The Culture of the Grotesque in Old Icelandic literature: The Saga of the Sworn Brothers

ABSTRACT: According to scholarly consensus on the development of Old Icelandic literature, The Saga of the Sworn Brothers (Fóstbræðra saga) is an example of the earliest sagas. Such archaic sagas can be distinguished by their repetitious and fragmented or episodic narrations; they are negatively characterized by authorial digressions. Yet in the case of The Saga of the Sworn Brothers the digressions are actually key to understanding the saga itself. Full of irony and grotesque bodily imagery, they represent a medieval society’s culture of the carnival or “grotesque realism.” They function as a parody of heroes and heroic ideals in hierarchical and patriarchal societies

Spatial transcriptomics in embryonic mouse diaphragm muscle reveals regional gradients and subdomains of developmental gene expression

Summary: The murine embryonic diaphragm is a primary model for studying myogenesis and neuro-muscular synaptogenesis, both representing processes regulated by spatially organized genetic programs of myonuclei located in distinct myodomains. However, a spatial gene expression pattern of embryonic mouse diaphragm has not been reported. Here, we provide spatially resolved gene expression data for horizontally sectioned embryonic mouse diaphragms at embryonic days E14.5 and E18.5. These data reveal gene signatures for specific muscle regions with distinct maturity and fiber type composition, as well as for a central neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and a peripheral myotendinous junction (MTJ) compartment. Comparing spatial expression patterns of wild-type mice with those of transgenic mice lacking either the skeletal muscle calcium channel CaV1.1 or β-catenin, reveals curtailed muscle development and dysregulated expression of genes potentially involved in NMJ formation. Altogether, these datasets provide a powerful resource for further studies of muscle development and NMJ formation in the mouse

Preulcerous Risk Situation in Diabetic Foot Syndrome : Proposal for a Simple Ulcer Prevention Score

BACKGROUND: Preulcerous risk situations in patients with diabetes are often undiagnosed and care administered too late. Even with regular medical check-ups and status documentation, foot examinations have not been given enough attention. Diagnosing an individual patients’ risk of developing diabetic foot ulcers may increase vigilance for diabetic foot syndrome (DFS), and the appropriate prevention measures matching the risk involved may prevent the emergence of diabetic ulcers. The classical DFS risk factors are well established and have been extensively covered in the literature; however, there is a lack of efficient screening tools that could be used for a rapid assessment of diabetic foot ulcer risk. METHODS: A methodical literature search was conducted to assess relevant publications for the preparation of a simple risk score for amputation related to diabetic foot ulcer. We then analyzed the risk factors for predictive value as odds ratios in foot ulcers and/or amputation. We used the available data to deduce a mean value to reflect the authors’ consensus. RESULTS: In view of the current literature on the matter, we have developed a semi-quantitative scoring system using just a few items to allow rapid and visual risk assessment for diabetic foot ulcers alongside recommendations for prevention and a sensible follow-up strategy to match the risk. CONCLUSION: This relatively simple score enables rapid risk classification for patients that can ease the way for both physicians and patients in gaining an insight into individual risk situations. The score provides more effective preventative measures for high-risk patients against future complications