A novel canine model of immune thrombocytopenia: has immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) gone to the dogs?

Canine immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is analogous to human ITP, with similar platelet counts and heterogeneity in bleeding phenotype among affected individuals. With a goal of ultimately investigating this bleeding heterogeneity, a canine model of antibody-mediated ITP was developed. Infusion of healthy dogs with 2F9, a murine IgG2a monoclonal antibody to the canine platelet glycoprotein GPIIb (a common target of autoantibodies in ITP) resulted in profound, dose-dependent thrombocytopenia. Model dogs developed variable bleeding phenotypes, e.g. petechiae and haematuria, despite similar degrees of thrombocytopenia. 2F9 infusion was not associated with systemic inflammation, consumptive coagulopathy, or impairment of platelet function. Unexpectedly however, evaluation of cytokine profiles led to the identification of platelets as a potential source of serum interleukin-8 (IL8) in dogs. This finding was confirmed in humans with ITP, suggesting that platelet IL8 may be a previously unrecognized modulator of platelet-neutrophil crosstalk. The utility of this model will allow future study of bleeding phenotypic heterogeneity including the role of neutrophils and endothelial cells in ITP

Sources, stability, encapsulation and application of natural pigments in foods

In recent years, the replacement of synthetic colorants with natural ones has attracted increasing consumers’ and market interest. Natural colorants include different groups of pigments, many of which possess also pronounced biological potential. This review addresses the main issues related to the use of natural pigments in foods, starting from the sources available in nature, their chemical properties, stabilization processes, and applications in real foods, as discussed in the scientific literature reported in the main databases relevant to this topic (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar). Notably, several natural pigments are available to cover different needs in terms of hues and intensities, and whose use is permitted in foods by the main regulatory agencies. However, their use is still frequently limited by their higher price and lower stability than synthetic counterparts. This review discusses in detail the main sources for natural pigments, focusing on the recent trends towards those more economically favorable, such as microbial sources and agro-industrial residues. It also examines the most suitable stabilization systems to protect the highly reactive and unstable molecules of natural pigments from negative physical and chemical changes, as well as to minimize the interactions with food systems

Visualising the politics of appearance in times of democratisation: An analysis of the 2010 Belgrade Pride Parade television coverage

The 2010 Belgrade Pride Parade represents a critical moment in the story of Serbia’s democratisation process and highlights the threat that right-wing extremism poses to democratic rights and personal freedoms. Through a focus on patterns of visibility and visuality in the coverage of different protagonists in the streets of Belgrade, we explore the ways in which distinct communities perform their affinities, their right to be seen in public spaces, and rejection of ‘the other’. We conduct a visual framing analysis across four news programmes (RTS, Prva TV, TV B92 and Pink TV), emphasising the stylistic-semiotic choices which work to construct the contested spaces of the city. In shifting attention to how the news images work to create the spaces of political ‘appearance’ and the potentials for political agency through mediated visibility, the article explores the uneasy ambivalence of the democratisation process for authorities and the resulting marginalisation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in news coverage