Cuba\u27s Desired Revolution: Cinema and the Micro-Politics of Affect

Flyer for Fall 2013 ICS Faculty Fellow Lecture by Pedro Porben.https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/ics_fellow_lectures/1089/thumbnail.jp

Probiotics for induction of remission in ulcerative colitis

Background Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the colon, with an annual incidence of approximately 10 to 20 per 100,000 people. The majority of people with ulcerative colitis can be put into remission, leaving a group who do not respond to first‐ or second‐line therapies. There is a significant proportion of people who experience adverse effects with current therapies. Consequently, new alternatives for the treatment of ulcerative colitis are constantly being sought. Probiotics are live microbial feed supplements that may beneficially affect the host by improving intestinal microbial balance, enhancing gut barrier function and improving local immune response. Objectives To assess the efficacy of probiotics compared with placebo or standard medical treatment (5‐aminosalicylates, sulphasalazine or corticosteroids) for the induction of remission in people with active ulcerative colitis. Search methods We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and two other databases on 31 October 2019. We contacted authors of relevant studies and manufacturers of probiotics regarding ongoing or unpublished trials that may be relevant to the review, and we searched ClinicalTrials.gov. We also searched references of trials for any additional trials. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness of probiotics compared to standard treatments or placebo in the induction of remission of active ulcerative colitis. We considered both adults and children, with studies reporting outcomes of clinical, endoscopic, histologic or surgical remission as defined by study authors Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently conducted data extraction and 'Risk of bias' assessment of included studies. We analysed data using Review Manager 5. We expressed dichotomous and continuous outcomes as risk ratios (RRs) and mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We assessed the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE methodology. Main results In this review, we included 14 studies (865 randomised participants) that met the inclusion criteria. Twelve of the studies looked at adult participants and two studies looked at paediatric participants with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis, the average age was between 12.5 and 47.7 years. The studies compared probiotics to placebo, probiotics to 5‐ASA and a combination of probiotics plus 5‐ASA compared to 5‐ASA alone. Seven studies used a single probiotic strain and seven used a mixture of strains. The studies ranged from two weeks to 52 weeks. The risk of bias was high for all except two studies due to allocation concealment, blinding of participants, incomplete reports of outcome data and selective reporting. This led to GRADE ratings of the evidence ranging from moderate to very low. Probiotics versus placebo Probiotics may induce clinical remission when compared to placebo (RR 1.73, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.54; 9 studies, 594 participants; low‐certainty evidence; downgraded due to imprecision and risk of bias, number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) 5). Probiotics may lead to an improvement in clinical disease scores (RR 2.29, 95% CI 1.13 to 4.63; 2 studies, 54 participants; downgraded due to risk of bias and imprecision). There may be little or no difference in minor adverse events, but the evidence is of very low certainty (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.42 to 2.59; 7 studies, 520 participants). Reported adverse events included abdominal bloating and discomfort. Probiotics did not lead to any serious adverse events in any of the seven studies that reported on it, however five adverse events were reported in the placebo arm of one study (RR 0.09, CI 0.01 to 1.66; 1 study, 526 participants; very low‐certainty evidence; downgraded due to high risk of bias and imprecision). Probiotics may make little or no difference to withdrawals due to adverse events (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.72; 4 studies, 401 participants; low‐certainty evidence). Probiotics versus 5‐ASA There may be little or no difference in the induction of remission with probiotics when compared to 5‐ASA (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.16; 1 study, 116 participants; low‐certainty evidence; downgraded due to risk of bias and imprecision). There may be little or no difference in minor adverse events, but the evidence is of very low certainty (RR 1.33, 95% CI 0.53 to 3.33; 1 study, 116 participants). Reported adverse events included abdominal pain, nausea, headache and mouth ulcers. There were no serious adverse events with probiotics, however perforated sigmoid diverticulum and respiratory failure in a patient with severe emphysema were reported in the 5‐ASA arm (RR 0.21, 95% CI 0.01 to 4.22; 1 study, 116 participants; very low‐certainty evidence). Probiotics combined with 5‐ASA versus 5‐ASA alone Low‐certainty evidence from a single study shows that when combined with 5‐ASA, probiotics may slightly improve the induction of remission (based on the Sunderland disease activity index) compared to 5‐ASA alone (RR 1.22 CI 1.01 to 1.47; 1 study, 84 participants; low‐certainty evidence; downgraded due to unclear risk of bias and imprecision). No information about adverse events was reported. Time to remission, histological and biochemical outcomes were sparsely reported in the studies. None of the other secondary outcomes (progression to surgery, need for additional therapy, quality of life scores, or steroid withdrawal) were reported in any of the studies. Authors' conclusions Low‐certainty evidence suggests that probiotics may induce clinical remission in active ulcerative colitis when compared to placebo. There may be little or no difference in clinical remission with probiotics alone compared to 5‐ASA. There is limited evidence from a single study which failed to provide a definition of remission, that probiotics may slightly improve the induction of remission when used in combination with 5‐ASA. There was no evidence to assess whether probiotics are effective in people with severe and more extensive disease, or if specific preparations are superior to others. Further targeted and appropriately designed RCTs are needed to address the gaps in the evidence base. In particular, appropriate powering of studies and the use of standardised participant groups and outcome measures in line with the wider field are needed, as well as reporting to minimise risk of bias

The Desired Revolution and the New Man: Assembling and Negotiating Cultural and Intellectual Practices in Revolutionary Cuba.

The Desired Revolution and the New Man: Assembling and Negotiating Cultural and Intellectual Practices in Revolutionary Cuba In my dissertation, “The Desired Revolution and the New Man: Assembling and Negotiating Cultural and Intellectual Practices in Revolutionary Cuba,” I argue that the narratives of the Cuban revolution produced by its organic intellectuals (as well as by its main ideological drive, the so-called ‘new man’ [hombre nuevo]) have set in motion differential affective politics operating in the cultural field. These narratives operate via complex flows of ‘structures of feeling’ that generate the desire to desire the Cuban Revolution on the collective social body, inside and outside the island. The deepest social transformation was perhaps created by the people’s own identification with and desire for the revolution. It is my contention that this “desire” (as Deleuze and Guattari suggest) was partially created by mainstream/ pro-revolutionary intellectuals. Within this framework I propose to analyze the cultural transformations in Cuba since the early 1959 vis-à-vis the “structures of feeling” and “politics of affect” that dominate the revolution’s political apparatus. In sum, my dissertation details how Cubans have come to desire a ‘hegemonic Revolution’ – a desire maintained through the unstable equilibrium between consensus and repression (following Gramsci’s views), and how such a balancing act can be critically analyzed through an extensive body of cultural texts. These include ‘canonic’ films such as Fresa y Chocolate by Tomás Gutierrez Alea, and other films by Arturo Soto, Enrique Álvarez, Eduardo del Llano; novels, plays and short stories by Humberto Arenal (El sol a plomo and El mejor traductor de Shakespeare), Virgilio Piñera, José Soler Puig’s Bertillón 166, Manuel Cofiño, to name a few; foto-reportajes [photographic reports] from Cuban magazines; art installations from Pedro Pablo Oliva, Alexis Leyva Machado “Kcho,” Wifredo Lam, and Jorge Perugorría; historietas [comics] such as Juan Padrón’s Elpidio Valdés; as well as a number of interviews with intellectuals of this time period that I have conducted in Cuba and in the U.S. Cuban exilic communities.Ph.D.Romance Languages & Literatures: SpanishUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62383/1/pporben_1.pd

Sobre el estado de las Revistas Iberolatinoamericanas dedicadas a las Ciencias de la Alimentación y la Nutrición

Rationale: Publishing of the results of a concluded research is the final step of the scientific activity. Choice of the literary container is determinant for the visibility and the impact of the scientific communication. Objective: To describe the state of the ibero-latin-american (ILA) journals devoted to publishing contents of the Food and Nutrition sciences. Study design: Descriptive. Methods: ILA journals specialized in publishing of contents of the Food and Nutrition sciences that where identified in selected literary repositories were described regarding the host country, the Publisher, the number of items comprising each volume, the adherence to the “Open Access” declaration, and the “Article Processing Charges” (APC) canon. Performance of the ILA journals was described by means of several metrics. Results: Twenty-seven journals were identified among 8 different countries. Journals differed regarding the publisher, number of items per volume, and adherence to the “Open Access” declaration. All (but one of) the examined journals accept original contributions without charging the APC canon. Visibility of ILA journals dedicated to Food and Nutrition sciences is poor when examined by means of different performance metrics. Conclusions: Visibility of ILA journals specialized in publishing contents of the Food and Nutrition sciences is poor, and that might explain (at least in part) their insufficient impact. A change of mentality and attitude towards the scientific publication is needed in order to increase the visibility, and consequently the impact of the journals dedicated in the ILA area to Food and Nutrition sciences.Introducción: La publicación de los resultados de una investigación terminada es el último paso de la actividad científica. La elección del contenedor literario es determinante para la visibilidad y el impacto de la comunicación científica. Objetivo: Describir el estado de las revistas Iberolatinoamericanas (ILA) dedicadas a la publicación de contenidos de las ciencias de la Alimentación y Nutrición. Diseño del estudio: Descriptivo. Métodos: Las revistas ILA verticalizadas en la publicación de contenidos de las ciencias de la Alimentación y la Nutrición que se identificaron en repositorios literarios seleccionados fueron descritas respecto del país sede, el auspiciador, el número de ítems que componen cada volumen, la adherencia a la declaración de “Acceso Abierto”, y el cobro de aranceles por publicación. El desempeño de las revistas ILA se describió mediante diferentes métricas. Resultados: Se identificaron 27 revistas en 8 países. Las revistas difirieron en cuanto al auspiciador, el número de ítems per volumen, y la adherencia a la declaración “Acceso Abierto”. Todas (menos una de) las revistas reseñadas aceptan las contribuciones originales sin cobrar aranceles por las tareas de edición/publicación. La visibilidad de las revistas ILA dedicadas a las ciencias de la Alimentación y la Nutrición es pobre cuando se examinan las métricas de desempeño. Conclusiones: La visibilidad de las revistas ILA verticalizadas en la publicación de contenidos de las ciencias de la Alimentación y la Nutrición es pobre, y ello podría explicar (en parte) el insuficiente impacto de las mismas. Se requiere un cambio de mentalidad y de actitud hacia la publicación científica para incrementar la visibilidad, y con ello, mejorar el impacto de las revistas del área dedicadas a las ciencias de la Alimentación y la Nutrición