Truth Recovery and Transitional Justice: Deferring human rights issues

This book investigates why some societies defer the solution of transitional justice issues, such as the disappeared/missing, even after successful democratic consolidation. It also explains why the same societies finally decide to deal with these human rights issues. In short, it considers the interesting and understudied phenomenon of post-transitional justice. The prolonged silences in Spain, Cyprus and Greece contradict the experience of other countries -- such as South Africa, Bosnia, and Guatemala -- where truth recovery for disappeared/missing persons was a central element of the transition to peace and democracy. Despite democratization, the exhumation of mass graves containing the victims from the violence in Cyprus (1963-1974) and the Spanish civil war (1936-1939) was delayed until the early 2000s, when both countries suddenly decided to revisit the past. Cyprus and Spain are not alone: this is an increasing trend among countries trying to come to terms with past violence. Interestingly, despite similar background conditions, Greece is resisting the trend, challenging both theory and regional experience. Truth Recovery and Transitional Justice considers three interrelated issues. First, what factors can explain prolonged silence on the issue of missing persons in some transitional settings? Second, which processes can address the occasional yet puzzling transformation of victims’ groups from opponents of truth recovery to vocal pro-reconciliation pressure groups? Third, under which conditions is it better to tie victims’ rights to an overall political settlement? The book looks at Spain and Cyprus to show how they have attempted to bring closure to deep trauma by exhuming and identifying their missing, albeit under considerably different conditions. It then probes the generalizability of the conclusions on Spain and Cyprus by looking at the Greek experience; oddly, despite similar background conditions, Greece remains resistant to post-transitional justice norms. Interestingly, each case study takes a different approach to transitional justice.

Nature or nurture BMI and blood pressure at 90. Findings from the Belfast Elderly longitudinal free-living aging study Belfast

Hypertension is a key risk factor for stroke, cardiovascular disease and dementia. Although the link between weight, sodium and hypertension is established in younger people, little is known about their inter-relationship in people beyond 80 years of age. Associations between blood pressure, anthropometric indices and sodium were investigated in 495 apparently healthy, community-living participants (age 90, SD 4.8; range 80–106), from the cross-sectional Belfast Elderly Longitudinal Free-living Aging STudy (BELFAST) study. In age-sex-adjusted logistic regression models, blood pressure =140/90 mmHg significantly associated with body mass index (BMI) [odds ratio (OR)?=?1.28/ kg/m2], with weight (OR?=?1.22/kg) approaching significance (P?=?0.07). In further age-sex-adjusted models, blood pressure above the 120/80 mmHg normotensive reference value significantly associated with BMI (OR?=?1.44/kg/m2), weight (OR?=?1.36/kg), skin-fold-thickness (OR?=?1.33/mm) and serum sodium (OR?=?1.37 mmol/l). In BELFAST participants over 80 years old, blood pressure =140/90 mmHg is associated with BMI, in apparently similar ways to younger groups.

Effects of short term increase of intraocular pressure on optic disc cupping

Aims. To evaluate the effect of acute elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP) on optic disc cupping. Methods. 10 emmetropic and 10 myopic volunteers were included in this study. The cup area (CA) and cup volume (CV) of the optic disc were determined with the Heidelberg retina tomograph (HRT). After baseline determinations, a suction cup was used to increase the intraocular pressure (IOP) to 20-25 mmHg above the baseline and HRT images were obtained. Results. Baseline IOP was 13.5 (SD 1.3) mmHg and 12.6 (2.6) mmHg in the emmetropic and myopic groups, respectively. The IOP was elevated to 35.4 (3.3) mmHg and 34.4 (2.5) mmHg in the emmetropic and myopic groups, respectively. When compared with their baseline values, the cupping variables (CA and CV) were significantly increased (p <0.05) during the suction treatment in both emmetropic and myopic subjects. Conclusion. There was a significant enlargement in the optic disc cupping during the artificial increment of intraocular pressure in both emmetropic and myopic eyes. In non-glaucomatous eyes the optic nerve head has a partially dynamic topography dependent upon the level of IOP.

Relationship between the magnitude of intraocular pressure during an episode of acute elevation and retinal damage four weeks later in rats

Purpose: To determine relationship between the magnitude of intraocular pressure (IOP) during a fixed-duration episode of acute elevation and the loss of retinal function and structure 4 weeks later in rats.

Methods: Unilateral elevation of IOP (105 minutes) was achieved manometrically in adult Brown Norway rats (9 groups; n = 4 to 8 each, 10–100 mm Hg and sham control). Full-field ERGs were recorded simultaneously from treated and control eyes 4 weeks after IOP elevation. Scotopic ERG stimuli were white flashes (26.04 to 2.72 log cd.s.m^-2). Photopic ERGs were recorded (1.22 to 2.72 log cd.s.m22) after 15 min of light adaptation (150 cd/m2). Relative amplitude (treated/control, %) of ERG components versus IOP was described with a cummulative normal function. Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer density was determined post mortem by histology.

Results: All ERG components failed to recover completely normal amplitudes by 4 weeks after the insult if IOP was 70 mmHg or greater during the episode. There was no ERG recovery at all if IOP was 100 mmHg. Outer retinal (photoreceptor) function demonstrated the least sensitivity to prior acute IOP elevation. ERG components reflecting inner retinal function were correlated with post mortem RGC layer density.

Conclusions: Retinal function recovers after IOP normalization, such that it requires a level of acute IOP elevation approximately 10 mmHg higher to cause a pattern of permanent dysfunction similar to that observed during the acute event. There is a ‘threshold’ for permanent retinal functional loss in the rat at an IOP between 60 and 70 mmHg if sustained for 105 minutes or more.

Targeting of photooxidative damage on single-stranded DNA representing the bcr-abl chimeric gene using oligonucleotide-conjugates containing [Ru(phen)3](2+)-like photosensitiser groups

Photooxidative damage was induced predominantly at a single guanine base in a target DNA by irradiation (lambda > 330 nm) in the presence of complementary oligodeoxynucleotide conjugates (ODN-5'-linker-[Ru(phen)3]2+) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline). The target DNA represents the b2a2 variant of the chimeric bcr-abl gene implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic myeloid leukaemia, and the sequence of the 17mer ODN component of the conjugate (3' G G T A G T T A T T C C T T C T T 5') was complementary to the junction region of the sense strand sequence of this oncogene. Two different conjugates were prepared, both of them by reaction of the appropriate succinimide ester with 5'-hexylamino-derivatised 17mer ODN. In Ru-ODN-1 (7) the linker was -(CH2)6-NHCO-bpyMe (-bpyMe = 4'-[4-methyl-2,2'-bipyridyl]), whereas in Ru-ODN-2 (13) it was -(CH2)6-NHCO-(CH2)3-CONH-phen. Photoexcitation of either of the conjugates when hybridised with the 32P-5'-end-labelled target 34mer 5'T G A C C A T C A A T A A G G A A G A A G21 C C C T T C A G C G G C C 3' (ODN binding site underlined) led to an alkali-labile site predominantly (> 90%) at the G21 base, which is at the junction of double-stranded and single-stranded regions of the hybrid. Greater yields were found with Ru-ODN-1 (7) than with Ru ODN-2 (13). In contrast to this specific cleavage with Ru-ODN-1 (7) or Ru-ODN-2 (13), alkali-labile sites were generated at all guanines when the 34mer was photolysed in the presence of the free sensitiser [Ru(phen)3]2+. Since [Ru(phen)3]2+ was shown to react with 2'-deoxyguanosine to form the diastereomers of a spiroiminodihydantoin derivative (the product from 1O2 reaction), 1O2 might also be an oxidizing species in the case of Ru-ODN-1 (7) and Ru-ODN-2 (13). Therefore to determine the range of reaction, a series of 'variant' targets was prepared, in which G21 was replaced with a cytosine and a guanine substituted for a base further towards the 3'-end (e.g. Variant 3; 5'T G A C C A T C A A T A A G G A A G A A C C G23 C T T C A G C G G32 C C3'). While it was noted that efficient reaction took place at distances apparently remote from the photosensitiser (e.g at G32, but not G23 for Variant 3), this effect could be attributed to hairpinning of the single-stranded region of the target. These results are therefore consistent with the photooxidative damage being induced by a reaction close to the photosensitiser rather than by a diffusible species such as 1O2.