Life, Law, and Abandonment in Giorgio Agamben

The present article deals with the political philosophy of Giorgio Agamben and explores his seminal concepts like ‘homo sacer’ and ‘state of exception’ to examine the relationship between law and human life and probes into the philosopher’s thoughts on the function of the biopolitical machine in the modern state to allocate the positions of terror vis-a-vis legality and the function of sovereignty. Working through Agamben’s body of thought and relating it to a host of other political thinkers like Schmitt and Mbembe for example, it sketches out the fundamental definition of politics and what it means to be in relation to that in our modern times

A study on Ethnography of communication: A discourse analysis with Hymes speaking model

Ethnography of communication relates ethnography, the description and structural-functional analysis of society and culture, with the language a cultural behaviour that navigates and helps to share knowledge, arts, morals, beliefs and everything acquired by man as a member of society. Ethnography of communication is an approach to understand society & culture and its reconstruction of an ethnic group in particular and nation in general. To do it language, designed and structured by pattern of culture, acts as a communicative tool. Language carries and transmits social/cultural traits through generations. The role of speech behavior, one of the aspects of language, has always been significant in cultural anthropological research. Ethnography of Communication, the concept introduced by Del Hymes in late sixties, is an active action of human way of life. He and his associates constructed a model of Speaking model while tried to understand society and culture of an ethnic group through communication process. The present study intends to test Hymes Speaking Model in a set of homogenous speech community the academic folk of a department of the West Bengal State University, Barasat, West Bengal, India. Keywords: Ethnography, Communication, Language, Speaking mode

Modernization of Myth among the Tribals of North 24 Parganas,W.B : An Anthropological and Communication Study

Oraons of North 24 parganas have been investigated under the discipline of anthropology of communication in this paper. The pockets are classified with two type, namely Typa-A and Type –B.  Type-A is governed by Panchayet System and B under the Municipality. Type A is situated from the city at least 25 kilometer distanced, and Type-B is under the Gobardanga municipality in ward No 1 & slum, no-2 of North 24 Parganas, West Bengal.  We have applied some technique which are used various scientists in Anthropology. To study, we have searched the myth related stories or tales from the villagers for navigating that how the myth presently exists on them. It has been observed that the present perception of myth reality is changed and modified among the people. But they have not completely rejected their own traditional myth concept.Rather they have tried to make a compensated situation between the two of Traditional & modernization. And they represent a new identity themselves as Urban Oraon by the blending of traditionalism and modernity. To study we have recorded some tales from the field against the entire research of myth on this filed which is encouraged us to suggest them as an Urban Oraon. Keywords: Communication, Myth, Traditional means of Communication, Modernizatio

Evaluation of adnexal masses: correlation of clinical examination, sonographic assessment and histopathological findings

Background: Prevalence of symptomatic adnexal masses is 1:1000 in premenopausal women and 3:1000 in post –menopausal women. Benign diseases of ovaries and fallopian tube are commonest etiology. However, as risk of neoplastic lesions increases with age and further after menopause The primary goal of diagnostic evaluation of adnexal masses is to exclude malignancy. Methods: This one-year prospective observational study was carried out on 100 female patients attending gynaecology OPD with the clinical diagnosis of adnexal mass. Female patients presenting with symptoms like lower abdominal pain, menstrual irregularity and palpable mass or asymptomatic patients with incidental finding of adnexal mass were included in the study. The aim of the study was to compare the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of clinical examination, ultrasonography and to compare it with the histopathology. Results: Ultrasound of pelvis was done for all patients. Laparotomy was done for all cases and the specimen was sent for histopathological examination. 70% tumours were benign and 30% tumours were malignant. As per our study, ultrasonography has the highest diagnostic accuracy (93%) followed by pelvic examination (86%) and RMI score (86%). Clinical examination has highest sensitivity of 93.33% followed by CA-125 (86.66%) and ultrasonography (83.33%). Conclusions: Thus, ultrasound is the primary modality used for detection and delineation of pelvic masses. The study also showed that RMI has better performance than CA 125 in the prediction of malignancy. Thus, with such simple methods we can diagnose precisely without advanced radiological imaging

BRUCELLAR UVEITIS IN EASTERN INDIA

Objective: Brucellosis- one of the major zoonotic diseases, still remains an uncontrolled problem, in regions of high endemicity. Ophthalmic brucellosis is not studied and overlooked in most developing countries.  Considering the severe outcome of undiagnosed ophthalmic brucellosis, in this paper we made attempts to find out whether this disease still remains a health problem in a South East Asian developing country, where study of this disease is largely neglected.  Methods This study was carried out over a one year period from January 2015 to December 2015. Blood samples were collected from clinically confirmed cases of uveitis and they were subjected to five serological and one genus specific molecular investigations, for the detection of Brucella infection.Results Out of 20 uveitis cases, 4 (20%) cases confirmed as brucellar uveitis, by serological tests followed by PCR confirmation. After treatment of brucellosis all the four patients were recovered uneventfully.Conclusion: Brucella infection involving the eye is still a significant problem in South East Asian countries; hence in all uveitis cases in this reason brucellosis should be excluded by available laboratory tests.Government of India (Dept. of Biotechnology the major zoonotic diseases, still remains an uncontrolled problem, in regions of high endemicity. Ophthalmic brucellosis is not studied and overlooked in most developing countries.  Considering the severe outcome of undiagnosed ophthalmic brucellosis, in this paper we made attempts to find out whether this disease still remains a health problem in a South East Asian developing country, where study of this disease is largely neglected.   Methods This study was carried out over a one year period from January 2015 to December 2015. Blood samples were collected from clinically confirmed cases of uveitis and they were subjected to five serological and one genus specific molecular investigations, for the detection of Brucella infection.Results Out of 20 uveitis cases, 4 (20%) cases confirmed as brucellar uveitis, by serological tests followed by PCR confirmation. After treatment of brucellosis all the four patients were recovered uneventfully.Conclusion: Brucella infection involving the eye is still a significant problem in South East Asian countries; hence in all uveitis cases in this reason brucellosis should be excluded by available laboratory tests

Altered expression of DNA Methyltransferases in biomass using rural women in West Bengal

Unprocessed solid biomass such as wood, coal, dung and agricultural residues are still used in many rural households in India as main source of domestic energy for cooking, boiling water and heating. Combustion of biomass releases a considerable amount of particulate matters (PM) and toxic pollutants. Therefore, use of biomass as fuels causes very high level of indoor air pollution (IAP) in rural households and the women who do most of the daily household cooking with these fuels, receive the maximum exposure. Thus, the cells of the nasopharynx, oral cavity, airways and the lungs in these women get severely affected and undergo harmful changes. The present study is conducted to appraise the effects of IAP generated PMs and/or carcinogens on epigenetic changes in airway epithelial cells as little information is known about it. In the present study LPG using rural women were used as controls against biomass using rural women and both these groups comprise of non-smokers and non-chewer of tobacco and betel nut. Significantly enhanced production of ROS was evident in biomass fuel users with depletion of SOD, a major scavenger enzyme in comparison to LPG using control women. Furthermore, Immunocytochemical evaluation showed significantly increased expressions of DNMT1 and DNMT3a enzymes and reduced expression of SET7, an inhibitor of DNMT1, in airway epithelial cells of biomass-using rural women in comparison to LPG using control women. The findings indicate major epigenetic changes in airway epithelial cells of biomass users due to long-term exposure to particulate pollution which also increases the risk of lung cancer in these women

Augmentation of smad‐dependent BMP signaling in neural crest cells causes craniosynostosis in mice

Craniosynostosis describes conditions in which one or more sutures of the infant skull are prematurely fused, resulting in facial deformity and delayed brain development. Approximately 20% of human craniosynostoses are thought to result from gene mutations altering growth factor signaling; however, the molecular mechanisms by which these mutations cause craniosynostosis are incompletely characterized, and the causative genes for diverse types of syndromic craniosynostosis have yet to be identified. Here, we show that enhanced bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling through the BMP type IA receptor (BMPR1A) in cranial neural crest cells, but not in osteoblasts, causes premature suture fusion in mice. In support of a requirement for precisely regulated BMP signaling, this defect was rescued on a Bmpr1a haploinsufficient background, with corresponding normalization of Smad phosphorylation. Moreover, in vivo treatment with LDN‐193189, a selective chemical inhibitor of BMP type I receptor kinases, resulted in partial rescue of craniosynostosis. Enhanced signaling of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) pathway, which has been implicated in craniosynostosis, was observed in both mutant and rescued mice, suggesting that augmentation of FGF signaling is not the sole cause of premature fusion found in this model. The finding that relatively modest augmentation of Smad‐dependent BMP signaling leads to premature cranial suture fusion suggests an important contribution of dysregulated BMP signaling to syndromic craniosynostoses and potential strategies for early intervention.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98343/1/jbmr1857.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98343/2/jbmr1857-0008-sm-SupplFigS8.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98343/3/jbmr1857-0004-sm-SupplFigS4.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98343/4/jbmr1857-0009-sm-SupplFigS9.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98343/5/jbmr1857-0005-sm-SupplFigS5.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98343/6/jbmr1857-0001-sm-SupplFigS1.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98343/7/jbmr1857-0006-sm-SupplFigS6.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98343/8/jbmr1857-0002-sm-SupplFigS2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98343/9/jbmr1857-0007-sm-SupplFigS7.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98343/10/jbmr1857-0003-sm-SupplFigS3.pd

Elevated fibroblast growth factor signaling is critical for the pathogenesis of the dwarfism in Evc2/Limbin mutant mice

Ellis-van Creveld (EvC) syndrome is a skeletal dysplasia, characterized by short limbs, postaxial polydactyly, and dental abnormalities. EvC syndrome is also categorized as a ciliopathy because of ciliary localization of proteins encoded by the two causative genes, EVC and EVC2 (aka LIMBIN). While recent studies demonstrated important roles for EVC/EVC2 in Hedgehog signaling, there is still little known about the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the skeletal dysplasia features of EvC patients, and in particular why limb development is affected, but not other aspects of organogenesis that also require Hedgehog signaling. In this report, we comprehensively analyze limb skeletogenesis in Evc2 mutant mice and in cell and tissue cultures derived from these mice. Both in vivo and in vitro data demonstrate elevated Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) signaling in Evc2 mutant growth plates, in addition to compromised but not abrogated Hedgehog-PTHrP feedback loop. Elevation of FGF signaling, mainly due to increased Fgf18 expression upon inactivation of Evc2 in the perichondrium, critically contributes to the pathogenesis of limb dwarfism. The limb dwarfism phenotype is partially rescued by inactivation of one allele of Fgf18 in the Evc2 mutant mice. Taken together, our data uncover a novel pathogenic mechanism to understand limb dwarfism in patients with Ellis-van Creveld syndrome