Gender and the news industry: why it's important to focus on mainstream newspapers

In her blog post, Allyson Zimmerman identifies the press as a site where stereotypical representations of women leaders are circulated. Drawing on research undertaken by Catalyst, Zimmerman discusses the importance of a focus on gendered stereotyping to further understand women’s exclusion from leadership positions. This resonates with the argument put forward by Helena Liu, Leanne Cutcher and David Grant, who draw attention to the role of the news media in constructing a notion of leadership that relies on and reinforces gendered societal norms and expectations. This stigmatises women as less capable leaders, especially unsuitable in uncertain times

Mediated tensions: Italian newspapers and the legal recognition of de facto unions

The recognition of rights to couples outside the institution of marriage has been, and still is, a contentious issue in Italian Politics. Normative notions of family and kinship perpetuate the exclusion of those who do not conform to the heterosexual norm. At the same time the increased visibility of kinship arrangements that evade the heterosexual script and their claims for legal recognition, expose the fragility and the constructedness of heteronorms. During the Prodi II Government (2006-2008) the possibility of a law recognising legal status to de facto unions stirred a major controversy in which the conservative political forces and the Catholic hierarchies opposed any form of recognition, with particular acrimony shown toward same sex couples. Corriere della Sera and la Repubblica, the two newspapers with the highest circulation in Italy, covered at length the disputes that ensued from the proposal. This thesis focuses on the analysis of the two newspapers and uncovers the ways in which they produced narratives that both sustained the exclusion of those who do not conform and potentially fostered a space for its disruption. In so doing the thesis aims to add a further dimension to the body of work investigating the politics of sexuality in contemporary Italy. A systematic reading of the press coverage reveals how the newsworthiness of the conflicts enhanced the visibility of those who opposed the law in turn sustaining the construction of it as a contentious issue. The close analysis of a selection of texts reveals the media ambivalence in displacing conservative notions of family and kinship and their contribution in fostering narratives that sustain exclusion

The Nlrp3 inflammasome is critical for aluminium hydroxide-mediated IL-1β secretion but dispensable for adjuvant activity

Aluminum hydroxide (alum) is the most widely used adjuvant in human vaccines, but the immune mechanisms that are activated by alum remain poorly understood. Alum has recently been shown to promote caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion, but the cellular pathways involved remain elusive. Here we report that the release of IL-1β triggered by alum is abrogated in macrophages deficient in the NLR family, pyrin domain containing 3 (Nlrp3) protein and the apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (Asc) but not the NLR family, CARD domain containing 4 (Nlrc4) protein. The requirement of the Nlrp3 inflammasome was specific for IL-1β in that secretion of TNF-α was independent of Nlrp3 or Asc. Consistently, processing of pro-caspase-1 induced by alum was abolished in macrophages lacking Nlrp3 or Asc. Unlike caspase-1 processing and IL-1β secretion triggered by LPS, alum-mediated activation of the inflammasome did not require exogenous ATP. Importantly, induction of IgG production against human serum albumin by alum was unimpaired in mice deficient in Nlrp3. These results indicate that alum induces IL-1β via the Nlrp3 inflammasome but this activity is dispensable for alum-mediated adjuvant activity. See accompanying article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eji.200838648Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/60465/1/2085_ftp.pd

ANALISI TEORICHE E PROVE SPERIMENTALI DI UN SISTEMA DIMONITORAGGIO DI FRANE CON EMISSIONE ACUSTICA

Viene illustrato un esperimento per valutare la fattibilità di un sistema di monitoraggio di frane in roccia tramite il rilevamento di emissioni acustiche e la individuazione della localizzazione spaziale delle sorgenti di emissione

AVALIAÇÃO DA IMUNOMARCAÇÃO DA PROTEÍNA C-KIT (CD-117) EM TUMORES MAMÁRIOS CANINOS

Mammary neoplasms in dogs have a significant relevance in the veterinary clinical routine and the search for new associated factors in its etiopathogenesis and therapy is necessary to enable the study of new more effective therapies. This study aimed to evaluate the behavior of c-kit expression in benign and malignant canine mammary tumors by immunohistochemistry. The samples were evaluated for intensity staining, percentage of labeled cells, to obtain the final score. For the positive control was used a positive mastocytoma sample for c-kit expression. 32 samples of breast carcinomas and five samples of benign breast tumors were used. All tumors express c-kit, with cytoplasmic pattern. Sixteen carcinomas showed a low score of immunostaining and 16 had high scores. All benign breast tumors had high immunostaining score. Expression of c-kit was greater in tumors compared to benign malignant tumors. The anaplastic carcinomas showed high final score and grade III. suggesting greater expression in this tumor type.As neoplasias mamárias em cadelas têm uma significativa relevância na rotina clínica veterinária e a busca de novos fatores associados na sua etiopatogenia e terapêutica faz-se necessária para possibilitar o estudo de novas terapias mais eficazes. Objetivou-se com o presente estudo avaliar a imunomarcação do c-kit em tumores amários caninos benignos e malignos pela técnica de imunohistoquímica. As amostras foram avaliadas quanto a sua intensidade de marcação e porcentagem de células marcadas para obtenção do escore final. Como controle positivo foi utilizada uma amostra de mastocitoma. Foram avaliadas 32 amostras previamente diagnosticadas de carcinomas mamários e cinco amostras de tumores mamários benignos. Todos os tumores apresentaram imunomarcação pelo c-kit com padrão citoplasmático. Dezesseis carcinomas apresentaram escore baixo de imunomarcação e 16 apresentaram escore alto. Em relação aos tumores mamários benignos, todos apresentaram escore de imunomarcação alto. A imunomarcação pelo c-kit foi maior nos tumores benignos quando comparados aos tumores malignos. Os carcinomas anaplásicos apresentaram escore final alto e grau III, sugerindo uma maior expressão neste tipo tumoral

Perceptions of Siblings of People with Trisomy 21 on Family Relationships

ABSTRACT: The birth of a child with a disability brings implications, changes in the environment and family dynamics. The family goes through a process of overcoming until the child acceptance with disability and the establishment of a suitable family environment that includes and meets his/her needs. Trisomy 21 (T21) is the most frequent genetic anomaly among those diagnosed. This study aimed to identify the perception of a sibling group of people with T21 regarding their family and social relationships. The sample consisted of 18 adolescents aged between 11 and 16 years, siblings of people with T21, and 17 guardians. Data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews conducted by video calls, with an average duration of 10 to 15 minutes. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed qualitatively based on the creation of thematic nuclei and categories. The results reinforce the importance of family relationships as a security factor and acceptance of the siblings’ needs

Long-Term Drug Survival and Effectiveness of Secukinumab in Patients with Moderate to Severe Chronic Plaque Psoriasis: 42-Month Results from the SUPREME 2.0 Study

Purpose: SUPREME, a phase IIIb study conducted in Italy, demonstrated safety and high efficacy of secukinumab for up to 72 weeks in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis. SUPREME 2.0 study aimed to provide real-world data on the long-term drug survival and effectiveness of secukinumab beyond 72 weeks. Patients and Methods: SUPREME 2.0 is a retrospective observational chart review study conducted in patients previously enrolled in SUPREME study. After the end of the SUPREME study, eligible patients continued treatment as per clinical practice, and their effectiveness and drug survival data were retrieved from medical charts. Results: Of the 415 patients enrolled in the SUPREME study, 297 were included in SUPREME 2.0; of which, 210 (70.7%) continued secukinumab treatment throughout the 42-month observation period. Patients in the biologic-naïve cohort had higher drug survival than those in the biologic-experienced cohort (74.9% vs 61.7%), while HLA-Cw6–positive and HLA-Cw6–negative patients showed similar drug survival (69.3% and 71.9%). After 42 months, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 90 was achieved by 79.6% of patients overall; with a similar proportion of biologic-naïve and biologic-experienced patients achieving PASI90 (79.8% and 79.1%). The mean absolute PASI score reduced from 21.94 to 1.38 in the overall population, 21.90 to 1.24 in biologic-naïve and 22.03 to 1.77 in biologic-experienced patients after 42 months. The decrease in the absolute PASI score was comparable between HLACw6–positive and HLA–Cw6-negative patients. The baseline Dermatology Life Quality Index scores also decreased in the overall patients (10.5 to 2.32) and across all study sub-groups after 42 months. Safety was consistent with the known profile of secukinumab, with no new findings. Conclusion: In this real-world cohort study, secukinumab showed consistently high long-term drug survival and effectiveness with a favourable safety profile

Long-Term Drug Survival and Effectiveness of Secukinumab in Patients with Moderate to Severe Chronic Plaque Psoriasis: 42-Month Results from the SUPREME 2.0 Study

Purpose: SUPREME, a phase IIIb study conducted in Italy, demonstrated safety and high efficacy of secukinumab for up to 72 weeks in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis. SUPREME 2.0 study aimed to provide real-world data on the long-term drug survival and effectiveness of secukinumab beyond 72 weeks.Patients and Methods: SUPREME 2.0 is a retrospective observational chart review study conducted in patients previously enrolled in SUPREME study. After the end of the SUPREME study, eligible patients continued treatment as per clinical practice, and their effectiveness and drug survival data were retrieved from medical charts.Results: Of the 415 patients enrolled in the SUPREME study, 297 were included in SUPREME 2.0; of which, 210 (70.7%) continued secukinumab treatment throughout the 42-month observation period. Patients in the biologic-naive cohort had higher drug survival than those in the biologic-experienced cohort (74.9% vs 61.7%), while HLA-Cw6-positive and HLA-Cw6-negative patients showed similar drug survival (69.3% and 71.9%). After 42 months, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 90 was achieved by 79.6% of patients overall; with a similar proportion of biologic-naive and biologic-experienced patients achieving PASI90 (79.8% and 79.1%). The mean absolute PASI score reduced from 21.94 to 1.38 in the overall population, 21.90 to 1.24 in biologic-naive and 22.03 to 1.77 in biologic-experienced patients after 42 months. The decrease in the absolute PASI score was comparable between HLA-Cw6-positive and HLA-Cw6-negative patients. The baseline Dermatology Life Quality Index scores also decreased in the overall patients (10.5 to 2.32) and across all study sub-groups after 42 months. Safety was consistent with the known profile of secukinumab, with no new findings. Conclusion: In this real-world cohort study, secukinumab showed consistently high long-term drug survival and effectiveness with a favourable safety profile

Malarial Hemozoin Activates the NLRP3 Inflammasome through Lyn and Syk Kinases

The intraerythrocytic parasite Plasmodium—the causative agent of malaria—produces an inorganic crystal called hemozoin (Hz) during the heme detoxification process, which is released into the circulation during erythrocyte lysis. Hz is rapidly ingested by phagocytes and induces the production of several pro-inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β). However, the mechanism regulating Hz recognition and IL-1β maturation has not been identified. Here, we show that Hz induces IL-1β production. Using knockout mice, we showed that Hz-induced IL-1β and inflammation are dependent on NOD-like receptor containing pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3), ASC and caspase-1, but not NLRC4 (NLR containing CARD domain). Furthermore, the absence of NLRP3 or IL-1β augmented survival to malaria caused by P. chabaudi adami DS. Although much has been discovered regarding the NLRP3 inflammasome induction, the mechanism whereby this intracellular multimolecular complex is activated remains unclear. We further demonstrate, using pharmacological and genetic intervention, that the tyrosine kinases Syk and Lyn play a critical role in activation of this inflammasome. These findings not only identify one way by which the immune system is alerted to malarial infection but also are one of the first to suggest a role for tyrosine kinase signaling pathways in regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome