Venezuela: golpe militar y democratización. Apuntes para el debate.

Cuando pensamos en los efectos (autocratizantes o democratizadores) de los golpes, la clave radica en la naturaleza del régimen preexistente. Si este fue mínimamente democrático -como en México en 1911, España en 1936, Perú y Venezuela en 1948, Guatemala en 1954, República Dominica en 1963, Brasil en 1964, Argentina en 1966, Chile en 1973, Haití en 1991 y Honduras en 2009 - un golpe militar siempre y necesariamente será antidemocrático. Pero si el régimen anterior es plenamente autoritario -como en Venezuela en 1945 y 1957-58, Portugal en 1974, Ghana en 1979, Filipinas en 1986, Paraguay en 1989, Egipto en 2011 o Zimbabwe en 2017 - el golpe, al tumbar al régimen, crea la posibilidad de una democratización.

Venezuela: golpe militar y democratización. Apuntes para el debate.

Cuando pensamos en los efectos (autocratizantes o democratizadores) de los golpes, la clave radica en la naturaleza del régimen preexistente. Si este fue mínimamente democrático -como en México en 1911, España en 1936, Perú y Venezuela en 1948, Guatemala en 1954, República Dominica en 1963, Brasil en 1964, Argentina en 1966, Chile en 1973, Haití en 1991 y Honduras en 2009 - un golpe militar siempre y necesariamente será antidemocrático. Pero si el régimen anterior es plenamente autoritario -como en Venezuela en 1945 y 1957-58, Portugal en 1974, Ghana en 1979, Filipinas en 1986, Paraguay en 1989, Egipto en 2011 o Zimbabwe en 2017 - el golpe, al tumbar al régimen, crea la posibilidad de una democratización.

La sorprendente resiliencia de la democracia

Against widespread perceptions, the authors argue that democracy has proven remarkably resilient in the twenty-first century. Fears of a “reverse wave” or a global “authoritarian resurgence” have yet to be borne out. The vast majority of “third wave” democracies—those that adopted democratic institutions between 1975 and 2000—have long outlived the favorable global conditions that enabled their creation. The authors attribute the resilience of third-wave democracies after the demise of the liberal West's post–Cold War hegemony to economic development and urbanization, and also to the difficulty of consolidating and sustaining an emergent authoritarian regime under competitive political conditions.En este artículo los autores sostienen que, a pesar de las percepciones generalizadas, la democracia ha demostrado ser notablemente resiliente en el siglo XXI. Los temores de una “ola inversa” o de un “resurgimiento autoritario” mundial aún no se han confirmado. La gran mayoría de las democracias de la “tercera ola” (aquellas que adoptaron instituciones democráticas entre 1975 y 2000) han sobrevivido durante mucho tiempo a las condiciones globales favorables que permitieron su creación. Según los autores, esta resiliencia de las democracias de la tercera ola después de la desaparición de la hegemonía del Occidente liberal posterior a la Guerra Fría se debe al desarrollo económico y la urbanización, así como a la dificultad de consolidar y sostener un régimen autoritario emergente en condiciones políticas competitivas

The effects of anorexia nervosa on bone metabolism in female adolescents

Osteopenia is a frequent, often persistent, complication of anorexia nervosa (AN) in adolescent girls and occurs during a critical time in bone development. Little is known about bone metabolism in this patient population. Therefore, we measured bone density (BMD) and body composition by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, nutritional status, bone turnover, calcium, and hormonal status in 19 adolescent girls with AN (mean +/- SEM, 16.0+/-0.4 yr) and 19 bone age-matched controls. The mean duration of AN was 19+/-5 months. Spinal (L1-L4) osteopenia was common in AN. Lumbar anterioposterior BMD was more than 1 SD below the mean in 42% of patients, and lateral spine BMD was more than 1 SD below in 63% of patients compared with controls. Lean body mass significantly predicted lumbar bone mineral content (r = 0.75; P \u3c 0.0001) in controls only. In AN, duration of illness was the most significant predictor of spinal BMD (lumbar: r = -0.44; P = 0.06; lateral: r = -0.59; P = 0.008). AN adolescents with mature BA (15 yr and greater) were hypogonadal [estradiol, 16.2+/-1.9 vs. 23.3+/-1.6 pg/mL (P = 0.01); free testosterone, 0.70+/-0.17 vs. 1.36+/-0.14 pg/mL (P = 0.01)] although dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and urinary free cortisol levels did not differ. Leptin levels were reduced in AN (2.9+/-2.1 vs. 16.5+/-1.8 ng/mL; P \u3c 0.0001). Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) was reduced in AN to 50% of control levels (219+/-41 vs. 511+/-35 ng/mL; P \u3c 0.0001) and correlated with all measures of nutritional status, particularly leptin (r = 0.80; P \u3c 0.0001). Surrogate markers of bone formation, serum osteocalcin (OC) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP), were significantly (P = 0.02) reduced in AN vs. controls (OC, 39.1+/-6.4 vs. 59.2+/-5.2 ng/mL; BSAP, 27.9+/-4.0 vs. 40.6+/-3.4 U/L). The majority of the variation in bone formation in AN was due to IGF-I levels (OC: r2 = 0.72; P = 0.002; BSAP: r2 = 0.53; P = 0.01) in stepwise regression analyses. Bone resorption was comparable in patients and controls. These data demonstrate that bone formation is reduced and uncoupled to bone resorption in mature adolescents with AN in association with low bone density. Lean body mass was a significant predictor of BMD in controls, but not AN patients. The major correlate of bone formation in AN was the nutritionally dependent bone trophic factor, IGF-I. Reduced IGF-I during the critical period of bone mineral accumulation may be an important factor in the development of osteopenia in adolescents with AN

Introduction : media and illiberal democracy in Central and Eastern Europe

This introductory overview opens the series of articles included in the issue entitled Media and Illiberal Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, and sets the scene for the debate on the relationship between illiberal trends in politics and media landscapes in the region. Drawing on existing scholarship, it traces the roots and the evolution of illiberalism, focusing the discussion within the confines of particularities of media landscapes. Through the introduction of articles addressing manifestations of illiberalism in media landscapes, it argues that “illiberal turn” in Central and Eastern Europe is part of a global political shift, rather than a regional one

Investigation of G72 (DAOA) expression in the human brain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Polymorphisms at the G72/G30 locus on chromosome 13q have been associated with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder in more than ten independent studies. Even though the genetic findings are very robust, the physiological role of the predicted G72 protein has thus far not been resolved. Initial reports suggested G72 as an activator of D-amino acid oxidase (DAO), supporting the glutamate dysfunction hypothesis of schizophrenia. However, these findings have subsequently not been reproduced and reports of endogenous human G72 mRNA and protein expression are extremely limited. In order to better understand the function of this putative schizophrenia susceptibility gene, we attempted to demonstrate G72 mRNA and protein expression in relevant human brain regions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The expression of G72 mRNA was studied by northern blotting and semi-quantitative SYBR-Green and Taqman RT-PCR. Protein expression in human tissue lysates was investigated by western blotting using two custom-made specific anti-G72 peptide antibodies. An in-depth <it>in silico </it>analysis of the G72/G30 locus was performed in order to try and identify motifs or regulatory elements that provide insight to G72 mRNA expression and transcript stability.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Despite using highly sensitive techniques, we failed to identify significant levels of G72 mRNA in a variety of human tissues (e.g. adult brain, amygdala, caudate nucleus, fetal brain, spinal cord and testis) human cell lines or schizophrenia/control post mortem BA10 samples. Furthermore, using western blotting in combination with sensitive detection methods, we were also unable to detect G72 protein in a number of human brain regions (including cerebellum and amygdala), spinal cord or testis. A detailed <it>in silico </it>analysis provides several lines of evidence that support the apparent low or absent expression of G72.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results suggest that native G72 protein is not normally present in the tissues that we analysed in this study. We also conclude that the lack of demonstrable G72 expression in relevant brain regions does not support a role for G72 in modulation of DAO activity and the pathology of schizophrenia via a DAO-mediated mechanism. <it>In silico </it>analysis suggests that G72 is not robustly expressed and that the transcript is potentially labile. Further studies are required to understand the significance of the G72/30 locus to schizophrenia.</p