Physical Disability in Literature: Osteogenesis Imperfecta Representations in Young Adult Romance Novels

openAncora oggi, agli inizi del ventunesimo secolo, il concetto di “disabilità” è visto come un tabù, come qualcosa di cui avere paura e da evitare. Le persone che non ne sono direttamente interessante fingono che non le riguardi. Ciò che la maggior parte della nostra società non comprende, è che la disabilità può potenzialmente concernere chiunque. Rinnegarla significa cancellare gli anni di lotte delle persone disabili per i diritti civili e gli sforzi dei singoli per affermare la propria identità. Inoltre, questa minoranza ha influenzato la cultura di massa più frequentemente di ciò che la gente realizzi. Dalla letteratura ai film e alla televisione, le rappresentazioni delle persone con disabilità sono state impiegate per generazioni. È interessante non solo analizzare come immagini stereotipate abbiano spesso contribuito alla diffusione di luoghi comuni riguardo a questo gruppo, ma anche come sono state recentemente utilizzate per capovolgere queste congetture. Oltretutto, è degno di nota che ci si sia serviti così ripetutamente di rappresentazioni della disabilità al punto che anche una condizione rara come l’Osteogenesi Imperfetta sia presente in un genere di nicchia come i romanzi romantici per giovani adulti.Even at this moment in time, at the beginning of the 21st century, the concept of “disability” is regarded as a taboo, as something to be feared and avoided. People that are not directly affected by it pretend it does not concern them. What the vast majority of our society does not realize is that disability can potentially impact everyone. Rejecting it means erasing the years of fights of the disability community for civil rights and the struggles of its members to claim their identity. Moreover, this minority has influenced popular culture more often than people conceive. From literature to films and television, representations of disabled people have been used for generations. It is thought-provoking not only to analyze how stereotypical images have frequently contributed to spreading the misconceptions about this group but also how they have recently been employed to challenge these assumptions. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that depictions of disability have been so frequent that even a rare condition such as Osteogenesis Imperfecta is present in a niche genre like young adult romance novels

Excretion pattern of aflatoxin M1 in milk of goats fed a single dose of aflatoxin B1

The feedstuffs used in dairy animals must be able to give consumers confidence about the wholesomeness of milk with regard to aflatoxin contamination. The aim of this study was to determine the excretion patterns of aflatoxin M(1) (AFM1) in the milk of dairy goats fed a single dose of pure aflatoxin B(1) (AFB1), which can occasionally occur if feeds are infected by hot-spot growth of molds that produce aflatoxins. Five dairy goats in midlactation were administered 0.8 mg of AFB1 orally. Individual milk samples were collected for 84 h after AFB1 dosage. Aflatoxin M(1) was found in milk in the highest concentration. In all goats, AFM1 was not detected in milk before AFB1 administration, but was detected in the first milking following AFB1 administration. The excretion pattern of AFM1 concentration in milk was very similar in all goats even if the values of the concentration differed between animals. The peak values for AFM1 concentration in milk was observed in milk collected during the milking at 3 and 6h. After the peak, the AFM1 in milk disappeared with a trend that fitted well a monoexponential decreasing function, and the toxin was not detected after 84 h. Only about 0.17% of the amount of AFB1 administered was detected as AFM1 in milk, and about 50% of this was excreted in the first liter of milk yielded after AFB1 intake. Correct procedures to prevent growth of molds, and consequent AFB1 contamination, on the feedstuffs for lactating goats represent the key to providing consumers a guarantee that milk is not contaminated by AFM1

The role of glial cells in mental illness: a systematic review on astroglia and microglia as potential players in schizophrenia and its cognitive and emotional aspects

Schizophrenia is a complex and severe mental disorder that affects approximately 1% of the global population. It is characterized by a wide range of symptoms, including delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, and cognitive impairment. Recent research has suggested that the immune system dysregulation may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, and glial cells, such as astroglia and microglia known to be involved in neuroinflammation and immune regulation, have emerged as potential players in this process. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the glial hallmarks of schizophrenia, choosing as cellular candidate the astroglia and microglia, and focusing also on disease-associated psychological (cognitive and emotional) changes. We conducted a systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for articles that investigated the differences in astroglia and microglia in patients with schizophrenia, published in the last 5 years. The present systematic review indicates that changes in the density, morphology, and functioning of astroglia and microglia may be involved in the development of schizophrenia. The glial alterations may contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia by dysregulating neurotransmission and immune responses, worsening cognitive capabilities. The complex interplay of astroglial and microglial activation, genetic/epigenetic variations, and cognitive assessments underscores the intricate relationship between biological mechanisms, symptomatology, and cognitive functioning in schizophrenia

Effect of dietary iodine on thyroid hormones and energy blood metabolites in lactating goats

Aim of this work was to evaluate if long-term dietary supplementation of potassium iodide (KI) to dairy goats can influence metabolic and hormonal parameters. Thirty Sarda crossbred dairy goats were divided into three groups, which were orally administered 0 (control group; CON), 0.45 (low iodine group; LI) or 0.90 (high iodine group; HI) mg of KI/day, respectively. The daily dose of KI (76.5% of iodine) was administered as salt dissolved in water for 8 weeks. Plasma contents of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), urea, glucose, insulin, free triiodothyronine (FT3) and thyroxine (FT4) were determined weekly. Iodine supplementation increased significantly the FT3 hormone (P = 0.007) and FT3/FT4 ratio (P = 0.001) and tended to influence the FT4 hormone (P = 0.059). An iodine level × week of sampling interaction for NEFA (P = 0.013) evidenced a temporary concentration increase in supplemented groups. The ‘Revised Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index’ increased with KI supplementation (P ≤ 0.01). Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and insulin were lowered (P ≤ 0.01) by iodine supplementation (groups LI and HI; P ≤ 0.01). The glucose concentration evidenced an iodine level × week of sampling interaction (P = 0.025) due to an unexpected and temporary increase of its concentration in the CON group. Glucose concentration was decreased by KI supplementation only in LI group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the daily supplementation of low doses of KI can improve insulin sensitivity and decrease BUN in dairy goats

The Effect of dietary iodine supplementation in dairy goats on milk production traits and milk iodine content

Dairy products offer an important source of iodine for humans, particularly infants and children. An adequate iodine content in the diet of lactating animals must guarantee a suitable milk iodine concentration. In this experiment, the effects of iodine supplementation of dairy goat diets on the iodine concentration, milk yield, and milk composition of goat milk were studied. Thirty crossbred dairy goats of the Sarda population were divided into 3 groups supplemented with 0 (control group), 0.45 (group 1), or 0.90 (group 2) mg of KI/d per goat. The dose of KI (76.5% of iodine) was dissolved in water and orally administered with a syringe every day for 10 wk. Mean milk iodine concentrations were 60.1 ± 50.5, 78.8 ± 55.4, and 130.2 ± 62.0 µg/L (mean ± SD) in the control group, group 1, and group 2, respectively. The extent of iodine enrichment in milk was approximately 31% in group 1 and 117% in group 2 compared with the control group. Milk yield was not influenced by KI supplementation and averaged 1,229, 1,227, and 1,179 g/d in groups 0, 1, and 2, respectively. Milk urea nitrogen concentration was significantly lower in the KI-supplemented groups (32 and 33 mg/dL in groups 1 and 2, respectively) than in the control group (37 mg/dL). Iodine supplementation of dairy goat diets can increase milk iodine content without adverse effects on milk production traits