Debates de estrategia en la Tercera Internacional sobre la “cuestión colonial”: de las “Tesis de Oriente” a la subordinación a los nacionalismos burgueses de Stalin

En este artículo nos proponemos realizar un abordaje de la política de la Tercera Internacional hacia la cuestión nacional centrado en el desarrollo de los debates de programa y estrategia que ésta cuestión suscitó tanto antes como después de su burocratización. Entendiendo que el debate sobre la “cuestión nacional” es el debate sobre qué clase social puede dirigir la lucha por su consumación íntegra, y alrededor de qué programa y estrategia, nos interesa marcar cómo la relación entre lucha por la liberación nacional y revolución socialista estructuró importantes debates de estrategia revolucionaria al interior de la III Internacional

La contribución de la revista Flecha al surgimiento de una cultura antifascista en Córdoba

En el presente artículo analizamos algunos de los principales ejes temáticos y tópicos desarrollados en la revista Flecha, dirigida por el referente reformista cordobés Deodoro Roca, y surgida como órgano de prensa del Comité Pro-Paz y Libertad de América formado en Córdoba en 1935. A través del análisis de sus 17 números, intentaremos demostrar cómo desde sus páginas Flecha contribuyó a delinear, a nivel local, algunos de los principales ejes temáticos y discursivos que caracterizarían a la prensa periódica del antifascismo argentino desde mediados de los años ’30, tales como la representación del fascista criollo, la defensa de la cultura occidental, la propuesta del frente popular antifascista y el cruce entre la tradición liberal y el socialismo

A novel mitochondrial ATP6 frameshift mutation causing isolated complex V deficiency, ataxia and encephalomyopathy

We describe a novel frameshift mutation in the mitochondrial ATP6 gene in a 4-year-old girl associated with ataxia, microcephaly, developmental delay and intellectual disability. A heteroplasmic frameshift mutation in the MT-ATP6 gene was confirmed in the patient's skeletal muscle and blood. The mutation was not detectable in the mother's DNA extracted from blood or buccal cells. Enzymatic and oxymetric analysis of the mitochondrial respiratory system in the patients' skeletal muscle and skin fibroblasts demonstrated an isolated complex V deficiency. Native PAGE with subsequent immunoblotting for complex V revealed impaired complex V assembly and accumulation of ATPase subcomplexes. Whilst northern blotting confirmed equal presence of ATP8/6 mRNA, metabolic S-35-labelling of mitochondrial translation products showed a severe depletion of the ATP6 protein together with aberrant translation product accumulation. In conclusion, this novel isolated complex V defect expands the clinical and genetic spectrum of mitochondrial defects of complex V deficiency. Furthermore, this work confirms the benefit of native PAGE as an additional diagnostic method for the identification of OXPHOS defects, as the presence of complex V subcomplexes is associated with pathogenic mutations of mtDNA. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Deliberative Democracy in the EU. Countering Populism with Participation and Debate. CEPS Paperback

Elections are the preferred way to freely transfer power from one term to the next and from one political party or coalition to another. They are an essential element of democracy. But if the process of power transfer is corrupted, democracy risks collapse. Reliance on voters, civil society organisations and neutral observers to fully exercise their freedoms as laid down in international human rights conventions is an integral part of holding democratic elections. Without free, fair and regular elections, liberal democracy is inconceivable. Elections are no guarantee that democracy will take root and hold, however. If the history of political participation in Europe over the past 800 years is anything to go by, successful attempts at gaining voice have been patchy, while leaders’ attempts to silence these voices and consolidate their own power have been almost constant (Blockmans, 2020). Recent developments in certain EU member states have again shown us that democratically elected leaders will try and use majoritarian rule to curb freedoms, overstep the constitutional limits of their powers, protect the interests of their cronies and recycle themselves through seemingly free and fair elections. In their recent book How Democracies Die, two Harvard professors of politics write: “Since the end of the Cold War, most democratic breakdowns have been caused not by generals and soldiers but by elected governments themselves” (Levitsky and Ziblatt, 2018)

A Library of Theoretical Ultraviolet Spectra of Massive, Hot Stars for Evolutionary Synthesis

We computed a comprehensive set of theoretical ultraviolet spectra of hot, massive stars with the radiation-hydrodynamics code WM-Basic. This model atmosphere and spectral synthesis code is optimized for computing the strong P Cygni-type lines originating in the winds of hot stars, which are the strongest features in the ultraviolet spectral region. The computed set is suitable as a spectral library for inclusion in evolutionary synthesis models of star clusters and star-forming galaxies. The chosen stellar parameters cover the upper left Hertzsprung-Russell diagram at L >~ 10^2.75 Lsun and T_eff >~ 20,000 K. The adopted elemental abundances are 0.05 Zsun, 0.2 Zsun, 0.4 Zsun, Zsun, and 2 Zsun. The spectra cover the wavelength range from 900 to 3000 {\AA} and have a resolution of 0.4 {\AA}. We compared the theoretical spectra to data of individual hot stars in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds obtained with the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) and Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellites and found very good agreement. We built a library with the set of spectra and implemented it into the evolutionary synthesis code Starburst99 where it complements and extends the existing empirical library towards lower chemical abundances. Comparison of population synthesis models at solar and near-solar composition demonstrates consistency between synthetic spectra generated with either library. We discuss the potential of the new library for the interpretation of the rest-frame ultraviolet spectra of star-forming galaxies. Properties that can be addressed with the models include ages, initial mass function, and heavy-element abundance. The library can be obtained both individually or as part of the Starburst99 package.Comment: ApJS (in press); 90 pages, 33 figures, 7 table

Ageing exacerbates damage of systemic and salivary neutrophils from patients presenting Candida-related denture stomatitis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ageing leads to a decline in the function of the immune system, increasing the body's susceptibility to infections through the impairment of T-cells, macrophages, neutrophils and dendritic cells Denture stomatitis is a primary oral disease affecting elderly denture wearers. The major etiologic factor involved in this pathology is the infection by <it>Candida albicans</it>, an opportunistic pathogen that causes local and disseminated diseases in immunosuppressed humans. Neutrophils play a critical role in the immune response against <it>C. albicans </it>and are continually present in the salivary fluid and in the blood. The aim of this study was to determine ageing-related changes in salivary and blood neutrophils and their potential implications in <it>Candida</it>-related denture stomatitis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results showed a lower number of neutrophils in the saliva from patients presenting <it>Candida</it>-related denture stomatitis in comparison to their matched controls. Furthermore, fewer neutrophils were isolated from the saliva of aged control individuals in comparison to matched younger subjects. CXCR1, CD62L and CD11b expression were significantly greater on systemic neutrophils from younger control individuals. Elderly individuals showed more apoptotic salivary neutrophils and lower GM-CSF levels than younger ones, regardless of the occurrence of <it>Candida </it>infection. On the other hand, CXCL-8 concentrations were higher in the saliva from elderly individuals. Besides, TNF-α was detected at elevated levels in the saliva from infected elderly subjects. Salivary neutrophils from elderly and young patients presented impaired phagocytic activity against <it>C. albicans</it>. However, just systemic neutrophils from elderly showed decreased phagocytosis when compared to the younger ones, regardless of the occurrence of infection. In addition, neutrophils from aged individuals and young patients presented low fungicidal activity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The data suggests that the <it>Candida </it>related-denture stomatitis is associated to neutrophils function deficiency, and ageing drastically appears to alter important characteristics of such cells, facilitating the establishment of this infection.</p

Digoxin reveals a functional connection between HIV-1 integration preference and T-cell activation

HIV-1 integrates more frequently into transcribed genes, however the biological significance of HIV-1 integration targeting has remained elusive. Using a selective high-throughput chemical screen, we discovered that the cardiac glycoside digoxin inhibits wild-type HIV-1 infection more potently than HIV-1 bearing a single point mutation (N74D) in the capsid protein. We confirmed that digoxin repressed viral gene expression by targeting the cellular Na+/K+ ATPase, but this did not explain its selectivity. Parallel RNAseq and integration mapping in infected cells demonstrated that digoxin inhibited expression of genes involved in T-cell activation and cell metabolism. Analysis of >400,000 unique integration sites showed that WT virus integrated more frequently than N74D mutant within or near genes susceptible to repression by digoxin and involved in T-cell activation and cell metabolism. Two main gene networks down-regulated by the drug were CD40L and CD38. Blocking CD40L by neutralizing antibodies selectively inhibited WT virus infection, phenocopying digoxin. Thus the selectivity of digoxin depends on a combination of integration targeting and repression of specific gene networks. The drug unmasked a functional connection between HIV-1 integration and T-cell activation. Our results suggest that HIV-1 evolved integration site selection to couple its early gene expression with the status of target CD4+ T-cells, which may affect latency and viral reactivation

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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