Uma abordagem neo-comunitária nos direitos humanos como um imperativo cosmopolita na Ásia Oriental

In my view, human rights must find an appropriate philosophical foundation/justification to be incorporated into non-Western societies and such a foundation/justification must be attractive and inspiring for ordinary citizens in those societies and be based on their own intellectual resources, including local languages. In contemporary Japan, ‘KEN RI (??)’ is considered as the Japanese term corresponding to human rights. However, Fukuzawa Yukichi, the most influential intellectual leader of the early Meiji period, introduced human rights as ‘KEN RI TSUU GI (????)’. The Chinese character ‘KEN (?)’, in the most fundamental text of Confucianism, the teachings of Confucius (551-479 B.C.), Analects, means being able to weigh occurring events and determine the application of principles to them. In the account of Tomonobu Imamichi, a Japanese philosopher, ‘GI (?)’, usually considered as justice, originally meant responsibility. Thus, ‘KEN RI TSUU GI (????)’ can be reinterpreted as being able to practically apply principles (?) to those events, while assuming responsibility (?) before Heaven and the community to which the person belongs. This view of humans as being embedded in communities and as centers of responsibility in the secular and transcendental dimensions is apparently different from the Western philosophical view of humans as rational beings with the capacity to act according to the universal law, but still defends human rights and the democratic development of society.Key words: human rights, philosophical foundation, Confucianism.Em minha opinião, os direitos humanos precisam encontrar uma fundamentação/justificação filosófica apropriada para serem incorporados em sociedades não ocidentais, e tal fundamentação/justificação precisa ser atraente e inspiradora para os cidadãos comuns dessas sociedades e estar baseada em seus próprios recursos intelectuais, incluindo a língua local. No Japão contemporâneo, ‘KEN RI (??)’ é considerado o termo japonês que corresponde a direitos humanos. Entretanto, Fukuzawa Yukichi, o mais influente líder intelectual do início do período Meiji, introduziu os direitos humanos como ‘KEN RI TSUU GI (????)’. No mais fundamental texto do confucionismo, nos ensinamentos de Confúcio (551-479 a.C.) intitulados Analectos, o caractere chinês ‘KEN (?)’ significa ser capaz de ponderar os eventos que ocorrem e de determinar a aplicação de princípios a eles. Na proposta do filósofo japonês Tomonobu Imamichi, ‘GI (?)’, geralmente tido como justiça, significa originalmente responsabilidade. Assim, ‘KEN RI TSUU GI (????)’ pode ser reinterpretado como ser capaz de aplicar na prática princípios (?) a esses eventos, ao mesmo tempo em que se assume responsabilidade (?) diante do Céu e da comunidade à qual se pertence. Essa concepção do ser humano como ser imerso em comunidades e como centro de responsabilidade nas dimensões secular e transcendente é aparentemente distinto da concepção filosófica ocidental do ser humano como ser racional capaz de agir de acordo com a lei universal, mas ainda assim defende os direitos humanos e o desenvolvimento democrático da sociedade.Palavras-chave: direitos humanos, fundamentação filosófica, confucionismo

Neurologic Complications of Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes a diverse spectrum of neurologic complications: aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, cerebral infarction associated with granulomatous vasculitis, myelitis, and cranial polyneuropathy. These VZV-associated central nervous system (CNS) diseases usually result from reactivation of latent infection in immunosuppressive conditions, such as old age, diabetes mellitus, cancer, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and the use of immunosuppressive drugs. However, they also occur in immunocompetent subjects. Since VZV antigen or DNA is often detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of these patients, it is thought that reactivated VZV reaches the central nervous system by direct spread from latently infected sensory ganglia. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid by PCR is important for the diagnosis of VZV-associated CNS diseases particularly in the absence of exanthema/herpes zoster. Clinicians should be aware of the neurologic complications of VZV infection, because early acyclovir therapy is necessary for these disorders

Risk, uncertainty and medical practice:Changes in the medical professions following disaster

Risk and uncertainty can destabilise and reconstruct the relationships between medicine, policy and publics. Through semi-structured interviews with medical staff following the Fukushima 3.11 Disaster, this paper demonstrates the way in which disruption (caused by disaster), coupled with uncertainty (in this case, around radiation risk) can serve to transform medical practices. After Fukushima, a deficit in publicly-trusted approaches to disaster management meant that the role and status of key medical professionals was transformed. This reorganisation of medical work included the development of new forms of expertise, the stretching of expertise beyond previously well-defined professional boundaries, and shifts in the way in which medical professionals understand and interact with publics. These changes signified the rise of new relationships between the medical workers and their community, as well as adjustments in what were regarded as the boundaries of medical work. Given both the ubiquitous threat of disasters and calls for increased engagement between the medicine and the public, this case study provides insight into the forms which such engagements can take, especially when bound by conditions of uncertainty. The paper draws upon the theoretical literature around the impact of uncertainty on policy, and combines this with medical sociological literature on the nature of medical expertise. The paper examines the shifting of medical expertise towards mode 2 forms, and evidences the impact of a democratised science of risk on the roles and functions of medical practice

Disappearing everyday materials:The displacement of medical resources following disaster in Fukushima, Japan

This study draws upon interviews of medical staff working in the city of Minamisoma, Japan, following the 2011 Triple Disaster. It investigates staff responses to the disruption of material resources as a consequence of the disaster and its management. The disruption of spaces, and the loss of oxygen supplies, food, and medications impacted upon staff experience and the ability of institutions to care for patients. This resulted in a restructuring of spaces and materials as workers made efforts to reconfigure and reestablish healthcare functions. This is one of the few qualitative studies which draws upon the experience and perspectives of health workers in understanding material disruption following disaster. This is particularly important since this case did not involve the breakdown of lifeline infrastructure, but rather, brought to attention the way everyday material objects shape social experience. In highlighting these effects, the paper makes the case for the social scientific investigation of the impact of disasters on healthcare, shedding light on an area of research currently dominated by disaster medicine

Application of a Robotic Rehabilitation Training System for Recovery of Severe Plegie Hand Motor Function after a Stroke

We have developed a rehabilitation training system (UR-System-PARKO: Useful and Ultimate Rehabilitation System-PARKO) for patients after a stroke to promote recovery of motor function of the severe plegic hand with hemiplegia. A clinical test with six patients for the therapeutic effect of the UR-System-PARKO for severe plegic hand was performed. For all patients, the active ranges of motion (total active motion) of finger extension improved after training with the UR-System-PARKO. Moreover, the modified Ashworth scale (MAS) scores of finger extension increased. Thus, the training reduced the spastic paralysis. These results suggest the effectiveness of training with the UR-System-PARKO for recovery of motor function as defined by finger extension in the severe plegic hand

Monitoring of IP3 dynamics during Ca2+ oscillations in HSY human parotid cell line with FRET-based IP3 biosensors

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) is an intracellular messenger that elicits a wide range of spatial and temporal Ca2+ signals, and this signaling versatility is exploited to regulate diverse cellular responses. In the present study, we have developed a series of IP3 biosensors that exhibit strong pH stability and varying affinities for IP3, as well as a method for the quantitative measurement of cytosolic concentrations of IP3 ([IP3]i) in single living cells. We applied this method to elucidate IP3 dynamics during agonist-induced Ca2+ oscillations, and demonstrated cell type-dependent differences in IP3 dynamics ; a non-fluctuating rise in [IP3]i and repetitive IP3 spikes during Ca2+ oscillations in COS-7 cells and HSY-EA1 cells, respectively. The size of the IP3 spikes in HSY-EA1 cells varied from 10 to 100 nM, and the [IP3]i spike peak was preceded by a Ca2+ spike peak. These results suggest that repetitive IP3 spikes in HSY-EA1 cells are passive reflections of Ca2+ oscillations, and are unlikely to be essential for driving Ca2+ oscillations. The novel method described herein as well as the quantitative information obtained by using this method should provide a valuable and sound basis for future studies on the spatial and temporal regulations of IP3 and Ca2+

A novel Stim1-dependent, non-capacitative Ca2+ entry pathway is activated by B cell receptor stimulation and depletion of Ca2+ stores

In most non-excitable cells, the depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores activates capacitative Ca2+ entry (CCE), which is a Ca2+-selective and La3+-sensitive entry pathway. Here, we report a novel mechanism of La3+-resistant Ca2+ entry that is synergistically regulated by B cell receptor (BCR) stimulation and Ca2+ store depletion (B-SOC). In the wildtype (WT) DT40 cells, BCR stimulation with anti-IgM antibodies induced Ca2+ release and subsequent Ca2+ entry in the presence of 0.3 μMLa3+ which blocks CCE completely. In the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor-deficient (IP3R-KO) cells, BCR stimulation elicited neither Ca2+ release nor Ca2+ entry. However, under pretreatment of thapsigargin (ThG), BCR stimulation induced La3+-resistant Ca2+ entry into both WT and IP3R-KO cells. These results indicate that BCR stimulation and Ca2+ store depletion work in concert to activate the La3+-resistant Ca2+ entry pathway. B-SOC was inhibited by tyrosine kinase inhibitor, genistein. In addition, B-SOC was completely abolished in Stim1-deficient cells and was restored by overexpression of yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-tagged Stim1, but was unaffected by double knockdown of Orai1/Orai2. These results demonstrate a unique non-CCE pathway, in which Ca2+ entry depends on Stim1 and tyrosine kinase activation. It is likely that similar regulation of Ca2+ entry occurs in other cell types including salivary gland cells