Placental infarction: in its relation to the toxaemias of pregnancy

In this series of placenta from one thousand consecutive deliveries: - Fibrin deposition was found in 98.6%, of all placentae; True Infarcts were found in 74.0% of all placentae. There were 2761 White Infarcts. There were 427 Red Infarcts. ∴ 3188 true infarcts in 740 of the placentae. There were 250 haematomata in 239 of the placentae. There were 136 cases of varying degrees of pre-eclamptic toxaemia in this series. A study of which reveals the following facts: - 1. A mild toxaemia of about one month's duration will result in very little or no infarction of the placenta. 2. A mild toxaemia of long duration will result in massive infarction of the Placenta. 3. A severe toxaemia of about one month's duration will result in massive infarction of the placenta. 4. Severe toxaemia does not appear to have a long duration. There were nine mothers in this series who had Eclampsia. For this small number at least, the eclampsia was not the result of massive infarction of the placenta. There were 328 cases of varying degrees of hypertension in this series. 72 of these cases had no infarction of the placenta visible to the naked eye. The majority of these 72 had hypertension of less than one month's duration. The study shows a definite increase in the percentage of placental tissue infarcte the longer the duration of the hypertension. There were 15 cases of accidental haemorrhage in this series. The study of this small group reveals the following facts; - I. Of twelve cases of accidental haemorrhage uncomplicated by toxaemia only two showed any consider- :able amount of infarction of the placenta while two showed no placental infarction visible to the naked eye. II. The three cases of accidental haemorrhage which were complicated by severe pre -eclamptic toxaemia all had massive infarction of the placenta

The limits of contestation: towards a radical democratic theory of emergency politics

The claim that the exception has become the norm dominates the discourse of emergency politics. Theories of emergency politics need not rely on norm/exception binary because it closes down possibilities for radical democratic political contestation. Attempts to define a situation as exceptional by powerful political elites are a claim that politics must be foreclosed until they decide that the exigency has been resolved and a ‘normal’ state of affairs has resumed. A theory which conceptualizes space for radical democratic contestation is essential because such contestation is crucial to preserving and enhancing liberal-democratic governance despite claims that they are facing an existential threat. This thesis lays the foundation for such a theory. First, it presents a criticism of the reliance of the norm/exception binary in the discourses of emergency politics. I argue that ‘normal’ and ‘exceptional’ are polemical concepts used to in the defense of particular articulations of hegemonic and political power not liberal-democracy as such. Second, I develop a radical democratic theory of emergency politics. This theory is based on an account of political contingency which conceives of the political realm as being unstable and continually evolving. Thus liberal-democratic regimes never exist in ‘normal’ states because they are constantly engaging with exigencies which that emanate from the political realm. Furthermore, this thesis contends that emergency politics should be inscribed within wider hegemonic practices. What I identify as a paradox of contestation at the heart of liberal-democratic regimes is the terrain on which emergency politics are contested. Liberal-democratic regimes can absorb situations sometimes defined as emergencies. The goal of this thesis is to demonstrate theoretically how liberal-democratic regimes can preserve the possibility of radical democratic politics in the face of claims on the part of powerful political elites that an emergency or exception exists, which must be met with unrestrained violence and by severely reducing the scope of legitimate political contestation

Making International Refugee Law Relevant Again: A Proposal for Collectivized and Solution-Oriented Protection

International refugee law is in crisis. Even as armed conflict and human rights abuse continue to force individuals and groups to flee their home countries, many governments are withdrawing from the legal duty to provide refugees with the protection they require. While governments proclaim a willingness to assist refugees as a matter of political discretion or humanitarian goodwill, they appear committed to a pattern of defensive strategies designed to avoid international legal responsibility toward involuntary migrants. Some see this shift away from a legal paradigm of refugee protection as a source for enhanced operational flexibility in the face of changed political circumstances. For refugees themselves, however, the increasingly marginal relevance of international refugee law has in practice signalled a shift to inferior or illusory protection. It has also imposed intolerable costs on many of the poorest countries, and has involved developed states in practices antithetical to their basic political values

Fundamental Justice and the Deflection of Refugees from Canada

Canada is preparing to implement a controversial provision of the Immigration Act that will deny asylum seekers the opportunity even to argue their need for protection from persecution. Under a policy labelled deflection by the authors, the claims of refugees who travel to Canada through countries deemed safe, likely the United States and eventually Europe, will be rejected without any hearing on the merits. Because deflection does not require substantive or procedural harmonization of refugee law among partner states, it will severely compromise the ability of genuine refugees to seek protection. The article considers the impact of the Singh ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada and subsequent jurisprudence to determine whether a deflection system can be reconciled to the requirements of sections 7 and 1 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Deflection mechanisms ought not to survive challenge under the Charter. The new procedure poses a risk to the security of the person of asylum seekers who are physically present in Canada. At the same time, it does not respect the principles of fundamental justice, and cannot be justified as necessary to deter abuse, advance national security, or promote international comity

Isolation of a Novel Phage with Activity against Streptococcus mutans Biofilms

peer-reviewedStreptococcus mutans is one of the principal agents of caries formation mainly, because of its ability to form biofilms at the tooth surface. Bacteriophages (phages) are promising antimicrobial agents that could be used to prevent or treat caries formation by S. mutans. The aim of this study was to isolate new S. mutans phages and to characterize their antimicrobial properties. A new phage, ɸAPCM01, was isolated from a human saliva sample. Its genome was closely related to the only two other available S. mutans phage genomes, M102 and M102AD. ɸAPCM01 inhibited the growth of S. mutans strain DPC6143 within hours in broth and in artificial saliva at multiplicity of infections as low as 2.5x10-5. In the presence of phage ɸAPCM01 the metabolic activity of a S. mutans biofilm was reduced after 24 h of contact and did not increased again after 48 h, and the live cells in the biofilm decreased by at least 5 log cfu/ml. Despite its narrow host range, this newly isolated S. mutans phage exhibits promising antimicrobial properties

Nitrogen Dynamics and Nitrate Leaching in Intensive Vegetable Rotations in Highlands of Central Java, Indonesia

High rainfall intensity is major factor governing leaching process, where leaching is often the most important process of N loss from the field and lead to agricultural environmental pollution. In order to measure the movement of mineral-N in soil profile, a field research had been conducted in two sites of center vegetable farming area with six farmer cooperators in Central Java, Indonesia. Regular soil sampling was done from Improve Practice (IP) and Farmer Practice (FP) treatment for three planting seasons during 2007. Almost all treatments FP applied higher rate of N fertilizer compare to IP, but it was not reflected in N profile.  Comparison of predicted and measured mineral N content was simulated using Burns α  model, then the closeness of the estimation and measured calculated using Coefficient of Residual Mass (CRM) calculation as an indicator with 0 as ideal value.  Out of 9 measurements of IP and FP treatment, eight and seven measurements had negative CRM  representinga slight overestimation. The NO3-N loss estimated using the Burns α model for IP and FP was in average of 67% for IP and  71% for FP of total N fertilizer added or 67% for IP and 76% for FP of total-N surplus, respectively. The calculation of potential nitrate concentration (PNC) at 1 m soil depth at the end of the third season showed a high concentration with significant different of IP and FP having mean value of 59.8 and 82.5 mg N L-1. From the gathered data it was obvious that over N fertilization had negative effect to agricultural environment

The Role of Overexpressed HER2 in Transformation

The HER family of receptors has an important role in the network of cell signals controlling cell growth and differentiation. Although the activity of the HER receptor is strictly controlled in normal cells, HER2 receptor overexpression plays a pivotal role in transformation and tumorigenesis. HER2 gene amplification and/or overexpression of the receptor has been detected in subsets of a wide range of human cancers including breast cancer, and is an indicator of poor prognosis. It is proposed that overexpressed HER2 in combination with HER3 causes high activity of cell-signaling networks, thereby resulting in tumor cell proliferation. Thus, the HER2 receptor is an attractive target for new anti-cancer treatments. Mono-clonal antibodies directed against the receptor are the most promising of these, and the humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin) has shown significant clinical efficacy in clinical trials. The anti-tumor mechanisms of anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies are not completely understood. However, some tumor types are not sensitive to trastuzumab, suggesting that the response of a tumor to trastuzumab may not only be dependent on overexpressed HER2, but may also be influenced by other members of the HER receptor family expressed in the tumor cel

Centre for Food Policy at City, University of London response to the EFRA committee enquiry COVID-19 and food supply

The COVID19 pandemic has led to major disruptions in the UK and global food systems. The response by the UK government has been uncoordinated and inadequate. Our research highlights the broad range of policy input needed for food governance (at least 16 departments, plus multiple public bodies and agencies). Our research also highlights that while there have been efforts to connect this policy work in the past, food remains uncoordinated as a policy sector. The COVID19 crisis calls for a coordinated food response. Drawing on our research we recommend a cross-government committee to coordinate work on food policy. We also provide the following more specific recommendations: a. Address financial (in)security: For populations experiencing financial insecurity, it is close to impossible for the purchasing or consumption of healthy foods to be a priority. Actions include: •Reconsider the Universal Credit system so that it does not leave people with less money or with gaps in payment • Address challenges related to insecure work, such as zero hours contracts • Raise the minimum wage to a living wage. • Increase the eligibility and amount of Healthy Start vouchers and link them to local agriculture and food production. • Expand Free School Meals vouchers, and enable wider redeemability (in local food systems beyond supermarkets).• Provide funding and support for the expansion of local school meals to combat wider community food insecurity. b. Ensure food availability, and increase community resources to access to food, during and post lockdown. Without wider community and policy support the UK food system will be slow to recover. Actions include: • Support and subsidise the hospitality and food service sector to allow it to rebuild (supporting UK agriculture in the process).• Support UK farming, fishing and food production with proactive policies to stabilize labour and farm incomes • Invest in social spaces and organisations that can provide social outlets for children and families during and post lockdown (that also don’t rely on High Fat, Sugar and Salt foods (HFSS) as their main attraction). • Provide access to affordable, healthy and safe food through both the supermarket and alternative food systems – beyond food aid. c. Advertising and communication around food needs to be rethought in the UK post lockdown. Actions include: • A wider dedicated information and advertising campaign communicating a systems approach to food. This would help to educate on topics including: healthy and sustainable diets; risk and transparency of food governance; misinformation about diet on social media (e.g. miracle cures for COVID-19 or misleading claims about particular foods/diets) and finally, • A comprehensive restriction of all forms of marketing and promotion of HFSS foods.. D. Learn from international lessons that can be integrated into UK policy. • Cities and national governments have launched services to allow citizens to get basic food items directly from small scale farmers, supporting local production and providing access to healthy and fresh food. •Provided social safety nets and economic stimulus directly to vulnerable households so that they are able to purchase food despite the economic havoc wrought by Covid 19 lockdowns •Appoint a cross-government committee to coordinate work on food policy; in NYC this is being led by a “COVID-19 Food Czar”. • Understand that “Food Security is Economic Security is Economic Stimulus

Distinct regulation of dopamine D2S and D2L autoreceptor signaling by calcium

D2 autoreceptors regulate dopamine release throughout the brain. Two isoforms of the D2 receptor, D2S and D2L, are expressed in midbrain dopamine neurons. Differential roles of these isoforms as autoreceptors are poorly understood. By virally expressing the isoforms in dopamine neurons of D2 receptor knockout mice, this study assessed the calcium-dependence and drug-induced plasticity of D2S and D2L receptor-dependent G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) currents. The results reveal that D2S, but not D2L receptors, exhibited calcium-dependent desensitization similar to that exhibited by endogenous autoreceptors. Two pathways of calcium signaling that regulated D2 autoreceptor-dependent GIRK signaling were identified, which distinctly affected desensitization and the magnitude of D2S and D2L receptor-dependent GIRK currents. Previous in vivo cocaine exposure removed calcium-dependent D2 autoreceptor desensitization in wild type, but not D2S-only mice. Thus, expression of D2S as the exclusive autoreceptor was insufficient for cocaine-induced plasticity, implying a functional role for the co-expression of D2S and D2L autoreceptors