The Regulation of Gender in Menopause Theory

'The regulation of gender in menopause theory' offers a critical commentary on some key theories of menopause experience. It aims to show that the theorisation of menopause keeps to the same epistemic and ideological lines as hegemonic understandings of gender identity. Narratives of menopause (that is: what one says about one's menopause experience) has become one of the means by which one can learn to cite women's gender correctly. In reverse, relating menopause experience against the grain of established narratives is becoming the means by which one may resist epistemic bias and dominant ideology of gender. Moreover, I am proposing that while menopause experience is an important aspect of gender identity formation and its resistance, it is also becoming a new area for identity politics in general, and more particularly the site of dissident narratives

Tissue multicolor STED nanoscopy of presynaptic proteins in the calyx of held

The calyx of Held, a large glutamatergic terminal in the mammalian auditory brainstem has been extensively employed to study presynaptic structure and function in the central nervous system. Nevertheless, the nanoarchitecture of presynaptic proteins and subcellular components in the calyx terminal and its relation to functional properties of synaptic transmission is only poorly understood. Here, we use stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy of calyces in thin sections of aldehyde-fixed rat brain tissue to visualize immuno-labeled synaptic proteins including VGluT1, synaptophysin, Rab3A and synapsin with a lateral resolution of approximately 40 nm. Excitation multiplexing of suitable fluorescent dyes deciphered the spatial arrangement of the presynaptic phospho-protein synapsin relative to synaptic vesicles labeled with anti-VGluT1. Both predominantly occupied the same focal volume, yet may exist in exclusive domains containing either VGluT1 or synapsin immunoreactivity. While the latter have been observed with diffraction-limited fluorescence microscopy, STED microscopy for the first time revealed VGluT1-positive domains lacking synapsins. This observation supports the hypothesis that molecularly and structurally distinct synaptic vesicle pools operate in presynaptic nerve terminals

The impact of air pollution on terrestrial managed and natural vegetation

Although awareness that air pollution can damage vegetation dates back at least to the 1600s, the processes and mechanisms of damage were not rigorously studied until the late twentieth century. In the UK following the Industrial Revolution, urban air quality became very poor, with highly phytotoxic SO2 and NO2 concentrations, and remained that way until the mid-twentieth century. Since then both air quality, and our understanding of pollutants and their impacts, have greatly improved. Air pollutants remain a threat to natural and managed ecosystems. Air pollution imparts impacts through four major threats to vegetation are discussed through in a series of case studies. Gas-phase effects by the primary emissions of SO2 and NO2 are discussed in the context of impacts on lichens in urban areas. The effects of wet and dry deposited acidity from sulfur and nitrogen compounds are considered with a particular focus on forest decline. Ecosystem eutrophication by nitrogen deposition focuses on heathland decline in the Netherlands, and ground-level ozone at phytotoxic concentrations is discussed by considering impacts on semi-natural vegetation. We find that, although air is getting cleaner, there is much room for additional improvement, especially for the effects of eutrophication on managed and natural ecosystems

Antibiotic therapy for Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia: Implications of production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases

The prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production by Klebsiella pneumonia approaches 50% in some countries, with particularly high rates in eastern Europe and Latin America. No randomized trials have ever been performed on treatment of bacteremia due to ESBL-producing organisms; existing data comes only from retrospective, single-institution studies. In a prospective study of 455 consecutive episodes of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia in 12 hospitals in 7 countries, 85 episodes were due to an ESBL-producing organism. Failure to use an antibiotic active against ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae was associated with extremely high mortality. Use of a carbapenem ( primarily imipenem) was associated with a significantly lower 14-day mortality than was use of other antibiotics active in vitro. Multivariate analysis including other predictors of mortality showed that use of a carbapenem during the 5-day period after onset of bacteremia due to an ESBL-producing organism was independently associated with lower mortality. Antibiotic choice is particularly important in seriously ill patients with infections due to ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae