Harnessing History: Narratives, Identity and Perceptions of Russia's Post-Soviet Role

Russian political elites have long been aware of the power of myths to forge national unity. However, the past six or seven years have seen core myths increasingly situated within a highly selective narrative of Russian history. This narrative is accepted as contextual information for policy discussion, and so sets cognitive parameters for evaluations of Russia's history, identity and role. This standard narrative of Russian history prioritises the state, supports gradualism and continuity, and dramatically reduces the potential for re‐conceptualising Russia's role in contemporary international relations

The August 1991 Coup D’état and the Collapse of the Soviet Union in the Political Memory of Contemporary Russia: the Evolution of Competing Narratives

Статья поступила в редакцию 15.11.2021; одобрена после рецензирования 30.11.2021; принята к публикации 15.12.2021.The article was submitted 15.11.2021; approved after reviewing 30.11.2021; accepted for publication 15.12.2021.В статье рассматриваются соперничающие нарративы о событиях августа 1991 г. — путче ГКЧП и его провале в результате сопротивления демократических сил — и их связи с распадом СССР. Хотя провал путча ГКЧП мог бы стать благодатным материалом для конструирования мифа основания новой демократической России, в начале 1990-х гг. российские власти не столько не смогли, сколько не захотели заниматься его продвижением. В дальнейшем, с приходом на пост президента В. В. Путина, власть уклонилась от коммеморации августовских событий, предоставив формирование памяти о них другим мнемоническим акторами. В статье проводится сравнительный анализ смысловых схем соперничающих нарративов, представленных в центральных СМИ в периоды юбилейных годовщин 2001, 2011, 2016 и 2021 гг. Анализируя динамику основных нарративов, автор приходит к выводу, что спустя 30 лет сформировался гибридный режим памяти о событиях 1991 г., который характеризуется комбинацией мнемонических уклонистов (в лице власти и большинства общества) и мнемонических воителей (в лице сторонников соперничающих нарративов о победе демократической революции и утрате советской Родины/великого государства). Очевидно мирный характер коммеморации тридцатой годовщины свидетельствует не столько о преодолении конфликта между разными версиями памяти, сколько об изменении конфигурации сил конкурирующих сторон и нарастании апатии со стороны большинства.The article analyzes the competing narratives about the events of August 1991, i.e., the GKChP coup d’état and the democratic resistance that led to its failure, as well as their connections with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The failure of the coup d’état could be a nice myth of origin for the new democratic Russia. However, in the beginning of the 1990s, the Russian authorities did not push its construction. Later, with Vladimir Putin’s coming to the president’s office, the authorities preferred the strategy of mnemonic abnegation thus leaving a formation of memory about the 1991 events to another mnemonic actors. The article provides a comparative analysis of the competing narratives presented in media in the “jubilee” periods, in 2001, 2011, 2016 and 2021. The author concludes that, after 30 years, the mnemonic regime for commemoration of the August 1991 coup is a hybrid one. While the authorities and the majority of society indulge in mnemonic abnegation, the active roles are performed by the mnemonic warriors who promote the competing narratives depicting the events either as the victory of democratic resistance or as the loss of the Soviet Motherland/great superpower. The evidently peaceful character of the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the August coup could be explained not by mitigating conflict between these competing narratives but by changing configuration of the competing sides, as well as by the growing apathy in the society.Публикация подготовлена в результате проведения исследования в рамках Программы «Научный фонд Национального исследовательского университета “Высшая школа экономики” (НИУ ВШЭ)» в 2020–2021 гг., проект № 20-01-058.The publication was prepared within the framework of the Academic Fund Program at the HSE University in 2020–2021 (grant № 20-01-058)

Bias associated with delayed verification in test accuracy studies: accuracy of tests for endometrial hyperplasia may be much higher than we think!

BACKGROUND: To empirically evaluate bias in estimation of accuracy associated with delay in verification of diagnosis among studies evaluating tests for predicting endometrial hyperplasia. METHODS: Systematic reviews of all published research on accuracy of miniature endometrial biopsy and endometr ial ultrasonography for diagnosing endometrial hyperplasia identified 27 test accuracy studies (2,982 subjects). Of these, 16 had immediate histological verification of diagnosis while 11 had verification delayed > 24 hrs after testing. The effect of delay in verification of diagnosis on estimates of accuracy was evaluated using meta-regression with diagnostic odds ratio (dOR) as the accuracy measure. This analysis was adjusted for study quality and type of test (miniature endometrial biopsy or endometrial ultrasound). RESULTS: Compared to studies with immediate verification of diagnosis (dOR 67.2, 95% CI 21.7–208.8), those with delayed verification (dOR 16.2, 95% CI 8.6–30.5) underestimated the diagnostic accuracy by 74% (95% CI 7%–99%; P value = 0.048). CONCLUSION: Among studies of miniature endometrial biopsy and endometrial ultrasound, diagnostic accuracy is considerably underestimated if there is a delay in histological verification of diagnosis

Stable or improved neurological manifestations during miglustat therapy in patients from the international disease registry for Niemann-Pick disease type C: an observational cohort study

Background: Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C) is a rare neurovisceral disease characterised by progressive neurological degeneration, where the rate of neurological disease progression varies depending on age at neurological onset. We report longitudinal data on functional disease progression and safety observations in patients in the international NPC Registry who received continuous treatment with miglustat. Methods: The NPC Registry is a prospective observational cohort of NP-C patients. Enrolled patients who received ≥1 year of continuous miglustat therapy (for ≥90 % of the observation period, with no single treatment interruption >28 days) were included in this analysis. Disability was measured using a scale rating the four domains, ambulation, manipulation, language and swallowing from 0 (normal) to 1 (worst). Neurological disease progression was analysed in all patients based on: 1) annual progression rates between enrolment and last follow up, and; 2) categorical analysis with patients categorised as 'improved/stable' if ≥3/4 domain scores were lower/unchanged, and as 'progressed' if <3 scores were lower/unchanged between enrolment and last follow-up visit. Results: In total, 283 patients were enrolled from 28 centers in 13 European countries, Canada and Australia between September 2009 and October 2013; 92 patients received continuous miglustat therapy. The mean (SD) miglustat exposure during the observation period (enrolment to last follow-up) was 2.0 (0.7) years. Among 84 evaluable patients, 9 (11 %) had early-infantile (<2 years), 27 (32 %) had late-infantile (2 to <6 years), 30 (36 %) had juvenile (6 to <15 years) and 18 (21 %) had adolescent/adult (≥15 years) onset of neurological manifestations. The mean (95%CI) composite disability score among all patients was 0.37 (0.32,0.42) at enrolment and 0.44 (0.38,0.50) at last follow-up visit, and the mean annual progression rate was 0.038 (0.018,0.059). Progression of composite disability scores appeared highest among patients with neurological onset during infancy or childhood and lowest in those with adolescent/adult-onset. Overall, 59/86 evaluable patients (69 %) were categorized as improved/stable and the proportion of improved/stable patients increased with age at neurological onset. Safety findings were consistent with previous data. Conclusions: Disability status was improved/stable in the majority of patients who received continuous miglustat therapy for an average period of 2 years

A new class of glycomimetic drugs to prevent free fatty acid-induced endothelial dysfunction

Background: Carbohydrates play a major role in cell signaling in many biological processes. We have developed a set of glycomimetic drugs that mimic the structure of carbohydrates and represent a novel source of therapeutics for endothelial dysfunction, a key initiating factor in cardiovascular complications. Purpose: Our objective was to determine the protective effects of small molecule glycomimetics against free fatty acid­induced endothelial dysfunction, focusing on nitric oxide (NO) and oxidative stress pathways. Methods: Four glycomimetics were synthesized by the stepwise transformation of 2,5­dihydroxybenzoic acid to a range of 2,5­substituted benzoic acid derivatives, incorporating the key sulfate groups to mimic the interactions of heparan sulfate. Endothelial function was assessed using acetylcholine­induced, endotheliumdependent relaxation in mouse thoracic aortic rings using wire myography. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) behavior was evaluated in the presence or absence of the free fatty acid, palmitate, with or without glycomimetics (1µM). DAF­2 and H2DCF­DA assays were used to determine nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, respectively. Lipid peroxidation colorimetric and antioxidant enzyme activity assays were also carried out. RT­PCR and western blotting were utilized to measure Akt, eNOS, Nrf­2, NQO­1 and HO­1 expression. Results: Ex vivo endothelium­dependent relaxation was significantly improved by the glycomimetics under palmitate­induced oxidative stress. In vitro studies showed that the glycomimetics protected HUVECs against the palmitate­induced oxidative stress and enhanced NO production. We demonstrate that the protective effects of pre­incubation with glycomimetics occurred via upregulation of Akt/eNOS signaling, activation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway, and suppression of ROS­induced lipid peroxidation. Conclusion: We have developed a novel set of small molecule glycomimetics that protect against free fatty acidinduced endothelial dysfunction and thus, represent a new category of therapeutic drugs to target endothelial damage, the first line of defense against cardiovascular disease