How the media’s language of obesity may have made the sugar tax inevitable

The government’s decision to impose a ‘sugar tax’, announced in the 2016 Budget, should have come as no surprise, writes Dimitrinka Atanasova. Rather it was anticipated based on longer term trends in obesity news reporting – reporting on what has (even) been called a ‘national emergency’

Book review: fat activism: a radical social movement by Charlotte Cooper

Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement, by Charlotte Cooper, not only offers a thorough history of the fat acceptance movement, which seeks to change societal attitudes towards fat people, but also provides insight into activist practices more broadly. Dimitrinka Atanasova praises this accessible book as an important read for those working in the field of critical weight studies and fat studies and for showing how academic research can be mobilised to reach audiences beyond the academy

Moving society to a sustainable future:The framing of sustainability in a constructive media outlet

News reporting on sustainability has been criticized for (1) having a limited coverage of solutions, (2) reporting on solutions with a negative bias, (3) being dominated by sources from government and mainstream business, and (4) promoting frames that prioritize the role of the market and techno-scientific solutions, which leave unchallenged the unsustainable behavior of consumer societies and the focus on economic growth. This study was the first to examine how sustainability is reported in a constructive media outlet and found that articles (1) consistently elaborated solutions, (2) described them in optimistic ways, (3) quoted various sources, and (4) developed a frame that challenged consumerism and critiqued society’s preoccupation with growth while helping to imagine a desirable sustainable future. It is thus argued that this novel, constructive approach to journalism can help move society to a sustainable future by expanding the repertoire of culturally-resonant stories to live by

Should we classify obesity as a disease?

In light of recent global developments in efforts to tackle obesity, Dimitrinka Atanasova outlines some of the arguments for and against classifying obesity as a disease. She argues that, as it stands, it is wiser to stick with the status quo of seeing obesity as a contributor to chronic diseases

“Journeys towards a green lifestyle”:Metaphors in green living blogs

Green living blogs authored by ordinary individuals play an important role in “translating” the complex issue of sustainability into everyday actions. Although bloggers often use metaphors to achieve this and metaphors are recognized as key tools for conceptualizing complex and abstract issues through simpler and more concrete ones, the use of metaphors on green living blogs has been under-studied. This paper analysed 222 posts from ten leading green living blogs and found that they mostly used Journey metaphors to discuss different aspects of green living. Bloggers regularly presented green living as a “journey” and themselves as “travelers” who are “still on the road” and they emphasized the positive aspects of “journeying” and of not having reached their “destination” yet. It is argued that by highlighting these positive aspects of journeys, bloggers inspire and empower readers to adopt green lifestyles. « Voyages vers un mode de vie écologique »: des métaphores dans les blogs sur le mode de vie vert Les blogs sur le mode de vie écologique animés par des personnes ordinaires jouent un rôle important dans la traduction de la question complexe de la durabilité en actions quotidiennes. Bien que les blogueurs utilisent souvent des métaphores pour y parvenir, bien que les métaphores soient reconnues comme des outils permettant de conceptualiser des problèmes complexes et abstraits en problèmes plus simples et plus concrets, leur utilisation dans des blogs écologiques n’a pas été suffisamment étudiée. Le présent article analyse 222 publications tirées de dix blogs sur le mode de vie écologique. Il en ressort que ces publications ont régulièrement recours à la métaphore du voyage lorsqu’elles traitent de différents aspects du mode de vie écologique. Les blogueurs le présentent régulièrement comme un « voyage », eux-mêmes étant des « voyageurs » « encore en route ». Ils mettent insistent sur le côté positif du fait d’être « embarqué dans un voyage » et de n’avoir pas encore atteint leur « destination ». En soulignant ces aspects positifs du voyage, les blogueurs inspirent et incitent leurs lecteurs à adopter des modes de vie écologiques

Book review: digital humanitarians: how big data is changing the face of humanitarian response

The overflow of information generated during disasters can be as paralysing to humanitarian response as the lack of information. This flash flood of information is often referred to as Big Data, or Big Crisis Data. Making sense of Big Crisis Data is proving to be an impossible challenge for traditional humanitarian organisations, which is why they’re turning to Digital Humanitarians. Dimitrinka Atanasova finds the most effective and entertaining aspect of the book is the well-thought out link between digital humanitarians and a #DigitalJedis

How constructive news outlets reported the synergistic effects of climate change and COVID-19 through metaphors

COVID-19 has provoked fears that the heavy reporting of pandemic developments may cause climate change to slip from public attention. Views have also converged that the focus should be on the positive lessons of COVID-19 for addressing climate change. This paper examined Guardian Online and Positive News to identify examples of good practice in reporting the synergistic effects of climate change and COVID-19, as both are committed to covering climate change and practice solutions-oriented constructive journalism that provides context by explaining relations between issues. The study sought to identify the types of synergistic effects that were reported and how they were reported through metaphors - key conceptualisation tools. Analysis of 153 news articles published in the first year of the pandemic showed that the coverage of synergistic effects was solutions-oriented and synergistic effects were discussed mainly through Movement and Colour metaphors - particularly the colour Green. War metaphors which have dominated reporting when climate change and COVID-19 have been discussed separately were rare. Reliance on Movement and Colour metaphors can be interpreted as a positive practice, as Movement metaphors are familiar, vivid and more flexible than War metaphors, while Green metaphors are closely associated with environmentalism and have positive connotations

“Keep moving forward. LEFT RIGHT LEFT”:A critical metaphor analysis and addressivity analysis of personal and professional obesity blogs

Blogs are a valuable information source for health researchers and individuals managing chronic conditions such as obesity. Yet, there is little research on obesity blogs with existing studies focusing on specific obesity-related issues or examining blogging as a weight loss tool. Even less is known about how the overall obesity experience is conceptualised by blogging individuals and medical experts (particularly via metaphor - a device that aids discussions of sensitive issues) or the addressivity and self-presentation strategies employed on an interactive platform which affords tailored identity construction. This study analysed 343 posts from six (personal and professional) obesity blogs using critical metaphor analysis and addressivity analysis. The preferred source domain of metaphors in both blog types was Journey - with potentially positive implications for doctor-patient communication. Across blogs, Journey metaphors were recruited to highlight similar aspects of obesity in ways that challenged the mainstream before-after weight loss narrative. In personal blogs, Journey metaphors were employed to present the authors as travellers; in professional blogs, as guides. Metaphors thus contributed to self-presentations consistent with traditional views of the doctor-patient relationship. Finally, while individuals used various addressivity strategies, medical experts preferred those that project professionalism

Morphological and neurochemical plasticity of rat mesencephalic trigeminal neurons

The mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (Me5) is a unique structure in the central nervous system (CNS), made up of pseudounipolar sensory neurons. It is also a suitable paradigm for studying the plastic alterations in neurons. It is known that the Me5 neurons utilize various neurotransmitters under normal conditions, though little information is available about the morphological and chemical events taking place in the nucleus after injury. This review provides concise description of the structural adaptive changes in Me5 neurons following peripheral axotomy of the masseteric nerve. Furthermore, it validates NADPH-diaphorase activity in them, and using immunohistochemistry for glutamate (Glu), substance P (SP), calcitonin-gene related protein (CGRP), neuropeptide tyrosine (NPY) and galanin (GAL), it deals with the altered neurochemical phenotype of the injured neurons. Our results distinctly show that the Me5 neurons in the rat are extremely sensitive to peripheral injury and we demonstrate their distinct structural and neurochemical plasticity. The adaptive morphological alterations comprise of both qualitative and quantitativealterations in the axotomized Me5 population which are statistically significant when compared with the number and phenotype of the neurons on the contralateral intact side. Besides, the axotomy-induced alterations in the neurochemical character of Me5 are best signified by the down-regulation of the classical neurotransmitters under normal conditions, and the up-regulation ofnitric oxide synthase and de novo synthesis of certain neuroactive substances such as NPY, SP, GAL and VIP. It can be inferred that the described phenomena only occur in the nucleus in cases of injury and changes in the environmental cues, and serve as adaptive mechanisms and powerful trophic factors for the neuronal survival in the Me5. There is, undoubtedly, still a long way to go in order to clarify the dynamic and plastic alterations occurring in the CNS in health and disease, and also explain their role in such important functions as pain, perception, learning, cognition and memory

Enzyme histochemical investigations of the mammalian carotid body

The carotid body (CB) in mammals is a small cluster of chemosensory and supporting cells located at the carotid bifurcation. It has been proposed that the chemoreceptor glomus cells release a variety of neurotransmitters that trigger upon hypoxia an action potential through the afferent fibers, thus conveying the chemosensory information to the central nervous system. By means of histochemical techniques the presence and distribution of certain metabolic enzymes was demonstrated in the CB of rats, guinea pigs and rabbits. In particular, we have revealed that the glomus cells expressed hydrolytic enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase (AP), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and ATPase as well as oxidoreductases including oxidases like monoamine oxidase (MAO) and dehydrogenases like succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and NADPH dehydrogenase (NADPH-diaphorase). In addition, the sustentacular cells also contained, although in a much lesser degree, AP, BChE, LDH, G6PD, GDH and NADPH-d. Some AP and SDH activity was seen in the CB microvasculature as well. Our results provide evidence that the two types of parenchymal CB cells display a different enzyme content and that the glomus cells possess enzymatic properties necessary for the secretory process. It can also be inferred that the chemoreceptor function and the nerve impulse conduction need an intensive molecular and cation exchange, and energy supply