Search

In the article I will try to show that considerations on God on the ground of philosophy not only have to start with the image of God handed down by Revelation and Tradition, but they are complementary to the latter ones. In the first part I will refer to the most prominent philosophical conceptions of the absolute being developed by Plato, Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas. In the second part I will sketch the problem of God shown on the ground of Revelation, considering the question of “The God of the Fathers” and “The God of Christians.” And in the last part I will present the tools which make it possible to reconcile both approaches, indicating the basics of predicating about God as well as the problem of analogy which makes it possible to predicate about the first cause on the basis of its effects.

Abstract Skin inflammation with the potential sequel of moist epitheliolysis and edema constitute the most frequent breast radiotherapy (RT) acute side effects. The aim of this study was to compare the predictive value of tissue-derived radiomics features to the total breast volume (TBV) for the moist cells epitheliolysis as a surrogate for skin inflammation, and edema. Radiomics features were extracted from computed tomography (CT) scans of 252 breast cancer patients from two volumes of interest: TBV and glandular tissue (GT). Machine learning classifiers were trained on radiomics and clinical features, which were evaluated for both side effects. The best radiomics model was a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) classifier, using TBV features, predicting moist cells epitheliolysis, achieving an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) of 0.74. This was comparable to TBV breast volume (AUROC of 0.75). Combined models of radiomics and clinical features did not improve performance. Exclusion of volume-correlated features slightly reduced the predictive performance (AUROC 0.71). We could demonstrate the general propensity of planning CT-based radiomics models to predict breast RT-dependent side effects. Mammary tissue was more predictive than glandular tissue. The radiomics features performance was influenced by their high correlation to TBV volume.

Biological ageing refers to the gradual decrease in physiological functions, resulting in immune senescence, cellular damage and apoptosis. Telomere length is a biomarker of biological ageing. Limited studies have associated shorter telomere length with HIV and parasite single infections, with no studies reporting the association of HIV and parasite co-infection with telomere length. The study aimed to investigate whether telomere length shortening is accelerated in a South African population co-infected with HIV and helminths compared to participants singly infected with either HIV or helminths. Additionally, telomere length data were compared with participants’ biochemical and full blood count parameters. A total of 200 participants were in groups of uninfected control, HIV single infection, helminth single infection and HIV and helminth co-infection groups. Relative telomere length (RTL) was determined using Real-Time PCR and associated with biochemical and full blood count parameters using multivariate regression analysis models that were adjusted for confounders. The uninfected control group was used as a reference group. The uninfected control group had the highest mean RTL (1.21 ± 0.53) while the HIV-infected (0.96 ± 0.42) and co-infected (0.93 ± 0.41) groups had similar RTLs, and lastly, the helminth-infected group (0.83 ± 0.33) had the lowest RTL (p = 0.0002). When compared to the uninfected control group, a significant association between RTL and biochemical parameters, including blood iron (β = −0.48), ferritin (β = −0.48), transferrin saturation (β = −0.57), transferrin (β = −0.57), phosphate (β = −0.47), vitamin A (β = −0.49) and C-reactive protein (β = −0.52) were noted in the co-infected group (p < 0.05). In addition, a significant association between RTL and full blood count, including (β = −0.47), haematocrit (β = −0.46), mean corpuscular volume (β = −0.47), lymphocytes (β = −0.45), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (β = −0.45), red cell distribution width (β = −0.47), monocytes (β = −0.45), eosinophils (β = −0.45), basophils (β = −0.44) and transferrin saturation (β = −0.57) were also noted in the co-infected group (p < 0.05). Accelerated biological ageing, as indicated by telomere length shortening, is associated with HIV and helminth co-infections.

In this work silver nano/micro-particles have been synthesized using sambiloto (Andrographis paniculata) plant extract as a bio-reducing agent. The effects of different plant extract concentrations, AgNO3 precursor concentrations, and reaction time on the synthesized silver nano/micro-particles were investigated. The silver nano/micro-particles samples were then analyzed using UV-Vis spectrophotometer (UV-Vis), X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Particle Size Analyzer (PSA), and Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy. The UV-Vis absorbance spectrum of the colloid silver nano/micro-particles exhibited that all samples had absorbance peaks at a wavelength around 450 nm, confirming the formation of silver nano/micro-particles. It was also found that the UV-Vis absorbance peak of the silver nano/micro-particles inversely increased with decreasing AgNO3 solution concentration. Whereas, the higher the sambiloto extract concentration the higher the UV-Vis absorbance peaks. The UV-Vis absorbance peak increased with increasing synthesis time, suggesting that silver nano/micro-particles became more prominent. The UV-Vis absorbance peaks of the silver nano/micro-particles were about 0.0462, 0.0637, 0.0729, and 0.0936 at reaction time of 5, 10, 20, and 40 min, respectively. The XRD analysis result confirmed that the synthesized silver nano/micro-particles were in the form of nanocrystals with a face-centered cubic centered without any impurities. Additionally, the FESEM images showed that the silver nano/micro-particles had the primary particle size of 150-300 nm. There was the formation of some secondary particles with the size of about 0.7-1.5?m due to the agglomeration of primary particles. The particle size distribution analysis further confirmed the presence of primary and secondary particles. Meanwhile, the FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of four main peaks, linked to functional groups in the sambiloto extract and involved in the creation of silver nano/micro-particles.

This paper addresses the critical issue of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of global mortality, emphasizing the imperative for effective and early detection to mitigate CVD-related deaths. The research problem underscores the urgency of developing advanced diagnostic tools to identify heart abnormalities promptly. The primary objective is to create a Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm for accurate classification of different heart conditions, namely Normal heart, Mitral Stenosis, and Mitral Regurgitation. To achieve this objective, the study utilizes a dataset of heart sounds available online using a 10-fold cross-validation method. The focus is on evaluating the efficacy of various kernel functions within the SVM framework for heart sound classification. The findings demonstrate that the linear kernel exhibits superior accuracy and robustness in effectively classifying heart conditions. Notably, the proposed classification method attains an impressive 96% accuracy, highlighting its potential as a reliable tool for early detection of cardiovascular diseases. This research contributes to the ongoing efforts to enhance diagnostic capabilities and ultimately reduce the global burden of CVD-related fatalities.

Abstract The epilepsy diagnosis still represents a complex process, with misdiagnosis reaching 40%. We aimed at building an automatable workflow, helping the clinicians in the diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). We hypothesized that neuronal avalanches (NA) represent a feature better encapsulating the rich brain dynamics compared to classically used functional connectivity measures (Imaginary Coherence; ImCoh). We analyzed large-scale activation bursts (NA) from source estimation of resting-state electroencephalography. Using a support vector machine, we reached a classification accuracy of TLE versus controls of 0.86 ± 0.08 (SD) and an area under the curve of 0.93 ± 0.07. The use of NA features increase by around 16% the accuracy of diagnosis prediction compared to ImCoh. Classification accuracy increased with larger signal duration, reaching a plateau at 5 min of recording. To summarize, NA represents an interpretable feature for an automated epilepsy identification, being related with intrinsic neuronal timescales of pathology-relevant regions.

Aim of the Study: The study aimed to develop and evaluate two new hot chocolate recipes (P1 – Red Recipe and P2 – Green Recipe) and compare them with a commercial hot chocolate product (P3 – “La Festa”). The focus was on creating recipes that are nutritionally comparable to natural or dietetic products, with reduced sugar and increased dietary fibre content. Materials and Methods: The study employed sensory evaluation methods, specifically the Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon Sign Rank tests, to assess appearance, consistency, flavour, taste, and smell of the hot chocolate recipes. Additionally, a comprehensive nutritional analysis was conducted to compare the protein, lipid, carbohydrate, fibre, and caloric content of the recipes against the commercial product. Results: The sensory evaluation revealed that Recipe P1 significantly outperformed both Recipe P2 and the commercial product P3 in all tested attributes. Nutritionally, Recipes P1 and P2 were similar, both showing lower sugar and higher fibre content than typical market products. However, no significant sensory differences were noted between Recipe P2 and the commercial hot chocolate P3. Conclusions: The study concludes that Recipe P1 is superior in sensory qualities with a favourable nutritional profile, making it an appealing option for health-conscious consumers. Recipe P2, while nutritionally akin to P1, shares more sensory similarities with traditional hot chocolate, offering a healthier alternative without sacrificing familiar flavours. This research underscores the feasibility of creating healthier versions of popular beverages without compromising taste and sensory appeal.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To study longitudinal associations between blood-based neural biomarkers (including total tau, neurofilament light [NfL], glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP], and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1) and white matter neuroimaging biomarkers in collegiate athletes with sport-related concussion (SRC) from 24 hours postinjury to 1 week after return to play. METHODS: We analyzed clinical and imaging data of concussed collegiate athletes in the Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium. The CARE participants completed same-day clinical assessments, blood draws, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at 3 time points: 24-48 hours postinjury, point of becoming asymptomatic, and 7 days after return to play. DTI probabilistic tractography was performed for each participant at each time point to render 27 participant-specific major white matter tracts. The microstructural organization of these tracts was characterized by 4 DTI metrics. Mixed-effects models with random intercepts were applied to test whether white matter microstructural abnormalities are associated with the blood-based biomarkers at the same time point. An interaction model was used to test whether the association varies across time points. A lagged model was used to test whether early blood-based biomarkers predict later microstructural changes. RESULTS: Data from 77 collegiate athletes were included in the following analyses. Among the 4 blood-based biomarkers, total tau had significant associations with the DTI metrics across the 3 time points. In particular, high tau level was associated with high radial diffusivity (RD) in the right corticospinal tract (β = 0.25, SE = 0.07, p FDR-adjusted = 0.016) and superior thalamic radiation (β = 0.21, SE = 0.07, p FDR-adjusted = 0.042). NfL and GFAP had time-dependent associations with the DTI metrics. NfL showed significant associations only at the asymptomatic time point (|β|s > 0.12, SEs 0.14, SEs

Background and purpose: In a relevant number of primary breast cancer patients, lymphatic drainage to the contralateral internal mammary nodes (cIMN) is being observed. Nevertheless, so far lymphatic drainage pathway to the cIMN is largely neglected during adjuvant radiotherapy. Materials and methods: This study evaluated the incidental dose to the cIMN for 120 volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment plans for node positive breast in dependence of internal mammary node irradiation (IMNI) and deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH). Additionally, incidental dose distribution to the cIMN based on the field design in the MA20, EORTC22922/10925 and AMAROS trials was assessed. Results: The incidental dose (Dmean ± SD) to the cIMN-CTV was 13.0 (±4.7) Gy with a maximum dose of

Inserting orthopedic screws into a hole that is too small can produce excessive mechanical forces that cause osteocyte death and difficulty carrying out bone repair processes. The aim of the study was to evaluate the osseointegration of titanium screws 6 weeks after their insertion into the femur of male rabbits, in any smaller than the screw core. The study was conducted on 5 male rabbits aged 1 year with orthopedic titanium screws with a length of 5 mm, a diameter of 2 mm and a diameter of a screw core of 1.5 mm. The screws were inserted into the diaphysis of the femoral bone, into the hole with a diameter of 1 mm. After 6 weeks of insertion of the screws, the presence of newly proliferated tissues is found throughout the interface, but with differences from one area to another. In conclusion, the insertion of titanium screws into the hole with a diameter smaller than the screw core is accompanied by good bone proliferation in the periosteal and endosteal areas of the interface and is exceptionally modest on the portion next to the diaphyseal bone wall.

Introduction: Cough Etiquette is a non-pharmacological intervention in preventing respiratory infections caused by viruses or bacteria in health care facilities. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between gender with knowledge, attitude, and behavior about cough etiquette in TB patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 55 new TB cases aged > 18 years taken purposively from the TB 03 register of six Samarinda Health Centers who received treatment from July 2021 to April 2022. We used a questionnaire to measure knowledge, attitudes, and behavior toward cough etiquette. The knowledge variable consists of 13 questions, the attitude variables comprised 6 statements, and the practice variables comprised 6 statements using a Likert scale. Data analysis used the chi-square test with a significance level of < 0.05. Result: Most TB patients covered their mouth with their hands (56.2%) or did not cover at all (16.6%). As many as 34% of TB patients used their sleeve arm, elbow, or tissue. There was an association between knowledge of cough etiquette in TB patients at primary health care (p = 0.008), attitude (p = 0.004), but not significant with behavior (p = 0.691). Knowledge and attitudes about cough etiquette have a relationship with influenced by gender. Conclusion: Men with TB who seek treatment at the primary health care tend to understand clearly the required attitude towards practicing cough etiquette. In places with a high risk of transmission, people with TB disease are advised to consistently apply cough etiquette to reduce the transmission of M. tuberculosis to other visitors to health care facilities.

Abstract Introduction Despite the numerous efforts and initiatives, males with HIV are still less likely than women to receive HIV treatment. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, men are tested, linked, and retained in HIV care at lower rates than women, and South Africa is no exception. This is despite the introduction of the universal test-and-treat (UTT) prevention strategy anticipated to improve the uptake of HIV services. The aim of this study was to investigate linkage to and retention in care rates of an HIV-positive cohort of men in a high HIV prevalence rural district in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Methods From January 2018 to July 2019, we conducted an observational cohort study in 18 primary health care institutions in the uThukela district. Patient-level survey and clinical data were collected at baseline, 4-months and 12-months, using isiZulu and English REDCap-based questionnaires. We verified data through TIER.Net, Rapid mortality survey (RMS), and the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) databases. Data were analyzed using STATA version 15.1, with confidence intervals and p-value of ≤0.05 considered statistically significant. Results The study sample consisted of 343 male participants diagnosed with HIV and who reside in uThukela District. The median age was 33 years (interquartile range (IQR): 29–40), and more than half (56%; n = 193) were aged 18–34 years. Almost all participants (99.7%; n = 342) were Black African, with 84.5% (n = 290) being in a romantic relationship. The majority of participants (85%; n = 292) were linked to care within three months of follow-up. Short-term retention in care (≤ 12 months) was 46% (n = 132) among men who were linked to care within three months. Conclusion While the implementation of the UTT strategy has had positive influence on improving linkage to care, men’s access of HIV treatment remains inconsistent and may require additional innovative strategies.

Coffee is a plantation crop that has high economic value among other plantation crops and plays an important role as a source of foreign exchange for the country. The decline and low productivity of coffee plants in coffee production centers in Solok City, West Sumatra is one of the causes of plant parasitic nematode attacks. This nematode attack causes disrupted plant growth and reduces the value of crop production both in quantity and quality. This study aims to determine the diversity and population density of parasitic nematodes in the rhizosphere of coffee plants in Solok City, West Sumatra. This research was conducted from March to July 2023 at the Laboratory of Biological Control, Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Andalas University. Soil samples were taken in two central areas of coffee plantations in Solok City, West Sumatra. In the rhizosphere of coffee plants in Solok City, four genera of parasitic nematodes were found, namely: the genera Pratylenchus, Helicotylenchus, Meloidogyne, Rotylenchulus, Paratylenchus, and Tylenchorhynchus. The highest frequency of presence of nematodes, namely the genus Rotylenchulus, was 50.99 belonging to the medium category in Jorong Kayu Aro, and 44.80 in the rare category in Jorong Kayu Jao.

BackgroundUkraine has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in Europe. This may pose a significant epidemiological risk in the context of the refugee crisis and the fact that, since 2020, SARS-CoV-2 has been spreading and changing globally.ObjectiveTo evaluate determinants of vaccination decision making among Ukrainian female migrants (UFMs).MethodsA qualitative study with 45 UFMs was conducted between December 2021 and January 2022. UFMs, from 2 Polish provinces, differing in age, education and length of stay were invited with the use of the snowball technique. Using a semi-structured topic guide, eight focus groups were conducted in person, recorded and transcribed. Thematic, qualitative analysis was made; key themes which emerged from the data (with the help of the Working Group Determinants of Vaccine Hesitancy Matrix), were related to contextual, individual/group and contextual vaccine/vaccination-specific influences.ResultsMothers were found to be playing a crucial role in children and adolescent COVID-19 vaccine decision-making process. Universal trust in the Polish healthcare system and vaccination procedures, employer requirements and willingness to preserve jobs, desire to get back to normal and social influences were paramount prerequisites to let UFMs make a decision to get vaccinated. However, COVID-19 vaccines also faced backlash among UFMs. Negative experiences with vaccines provided in Ukraine, doubts about the rapid vaccine development, combined with lack of confidence in vaccine safety, specifically regarding child vaccination, might have a bearing on UFMs’ decision about declining COVID-19 vaccine while on migration. Discrimination through HCWs during vaccination visits was also reported. Corrupted Ukrainian healthcare system, which facilitates proof forgery regarding vaccination certificates, could act as a negative influencer of UFMs’ vaccine decision-making.ConclusionThe results provide the novel information, expressed in economic UFMs’ own words. Findings show that influencers of the decision-making process regarding the COVID-19 vaccination are complex and polarized; elements of hesitancy may persist after migration. Any continuation of UFMs’ vaccination with COVID-19 vaccine should be subject to designing accessible information to address modifiable demotivators of the vaccine decision-making process identified in this study.

Sport-related concussion (SRC) is an important public health issue. White-matter alterations after SRC are widely studied by neuroimaging approaches, such as diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Although the exact anatomical location of the alterations may differ, significant white-matter alterations are commonly observed in long fiber tracts, but are never proven. In the present study, we performed streamline tractography to characterize the association between tract length and white-matter microstructural alterations after SRC. Sixty-eight collegiate athletes diagnosed with acute concussion (24-48 h post-injury) and 64 matched contact-sport controls were included in this study. The athletes underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in 3.0 T MRI scanners across three study sites. DTI metrics were used for tract-based spatial statistics to map white-matter regions-of-interest (ROIs) with significant group differences. Whole-brain white-mater streamline tractography was performed to extract affected white-matter streamlines (i.e., streamlines passing through the identified ROIs). In the concussed athletes, streamline counts and DTI metrics of the affected white-matter fiber tracts were summarized and compared with unaffected white-matter tracts across tract length in the same participant. The affected white-matter tracts had a high streamline count at length of 80-100 mm and high length-adjusted affected ratio for streamline length longer than 80 mm. DTI mean diffusivity was higher in the affected streamlines longer than 100 mm with significant associations with the Brief Symptom Inventory score. Our findings suggest that long fibers in the brains of collegiate athletes are more vulnerable to acute SRC with higher mean diffusivity and a higher affected ratio compared with the whole distribution.

Sport-related concussions can result from a single high magnitude impact that generates concussive symptoms, repeated subconcussive head impacts aggregating to generate concussive symptoms, or a combined effect from the two mechanisms. The array of symptoms produced by these mechanisms may be clinically interpreted as a sport-related concussion. It was hypothesized that head impact exposure resulting in concussion is influenced by severity, total number, and frequency of subconcussive head impacts. The influence of total number and magnitude of impacts was previously explored, but frequency was investigated to a lesser degree. In this analysis, head impact frequency was investigated over a new metric called 'time delta', the time difference from the first recorded head impact of the day until the concussive impact. Four exposure metrics were analyzed over the time delta to determine whether frequency of head impact exposure was greater for athletes on their concussion date relative to other dates of contact participation. Those metrics included head impact frequency, head impact accrual rate, risk weighted exposure (RWE), and RWE accrual rate. Athletes experienced an elevated median number of impacts, RWE, and RWE accrual rate over the time delta on their concussion date compared to non-injury sessions. This finding suggests elevated frequency of head impact exposure on the concussion date compared to other dates that may precipitate the onset of concussion.