Consensual Violence: A Cultural Contradiction

In American culture, violence is typically understood as inherently negative; no one would want to be personally subjected to violence because violence by its very nature is undesirable. Thus, the idea of seeking out violence seems paradoxical. In cases where a person actively pursues violent treatment, the question arises: can violence be consensual? This question is included in discourse on sadomasochism (SM), or an attraction to giving or receiving pain in a sensual or sexual context, which many argue is a form of violence. Through a critical discourse analysis of legal statutes regarding interpersonal violence and interviews with women involved in SM, I will address the question of whether or not sadomasochism can be considered physical and sexual violence

To Veil or Not to Veil: A Loaded Question

What all Americans should know about women in the Muslim world is that Muslim women are increasingly prohibited through legal measures to choose for themselves whether or not to veil, which reduces their agency and perpetuates the harmful idea that all Muslim women need saving.This paper takes a look at political and legislative interventions on veiling in several countries

Liberation Through Domination: BDSM Culture and Submissive-Role Women

The alternative sexual practices of bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism (BDSM) are practiced by people all over the world. In this paper, I will examine the experiences of five submissive-role women in the Netherlands and five in south-central Pennsylvania, focusing specifically on how their involvement with the BDSM community and BDSM culture influences their self-perspective.I will begin my analysis by exploring anthropological perspectives of BDSM and their usefulness in studying sexual counterculture, followed by a consideration of feminist critiques of BDSM and societal barriers faced by women in the community. I will then address the norms and values of the BDSM community and their positive effects in the lives of submissive women, concluding with a comparative analysis of my two fieldsites and a discussion about improvements that can be made within the communities

Technical and Economic Overview of the Cellulignin Production Process

The paper analyses the chemical conversion process of biomass based on a diluted acid hydrolysis step, the Biomass Energy Process (BEM). The discussion starts from the technical point of view on the base of information reported literature, experimental laboratory analysis and pilot plant tests and then the authors tentatively explore the energy related costs of the process giving a comparison of the biomass derived solid fuel and fossil fuels. An evaluation of the product (cellulignin powder compacted into briquettes) and considered as a fuel and other energy source from ossil resources like oil, natural gas and coal, is reported considering the energy density and energy cost. The main technical feature of the process is the conversion of almost every type of bug wood biomass with large range of chemical and physics characteristics. The hydrolysis step determines the energy price and the threshold cost of the cellulignin is calculated at 60-70 euro/t about over which the NG energy is preferable. Environmental concerns can be however considered

Hypothyroidism and nephrotic syndrome: why, when and how to treat

Hypothyroidism, characterised by low/normal free thyroxine (FT4) and free tri-iodothyronine (FT3) with elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), is a well-known complication of nephrotic syndrome (NS). This is a common feature of primary and secondary glomerular diseases and comprises loss of protein in the urine and increased urinary excretion of thyroid hormones and thyroxine-binding globulin. With a normal thyroid reserve, this scenario is associated with the development of subclinical hypothyroidism, with a slight increase in TSH and normal free fractions. However, with a low thyroid reserve the transition toward overt hypothyroidism is almost inevitable, affecting morbidity and mortality. As T4 replacement is a cheap and well-established treatment to achieve a stable hormone status in different types of thyroid deficiency, it is essential to recognise and appropriately treat this condition. In this article we summarise the evidence on this nephro-endocrine disorder in humans and focus on diagnostic and therapeutic strategies

Pharmacological effects of raas blockade in ischemic nephropathy

Background: The management of ischemic nephropathy due to atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis has become increasingly conservative in the modern era, with current guidelines recommending optimized medical therapy as the initial step. The doubts raised by the recently published trials of revascularization strategies have led to a renewed focus on pharmacological strategies promoting blood pressure control and renal protection. It is essential to further elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying hypoperfusion induced renal microvascular dysfunction with subsequent tissue injury and fibrogenesis. The role of renin angiotensin aldosterone system as a mediator of the main pathophysiological consequences of ischemic nephropathy is well known. However, more recent experimental evidence on the adrenergic system and intrarenal tubular feedback mechanisms has stimulated new interest towards a multi-target therapeutic approach. Methods: This review focuses on the pharmacology of the principle therapeutic drug classes currently used in the treatment of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis with an analysis of their metabolic aspects and use in clinical practice based on evidence from clinical trials. Results and Conclusions: An optimal pharmacologic approach is crucial for a successful prevention of renal injury and cardiovascular events in this high-risk population. Antihypertensive treatment should include renin angiotensin aldosterone system blockade medication not only for their antihypertensive properties, but especially for those cardio and renoprotectiv

Chloride binding properties of a macrocyclic receptor equipped with an acetylide gold(I) complex: synthesis, characterization, reactivity, and cytotoxicity studies

In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization of a mono-nuclear “two wall” aryl-extended calix4]pyrrole receptor (2Au) decorated with an acetylide-gold(I)-PTA complex at its upper rim. We describe the1 H NMR titration experiments of 2Au and its “two wall” aryl-extended calix4]pyrrole synthetic precursors: the non-symmetric mono-iodo-mono-ethynyl 2 and the symmetric bis-iodo 3 with TBACl in dichloromethane and acetone solution. In acetone solution, we use isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments to thermodynamically characterize the formed 1:1 chloride complexes and perform pair-wise competitive binding experiments. In both solvents, we measured a decrease in the binding constant of the mono-nuclear 2Au complex for chloride compared to the parent mono-iodo-mono-ethynyl 2. In turn, receptor 2 also shows a reduction in binding affinity for chloride compared to its precursor bis-iodo calix4]pyrrole 3. The free energy differences (¿G) of the 1:1 chloride complexes cannot be exclusively attributed to their dissimilar electrostatic surface potential values either at the center of the meso-phenyl wall or its para-substituent. We conclude that solvation/desolvation processes play an important role in the stabilization of the chloride complexes. In acetone solution and in the presence of TBACl, 6Au, a reference compound for the acetylide Au(I)•PTA unit, produces a bis(alkynyl)gold(I) anionic complex 7Au]-. Thus, the observation of two separate sets of signals for the bound aromatic calix4]pyrrole protons, when more than 1 equiv. of the salt is added, is assigned to the formation of the chloride complexes of 2Au and of the “in situ” formed calix4]pyrrole anionic dimer 8Au]-. Finally, preliminary data obtained in cell viability assays of 2Au and 6Au with human cancer cells lines assign them with moderate activities showing that the calix4]pyrrole unit is not relevant. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Renal Concerns in the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B with Tenofovir

Tenofovir, a third generation oral nucleos(t)ide analogue, currently represents one of the first-line drugs recommended for treating chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. After oral administration, tenofovir is mostly excreted in the urine by glomerular filtration and proximal tubular secretion. Hence, an impaired kidney function may lead to an increased renal exposure to the drug in patients with coexistent renal damage. This could further worsen kidney disease through different mechanisms of nephrotoxicity such as mitochondrial DNA depletion and tubular cytotoxicity. Despite several studies performed so far to assess tenofovir-related renal toxicity, data in HBV patients are not yet conclusive. Screening of risk factors for kidney disease before starting therapy and a careful monitoring of serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, serum phosphate and urine analysis during treatment are advocated to adjust the dose or stop treatment if needed. New biomarkers of tubular injury, such as neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin, could become helpful in the future for the timely identification and risk stratification of renal damage induced by tenofovir