defined by deterioration in components of the Scandinavian Stroke Scale. Hemostatic markers (coagulation factors VIIc, VIIIc, and IXc, prothrombin fragments 1+2 [F1+2], thrombin-antithrombin complexes [TAT], D- dimer, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor [vWF] and tissue plasminogen activator) were measured within 24 hours of symptom recognition.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Fifty-four (25%) of the 219 patients met criteria for progressing stroke. F1+2 (median 1.28 versus 1.06 nmol/L, P=0.01), TAT (5.28 versus 4.07 mug/L, P lt 0.01), D-dimer ( 443 versus 194 ng/mL, P lt 0.001) and vWF (216 versus 198 IU/dL, P lt 0.05) levels were higher in these patients than in stable/improving patients. In logistic regression analysis, with all important clinical and laboratory variables included, only natural log D-dimer (odds ratio [OR]: 1.87; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38 to 2.54; P=0.0001) and mean arterial blood pressure (OR: 1.26 per 10 mm Hg change; 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.51; P=0.01) remained independent predictors of progressing stroke.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> There is evidence of excess thrombin generation and fibrin turnover in patients with progressing ischemic stroke. Measurement of D-dimer levels can identify patients at high risk for stroke progression. Further research is required to determine whether such patients benefit from acute interventions aimed at modifying hemostatic function.</p&gt

Anthelmintic action of plant cysteine proteinases against the rodent stomach nematode, Protospirura muricola, in vitro and in vivo

Cysteine proteinases from the fruit and latex of plants, including papaya, pineapple and fig, were previously shown to have a rapid detrimental effect, in vitro, against the rodent gastrointestinal nematodes, H eligmosomoides polygyrus (which is found in the anterior small intestine) and Trichuris miti,is (which resides in the caecum). Proteinases in the crude latex of papaya also showed anthelmintic efficacy against both nematodes in vivo. In this paper, we describe the in vitro and in vivo effects of these plant extracts against the rodent nematode, Protospirua muricola, which is found in the stomach. As in earlier work, all the plant cysteine proteinases examined, with the exception of actinidain from the juice of kiwi fruit, caused rapid loss of motility and digestion of the cuticle, leading to death of the nematode in vitro. In vivo, in contrast to the efficacy against H. polygyrus and T. muris, papaya latex only showed efficacy against P. muricola adult female worms when the stomach acidity had been neutralized prior to administration of papaya latex. Therefore, collectively, our studies have demonstrated that, with the appropriate formulation, plant cysteine proteinases have efficacy against nematodes residing throughout the rodent gastrointestinal tract

Inventory of scientifically significant features in cave SSSI's (Southern England)

For each site (referred to by its SSSI and GCR names) each major and/or significant cave system is inventoried by way of an annotated outline map and appropriate text. Particular attention is paid to the more important and/or extensive groups of calcite speleothems and also the notable sections of undisturbed clastic sediments where known or identified. For both materials, their present state (as of 2001) is noted, but any monitoring exercise will have to start with a more detailed description for reference purposes. Locations of all significant sediments and deposits are indicated on the outline surveys. The scientific value of many caves lies in their passage morphology, as carved into the solid limestone. With rare exceptions, these features are not fragile and are barely impacted from cavers' visits. The main features are identified in this report, but without any attempt or need to detail most of them with reference to any future monitoring. For each site, the overall geological and geomorphological values are outlined only briefly by way of introduction. The reader is referred to Volume 12 of the Geological Conservation Review (Waltham et al., 1997), which contains fully referenced descriptions and evaluations of the geomorphological evolution of the sites. The results of explorations and research since 1997 are summarised in appropriately greater detail. The only references cited are those that post-date 1997 or are not cited in the GCR volume's extensive bibliography. Within nearly all the sites there are many smaller caves and potholes that add collectively to the scientific value of the site. Except for any with special significance, these are not described in detail but are all listed in Table 1 and described in Barrington and Stanton, (1977) and in Limestones and Caves of Wales (Ford, 1989). In particular, many sites are only of archaeological interest, and these are noted in Table 1, but are not dealt with here, as in many cases the entire cave is of interest. Furthermore, many caves contain small patches of undisturbed sediment and odd stalagmite deposits, whose scientific value is hard to quantify. Commonly, a stalagmite deposit may have little aesthetic value (for example if covered in sediment), but its potential scientific value may not be revealed unless a specific study is undertaken. Only some of the caves included in this report have had proper detailed geomorphological surveys, and even these will not have identified or reported all the significant features

In vitro and in vivo anthelmintic efficacy of plant cysteine proteinases against the rodent gastrointestinal nematode, Trichuris muris

We examined the mechanism of action and compared the anthelmintic efficacy of cysteine proteinases from papaya, pineapple, fig, kiwi fruit and Egyptian milkweed in vitro using the rodent gastrointestinal nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus. Within a 2 h incubation period, all the cysteine proteinases, with the exception of the kiwi fruit extract, caused marked damage to the cuticle of H. polygyrus adult male and female worms, reflected in the loss of surface cuticular layers. Efficacy was comparable for both sexes of worms, was dependent on the presence of cysteine and was completely inhibited by the cysteine proteinase inhibitor, E-64. LD50 values indicated that the purified proteinases were more efficacious than the proteinases in the crude latex, with purified ficin, papain, chymopapain, Egyptian milkweed latex extract and pineapple fruit extract, containing fruit bromelain, having the most potent effect. The mechanism of action of these plant enzymes (i.e. an attack on the protective cuticle of the worm) suggests that resistance would be slow to develop in the field. The efficacy and mode of action make plant cysteine proteinases potential candidates for a novel class of anthelmintics urgently required for the treatment of humans and domestic livestock

Sheet SK 00 SW and SK 00 SE ALDRIDGE - BROWNHILLS : part of 1:50 000 Sheet 154 (Lichfield)

This report embodies some of the results of a study commissioned by the Department of the Environment in 1983 to provide a geological information base, to enable informed consideration to be given to development proposals for the Aldridge - Brownhills area. It is mainly concerned with hydrogeology, subsidence and bulk minerals resources.There is a substantial introductory section on general geology, to give the geological context of these planning-related aspects

Associations of inflammatory and hemostatic variables with the risk of recurrent stroke

<p><b>Background and Purpose:</b> Several prospective studies have shown significant associations between plasma fibrinogen, viscosity, C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrin D-dimer, or tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) antigen and the risk of primary cardiovascular events. Little has been published on the associations of these variables with recurrent stroke. We studied such associations in a nested case-control study derived from the Perindopril Protection Against Recurrent Stroke Study (PROGRESS).</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> Nested case-control study of ischemic (n=472) and hemorrhagic (n=83) strokes occurring during a randomized, placebo-controlled multicenter trial of perindopril-based therapy in 6105 patients with a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack. Controls were matched for age, treatment group, sex, region, and most recent qualifying event at entry to the parent trial.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Fibrinogen and CRP were associated with an increased risk of recurrent ischemic stroke after accounting for the matching variables and adjusting for systolic blood pressure, smoking, peripheral vascular disease, and statin and antiplatelet therapy. The odds ratio for the last compared with the first third of fibrinogen was 1.34 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.78) and for CRP was 1.39 (95% CI, 1.05 to 1.85). After additional adjustment for each other, these 2 odds ratios stayed virtually unchanged. Plasma viscosity, tPA, and D-dimer showed no relationship with recurrent ischemic stroke, although tPA was significant for lacunar and large artery subtypes. Although each of these variables showed a negative relationship with recurrent hemorrhagic stroke, none of these relationships achieved statistical significance.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> Fibrinogen and CRP are risk predictors for ischemic but not hemorrhagic stroke, independent of potential confounders.</p&gt

Comparison of Glasgow Admission Prediction Score and Amb Score in predicting need for inpatient care.

AIM: We compared the abilities of two established clinical scores to predict emergency department (ED) disposition: the Glasgow Admission Prediction Score (GAPS) and the Ambulatory Score (Ambs). METHODS: The scores were compared in a prospective, multicentre cohort study. We recruited consecutive patients attending ED triage at two UK sites: Northern General Hospital in Sheffield and Glasgow Royal Infirmary, between February and May 2016. Each had a GAPS and Ambs calculated at the time of triage, with the triage nurses and treating clinicians blinded to the scores. Patients were followed up to hospital discharge. The ability of the scores to discriminate discharge from ED and from hospital at 12 and 48 hours after arrival was compared using the area under the curve (AUC) of their receiving-operator characteristics (ROC). RESULTS: 1424 triage attendances were suitable for analysis during the study period, of which 567 (39.8%) were admitted. The AUC for predicting admission was significantly higher for GAPS at 0.807 (95% CI 0.785 to 0.830), compared with 0.743 (95% CI 0.717 to 0.769) for Ambs, P12 hour and >48 hour. GAPS was also more accurate as a binary test, correctly predicting 1057 outcomes compared with 1004 for Ambs (74.2vs70.5%, P=0.012). CONCLUSION: The GAPS is a significantly better predictor of need for hospital admission than Ambs in an unselected ED population