How to Concieve Republic: Four Visions

Rad ukazuje na nepomirljive razlike i unutrašnje tenzije koje pod terminom „republika“ baštini, prevashodno, njoj naklonjeni osamnaesti vek. Ta nesaglasja i ambivalencije, koje u dobroj meri određuju i savremenu teoriju, izlažu se, redom, kroz razumevanja republike u prosvetiteljstvu, romantizmu, republikanizmu i u tradiciji „Republike ljudi od pera“. Zaključuje se da emancipatorski potencijal koji se investira(o) u republiku, ako i ima istu ili sličnu tačku otpora – recimo: monarhiju, crkvenu dominaciju društvenim životom, ono što se nekad jezgrovitom krilaticom nazivalo „tron i oltar“, ukidanje privatizovanih i/ili partikularnih monopola odlučivanja i svih zabluda, predrasuda, te autoriteta koji ih ozakonjuju – uopšte nema ni približno istu ili sličnu viziju poželjnog stanja pošto se prevrat odigra, odnosno u ime čega se ustanovljuje republika.The work points to irreconcilable differences and internal tensions that under the term ‘republic’ are inherited, primarily, by the eighteenth century, which was favorable to it. Those disagreements and ambivalences, which determine modern theory to a good extent, are presented, respectively, through understandings of the republic in the Enlightenment, romanticism, republicanism and in the tradition of the ‘republic of letters’. It is concluded that the emancipatory potential that is invested in the republic, if it has the same or a similar point of resistance – for example: monarchy, church domination of social life, what was once called the concise catchphrase ‘throne and altar’, the abolition of privatized and/or particular decision-making monopolies and all misconceptions, prejudices, and the authorities that legitimize them – did not have at all the same or a similar vision of the desirable state after the coup has taken place, that is, in the name of what the republic should be established

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Traumatic Brain Injury: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are among the leading causes of death and chronic disability worldwide. TBI is a complex process encompassing primary injury to the brain tissue and cerebral vasculature induced by the initial impact, secondary injury, including cascade of subsequent neuroinflammatory processes, and regenerative responses with enhanced neurogenesis and angiogenesis. To date, there remains no approved pharmacological therapy that is able to prevent the secondary injury. Therefore, the development of safe and efficacious neuroprotective treatments currently represents the greatest unmet need in the management of TBI. Increasing number of experimental and clinical studies present convincing evidence that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), as an adjunctive therapy, may be the suitable neurotherapeutic method for improving neurological outcome after TBI. Irrespective to treatment protocol HBOT appeared to alleviate the detrimental and neurotoxic effects of pathological sequel initiated by TBI and to stimulate endogenous reparative mechanisms. However, the exact mechanisms by which HBOT exerts its beneficial effects on recovery after brain injury are still deficient. In this review we will summarize up to date results of HBOT in experimental and clinical TBI and try to put more light on cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying beneficial effects of HBOT on functional recovery after brain injury

Neurological Involvement in COVID-19

The respiratory system is the most common target of COVID-19, however, various experimental studies and case reports have shown its affinity for neural tissues. In this chapter, we described pathogenesis and propagation of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the nervous system, potential routes of the SARS-CoV-2 invasion in the brain, as well as indirect effects of COVID-19 on multiorgan disorders. We have also presented all of the reported neurological manifestations in COVID-19 with an explanation of possible underlying pathways. Among patients who tested positive on SARS-CoV-2, various neurological irregularities have been described, affecting both the central and peripheral nervous systems. In general, neurological complications in COVID-19 patients occur within 1 and 14 days, in most cases on average on the 5th day of the incubation period. We have demonstrated all of the reported neurological findings, whereas the most commonly reported were headache, dizziness, myalgia, hypogeusia, hyposmia, and impaired consciousness. More serious neurological conditions in COVID-19 included meningitis, encephalitis, and ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke

Fenton-like oxidation of an azo dye using mesoporous Fe/TiO2 catalysts prepared by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal process

Fe-doped TiO2 photocatalysts with different contents of Fe (0.5, 1.6, 3.4 and 6.4 %) were synthesized by a microwave-hydrothermal method and characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, N-2 physisorption at 77 K and UV-Vis spectrometry. The characterization showed that the Fe ions were highly dispersed in the TiO2 lattice. It was found that all the synthesized catalysts had a mesoporous structure and that Fe-doping increased the BET surface area. The UV-Vis study showed that the absorption spectra were shifted to longer wavelengths (red shift) with increasing dopant concentration. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by the decolorization of the textile dye Reactive Blue 52 (RB) in aqueous solutions under sun-like radiation in the presence of H2O2 (a heterogeneous photo-Fenton process). The photocatalyst with 3.4 % Fe was found to be the most efficient in the presence of H2O2. The effect of the initial pH of the dye solution was assessed and dissolution of iron ions was studied as a function of pH value. It was concluded that decolorization was more favorable in acidic pH, and that at pH values gt 4, the release of Fe ions into the solution was negligible. Photocatalytic degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) was investigated under the optimal conditions and it was shown that the catalyst was capable of degrading colorless pollutants

Search for long-lived, multi-charged particles in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV using the ATLAS detector

A search for highly ionising, penetrating particles with electric charges from vertical bar q vertical bar = 2e to 6e is performed using the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Proton-proton collision data taken at root s = 7 TeV during the 2011 running period, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb(-1), are analysed. No signal candidates are observed, and 95% confidence level cross-section upper limits are interpreted as mass-exclusion lower limits for a simplified Drell-Yan production model. In this model, masses are excluded from 50 GeV up to 430, 480, 490, 470 and 420 GeV for charges 2e, 3e, 4e, 5e and 6e, respectively. (c) 2013 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The Potential and Challenges of Nanopore Sequencing

A nanopore-based device provides single-molecule detection and analytical capabilities that are achieved by electrophoretically driving molecules in solution through a nano-scale pore. The nanopore provides a highly confined space within which single nucleic acid polymers can be analyzed at high throughput by one of a variety of means, and the perfect processivity that can be enforced in a narrow pore ensures that the native order of the nucleobases in a polynucleotide is reflected in the sequence of signals that is detected. Kilobase length polymers (single-stranded genomic DNA or RNA) or small molecules (e.g., nucleosides) can be identified and characterized without amplification or labeling, a unique analytical capability that makes inexpensive, rapid DNA sequencing a possibility. Further research and development to overcome current challenges to nanopore identification of each successive nucleotide in a DNA strand offers the prospect of ‘third generation’ instruments that will sequence a diploid mammalian genome for ~$1,000 in ~24 h.Molecular and Cellular BiologyPhysic

Obeticholic acid for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: interim analysis from a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial

Background Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common type of chronic liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis. Obeticholic acid, a farnesoid X receptor agonist, has been shown to improve the histological features of NASH. Here we report results from a planned interim analysis of an ongoing, phase 3 study of obeticholic acid for NASH. Methods In this multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, adult patients with definite NASH,non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) activity score of at least 4, and fibrosis stages F2–F3, or F1 with at least oneaccompanying comorbidity, were randomly assigned using an interactive web response system in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive oral placebo, obeticholic acid 10 mg, or obeticholic acid 25 mg daily. Patients were excluded if cirrhosis, other chronic liver disease, elevated alcohol consumption, or confounding conditions were present. The primary endpointsfor the month-18 interim analysis were fibrosis improvement (≥1 stage) with no worsening of NASH, or NASH resolution with no worsening of fibrosis, with the study considered successful if either primary endpoint was met. Primary analyses were done by intention to treat, in patients with fibrosis stage F2–F3 who received at least one dose of treatment and reached, or would have reached, the month 18 visit by the prespecified interim analysis cutoff date. The study also evaluated other histological and biochemical markers of NASH and fibrosis, and safety. This study is ongoing, and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02548351, and EudraCT, 20150-025601-6. Findings Between Dec 9, 2015, and Oct 26, 2018, 1968 patients with stage F1–F3 fibrosis were enrolled and received at least one dose of study treatment; 931 patients with stage F2–F3 fibrosis were included in the primary analysis (311 in the placebo group, 312 in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group, and 308 in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group). The fibrosis improvement endpoint was achieved by 37 (12%) patients in the placebo group, 55 (18%) in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group (p=0·045), and 71 (23%) in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group (p=0·0002). The NASH resolution endpoint was not met (25 [8%] patients in the placebo group, 35 [11%] in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group [p=0·18], and 36 [12%] in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group [p=0·13]). In the safety population (1968 patients with fibrosis stages F1–F3), the most common adverse event was pruritus (123 [19%] in the placebo group, 183 [28%] in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group, and 336 [51%] in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group); incidence was generally mild to moderate in severity. The overall safety profile was similar to that in previous studies, and incidence of serious adverse events was similar across treatment groups (75 [11%] patients in the placebo group, 72 [11%] in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group, and 93 [14%] in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group). Interpretation Obeticholic acid 25 mg significantly improved fibrosis and key components of NASH disease activity among patients with NASH. The results from this planned interim analysis show clinically significant histological improvement that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. This study is ongoing to assess clinical outcomes

The better human, the better than human: Limits of enhancement

Using the representations of science, fiction and science fiction, this article attempts to sketch out a certain line of development in the history of representation of the enhanced human. First it was thought that chemicals could temporarily or permanently improve his natural abilities, then artificial substitutes, inserts and accessories dominated the vision of his improvement. The most recent possibility announced is the fundamental morphological transformation of his biological composition into a completely unrecognizable, amorphous “entity” capable of taking any form. This trajectory of “improvement” of human capacities could be regarded as a gradual advancement in the realization of the pledge of traditional humanism: that man is special precisely for being able to become anything he chooses. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 41004: Retke bolesti: molekularna patofiziologija, dijagnostički i terapijski modaliteti i socijalni, etički i pravni aspekti