Iulia Maesa and Iulia Soaemias at the Court of Elagabalus: The Female Power of the Severan Domus

In this paper we intend to study the relationship between Emperor Heliogabalus and his grandmother Julia Maesa and his mother Julia Soemias. We will also address the role played by these empresses within the dynasty. The rise to power of a young emperor, Elagabalus, who was only 14 years old when he was proclaimed imperator by the troops stationed near Emesa, allowed these women to play a decisive role in the court. They were able to establish alliances, to meddle in the public sphere, and even one of them, Julia Soemias, managed to create a Senate, all according to classical sources. However, according to epigraphic and numismatic testimonies it seems that these women continued the previous tradition, since the titles and honors received were similar to those of their predecessors. For this reason, in this paper we plan to create a coherent discourse analysing the references of classical authors in the light of numismatic and epigraphic testimonies./n En este artículo pretendemos estudiar la relación que mantuvo el emperador Heliogábalo con su abuela Julia Maesa y su madre Julia Soemias. También abordaremos el papel que desarrollaron estas emperatrices dentro de la dinastía. La subida al poder de un emperador joven, Heliogábalo solo tenía 14 años cuando fue proclamado imperator por las tropas acantonadas cerca de Emesa, permitió que estas mujeres ejercieran un papel decisivo en la corte. Fueron capaces de establecer alianzas, entrometiéndose en la esfera pública, e incluso, una de ellas, Julia Soemias, llegó a crear un Senado, todo esto según las fuentes clásicas. Sin embargo, ateniéndonos a los testimonios epigráficos y numismáticos parece que estas mujeres continuaron la tradición anterior, puesto que los títulos y honores recibidos fueron similares a los de sus predecesoras. Por ello, en este trabajo proyectamos crear un discurso coherente analizando las referencias de los autores clásicos a la luz de los testimonios numismáticos y epigráficos

Los testimonios numismáticos de Julia Mamaea: continuidad y ruptura en la política imperial de Alejandro Severo

This paper aims to study the ideology transmitted in Severus Alexander’s government through the coins in which Julia Mamaea appeared. To this end, we will not only analyse the inscriptions, but also the iconographic motifs expressed on each of the testimonies. Following a defined chronological and typological order, we will show how, although other Augustae previously used motifs different to this one, Julia Mamaea was also used for issues related to the military sphere. This demonstrates the importance of the princeps’ mother during this period, as well as the unstable situation that prevailed.En este trabajo pretendemos estudiar la ideología transmitida en el gobierno de Alejandro Severo a través de las monedas en las que apareció Julia Mamaea. Para ello, no solo se analizarán las leyendas, sino también los motivos iconográficos expresados en cada uno de los testimonios. Siguiendo un orden cronológico y tipológico definido, podremos comprobar cómo, aunque se siguieron empleando motivos dados con anterioridad por otras Augustae, también se utilizó a Julia Mamaea para cuestiones relacionadas con el ámbito militar. Ello demuestra la importancia que tuvo la madre del princeps durante este período, además de la situación inestable que se vivi

Plauciano: la amenaza de la domus severiana.

En el trabajo presentamos una visión sintética del ascenso y caída de un personaje no demasiado tratado por la historiografía moderna, Plauciano. Sin embargo, tuvo un papel esencial en el acceso al poder de Septimio Severo y también durante los años en que fue prefecto del pretorio, desde 197 hasta enero de 205, cuando murió de forma violenta. De él, dicen las fuentes antiguas que era pariente, pero sobre todo, amigo muy próximo del emperador. Su cercanía a este, más que el propio cargo, le permitió obtener un poder político y económico casi omnímodo, por lo que fue considerado en su tiempo como un cuarto césar. Incluso casó a su hija Plautilla con el heredero al trono, Caracalla. Precisamente sus cotas de poder y su proximidad a Septimio suscitaron recelos y envidias principalmente en el entorno imperial que finalmente provocaron su caída y su muerte inmediata, aunque las fuentes antiguas que escriben estos acontecimientos no coinciden en la narración de los hechos.This paper presents a synthetic view of the rise and fall of a little-treated character in modern historiography, Plautian. However, this person played a key role in the accession to power of Septimius Severus and during the years he was Praetorian Prefect, from 197 to January 205, when he died violently. Ancient sources state that he was a patient person, and above all, a very close friend of the Emperor. His proximity to the Emperor, rather than his position proper, enabled him to obtain almost an absolute political and economic power, being considered at the time as a fourth Caesar. He even managed that his daughter Plautilla married the heir of the Caracalla throne. It is precisely his power and his proximity to Septimius that raised suspicions and jealousies among the Imperial community, leading ultimately to his downfall and his immediate death; though the ancient sources that describe these events do not necessary coincide

Diva Faustina. Difusión de una imagen para la legitimación de una dinastía imperial

The death and apotheosis of Faustina the Elder was celebrated by her husband, the emperor Antoninus Pius, for the rest of his life. Coins minted during his rule insisted particularly on the promotion of Diva Faustina’s imperial cult, an event that lacks parallels in previously deified women of the imperial house. The Diva Faustina propaganda was a key element towards the legitimization of Antoninus Pius and his offspring in power, since he had been adopted, while she descended from the emperor Trajan through her grandmother Diva Matidia. Coin production during the rule of Antoninus Pius shows a diverse array of examples that depict her funeral, consecratio and the construction of a temple dedicated to her. La muerte y apoteosis de Faustina la Mayor fue celebrada durante el resto de la vida de su marido, el emperador Antonino Pío. La producción monetaria insistió de forma reiterada en la difusión del culto a la Diva Faustina, un acontecimiento que carecía de precedentes en otras mujeres divinizadas de la casa imperial. La propaganda de la Diva Faustina fue una útil herramienta de legitimación para Antonino Pío y su descendencia, puesto que él había sido adoptado; mientras que Faustina estaba emparentada con el emperador Trajano a través de la deificada Matidia la Mayor. Bajo el mandato de Antonino Pío se acuñaron diversos tipos de monedas que celebraban el funeral, la consecratio y la construcción de un templo en honor a su mujer.&nbsp

SARS-CoV-2-reactive antibody waning, booster effect and breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection in hematopoietic stem cell transplant and cell therapy recipients at one year after vaccination

The kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 reactive IgG antibodies after full vaccination and booster in allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT, ASCT) and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) are of utmost importance for estimating risk of infection. A prospective multicenter registry-based cohort study, conducted from December 2020 to July 2022 was used to analyze antibody waning over time, booster effect and the relationship of antibody response and breakthrough infection in 572 recipients (429 allo-HSCT, 121 ASCT and 22 CAR-T cell therapy). A significant decline in antibody titers was observed at 3 and 6 months after full vaccination in recipients without pre-vaccine SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas recipients infected prior to vaccination showed higher and stable antibody titers over time. In poor responders, a booster dose was able to increase antibody titers in 83% of allo-HSCT and 58% of ASCT recipients but not in CART-T cell recipients [0%] (p < 0.01). One-year cumulative incidence of breakthrough infection was 15%, similar among cell therapy procedures. Immunosuppressive drugs at the time of vaccination [hazard ratio (HR) 1.81, p = 0.0028] and reduced intensity conditioning (HR 0.49, p = 0.011) were identified as the only conditions associated with different risk of breakthrough infection in allo-HSCT recipients. Antibody titers were associated with breakthrough infection and disease severity. No death was observed among the 72 breakthrough infections. Antibody level decay after the first two vaccine doses was common except in recipients with pre-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 infection. Poorly responding allo-HSCT recipients showed a response advantage with the booster as compared to ASCT and, especially, the null response found in CAR-T cell recipients. Antibody titers were positively correlated with the risk of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection which was mainly driven by the immunosuppression status.REDCap is developed and supported by Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. We thank the Spanish Society of Hematology (SEHH) for its support in study diffusion.Peer reviewe

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Production of He-4 and (4) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV at the LHC

Results on the production of He-4 and (4) nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar <1, using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0-10% central events are found to be dN/dy4(He) = (0.8 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) x 10(-6) and dN/dy4 = (1.1 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.2 (syst)) x 10(-6), respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature (T-chem = 156 MeV) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of (4)/He-4 is 1.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst). (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Pseudorapidity and transverse-momentum distributions of charged particles in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

The pseudorapidity (eta) and transverse-momentum (p(T)) distributions of charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions are measured at the centre-of-mass energy root s = 13 TeV. The pseudorapidity distribution in vertical bar eta vertical bar <1.8 is reported for inelastic events and for events with at least one charged particle in vertical bar eta vertical bar <1. The pseudorapidity density of charged particles produced in the pseudorapidity region vertical bar eta vertical bar <0.5 is 5.31 +/- 0.18 and 6.46 +/- 0.19 for the two event classes, respectively. The transverse-momentum distribution of charged particles is measured in the range 0.15 <p(T) <20 GeV/c and vertical bar eta vertical bar <0.8 for events with at least one charged particle in vertical bar eta vertical bar <1. The evolution of the transverse momentum spectra of charged particles is also investigated as a function of event multiplicity. The results are compared with calculations from PYTHIA and EPOS Monte Carlo generators. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe