Trumping Tropes with Joke(r)s: The Daily Show “Plays the Race Card”

The race card is at once a trope and a topic that reductively prefigures racial meaning and performance. As a trope, it frames most racial discourse as a cheat or violation and thus prevents deliberation over material realities of race. As a topic, it exists as a resource for diminishing the social and political significance of persistent racial problems. We argue that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (TDS) deploys political humor as a troping device that disrupts the contradictory logics of race card rhetoric and disorders a range of reductive commonplaces and figures of racial discourses. Specifically, we maintain that TDS pushes the boundaries of everyday negotiations of race, performs alternative conventions, and models manners of thinking, speaking, and acting useful for contemporary understandings of race. This essay therefore enhances the contemporary body of scholarship on politics and humor while expanding upon analyses of the rhetoricity of race and race relations

RHETORIC, RACE, AND BASKETBALL

poster abstractPublic discourse surrounding professional sports like the NBA shapes how society views the game, the athletes, and other social issues such as race (Belson 2011, & Rupert 2011). Researchers have argued that the rhetoric surrounding basketball—a sport predominantly played by black players and viewed by white fans—reveals expectations on black individuals to fit into a white society and creates a modern day colonialism (Ebanda B’beri & Hogarth 2009). In order for black players to be marketable to a white audience they must not only meet the expectations of white society but exceed them (Lavelle 2010). This research studies the discourse surrounding the recent NBA lockout in order to analyze the racial meaning and arguments that informed the conversation. The study analyzes public discourse about the NBA lockout, including news articles, editorials, and material posted by fans on the internet in response to the lockout. It uses rhetorical methods such as studying narratives of the fans. The recurring rhetorical patterns show how white fans view themselves in relation to black athletes, and white team owners. The narratives also subtly framed players and owners as slaves and slave masters, respectively. These descriptions reveal racially coded meanings that recall historical divisions, expose oppressive attitudes, and illuminate the continuing hold of racism in society. The findings contribute not only to the body of research on sports discourse and society but also to ongoing critical race scholarship that challenges contemporary racism. Bilson K. (2011, August 3). In Defense of Its Lockout N.B.A. Sues the Union. The New York Times http://www.lexisnexis.com Ebanda de B’beri, B., & Hogarth, P. (2009). White America’s construction of Black bodies: The case of Ron Artest as a model of covert racial ideology in the NBA’s discourse. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication 2(2), 89-106. Lavelle, K. (2010). A critical discourse analysis of Black masculinity in NBA game commentary. The Howard Journal of Communications 21, 294- 314. Rupert M. (2011, December 8). The NBA: Where Racism Happens? The New York Times Company http://www.lexisnexis.co

Multicentric validation of proteomic biomarkers in urine specific for diabetic nephropathy

Background: Urine proteome analysis is rapidly emerging as a tool for diagnosis and prognosis in disease states. For diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy (DN), urinary proteome analysis was successfully applied in a pilot study. The validity of the previously established proteomic biomarkers with respect to the diagnostic and prognostic potential was assessed on a separate set of patients recruited at three different European centers. In this case-control study of 148 Caucasian patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 and duration >= 5 years, cases of DN were defined as albuminuria >300 mg/d and diabetic retinopathy (n = 66). Controls were matched for gender and diabetes duration (n = 82). Methodology/Principal Findings: Proteome analysis was performed blinded using high-resolution capillary electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry (CE-MS). Data were evaluated employing the previously developed model for DN. Upon unblinding, the model for DN showed 93.8% sensitivity and 91.4% specificity, with an AUC of 0.948 (95% CI 0.898-0.978). Of 65 previously identified peptides, 60 were significantly different between cases and controls of this study. In <10% of cases and controls classification by proteome analysis not entirely resulted in the expected clinical outcome. Analysis of patient's subsequent clinical course revealed later progression to DN in some of the false positive classified DN control patients. Conclusions: These data provide the first independent confirmation that profiling of the urinary proteome by CE-MS can adequately identify subjects with DN, supporting the generalizability of this approach. The data further establish urinary collagen fragments as biomarkers for diabetes-induced renal damage that may serve as earlier and more specific biomarkers than the currently used urinary albumin

Serum Uric Acid as a Predictor for Development of Diabetic Nephropathy in Type 1 Diabetes: An Inception Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE—Experimental and clinical studies have suggested that uric acid may contribute to the development of hypertension and kidney disease. Whether uric acid has a causal role in the development of diabetic nephropathy is not known. The objec-tive of the present study is to evaluate uric acid as a predictor of persistent micro- and macroalbuminuria. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—This prospective ob-servational follow-up study consisted of an inception cohort of 277 patients followed from onset of type 1 diabetes. Of these, 270 patients had blood samples taken at baseline. In seven cases, uric acid could not be determined; therefore, 263 patients (156 men) were available for analysis. Uric acid was measured 3 years after onset of diabetes and before any patient developed microalbuminuria. RESULTS—During a median follow-up of 18.1 years (rang

Urinary Collagen Fragments Are Significantly Altered in Diabetes: A Link to Pathophysiology

Background: The pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM) is variable, comprising different inflammatory and immune responses. Proteome analysis holds the promise of delivering insight into the pathophysiological changes associated with diabetes. Recently, we identified and validated urinary proteomics biomarkers for diabetes. Based on these initial findings, we aimed to further validate urinary proteomics biomarkers specific for diabetes in general, and particularity associated with either type 1 (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methodology/Principal Findings: Therefore, the low-molecular-weight urinary proteome of 902 subjects from 10 different centers, 315 controls and 587 patients with T1D (n = 299) or T2D (n = 288), was analyzed using capillary-electrophoresis mass-spectrometry. The 261 urinary biomarkers (100 were sequenced) previously discovered in 205 subjects were validated in an additional 697 subjects to distinguish DM subjects (n = 382) from control subjects (n = 315) with 94% (95% CI: 92-95) accuracy in this study. To identify biomarkers that differentiate T1D from T2D, a subset of normoalbuminuric patients with T1D (n = 68) and T2D (n = 42) was employed, enabling identification of 131 biomarker candidates (40 were sequenced) differentially regulated between T1D and T2D. These biomarkers distinguished T1D from T2D in an independent validation set of normoalbuminuric patients (n = 108) with 88% (95% CI: 81-94%) accuracy, and in patients with impaired renal function (n = 369) with 85% (95% CI: 81-88%) accuracy. Specific collagen fragments were associated with diabetes and type of diabetes indicating changes in collagen turnover and extracellular matrix as one hallmark of the molecular pathophysiology of diabetes. Additional biomarkers including inflammatory processes and pro-thrombotic alterations were observed. Conclusions/Significance: These findings, based on the largest proteomic study performed to date on subjects with DM, validate the previously described biomarkers for DM, and pinpoint differences in the urinary proteome of T1D and T2D, indicating significant differences in extracellular matrix remodeling

Renal Effects of Aliskiren Compared With and in Combination With Irbesartan in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, and Albuminuria

Objective: We investigated if the antiproteinuric effect of the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren is comparable to irbesartan, and the effect of the combination. Research Design and Methods: Double-blind, randomized, cross-over trial. After a one-month washout period 26 patients with type 2 diabetes, hypertension and albuminuria (>100mg/day) were randomized to four 2-month treatment periods in random order with placebo, aliskiren 300 mg once daily, irbesartan 300 mg once daily or the combination using identical doses. Patients received furosemide in a stable dose throughout the study. Primary endpoint was change in albuminuria. Secondary measures included change in 24h blood pressure (24h BP) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Results: Placebo geometric mean albuminuria was 258 mg/day (range 84-2361), mean 24h BP was 140/73 (SD 15/8) mmHg, GFR was 89 (SD 27) ml/min/1.73 m(2). Aliskiren treatment reduced albuminuria by 48% (95% confidence interval 27-62) compared to placebo (p<0.001), not significantly different from irbesartan treatment (58% (42-70) (p<0.001 vs. placebo)). Combination treatment reduced albuminuria by 71% (59-79), more than either monotherapy (p<0.001 and p=0.028). Fractional clearances of albumin were significantly reduced (46, 56 and 67% reduction vs. placebo). 24h BP was reduced 3/4 mmHg by aliskiren (NS/p=0.009), 12/5 mmHg by irbesartan (p<0.001/p=0.002) and 10/6 mmHg by the combination (p=0.001/p<0.001). GFR was significantly reduced 4.6 (0.3, 8.8) ml/min/1.73m(2) by aliskiren, 8.0 (3.6, 12.3) ml/min/1.73m(2) by irbesartan and 11.7 (7.4, 15.9) ml/min/1.73m(2) by the combination. Conclusions: Combining aliskiren and irbesartan is more antiproteinuric in type 2 diabetic patients with albuminuria as compared to monotherapy

POS-255 EFFECT OF DAPAGLIFLOZIN ON BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH CKD: A PRE-SPECIFIED ANALYSIS FROM DAPA-CKD

Introduction: Hypertension is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors decrease blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes, but the consistency and magnitude of blood pressure lowering with dapagliflozin in patients with CKD is unknown. We performed a pre-specified analysis of the DAPA-CKD trial to investigate the effect of dapagliflozin on systolic blood pressure in patients with CKD, with and without type 2 diabetes. Methods: We randomized 4,304 adults with baseline eGFR 25–75 mL/min/1.73m2and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) 200–5,000 mg/g to either dapagliflozin 10 mg or placebo once daily; median follow-up was 2.4 years. The primary outcome was a composite of sustained ≥50% eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease, or death from a kidney or cardiovascular cause. Change in systolic blood pressure was a pre-specified endpoint. Subgroup analyses were performed according to baseline type 2 diabetes status. Results: Baseline mean (SD) systolic blood pressure was 137.1 mmHg (17.4); in participants with and without type 2 diabetes 139.2 mmHg (17.3) and 132.6 mmHg (16.7), respectively. By week 2, dapagliflozin compared to placebo reduced systolic blood pressure by 3.6 mmHg (95%CI 2.8, 4.4; p\u3c0.001), an effect maintained over the duration of the trial, with similar reductions in patients with and without type 2 diabetes (Table). The reduction in systolic blood pressure with dapagliflozin explained 7.6% (95%CI 1.8, 20.9) of the effect on the primary composite outcome, with similar proportions explained in patients with and without type 2 diabetes. Conclusions: In participants with CKD, dapagliflozin lowered systolic blood pressure with a consistent effect in participants with and without type 2 diabetes. The modest reduction in blood pressure explained a small proportion of the benefit of dapagliflozin on the primary outcome. Conflict of interest Potential conflict of interest: HLH received grant funding and honoraria for consultancy as a member of the steering committee of the DAPA-CKD trial from AstraZeneca. Honoraria for steering committee membership paid to his institution from Janssen, Gilead, Bayer, Chinook, CSL Pharma honoraria for consultancy paid to his institution from Abbvie, Boehringer Ingleheim, Retrophin, Novo Nordisk honoraria for advisory board participation paid to his institution from Janssen, Merck, Mitsubishi Tanabe and Munipharma lecture fees received from AstraZeneca and Mitsubishi Tanabe and grant support received from Boehringer Ingelheim

Circulating matrix metalloproteinases are associated with arterial stiffness in patients with type 1 diabetes: pooled analysis of three cohort studies

BACKGROUND: Altered regulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) composition by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMPs) may contribute to arterial stiffening. We investigated associations between circulating MMP-1, -2, -3, -9, -10 and TIMP-1, and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and pulse pressure (PP), as markers of arterial stiffness in type 1 diabetic patients. METHODS: Individuals with type 1 diabetes from three different cohorts were included in this study: EURODIAB Prospective Complications study (n = 509), LEACE (n = 370) and PROFIL (n = 638). Linear regression analyses were used to investigate cross-sectional associations between circulating levels of MMP-1, -2, -3, -9, -10, and TIMP-1 and cfPWV (n = 614) as well as office PP (n = 1517). Data on 24-h brachial and 24-h central PP were available in 638 individuals from PROFIL. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, duration of diabetes, HbA1c, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and eGFR, and additionally for other cardiovascular risk factors and presence of vascular complications. RESULTS: After adjustment for potential confounders and presence of vascular complications, circulating MMP-3 was associated with cfPWV [β per 1 SD higher lnMMP3 0.29 m/s (0.02; 0.55)]. In addition, brachial and central 24-h PP measurements in PROFIL were significantly associated with MMP-2 [(1.40 (0.47:2.33) and 1.43 (0.63:2.23)]. Pooled data analysis showed significant associations of circulating levels of MMP-1 and MMP-2 with office PP [β per 1 SD higher lnMMP-1 and lnMMP-2 = − 0.83 mmHg (95% CI − 1.50; − 0.16) and = 1.33 mmHg (0.55; 2.10), respectively]. CONCLUSIONS: MMPs-1, -2, and -3 are independently associated with markers of arterial stiffening in patients with type 1 diabetes and may become therapeutic targets