Being immortal: How to use free time in the search for survival

Los valores que promueven la salud física, la exaltación de la belleza y la conservación del cuerpo en su fuerza juvenil están cristalizándose cada vez más en la sociedad moderna. El cuidado del cuerpo, considerado como una carcasa necesaria para asegurar la supervivencia de nuestra identidad, se ha convertido en una búsqueda obsesiva que compromete la mayor parte de nuestra existencia. La intención de este trabajo es poner de relieve cómo el culto a la juventud, al cuerpo perfecto y a la educación sobre una nutrición adecuada, junto con el notable progreso de las ciencias biotecnológicas, se han convertido en hábitos diarios que requieren la mayor parte de nuestro tiempo libre y contribuyen a la alteración de la imagen del cuerpo considerado como el punto de apoyo de la existencia de la identidadThe values of promotion of physical well-being, of the exaltation of beauty and of the preservation of the body in its juvenile strength are increasingly crystallizing I n this modern society. The attention towards the care of the body, considered as a necessary shell to insure the survival of our identity, has become a truly obsessive search that engages much of our existence. The intention of this essay is to highlight how the cult of youth, of the perfect physical shape and of the appropriate nutritional education, together with the impressive progresses of biotechnological sciences, has become habits requiring much of our free time and contributing to the alteration of the image of the body, that is considered as the fulcrum of the identity-making existenc

Il paradiso può attendere: strategie dell'immortalità e società contemporanea

L’atteggiamento di fronte alla morte, nella storia della civiltà occidentale, ha subito un’evoluzione profonda. Ripercorrendo e analizzando le trasformazioni dei comportamenti individuali e collettivi di fronte alla finitudine della vita umana, intendo focalizzare il mio interesse sul modo in cui il mutare della consapevolezza di tale evento costringe le istituzioni a legittimare la propria presenza e ad elaborare strategie d’immortalità sempre diverse. Utilizzando un approccio teorico che deriva dalla sociologia della conoscenza di matrice fenomenologica, il mio scopo è, in una prima fase, fornire un’analisi socio-storica del fenomeno e, in un secondo momento, focalizzarmi sulle modalità attraverso le quali la società contemporanea affronta tale questione

Ser inmortales. Cómo emplear el tiempo libre en busca de la supervivencia / Being Immortal. How to Use Free Time in the Search for Survival

Los valores que promueven la salud física, la exaltación de la belleza y la conservación del cuerpo en su fuerza juvenil están cristalizándose cada vez más en la sociedad moderna. El cuidado del cuerpo, considerado como una carcasa necesaria para asegurar la supervivencia de nuestra identidad, se ha convertido en una búsqueda obsesiva que compromete la mayor parte de nuestra existencia. La intención de este trabajo es poner de relieve cómo el culto a la juventud, al cuerpo perfecto y a la educación sobre una nutrición adecuada, junto con el notable progreso de las ciencias biotecnológicas, se han convertido en hábitos diarios que requieren la mayor parte de nuestro tiempo libre y contribuyen a la alteración de la imagen del cuerpo considerado como el punto de apoyo de la existencia de la identidad.Palabras clave: cuerpo, sport, juventud, tecnologías, inmortalidad, identidad.Abstract:The values of promotion of physical well-being, of the exaltation of beauty and of the preservation of the body in its juvenile strength are increasingly crystallizing I n this modern society. The attention towards the care of the body, considered as a necessary shell to insure the survival of our identity, has become a truly obsessive search that engages much of our existence. The intention of this essay is to highlight how the cult of youth, of the perfect physical shape and of the appropriate nutritional education, together with the impressive progresses of biotechnological sciences, has become habits requiring much of our free time and contributing to the alteration of the image of the body, that is considered as the fulcrum of the identity-making existence.Keywords: body, sport, youth, technologies, immortality, identity.</p

Is telephone follow-up really effective in early diagnosis of inflammatory complications after tooth extraction?

To establish whether telephone follow-up is really able to intercept post-extraction complications and to evaluate the degree of patient satisfaction with this kind of post-surgical monitoring. Six hundred and thirty-eight patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to a test or control group. Test group patients were monitored by telephone follow-up 24 and 72 hours after surgery to investigate the presence of local symptoms that are frequently associated with surgical wound infection and inflammation. Both test and control group patients were examined 7 days at suture removal. Patients with systemic diseases, those in which intra-operative accidents occurred during surgery and those for whom extraction suture was not required, were excluded. At least one complication among alveolar osteitis, alveolar inflammation, alveolar infection and dehiscence involved 15.70% of the patients in the test group and 30.70% of the patients in the control group and telephone follow-up proved to be useful in early identification of anomalies in the post-extraction wound healing process. Comparable results were recorded in all extraction subgroups divided according to the type (surgical and non-surgical) and the number (single and multiple) of extractions performed in the same session. Telephone follow-up showed an 8.60 ± 1.17 (0 to 10 score scale) average acceptance. All cases of alveolar osteitis and infection occurred in patients who underwent antibiotic prophylaxis. Telephone follow-up seems to allow early detection of any possible wound healing complications, it is widely accepted by patients and it could therefore be considered a valid method for wound healing monitoring after tooth extractions, due to its effectiveness, feasibility and low costs

Cancer patients requiring interruption of long-term warfarin because of surgery or chemotherapy induced thrombocytopenia: the use of fixed sub-therapeutic doses of low-molecular weight heparin.

No data are available regarding the management of cancer patients requiring interruption of long-term vitamin-K antagonist (VKA) therapy. For this purpose, we tested the efficacy and safety of fixed doses of low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in substitution of VKA because of invasive procedures or chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia. In cancer patients on VKA, therapy was discontinued 5 ± 1 days before surgery or chemotherapy. Heparin was given at prophylactic dosage in patients at low risk and at fixed subtherapeutic doses (3,800 or 4,000 UI anti-FXa, b.i.d.) in those at high-risk for thrombosis. LMWH was reinitiated 12 hr after surgery and VKA the day after. In patients receiving chemotherapy, LMWH was reinitiated 12/24 hr after obtaining a stable platelet count ≥ 30,000 mmc(3) and VKA after a stable platelet count ≥ 50,000 mmc(3) . Thromboembolism and major bleeding events were recorded from the time of VKA suspension to 30 ± 2 days postprocedure or until the next chemotherapy. Overall, 156 patients (56.4% at low risk and 43.5% at high risk for thrombosis) were enrolled; 34.6% underwent major surgery, 40.4% nonmajor surgery, and 25% chemotherapy. Thrombotic events occurred in five patients [3.2%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.41-7.27], four belonging to the high-risk and one to the low-risk group. Major bleeding occurred in five patients (3.2%, 95 CI: 1.41-7.27), all belonging to the high-risk group (three during major surgery and two during chemotherapy). In conclusion, LMWH given at fixed subtherapeutic is a feasible and relatively safe approach for bridging therapy in cancer patients on long-term VK

What Are the Effects of Vitamin A Oral Supplementation in the Prevention and Management of Viral Infections? A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials

Vitamin A (VA) deficiency is associated with increased host susceptibility to infections, but evidence on its role in the prevention and management of viral infections is still lacking. This review aimed at summarizing the effects of VA supplementation against viral infections to support clinicians in evaluating supplemental treatments. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched. Randomized clinical trials comparing the direct effects of VA oral supplementation in any form vs. placebo or standard of care in the prevention and/or management of confirmed viral infections in people of any age were included. A narrative synthesis of the results was performed. The revised Cochrane Risk-Of-Bias tool was used to assess quality. Overall, 40 articles of heterogeneous quality were included. We found data on infections sustained by Retroviridae (n = 17), Caliciviradae (n = 2), Flaviviridae (n = 1), Papillomaviridae (n = 3), Pneumoviridae (n = 4), and Paramyxoviridae (n = 13). Studies were published between 1987 and 2017 and mostly conducted in Africa. The findings were heterogeneous across and within viral families regarding virological, immunological, and biological response, and no meaningful results were found in the prevention of viral infections. For a few diseases, VA-supplemented individuals had a better prognosis and improved outcomes, including clearance of HPV lesions or reduction in some measles-related complications. The effects of VA oral supplementation seem encouraging in relation to the management of a few viral infections. Difference in populations considered, variety in recruitment and treatment protocols might explain the heterogeneity of the results. Further investigations are needed to better identify the benefits of VA administration

Inhibition of HSP70 expression by calcium ionophore A23187 in human cells. An effect independent of the acquisition of DNA-binding activity by the heat shock transcription factor

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are induced in mammalian cells in a variety of pathophysiological states and have an important role in cytoprotection in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we report that the calcium ionophore A23187, a glucose-regulated protein (GRP) inducer, dramatically inhibits HSP70 synthesis and HSP70 mRNA transcription after induction by heat shock, sodium arsenite, or prostaglandin A1 treatment in human K562 cells. A23187 does not suppress, and it actually prolongs, the DNA-binding activity of the human heat shock transcription factor (HSF), while it alters HSF1 phosphorylation in heat shock-treated cells. To inhibit HSP70 expression, A23187 needs to be present during heat shock, while treatment before or after heat shock does not affect HSP70 mRNA transcription. The GRP inducer thapsigargin, which specifically inhibits the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase, has no effect on heat-induced HSP70 synthesis, indicating that A23187 inhibitory activity is not due to depletion of intracellular calcium stores and is independent of the concomitant induction of GRP genes. Inhibition of HSP70 expression is correlated with alterations in HSF1 phosphorylation in heat-shocked cells, but not in sodium arsenite-treated cells, indicating that different mechanisms may be involved in mediating A23187 inhibitory activity

15-Deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 induces apoptosis in human malignant B cells: an effect associated with inhibition of NF-κB activity and down-regulation of antiapoptotic proteins

AbstractCyclopentenone prostaglandins are potent inhibitors of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), a transcription factor with a critical role in promoting inflammation and connected with multiple aspects of oncogenesis and cancer cell survival. In the present report, we investigated the role of NF-κB in the antineoplastic activity of the cyclopentenone prostaglandin 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-PGJ2 (15d-PGJ2) in multiple myeloma (MM) and Burkitt lymphoma (BL) cells expressing constitutively active NF-κB. 15d-PGJ2 was found to suppress constitutive NF-κB activity and potently induce apoptosis in both types of B-cell malignancies. 15d-PGJ2-induced apoptosis occurs through multiple caspase activation pathways involving caspase-8 and caspase-9, and is prevented by pretreatment with the pan-caspase inhibitor ZVAD (z-Val-Ala-Asp). NF-κB inhibition is accompanied by rapid down-regulation of NF-κB-dependent antiapoptotic gene products, including cellular inhibitor-of-apoptosis protein 1 (cIAP-1), cIAP-2, X-chromosome-linked inhibitor-of-apoptosis protein (XIAP), and FLICE-inhibitory protein (cFLIP). These effects were mimicked by the proteasome inhibitor MG-132, but not by the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) agonist troglitazone, suggesting that 15d-PGJ2-induced apoptosis is independent of PPAR-γ. Knockdown of the NF-κB p65-subunit by lentiviral-mediated shRNA interference also resulted in apoptosis induction in malignant B cells with constitutively active NF-κB. The results indicate that inhibition of NF-κB plays a major role in the proapoptotic activity of 15d-PGJ2 in aggressive B-cell malignancies characterized by aberrant regulation of NF-κB. (Blood. 2005;105:1750-1758

SNARC-like compatibility effects for physical and phenomenal magnitudes: A study on visual illusions

Both numerical and non-numerical magnitudes elicit similar Spatial-Numerical Association of Response Codes (SNARC) effects, with small magnitudes associated with left hand responses and large magnitudes associated with right hand responses (Dehaene, Bossini, Giraux, 1993). In the present study, we investigated whether the phenomenal size of visual illusions elicits the same SNARC-like effect revealed for the physical size of pictorial surfaces. Four experiments were conducted by using the Delboeuf illusion (Experiment 1) and the Kanizsa triangle illusion (Experiments 2, 3 & 4). Experiment 1 suggests the presence of a SNARC-like compatibility effect for the physical size of the inducers, while this effect was not revealed for the phenomenal size of the induced elements, possibly masked by a stronger effect of the inducers. A SNARC-like effect for the phenomenal size of the Kanizsa triangle was revealed when participants directly compared the size of the triangles (Experiment 4). Conversely, when participants performed an indirect task (orientation judgment), the SNARC-like effect was present neither for the illusory nor for the physical displays (Experiments 2 & 3). The effect revealed for the size of illusory triangles was comparable to that of real triangles with physical contours, suggesting that both phenomenal and physical magnitudes similarly elicit SNARC-like effects

KCa3.1 channel inhibition sensitizes malignant gliomas to temozolomide treatment

Malignant gliomas are among the most frequent and aggressive cerebral tumors, characterized by high proliferative and invasive indexes. Standard therapy for patients, after surgery and radiotherapy, consists of temozolomide (TMZ), a methylating agent that blocks tumor cell proliferation. Currently, there are no therapies aimed at reducing tumor cell invasion. Ion channels are candidate molecular targets involved in glioma cell migration and infiltration into the brain parenchyma. In this paper we demonstrate that: i) blockade of the calcium-activated potassium channel KCa3.1 with TRAM-34 has co-adjuvant effects with TMZ, reducing GL261 glioma cell migration, invasion and colony forming activity, increasing apoptosis, and forcing cells to pass the G2/M cell cycle phase, likely through cdc2 de-phosphorylation; ii) KCa3.1 silencing potentiates the inhibitory effect of TMZ on glioma cell viability; iii) the combination of TMZ/TRAM-34 attenuates the toxic effects of glioma conditioned medium on neuronal cultures, through a microglia dependent mechanism since the effect is abolished by clodronate-induced microglia killing; iv) TMZ/TRAM-34 co-treatment increases the number of apoptotic tumor cells, and the mean survival time in a syngeneic mouse glioma model (C57BL6 mice implanted with GL261 cells); v) TMZ/TRAM-34 co-treatment reduces cell viability of GBM cells and cancer stem cells (CSC) freshly isolated from patients.Taken together, these data suggest a new therapeutic approach for malignant glioma, targeting both glioma cell proliferating and migration, and demonstrate that TMZ/TRAM-34 co-treatment affects both glioma cells and infiltrating microglia, resulting in an overall reduction of tumor cell progression