Nothing Lasts Forever: Environmental Discourses on the Collapse of Past Societies

The study of the collapse of past societies raises many questions for the theory and practice of archaeology. Interest in collapse extends as well into the natural sciences and environmental and sustainability policy. Despite a range of approaches to collapse, the predominant paradigm is environmental collapse, which I argue obscures recognition of the dynamic role of social processes that lie at the heart of human communities. These environmental discourses, together with confusion over terminology and the concepts of collapse, have created widespread aporia about collapse and resulted in the creation of mixed messages about complex historical and social processes

Assessing the impact of risk-taking behavior on road crash involvement among University students residing in two Mediterranean countries

Surveillance systems are indispensable for injury prevention; yet, detailed electronic records are rarely available. The "Student's Health Card" is a self-reporting electronic tool addressing health issues of University students, while aiming to actively involve them in preventive practices and health promotion. Utilizing data from the injury prevention related section, this study sought to investigate the impact of risk-taking behavior on road crash involvement among University students residing in two Mediterranean countries. A total of 978 University students, 451 Greek and 527 Italian, provided information on prior road crash involvement, as well as on eight behavioral variables, comprising a risky behavior score. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. The already known tendency for clustering of risky behaviors was evident. One degree increment in the risky behavior score was found to increase the risk of road crash involvement by 35%. Driving after drinking (OR = 2.55, CI = 1.53-4.26), riding with a drunk driver (OR = 2.19, CI = 1.08-4.45) and tobacco smoking (OR = 1.95, CI = 1.18-3.22) significantly multiplied the risk. Despite their better compliance with safety measures, Italian students, compared with Greek, reported worse alcohol-related driving habits and engaged more frequently in mobile phone use while driving. Clustering of risky behaviors was found to be an important predictor of road crash involvement. Screening and awareness of risk-taking propensity of University students could guide early intervention. The "Student's Health Card" could provide, at minimal cost, reliable risk-taking and road crash involvement information, which is needed for both personal risk assessment and surveillance purposes. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The role of adipose tissue in cardiovascular health and disease

Accumulating knowledge on the biology and function of the adipose tissue has led to a major shift in our understanding of its role in health and disease. The adipose tissue is now recognized as a crucial regulator of cardiovascular health, through the secretion of several bioactive products, including adipocytokines, microvesicles, and gaseous messengers, with a wide range of endocrine and paracrine effects on the cardiovascular system. The adipose tissue function and secretome are tightly controlled by complex homeostatic mechanisms and local cell–cell interactions, which can become dysregulated in obesity. Systemic or local inflammation and insulin resistance lead to a shift in the adipose tissue secretome from anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic towards a pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic profile. Moreover, the interplay between the adipose tissue and the cardiovascular system is bidirectional, with vascular-derived and heart-derived signals directly affecting adipose tissue biology. In this Review, we summarize the current knowledge on the biology and regional variability of adipose tissue in humans, deciphering the complex molecular mechanisms controlling the crosstalk between the adipose tissue and the cardiovascular system, and their possible clinical translation. In addition, we highlight the latest developments in adipose tissue imaging for cardiovascular risk stratification, and discuss how therapeutic targeting of the adipose tissue can improve prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease

Epicardial Adipose Tissue in Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the maincause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries, despite the evolution of treatments and revascularization strategies.Obesity, also accompanied by a chronicinflammatory process, is an independent riskfactor for CVD. Abdominal adipose tissue is acomplex, metabolically very active organcapable of producing different adipokines andhormones, responsible for endocrinemetabolic comorbidities. The epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has not been as extensivelystudied as the abdominal or subcutaneous adipose tissue. However, recent evidence associates it with an increased cardiometabolic riskdue to its apposition with the heart. EAT storestriglycerides to provide energy to the myocardium and is characterized by its greater ability to release and capture free fatty acids. EATstrategic localization allows a singular crosstalk with cardiomyocytes and vascular wallcells. The fact that EAT produces proinflammatory adipokines as well as metalloproteinases and pro-oxidant substances,highlights its possible direct impact on plaquevulnerability and heart failure, being still necessary further studies of EAT behavior inCVD.Fil: Berg, Gabriela Alicia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Miksztowicz, Verónica Julieta. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Morales, Celina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Barchuk, Magalí. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentin