Tavshed og tale i krig og fred: Om torturofre og vold mod kvinder

Artiklen omhandler forholdet mellem tale om statens vold på den ene side og tavshed om vold mod kvinder i familien på den anden. Den stiller spørgsmålene: Er der former for statslig vold, der ikke omtales, og er det i visse tilfælde muligt at tale åbent om vold i familien? Artiklen diskuterer desuden, hvilke muligheder og begrænsninger henholdsvis tavshed og tale giver kvinder og mænd for at bryde med volden og udfordre udøverne af den. Diskussionen tager udgangspunkt i fire irakiske kvinder bosat i Danmark. Alle fire er eller har været gift med irakiske mænd, der har været udsat for tortur i Irak under Baath-styrets regering, og alle fire kvinder er eller har været udsat for vold fra deres mænd. De har altså erfaring med både statens vold og med den private vold i hjemmet. Artiklen konkluderer, at den vold, der finder sted i hjemmet, som regel ikke udtrykkes eksplicit, mens erfaringer med statens vold formidles i mange sociale sammenhænge. Det kan dog ske, at private og kønnede erfaringer med statens vold forties. Det kan også ske, at vold i hjemmet omtales åbent, hvis volden beskrives som et afledt resultat af statens vold med henvisning til, at manden udøver vold som følge af sine traumer fra tortur. Hvordan ofre for vold får stemme, har konsekvenser for deres handlemuligheder og for, hvordan man kan tænke løsninger og veje ud af volden. Søgeord: tavshed, italesættelse, torturofre, vold mod kvinder, Irak, køn This article addresses the relationship between talking about state violence on the one hand and the silencing of domestic violence against women on the other hand. It asks the questions: What kinds of state violence are not talked about, and is it in some cases possible to talk openly about domestic violence? The article also discusses the opportunities and constraints of silence and speech that allow women and men to break the violence and challenge perpetrators. The discussion is based on fieldwork among and interviews with four Iraqi women living in Denmark. The four women are married to or have been married to Iraqi men who have been tortured in Iraq under the Baath regime, and the women are being or have been abused by their husbands. Therefore they have experienced both state violence and domestic violence. The article concludes that the violence that takes place in the home is usually not expressed explicitly, while the experience of state violence is communicated in many social contexts. Private and gendered experiences of state violence may be silenced. It may also be the case that domestic violence is referred to openly in cases where a man’s violence is described as being a result of state violence because trauma resulting from torture makes the victim commit violence himself. The way victims of violence gain voice has implications for possible action and how to think about ways out of violence.Keywords: Silence, speech, torture, violence against women, Iraq, gender

The comparison of latero-medial versus dorso-palmar/plantar drilling for cartilage removal in the proximal interphalangeal joint

The aims of the present study were to compare the percentages of articular cartilage removed using a lateral drilling approach of the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) and a dorsal drilling approach, and to assess the usefulness of digital fluoroscopy when performing a lateral drilling approach. Sixty cadaveric PIPJs were drilled using a surgical drill bit to remove the articular cartilage. The limbs were divided into three groups containing 10 forelimbs and 10 hindlimbs each. One group received the dorsal drilling approach, the second one received the lateral drilling approach and the last one received the lateral drilling approach under digital fluoroscopy guidance. The percentage of articular cartilage removed from each articular surface was assessed using Adobe Photoshop® software. The percentages of removed cartilage turned out to be significantly higher with lateral approach, especially under fluoroscopic guidance, both in the forelimbs (p = 0.00712) and hindlimbs (p = 0.00962). In conclusion, the lateral drilling approach seems to be a minimally invasive technique with which to perform PIPJ arthrodesis, even more efficient than the previously reported dorsal approach

Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1) Uracil-DNA Glycosylase: Functional Expression in Escherichia coli, Biochemical Characterization, and Selective Inhibition by 6-(p-n-Octylanilino)Uracil

AbstractThe Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG) is encoded by the UL2 gene. The translation from the first putative start codon of UL2 predicts a polypeptide of 334 residues, while the translation from the second start codon predicts a polypeptide of 244 residues. We have cloned and expressed the two forms of UDG, by means of the prokaryotic expression vector pMAL-c2, and both of them were enzymatically active. Furthermore, the enzymatic properties of the recombinant UDGs and of the enzyme purified from HSV-1-infected cells were similar. The two UDG polypeptides have molecular weights of 27 and 37 kDa, respectively. The 37-kDa form of recombinant UDG is consistent with the reported molecular mass of 37 kDa for the enzyme purified from HSV-1-infected cells. Both recombinant UDGs were as sensitive as UDG purified from HSV-1-infected cells to 6-(p-n-octylanilino)uracil, the most potent of a series of uracil analogs that inhibit the viral enzyme

Efficacy and safety of nimodipine in subcortical vascular dementia : A randomized placebo-controlled trial

Background and Purpose-Evidence of drug efficacy in vascular dementia (VaD) is scanty. Therapeutic trials should address VaD subtypes. We studied the efficacy and safety of the calcium antagonist nimodipine in subcortical VaD. Methods-242 patients defined as affected by subcortical VaD based on clinical (ICD-10) and computed tomography criteria were randomized to oral nimodipine 90 mg/d or placebo. Results-230 patients (121 nimodipine, mean age 75.2\uc2\ub16.1; 109 placebo, 75.4\uc2\ub16.0) were valid for the intention-to-treat analysis. At 52 weeks, the Sandoz Clinical Assessment Geriatric scale 5-point variation (primary outcome measure) did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. However, patients on nimodipine performed better than placebo patients in lexical production (P<0.01) and less frequently showed deterioration (3 or more point-drop versus baseline) on a Mini-Mental State Examination (28.1% versus 50.5%; \ucf\u872 P<0.01) and Global Deterioration Scale (P<0.05). Dropouts and adverse events were all significantly more common among placebo than nimodipine patients, particularly cardiovascular (30 versus 13; RR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.11 to 4.60) and cerebrovascular events (28 versus 10; RR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.23 to 4.98), and behavioral disturbances requiring intervention (22 versus 5; RR, 3.88; 95% CI, 1.49 to 10.12). A worst-rank analysis, performed to correct for the effect of the high dropout rate in the placebo group, showed additional significant differences in favor of nimodipine in Set Test and MMSE total scores. Conclusions-Nimodipine may be of some benefit in subcortical VaD. Confirming previous results, the safety analysis of this study shows that in this high-risk population, nimodipine might protect against cardiovascular comorbidities

Telomere disruption results in non-random formation of de novo dicentric chromosomes involving acrocentric human chromosomes

Copyright: © 2010 Stimpson et al.Genome rearrangement often produces chromosomes with two centromeres (dicentrics) that are inherently unstable because of bridge formation and breakage during cell division. However, mammalian dicentrics, and particularly those in humans, can be quite stable, usually because one centromere is functionally silenced. Molecular mechanisms of centromere inactivation are poorly understood since there are few systems to experimentally create dicentric human chromosomes. Here, we describe a human cell culture model that enriches for de novo dicentrics. We demonstrate that transient disruption of human telomere structure non-randomly produces dicentric fusions involving acrocentric chromosomes. The induced dicentrics vary in structure near fusion breakpoints and like naturally-occurring dicentrics, exhibit various inter-centromeric distances. Many functional dicentrics persist for months after formation. Even those with distantly spaced centromeres remain functionally dicentric for 20 cell generations. Other dicentrics within the population reflect centromere inactivation. In some cases, centromere inactivation occurs by an apparently epigenetic mechanism. In other dicentrics, the size of the alpha-satellite DNA array associated with CENP-A is reduced compared to the same array before dicentric formation. Extrachromosomal fragments that contained CENP-A often appear in the same cells as dicentrics. Some of these fragments are derived from the same alpha-satellite DNA array as inactivated centromeres. Our results indicate that dicentric human chromosomes undergo alternative fates after formation. Many retain two active centromeres and are stable through multiple cell divisions. Others undergo centromere inactivation. This event occurs within a broad temporal window and can involve deletion of chromatin that marks the locus as a site for CENP-A maintenance/replenishment.This work was supported by the Tumorzentrum Heidelberg/Mannheim grant (D.10026941)and by March of Dimes Research Foundation grant #1-FY06-377 and NIH R01 GM069514

Galloylquinic acid derivatives from Byrsonima fagifolia leaf extract and potential antifungal activity.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Byrsonima fagifolia Niedenzu (Malpighiaceae) and other Byrsonima species are popularly employed in Brazilian traditional medicine in the form of preparations as cicatrizing, antiinflammatory, and antimicrobial. Aim of the study: To characterize the phytochemical profile of the hydromethanolic extract obtained from B. fagifolia leaves (BF extract) and to evaluate the toxicity and the antifungal activity. based on extensive analyses of 1D and 2D NMR spectra (HMQC, HMBC and COSY) data. The antifungal effect was determined by the broth microdilution method and the toxicity was evaluated on erythrocytes from sheep?s blood and Galleria mellonella larvae. Results: Phytochemical investigation of the BF extract led to the isolation and characterization of pyrogallol, nbutyl gallate, 3,4-di-O-galloylquinic acid, 3,5-di-O-galloylquinic acid, 3,4,5-tri-O-galloylquinic acid, and 1,3,4,5-tetra-O-galloylquinic acid. The BF extract showed high content of galloylquinic acid derivatives reaching more than twenty-times the quercetin derivatives content, according to the quantification by HPLC. These galloylquinic acid derivatives, obtained during this study, and quercetin derivatives, previously isolated, were submitted to the antifungal assays. The BF extract inhibited yeast growth mainly against Cryptococcus spp., at concentrations of 1?16 ?g/mL, comparable to isolated compounds galloylquinic acid derivatives. However, the quercetin derivatives as well as quinic acid, gallic acid, and methyl gallate showed lower antifungal effect compared with galloylquinic derivatives. In addition, the BF extract had no hemolytic effect and no toxicity on G. mellonella

Paracoccidioides brasilinsis-Induced Migration of Dendritic Cells and Subsequent T-Cell Activation in the Lung-Draining Lymph Nodes

Paracoccidioidomycosis is a mycotic disease caused by a dimorphic fungus, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (Pb), that starts with inhalation of the fungus; thus, lung cells such as DC are part of the first line of defense against this microorganism. Migration of DC to the lymph nodes is the first step in initiating T cell responses. The mechanisms involved in resistance to Pb infection are poorly understood, but it is likely that DC play a pivotal role in the induction of effector T cells that control Pb infection. In this study, we showed that after Pb Infection, an important modification of lung DC receptor expression occurred. We observed an increased expression of CCR7 and CD103 on lung DC after infection, as well as MHC-II. After Pb infection, bone marrow-derived DC as well lung DC, migrate to lymph nodes. Migration of lung DC could represent an important mechanism of pathogenesis during PCM infection. In resume our data showed that Pb induced DC migration. Furthermore, we demonstrated that bone marrow-derived DC stimulated by Pb migrate to the lymph nodes and activate a T helper (Th) response. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported data showing that Pb induces migration of DC and activate a T helper (Th) response