Transcultural Perspective on Consciousness: A Bridge Between Anthropology, Medicine and Physics

  The Unesco Chair "Anthropology of Health, biosphere and Healing System" inside the University of Genoa (IT) is a unique experience inside the University of Genoa that stems from a cultural necessity to fill and a wealth of knowledge to preserve health, environment and treatment strategies considered strictly connected in modern medicine. This new, integrated approach contradicts and overcomes the traditional separation between humanities and scientific medicine and treatments. Health and approach to treatment strategies are not uniform around the worlds; the universal baseline is quality assurance of investigation in science The need to establish connections between Medicine, especially in the therapeutic aspect (healing), and all the information already obtained from the mind-matter phenomenology has led to much experimentation and theorizing in this border and transcultural area. The research group formed by anthropologist who have studied altered states of consciousness in different cultures, medical doctors, quantum physicists and molecular biologists will try to define a transcultural perspective on consciousness merging anthropology, medicine and physics.  In particular, the research field site is located in Mayantuyacu, a traditional healing center located in the Peruvian Amazon where the ancient art of ashanika healing is set. Mayantuyacu is situated on the bank of a river with thermal water at 100 ° flowing in the middle of the forest. Around the central Maloca, where is the common life, were built to accommodate malocas other people who come to Mayantuyacu to know and to seek treatment from knowing millennial ashanika and properties of thousands of plants including plants teacher. The following elements were firstly analyzed and considered the bridge from a traditional healing system to a new paradigm in medicine:                1. music called icaros,                2. master plants like ayahuasca involved during the healing ceremonies

Hydrometallurgical Molybdenum Recovery from Spent Catalyst Using Tartaric Acid Derived from Agrifood Waste

In this study, a green and sustainable hydrometallurgical process, based on soft acid derived from agrifood waste as a byproduct, is used to recover molybdenum from selective spent oxidation catalysts for formaldehyde production. Tartaric acid recovered from winery waste is used as a leaching and chelating agent. The spent catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The last term was also used to study the leaching efficiency. Under optimized conditions, a molybdenum recovery of 87.36% +/- 2.94 wt % was achieved: 1.3 M tartaric acid, 75 g/L solid-liquid ratio, and 60 min at 25 degrees C. Moreover, the leaching kinetics were also investigated using the shrinking core model, which is correlated to each step of the leaching process, including chemical reaction, product layer diffusion, and film diffusion control. The step that exhibits the best agreement with the experimental kinetic data is considered as the rate-controlling step. The proposed hydrometallurgical process was found to be simple, efficient, and environmentally friendly. Using agrifood wastes, it becomes possible to process industrial waste to recover and reintegrate expensive metals for an efficient circular economy

WILDFIRE PREVENTION IN NATURALISTIC AREAS: THE ROLE OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Negli ultimi dieci anni le regioni europee del bacino mediterraneo (Italia, Spagna, Portogallo, Francia e Grecia) hanno registrano una perdita media annua di circa 500000 ettari di territorio a causa degli incendi boschivi. Anche per le aree boscate della Sardegna il fenomeno degli incendi boschivi rappresenta una seria minaccia con importanti conseguenze non solo da un punto di vista ecologico, ma soprattutto per gli effetti sul sistema socioeconomico. Un elevato numero di ignizioni si verifica nelle aree a vegetazione erbacea che ricopre il cinquanta percento della superficie dell’isola. Fra queste, i pascoli e pascoli arborati, spesso adiacenti ad aree a macchia e ad aree a boschi di latifoglie, costituiscono una combinazione di biomasse combustibili vegetali le cui quantità possono avere degli effetti sul comportamento degli incendi, in particolare sulla propagazione verso le aree boscate adiacenti, caratterizzate spesso da rilevante interesse naturalistico. La protezione delle aree boschive rappresenta per la Regione Sardegna una delle priorità, anche al fine di una loro valorizzazione, funzionale all’ampliamento dell’offerta turistica sia attraverso l’allungamento della stagione turistica, sia attraverso l’ampliamento delle opportunità di fruizione dei beni naturali localizzati sia nelle aree costiere, sia soprattutto nelle aree interne. Gli obbiettivi principali del presente lavoro sono quelli di dimostrare come le moderne tecnologie basate sui sistemi informativi geografici siano un valido strumento per i) lo studio ed elaborazione di piani di prevenzione dagli incendi, finalizzati alla protezione di un’area a forte valenza naturalistica ubicata nel centro Sardegna, e ii) la valutazione dell’efficacia di pratiche silvo-pastorali nella riduzione del rischio di incendio e nella contemporanea promozione di uno sviluppo sostenibile del settore silvo-pastorale. Lo studio è stato condotto presso la foresta demaniale di Monte Pisanu, una delle principali aree boscate del centro Sardegna; all’interno di quest’area è presente la foresta di Sos Nibberos, recentemente dichiarata “monumento naturale” con un decreto della Regione Sardegna. Quest’area ha una estensione di 7 ettari ed è popolata da tassi millenari con fusto alto fino a 15 metri e diametro di 1 metro. Ampie aree forestali caratterizzate da coperture arboree non elevate sono destinate al pascolamento ovino e bovino controllato

Factor 11 single-nucleotide variants in women with heavy menstrual bleeding

In a previous study it was shown that lower factor XI (FXI) levels in women with heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB). Our aim was to determine the single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in the F11 gene in women with HMB. In addition, an extensive literature search was performed to determine the clinical significance of each SNV. Patients referred for HMB (PBAC-score >100) were included. With direct sequencing analysis of all 15 exons and flanking introns of the F11 gene, 29 different non-structural SNVs were detected in 49 patients with HMB. Interestingly, most of these SNVs have previously been associated with venous thrombosis instead of bleeding. These findings have not helped to elucidate the molecular basis of HMB. They also question the specificity of previously reported F11 variations in patients with thrombosis. More studies are needed to explain the lower FXI levels seen in patients with HMB

A first AFLP-based genetic linkage map for brine shrimp Artemia franciscana and its application in mapping the sex locus

We report on the construction of sex-specific linkage maps, the identification of sex-linked markers and the genome size estimation for the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana. Overall, from the analysis of 433 AFLP markers segregating in a 112 full-sib family we identified 21 male and 22 female linkage groups (2n = 42), covering 1,041 and 1,313 cM respectively. Fifteen putatively homologous linkage groups, including the sex linkage groups, were identified between the female and male linkage map. Eight sex-linked AFLP marker alleles were inherited from the female parent, supporting the hypothesis of a WZ-ZZ sex-determining system. The haploid Artemia genome size was estimated to 0.93 Gb by flow cytometry. The produced Artemia linkage maps provide the basis for further fine mapping and exploring of the sex-determining region and are a possible marker resource for mapping genomic loci underlying phenotypic differences among Artemia species

Outcomes associated with matching patients' treatment preferences to physicians' recommendations: study methodology

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients often express strong preferences for the forms of treatment available for their disease. Incorporating these preferences into the process of treatment decision-making might improve patients' adherence to treatment, contributing to better outcomes. We describe the methodology used in a study aiming to assess treatment outcomes when patients' preferences for treatment are closely matched to recommended treatments.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Participants included patients with moderate and severe psoriasis attending outpatient dermatology clinics at the University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany. A self-administered online survey used conjoint analysis to measure participants' preferences for psoriasis treatment options at the initial study visit. Physicians' treatment recommendations were abstracted from each participant's medical records. The Preference Matching Index (PMI), a measure of concordance between the participant's preferences for treatment and the physician's recommended treatment, was determined for each participant at t₁(initial study visit). A clinical outcome measure, the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, and two participant-derived outcomes assessing treatment satisfaction and health related quality of life were employed at t₁, t₂(twelve weeks post-t₁) and t₃(twelve weeks post-t₂). Change in outcomes was assessed using repeated measures analysis of variance. The association between participants' PMI scores at t₁and outcomes at t₂and t₃was evaluated using multivariate regressions analysis.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>We describe methods for capturing concordance between patients' treatment preferences and recommended treatment and for assessing its association with specific treatment outcomes. The methods are intended to promote the incorporation of patients' preferences in treatment decision-making, enhance treatment satisfaction, and improve treatment effectiveness through greater adherence.</p

Diagnostic accuracy of the primary care screener for affective disorder (PC-SAD) in primary care

Background: Depression goes often unrecognised and untreated in non-psychiatric medical settings. Screening has recently gained acceptance as a first step towards improving depression recognition and management. The Primary Care Screener for Affective Disorders (PC-SAD) is a self-administered questionnaire to screen for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Dysthymic Disorder (Dys) which has a sophisticated scoring algorithm that confers several advantages. This study tested its performance against a ‘gold standard’ diagnostic interview in primary care. Methods: A total of 416 adults attending 13 urban general internal medicine primary care practices completed the PC-SAD. Of 409 who returned a valid PC-SAD, all those scoring positive (N=151) and a random sample (N=106) of those scoring negative were selected for a 3-month telephone follow-up assessment including the administration of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) by a psychiatrist who was masked to PC-SAD results. Results: Most selected patients (N=212) took part in the follow-up assessment. After adjustment for partial verification bias the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value for MDD were 90%, 83%, 51%, and 98%. For Dys, the corresponding figures were 78%, 79%, 8%, and 88%. Conclusions: While some study limitations suggest caution in interpreting our results, this study corroborated the diagnostic validity of the PC-SAD, although the low PPV may limit its usefulness with regard to Dys. Given its good psychometric properties and the short average administration time, the PC-SAD might be the screening instrument of choice in settings where the technology for computer automated scoring is available

Maternal and perinatal outcomes of dengue in PortSudan, Eastern Sudan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>To investigate maternal and perinatal outcomes (maternal death, preterm delivery, low birth weight and perinatal mortality) of dengue at PortSudan and Elmawani hospitals in the eastern Sudan.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>This was a retrospective Cohort study where medical files of women with dengue were reviewed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 10820 deliveries and 78 (0.7%) pregnant women with confirmed dengue IgM serology at the mean (SD) gestational age of 29.4(8.2) weeks. While the majority of these women had dengue fever (46, 58.9%), hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome were the presentations in 18 (23.0%) and 12, (15.3%) of these women, respectively. There were 17(21.7%) maternal deaths. Fourteen (17.9%) of these 78 women had preterm deliveries and 19 (24.3%) neonates were admitted to neonatal intensive care unit. Nineteen (24.3%) women gave birth to low birth weight babies. There were seven (8.9%) perinatal deaths. Eight (10.2%) patients delivered by caesarean section due to various obstetrical indications.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Thus dengue has poor maternal and perinatal outcomes in this setting. Preventive measures against dengue should be employed in the region, and more research on dengue during pregnancy is needed.</p

Systematic monitoring of needs for care and global outcomes in patients with severe mental illness

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It was hypothesised that the introduction of tools that allow clinicians to assess patients' needs and to negotiate treatment (Cumulative Needs for Care Monitor; CNCM), would be associated with global outcome improvements in patients diagnosed with severe mental illness.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The CNCM was introduced in one region in South Limburg (the Netherlands) in 1998 (REGION-1998) and in the rest of South Limburg in 2004 (REGION-2004). By comparing these two regions, changes after the introduction of the CNCM could be assessed (between-region comparison). In addition, a pre-post within-patient comparison was conducted in both regions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The within-patient comparison revealed that global outcomes of psychopathology and impairment improved in the first 3-5 years after the introduction of the CNCM. The between-region comparison revealed an improvement in global psychopathology but not in global impairment in REGION-2004 after 2004, while there was no such improvement in REGION-1998.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Systematic clinical monitoring of individual severe mental illness patients, in combination with provision of feedback, is associated with global improvement in psychopathology. More research is needed to determine the degree to which this association reflects a causal effect.</p

Physics of Neutron Star Crusts

The physics of neutron star crusts is vast, involving many different research fields, from nuclear and condensed matter physics to general relativity. This review summarizes the progress, which has been achieved over the last few years, in modeling neutron star crusts, both at the microscopic and macroscopic levels. The confrontation of these theoretical models with observations is also briefly discussed.Comment: 182 pages, published version available at <http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2008-10