Art and society: a consideration of the relations between aesthetic theories and social commitment with reference to Katherine Mansfield and Oscar Wilde

PhDThe chief purpose of this project is to discuss Katherine Mansfield's aesthetic ideas in connection with those of Oscar Wilde and fin de siècle Aestheticism. The proposed study will also analyse her Modernist technique in Symbolist terms, and consider her major themes from aesthetic and political points of view. The primary, underlying concern of this study is to negotiate two, often opposing critical values: the aesthetic and the political. The artist's negotiation of the conflict between aesthetics (art) and politics (society) is a controversial 'modern' critical issue: the issue all serious artists and critics have been facing and consciously dealing with since the late nineteenth century. Fin de siècle Aestheticism and Symbolism form a dominant stream of Modernism because of this intensified shared concern over the delicate relationship between art, life and society. Wilde's stress on the autonomy of art is related to his notion of an ideal relationship between art, life and society: he shows a keen awareness that the autonomy of art and the aesthetic self-realization of the artist could be realized only in a society without any social, cultural or moral hegemony, that is, in a society without moral, social or political oppression. The Wildean 'poeticization' of society lies in his politicization of art; and this aesthetic influences Mansfield's. French Symbolism suggested to Wilde and Mansfield an aesthetic which enabled them to realize their Aestheticism. Wildean and Mansfieldian Symbolism attempt to 'shock' the reader: they aim at breaking the reader's reading habit, and his or her stereotypic point of view and fixed sense of values. Here lie not only the political potential of Symbolism as a Modernist aesthetic but also the aesthetic and political link between their Symbolism and avant-garde Modernism

Clinical Evaluation of Adenosine Triphosphate Disodium Hydrate (ATP-2Na) for Asthenopia

To investigate the effect and the safety of Adenosine triphosphate disodium hydrate (ATP-2Na) for asthenopia. 40 subjects [35 females and 5 males, 25~87 years old (average: 62.5 years old)] with asthenopia ingested 200~300 mg/day ATP-2Na for 3 months. Before and after 1 and 3 months ingestion, subjects completed a questionnaire to determine their asthenopia symptom and fatigue symptom by visual analog scale (VAS). The scores were compared between before and after ingestion. 31 subjects completed a questionnaire for 1 month. The scores of asthenopia symptom before ingestion, 1 and 3 months were 4.05 ± 3.22, 2.67 ± 2.19 and 2.41 ± 2.16, respectively. The scores of fatigue symptom were 4.76 ± 3.05, 3.08 ± 2.93 and 3.10 ± 3.19, respectively. Both scores were significantly decreased (p < 0.005) at 1 month compared before ingestion. Three subjects had side effects (diarrhea for two, nausea for one), and all subjects improved by oral discontinuation. These results suggest that ATP-2Na is relatively early effective in improving asthenopia and accompanying fatigue symptoms

Geographical distribution for malignant neoplasm of the pancreas in relation to selected climatic factors in Japan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malignant neoplasm of the pancreas has become one of the leading causes of death from malignant neoplasm in Japan (the 5th in 2003). Although smoking is believed to be a risk factor, other risk factors remain unclear. Mortality from malignant neoplasm of the pancreas tends to be higher in northern Japan and in northern European countries. A recent study reported that standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for malignant neoplasm of the pancreas were negatively correlated to global solar radiation level. People residing in regions with lower solar radiation and lower temperatures may be at higher risk of development of malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between SMRs for malignant neoplasm of the pancreas and climatic factors, such as the amount of global solar radiation and the daily maximum temperature in Japan.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The study used multiple linear regression models. Number of deaths and demographic data from 1998 to 2002 were used for the calculation of SMR. We employed mesh climatic data for Japan published in 2006 by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Regression coefficients for the amount of global solar radiation and the daily maximum temperature in males were -4.35 (p = 0.00034) and -2.81 (p < 0.0001) respectively, and those in females were -5.02 (p < 0.0001) and -1.87 (p < 0.0001) respectively. Increased amount of global solar radiation or daily maximum temperature was significantly related to the decreased SMRs for malignant neoplasm of the pancreas in both males and females.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study suggested that low solar radiation and low temperature might relate to the increasing risk of malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. Use of group data has a limitation in the case of evaluating environmental factors affecting health, since the impact of climatic factors on the human body varies according to individual lifestyles and occupations. Use of geographical mesh climatic data, however, proved useful as an index of risk or beneficial factors in a small study area. Further research using individual data is necessary to elucidate the relationship between climatic factors and the development of malignant neoplasm of the pancreas.</p

Urinary ACE2 in pediatric IgA nephropathy

Background : Our previous studies demonstrated that the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) status was activated in pediatric patients with chronic glomerulonephritis. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) expression in the kidney is associated with the development of pediatric IgA nephropathy. Methods : We analyzed urinary ACE2 levels and ACE2 expression in the kidney tissues of pediatric patients with IgA nephropathy treated with RAS blockade. Paired tests were used to analyze changes from the first to the second biopsy. Results : Urinary ACE2 levels were significantly decreased after RAS blockade treatment, accompanied by decreased ACE2 expression levels in kidney tissues, urinary protein levels and mesangial hypercellularity scores. Urinary ACE2 levels at the first biopsy were positively correlated with the ACE2 expression levels. Conclusions : These data suggest that urinary ACE2 is associated with ACE2 expression in the diseased kidney, which correlates with the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy in pediatric patients

Folate and gender in schizophrenia

Aim: Gender differences in serum folate concentrations are well known, but no studies have investigated the association between serum folate levels and schizophrenia based on gender. In this study in a Japanese population, we examined the difference in serum folate levels between patients with schizophrenia and non‐psychiatric controls stratified by gender. The relationships between serum folate levels, plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) and serum vitamin B6 (pyridoxal) levels were also examined using data from our previous studies. Methods: The serum folate concentrations of 482 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 1,350 non‐psychiatric control subjects were measured. We conducted an analysis of covariance to examine the differences in serum folate levels between the two groups based on gender. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to evaluate the relationships between folate, tHcy and vitamin B6 levels. Results: In the control group, serum folate concentrations were higher in women than in men. Lower levels of serum folate were observed in both male and female patients with schizophrenia. An inverse correlation between serum folate and plasma tHcy and a weak positive correlation between serum folate and vitamin B6 were observed in the combined cohort. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that (1) a low serum folate level may be associated with schizophrenia regardless of gender, and (2) folate administration may be beneficial for the treatment of schizophrenia. In schizophrenic patients with low serum folate levels, folate administration might result in improvements in high tHcy and an increase in low vitamin B6 levels

Blood glutamate levels were significantly higher in MDD patients

Purpose: There is growing evidence that glutamatergic signaling may be involved in major depressive disorder (MDD). In regard to peripheral blood glutamate changes in MDD, inconsistent findings have been reported. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether blood glutamate levels differed between MDD patients and control participants. Materials and methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 association studies between blood glutamate levels and MDD in a total of 529 MDD patients and 590 controls. Subsequently, we conducted subgroup analyses and a meta-regression analysis to examine the sources of potential heterogeneity. Results: A random effects model showed that blood glutamate levels were significantly higher in MDD patients than in controls (standardized mean difference=0.54, 95% CI=0.27–0.82, p=8.5×10-5) with high heterogeneity (I2=75.0%, p<0.05). Subgroup analyses showed elevated glutamate levels in MDD patients compared with controls in plasma, but not serum studies, and in studies using high-performance liquid chromatography but not with mass spectrometry for glutamate assay. A meta-regression analysis showed no effects of age, gender, medication use, sample size, and published year on blood glutamate levels. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that altered glutamate levels may be implicated in MDD, which provides further evidence of glutamatergic dysfunction in MDD

NADPH oxidase and ROS in kidney growth

Ureteric bud branching and nephrogenesis are performed through large-scale proliferation and apoptosis events during renal development. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), produced by NADPH oxidase, may contribute to cell behaviors, including proliferation and apoptosis. We investigated the role of NADPH oxidase expression and ROS production in developing kidneys. Immunohistochemistry revealed that NADPH oxidase components were expressed on epithelial cells in ureteric bud branches, as well as on immature glomerular cells and epithelial cells in nephrogenic zones. ROS production, detected by dihydroethidium assay, was strongly observed in ureteric bud branches and nephrogenic zones, corresponding with NADPH oxidase localization. Organ culture of E14 kidneys revealed that the inhibition of NADPH oxidase significantly reduced the number of ureteric bud branches and tips, consistent with reduced ROS production. This was associated with reduced expression of phosphorylated ERK1/2 and increased expression of cleaved caspase-3. Organ culture of E18 kidneys showed that the inhibition of NADPH oxidase reduced nephrogenic zone size, accompanied by reduced ROS production, fewer proliferating cell nuclear antigen-positive cells, lower p-ERK1/2 expression, and increased expression of cleaved caspase-3. These results demonstrate that ROS produced by NADPH oxidase might play an important role in ureteric bud branching and nephrogenesis by regulating proliferation and apoptosis

Association of cognitive performance with interleukin-6 receptor Asp358Ala polymorphism in healthy adults

Wechsler adult intelligence scale-revised was performed in 576 healthy adults to examine whether a functional polymorphism (Asp358Ala) of the IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) gene is associated with cognitive performance. Verbal intelligence quotient in Asp homozygotes was significantly higher compared to Ala carriers (P = 0.005). Compared to Ala carriers, Asp homozygotes performed better in the verbal subtests requiring long-term memory stores. Elevated IL-6 and soluble IL-6R levels in Ala carriers may have negative impact on acquiring verbal cognitive ability requiring long-term memory.ArticleJOURNAL OF NEURAL TRANSMISSION. 119(3):313-318 (2012)journal articl

Role of ERK1/2 and ERK5 in glomerulonephritis

Aim: Extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 and ERK5 are key kinases of the signaling pathways involved in various cellular responses to kidney injury; however, the mechanistic links between those kinase and renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activation in glomerulonephritis (GN) have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we sought to clarify the potential roles of ERK1/2 and ERK5 via RAS activation in the pathogenesis of GN. Methods: A rat model of progressive GN was induced by anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) injection and the signal transduction pathway in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced glomerular pathologic alterations were investigated in primary cultured mesangial cells (MCs). Results: Rats developed typical cellular crescents in glomeruli on day 7 that progressed to severe fibrocellular crescents and glomerulosclerosis on day 28. Strong expression of phospho-ERK1/2 was observed on day 7 and phospho-ERK5 expression was markedly increased on day 28 of GN. An angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker (ARB) suppressed those augmentations. Moreover, ARB treatment attenuated the increases in macrophage infiltration and PCNA-positive cells observed on day 7 in GN rats, as well as the increase in collagen type 1 expression on day 28. Consistently, MCs stimulated by Ang II showed significant increases in proliferation and the expression of MCP-1 and collagen type 1. Interestingly, while the ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 abolished the elevations in MCP-1 expression and cell proliferation, the ERK5 inhibitor BIX02189 abrogated the elevation in collagen type 1 expression. Conclusion: Altogether, these data suggest that ERK1/2 regulates acute inflammatory reactions, while ERK5 promotes the development of RAS-induced chronic glomerular fibrosis activation in GN