The freedom of a woman\u27s body

Na Japonskem večina ljudi uporablja kondom kot glavno metodo kontracepcije. Razlogi za to so v razvoju kontracepcije in splava v japonski zgodovini. Japonska je imela v primerjavi z drugimi državami zelo posebno zgodovino reproduktivnih pravic zaradi svojega razmeroma liberalnega odnosa do splava. Leta 1868 so splav prvič prepovedalileta 1948 so ga uradno legalizirali. Legalizacija splava na Japonskem je bila vedno povezana z demografskim stanjem in politiko. V času prenaseljenosti je bil dovoljen, včasih celo obvezen za evgenično »nezaželene ljudi«v časih z nizko rodnostjo je bil prepovedan. Žensko telo je bilo uporabljeno za zagotavljanje močne vojske v času pred drugo svetovno vojno. Feministična gibanja se tako v primerjavi z zahodnimi gibanji niso mogla boriti za pravico do splava, a so se vse od legalizacije morala boriti za zaščito te pravice, saj je veliko skupin splav želelo spet kriminalizirati. Prav tako so ženska in feministična gibanja morala povezati lastno identiteto ženske kot matere ter podpiranje pravice do kontracepcije in splava. V primerjavi s politiko splava je bila politika kontracepcije precej strožja. Kontracepcijo in kontracepcijska gibanja so podpirali takrat, ko so se njihovi cilji ujemali s cilji vlade, ko pa so temu nasprotovali, so jih preganjali. Boj za legalizacijo novih kontracepcijskih metod je trajal vse do leta 1999, ko je bila oralna kontracepcijska tabletka končno legalizirana, več kot 30 let pozneje kot v drugih državah.Japan is very unique in its history of reproductive rights compared to other countries. Abortion was legalized relatively early in 1948 and yet, the oral contraceptive tablet became legal as late as in 1999. Japanese abortion policy is relatively liberal while its contraceptive policy is very conservative. Not to say that the right to abortion has faced repeated attacks and calls for criminalization. Throughout Japanese history, the right to abortion was dependent on the current demographic policy. In the time of overpopulation, abortion was allowed and contraception was promoted. In stark contrast, there were times with low population or with military expansion ambitions where abortion was criminalized in favor of women giving birth to as many soldiers as possible. Thus, women\u27s bodies were commodified for the prosperity of the nation. Since reproductive rights were determined by the demographic climate and not by the government\u27s acceptance of women\u27s rights as human rights, the right to abortion was always at the threat of being banned. In contrast with western feminists, Japanese feminists did not have to fight as hard to legalize abortion. However, they did have to fight to keep it. They also had to reconnect the ideology of motherhood that they did not deny with the advocacy for abortion. While western feminists attained the oral contraceptive pill relatively early, Japanese feminists had to advocate and fight for it almost 30 years before the pill was finally legalized in Japan

Topoisomerase II beta mediates the resistance of glioblastoma stem cells to replication stress-inducing drugs

Background: Glioblastoma stem cells (GSC) have been extensively recognized as a plausible cause of glioblastoma resistance to therapy and recurrence resulting in high glioblastoma mortality. Abnormalities in the DNA repair pathways might be responsible for the inability of the currently used chemotherapeutics to eliminate the (GSC) subpopulation. Methods: In this work, we compared the expression of sixty DNA repair related genes between primary glioblastoma cell cultures and the glioblastoma enriched stem cell primary cultures. MTT test was used to analyze the effect of selected drugs and immunofluorescence to evaluate the load of DNA damage. Results: We found several differentially expressed genes and we identified topoisomerase II beta (Top2 beta) as the gene with highest up-regulation in GSC. Also among the tested cell lines the expression of Top2 beta was the highest in NCH421k cells, a well-characterized glioblastoma cell line with all the stemness characteristics. On the other hand, Top2 beta expression markedly decreased upon the induction of differentiation by all trans-retinoic acid. Depletion of Top2 beta increased the sensitivity of NCH421k cells to replication stress inducing drugs, such as cisplatin, methyl-methanesulfonate, hydrogen peroxide, and temozolomide. Consistently, we found an increased load of DNA damage and increased Chk1 activation upon Top2 beta depletion in NCH421k cells. Conclusion: We suggest that Top2 beta may represent a new target for gene therapy in glioblastoma. In addition, the other genes that we found to be up-regulated in GSC versus glioblastoma primary cells should be further investigated as glioblastoma theranostics

Modelling glioblastoma tumour-host cell interactions using adult brain organotypic slice co-culture

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive incurable brain cancer. The cells that fuel the growth of tumours resemble neural stem cells found in the developing and adult mammalian forebrain. These are referred to as glioma stem cells (GSCs). Similar to neural stem cells, GSCs exhibit a variety of phenotypic states: dormant, quiescent, proliferative and differentiating. How environmental cues within the brain influence these distinct states is not well understood. Laboratory models of GBM can be generated using either genetically engineered mouse models, or via intracranial transplantation of cultured tumour initiating cells (mouse or human). Unfortunately, these approaches are expensive, time-consuming, low-throughput and ill-suited for monitoring live cell behaviours. Here, we explored whole adult brain coronal organotypic slices as an alternative model. Mouse adult brain slices remain viable in a serum-free basal medium for several weeks. GSCs can be easily microinjected into specific anatomical sites ex vivo, and we demonstrate distinct responses of engrafted GSCs to diverse microenvironments in the brain tissue. Within the subependymal zone – one of the adult neural stem cell niches – injected tumour cells could effectively engraft and respond to endothelial niche signals. Tumour-transplanted slices were treated with the antimitotic drug temozolomide as proof of principle of the utility in modelling responses to existing treatments. Engraftment of mouse or human GSCs onto whole brain coronal organotypic brain slices therefore provides a simplified, yet flexible, experimental model. This will help to increase the precision and throughput of modelling GSC-host brain interactions and complements ongoing in vivo studies. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper

Topoisomerase II\u3b2 mediates the resistance of glioblastoma stem cells to replication stress-inducing drugs

The mesenchymal state in cancer is usually associated with poor prognosis due to the metastatic predisposition and the hyper-activated metabolism. Exploiting cell glucose metabolism we propose a new method to detect mesenchymal-like cancer cells. We demonstrate that the uptake of glucose-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) by mesenchymal-like cells remains constant when the glucose in the medium is increased from low (5.5 mM) to high (25 mM) concentration, while the MNPs uptake by epithelial-like cells is significantly reduced. These findings reveal that the glucose-shell of MNPs plays a major role in recognition of cells with high-metabolic activity. By selectively blocking the glucose transporter 1 channels we showed its involvement in the internalization process of glucose-coated MNPs. Our results suggest that glucose-coated MNPs can be used for metabolic-based assays aimed at detecting cancer cells and that can be used to selectively target cancer cells taking advantage, for instance, of the magnetic-thermotherapy

Expectations and feelings of children and their parents when entering elementary school

V zadnjem času je veliko govora o tem, ali naši otroci prehitro vstopajo v prvi razred osnovne šole, ali so dovolj zreli in bodo kos vsem novih zahtevam, ki jih čakajo. Dvom o zrelosti otrok in prehitrem vstopu v šolo nastaja predvsem pri starših, saj se jim zdi, da današnji sistem ni prilagojen starosti otrok, s katero vstopajo v šolo. Temeljni namen raziskovalnega dela je bilo raziskati pričakovanja in čustva otrok in njihovih staršev ob vstopu otrok v osnovno šolo. Zanimalo me je, kakšne občutke in čustva otroci doživljajo ob misli, da bodo jeseni prvič prestopili prag osnovne šole. Prav tako me je zanimalo, kaj si mislijo njihovi starši ob tem, da gredo njihovi otroci v prvi razred, in kako mislijo, da to doživljajo njihovi otroci. Rezultati so pokazali, da večji stres in skrbi glede šole doživljajo starši otrok kot otroci. Veliko bolj negotovi in v dvomih so kot njihovi otroci. Otroci s ponosom in veliko radovednosti vstopajo v nov svet, ki jih čaka. Ni jih strah, kljub temu, da je to velik korak v njihovem življenju, saj bodo spoznali nove ljudi, čakajo jih nove in bolj zahtevne zadolžitve, s katerimi se bodo morali spopasti tudi sami. Predvsem pa je pomembno, da starši otrokom stojijo ob strani, jim v težavah priskočijo na pomoč, se o šoli pogovarjajo ter jim slednjo predstavijo na pozitiven način. Veliko vlogo ima tudi sodelovanje med starši in šolo, saj lahko s tem otrokom pomagamo in jim omogočimo čim uspešnejši ter čim mirnejši prehod iz vrtca v šolo.Today we talk a lot about whether our children are getting too fast into the first grade of primary school, whether they are mature enough and will deal with all the new demands they are waiting for. The doubts about the maturity of children and the early entry into school arise primarily in parents, as they feel that today\u27s system is not adapted to the age of children with whom they enter school. The main purpose of the research work was to investigate the expectations and feelings of children and their parents when entering children in elementary school. I was interested in what feelings and emotions children experience with the thought that in the autumn they will cross the threshold of the elementary school for the first time. I was also interested in what parents think about their children entering in the first grade and how they think that their children are experiencing it. The results showed that children\u27s parents are experiencing increased stress and worries about school. They are much more insecure and in doubt than their children. On the oppositechildren enter the new world that awaits them with an pride and great curiosity. They are not afraid, even though this is a big step in their lives, as they will meet new people, they are waiting for new and more demanding tasks that they will have to face on their own. Above all, it is important that parents stand up to their children, help them in difficulties and, talk about school in a positive way. Cooperation between parents and school is also important, as we can help many children with this kind of education and provide them with the successful and easiest possible transition from preschool to school

Expectations and feelings of children and their parents when entering elementary school

Today we talk a lot about whether our children are getting too fast into the first grade of primary school, whether they are mature enough and will deal with all the new demands they are waiting for. The doubts about the maturity of children and the early entry into school arise primarily in parents, as they feel that today's system is not adapted to the age of children with whom they enter school. The main purpose of the research work was to investigate the expectations and feelings of children and their parents when entering children in elementary school. I was interested in what feelings and emotions children experience with the thought that in the autumn they will cross the threshold of the elementary school for the first time. I was also interested in what parents think about their children entering in the first grade and how they think that their children are experiencing it. The results showed that children's parents are experiencing increased stress and worries about school. They are much more insecure and in doubt than their children. On the oppositechildren enter the new world that awaits them with an pride and great curiosity. They are not afraid, even though this is a big step in their lives, as they will meet new people, they are waiting for new and more demanding tasks that they will have to face on their own. Above all, it is important that parents stand up to their children, help them in difficulties and, talk about school in a positive way. Cooperation between parents and school is also important, as we can help many children with this kind of education and provide them with the successful and easiest possible transition from preschool to school

Mnogonamenska raba gozdov v okolici Vojnika

Gozdovi v okolici Vojnika so bili v preteklosti večinoma namenjeni le lesno proizvodnji funkciji. V sedanjem času se je število prebivalcev v področju zelo povečalo. Gozd sedaj nudi ne le proizvodnjo lesa, ampak še veliko več. Lahka dostopnost, zanimivo razgiban teren, kulturna dediščina in izgradnja nove planinske koče na Tomažu-posledica tega je zelo povečan obisk gozdov. Gozdovi služijo za rekreacijo, turizem, ogled kulturnih in naravnih znamenitosti. S tem pa prihaja tudi do neskladji pri načrtovanju funkcij, rabiprostora in lastništvom gozdov. V nalogi je opisana kratka zgodovina Vojnika in okoliških gozdov. Predstavili smo socialne funkcije gozdov, ki smo jih na novo ovrednotili in digitalizirali. Priloženi so ortofoto posnetki obravnavanega območja. Ugotovitve kažejo, da bi bilo dobro ob podpori Zavoda za gozdove Slovenije in občine Vojnik sprejeti odlok o razglasitvi posameznih predelov, za gozdove s posebnim namenom. Tako bi trajno uredili status teh gozdov, kjer bi upravljanje postalo prilagojeno potrebam za krepitev še posebej poudarjenih socialnih funkcij.Forests in vicinity Vojnik were in the past mainly used for the production oftimber capacity. The number of inhabitants has been very increased recenlty.Forest is now offering not only for timber production but much more. Easy accessibility, diverse terrain, cultural heritage and the construction ofnew mountaineering hut in the Tomaž -the consequence of all this, has increased forest visits. Forest are being used for recreation, tourism, cultural and natural heritage tours. This has come to a discrepancy in the design of functions, use of space and ownership of forests. We presented the social functions of surrounding forests, which have been newly evaluated and digitalised. Attached are orthophoto imagery of the various social functions and the studied area. The findings indicate that, with the support of the Forest Service Slovenia and the municipality Vojnik a decree on the designation of specific areas, shoud be adopted for forests with a special purpose. This would ensure a permanent status of the forests, with management adapted needs to strengthen, particular emphasized social functions