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The extraordinary and the ordinary: The possibilities and problems of Eberhard Jüngel's Hermeneutics
Get PDF© 2025 The Author(s). Modern Theology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Eberhard Jüngel insists on the absolute transcendence of God and on human language as the vehicle for that transcendence. In doing so, he makes claims both about the power of language and the limits of humanity in relation to language. In exploring this tension, the essay will examine whether Jüngel successfully navigates the tension between transcendence and hermeneutics, looking at the ways forward he provides, as well as the questions raised by his solutions. The essay will note the influence of the New Hermeneutic and Heidegger's late work on Jüngel's understanding of metaphors and speech‐events, and bring his insights into critical dialogue with the post‐structuralism of Jacques Derrida and the stress on ordinary language in relation to the divine in Rowan Williams. I will argue that Jüngel's stress on the passivity of the human in relation to the freeness of divine language can challenge Derrida's argument that language is always deconstructive, and that Williams's use of Wittgenstein can bring Jüngel's thought back to the ordinary in productive ways. Both that freeness and that groundedness in language can then allow for more interaction between hermeneutics and transcendence to enable us to think with, but beyond, Jüngel's hermeneutics.John Templeton Foundation; FundRef: https://doi.org/10.13039/10000092
Outcomes of intended temporary stomas in Crohn's disease (INTESTINE study): International, multicentre, retrospective study
Get PDF© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd.BACKGROUND: Patients with ileocolic Crohn's disease often require surgery that can result in temporary stoma formation. Stomas are associated with a morbidity and can negatively impact quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the short-term (6-month) and mid-term (18-month) outcomes of intended temporary stomas in patients with Crohn's disease.
METHODS: A trainee-led, international multicentre, retrospective study was conducted on all patients who underwent surgery for Crohn's disease in collaborating centres over 4 years (2017-2020). The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with Crohn's disease who underwent stoma reversal surgery by 6- and 18-month postoperative follow-up. Secondary outcomes included: the time interval between formation and reversal of stoma and predictors for non-reversal and stoma-related morbidity (postoperative complications, related readmissions and complications due to stoma reversal surgery).
RESULTS: A total of 401 patients underwent stoma formation for Crohn's disease over the 4 years across the 44 collaborating centres. The temporary stomas had been reversed in 30.2% of patients at the 6-month and 56.9% at the 18-month follow-up. Reasons for non-reversal included ongoing medical treatment for Crohn's disease (respectively 6-month and 18-month: 37.6%, 39.3%), patient unfit for surgery (respectively 6-month and 18-month: 14.5%, 16.8%), patient preference (respectively 6-month and 18-month: 12.1%, 20.2%) and due to waiting lists (respectively 6-month and 18-month: 12.1%, 8.1%). Overall, 63.3% of patients had a temporary stoma reversed with a median time interval of 6 months. The stoma-related overall morbidity rate was 29.4%.
CONCLUSIONS: A large proportion of temporary stomas for Crohn's disease were not reversed at 6 and 18 months following initial surgery. Patients are exposed to the risk of non-reversal and risk of developing stoma complications for significantly longer intervals of time and, in some cases, indefinitely.Unfunde
Impact of vaccination on pertussis-related hospital admissions in children in Scotland from January 2013 to July 2024: a cohort study
Get PDFThis article is copyright of the authors or their affiliated institutions, 2025.BACKGROUND: In Scotland, the number of pertussis infections recorded in children in 2024 was the highest of any year in the last decade. The protective role of vaccination against severe infection and associated hospitalisations has not been assessed.
AIM: To investigate the effect of vaccination and sociodemographic factors on pertussis-related hospitalisations in Scottish children aged under 18 years.
METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, laboratory-confirmed pertussis cases from January 2013 to July 2024 were extracted from the national electronic surveillance system and linked to hospitalisation data from Scottish Morbidity Records and vaccination data from the national immunisations database. The outcome was a pertussis-associated hospitalisation. Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) for the association between vaccination status and hospitalisation, adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity and deprivation status.
RESULTS: There were 3,982 laboratory-confirmed cases of pertussis during the study period. Children fully vaccinated for age had significantly lower odds of hospitalisations than unvaccinated children (adjusted OR (aOR): 0.31; 95% CI: 0.21–0.46). Being partially vaccinated for age did not significantly reduce hospitalisations relative to unvaccinated children (aOR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.47–1.33). In the univariable analysis, children living in the most deprived areas had significantly more hospitalisations than those in the least deprived areas (OR: 3.90; 95% CI: 2.41–6.56). This association was not significant when adjusted for the effect of vaccination (aOR: 1.47; 95% CI: 0.84–2.66).
CONCLUSIONS: Fully vaccinated children had significantly lower odds of hospitalisation, indicative of less severe disease. This emphasises the importance of fully vaccinating children according to the childhood immunisation schedule.Unfunde
Gestational low-protein diet impairs mitochondrial function and skeletal muscle development by inducing immune responses in male offspring
Get PDF© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.Maternal nutrition is essential for proper fetal and postnatal organ maturation and is linked to the future risk of developing metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and muscle loss. There is still limited understanding how a low-protein intake during gestation influences skeletal muscle development, inflammation, and the related pathways. This study aimed to investigate the impact of gestational low-protein diet in mice on skeletal muscle development and inflammatory responses in male offspring. Pups born from mothers fed a low-protein diet (LPD) were lactated by normal protein diet (NPD)-fed mothers and maintained on NPD post-weaning (LNN group). Offspring born from mothers fed an NPD and maintained on an NPD during lactation and beyond were used as controls (NNN group). In 21-day-old offspring from protein-restricted mothers, RNA-Seq analysis showed upregulation of immune response–related genes, enriching adaptive immunity pathways. Additionally, LNN group exhibited elevated markers of inflammation, along with disruptions in antioxidant defence balance and macrophages infiltration in gastrocnemius muscle at 3 months of age. Energy metabolism was impaired, as indicated by changes in related proteins and enzymes involved in mitochondrial function. We conclude that gestational LPD adversely affects skeletal muscle development in male offspring.Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (grant numbers BBSRC; (BB/P008429/1 and BB/W018276/1). Republic of Türkiye Ministry of National Education. The authors disclose support for this work from the University of Liverpool
Comparative analysis of sorghum (C4) and rice (C3) plant headspace volatiles induced by artificial herbivory
Get PDF© 2023 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Acute stress responses include release of defensive volatiles from herbivore-attacked plants. Here we used two closely related monocot species, rice as a representative C3 plant, and sorghum as a representative C4 plant, and compared their basal and stress-induced headspace volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although both plants emitted similar types of constitutive and induced VOCs, in agreement with the close phylogenetic relationship of the species, several mono- and sesquiterpenes have been significantly less abundant in headspace of sorghum relative to rice. Furthermore, in spite of generally lower VOC levels, some compounds, such as the green leaf volatile (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate and homoterpene DMNT, remained relatively high in the sorghum headspace, suggesting that a separate mechanism for dispersal of these compounds may have evolved in this plant. Finally, a variable amount of several VOCs among three sorghum cultivars of different geographical origins suggested that release of VOCs could be used as a valuable resource for the increase of sorghum resistance against herbivores.The work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science [13F03379, 20F20103, 21H02196]; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science [P20103]; MEXT Joint Research Program Japan Society for the Promotion of Science [P 13379]; Ohara Foundation in Japan
Identification of quantitative trait loci associated with sorghum susceptibility to Asian stem borer damage
Get PDF© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an important crop originated in Africa that shows susceptibility to herbivores. In this study, we identified two sorghum genotypes with highly contrasting levels of stem damage caused by the caterpillars of Asian stem borer (Ostrinia furnacalis Guenée). Recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from genetic cross between resistant (BTx623) and susceptible (NOG) sorghum were used to perform a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis in the field. Two major QTLs responsible for higher NOG infestation by stem borer in three independent field seasons were detected on chromosomes 7 and 9, interestingly in positions that overlapped with two major QTLs for plant height. As plant height and stem borer damage were highly correlated, we propose that sorghum height-associated morphological or physiological traits could be important for stem borer establishment and/or damage in sorghum.This work was supported by Japanese Ministry of Education Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) in Japan
Associative learning and memory retention of nectar yeast volatiles in a generalist parasitoid
Get PDFUnderstanding how animals learn is crucial to interpreting animal behaviour. Flower-visiting insects, such as bees and parasitoids, are excellent animal models to study visual and olfactory learning, including memory phenomena. The diversity of resources flower-visiting insects exploit predisposes them to learn and remember the colours, shapes and odours associated with rewarding experiences (e.g. flowers), allowing them to focus on the most rewarding resources. Recent research has shown that nectar-living microbes release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute to overall flower scent. Nevertheless, little is known about the extent to which nectar microbiota mediate insect learning of floral preferences. In this study, we investigated whether VOCs produced by nectar microbes serve as a learning cue to parasitoids and how long any developed preference is maintained. Experiments were performed using the generalist aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi and three nectar yeasts, including the nectar specialist Metschnikowia reukaufii and the generalist species Hanseniaspora uvarum and Sporobolomyces roseus. Results showed that naïve parasitoids had an innate preference for nectar fermented by the nectar specialist M. reukaufii, but not by the other two yeasts which had either a neutral (H. uvarum) or deterrent (S. roseus) effect. When parasitoids were conditioned with yeast-fermented nectar, they were strongly attracted to their odours 2 and 24h after conditioning, but not after 48h. Furthermore, when parasitoids were conditioned to one yeast-fermented nectar, they also showed increased attraction to other yeast-fermented nectars. This generalization suggests that their learning ability may have broader ecological consequences. However, this generalized response to other yeast VOCs lasted for only 2h. We conclude that parasitoids show conditioned responses to the scent of yeast-fermented nectar, and yeasts, therefore, may play an important but understudied role in shaping their foraging behaviour.This work was supported by a KU Leuven C3 grant (IOF-C32/15/020)
Less is more: Treatment with BTH and Laminarin reduces herbivore-induced volatile emissions in maize but increases parasitoid attraction
No full textThis article is not available on ChesterRep.Chemical plant strengtheners find increasing use in agriculture to enhance resistance against pathogens. In an earlier study, it was found that treatment with one such resistance elicitor, BTH (benzo-(1, 2, 3)-thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S-methyl ester), increases the attractiveness of maize plants to a parasitic wasp. This surprising additional benefit of treating plants with BTH prompted us to conduct a series of olfactometer tests to find out if BTH and another commercially available plant strengthener, Laminarin, increase the attractiveness of maize to three important parasitic wasps, Cotesia marginventris, Campoletis sonorensis, and Microplitis rufiventris. In each case, plants that were sprayed with the plant strengtheners and subsequently induced to release volatiles by real or mimicked attack by Spodoptera littoralis caterpillars became more attractive to the parasitoids than water treated plants. The elicitors alone or in combination with plants that were not induced by herbivory were not attractive to the wasps. Interestingly, plants treated with the plant strengtheners did not show any consistent increase in volatile emissions. On the contrary, treated plants released less herbivore-induced volatiles, most notably indole, which has been reported to interfere with parasitoid attraction. The emission of the sesquiterpenes (E)-β-caryophyllene, β-bergamotene, and (E)-β-farnesene was similarly reduced by the treatment. Expression profiles of marker genes showed that BTH and Laminarin induced several pathogenesis related (PR) genes. The results support the notion that, as yet undetectable and unidentified compounds, are of major importance for parasitoid attraction, and that these attractants may be masked by some of the major compounds in the volatile blends. This study confirms that elicitors of pathogen resistance are compatible with the biological control of insect pests and may even help to improve it.The work was funded in part by the Swiss National Center of Competence in Research Plant Survival and by grant 3100A0-122132/1 from the Swiss National Science foundation
Antibiotic use among university students in malaria therapy and its implications for antimicrobial resistance in Nigeria: a quantitative cross-sectional study
Get PDF© The Author(s) 2025.The version of record of this article, first published in [Discover Public Health], is available online at Publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-01047-xBackground: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health crisis, driven partly by inappropriate antibiotic use. In Nigeria, malaria remains highly prevalent and often mismanaged with antibiotics, particularly in presumed malaria-typhoid co-infections. This study examined patterns of antibiotic use in malaria treatment among university students, highlighting implications for AMR. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduates purposively selected from 12 universities across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. Data were collected via validated online questionnaires (February–March 2025) and analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, logistic regression, and Spearman correlation (SPSS v26). Results: Of 646 respondents, > 97% demonstrated general antibiotic knowledge, yet 27.6% misidentified chloroquine as an antibiotic. While 94.6% correctly recognised antibiotics for bacterial infections, about one-fifth believed they were effective against fungal, parasitic, or viral diseases. Despite 84.7% AMR awareness, 49.1% reported using antibiotics for malaria treatment. Misuse was highest in the Northeast (62.3%), Northwest (63.7%), and South-South (32.9%). In the Northeast, key drivers included prior experience (35.4%), pharmacist advice (29.9%), and peer influence (28.0%), while only 6.7% followed physician prescriptions. Misuse correlated with the belief that antibiotics treat all illnesses (rs = 0.329, p < 0.001). Nearly half (49.5%) accessed antibiotics without prescriptions. Conclusions: High AMR awareness contrasts with persistent misuse of antibiotics for malaria, reflecting misconceptions, regional disparities, and weak regulation. Targeted education, stricter antibiotic controls, and improved diagnostics are urgently needed to curb AMR in Nigeria.Unfunde
Island Tales: New Creative Interpretations of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Pacific Writing.
No full textThis book chapter is not available on ChesterRep.The research explores the legacies of Robert Louis Stevenson's Pacific writing (c. 1893), investigating the relevance of his work to contemporary readers in Sāmoa, Scotland and Hawai'i. This is a wordless graphic adaptation of Stevenson’s novella The Beach of Falesā, included as a chapter in an anthology of adaptations and creative responses to Stevenson’s Pacific writing by artists, scholar and artists/scholars Solomon Enos, Simon Grennan, Keao Nesmith, Lalovai Pesetā, Caroline Sinavaiana Gabbard and Selina Tusitala Marsh.Remediating Stevenson: Decolonising Robert Louis Stevenson's Pacific Fiction through Graphic Adaptation, Arts Education and Community Engagement | Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council | Grant ID: AH/W007010/
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