2,146 research outputs found
"The love that made hell, paradise." Ouida re-writing the Paolo and Francesca theme in Held in Bondage
No full textThe bestselling Victorian author Ouida reveals in her novels, and, in particular, Held in Bondage, an extraordinary knowledge od Dante, by using characters and themes from the Commedia. The Paolo and Francesca theme actually constitutes part of the plot of the novel and is to be found in many of her other works, short stories and non-fiction writing
The Newborn's Reaction to Light as the Determinant of the Brain's Activation at Human Birth
No full textDevelopmental neuroscience research has not yet fully unveiled the dynamics involved in human birth. The trigger of the first breath, often assumed to be the marker of human life, has not been characterized nor has the process entailing brain modification and activation at birth been clarified yet. To date, few researchers only have investigated the impact of the extrauterine environment, with its strong stimuli, on birth. This ‘hypothesis and theory' article assumes the role of a specific stimulus activating the central nervous system (CNS) at human birth. This stimulus must have specific features though, such as novelty, efficacy, ubiquity, and immediacy. We propose light as a robust candidate for the CNS activation via the retina. Available data on fetal and neonatal neurodevelopment, in particular with reference to retinal light-responsive pathways, will be examined together with the GABA functional switch, and the subplate disappearance, which, at an experimental level, differentiate the neonatal brain from the fetal brain. In this study, we assume how a very rapid activation of retinal photoreceptors at birth initiates a sudden brain shift from the prenatal pattern of functions to the neonatal setup. Our assumption implies the presence of a photoreceptor capable of capturing and transducing light/photon stimulus, transforming it into an effective signal for the activation of new brain functions at birth. Opsin photoreception or, more specifically, melanopsin-dependent photoreception, which is provided by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), is considered as a valid candidate. Although what is assumed herein cannot be verified in humans based on knowledge available so far, proposing an important and novel function can trigger a broad range of diversified research in different domains, from neurophysiology to neurology and psychiatry
HERStory Makers 2023: Francesca Fotheringham
No full textFrancesca Fotheringham is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Edinburgh studying educational psychology with a focus on neurodiversity. She took part in HERStory Makers 2023.What is HERStory Makers?HERStory Makers is a social media competition for female-identifying early career researchers to share their research, their career journeys, and to inspire the next generation. Winners are selected by public vote. HERStory Makers is also part of EXPLORATHON, Scotland's contribution to European Researchers' Night.In 2022-23, EXPLORATHON Francescasupported by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council [grant number EP/X020762/1].Author contributions to contentFrancesca conceived, planned, and recorded the video content. Kirsty Ross edited the video content to insert HERStory Maker credits, added subtitles, and reduce video length to below Twitter/X limit of 2 mins and 20 secs.</p
Medicina illuminata. La Biblioteca Lancisiana di Roma
No full textL'articolo presenta i codici miniati della Biblioteca Lancisiana di Roma. La prima parte, del coautore, è dedicata alla Biblioteca. La seconda parte, di F. Manzari, tratta dei manoscritti miniati, costituiti da due codici con le opere di Avicenna e dal Liber fraternitatis della Confraternita dell'Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Sassia a Roma.The article introduces the illuminated manuscripts of the Biblioteca Lancisiana in Rome. The first part of the article, by the co-author, is dedicated to the Library. The second part, by Francesca Manzari, illustrates the manuscipts; these are two manuscripts with the works of Avicenna and the Liber fraternitatis of the Confraternity of the Hospital of Santo Spirito in Sassia in Rome
Klebsiella pneumoniae Is Able to Trigger Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Process in Cultured Airway Epithelial Cells.
No full textThe ability of some bacterial pathogens to activate Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition normally is a consequence of the persistence of a local chronic inflammatory response or depends on a direct interaction of the pathogens with the host epithelial cells. In this study we monitored the abilities of the K. pneumoniae to activate the expression of genes related to EMT-like processes and the occurrence of phenotypic changes in airway epithelial cells during the early steps of cell infection. We describe changes in the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species and increased HIF-1α mRNA expression in cells exposed to K. pneumoniae infection. We also describe the upregulation of a set of transcription factors implicated in the EMT processes, such as Twist, Snail and ZEB, indicating that the morphological changes of epithelial cells already appreciable after few hours from the K. pneumoniae infection are tightly regulated by the activation of transcriptional pathways, driving epithelial cells to EMT. These effects appear to be effectively counteracted by resveratrol, an antioxidant that is able to exert a sustained scavenging of the intracellular ROS. This is the first report indicating that strains of K. pneumoniae may promote EMT-like programs through direct interaction with epithelial cells without the involvement of inflammatory cells
A DH-Leavened Musicological Toolbox
No full textGraduate-level training in music research methodologies tends to ignore digital humanities work and overlook the use of digital tools created in support of new forms of reading. Training instead focuses on source material in the student’s area of interest. This material includes secondary and primary (archival) resources, as well as information resources, such as: monuments of music and critical editions; indexes; bibliographies and thematic catalogs; dictionaries and encyclopedias; digital libraries of scores or editions; and databases of period-specific newspapers or journals. Graduate students taking research methods courses already have a toolbox built from their experiences as musicians and students of music, including the ability to read and interpret music notation, to understand theoretical and analytical concepts in music, as well as a command of music history, including the canon of musical works.
Digital humanities has become a major area of academic endeavor at the “interface of technological development, epistemological change and methodological concerns." An important characteristic of digital humanities research has been its interdisciplinarity. We argue that graduate training in musicology needs to include coverage of methodologies applied by digital humanists in support of new forms of reading, not only to broaden the canon of research topics in musicology, but also to build common ground with researchers of other disciplines. We propose that librarians are well positioned to provide this expertise and training
Human Papillomavirus does not have a causal role in colorectal carcinogenesis
No full textAIM: To investigate the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA along with the integration, the quantification and the expression of the HPV16 in colorectal cancers.
METHODS: A prospective series of colorectal tumors were genotyped for HPV DNA. The clinical and pathological variables of the HPV-positive tumors were compared to those of HPV-negative samples. The integration status of HPV16 was evaluated by calculating E2/E6 ng ratios. HPV16-positive tumors were also evaluated for (1) E2, E4, E5, E6 and E7 viral gene ng quantification; (2) relative quantification compared to W12 cells; and (3) viral E2, E4, E5, E6 and E7 mRNA transcripts by real-time polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS: HPV infection was detected in 16.9% of all tumors examined, and HPV16 was the most frequent type detected (63.6% of positive tissues). Notably, the clinical and pathological features of HPV-positive colorectal cancers were not significantly different than those of HPV-negative cancers (χ (2) and t-test for all clinical and pathological features of HPV-positive vs HPV-negative colorectal cancers: p ns). HPV16 DNA was present exclusively in episomal form, and the HPV16 E2, E4, E5, E6 and E7 genes were detected in trace nanogram quantities. Furthermore, the HPV16 genes ranged from 10(-3) to 10(-9) compared to W12 cells at an episomal stage. Although the extractions were validated by housekeeping gene expression, all the HPV16 positive tissues were transcriptionally inactive for the E2, E4, E5, E6 and E7 mRNAs.
CONCLUSION: Based on our results, HPV is unlikely involved in colorectal carcinogenesis
In vivo HPV 16 E5 mRNA: Expression pattern in patients with squamous intra-epithelial lesions of the cervix
No full textBackground: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 E5 is a small protein, which is reported to display transforming activity in vitro and in animal studies. The E5 transcriptional activity, however, has been rarely reported in vivo in literature. Objectives: (a) To detect the E5 transcripts in vivo in a population of HPV 16 positive patients with abnormal cytology and (b) to correlate the level of expression to the degree of the cytological lesion. Study design and methods: 250 cytological samples of HPV positive women were obtained and tested for the E6/E7 mRNA expression. Patients were selected if HPV 16 only mRNA positive and with a cytology consistent with low-grade/high-grade squamous intra-epithelial (LSIL/HSIL) lesions. Selected patients were tested for the E5 transcripts by reverse RT PCR, comparing the expression level in vivo with a transfected HPV 16 E5 HaCaT cell line. Results: 27 HPV 16 E6/E7 mRNA positive LSIL/HSIL patients were selected. 13 out of 17 LSIL patients were tested positive for the E5 mRNA, showing an ample range of positivity. In the HSIL group 7 out of 10 patients were tested positive, displaying lower and more homogeneous levels of expression if compared with the transfected cells. Conclusion: The HPV 16 E5 transcripts levels showed a broad distribution in vivo; the discrepancy was wider in LSIL patients, with HSIL patients displaying a more homogeneous profile. However, because of the limited number of patients, we could not draw a firm conclusion about the correlation between the E5 expression and the disease progression. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved
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