Själens spegel - psykets kroppsliga uttryck i Vergilius Aeneiden

It is fascinating to think on how antiquity pictured the human body and especially the connection between the mind and body. To better understand this I have studied how Virgil uses medical, anatomical, and physiological terminology to describe feelings and psychological phenomena. Furher, I have studied the metaphoric value of this terminology and sought for explanations in differences between Virgil’s use and a more modern usage. Methodologically I have focused on the Aeneid, Virgil’s largest and most complex work, furthermore Rome’s great national epic and one of the world litterature’s most important works. I have searched the Aeneid for words that Virgil uses to describe feelings and other psychological phenomena and then studied in what way he uses them as metaphors. Virgil’s way of using many medical, anatomical, and physiological words show that he had a certain medical knowledge. When it comes to feelings and the inner life it is mainly focused in what is usually translated as “the soul” and in the chest. Virgil uses mainly four words translated as “the soul”: animus, anima, mens, and spiritus. These words have partially different meanings with animus representing the feelings, mens representing the more rational reasoning and the mental consciousness, and anima and spiritus representing the more physical aspect of the soul and life: it is anima that departs from the body at death. Animus and the emotional and rational feelings, as well as anima and the physical life are mainly placed in the chest, pectus, and I argue that a main reason is that the most vital organs, such as the heart and the lungs, are located here. Since the Aeneid is aimed to be the national epic of Rome, it is primarily characteristics such as strength, courage, and the more hardly translated virtus, that are important. In relation to the rational thought, I think it is natural that these feelings and characteristics are placed in the chest. Further, the blood is very important as a metaphor and I propose that this is associated with the fact that blood was much more present during antiquity: war and gladiator games were generally present and hospitals largely absent. Especially the black and rotten blood was very important and associated with something threatening and sinister. Finally, a main theme of the Aeneid is a chest wound representing both a physical and psychological suffering, which is introduced during the first couple of lines where Juno has an eternal wound as a sign of her unfair treatment. In the final lines, Turnus dies from a chest wound and during the entire Aeneid we are following the wounded Dido which initially has a wound of love which grows from a silent wound into a physical wound that eventually kills her. From the discussion that the chest is central to the emotions and life, the tremendous metaphoric meaning of this wound is obvious.Det är fascinerande att fundera över hur den antika människan förstod kroppen och i synnerhet kopplingen mellan känslor och kroppen. I syfte att förstå det bättre har jag i den här uppsatsen studerat hur Vergilius använder medicinska, fysiologiska eller anatomiska termer för att beskriva känslor och psykologiska tillstånd. Jag har också studerat vad som är den metaforiska betydelsen av dessa begrepp och letat efter förklaring till de skillnader gentemot modernt språkbruk jag har hittat. Metodmässigt har jag fokuserat på Aeneiden, Vergilius´ största och mångsidigaste verk, därtill Roms nationalepos och en av värdslitteraturens kanke viktigaste texter. Jag har valt ut termer som Vergilius använder för att beskriva känslor och psykologiska tillstånd, och sedan studerat på vilket sätt han använder dem som metaforer. Vergilius sätt att använda många medicinska, anatomiska och fysiologiska termer visar att han hade ett visst medicinskt kunnande. När det gäller känslolivet är det framför allt förlagt till det som på svenska översätts med själen och bröstet. Vergilius använder fyra ord för ”själen”: animus, anima, mens och spiritus. Dessa har delvis olika betydelser där känslorna framför allt sitter i animus, den rationella tanken i mens, och själva livet finns i anima och spiritus. Animus och känslorna läggs framför allt i bröstet, pectus, liksom det fysiska livet, anima, och en anledning till det kan vara att de mest livgivande organen finns i bröstet och det därför blir naturligt att förlägga de djupaste känslorna dit. Eftersom Aeneiden är tänkt att vara Roms nationalepos är det framför allt egenskaper som styrka, mod och virtus som lyfts fram och i relation till det rationella tänkandet är det naturligt att dessa känslor får plats i bröstet. Vidare har blodet en stor metaforisk betydelse, vilket skulle kunna ha att göra med att blodet var mycket mer påtagligt för en människa under antiken: krig och gladiatorspel var allmänt närvarande och sjukhus i stort sett frånvarande. Speciellt det svarta blodet, något ruttet och äckligt, eller olycksbådande och hotfullt, blir en viktig metafor. Slutligen är ett genomgående tema i Aeneiden ett både fysiskt och psykiskt sår i bröstet, vilket förekommer från första raderna där Juno har ett evigt sår som tecken på hennes orättvisa behandling, till sista raderna där Turnus dör av ett sår i bröstet. Däremellan får drottning Dido ett kärlekssår i bröstet, som växer från ett tyst sår till ett sår som faktiskt tar livet av henne. Om bröstet är den centrala platsen för känslorna och livet är det naturligt och påtagligt vilket metaforiskt värdet detta sår har

The 5-hydroxymethylcytosine landscape of prostate cancer

UNLABELLED: Analysis of DNA methylation is a valuable tool to understand disease progression and is increasingly being used to create diagnostic and prognostic clinical biomarkers. While conversion of cytosine to 5-methylcytosine (5mC) commonly results in transcriptional repression, further conversion to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is associated with transcriptional activation. Here we perform the first study integrating whole-genome 5hmC with DNA, 5mC, and transcriptome sequencing in clinical samples of benign, localized, and advanced prostate cancer. 5hmC is shown to mark activation of cancer drivers and downstream targets. Furthermore, 5hmC sequencing revealed profoundly altered cell states throughout the disease course, characterized by increased proliferation, oncogenic signaling, dedifferentiation, and lineage plasticity to neuroendocrine and gastrointestinal lineages. Finally, 5hmC sequencing of cell-free DNA from patients with metastatic disease proved useful as a prognostic biomarker able to identify an aggressive subtype of prostate cancer using the genes TOP2A and EZH2, previously only detectable by transcriptomic analysis of solid tumor biopsies. Overall, these findings reveal that 5hmC marks epigenomic activation in prostate cancer and identify hallmarks of prostate cancer progression with potential as biomarkers of aggressive disease. SIGNIFICANCE: In prostate cancer, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine delineates oncogene activation and stage-specific cell states and can be analyzed in liquid biopsies to detect cancer phenotypes. See related article by Wu and Attard, p. 3880

Sitting too much: a hierarchy of socio-demographic correlates

Too much sitting (extended sedentary time) is recognized as a public health concern in Europe and beyond. Time spent sedentary is influenced and conditioned by clusters of individual-level and contextual (upstream) factors. Identifying population subgroups that sit too much could help to develop targeted interventions to reduce sedentary time. We explored the relative importance of socio-demographic correlates of sedentary time in adults across Europe. We used data from 26,617 adults who participated in the 2013 Special Eurobarometer 412 "Sport and physical activity". Participants from all 28 EU Member States were randomly selected and interviewed face-to-face. Self-reported sedentary time was dichotomized into sitting less or >7.5h/day. A Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) algorithm was used to create a tree that hierarchically partitions the data on the basis of the independent variables (i.e., socio-demographic factors) into homogeneous (sub)groups with regard to sedentary time. This allows for the tentative identification of population segments at risk for unhealthy sedentary behaviour. Overall, 18.5% of the respondents reported sitting >7.5h/day. Occupation was the primary discriminator. The subgroup most likely to engage in extensive sitting were higher educated, had white-collar jobs, reported no difficulties with paying bills, and used the internet frequently. Clear socio-demographic profiles were identified for adults across Europe who engage in extended sedentary time. Furthermore, physically active participants were consistently less likely to engage in longer daily sitting times. In general, those with more indicators of higher wealth were more likely to spend more time sitting

TOP2A and EZH2 Provide Early Detection of an Aggressive Prostate Cancer Subgroup.

Purpose: Current clinical parameters do not stratify indolent from aggressive prostate cancer. Aggressive prostate cancer, defined by the progression from localized disease to metastasis, is responsible for the majority of prostate cancer–associated mortality. Recent gene expression profiling has proven successful in predicting the outcome of prostate cancer patients; however, they have yet to provide targeted therapy approaches that could inhibit a patient\u27s progression to metastatic disease. Experimental Design: We have interrogated a total of seven primary prostate cancer cohorts (n = 1,900), two metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer datasets (n = 293), and one prospective cohort (n = 1,385) to assess the impact of TOP2A and EZH2 expression on prostate cancer cellular program and patient outcomes. We also performed IHC staining for TOP2A and EZH2 in a cohort of primary prostate cancer patients (n = 89) with known outcome. Finally, we explored the therapeutic potential of a combination therapy targeting both TOP2A and EZH2 using novel prostate cancer–derived murine cell lines. Results: We demonstrate by genome-wide analysis of independent primary and metastatic prostate cancer datasets that concurrent TOP2A and EZH2 mRNA and protein upregulation selected for a subgroup of primary and metastatic patients with more aggressive disease and notable overlap of genes involved in mitotic regulation. Importantly, TOP2A and EZH2 in prostate cancer cells act as key driving oncogenes, a fact highlighted by sensitivity to combination-targeted therapy. Conclusions: Overall, our data support further assessment of TOP2A and EZH2 as biomarkers for early identification of patients with increased metastatic potential that may benefit from adjuvant or neoadjuvant targeted therapy approaches. ©2017 AACR

Potential links between Baltic Sea submarine terraces and groundwater seeping

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) influences ocean chemistry, circulation, and the spreading of nutrients and pollutants; it also shapes sea floor morphology. In the Baltic Sea, SGD was linked to the development of terraces and semicircular depressions mapped in an area of the southern Stockholm archipelago, Sweden, in the 1990s. We mapped additional parts of the Stockholm archipelago, areas in Blekinge, southern Sweden, and southern Finland using high-resolution multibeam sonars and sub-bottom profilers to investigate if the sea floor morphological features discovered in the 1990s are widespread and to further address the hypothesis linking their formation to SGD. Sediment coring and sea floor photography conducted with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and divers add additional information to the geophysical mapping results. We find that terraces, with general bathymetric expressions of about 1 m and lateral extents of sometimes > 100 m, are widespread in the surveyed areas of the Baltic Sea and are consistently formed in glacial clay. Semicircular depressions, however, are only found in a limited part of a surveyed area east of the island of Asko, southern Stockholm archipelago. While submarine terraces can be produced by several processes, we interpret our results to be in support of the basic hypothesis of terrace formation initially proposed in the 1990s; i.e. groundwater flows through siltier, more permeable layers in glacial clay to discharge at the sea floor, leading to the formation of a sharp terrace when the clay layers above seepage zones are undermined enough to collapse. By linking the terraces to a specific geologic setting, our study further refines the formation hypothesis and thereby forms the foundation for a future assessment of SGD in the Baltic Sea that may use marine geological mapping as a starting point. We propose that SGD through the submarine sea floor terraces is plausible and could be intermittent and linked to periods of higher groundwater levels, implying that to quantify the contribution of freshwater to the Baltic Sea through this potential mechanism, more complex hydrogeological studies are required.Peer reviewe

Evidence-based physical activity promotion: HEPA Europe, the European network for the promotion of health-enhancing physical activity

There has been a world-wide increase in scientific interest in health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA). The importance of a physically active lifestyle has now been well established both on the individual and on the population level. At the same time, physical inactivity has become a global problem. While sports for all has a long history, only a few examples of long-term integrated physical activity promotion strategies have been in place in Europe until recently, namely in Finland, the Netherlands and England. A number of countries have now begun to develop their own activities. However, there has been a noticeable lack of a platform for sharing the development and implementation of evidence-based policies and strategies. In order to fill this gap, HEPA Europe, the European Network for the Promotion of Health-Enhancing Physical Activity, was founded in May 2005 in Gerlev, Denmark. The goal of the network is to strengthen and support efforts and actions that increase participation in physical activity and improve the conditions favourable to a healthy lifestyle, in particular with respect to HEPA. The Network is working closely with the WHO Regional Office for Europe (http://www.euro.who.int/hepa). The network focuses on population-based approaches for the promotion of HEPA, using the best-available scientific evidence, and is currently implementing its first projects. HEPA Europe has established collaboration with EU Commission projects and Agita Mundo. Priorities for future work have been defined, and interested organisations and institutions have the opportunity to join the network and participate in the process

SAFE MULTIBYGG, Slutrapport Riskidentifiering, analys och åtgärdsmetodik för olycksförebyggande arbete för multifunktionella byggnader med avseende på specifika antagonistiska hot

Multifunktionella byggnader karaktäriseras av att flera olika funktioner (verksamheter) finns inom en och samma byggnad. Ofta är några av funktionerna att betrakta som samhällsviktiga. Brandskyddet i sådana byggnader är av största vikt med hänsyn till att ett stort antal personer kan befinna sig i byggnaden samtidigt som en brand skulle kunna orsaka förlust av samhällsviktiga funktioner. Vidare har det i samhället skett en ökning av antagonistiska attacker. I forskningsprojektet SAFE MULTIBYGG har ett helhetsgrepp tagits över den problematik som finns avseende brandskydd och antagonistiska hot i multifunktionella byggnader. Denna rapport utgör en sammanfattande slutrapport för forskningsprojektet och summerar resultaten av ingående arbetspaket. Projektet har finansierats av MSB, Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap. Projektet inleddes 2011 och avslutades i december 201

Remarkable similarities of chromosomal rearrangements between primary human breast cancers and matched distant metastases as revealed by whole-genome sequencing.

To better understand and characterize chromosomal structural variation during breast cancer progression, we enumerated chromosomal rearrangements for 11 patients by performing low-coverage whole-genome sequencing of 11 primary breast tumors and their 13 matched distant metastases. The tumor genomes harbored a median of 85 (range 18-404) rearrangements per tumor, with a median of 82 (26-310) in primaries compared to 87 (18-404) in distant metastases. Concordance between paired tumors from the same patient was high with a median of 89% of rearrangements shared (range 61-100%), whereas little overlap was found when comparing all possible pairings of tumors from different patients (median 3%). The tumors exhibited diverse genomic patterns of rearrangements: some carried events distributed throughout the genome while others had events mostly within densely clustered chromothripsis-like foci at a few chromosomal locations. Irrespectively, the patterns were highly conserved between the primary tumor and metastases from the same patient. Rearrangements occurred more frequently in genic areas than expected by chance and among the genes affected there was significant enrichment for cancer-associated genes including disruption of TP53, RB1, PTEN, and ESR1, likely contributing to tumor development. Our findings are most consistent with chromosomal rearrangements being early events in breast cancer progression that remain stable during the development from primary tumor to distant metastasis

Orlistat after initial dietary/behavioural treatment: changes in body weight and dietary maintenance in subjects with sleep related breathing disorders

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sleep related breathing disorders (SRBD) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality and weight loss is recommended to overweight or obese patients with SRBD. However, maintenance of weight loss is difficult to achieve and strategies for weight loss maintenance is needed. Orlistat is a pharmacological agent that reduces the intestinal absorption of fat and may favour long-term weight maintenance.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To examine the change in body weight and dietary intake during a 1-year treatment with orlistat after an initial weight loss in obese subjects with SRBD. Furthermore, to explore the dietary determinants of weight maintenance during treatment with orlistat.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Men and women with SRBD aged 32-62 years (n = 63) participated in a 3-month dietary intervention to increase intake of vegetables and fruit. After an initial weight loss of 3.4 kg they achieved a mean body mass index of 34.3 ± 4.7 kg/m2. Subsequently they were treated with orlistat for 1 year. During this year, dietary and behavioural interventions to attain weight loss were provided in the course of 14 group sessions. Dietary intake, energy density and food choices were assessed with a food frequency questionnaire before and after orlistat treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>With orlistat, body weight decreased by a mean of 3.5 kg (95% CI 1.5, 5.5). The dietary E% from saturated fat, intake of fatty dairy products and energy density increased after 1 year while intakes of oils, fish and vegetables decreased (all P < 0.05). After multivariate adjustments, weight loss was associated with E% protein (R2_adj= 0.19 [95% CI 0.10, 0.46]), and inversely associated with E% saturated fat (R2_adj= 0.20 [95% CI 0.12, 0.47]) and fatty dairy products (R2_adj= 0.23 [95% CI 0.12, 0.49]).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Orlistat induced further weight loss, but dietary compliance declined with time. Increasing dietary protein and restricting saturated fat and fatty dairy products may facilitate weight loss with orlistat.</p

The complexity of kidney disease and diagnosing it – cystatin C, selective glomerular hypofiltration syndromes and proteome regulation

Estimation of kidney function is often part of daily clinical practice, mostly done by using the endogenous glomerular filtration rate (GFR)-markers creatinine or cystatin C. A recommendation to use both markers in parallel in 2010 has resulted in new knowledge concerning the pathophysiology of kidney disorders by the identification of a new set of kidney disorders, selective glomerular hypofiltration syndromes. These syndromes, connected to strong increases in mortality and morbidity, are characterized by a selective reduction in the glomerular filtration of 5–30 kDa molecules, such as cystatin C, compared to the filtration of small molecules <1 kDa dominating the glomerular filtrate, for example water, urea and creatinine. At least two types of such disorders, shrunken or elongated pore syndrome, are possible according to the pore model for glomerular filtration. Selective glomerular hypofiltration syndromes are prevalent in investigated populations, and patients with these syndromes often display normal measured GFR or creatinine-based GFR-estimates. The syndromes are characterized by proteomic changes promoting the development of atherosclerosis, indicating antibodies and specific receptor-blocking substances as possible new treatment modalities. Presently, the KDIGO guidelines for diagnosing kidney disorders do not recommend cystatin C as a general marker of kidney function and will therefore not allow the identification of a considerable number of patients with selective glomerular hypofiltration syndromes. Furthermore, as cystatin C is uninfluenced by muscle mass, diet or variations in tubular secretion and cystatin C-based GFR-estimation equations do not require controversial race or sex terms, it is obvious that cystatin C should be a part of future KDIGO guidelines.publishedVersio