'Keep it to yourself': shame and female masturbation in American independent cinema

This paper considers four films released in American independent cinema since 2000 that contain examples of female masturbation as linked with shame within the character constructs: Mulholland Dr. (2001; dir. Lynch), Secretary (2002; dir. Shainberg), Margot at the Wedding (2007; dir. Baumbach), and Black Swan (2010; dir. Aronofsky). Utilising formalist analysis of the relevant masturbation sequences in the films, along with psychoanalytic theory in relation to both masturbation and the concept of shame, this paper aims to demonstrate how these films frame masturbation as negative and transgressive, and link autoerotic behaviour to the concept of shame within the development of the characters

Evolution and biogeography of the endemic Roucela complex (Campanulaceae: Campanula) in the Eastern Mediterranean

At the intersection of geological activity, climatic fluctuations, and human pressure, the Mediterranean Basin – a hotspot of biodiversity – provides an ideal setting for studying endemism, evolution, and biogeography. Here, we focus on the Roucela complex (Campanula subgenus Roucela), a group of 13 bellflower species found primarily in the eastern Mediterranean Basin. Plastid and low-copy nuclear markers were employed to reconstruct evolutionary relationships and estimate divergence times within the Roucela complex using both concatenation and species tree analyses. Niche modeling, ancestral range estimation, and diversification analyses were conducted to provide further insights into patterns of endemism and diversification through time. Diversification of the Roucela clade appears to have been primarily the result of vicariance driven by the breakup of an ancient landmass. We found geologic events such as the formation of the mid-Aegean trench and the Messinian Salinity Crisis to be historically important in the evolutionary history of this group. Contrary to numerous past studies, the onset of the Mediterranean climate has not promoted diversification in the Roucela complex and, in fact, may be negatively affecting these species. This study highlights the diversity and complexity of historical processes driving plant evolution in the Mediterranean Basin

Artemisinin inhibits neutrophil and macrophage chemotaxis, cytokine production and NET release

Immune cell chemotaxis to the sites of pathogen invasion is critical for fighting infection, but in life-threatening conditions such as sepsis and Covid-19, excess activation of the innate immune system is thought to cause a damaging invasion of immune cells into tissues and a consequent excessive release of cytokines, chemokines and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). In these circumstances, tempering excessive activation of the innate immune system may, paradoxically, promote recovery. Here we identify the antimalarial compound artemisinin as a potent and selective inhibitor of neutrophil and macrophage chemotaxis induced by a range of chemotactic agents. Artemisinin released calcium from intracellular stores in a similar way to thapsigargin, a known inhibitor of the Sarco/Endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium ATPase pump (SERCA), but unlike thapsigargin, artemisinin blocks only the SERCA3 isoform. Inhibition of SERCA3 by artemisinin was irreversible and was inhibited by iron chelation, suggesting iron-catalysed alkylation of a specific cysteine residue in SERCA3 as the mechanism by which artemisinin inhibits neutrophil motility. In murine infection models, artemisinin potently suppressed neutrophil invasion into both peritoneum and lung in vivo and inhibited the release of cytokines/chemokines and NETs. This work suggests that artemisinin may have value as a therapy in conditions such as sepsis and Covid-19 in which over-activation of the innate immune system causes tissue injury that can lead to death

Patients' willingness to reconsider cancer genetic testing after initially declining: Mention it again

Patients at risk for hereditary cancer syndromes sometimes decline clinically appropriate genetic testing. The purpose of the current study was to understand what preferences, concerns, and desires informed their refusal as well as their current level of interest in being tested. We interviewed patients who had been seen in a hereditary cancer clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and had declined genetic testing. In all, 21 in‐depth, semi‐structured qualitative interviews were conducted. Although patients provided many reasons for declining testing, they most often cited their psychosocial state at the time of the initial invitation to participate in genetic testing as their reason for refusal. The majority (67%) said that they either would or had changed their mind about testing if/when their clinicians ‘mentioned it again'. Patients at risk for hereditary cancer who refuse testing at the time of genetic counseling may later change their mind. In particular, if a patient declines testing around the time of a major medical diagnosis or intervention, clinicians who are providing ongoing care may want to raise the topic afresh after the patient has had time to recover from initial distress related to diagnosis or treatment. Strategies to prompt clinicians to have these conversations are suggested

O FORTALECIMENTO DA AGRICULTURA FAMILIAR ATRAVÉS DO PROGRAMA NACIONAL DE ALIMENTAÇÃO ESCOLAR NA COOPERCINCO

O presente artigo objetiva analisar o Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar (PNAE) na Cooperativa Agropecuária dos Cincos Polos (COOPERCINCO), no Projeto de Assentamento Novo Amazônia (PANA). Para tanto, se utilizou como metodologia o estudo de caso. Foi realizado o mapeamento da potencialidade de produção que se deu por meio da aplicação de questionários baseados nos resultados da aplicação do PNAE no período de 2011 a 2015, no município de Boa Vista – RR. Foram utilizados como critério de seleção dos entrevistados os cooperados que participam a mais tempo da política do PNAE. O programa tem umaaceitação expressiva por parte dos agricultores familiares, que declaram a contribuição deste no desenvolvimento da agricultura familiar, do cooperativismo e associativismo. De acordo com o estudo, pode-se constatar que os agricultores estão melhorados os padrões de vida, aumentando na diversificação da produção e na melhoria da distribuição da renda durante todo o ano

ANÁLISE DOS RESULTADOS DO PROGRAMA DE AQUISIÇÃO DE ALIMENTOS (PAA) NA COOPERCINCO

Este estudo busca entender a influência da cultura cooperativista e da diversidade cultural nas cooperativas do ramo agropecuário do estado de Roraima. Para atender ao objetivo proposto, a estratégia metodológica escolhida foi a realização de pesquisa qualitativa de natureza exploratória e descritiva. A coleta de dados consistiu na realização de entrevistas com representantes de 16 cooperativas do ramo agropecuário, os quais emitiram opiniões sobre a influência da cultura cooperativista nas suas respectivas cooperativas. Após catalogação e análise do material coletado, os resultados indicam a existência de forte influência da cultura cooperativista, principalmente no que se refere à gestão e política das cooperativas, fator avaliado positivamente. Alguns dirigentes apontam as diferenças culturais e ausência de cultura cooperativista como entrave para obtenção de alguns resultados. Espera-se que os resultados possam contribuir para o entendimento sobre alguns problemas ou soluções expostas pelos dirigentes de Cooperativas, quanto aos diferentes graus de conhecimentos sobre a cultura cooperativista das pessoas que compõem essas sociedades coletivas. E que se possa investir em educação cooperativista para resolver alguns desses problemas

Patient perspectives on variant reclassification after cancer susceptibility testing

Background Little is known about the impact of reclassification on patients’ perception of medical uncertainty or trust in genetics‐based clinical care. Methods Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with 20 patients who had received a reclassified genetic test result related to hereditary cancer. All participants had undergone genetic counseling and testing for cancer susceptibility at Vanderbilt‐Ingram Cancer Center Hereditary Cancer Clinic within the last six years. Results Most of the participants did not express distress related to the variant reclassification and only a minority expressed a decrease in trust in medical genetics. However, recall of the new interpretation was limited, even though all participants were recontacted by letter, phone, or clinic visit. Conclusion Reclassification of genetic tests is an important issue in modern healthcare because changes in interpretation have the potential to alter previously recommended management. Participants in this study did not express strong feelings of mistrust or doubt about their genetic evaluation. However, there was a low level of comprehension and information retention related to the updated report. Future research can build on this study to improve communication with patients about their reclassified results

COOPERATIVISMO NA AGRICULTURA FAMILIAR EM BOA VISTA-RR: um estudo da percepção dos cooperados da COOPERATIVA AGROPECUÁRIA DOS CINCO POLOS – COOPERCINCO

As cooperativas são apontadas como estratégias importantes para o desenvolvimento local/rural. Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a percepção dos cooperados em relação aos serviços prestados pela Cooperativa da Agricultura familiar COOPERCINCO, instalada no município de Boa Vista-RR. Para isso, realizou-se um estudo de caso, com uma pesquisa qualitativa e quantitativa a qual analisou a percepção desses cooperados em relação aos trabalhos oferecidos pela cooperativa. Foram entrevistados 31 cooperados, utilizando-se um roteiro de perguntas. O resultado encontrado indica que compreendem a importância do cooperativismo sobre seu cotidiano. Foi possível identificar que a maiorias dos cooperados está satisfeita, e que a cooperativa vem desenvolvendo um bom trabalho para melhor atender sua clientela. A cooperativa também contribui para a geração de renda dos seus cooperados, por meio da comercialização de seus produtos, via Projetos Governamentais, como o Projeto Nacional de Alimentação Escolar (PNAE) e Projeto de Aquisição de Alimento (PAA. A percepção dos cooperados da COOPERCINCO é de uma melhor qualidade de vida e melhorias futuras. Uma das expectativas é que a Cooperativa não tenha a sua força de comercialização apenas em projetos governamentais e sim na diversificação de novos compradores

Central nervous system relapse in patients with breast cancer is associated with advanced stages, with the presence of circulating occult tumor cells and with the HER2/neu status

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the incidence of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in patients with breast cancer treated with a taxane-based chemotherapy regimen and to determine predictive factors for CNS relapse. METHODS: The medical files of patients with early breast cancer (n = 253) or advanced stage breast cancer (n = 239) as well of those with other solid tumors (n = 336) treated with or without a taxane-based chemotherapy regimen during a 42-month period were reviewed. HER2/neu overexpression was identified by immunohistochemistry, whereas cytokeratin 19 (CK-19) mRNA-positive circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood were identified by real-time PCR. RESULTS: The incidence of CNS relapse was similar in patients suffering from breast cancer or other solid tumors (10.4% and 11.4%, respectively; P = 0.517). The incidence of CNS relapse was significantly higher in breast cancer patients with advanced disease (P = 0.041), visceral disease and bone disease (P = 0.036), in those who were treated with a taxane-containing regimen (P = 0.024), in those with HER2/neu-overexpressing tumors (P = 0.022) and, finally, in those with detectable CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs (P = 0.008). Multivariate analysis revealed that the stage of disease (odds ratio, 0.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.007–0.23; P = 0.0001), the HER2/neu status (odds ratio, 29.4; 95% confidence interval, 7.51–101.21; P = 0.0001) and the presence of CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs (odds ratio, 8.31; 95% confidence interval, 3.97–12.84; P = 0.001) were independent predictive factors for CNS relapse. CONCLUSION: CNS relapses are common among breast cancer patients treated with a taxane-based chemotherapy regimen, patients with HER2/neu-positive tumor and patients with CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs

Update on current views and advances on RSV infection (Review).

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection represents an excellent paradigm of precision medicine in modern paediatrics and several clinical trials are currently performed in the prevention and management of RSV infection. A new taxonomic terminology for RSV was recently adopted, while the diagnostic and omics techniques have revealed new modalities in the early identification of RSV infections and for better understanding of the disease pathogenesis. Coordinated clinical and research efforts constitute an important step in limiting RSV global predominance, improving epidemiological surveillance, and advancing neonatal and paediatric care. This review article presents the key messages of the plenary lectures, oral presentations and posters of the '5th workshop on paediatric virology' (Sparta, Greece, 12th October 2019) organized by the Paediatric Virology Study Group, focusing on recent advances in the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, prognosis, clinical management and prevention of RSV infection in childhood