Thyroid Hormone Changes in the Northern Area of Tianjin during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose. This study aimed to determine whether and how stress-induced thyroid hormone changes occur during the COVID-19 pandemic in the northern area of Tianjin. Methods. This study comprised two groups of study subjects in Tianjin: before (2019) and during (2020) the COVID-19 outbreak. Subjects were included if they had FT3, FT4, and TSH concentrations and thyroid TPOAb or TgAb information available. People who were pregnant, were lactating, or had mental illness were excluded. We used propensity score matching to form a cohort in which patients had similar baseline characteristics, and their anxiety level was measured by the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA). Results. Among the 1395 eligible people, 224 in Group A and 224 in Group B had similar propensity scores and were included in the analyses. The detection rate of abnormal thyroid function was decreased in pandemic Group B (69.2% vs. 93.3%, χ2 = 42.725, p < 0.01 ), especially for hypothyroidism (14.29% vs. 35.71%, χ2 = 27.429, p < 0.01 ) and isolated thyroid-related antibodies (25.89% vs. 38.39%, χ2 = 8.023, p < 0.01 ). The level of FT4 (z = −2.821, p < 0.01 ) and HAMA score (7.63 ± 2.07 vs. 5.40 ± 1.65, t = 16.873, p < 0.01 ) went up in Group B; however, TSH (z = −5.238, p < 0.01 ), FT3 (z = −3.089, p = 0.002 ), TgAb (z = −11.814, p < 0.01 ), and TPOAb (z = −9.299, p < 0.01 ) were lower, and HAMA was positive with FT3 (r = 0.208, p < 0.01 ) and FT4 (r = 0.247, p < 0.01 ). Conclusion. People in the northern area of Tianjin during the COVID-19 outbreak were at an increased risk of higher FT4, lower FT3, and lower TSH. The HAMA scores increased in emergency situations and were positively correlated with the levels of FT3 and FT4.

Intervensi Turki dalam Krisis Suriah (2011-2014)

This research aims to explain Turkey’s intervention in Syrian crisis due to the perception of threat toward its security or domestic stability. Syrian crisis has directed threat indirectly to Turkey related to the existence of Kurd rebel group Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK’s activity in Syria. Syria makes the PKK affiliated to Syrian Kurd group Democratic Union Party or PYD an important actor particularly in northern area of the state during the crisis. Amid the instability caused by armed conflict in Syria, Turkey believes both political and military force of the PKK-PYD’s can injure its security or domestic stability now that the PKK still demands either territorial secession or autonomy for Kurd’s southeastern area. The research applies the worldview of international relations realism to describe Turkey’s behavior as a state with its power in responding to its surrounding. To strengthen the approach used, the research applies intervention theory which can explain the relation of Turkey’s intervention to the threat toward its security or domestic stability which it perceives as a vital national interest. Indeed, the result of the research shows a finding that such perception of threat encourages Turkey to commit intervention in Syrian crisis. Turkey’s intervention aims to remove the leadership of Syrian current regime with that of Syrian opposition group in which it trusts to be capable of creating stability, controlling, and restricting the political and military movement of Kurd groups in Syria.

“Late Antique” Mining Community in the North Kharga Oasis (Egypt)

The North Kharga Oasis Darb Ain Amur Survey (NKODAAS) has been exploring the extreme northern area and western extension of Kharga Oasis in order to locate and document hitherto undiscovered and unrecorded archaeological sites and material. The archaeological sites identified during the course of the survey are varied, including rock art, routes, mines, quarries, water dumps, wells, shelters, hamlets, and settlements. The site presented here is a Roman/“Late Antique” complex, including a church and several related areas of settlement and industrial activity devoted to alum mining and sandstone quarrying, that played a role in the history of the economy and landscape of Kharga Oasis.

The Historical Anthroponymy of the Ruthenian Population Living in the Historical Territories of the Eastern Lublin Region (On the Material of Registers of Parishes in the Former Greek-Uniate Diocese of Chełm)

The subject of research is the anthroponymy of the Ruthenian (Ukrainian) population living in the historical territories of the eastern Lublin region on the Polish-East-Slavic borderland. The underlying objective of the study was to investigate the Ruthenian onomastics functioning in the historical Polish-Ukrainian onomastics and to highlight the territorial diversification of the personal names of Ukrainians, related to the dialectal diversity in the studied territory. The reference database is personal proper names excerpted from the parish registers of Uniate parishes in the former Chełm diocese. The territory investigated was divided into three areas: northern, central and southern, based on the ranges of the Ukrainian dialects spoken in the territory of present-day Poland. The research material was excerpted from the records of Uniate parishes in the former Chełm diocese in the years of 1662–1810. The northern area, defined by the range of Podlasie local dialects, and the central area, determined by the ranges of transitional dialects from northern to southern ones and Volhynian dialects, exhibit features closely similar to peasant anthroponymy, while the southern area, defined by the ranges of Dniester and San dialects, presents features characteristic of the anthroponymy of the lower Ukrainian gentry.

Isolation, Molecular Identification of Mycoplasma Putrefaciens Local Strains and Its Associated Pathological Lesions in Goats

Mycoplasma putrifaciens (Mp) is a dreadful pathogen that causes a severe, usually fatal disease in domestic goats known as MAKePS syndrome in small ruminants. The present lack of effective diagnostic and control measures leaves Pakistani farmers at perpetual great risk of financially disastrous MAKePS outbreaks. Thus far, very limited information is available on the detection and molecular characterization of the unique Mp strains prevalent in Pakistan. This study was proposed to apply modern molecular techniques to characterize endemic Mp isolates and their associated specific lesions in goats to devise an effective control strategies. For the collection of samples Northern areas of Pakistan were focused including Chitral, Gilgit and Swat. Samples were collected from Mycoplasma putrifaciens suspected animals (Chitral n=200, Gilgit n=200, Swat n=200). Clinical samples including nasal swab (NS) and synovial fluid (SF) from live animals (n=50), whereas pleural fluid (PF) and lungs samples from dead goats (n=50) were collected from each representative northern area of Pakistan. All samples were subjected to isolation of Mp local strain, while tissue samples were examined for pathological lesions. Culture positive PPLO broth was first confirmed for Mp by specific PCR. From Gilgit Baltistan 38.83% samples were found positive for Mp by PCR, whereas 25% and 19.38% samples from Chitral and Swat, respectively, were detected positive for Mp by generating an amplicon of 540 bp. The PCR positive PPLO broth samples were cultured on PPLO agar for isolation of Mp. A single colony with fried egg like appearance was picked and sub-cultured in PPLO broth for purification and later on confirmed with PCR. The Histopathological study of lungs showed that there was emphysema, rupture of alveoli, in bronchioles ciliated epithelium were sloughed and infiltration of leukocytes. We successfully isolated and purified Mp local strain prevalent in northern area of Pakistan. The Mp was detected prevalent in 27.76% goats of Northern regions by PCR. This study laid down a foundation to develop an effective diagnostic kit and vaccine against Mp infection in Goats.

Phytoplankton of the Вarents sea

On the basis of the analysis of summer plankton phytocenosis structure, 4 areas representing various stages of a succession cycle are allocated for water areas of the Barents Sea. In the most productive places of the water area the level of phytoplankton growth corresponded to indicators of mesotrophic-eutrophic waters and was maximum in the northern area. Concentration of phosphates was the main regulator of bloom of coccolithophore Emilianiahuxleyi, besides water temperature. The presence in the modern plankton phytoсenosis structure in the northern part of sea (80ºN) of the Atlantic species, along with annual bloom of E. huxleyi in the southwest part of the sea, are the indicators of increased «atlantification» of the Arctic Region.