Digital play and the actualisation of the consumer imagination

In this article, the authors consider emerging consumer practices in digital virtual spaces. Building on constructions of consumer behavior as both a sense-making activity and a resource for the construction of daydreams, as well as anthropological readings of performance, the authors speculate that many performances during digital play are products of consumer fantasy. The authors develop an interpretation of the relationship between the real and the virtual that is better equipped to understand the movement between consumer daydreams and those practices actualized in the material and now also in digital virtual reality. The authors argue that digital virtual performances present opportunities for liminoid transformations through inversions, speculations, and playfulness acted out in aesthetic dramas. To illustrate, the authors consider specific examples of the theatrical productions available to consumers in digital spaces, highlighting the consumer imagination that feeds them, the performances they produce, and the potential for transformation in consumer-players

Inhibitory Effects of Prior Low-dose X-irradiation on Ischemia-reperfusion Injury in Mouse Paw

We have reported that low-dose, unlike high-dose, irradiation enhanced antioxidation function and reduced oxidative damage. On the other hand, ischemia-reperfusion injury is induced by reactive oxygen species. In this study, we examined the inhibitory effects of prior low-dose X-irradiation on ischemia-reperfusion injury in mouse paw. BALB/c mice were irradiated by sham or 0.5 Gy of X-ray. At 4 hrs after irradiation, the left hind leg was bound 10 times with a rubber ring for 0.5, 1, or 2 hrs and the paw thickness was measured. Results show that the paw swelling thickness by ischemia for 0.5 hr was lower than that for 2 hrs. At 1 hr after reperfusion from ischemia for 1 hr, superoxide dismutase activity in serum was increased in those mice which received 0.5 Gy irradiation and in the case of the ischemia for 0.5 or 1 hr, the paw swelling thicknesses were inhibited by 0.5 Gy irradiation. In addition, interstitial edema in those mice which received 0.5 Gy irradiation was less than that in the mice which underwent by sham irradiation. These findings suggest that the ischemia-reperfusion injury is inhibited by the enhancement of antioxidation function by 0.5 Gy irradiation

Management of chronic viral hepatitis in patients with thalassemia: recommendations from an international panel.

Chelation therapy with new drugs prevents cardiac damage and improves the survival of thalassemia patients. Liver diseases have emerged as a critical clinical issue. Chronic liver diseases play an important role in the prognosis of thalassemia patients because of the high frequency of viral infections and important role of the liver in regulating iron metabolism. Accurate assessment of liver iron overload is required to tailor iron chelation therapy. The diagnosis of hepatitis B virus- or hepatitis C virus- related chronic hepatitis is required to detect patients who have a high risk of developing liver complications and who may benefit by antiviral therapy. Moreover, clinical management of chronic liver disease in thalassemia patients is a team management issue requiring a multidisciplinary approach. The purposes of this paper are to summarize the knowledge on the epidemiology and the risks of transmission of viral infections, to analyze invasive and noninvasive methods for the diagnosis of chronic liver disease, to report the knowledge on clinical course of chronic viral hepatitis, and to suggest the management of antiviral therapy in thalassemia patients with chronic hepatitis B or C virus or cirrhosis