Sadistic scopophilia in contemporary rape culture: I Spit On Your Grave (2010) and the practice of “media rape"

This article revisits earlier theorisations of cinematic voyeurism and gender-based violence in considering the cross-media connections between cinema and non-consensual pornography online. In particular, it looks at how the remake of a significant rape-revenge film, I Spit On Your Grave (1978/2010), explores the role of technology in the perpetuation of female victimisation. By making a visible connection between the female character’s physical rape and the violation of her subjectivity performed through filming her without her consent, the film raises a larger social/media issue, which I call media rape. In offering a theorisation of this phenomenon, the article analyses the operation of the website creepshots.com, which distributes non-consensual photos of women. The comparison between these two texts promotes an understanding of the visual and discursive continuities between cinema and online spaces in relation to media rape and rape culture more generally. At a time when the distinction between the creators of and audiences for media content is less straightforward within the context of online media, sadistic scopophilia needs to be reconsidered in relation to medium specificity. Although it is already problematic in the cinematic context, when it extends to online media sadistic scopophilia becomes a human rights violation

Women Directors in ‘Global’ Art Cinema: Negotiating Feminism and Representation

The thesis explores the cultural field of global art cinema as a potential space for the inscription of female authorship and feminist issues. Despite their active involvement in filmmaking, traditionally women directors have not been centralised in scholarship on art cinema. Filmmakers such as Germaine Dulac, Agnès Varda and Sally Potter, for instance, have produced significant cinematic oeuvres but due to the field's continuing phallocentricity, they have not enjoyed the critical acclaim of their male peers. Feminist scholarship has focused mainly on the study of Hollywood and although some scholars have foregrounded the work of female filmmakers in non-Hollywood contexts, the relationship between art cinema and women filmmakers has not been adequately explored. The thesis addresses this gap by focusing on art cinema. It argues that art cinema maintains a precarious balance between two contradictory positions; as a route into filmmaking for women directors allowing for political expressivity, with its emphasis on artistic freedom which creates a space for non-dominant and potentially subversive representations and themes, and as another hostile universe given its more elitist and auteurist orientation. The thesis adopts a case study approach, looking at a number of contemporary art films from diverse socio-political contexts. It thus provides a comprehensive account of how women are positioned within art cinema as subjects and as filmmakers. The thesis uses a social historical approach in looking at the texts as well as the contexts these texts operate within. In analysing how female directors voice feminist concerns through a negotiation of political and artistic preoccupations, the thesis aims to reclaim art cinema as a cultural field that brings the marginal closer to the mainstream and thus functions for feminism as the site of productive ideological dialogue

Human milk: microbiota composition and impact of processing on probiotic properties

Preterm birth complications represent a leading cause of mortality in children under five years old. To mitigate these complications, strategies such as the use of donor human milk, fortification with human milk fortifiers (protein supplements), and probiotic administration are employed. This thesis aimed to thoroughly understand the microbiota composition of preterm human milk and the influence of various factors on specific probiotics' properties. The study began with analyzing human milk microbiota from healthy Argentinian women across different gestational ages, focusing on changes in microbiota from birth to term equivalent age. It was found that term milk exhibited greater microbial diversity than preterm milk, and by term equivalent age, the microbiota composition of human milk closely resembled that of term milk, suggesting breastfeeding's role in promoting microbial maturity. The research further assessed the stability of probiotics, specifically Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Bb12, during cold storage of human milk. Results indicated that these probiotics maintained their viability for up to 72 hours. Additionally, this thesis examined the effect of liquid or powdered human milk fortifiers on the adhesion properties of these probiotics in donor human milk, finding that fortification did not adversely affect probiotic adhesion. The final study of the thesis explored the role of polyamines, in modulating the adhesion of probiotics and pathogens with intestinal mucus in infants. The presence of the polyamine spermidine significantly enhanced the adhesion of Bb12 in infant mucus under six months, whereas the polyamine spermine reduced the adhesion of Cronobacter sakazakii. In conclusion, the thesis showed that the microbiota profiles of human milk significantly vary with gestational age. A key finding is that the microbiota composition of preterm human milk undergoes a transformation, eventually resembling that of term milk as the infant reaches term equivalent age. It was also found that probiotic adhesion properties are unaffected by cold storage or the fortification of donor human milk. However, the influence of polyamines on bacterial adhesion to mucus varies based on the bacterial strain and the mucus donor's age employed. These insights should be considered for developing optimized gut colonization strategies for infants, particularly for those born preterm.Äidinmaito: mikrobiston koostumus ja prosessoinnin vaikutus sen probioottisiin ominaisuuksiin Ennenaikaisen synnytyksen komplikaatiot ovat yleisin alle viisivuotiaiden lasten kuolinsyy. Luovutettua äidinmaitoa, äidinmaidon täydentämistä proteiinilisällä sekä probioottien antamista käytetään näiden komplikaatioiden ehkäisemiseksi. Tämän opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli selvittää ennenaikaisesti synnyttäneiden äitien rintamaidon mikrobistokoostumusta ja eri tekijöiden vaikutusta tiettyjen probioottien ominaisuuksiin. Tutkimuksessa analysoitiin terveiden argentiinalaisten naisten äidinmaidon mikrobikoostumusta keskittyen mikrobiston muutoksiin ennenaikaisesta synnytyksestä laskettuun aikaan. Huomattiin, että täysiaikaisesti synnyttäneiden naisten äidinmaidon mikrobiston monimuotoisuus oli suurempaa kuin ennenaikaisesti synnyttäille naisilla. Laskettuna aikana ennenaikasesti synnyttäneiden äidinmaidon mikrobikoostumus muistutti läheisesti täysiaikaisen maidon mikrobistoa, mikä viittaa siihen, että imetyksellä on tärkeä rooli mikrobiston kypsymisen edistämisessä. Tutkimuksessa, jossa arvioitiin Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG:n ja Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Bb12 -probioottien stabiiliutta äidinmaidossa kylmävarastoinnin aikana, nämä probiootit säilyttivät elinkykynsä jopa 72 tuntia. Lisäksi havaittiin, että äidinmaidon vahvistaminen nestemäisellä tai jauhemaisella vahvikkeella ei vaikuttanut haitallisesti probioottien tarttumisominaisuuksiin luovutetussa äidinmaidossa. Opinnäytetyön viimeisessä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin polyamiinien roolia bakteerien tarttumisen säätelyssä imäveisen suolistolimassa. Polyamiini spermidiinin läsnäolo paransi merkittävästi Bb12:n kiinnittymistä alle kuuden kuukauden ikäisen imeväisten limaan, kun taas spermiini vähensi Cronobacter sakazakii-bakteerin tarttumista. Opinnäytetyö osoitti, että äidinmaidon mikrobistoprofiilit vaihtelevat merkittävästi raskauden keston mukaan. Ennenaikaisen synnytyksen jälkeen äidinmaidon mikrobistokoostumus muuttuu ja alkaa lopulta muistuttaa täysiaikaisen synnytyksen äidinmaidon mikrobistokoostumusta vauvan saavuttaessa taysiaikaista vastaavan iän. Lisäksi havaittiin, että kylmävarastointi tai luovutetun äidinmaidon vahvistaminen eivät vaikuttaneet probioottien tarttumisominaisuuksiin. Polyamiinien vaikutus bakteerien tarttumiseen limaan vaihtelee bakteerikannan ja limanluovuttajan iän mukaan. Tulokset auttavat kehittämään optimoituja suoliston kolonisaatiostrategioita vastasyntyneille ja erityisesti keskosille

Advanced ablation strategies for management of post-surgical atrial arrhythmias.

Post-surgical arrhythmias include a wide range of arrhythmias occurring late after cardiac surgery and represent a complex substrate for catheter ablation either because of extended scar and remodeling or because of limited access to the area of interest. Novel image integration and ablation tools have made the catheter ablation in this population both feasible and successful. We review a structured approach to catheter ablation of post-surgical atrial arrhythmias in various patient cohorts including the most common congenital heart defects

Factors influencinlag the microbial composition of human milk

Aside from nutritional components, human milk is rich in microorganisms. Through breastfeeding these microorganisms are introduced to the infant gut where they may transiently or persistently colonize it. Therefore, the human milk microbiota may be an important factor which shapes the infant gut microbiota further influencing infant health and disease. In the current review we aim to give a brief updated insight into the putative origin of the human milk microbiota, its constituents and the possible factors that shape it. Understanding the factors that determine the human milk microbiota composition and function will aid developing optimal postnatal feeding and intervention strategies to reduce the risk of communicable and noncommunicable diseases. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.Peer reviewe

Impact of preoperative risk factors on morbidity after esophagectomy: is there room for improvement?

BACKGROUND: Despite progress in multidisciplinary treatment of esophageal cancer, oncologic esophagectomy is still the cornerstone of therapeutic strategies. Several scoring systems are used to predict postoperative morbidity, but in most cases they identify nonmodifiable parameters. The aim of this study was to identify potentially modifiable risk factors associated with complications after oncologic esophagectomy. METHODS: All consecutive patients with complete data sets undergoing oncologic esophagectomy in our department during 2001-2011 were included in this study. As potentially modifiable risk factors we assessed nutritional status depicted by body mass index (BMI) and preoperative serum albumin levels, excessive alcohol consumption, and active smoking. Postoperative complications were graded according to a validated 5-grade system. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify preoperative risk factors associated with the occurrence and severity of complications. RESULTS: Our series included 93 patients. Overall morbidity rate was 81 % (n = 75), with 56 % (n = 52) minor complications and 18 % (n = 17) major complications. Active smoking and excessive alcohol consumption were associated with the occurrence of severe complications, whereas BMI and low preoperative albumin levels were not. The simultaneous presence of two or more of these risk factors significantly increased the risk of postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of malnutrition, active smoking and alcohol consumption were found to have a negative impact on postoperative morbidity rates. Therefore, preoperative smoking and alcohol cessation counseling and monitoring and improving the nutritional status are strongly recommended

Postbiotics against pathogens commonly involved in pediatric infectious diseases

The Sustainable Development goals for 2020 included reducing all causes associated with infant and perinatal mortality in their priorities. The use of compounds with bioactive properties has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy due to their stimulating effect on the host’s immune system. Additionally, biotherapeutic products such as postbiotics, tentatively defined as compounds produced during a fermentation process that support health and well-being, promote intestinal barrier integrity without posing considerable risks to children’s health. Although this is a concept in development, there are increasing studies in the field of nutrition, chemistry, and health that aim to understand how postbiotics can help prevent different types of infections in priority populations such as minors under the age of five. The present review aims to describe the main mechanisms of action of postbiotics. In addition, it presents the available current evidence regarding the effects of postbiotics against pathogens commonly involved in pediatric infections. Postbiotics may constitute a safe alternative capable of modulating the cellular response and stimulating the host’s humoral response

Postbiotics for preventing and treating common infectious diseases in children: A systematic review

Postbiotics have recently been tentatively defined as bioactive compounds produced during a fermentation process (including microbial cells, cell constituents and metabolites) that supports health and/or wellbeing. Postbiotics are currently available in some infant formulas and fermented foods. We systematically reviewed evidence on postbiotics for preventing and treating common infectious diseases among children younger than 5 years. The PubMed, Embase, SpringerLink, and ScienceDirect databases were searched up to March 2019 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing postbiotics with placebo or no intervention. Seven RCTs involving 1740 children met the inclusion criteria. For therapeutic trials, supplementation with heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus LB reduced the duration of diarrhea (4 RCTs, n = 224, mean difference, MD, −20.31 h, 95% CI −27.06 to −13.57). For preventive trials, the pooled results from two RCTs (n = 537) showed that heat‐inactivated L. paracasei CBA L74 versus placebo reduced the risk of diarrhea (relative risk, RR, 0.51, 95% CI 0.37–0.71), pharyngitis (RR 0.31, 95% CI 0.12–0.83) and laryngitis (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.29–0.67). There is limited evidence to recommend the use of specific postbiotics for treating pediatric diarrhea and preventing common infectious diseases among children. Further studies are necessary to determine the effects of different postbiotic

Early postoperative outcomes of staging laparoscopy for peritoneal metastases with or without pressurized intra-peritoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC).

Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) has been introduced for palliative treatment of peritoneal surface malignancies (PSM) and is currently tested also in the neoadjuvant and prophylactic setting. The aim was therefore to compare safety and tolerance of staging laparoscopy with or without PIPAC. This retrospective analysis compared consecutive patients undergoing staging laparoscopy alone for oesogastric cancer with patients having PIPAC for suspected PSM of various origins from January 2015 until January 2020. Safety was assessed by use of the Clavien classification for complications and CTCAE for capturing of adverse events. Pain and nausea were documented by use of a visual analogue scale (VAS: 0-10: maximal intensity). Overall, 25 PIPAC procedures were compared to 24 staging laparoscopies. PIPAC procedures took a median of 35 min (IQR: 25-67) longer. Four patients experienced at least one complication in either group (p = 0.741). No differences were noted for postoperative nausea (p = 0.961) and pain levels (p = 0.156). Median hospital stay was 2 (IQR: 1-3) for PIPAC and 1 (IQR: 1-2) for the laparoscopy group (p = 0.104). The addition of PIPAC did not jeopardize safety and postoperative outcomes of staging laparoscopy alone. Further studies need to clarify its oncological benefits