University of Toronto: Journal Publishing Services
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A Review on the Role of Microbiomes in Reproductive Health and Disease
No full textInterdependence between microbiota communities and several human biological systems has only recently been established. The mutualistic relationships between humans and microorganisms come from a deep evolutionary basis that continues to be revealed, as more evidence has emerged about how many human systems depend on the mutualistic relationship. Specifically, relationships between the intestinal and vaginal composition of the microbiota communities could serve as potential biomarkers for reproductive health and disease, particularly around fertility and inflammatory illness. Communities of bacterial and fungal species such as Lactobacillus spp. and their biological byproducts are crucial to the regulation of vaginal disease and healthy pregnancies. The dysbiosis of microbiota communities and an overgrowth of pathogenic anaerobic bacteria (characterized by low-grade inflammation, impaired mucosal barrier function, hormonal imbalances, and immune dysregulation) have been found to contribute to infertility, preterm birth, and spontaneous abortion . This review article will focus on the evidence of an interdependent relationship between these communities, and the potential causes of reproductive maladies, including those previously unexplained
The Potential of Cordyceps sinensis as a Novel Treatment for Reducing Muscle Pain in Fibromyalgia
No full textFibromyalgia is a widespread and debilitating condition characterized by chronic musculoskeletal pain and fatigue. Recent studies have shown increased lactate levels in the muscle tissue of fibromyalgia patients, which is also a symptom characteristic of lactic acidosis, a condition known to cause musculoskeletal pain. This similarity suggests that lactate buildup may contribute to the pain and fatigue experienced by fibromyalgia patients and highlights lactate accumulation as a potential target for pain management. Cordyceps sinensis (C. sinensis) is a fungus known to inhibit blood lactic acid production, enhance mitochondrial function, and improve muscular endurance; however, its application has not been investigated in the context of fibromyalgia. This study aims to investigate the potential therapeutic impact of C. sinensis in alleviating symptoms of muscle fatigue in fibromyalgia by reducing lactate levels and improving mitochondrial function. The therapeutic potential of C. sinensis will be assessed in Sprague-Dawley rats that are experimentally induced with fibromyalgia-like symptoms. For a duration of one week, rats will receive either no treatment (control group) or treatment in the form of C. sinensis mycelia water extract (experimental group), and measurements of blood lactate and pyruvate levels, mitochondrial function, and pain will be conducted throughout the study. We expect C. sinensis therapy to significantly reduce blood lactate levels and enhance mitochondrial function in the experimental group compared to the control group, ultimately reducing muscle pain. If the results of this study support our hypothesis, they indicate the potential efficacy of C. sinensis in alleviating fibromyalgia symptoms and treating fibromyalgia, which would catalyze further research into fungi-based interventions
The Morpho Machine & The Magic Of Life\u27s Potential: Disability, Imagination, and the Work of Becoming Through Exploring Our Defined, Defended, and Deeper Self Identities
No full textThis essay is a meditation on the mystery of transformation and identity—on the strange and sacred work of becoming. Through the metaphor of the Morpho Machine, it wonders what might happen if we reimagined disabled bodies not as broken or in need of fixing, but as sites of revelation, resistance, and re-creation. Woven with personal story, prophetic imagination, and a deep trust in life’s capacity to surprise us, the piece explores what it means to attend to the margins not with pity or charity, but with reverence. Here, amidst the friction and the longing, a deeper magic pulses—the kind that makes new worlds possible. This is an invitation to listen, to linger, and perhaps, to participate in the unfolding of who we are
Modelli di repertorio delle varietà italoromanze all’estero e nell’emigrazione di ritorno
No full textThis article examines the repertoires of four Italian communities abroad and three groups of returnees settled in three different villages in Irpina (Italy). The analysis builds on the parameters proposed by Dal Negro and Iannaccaro (2003) for linguistic minorities in Italy, demonstrating that these parameters are also effective for describing heritage repertoires. Furthermore, the comparative analysis highlights the variation among Italian communities abroad, where the history of migration has led to differing pattern of use regarding heritage varieties and the dominant language of the host society. The paper’s main finding underscores the importance of the sociolinguistic approach to heritage languages, whose uses can only be fully understood by considering the social contexts in which they are spoken.Questo contributo esamina la conformazione dei repertori linguistici di quattro comunità italiane all’estero e di tre gruppi di emigranti di ritorno residenti in tre piccoli comuni irpini. L\u27analisi si basa sulla proposta elaborata da Dal Negro e Iannaccaro (2003) per le minoranze linguistiche in Italia, in cui sono stati individuati alcuni parametri che si dimostrano validi anche per le comunità di lingua ereditaria. Inoltre, la comparazione tra più contesti permette di mettere in evidenza la variazione tra diverse comunità italiane che si distinguono per la storia migratoria e, conseguentemente, per gli usi linguistici, con particolare riferimento alla gestione del bilinguismo tra lingua ereditaria e lingua maggioritaria del paese di immigrazione. Il risultato principale del contributo dimostra l’importanza di un approccio sociolinguistico per lo studio delle lingue ereditarie, il cui uso può essere compreso pienamente solo considerando la complessità dei contesti in cui esse sono parlate
America in Rome: Race, Stereotypes, and Cultural Identities in the Series Home Sweet Rome!
No full text“Home Sweet Rome!” (2023–to present), a Canadian–Italian co-production aimed at a young audience, provides an emblematic case for examining the circulation of cultural identities and racial representations in contemporary transnational media. The series follows Lucy, an American teenager who moves to Rome with her father and his new Italian wife. The series also introduces audiences to Charlotte, Lucy’s Franco-American and Afro-descendant classmate, who embodies a transatlantic identity that challenges traditional narratives of ethnicity and belonging and functions as a crucial counterpart to the protagonist. Drawing on cultural studies and Black diaspora studies, this article analyzes key sequences selected from several episodes, with a focus on framing, editing, music, and online audience reception. Positioned within the context of international co-productions and platform-based production models, Home Sweet Rome! emerges as a hybrid text mediating between local and global logics. The aim of the article is to show how the series, while following the conventions of preteen entertainment, challenges stereotypes and explores complex dynamics of cultural identity and social integration. In this sense, Home Sweet Rome! becomes a site of negotiation for transnational identities and new, albeit ambiguous, forms of inclusion within European media culture
An Archive of Memories, Washed Away
No full textObjects of progress have often buried within them the story of a sacrificed history deemed less valuable. Thus, the act of preservation is a political decision that identifies what history is essential enough to be told - and which can be washed away to make room for progress. This research decodes how the Turkish government’s weaponization of water has been politicized and used to wash away Indigenous Kurdish culture, history, and future existence for Turkish progress. It addresses how the archival and antiquation of select histories is used to ensure an erasure of a Kurdish future. The project uses methods of subverting power projecting curatorial practices, such as world expositions, to protest the Turkish government’s actions and demand autonomy and acknowledgment of Kurdish people and their lost history and future. The research attempts to decenter these notions of progress by counter-archiving what is lost to make room for these objects of progress. Through subversion of hegemonic claims to innocence in the name of progress and environmental development, the aim of the project is to shed a light of truth onto the drowning of Indigenous built history, language, and agriculture as an act of cultural genocide