Idéhistoriens nye veje - Redaktionelt forord

Studiet af idéhistorien i alle dens afskygninger forudsætter en bred metodologisk baggrund. Netop det faktum har ofte været fremhævet som både idéhistories force og dens svaghed. Dén idehistoriske metode findes ikke. Tilgangene er mange og findes i alle afskygninger fra de tekstnært historiske til de filosofisk analyserende. Tilgange er godt diskussionsstof. Den afvæbnende sætning: ”Du har din måde, og jeg har min”, er sjældent en sætning der beundres af fagfolk, uanset om emnet måtte være kunsten at lægge tagsten eller at omskrive en artikel. Har du et emne kært ligger striden om hvordan aldrig langt borte

Det populære - Redaktionelt forord

SLAGMARK nr. 58 handler om det populære. Om populærkultur, forskellene på høj- og lavkultur og i særdeleshed på forholdet mellem intellektuel forskning og de områder af vores kultur, vi sædvanligvis ikke anser som værende blandt de mest respekterede. Det populære lader sig vanskeligt indfange i én alt omsiggribende definition. Den klassiske skelnen mellem finkultur og lavkultur er ofte blevet kritiseret inden for en række humanvidenskabelige fagområder og samtidig har forestillingen om, at idéer og viden bevæger sig ensidigt fra højere samfundslag ud til ’pøbelen’ og ’masserne’, lidt nederlag. For forskere med interesse for det populære kan faldgruberne være mange og respekten fra det akademiske samfund være hårdt tilkæmpet

Steno og ‘geologiens grundsten’

2019 markerer 350-året for den danske anatom Niels Stensens geologiske hovedværk De solido intra solidum naturaliter contento dissertationis prodromus eller bare De solido. Det var dog først flere hundrede år efter udgivelsen, at værket gav Stensen hans status som ‘geologiens fader’

At overskride mennesket – Interview med Francis Fukuyarma om transhumanisme

The interview with the American political scientist Francis Fukuyama deals with what he once called ‘the most dangerous idea in the world’, namely transhumanism. Transhumanism is the intentional redesign of the human body to make it faster, smarter and healthier, ultimately to free it from the constraints of a corporeal existence and to live forever. Fukuyama is asked to reflect on the philosophical, moral and political dilemmas of the new technologies for designing human life and on the failed opportunities of not engaging oneself as individual and community in these new opportunities

Population structure of Streptococcus oralis

Streptococcus oralis is a member of the normal human oral microbiota, capable of opportunistic pathogenicity; like related oral streptococci, it exhibits appreciable phenotypic and genetic variation. A multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for S. oralis was developed and the resultant data analysed to examine the population structure of the species. Analysis of 113 isolates, confirmed as belonging to the S. oralis/mitis group by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, characterized the population as highly diverse and undergoing inter- and intra-species recombination with a probable clonal complex structure. ClonalFrame analysis of these S. oralis isolates along with examples of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae grouped the named species into distinct, coherent populations and did not support the clustering of S. pseudopneumoniae with S. mitis as reported previously using distance-based methods. Analysis of the individual loci suggested that this discrepancy was due to the possible hybrid nature of S. pseudopneumoniae. The data are available on the public MLST website (http://pubmlst.org/soralis/)

A systematic literature review of the human skin microbiome as biomarker for dermatological drug development

Aims: To explore the potential of the skin microbiome as biomarker in six dermatological conditions: atopic dermatitis (AD), acne vulgaris (AV), psoriasis vulgaris (PV), hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), seborrhoeic dermatitis/pityriasis capitis (SD/PC) and ulcus cruris (UC). Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Two investigators independently reviewed the included studies and ranked the suitability microbiome implementation for early phase clinical studies in an adapted GRADE method. Results: In total, 841 papers were identified and after screening of titles and abstracts for eligibility we identified 42 manuscripts that could be included in the review. Eleven studies were included for AD, five for AV, 10 for PV, two for HS, four for SD and 10 for UC. For AD and AV, multiple studies report the relationship between the skin microbiome, disease severity and clinical response to treatment. This is currently lacking for the remaining conditions. Conclusion: For two indications - AD and AV - there is preliminary evidence to support implementation of the skin microbiome as biomarkers in early phase clinical trials. For PV, UC, SD and HS there is insufficient evidence from the literature. More microbiome-directed prospective studies studying the effect of current treatments on the microbiome with special attention for patient meta-data, sampling methods and analysis methods are needed to draw more substantial conclusions

Seminatural areas act as reservoirs of genetic diversity for crop pollinators and natural enemies across Europe

Despite increasing recognition of the importance of the multiple dimensions of biodiversity, including functional or genetic diversity as well as species diversity, most conservation studies on ecosystem service-providing insects focus on simple diversity measures such as species richness and abundance. In contrast, relatively little is known about the genetic diversity and resilience of pollinators or natural enemies of crop pests to population fragmentation and local extinction. The genetic diversity and demographic dynamics of remnant populations of beneficial insects in agricultural areas can be a useful indicator proving additional insights into their conservation status, but this is rarely evaluated. Although gene flow between agricultural and seminatural areas is key to maintaining genetic diversity, its extent and directionality remain largely unexplored. Here, we apply a pan-European sampling protocol to quantify genetic diversity and structure and assess gene flow between agricultural and nearby seminatural landscapes in populations of two key ecosystem service-providing insect species, the lady beetle Coccinella septempunctata, an important predator of aphids and other crop pests, and the bee pollinator Andrena flavipes. We show that A. flavipes populations are genetically structured at the European level, whereas populations of C. septempunctata experience widespread gene flow across the continent and lack any defined genetic structure. In both species, we found that there is high genetic connectivity between populations established in croplands and nearby seminatural areas and, as a consequence, they harbor similar levels of genetic diversity. Interestingly, demographic models for some regions support asymmetric gene flow from seminatural areas to nearby agricultural landscapes. Collectively, our study demonstrates how seminatural areas can serve as genetic reservoirs of both pollinators and natural enemies for nearby agricultural landscapes, acting as sources for recurrent recolonization and, potentially, contributing to enhancing ecosystem service and crop production resilience in the longer term

Population Genetic Analysis of Propionibacterium acnes Identifies a Subpopulation and Epidemic Clones Associated with Acne

The involvement of Propionibacterium acnes in the pathogenesis of acne is controversial, mainly owing to its dominance as an inhabitant of healthy skin. This study tested the hypothesis that specific evolutionary lineages of the species are associated with acne while others are compatible with health. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on nine housekeeping genes was performed on 210 isolates of P. acnes from well-characterized patients with acne, various opportunistic infections, and from healthy carriers. Although evidence of recombination was observed, the results showed a basically clonal population structure correlated with allelic variation in the virulence genes tly and camp5, with pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)- and biotype, and with expressed putative virulence factors. An unexpected geographically and temporal widespread dissemination of some clones was demonstrated. The population comprised three major divisions, one of which, including an epidemic clone, was strongly associated with moderate to severe acne while others were associated with health and opportunistic infections. This dichotomy correlated with previously observed differences in in vitro inflammation-inducing properties. Comparison of five genomes representing acne- and health-associated clones revealed multiple both cluster- and strain-specific genes that suggest major differences in ecological preferences and redefines the spectrum of disease-associated virulence factors. The results of the study indicate that particular clones of P. acnes play an etiologic role in acne while others are associated with health