Iconography of the corpse in the public sphere. Presence and absence of the dead body in times of pandemic

In this article, we examine the visual motif of the corpse and its presence in the public sphere in times of pandemic from an iconographic, political and anthropological perspective. Through the analysis of the representation of the dead body in images presented by modern media, we reflect on how the formal and iconographic schemes of presentation of death were transformed following the irruption of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. The pandemic scheme, which is unusual from a political and anthropological perspective, assumes a particular approach to the problem of the representation of the dead body (anonymous body, carrier of a virus), encrypted in a dialectic between systematic omission and censorship and displacement of the representation of death towards the cumulative symmetry of empty pits or coffins that prefigure the corpse to come. Pandemic iconography, often based on science fiction imagery, outlines the dehumanized restlessness of a dystopian future. Under these exceptional conditions, some corpses, which are a priori anonymous, stand out, showing, even in the suspended space of Covid-19, the permanence of structural schemes of violence that must be denounced and fought in the present. With that in mind, we also examine the corpses claimed by Black Lives Matter and their distinctive representations, which are very different from those of the victims of the epidemic. Finally, through these references and based on the media treatment of Diego Armando Maradona’s body, we consider the significance of the return of the iconic corpse to the center of the public sphere, which imposes a regime of extreme visibility and goes beyond the representative limits of pandemic exceptionality.En este artículo estudiamos, desde una perspectiva iconográfica, política y antropológica, el motivo visual del cadáver y su presencia en la esfera pública en tiempos de pandemia. A partir del análisis de la representación del cuerpo muerto en las imágenes de los medios de comunicación actuales, hemos tratado de pensar cómo se transformaron los esquemas formales e iconográficos de presentación de la muerte con la irrupción, desde marzo de 2020, de la pandemia de Covid-19. El régimen pandémico, excepcional a nivel político y antropológico, supone un acercamiento particular a la problemática de la representación del cuerpo muerto (cuerpo anónimo, portador de un virus), cifrado en una dialéctica entre un régimen de omisión y censura y el desplazamiento de la representación de la muerte hacia la simetría acumulativa de las fosas o ataúdes vacíos que prefiguran el cadáver por venir. La iconografía pandémica, construida con frecuencia sobre el imaginario de la ciencia-ficción, perfila la inquietud deshumanizada de un futuro distópico. En esas condiciones de excepcionalidad, algunos cadáveres, a priori anónimos, se singularizan, mostrando, aún en el espacio en suspenso de la Covid-19, la permanencia de esquemas estructurales de violencia que se deben denunciar y combatir en presente. En ese sentido, proponemos también estudiar los cadáveres reivindicados por el Black Lives Matter y la peculiar forma representativa que toman, muy diferente a los de las víctimas de la epidemia. Finalmente, desde estas coordenadas y a partir del tratamiento mediático del cuerpo de Diego Armando Maradona, consideramos como significativo el retorno al centro de la esfera pública del cadáver icónico, que impone un régimen de extrema visibilidad y desborda los límites representativos de la excepcionalidad pandémica

Fluid intake in urban China: results of the 2016 Liq.In 7 national cross-sectional surveys

Purpose: To describe total fluid intake (TFI) and types of fluid consumed in urban China by age, gender, regions and city socioeconomic status relative to the adequate intakes (AI) set by the Chinese Nutrition Society. Methods: In 2016, participants aged 4–9, 10–17 and 18–55 years were recruited via a door-to-door approach in 27 cities in China. In total, 2233 participants were included. The volumes and sources of TFI were collected using the Liq.In7 record, assisted by a photographic booklet of standard fluid containers. Results: The mean daily TFI among children, adolescents and adults were 966, 1177 and 1387 mL, respectively. In each age group, TFI was significantly higher in male vs female (981 vs 949, 1240 vs 1113, 1442 vs 1332; mL). Approximately 45, 36 and 28% of children, adolescents and adults reached the AI. Although plain water was the highest contributor to TFI, the contribution of sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) was ranked in the top three together with water and milk and derivatives. Approximately 27, 48 and 47% of children, adolescents and adults consumed more than one serving of SSB per day, respectively. Conclusions: A relatively large proportion of participants did not drink enough to meet the AI in urban China. Many children, adolescents and adults consumed more than one serving of SSB per day. A majority of children, adolescents and adults in the study population do not meet both quantitative and qualitative fluid intake requirements, and signal socioeconomic disparities

The relation between APOE genotype and cerebral microbleeds in cognitively unimpaired middle- and old-aged individuals

Positive associations between cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and APOE-ε4 (apolipoprotein E) genotype have been reported in Alzheimer's disease, but show conflicting results. We investigated the effect of APOE genotype on CMBs in a cohort of cognitively unimpaired middle- and old-aged individuals enriched for APOE-ε4 genotype. Participants from ALFA (Alzheimer and Families) cohort were included and their magnetic resonance scans assessed (n = 564, 50% APOE-ε4 carriers). Quantitative magnetic resonance analyses included visual ratings, atrophy measures, and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) segmentations. The prevalence of CMBs was 17%, increased with age (p < 0.05), and followed an increasing trend paralleling APOE-ε4 dose. The number of CMBs was significantly higher in APOE-ε4 homozygotes compared to heterozygotes and non-carriers (p < 0.05). This association was driven by lobar CMBs (p < 0.05). CMBs co-localized with WMH (p < 0.05). No associations between CMBs and APOE-ε2, gray matter volumes, and cognitive performance were found. Our results suggest that cerebral vessels of APOE-ε4 homozygous are more fragile, especially in lobar locations. Co-occurrence of CMBs and WMH suggests that such changes localize in areas with increased vascular vulnerability

Cerebral amyloid‐β load is associated with neurodegeneration and gliosis: Mediation by p‐tau and interactions with risk factors early in the Alzheimer's continuum

Introduction: The association between cerebral amyloid‐β accumulation and downstream CSF biomarkers is not fully understood, particularly in asymptomatic stages. / Methods: In 318 cognitively unimpaired participants, we assessed the association between amyloid‐β PET (Centiloid), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of several pathophysiological pathways. Interactions by Alzheimer's disease risk factors (age, sex and APOE‐ε4), and the mediation effect of tau and neurodegeneration were also investigated. / Results: Centiloids were positively associated with CSF biomarkers of tau pathology (p‐tau), neurodegeneration (t‐tau, NfL), synaptic dysfunction (neurogranin) and neuroinflammation (YKL‐40, GFAP, sTREM2), presenting interactions with age (p‐tau, t‐tau, neurogranin) and sex (sTREM2, NfL). Most of these associations were mediated by p‐tau, except for NfL. The interaction between sex and amyloid‐β on sTREM2 and NfL was also tau‐independent. / Discussion: Early amyloid‐β accumulation has a tau‐independent effect on neurodegeneration and a tau‐dependent effect on neuroinflammation. Besides, sex has a modifier effect on these associations independent of tau

El imaginario del zombi cinematográfico en la representación de los desamparados: del esclavo del clasicismo hollywoodense al inmigrante de la contemporaneidad europea

El presente artículo propone un recorrido crítico e iconográfico a través de las principales manifestaciones históricas de los zombis en el cine. Desde los orígenes del cine clásico, la figura del zombi se ha visto asociada al inmigrante, al esclavo. El objetivo de este trabajo es observar y establecer cuál ha sido la evolución de este arquetipo en la historia, y analizar su vigencia en los filmes del cine europeo contemporáneo que abordan la realidad socio política de los sin papeles, revisitando la figura del zombi. En este sentido, el artículo plantea una relectura histórico-política sobre este arquetipo de la cultura popular, tan presente en el cine y la televisión de nuestro tiempo

Visual assessment of [¹⁸F]flutemetamol PET images can detect early amyloid pathology and grade its extent

PURPOSE: To investigate the sensitivity of visual read (VR) to detect early amyloid pathology and the overall utility of regional VR. METHODS: [¹⁸F]flutemetamol PET images of 497 subjects (ALFA+ N = 352; ADC N = 145) were included. Scans were visually assessed according to product guidelines, recording the number of positive regions (0-5) and a final negative/positive classification. Scans were quantified using the standard and regional Centiloid (CL) method. The agreement between VR-based classification and published CL-based cut-offs for early (CL = 12) and established (CL = 30) pathology was determined. An optimal CL cut-off maximizing Youden's index was derived. Global and regional CL quantification was compared to VR. Finally, 28 post-mortem cases from the [¹⁸F]flutemetamol phase III trial were included to assess the percentage agreement between VR and neuropathological classification of neuritic plaque density. RESULTS: VR showed excellent agreement against CL = 12 (κ = .89, 95.2%) and CL = 30 (κ = .88, 95.4%) cut-offs. ROC analysis resulted in an optimal CL = 17 cut-off against VR (sensitivity = 97.9%, specificity = 97.8%). Each additional positive VR region corresponded to a clear increase in global CL. Regional VR was also associated with regional CL quantification. Compared to mCERAD_{SOT}-based classification (i.e., any region mCERAD_{SOT} > 1.5), VR was in agreement in 89.3% of cases, with 13 true negatives, 12 true positives, and 3 false positives (FP). Regional sparse-to-moderate neuritic and substantial diffuse Aβ plaque was observed in all FP cases. Regional VR was also associated with regional plaque density. CONCLUSION: VR is an appropriate method for assessing early amyloid pathology and that grading the extent of visual amyloid positivity could present clinical value

Strategies to reduce sample sizes in Alzheimer’s disease primary and secondary prevention trials using longitudinal amyloid PET imaging

BACKGROUND: Detecting subtle-to-moderate biomarker changes such as those in amyloid PET imaging becomes increasingly relevant in the context of primary and secondary prevention of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This work aimed to determine if and when distribution volume ratio (DVR; derived from dynamic imaging) and regional quantitative values could improve statistical power in AD prevention trials. METHODS: Baseline and annualized % change in [11C]PIB SUVR and DVR were computed for a global (cortical) and regional (early) composite from scans of 237 cognitively unimpaired subjects from the OASIS-3 database ( www.oasis-brains.org ). Bland-Altman and correlation analyses were used to assess the relationship between SUVR and DVR. General linear models and linear mixed effects models were used to determine effects of age, sex, and APOE-ε4 carriership on baseline and longitudinal amyloid burden. Finally, differences in statistical power of SUVR and DVR (cortical or early composite) were assessed considering three anti-amyloid trial scenarios: secondary prevention trials including subjects with (1) intermediate-to-high (Centiloid > 20.1), or (2) intermediate (20.1 < Centiloid ≤ 49.4) amyloid burden, and (3) a primary prevention trial focusing on subjects with low amyloid burden (Centiloid ≤ 20.1). Trial scenarios were set to detect 20% reduction in accumulation rates across the whole population and in APOE-ε4 carriers only. RESULTS: Although highly correlated to DVR (ρ = .96), cortical SUVR overestimated DVR cross-sectionally and in annual % change. In secondary prevention trials, DVR required 143 subjects per arm, compared with 176 for SUVR. Both restricting inclusion to individuals with intermediate amyloid burden levels or to APOE-ε4 carriers alone further reduced sample sizes. For primary prevention, SUVR required less subjects per arm (n = 855) compared with DVR (n = 1508) and the early composite also provided considerable sample size reductions (n = 855 to n = 509 for SUVR, n = 1508 to n = 734 for DVR). CONCLUSION: Sample sizes in AD secondary prevention trials can be reduced by the acquisition of dynamic PET scans and/or by restricting inclusion to subjects with intermediate amyloid burden or to APOE-ε4 carriers only. Using a targeted early composite only leads to reductions of sample size requirements in primary prevention trials. These findings support strategies to enable smaller Proof-of-Concept Phase II clinical trials to better streamline drug development

Strategies to reduce sample sizes in Alzheimer’s disease primary and secondary prevention trials using longitudinal amyloid PET imaging

BACKGROUND: Detecting subtle-to-moderate biomarker changes such as those in amyloid PET imaging becomes increasingly relevant in the context of primary and secondary prevention of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This work aimed to determine if and when distribution volume ratio (DVR; derived from dynamic imaging) and regional quantitative values could improve statistical power in AD prevention trials. METHODS: Baseline and annualized % change in [11C]PIB SUVR and DVR were computed for a global (cortical) and regional (early) composite from scans of 237 cognitively unimpaired subjects from the OASIS-3 database ( www.oasis-brains.org ). Bland-Altman and correlation analyses were used to assess the relationship between SUVR and DVR. General linear models and linear mixed effects models were used to determine effects of age, sex, and APOE-ε4 carriership on baseline and longitudinal amyloid burden. Finally, differences in statistical power of SUVR and DVR (cortical or early composite) were assessed considering three anti-amyloid trial scenarios: secondary prevention trials including subjects with (1) intermediate-to-high (Centiloid > 20.1), or (2) intermediate (20.1 < Centiloid ≤ 49.4) amyloid burden, and (3) a primary prevention trial focusing on subjects with low amyloid burden (Centiloid ≤ 20.1). Trial scenarios were set to detect 20% reduction in accumulation rates across the whole population and in APOE-ε4 carriers only. RESULTS: Although highly correlated to DVR (ρ = .96), cortical SUVR overestimated DVR cross-sectionally and in annual % change. In secondary prevention trials, DVR required 143 subjects per arm, compared with 176 for SUVR. Both restricting inclusion to individuals with intermediate amyloid burden levels or to APOE-ε4 carriers alone further reduced sample sizes. For primary prevention, SUVR required less subjects per arm (n = 855) compared with DVR (n = 1508) and the early composite also provided considerable sample size reductions (n = 855 to n = 509 for SUVR, n = 1508 to n = 734 for DVR). CONCLUSION: Sample sizes in AD secondary prevention trials can be reduced by the acquisition of dynamic PET scans and/or by restricting inclusion to subjects with intermediate amyloid burden or to APOE-ε4 carriers only. Using a targeted early composite only leads to reductions of sample size requirements in primary prevention trials. These findings support strategies to enable smaller Proof-of-Concept Phase II clinical trials to better streamline drug development

Tuberculosis transmission patterns among Spanish-born and foreign-born populations in the city of Barcelona

AbstractDuring a 2-year period (2003–2004), tuberculosis (TB) transmission in Barcelona and the factors related to transmission among the Spanish- and foreign-born populations were studied by molecular epidemiology. Data were obtained from TB cases and Conventional Contact Tracing registries and genotyping was performed using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-IS6110 and MIRU12 as a secondary typing method. Of the 892 TB cases reported, 583 (65.3%) corresponded to Spanish-born and 309 (34.6%) to foreign-born. Six hundred and eighty-seven cases (77%) were confirmed by culture. RFLP typing of 463/687 (67.4%) isolates was performed, revealing 280 (60.5%) unique and 183 (39.5%) shared patterns, which were grouped into 65 clusters. Spanish-born individuals were significantly more clustered than foreign-born individuals (44.6% vs. 28.8%; p 0.016). Clustering in foreign-born individuals was associated with HIV (p 0.051, odds ratio = 3.1, 95% confidence interval 1–10.9) and alcohol abuse (p 0.022), whereas, in the Spanish-born individuals, clustering was associated with age in the range 21–50 years, (p 0.024). Of the total clusters, 36/65 (55.3%) included only Spanish-born patients, whereas 22/65 (33.8%) included individuals from both populations. In mixed clusters, the index case was Spanish-born in 53% and foreign-born in 47%. Among the foreign-born, 2.8% were ill on arrival, 30% developed TB within the first year and 50.3% developed TB within the first 2 years; 58.3% were from South America. In conclusion, half of the foreign-born TB patients developed the disease during the first 2 years after arrival, which, in most cases, was the result of endogenous reactivation. Recent TB transmission among Spanish-born and foreign-born populations, as well as bidirectional transmission between communities, contributed significantly to the burden of TB in Barcelona, suggesting the need to improve Public Health interventions in both populations