Poder, religião e relações de gênero na Antiguidade e no Medievo

A publicação do Dossiê “Poder, religião e relações de gênero na Antiguidade e no Medievo” acompanha o renovado e crescente interesse dos graduandos brasileiros por essas duas áreas de estudo da História. Por um lado, houve, nos últimos anos, uma verdadeira investida da indústria do entretenimento (Netflix, The History Channel etc.) na produção de conteúdos que recriam o imaginário coletivo a respeito dessas duas temporalidades. Por outro, observamos uma efetiva e consistente reavaliação minuciosa e questionadora por parte dos especialistas acerca dos paradigmas teóricos e interpretativos que orientam nossa compreensão das sociedades do mundo antigo e do medieval. Os autores dos artigos reunidos neste volume aceitaram o desafio de produzir instrumentos de reflexão histórico-crítica em meio ao desdobramentos complexos dessas alterações epistemológicas em contexto pós-moderno. Cumpre salientar que tais trabalhos são a formalização do profícuo debate ocorrido no âmbito da IV Jornada de História Antiga e IX Jornada de Estudos Medievais da UNIRIO, dos quais participaram em torno de vinte e cinco graduandos. Incentivamos aqueles cujas comunicações mais se destacaram a submeter seus textos ao Conselho Editorial.O Dossiê se inicia com o artigo de Heitor Rubens Saldanha Machado sobre a experiência da formação da Liga Acadêmica de Estudantes de Graduação em História Antiga. O autor nos apresenta as atividades, estrutura e vínculo da LAEGHA com a sociedade e faz um balanço promissor do resultado de seus primeiros projetos. Em seguida, Marco Antônio da Silva Júnior e Mariana da Rosa Medeiros discutem, nos seus respectivos textos, o engendramento de formas de identidade e relações de poder a partir da materialização de duas práticas rituais estruturantes da cultura romana antiga, o rito funerário e a instituição do banquete. Nos dois artigos que encerram a primeira parte do Dossiê, dedicado à História Antiga, Patricia Cristine Alves Veras e Mariana de Azevedo Santana Gomes interrogam as construções de gênero subjacentes às representações acerca do comportamento de duas figuras femininas centrais da narrativa histórico-mítica romana, Túlia e Lucrécia, que irrompem justamente em momentos decisivos de alteração de regimes políticos. O artigo de Lucas Gesta inaugura a segunda parte do Dossiê, que reúne trabalhos voltados para a Idade Média. O autor investiga a interessante mas pouco explorada faceta oriental da religiosidade cristã medieval por meio da figura do bispo Jacob Baradeus. Na mesma linha, temos o texto de Vanessa das Neves Bezerra, que traz mais um aspecto do cristianismo oriental ao discorrer sobre a imagem da Virgem Maria e seu uso pela Igreja Ortodoxa Bizantina. No que tange o Ocidente medieval, há o trabalho de Fernando Musso, que aborda a visão de Tomás de Aquino sobre a guerra a partir da análise de trechos da Suma Teológica, buscando discutir as contribuições do teólogo e filósofo cristão para a reflexão sobre a atividade militar no medievo e além. Caio Schechner finaliza o Dossiê com um artigo que contesta a interpretação vigente de Dom Quixote como ruptura com a forma de se representar a Cavalaria até então. Para tanto, o autor compreende a obra-prima de Cervantes como um fenômeno da chamada “Longa Idade Média”

A Novel TCR Transgenic Model Reveals That Negative Selection Involves an Immediate, Bim-Dependent Pathway and a Delayed, Bim-Independent Pathway

A complete understanding of negative selection has been elusive due to the rapid apoptosis and clearance of thymocytes in vivo. We report a TCR transgenic model in which expression of the TCR during differentiation occurs only after V(D)J-like recombination. TCR expression from this transgene closely mimics expression of the endogenous TCRα locus allowing for development that is similar to wild type thymocytes. This model allowed us to characterize the phenotypic changes that occurred after TCR-mediated signaling in self-reactive thymocytes prior to their deletion in a highly physiological setting. Self-reactive thymocytes were identified as being immature, activated and CD4loCD8lo. These cells had upregulated markers of negative selection and were apoptotic. Elimination of Bim reduced the apoptosis of self-reactive thymocytes, but it did not rescue their differentiation and the cells remained at the immature CD4loCD8lo stage of development. These cells upregulate Nur77 and do not contribute to the peripheral T cell repertoire in vivo. Remarkably, development past the CD4loCD8lo stage was possible once the cells were removed from the negatively selecting thymic environment. In vitro development of these cells occurred despite their maintenance of high intracellular levels of Nur77. Therefore, in vivo, negatively selected Bim-deficient thymocytes are eliminated after prolonged developmental arrest via a Bim-independent pathway that is dependent on the thymic microenvironment. These data newly reveal a layering of immediate, Bim-dependent, and delayed Bim-independent pathways that both contribute to elimination of self-reactive thymocytes in vivo

Abnormal plasticity of sensorimotor circuits extends beyond the affected body part in focal dystonia

Objective: To test whether abnormal sensorimotor plasticity in focal hand dystonia is a primary abnormality or is merely a consequence of the dystonic posture. Methods: This study used the paired associative stimulation (PAS) paradigm, an experimental intervention, capable of producing long term potentiation (LTP) like changes in the sensorimotor system in humans. PAS involves transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with median nerve stimulation. 10 patients with cranial and cervical dystonia, who showed no dystonic symptoms in the hand, and nine patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS), a non-dystonic condition, were compared with 10 healthy age matched controls. Motor evoked potential amplitudes and cortical silent period (CSP) duration were measured at baseline before PAS and for up to 60 min (T0, T30 and T60) after PAS in the abductor pollicis brevis and the first dorsal interosseus muscles. Results: Patients with dystonia showed a stronger increase in corticospinal excitability than healthy controls and patients with HFS. In addition, patients with dystonia showed a loss of topographical specificity of PAS induced effects, with a facilitation in both the median and ulnar innervated muscles. While PAS conditioning led to a prolonged CSP in healthy controls and patients with HFS, it had no effect on the duration of the CSP in patients with cranial and cervical dystonia. Conclusion: The data suggests that excessive motor cortex plasticity is not restricted to the circuits clinically affected by dystonia but generalises across the entire sensorimotor system, possibly representing an endophenotypic trait of the disease

Homeostatic-like plasticity of the primary motor hand area is impaired in focal hand dystonia

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Mid-term psychiatric consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic: a 4 months observational study on emergency room admissions for psychiatric evaluation after the (first) lockdown period in Italy

Purpose: The aim of our study is to evaluate the number and the features of admissions to the emergency room (ER) requiring psychiatric consultation, in the period between May 4th and August 31st 2020. Methods: We carried out a retrospective longitudinal observational study examining the 4 months following the initial lockdown imposed during the COVID-19 outbreak (May 4th and August 31st 2020). More specifically, the ER admissions leading to psychiatric referral were reviewed at all seven public hospitals of AUSL Romagna (Emilia Romagna region, Italy). Socio-demographic variables, history of medical comorbidities or psychiatric disorders, reason for ER admission, psychiatric diagnosis at discharge, and actions taken by the psychiatrist were collected. Results: An 11.3% (p = 0.007) increase in psychiatric assessments was observed when compared with the same period of the previous year (2019). A positive personal history of psychiatric disorders (OR:0.68, CI: 0.53–0.87) and assessments leading to no indication for follow-up (OR: 0.22, CI: 0.13–0.39) were significantly less frequent, while there was a significant increase of cases featuring organic comorbidities (OR: 1.24, CI: 1.00–1.52) and suicidal ideation/self-harm/suicide attempt (OR: 1,71, CI: 1.19–2.45) or psychomotor agitation (OR: 1.46, CI: 1.02–2.07) as reason for admission. Conclusions: Our results showed an increase in ER psychiatric consultations compared to the previous year, underlying the increased psychological distress caused by the lockdown