La guerra y la paz en la política y en el pensamiento de los bizantinos

El Estado bizantino heredó el legado político y el territorio de Roma e invirtió toda la fuerza de la que fue capaz en salvaguardarlo a cualquier precio. Sin embargo, el gobierno bizantino siempre fue consciente de que la guerra era la peor opción para relacionarse con los enemigos. La paz, generalmente «comprada» con pagos al contado o de otro tipo, ofrecimientos territoriales u honoríficos a los adversarios, tuvo ciertamente su coste, tanto financiero como político. Pero se consideró como la mejor opción. Ya que la guerra era la ultima ratio.The Byzantine state inherited Rome’s political legacy and territory and invested all its available strength in safeguarding it at any cost. However the Byzantine government was always aware that the war was the absolutely worse option in dealing with enemies. Peace, usually «bought» with cash payments or other, territorial or honorary offers to the adversaries had of course also its cost, both financial and political. But it was seen as the better option. Thus the war was the ultima rati

Intestinal Microbiota in Colorectal Cancer Surgery

The intestinal microbiota consists of numerous microbial species that collectively interact with the host, playing a crucial role in health and disease. Colorectal cancer is well-known to be related to dysbiotic alterations in intestinal microbiota. It is evident that the microbiota is significantly affected by colorectal surgery in combination with the various perioperative interventions, mainly mechanical bowel preparation and antibiotic prophylaxis. The altered postoperative composition of intestinal microbiota could lead to an enhanced virulence, proliferation of pathogens, and diminishment of beneficial microorganisms resulting in severe complications including anastomotic leakage and surgical site infections. Moreover, the intestinal microbiota could be utilized as a possible biomarker in predicting long-term outcomes after surgical CRC treatment. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of these interactions will further support the establishment of genomic mapping of intestinal microbiota in the management of patients undergoing CRC surgery