How to read a page : modernism and material textuality

This article is a translation of the first chapter of George Bornstein’s book entitled Material Modernism. The Politics of the Page (2001). The first, theoretical section of the article discusses the notion of the "bibliographic code" (all material aspects of the text) as offering important supplements to the "linguistic code" (the words of the text). The article offers analogies to Walter Benjamin’s notion of the "aura" and to the concept of the "utterance," coined by the speech-act theorists. Just as Benjamin argues that the "aura" locates the work of art in time and space and the speech-act theorists contend that the "utterance" (gesture, tone etc.) functions as an important carrier of meaning, so the author sees the "bibliographic code" as an important constituent of meaning. The remaining part of the article presents exemplary readings of four sonnets, written by John Keats, Emma Lazarus, William Butler Yeats and Gwendolyn Brooks

Amoeba-Resisting Bacteria and Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

To evaluate the role of amoeba-associated bacteria as agents of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), we tested the water from an intensive care unit (ICU) every week for 6 months for such bacteria isolates; serum samples and bronchoalveolar lavage samples (BAL) were also obtained from 30 ICU patients. BAL samples were examined for amoeba-associated bacteria DNA by suicide-polymerase chain reaction, and serum samples were tested against ICU amoeba-associated bacteria. A total of 310 amoeba-associated bacteria from10 species were isolated. Twelve of 30 serum samples seroconverted to one amoeba-associated bacterium isolated in the ICU, mainly Legionella anisa and Bosea massiliensis, the most common isolates from water (p=0.021). Amoeba-associated bacteria DNA was detected in BAL samples from two patients whose samples later seroconverted. Seroconversion was significantly associated with VAP and systemic inflammatory response syndrome, especially in patients for whom no etiologic agent was found by usual microbiologic investigations. Amoeba-associated bacteria might be a cause of VAP in ICUs, especially when microbiologic investigations are negative

A Rat Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome Causes Phenotype-Associated Morphological Changes and Hypofunction of the Adrenal Gland

Background: Rats exposed to chronic predator scent stress mimic the phenotype of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in humans, including altered adrenal morphology and function. High- and low-anxiety phenotypes have been described in rats exposed to predator scent stress (PSS). This study aimed to determine whether these high- and low-anxiety phenotypes correlate with changes in adrenal histomorphology and corticosteroid production. Methods: Rats were exposed to PSS for ten days. Thirty days later, the rats’ anxiety index (AI) was assessed with an elevated plus-maze test. Based on differences in AI, the rats were segregated into low- (AI ≤ 0.8, n = 9) and high- (AI > 0.8, n = 10) anxiety phenotypes. Plasma corticosterone (CORT) concentrations were measured by ELISA. Adrenal CORT, desoxyCORT, and 11-dehydroCORT were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. After staining with hematoxylin and eosin, adrenal histomorphometric changes were evaluated by measuring the thickness of the functional zones of the adrenal cortex. Results: Decreased plasma CORT concentrations, as well as decreased adrenal CORT, desoxyCORT and 11-dehydroCORT concentrations, were observed in high- but not in low-anxietyphenotypes. These decreases were associated with increases in AI. PSS led to a significant decrease in the thickness of the zona fasciculata and an increase in the thickness of the zona intermedia. The increase in the thickness of the zona intermedia was more pronounced in low-anxiety than in high-anxiety rats. A decrease in the adrenal capsule thickness was observed only in low-anxiety rats. The nucleus diameter of cells in the zona fasciculata of high-anxiety rats was significantly smaller than that of control or low-anxiety rats. Conclusion: Phenotype-associated changes in adrenal function and histomorphology were observed in a rat model of complex post-traumatic stress disorder

A Rat Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome Causes Phenotype-Associated Morphological Changes and Hypofunction of the Adrenal Gland

BACKGROUND Rats exposed to chronic predator scent stress mimic the phenotype of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in humans, including altered adrenal morphology and function. High- and low-anxiety phenotypes have been described in rats exposed to predator scent stress (PSS). This study aimed to determine whether these high- and low-anxiety phenotypes correlate with changes in adrenal histomorphology and corticosteroid production. METHODS Rats were exposed to PSS for ten days. Thirty days later, the rats' anxiety index (AI) was assessed with an elevated plus-maze test. Based on differences in AI, the rats were segregated into low- (AI ≤ 0.8, n = 9) and high- (AI > 0.8, n = 10) anxiety phenotypes. Plasma corticosterone (CORT) concentrations were measured by ELISA. Adrenal CORT, desoxyCORT, and 11-dehydroCORT were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. After staining with hematoxylin and eosin, adrenal histomorphometric changes were evaluated by measuring the thickness of the functional zones of the adrenal cortex. RESULTS Decreased plasma CORT concentrations, as well as decreased adrenal CORT, desoxyCORT and 11-dehydroCORT concentrations, were observed in high- but not in low-anxiety phenotypes. These decreases were associated with increases in AI. PSS led to a significant decrease in the thickness of the zona fasciculata and an increase in the thickness of the zona intermedia. The increase in the thickness of the zona intermedia was more pronounced in low-anxiety than in high-anxiety rats. A decrease in the adrenal capsule thickness was observed only in low-anxiety rats. The nucleus diameter of cells in the zona fasciculata of high-anxiety rats was significantly smaller than that of control or low-anxiety rats. CONCLUSION Phenotype-associated changes in adrenal function and histomorphology were observed in a rat model of complex post-traumatic stress disorder

Practical recommendations for the management of diabetes in patients with COVID-19

Diabetes is one of the most important comorbidities linked to the severity of all three known human pathogenic coronavirus infections, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Patients with diabetes have an increased risk of severe complications including Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome and multi-organ failure. Depending on the global region, 20-50% of patients in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had diabetes. Given the importance of the link between COVID-19 and diabetes, we have formed an international panel of experts in the field of diabetes and endocrinology to provide some guidance and practical recommendations for the management of diabetes during the pandemic. We aim to briefly provide insight into potential mechanistic links between the novel coronavirus infection and diabetes, present practical management recommendations, and elaborate on the differential needs of several patient groups

A Mother's Attitude Towards Her Infant and Child Behaviour Five Years Later

Objective The relationship between maternal attitude to the infant at 6 months of age and behavioural outcomes at 5 years is explored, controlling for numerous demographic, child and psychosocial family factors. Method Data was used from the Mater-University Study of Pregnancy, an Australian longitudinal study of over 7000 mothers and children followed from pregnancy to when the children were 5 years. Measures ranging from the key variables of maternal attitude and child behaviour as well as numerous confounders were dichotomised. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between maternal negative attitude toward the infant and clinically significant levels of child behaviour problems and other infant risks, early social risks, and concurrent social risks. Results The results suggest that maternal negative attitude towards the infant at 6 months is an independent predictor of child behaviour problems at 5 years. This association remained significant for boys' externalizing behaviours and girls' internalizing behaviours. Conclusions The findings lend support to the concept of a sensitive period in early infancy; the need for a broad perspective in the assessment of the mother-infant relationship and the need for early intervention with dysfunctional mother-infant dyads

New genetic loci implicated in fasting glucose homeostasis and their impact on type 2 diabetes risk.

Levels of circulating glucose are tightly regulated. To identify new loci influencing glycemic traits, we performed meta-analyses of 21 genome-wide association studies informative for fasting glucose, fasting insulin and indices of beta-cell function (HOMA-B) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in up to 46,186 nondiabetic participants. Follow-up of 25 loci in up to 76,558 additional subjects identified 16 loci associated with fasting glucose and HOMA-B and two loci associated with fasting insulin and HOMA-IR. These include nine loci newly associated with fasting glucose (in or near ADCY5, MADD, ADRA2A, CRY2, FADS1, GLIS3, SLC2A2, PROX1 and C2CD4B) and one influencing fasting insulin and HOMA-IR (near IGF1). We also demonstrated association of ADCY5, PROX1, GCK, GCKR and DGKB-TMEM195 with type 2 diabetes. Within these loci, likely biological candidate genes influence signal transduction, cell proliferation, development, glucose-sensing and circadian regulation. Our results demonstrate that genetic studies of glycemic traits can identify type 2 diabetes risk loci, as well as loci containing gene variants that are associated with a modest elevation in glucose levels but are not associated with overt diabetes

Streptozotocin-induced beta-cell damage, high fat diet, and metformin administration regulate Hes3 expression in the adult mouse brain

Diabetes mellitus is a group of disorders characterized by prolonged high levels of circulating blood glucose. Type 1 diabetes is caused by decreased insulin production in the pancreas whereas type 2 diabetes may develop due to obesity and lack of exercise;it begins with insulin resistance whereby cells fail to respond properly to insulin and it may also progress to decreased insulin levels. The brain is an important target for insulin, and there is great interest in understanding how diabetes affects the brain. In addition to the direct effects of insulin on the brain, diabetes may also impact the brain through modulation of the inflammatory system. Here we investigate how perturbation of circulating insulin levels affects the expression of Hes3, a transcription factor expressed in neural stem and progenitor cells that is involved in tissue regeneration. Our data show that streptozotocin-induced beta-cell damage, high fat diet, as well as metformin, a common type 2 diabetes medication, regulate Hes3 levels in the brain. This work suggests that Hes3 is a valuable biomarker helping to monitor the state of endogenous neural stem and progenitor cells in the context of diabetes mellitus