Comparative gastrointestinal morphology of three small mammalian insectivores : Acomys spinosissimus (Rodentia), Crocidura cyanea (Eulipotyphla), and Amblysomus hottentotus (Afrosoricida)

The gastrointestinal morphology was investigated in three mammalian insectivorous species, namely Acomys spinosissimus, Crocidura cyanea, and Amblysomus hottentotus. The aim of the study was to provide a comprehensive morphological comparison between the different species and to explore whether anatomical gastrointestinal adaptations are associated with the insectivorous diet of these species. The shape, proportional length, and proportional surface areas of the different gastrointestinal regions were recorded and compared in the three insectivores. Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and Alcian Blue/Periodic Acid Schiff (AB/PAS) were used for morphological assessment. In all three species, the stomach was simple and uncompartmentalized. The internal aspect of the stomach in A. spinosissimus was hemi-glandular, containing stratified squamous epithelium in the fundus, with glandular epithelium in the body and pyloric region. However, C. cyanea and A. hottentotus had wholly glandular stomachs. Paneth cells were not observed in the intestinal tracts of C. cyanea and A. hottentotus. Acomys spinosissimus was the only species studied that had a cecum. The proximal colonic region of A. spinosissimus had V-shaped mucosal folds. Histologically, C. cyanea had villi throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract (GIT), whereas for A. hottentotus villi were not present in the most distal gastrointestinal regions. In both C. cyanea and A. hottentotus, longitudinal mucosal folds were present in the distal part of the colon. The GITs of C. cyanea and A. hottentotus showed little morphological differentiation namely, a simple, glandular stomach and the lack of a cecum.http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/35280/homehb201

Multimodal MRI characteristics of the glioblastoma infiltration beyond contrast enhancement

Our inability to identify the invasive margin of glioblastomas hampers attempts to achieve local control. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been implemented clinically to delineate the margin of the tumor infiltration, its derived anisotropic (q) values can extend beyond the contrast-enhanced area and correlates closely with the tumor. However, its correlation with tumor infiltration shown on multivoxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy1 (MRS) and perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should be investigated. In this study, we aimed to show tissue characteristics of the q-defined peritumoral invasion on MRS and perfusion MRI. Patients with a primary glioblastoma were included (n = 51). Four regions of interest were analyzed; the contrast-enhanced lesion, peritumoral abnormal q region, peritumoral normal q region, and contralateral normal-appearing white matter. MRS, including choline (Cho)/creatinine (Cr), Cho/N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) and NAA/Cr ratios, and the relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) were analyzed. Our results showed an increase in the Cho/NAA (p = 0.0346) and Cho/Cr (p = 0.0219) ratios in the peritumoral abnormal q region, suggestive of tumor invasion. The rCBV was marginally elevated (p = 0.0798). Furthermore, the size of the abnormal q regions was correlated with survival; patients with larger abnormal q regions showed better progression-free survival (median 287 versus 53 days, p = 0.001) and overall survival (median 464 versus 274 days, p = 0.006) than those with smaller peritumoral abnormal q regions of interest. These results support how the DTI q abnormal area identifies tumor activity beyond the contrast-enhanced area, especially correlating with MRS

Indonesian Christian Young People Resisting the Dominant Discourses of Men as Desiring/Dangerous and Women as Non-sexual/Vulnerable

Contemporary feminist studies have demonstrated how the binary constitution of men as desiring/dangerous and women as non-sexual/vulnerable has enabled, normalised, and sustained intimate partner sexual violence against women. Such binary positioning has given rise to gendered religious and sexual subjectivities that severely constrain women’s sexual agency. However, only a few studies have explored the ways this binary might be contested in one’s becoming of a sexual subject, particularly the identification of alternative discourses one’s may draw upon to challenge the dominant one. Seeking to fill this gap, this chapter presents four vignettes of resistance which might rework this gendered positioning among young Indonesian Christians vis-à-vis intimate partner sexual violence. The analysis revealed that these young participants drew on various alternative discourses to which they have access – from feminist, religious, to same-sex sexuality – to give new meanings to men and women as sexual subjects and resist the normalisation of intimate partner sexual violence

Multi-parametric and multi-regional histogram analysis of MRI: modality integration reveals imaging phenotypes of glioblastoma

OBJECTIVES: Integrating multiple imaging modalities is crucial for MRI data interpretation. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a previously proposed multi-view approach can effectively integrate the histogram features from multi-parametric MRI and whether the selected features can offer incremental prognostic values over clinical variables. METHODS: Eighty newly-diagnosed glioblastoma patients underwent surgery and chemoradiotherapy. Histogram features of diffusion and perfusion imaging were extracted from contrast-enhancing (CE) and non-enhancing (NE) regions independently. An unsupervised patient clustering was performed by the multi-view approach. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relevance of patient clustering to survival. The metabolic signatures of patient clusters were compared using multi-voxel spectroscopy analysis. The prognostic values of histogram features were evaluated by survival and ROC curve analyses. RESULTS: Two patient clusters were generated, consisting of 53 and 27 patients respectively. Cluster 2 demonstrated better overall survival (OS) (p = 0.007) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p < 0.001) than Cluster 1. Cluster 2 displayed lower N-acetylaspartate/creatine ratio in NE region (p = 0.040). A higher mean value of anisotropic diffusion in NE region was associated with worse OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.40, p = 0.020) and PFS (HR = 1.36, p = 0.031). The seven features selected by this approach showed significantly incremental value in predicting 12-month OS (p = 0.020) and PFS (p = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: The multi-view clustering method can provide an effective integration of multi-parametric MRI. The histogram features selected may be used as potential prognostic markers

Exploring the intersection between violence against women and children from the perspective of parents convicted of child homicide

Violence against women and violence against children are distinct research fields. Quantitative studies have demonstrated their intersection, but qualitative data provides an opportunity for a comprehensive understanding of this interface. Interviews with 22 parents/caregivers convicted of child homicide provided an opportunity to explore the context of violent experiences in their lives including their use of violence and their experiences of it in their intimate and parenting relationships. Using a feminist framework, we found that patriarchal family structures, gender and power dynamics contribute to the use of violence. Revenge child homicide was common with distinct gendered differences. This study calls for closer collaboration between the two fields to assist in developing prevention interventions to address and eradicate both forms of violence

The isimodeni style: traditional beadwork, Zulu trinket or, South African sartorial tradition on Durban’s Golden Mile?

Beadwork is a well-documented aspect of the socio-political culture of isiZulu-speaking groupings in Southern Africa. Whilst scholarship on beadwork deals largely with the denotative and connotative value it offers wearers, this article’s contribution relates both to its commodification and apolitical value by confronting a general assumption that a beadwork style known as isimodeni (modern beadwork), produced as a trinket for tourists along Durban’s racially stratified Golden Mile since the 1960s, is an authentic representation of a Zulu material culture. The paper probes how traditional beadwork and rickshaw rides (with both highly decorated carts and pullers) were earmarked by tourism officials of the time as commodities that could serve a demand for colourful exoticism and accessible “Zulu” culture. Methodologically, the article draws on the visual analysis of beaded artefacts and photographs, in addition to ethnographic data derived from unstructured interviews with beadworkers on the Durban beachfront, to examine how a beadwork tradition transformed into a “Zulu” tourism commodity, and then transmuted into a nationalised form of ethnic identity and sartorial tradition

Die spreektaal van Piketberg

Xerox kopie van oorspronklike proefskrif.Proefskrif(M.A.) -- Universiteit van Stellenbosch, 1982.Full text to be digitised and attached to bibliographic record

A comparative histochemical study of the distribution of mucins in the gastrointestinal tracts of three insectivorous mammals

The distribution of mucous secreting goblet cells was examined in the gastrointestinal tracts of three insectivores namely: Acomys spinosissimus (Southern African spiny mouse), Crocidura cyanea (Reddish gray musk shrew) and Amblysomus hottentotus (Hottentot golden mole) in order to improve our understanding of the quality and composition of the protective intestinal biofilm. Intestinal tracts were fixed and processed to wax for histology. Serial transverse sections were stained using alcian blue-periodic acid Schiff, alcian blue-aldehyde fuchsin and alcian blue-high iron diamine techniques. Photomicrographs of the stained sections were analyzed by quantifying the number of goblet cells containing mucins per mm2 in the surface epithelial or crypt areas. Neutral mucins predominated in the gastric epithelium of all three insectivores, while sialomucins were absent in the stomach of C. cyanea. In all three species, goblet cells producing a mixture of neutral and acid mucins were most abundant throughout the intestinal tract as were cells secreting a mixture of sulfomucins and sialomucins. However, differences between the insectivore species were observed in the qualitative expression and distribution of mucins throughout the intestinal tract. Similarities between the insectivores of this study and other distantly related species suggest that mixed mucin goblet cells are essential for the formation of the biofilm, irrespective of their diet or taxonomy.The DST-NRF SARChI chair of Mammalian Behavioural Ecology and Animal Physiology.http://www.elsevier.de/acthishb201