La búsqueda de estatus: el activismo de Brasil en el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU 2006–2020

The paper seeks to investigate changes in Brazil’s activism within the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) between 2006 and 2020 and addresses the modifications of status-seeking strategies (of social mobility, creativity and competition) applied by the state within this international body. My claim is that Brazil under the Bolsonaro administration chose the role of the defender of the faith advocating for a recreation of the global human rights protection system over being a good international citizen committed to the maintenance and development of this system. This role was selected in conformity with a populist political agenda based on a conservative set of values that the state’s diplomacy had to promote. The changes, exemplified by Brazil’s conduct within the HRC since 2019, undermined the state’s prestige and moral authority that led to status losses.El trabajo busca investigar los cambios en el activismo de Brasil dentro del Consejo de Derechos Humanos (CDH) de la ONU entre 2006 y 2020 y aborda las modificaciones de las estrategias de búsqueda de estatus (de movilidad, creatividad y competencia social) aplicadas por el Estado dentro de este organismo internacional. Mi argumento es que Brasil, bajo el gobierno de Bolsonaro, eligió el papel de defensor de la fe que aboga por una recreación del sistema global de protección de los derechos humanos en lugar de ser un buen ciudadano internacional comprometido con el mantenimiento y desarrollo de este sistema. Este papel fue seleccionado en conformidad con una agenda política populista basada en un conjunto de valores conservadores que la diplomacia del Estado debía promover. Los cambios, ejemplificados por la conducta de Brasil en el CDH desde 2019, socavaron el prestigio y la autoridad moral del Estado, lo que condujo a pérdidas de estatus

Chemoprevention of breast cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant neoplasms in women worldwide. Unfortunately, each year the number of people diagnosed with this disease increases. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has shown that in 2020, about 2 million cases of this disease were detected worldwide. Hence the huge role of prophylaxis, not only in the form of periodic tests, but also slightly less conventional ways, i.e. chemoprevention, which may be a promising strategy to reduce the incidence and mortality of breast cancer in women. In recent years, the interest in chemopreventive agents, i.e. compounds with a protective effect that supports the detoxification abilities of the body, has been growing rapidly. It involves the use of natural or synthetic substances that inhibit the formation and growth of tumors. Chemopreventive compounds, by influencing the initiation, promotion and progression process, play a key role in protecting the body's cells against carcinogenesis. The mechanism of their action includes, first of all, the modulation of signal transduction pathways, reduction of inflammation, induction of apoptosis and inhibition of metastasis. The aim of this study is to present the chemopreventive mechanisms of selected substances in relation to breast cancer. The following chemoprotective agents are discussed: folic acid, vitamin D3, vitamin B6, carotenoids, curcumin, piperine, indole-3-cabolinol, sulforaphane, quercetin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate and omega-3 fatty acids indicating the mechanism of their impact on the neoplastic tissue of the mammary gland. Particularly much attention has been paid to the protective properties of Scutellaria baicalensis containing various chemopreventive compounds, e.g. baicalin, baicalein, wogonin and wogonoside. The study is based on the literature on in vitro studies on cell lines, animal studies, as well as meta-analyses involving numerous groups of patients with breast cancer. The study is a concise approach to the topic with the use of selected chemopreventive factors

Effect of restoration of euthyroidism on visfatin concentrations and body composition in women

Dysregulation of thyroid function has known impact on body metabolism, however, data regarding metabolic outcome after restoration of thyroid function is limited. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the effect of restoration of euthyroidism on serum visfatin, and its associations with insulin resistance and body composition. This is an observational study with consecutive enrollment. Forty-nine hyperthyroid (median age of 34 years) and 44 hypothyroid women (median age of 46 years) completed the study. Laboratory parameters and body composition analysis were assessed before and after the therapy. In the hyperthyroid group, visfatin concentrations increased (P \u3c 0.0001), while glucose concentrations decreased (P \u3c 0.0001). Total body mass and fat mass in the trunk and limbs significantly increased during the treatment. In the hypothyroid group, significant weight loss resulted from decrease of fat and muscle masses in trunk and limbs. Visfatin serum concentrations positively correlated with total fat mass (r = 0.19, P = 0.01) and insulin concentrations (r = 0.17, P = 0.018). In conclusion, restoration of thyroid function is not associated with beneficial changes in body composition, especially among hyperthyroid females

Analysis of genes involved in response to doxorubicin and a GD2 ganglioside-specific 14G2a monoclonal antibody in IMR-32human neuroblastoma cells

Neuroblastoma is the most common extra-cranial solid tumor of childhood and it is characterized by the presence of a glycosphingolipid, GD2 ganglioside. Monoclonal antibodies targeting the antigen are currently tested in clinical trials. Additionally, several research groups reported results revealing that ganglioside-specific antibodies can affect cellular signaling and cause direct cytotoxicity against tumor cells. To shed more light on gene expression signatures of tumor cells, we used microarrays to analyze changes of transcriptome in IMR-32 human neuroblastoma cell cultures treated with doxorubicin (DOX) or a mouse monoclonal antibody binding to GD2 ganglioside 14G2a (mAb) for 24 h. The obtained results highlight that disparate cellular pathways are regulated by doxorubicin and 14G2a. Next, we used RT-PCR to verify mRNA levels of selected DOX-responsive genes such as RPS27L, PPM1D, SESN1, CDKN1A, TNFSF10B, and 14G2a-responsive genes such as SVIL, JUN, RASSF6, TLX2, ID1. Then, we applied western blot and analyzed levels of RPS27L, PPM1D, sestrin 1 proteins after DOX-treatment. Additionally, we aimed to measure effects of doxorubicin and topotecan (TPT) and 14G2a on expression of a novel human NDUFAF2 gene encoding for mimitin protein (MYC-induced mitochondrial protein) and correlate it with expression of the MYCN gene. We showed that expression of both genes was concomitantly decreased in the 14G2a-treated IMR-32 cells after 24 h and 48 h. Our results extend knowledge on gene expression profiles after application of DOX and 14G2a in our model and reveal promising candidates for further research aimed at finding novel anti-neuroblastoma targets

In seeking diagnostic tool for laboratory monitoring of FXII-targeting agents, could assessment of rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) in patients with factor XII deficiency be useful?

Introduction: Targeting factor XII (FXII) is a new concept for safe thrombosis prophylaxis. Global hemostasis tests offer promise in terms of the laboratory monitoring of FXII inhibition. The present study examines selected parameters of rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) in patients with FXII deficiency. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of FXII deficiency on selected parameters of ROTEM, which can be significant in the laboratory monitoring of FXII inhibition. Material and methods: The study included 20 patients with FXII deficiency ≤40% and 21 volunteers free of it. Clotting time (CT), clot formation time (CFT), alpha angle (α), maximum clot firmness (MCF), and maximum lysis (ML) were recorded in ROTEM. Results: For the INTEM test, CT and CFT readings were markedly higher in FXII deficient patients than in controls. No marked differences in relation to MCF and ML were found. Conclusion: The results of ROTEM show that FXII deficiency has a great impact on the initiation and amplification of coagulation. This was confirmed by a number of marked correlations between FXII activity and certain ROTEM parameters. ROTEM tests merit further investigation as treatment control strategies in the context of FXII inhibition

Dual-laboratory validation of a method for the determination of fructans in infant formula and adult nutritionals.

Until recently, only two AOAC Official MethodsSM have been available for the analysis of fructans: Method 997.08 and Method 999.03. Both are based on the analysis of the fructan component monosaccharides (glucose and fructose) after hydrolysis. The two methods have some limitations due to the strategies used for removing background interferences (such as from sucrose, α-glucooligosaccharides, and free sugars). The method described in this paper has been developed to overcome those limitations. The method is largely based on Method 999.03 and uses combined enzymatic and SPE steps to remove the interfering components without impacting the final analytical result. The method has been validated in two laboratories on infant formula and adult nutritionals. Recoveries were in the range of 86-119%, with most being in the range of 91-104%. RSDr values were in the range of 0.7-2.6%, with one exception when the fructan concentration was close to the LOQ, resulting in an RSDr of 8.9%. The performance is generally within the requirements outlined in the AOAC Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPR® 2014.002), which specifies recoveries in the range of 90-110% and RSDr values below 6%

A Downstream CpG Island Controls Transcript Initiation and Elongation and the Methylation State of the Imprinted Airn Macro ncRNA Promoter

A CpG island (CGI) lies at the 5′ end of the Airn macro non-protein-coding (nc) RNA that represses the flanking Igf2r promoter in cis on paternally inherited chromosomes. In addition to being modified on maternally inherited chromosomes by a DNA methylation imprint, the Airn CGI shows two unusual organization features: its position immediately downstream of the Airn promoter and transcription start site and a series of tandem direct repeats (TDRs) occupying its second half. The physical separation of the Airn promoter from the CGI provides a model to investigate if the CGI plays distinct transcriptional and epigenetic roles. We used homologous recombination to generate embryonic stem cells carrying deletions at the endogenous locus of the entire CGI or just the TDRs. The deleted Airn alleles were analyzed by using an ES cell imprinting model that recapitulates the onset of Igf2r imprinted expression in embryonic development or by using knock-out mice. The results show that the CGI is required for efficient Airn initiation and to maintain the unmethylated state of the Airn promoter, which are both necessary for Igf2r repression on the paternal chromosome. The TDRs occupying the second half of the CGI play a minor role in Airn transcriptional elongation or processivity, but are essential for methylation on the maternal Airn promoter that is necessary for Igf2r to be expressed from this chromosome. Together the data indicate the existence of a class of regulatory CGIs in the mammalian genome that act downstream of the promoter and transcription start

Of The Ethical Correctness To The Exibitionist Complexities. Polish documentary after 1989 as an example of Marcel Łoziński creativity.

Praca ma na celu ukazanie płynnego przekształcenia się polskiego dokumentu od etycznej poprawności w filmach takich reżyserów jak: Kazimierz Karabasz, Krzysztof Kieślowski i Marcel Łoziński, do ekshibicjonistycznej zawiłości związanej z multidostępnością i rozwijajacą się ,,kulturą widzenia”. Twórczość Marcela Łozińskiego staje się fundamentem dla stworzenia zasad etycznych dokumentalisty. Jego sposoby na ,,dyskutowanie z rzeczywistością” pozwoliły na wyodrębnienie czterech różnych technik prowokowania wydarzeń. Ostatnim sposobem staje się swoisty ekshibicjonizm, za sprawą którego w filmie dokumentalnym Ojciec i syn w podróży (2012) zwraca kamerę na samego siebie, doprowadzając do własnej autoprezentacji. Postać autora w filmie dokumentalnym jest jednym z najważniejszych zagadnień związanych z etyką. Współcześnie doszło do zaburzenia instancji nadawczych, gdzie reżyser nie oswaja już bohatera, a przekracza granicę, tym samym stając się najważniejszą postacią w filmie.This master's thesis is intended to showing smooth transformation in polish documentary: from ethical corectness (movies by Kazimierz Karabasz, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Marcel Łoziński) to exibitionist complexities ( related to the development of contemporary television and admiration for the ,,culture of looking”). Marcel Łoziński's films become the basis for attempts to create ethical rules for documentary. Contemporary filmmakers try to adapt to them or at all cost to expand. Marcel Łoziński's ways to discuss with reality allowed for the emergence of four differences techniques provoking existing events. The last one from them is kind of exhibitionism, where in documentary Father and The Son on a Journey (2012) shows on the screen itself. The figure of the author in the documentary film is one of the most important issues related to ethics