Re-Entering Modernity: From The ‘End of History’ To ‘The New World Order’ 1

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72621/1/j.1467-6443.1991.tb00157.x.pd

Un amor en danza, un amor en performance...

Los analistas lacanianos nos encontramos ante el constante desafío de convertirnos cada vez en partenaires de nuestra civilización y esto implica saber leer el contexto de cada época. Contamos con preciosas referencias de Jacques Lacan que nos orientan, como la propuesta en el presente número de (a)nudos, cuando él señala que todo discurso emparentado con el capitalismo rechaza la  castración y las cosas del amor (Lacan, 1972). Si para los hombres y las mujeres por su condición de seres hablantes, lo determinante es que viven en un mundo de discurso, las modalidades del amor serán “ultrasensibles a la cultura ambiente

A hámsejtek immunológiai működésében résztvevő gének azonosítása DNS-microarray módszerrel = Identification of genes involved in the immune-function of epithelial cells using DNA microarray.

A hámsejtek immunológiai működésében résztvevő gének azonosítása DNS-microarray módszerrel Az emberi szervezetet a külső környezettől elválasztó legfontosabb határoló szervünk a bőr, amely egyrészt mechanikai védelmet nyújt a külvilág káros hatásai ellen, másrészt aktív, protektív feladatokat is ellát. Munkacsoportunk a bőrnek és a hámsejteknek a veleszületett immunitásban betöltött szerepét kutatja. Vizsgálataink során cDNS microarray módszerrel vizsgáltuk azt a kérdést, hogy a különféle bakteriális és gomba eredetű anyagok (LPS, PGN, hővel elölt Candida albicans, élő Propionibacterium acnes) milyen génexpresszós változásokat okoznak primer tenyésztett keratinocitákban. Eredményeink alapján igazoltuk, hogy a keratinocitákban gyulladásos citokin, kemokin, és antimikrobiális hatású fehérjét kódoló gének kifejeződése megváltozik a patogén eredetű anyagok hatására. A folyamatok szabályozásában a Toll-like receptorok, valamint NF-kB játszik központi szerepet. Igazoltuk, hogy a patogének támadásának kitett testfelületeken számos nem immun-eredetű sejttípus rendelkezik a kórokozók felismerésének képességével, ezek bakteriális és gomba-eredetű anyagok hatására képesek a veleszületett és adaptív immunfolyamatok elindítására és szabályozására. Eredményeink elméleti jelentősége mellett egy olyan tesztrendszer bevezetését is lehetővé tették, mely alkalmas gyulladásos bőrbetegségek esetén alkalmazott lokális immunmoduláló szerek hatásmechanizmusának vizsgálatára. | Identification of genes involved in the immune-function of epithelial cells using DNA microarray. The human skin is the most important barrier of the organism. It can not only passively separate the outer environment from the inner body, but also plays an active protective function. Our main focus is the better understanding of the innate immune functions of epidermal keratinocytes. For this reason we have investigated the global gene expression changes in response to various microbial components (PLS, PGN, heat-killed Candida albicans, and live Propionibacterium acnes) in primary keratinocytes using the microarray technique. Based on our results we could show, that the expression of various pro-inflammatory cytokine, chemokine, and antimicrobial peptide coding genes are changing in response to pathogen derived chemical compounds, and whole pathogen cells. Toll-like receptors and NF-kB are playing an important role in the regulation of these genes. Our results also suggest, that this ability of the keratinocytes is not unique to them, other cell types on various surfaces of the body where pathogen attack happens regularly can also recognize the microbes and initiate and regulate immune processes. Based on our data, we also set up an experimental model system that can be used for the evaluation of the exact function of various topical immunmodulatory chemicals used to treat inflammatory skin diseases

El concepto de pulsión desde la perspectiva de las neurociencias: Sustratos neurales de los componentes de la pulsión. Ponencia presentada en la Mesa redonda de la “XIII Jornadas Internacionales de Investigación en Psicología XV Jornadas Internacionales de Actualización del Algoritmo David Liberman”, organizadas por el Departamento de Posgrado de la Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales.

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Az ultraibolya fény immunbiológiai hatásának vizsgálata = Investigation of the immunbiological effects of ultraviolet light

Az ultraibolya (UV) fény az egyik legjelentősebb környezeti ártalom, melynek szerepe ismert a bőrdaganatok kiváltásában, ugyanakkkor az UV fény immunszuppresszív hatását eredményesen alkalmazzuk a terápiában is. Célkitűzésünk volt az UV fény molekuláris hatásainak jobb megismerése. Megállapítottuk, hogy a COP1 az UVB jelátviteli út része humán keratinocitákban, és a COP1 gén csendesítése a p53 fehérje emelkedését eredményezi a hámsejtekben. A keratinociták differenciációs-proliferációs állapota is befolyásolta a COP1 fehérje szintjét. UVB-LED kezelés hatékonyságát mutattuk ki psoriasisos betegeken. Megállapítottuk, hogy a keratinocitákban az ABCC4 és az ABCG2 transzporterek sejtproliferációtól függően fejeződnek ki, és az ABCG2 gátlásával a fotodinámiás terápia hatékonysága növelhető. Eredményeink szerint a bőr és a légúti hám UV válasza nem különbözik egymástól, hasonló DNS károsodás alakul ki és a repair mechanizmusok dinamikája is megegyezik a két hámban. Intranasalis polipok in vivo UVB fénnyel történő kezelése csökkenti a betegek klinikai tüneteit, amely a gyulladásos sejtekben indukált apoptosisra vezethető vissza. A rhinophototherápia a fexofenadine hidrokloridnál hatékonyabban csökkenti szezonális rhinitis allergicában szenvedő betegek klinikai tüneteit. Megállapítottuk azt is, hogy a FOXP3 rs3761548 polimorfizmusa egy protektív genetikai faktor a rhinitis allergica kialakulása szempontjából. | Ultraviolet (UV) light is one of the most important environmental factor that plays a role in the development of skin cancer, but the immunosuppressive effect of UV light is also used for decades for the therapy of inflammatory skin diseases. We aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of UV light. We found that the COP1 protein is involved in the UVB signaling in keratinocytes, and silencing of COP1 results in an increase in p53 protein in epithelial cells. The differentiation and proliferation state of the keratinocytes also influenced the COP1 level in keratinocytes. We could show that UVB-LED treatment is effective for psoriasis. We could show the expression of ABCC4 and ABCG2 transporters in keratinocytes, and we found that efficacy of photodynamic therapy could be increased by the inhibition of ABCG2 transporter. We provided evidences that there are no differencies in the UV response in the epithelial cells derived from the skin or mucosa. The UV induced DNA damage and the capacity of repair mechanisms were also similar in the different epithelial cells. In vivo UV irradiation of intranasal polyps significantly improved the clinical symptoms of the patients, that was due to apoptosis induction in the inflammatory cells. Rhinophototherapy proved to be more effective than fexofenadine hydrochloride in patients with allergic rhinitis. We have found that the rs3761548 polymorphism in the FOXP3 gene is a protective factor for the development of allergic rhinitis

Casino Capers: Exploring the Aesthetics of Superfluidity

Casinos are fast becoming sites for display of new Native American (NA) Arts. In such a context, casinos re-represent themselves and their communities through various visual forms and thus change their meanings. In her study of Wisconsin casinos, Stuhr (2004) challenged art educators to consider these visual culture displays as they accommodate new markets. Art in the casino phenomenon is worth investigating and how art educators can explore and/or make sense of this phenomenon is important. Casinos are using artworks as spectacles of pleasure. According to a casino gambling survey conducted by Harrah’s Entertainment, approximately 40 million Americans played slot machines in 2003 (Rivlin, 2004). People are attracted to the glitz and the chance of winning money. Such things are phenomenal— highly sensual and impressive, and there lies the attraction. The gambling experience dates back at least to the casting of lots in the Bible. Experience always has an aesthetic component. An aesthetic experience resides not so much in a thing’s appearance, as in its life-like substitutes. “In an age in which desire is inculcated even in those who have nothing to buy, the metropolis [casino] becomes the place where the superfluity of objects is converted into a value in and of itself” (Mbembe, 2004, p. 405). So what aesthetic qualities draw people to the casino

Una perspectiva neurobiológica del pensamiento preconciente

El modelo teórico freudiano del proceso de construcción del Yo se complementa con el análisis de los modos que adopta el pensamiento, configurando un tipo general de funcionamiento denominado “proceso secundario” o modo preconciente/conciente de la actividad psíquica. Desarrollos recientes en neurociencia han mostrado la existencia de diferentes redes o sistemas neurales correlacionados con distintos tipos de actividad mental. Entre éstos, la “default mode network” (DMN) designa un sistema que muestra un alto nivel de actividad metabólica “en reposo”, cuando el cerebro no está ocupado en llevar a cabo un tarea en particular. En 2010 Friston y  Carhart-Harris propusieron que dicho sistema podría constituir el sustrato neural para el proceso secundario freudiano. En este artículo se revisaran brevemente el modelo teórico freudiano de la construcción del yo, por una parte, y el estado del arte que muestra el desarrollo de la DMN en bebés y niños de diferentes edades

Distinct Strains of Propionibacterium acnes Induce Selective Human β-Defensin-2 and Interleukin-8 Expression in Human Keratinocytes Through Toll-Like Receptors

Acne is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous follicle. One of the main pathogenetic factors in acne is the increased proliferation of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) in the pilosebaceous unit. We investigated whether direct interaction of P. acnes with keratinocytes might be involved in the inflammation and ductal hypercornification in acne. The capacities of different P. acnes strains to activate the innate immune response and the growth of cultured keratinocytes were investigated. We have found that two clinical isolates of P. acnes significantly induced human β-defensin-2 (hBD2) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression; in contrast a third clinical isolate and the reference strain (ATCC11828) had no effect on hBD2 mRNA expression. In contrast, all four strains significantly induced the interleukin-8 (IL-8) mRNA expression. The P. acnes-induced increase in hBD2 and IL-8 gene expression could be inhibited by anti-Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and anti-TLR4 neutralizing antibodies, suggesting that P. acnes-induced secretion of soluble factors in keratinocytes are both TLR2 and TLR4 dependent. In addition, the clinical isolate P. acnes (889) was capable of inducing keratinocyte cell growth in vitro. Our findings suggest that P. acnes modulates the antimicrobial peptide and chemokine expression of keratinocytes and thereby contributes to the recruitment of inflammatory cells to the sites of infections

Early Production of IL-22 but Not IL-17 by Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Exposed to live Borrelia burgdorferi: The Role of Monocytes and Interleukin-1

If insufficiently treated, Lyme borreliosis can evolve into an inflammatory disorder affecting skin, joints, and the CNS. Early innate immunity may determine host responses targeting infection. Thus, we sought to characterize the immediate cytokine storm associated with exposure of PBMC to moderate levels of live Borrelia burgdorferi. Since Th17 cytokines are connected to host defense against extracellular bacteria, we focused on interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-22. Here, we report that, despite induction of inflammatory cytokines including IL-23, IL-17 remained barely detectable in response to B. burgdorferi. In contrast, T cell-dependent expression of IL-22 became evident within 10 h of exposure to the spirochetes. This dichotomy was unrelated to interferon-γ but to a large part dependent on caspase-1 and IL-1 bioactivity derived from monocytes. In fact, IL-1β as a single stimulus induced IL-22 but not IL-17. Neutrophils display antibacterial activity against B. burgdorferi, particularly when opsonized by antibodies. Since neutrophilic inflammation, indicative of IL-17 bioactivity, is scarcely observed in Erythema migrans, a manifestation of skin inflammation after infection, protective and antibacterial properties of IL-22 may close this gap and serve essential functions in the initial phase of spirochete infection