A view, different proposals: Concept of gender and public policy

This article analyzes the meaning of “gender” as a category of analysis in public policy. The concept has been transferred from the feminist theories and this has meant that the United Nations and European Union have incorporated the inequality as a structural inequality and an issue justice. So, the feminist demands enter the political agenda as an integral project which is characterized by the adoption of the gender perspective and its application from a transversal methodology (“gender mainstreaming”). In this sense, the "gender ideology" is a new paradigm against the “patriarchal ideology”. Now, political actions should be articulated in a double movement of correction and promotion to achieve real equality in societies more democratic and ultimately more just.

Angelika Schmidt-Koddenberg / Simone Zorn: Zukunft gesucht! Berufs-und Studienorientierung in der Sek. II. Berlin u.a.: Budrich 2011 [Rezension]

Rezension von: Angelika Schmidt-Koddenberg / Simone Zorn: Zukunft gesucht! Berufs-und Studienorientierung in der Sek. II, Berlin u.a.: Budrich 2011 (183 S.; ISBN 978-3-8664-9381-0)

Ku metodzie integralnej w teologii fundamentalnej. Sposoby konstruowania interdyscyplinarnych działań w poszukiwaniu locorum theologicorum. Zastosowanie i weryfikacja na przykładzie życia i twórczości Simone Weil

Niniejsza praca powstała z rozpoznanej potrzeby projektowania nowych ujęć poznawczych w teologii obejmujących, w tym samym stopniu, odniesienia do dziedzin teologicznych, jak i innych nauk. Podjęto próbę skonstruowania procedur badawczych, które mogą stać się punktem wyjścia ku stworzeniu pełnej metody integralnej w teologii fundamentalnej. Stąd tytuł pracy Ku metodzie integralnej w teologii fundamentalnej. Budowanie nowych zasad aktywności badawczej związane jest zawsze z etapem konstrukcyjnym i etapem weryfikacyjnym przygotowanych narzędzi, co zostało wyartykułowane w podtytułach: Sposoby konstruowania interdyscyplinarnych działań w poszukiwaniu »locorum theologicorum«. Zastosowanie i weryfikacja na przykładzie życia i twórczości Simone Weil. Tym samym praca jest dwuczęściowa. Celem pierwszej części jest przedstawienie, w jaki sposób konstruować poszukiwania nowych locorum theologicorum. Druga część pracy ma charakter weryfikacyjny. Opracowane narzędzia badawcze zostały zastosowane do odpowiedzi na pytanie: Na ile życie i twórczość francuskiej myślicielki, Simone Weil, może stać się źródłem dla tworzonych współcześnie opinii teologicznych? W przedstawianej pracy powiązano, dość ściśle, konstruowanie integralnego ujęcia badawczego z poszukiwaniem nowych czy reinterpretacją już rozeznanych miejsc teologicznych. Główny cel pracy związany jest z opisywaniem działań, które uprawdopodobniają otrzymanie nowych treści. Przyjęty sposób działania to wyjaśnianie, nie mające statusu pełnej prawdziwości logicznej; jednak jest ono procedurą, która pozwala w pewnym stopniu obiektywizować subiektywne dane płynące z otaczającej nas rzeczywistości. Pozwoliło to na kompetentne poruszanie się w przestrzeni zdań uznanych za prawdziwe zarówno w ramach teologii, jak i innych nauk. Dlatego w tej pracy skupiono się na przedstawieniu procedur poszukiwań, weryfikacji i możliwego zastosowania w badaniach naukowych współczesnych miejsc teologicznych. Ważniejszy jest sposób otrzymywania określonych wyników, a wynik tychże działań doceniony jest dopiero na etapie weryfikacyjnym skonstruowanych narzędzi badawczych. W części pierwszej pracy skupiono się na tworzeniu ogólnych zasad myślenia w ramach teologii fundamentalnej. Konstruowanie narzędzi badawczych rozpoczęto od rozeznania i przedstawienia najgłębszych fundamentów, korzeni zastosowanych procedur poprzez opis zasad opracowywania i przygotowywania działań operacyjnych. Określenie tych zasad związane jest z wprowadzeniem nowego sposobu ujmowania problematyki badawczej poprzez tak zwane myślenie modelowe. Pozwala ono na włączenie w proces uzasadniania otrzymanych wyników, oprócz dowodzenia i tłumaczenia, również tak zwanego wyjaśniania, poprzez zataczanie coraz wyższych kręgów po metodycznej spirali, której osią jest odniesienie do Bożego Objawienia odczytanego we wspólnocie Kościoła. Dzięki temu otrzymano śmiałą hipotezę, w której uwzględniono w tym samym stopniu Objawienie Boga, jak i adresata tegoż, z jego pełnym osadzeniem w rzeczywistościach ziemskich. Holistyczne, w ramach tworzonego modelu, ujmowanie problematyki pozwoliło również na ukazywanie ciągle nowych aspektów tworzonej metody integralnej. Opracowane zostały zasady konstruowania modelu ujmowania rzeczywistości Objawienia w aspekcie przedmiotowym. Jako podstawę działań przyjęto istniejącą już w teologii fundamentalnej metodę historiozbawczą. Przechodząc do systematycznej prezentacji, jako odniesienia graniczne tworzonego modelu «przestrzeni eklezjalnej» wprowadzono ujęcia teologiczne św. Ireneusza z Lyonu i św. Justyna Męczennika. Konstruując narzędzia pozwalające na ujęcia podmiotowe treści przeżyć odbiorcy Objawienia jako odniesienia graniczne wprowadzono koncepcje Umberto Eco, Geralda O’Collinsa i Paula Ricoeura. Pozwalają one na modelowe ujęcie ludzkich przeżyć jako «dzieła otwartego». W etapie czwartym podjęto próbę ustalenia zasad wzajemnego przenikania się ujęć przedmiotowych i podmiotowych problematyki badawczej, by stworzyć ujęcie integralne w opracowywaniu treści teologicznych. Powstały model «wzajemnych oddziaływań» okazał się przydatnym narzędziem w ocenie teologicznego potencjału interdyscyplinarnych oddziaływań pomiędzy teologią fundamentalną a treściami innych nauk. Pozwolił on doprecyzować warunki możliwości przyjęcia jakiejś ludzkiej aktywności jako locus theologicus z zachowaniem odpowiedniej relacji do Objawienia odczytanego we wspólnocie Kościoła z możliwym do osiągnięcia stopniem obiektywizacji. W cześć drugiej pracy realizuje się konieczną w naukach weryfikację opracowanych narzędzi badawczych i uwiarygodnienia działań operacyjnych poprzez zastosowanie do analizy konkretnego przypadku, którym jest życie i twórczość Simone Weil. Praca w tej części również została podzielona na etapy według aspektowego ujęcia umożliwiającego różne punkty widzenia tego samego przedmiotu badawczego. Ponieważ opracowane modele teoretyczne tworzą ramy dla nowej twórczości badacza, kolejne etapy weryfikacyjne są dalszym ciągiem budowania sposobów ujęcia ukonkretnionej tematyki. Życie i twórczość Simone Weil zostały przedstawione w czterech perspektywach badawczych. Pierwsza z nich jest ujęciem z punktu widzenia relacji «dzieło – autor dzieła», kolejna wprowadza dodatkowe odniesienia związane z relacją «dzieło – odbiorca dzieła». Trzeci aspekt skupia się na możliwych do odczytania z twórczości Simone Weil, treściach teologicznych na bazie relacji «dzieło – badacz dzieła». Najpłodniejszym badawczo okazało się odniesienie «dzieła», któremu na imię Simone Weil ku wymiarowi eschatologicznemu chrześcijaństwa. Opracowana metoda i przedstawione warunki weryfikacyjne ustalające kryteria w uznaniu jej przemyśleń i koncepcji jako locus theologicus ukazały się jako niezwykle przydatne.

Simone Weil’s questions about God

We can say that the 20th century was not an era for seeking the truth in the first place. Philosophers and others were absorbed with the idea that we cannot know anything for certain. No one is able to claim that something is really true. However, we can find philosophers who were willing to die for the truth. We can discover them in the Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Churches. For example, father Pavel Florensky, a Russian philosopher and priest, played an important role in solving the problem of correlation between culture and religion. He died executed by the firing squad at the Solovki Gulag on December 8th, 1937. Another such philosopher was St. Edith Stein. She was martyred equally for the truth of the Catholic Faith and for the truth of Mosaic Faith. Edith Stein was put on a train heading for the East and died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz probably on 9th August, 1942. The third person, who died for the truth in those horrible times, was Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The integrity of his Christian faith and life led him to a concentration camp, where he was hanged on April 9th, 1945. Looking at those great people of European history in the 20th century, we can see some contrasts and similarities to the life and activity of a French thinker – Simone Weil. Simone Weil was looking for the truth all her life. She was Jewish, but she was attracted to Roman Catholicism and sure that the truth is in God. Simone Weil persuades us that it is at the same time possible and impossible to know God, because “Dieu ne peut ętre présent dans la création que sous la forme de l’absence”.

Does a high UV environment ensure adequate vitamin D status?

This study assesses the Vitamin D status of 126 healthy free-living adults aged 18–87 years, in southeast Queensland, Australia (27°S) at the end of the 2006 winter. Participants provided blood samples for analysis of 25(OH)D (the measure of an individual’s Vitamin D status), PTH, Calcium, Phosphate, and Albumin, completed a questionnaire on sun-protective/sun-exposure behaviours, and were assessed for phenotypic characteristics such as skin/hair/eye colour and BMI. We found that 10.2% of the participants had serum 25(OH)D levels below 25 nmol/l (considered deficient) and a further 32.3% had levels between 25 nmol/l and 50 nmol/l (considered insufficient). Our results show that low levels of 25(OH)D can occur in a substantial proportion of the population at the end of winter, even in a sunny climate. 25(OH)D levels were higher amongst those who spent more time in the sun and lower among obese participants (BMI > 30) than those who were not obese (BMI < 30). 25(OH)D levels were also lower in participants who had black hair, dark/olive skin, or brown eyes, when compared with participants who had brown or fair hair, fair skin, or blue/green eyes. No associations were found between 25(OH)D status and age, gender, smoking status, or the use of sunscreen.

Strategies for zonal cartilage repair using hydrogels

Articular cartilage is a highly hydrated tissue with depth-dependent cellular and matrix properties that provide low-friction load bearing in joints. However, the structure and function are frequently lost and there is insufficient repair response to regenerate high-quality cartilage. Several hydrogel-based tissue-engineering strategies have recently been developed to form constructs with biomimetic zonal variations to improve cartilage repair. Modular hydrogel systems allow for systematic control over hydrogel properties, and advanced fabrication techniques allow for control over construct organization. These technologies have great potential to address many unanswered questions involved in prescribing zonal properties to tissue-engineered constructs for cartilage repair.

Translating tissue engineering technology platforms into cancer research

Technology platforms originally developed for tissue engineering applications produce valuable models that mimic three-dimensional (3D) tissue organization and function to enhance the understanding of cell/tissue function under normal and pathological situations. These models show that when replicating physiological and pathological conditions as closely as possible investigators are allowed to probe the basic mechanisms of morphogenesis, differentiation and cancer. Significant efforts investigating angiogenetic processes and factors in tumorigenesis are currently undertaken to establish ways of targeting angiogenesis in tumours. Anti-angiogenic agents have been accepted for clinical application as attractive targeted therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Combining the areas of tumour angiogenesis, combination therapies and drug delivery systems is therefore closely related to the understanding of the basic principles that are applied in tissue engineering models. Studies with 3D model systems have repeatedly identified complex interacting roles of matrix stiffness and composition, integrins, growth factor receptors and signalling in development and cancer. These insights suggest that plasticity, regulation and suppression of these processes can provide strategies and therapeutic targets for future cancer therapies. The historical perspective of the fields of tissue engineering and controlled release of therapeutics, including inhibitors of angiogenesis in tumours is becoming clearly evident as a major future advance in merging these fields. New delivery systems are expected to greatly enhance the ability to deliver drugs locally and in therapeutic concentrations to relevant sites in living organisms. Investigating the phenomena of angiogenesis and anti-angiogenesis in 3D in vivo models such as the Arterio-Venous (AV) loop mode in a separated and isolated chamber within a living organism adds another significant horizon to this perspective and opens new modalities for translational research in this field.

Can tissue engineering concepts advance tumor biology research?

Advances in tissue engineering have traditionally led to the design of scaffold- or matrix-based culture systems that better reflect the biological, physical and biochemical environment of the natural extracellular matrix. Although their clinical applications in regenerative medicine tend to receive most of the attention, it is obvious that other areas of biomedical research could be well served by the powerful tools that have already been developed in tissue engineering. In this article, we review the recent literature to demonstrate how tissue engineering platforms can enhance in vitro and in vivo models of tumorigenesis and thus hold great promise to contribute to future cancer research.

Public health and clinical dilemmas resulting from imprecise vitamin D tests

Objective: To determine whether there are clinical and public health dilemmas resulting from the reproducibility of routine vitamin D assays. Methods: Blinded agreement studies were conducted in eight clinical laboratories using two commonly used assays to measure serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels in Australasia and Canada (DiaSorin Radioimmunoassay (RIA) and DiaSorin LIAISON® one). Results: Only one laboratory measured 25(OH)D with excellent precision. Replicate 25(OH)D measurements varied by up to 97% and 15% of paired results differed by more than 50%. Thirteen percent of subjects received one result indicating insufficiency [25-50 nmol/l] and another suggesting adequacy [>50 nmol/l]). Agreement ranged from poor to excellent for laboratories using the manual RIA, while the precision of the semi-automated Liaison® system was consistently poor. Conclusions: Recent interest in the relevance of vitamin D to human health has increased demand for 25(OH)D testing and associated costs. Our results suggest clinicians and public health authorities are making decisions about treatment or changes to public health policy based on imprecise data. Clinicians, researchers and policy makers should be made aware of the imprecision of current 25(OH)D testing so that they exercise caution when using these assays for clinical practice, and when interpreting the findings of epidemiological studies based on vitamin D levels measured using these assays. Development of a rapid, reproducible, accurate and robust assay should be a priority due to interest in populationbased screening programs and research to inform public health policy about the amount of sun exposure required for human health. In the interim, 25(OH)D results should routinely include a statement of measurement uncertainty.

Recent advances in dermal wound healing : biomedical device approaches

Successful repair of wounds and tissues remains a major healthcare and biomedical challenge in the 21st Century. In particular, chronic wounds often lead to loss of functional ability, increased pain and decreased quality of life, and can be a burden on carers and health-system resources. Advanced healing therapies employing biological dressings, skin substitutes, growth factor-based therapies and synthetic a cellular matrices, all of which aim to correct irregular and dysfunctional cellular pathways present in chronic wounds, are becoming more popular. This review focuses on recent advances in biologically inspired devices for would healing and includes a commentary on the challenges facing the regulatory governance of such products.

A peptidomimetic inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases containing a tetherable linker group

Successful wound repair and normal turnover of the extracellular matrix relies on a balance between matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their natural inhibitors (the TIMPs). When over-expression of MMPs and abnormally high levels of activation or low expression of TIMPs are encountered, excessive degradation of connective tissue and the formation of chronic ulcers can occur. One strategy to rebalance MMPs and TIMPs is to use inhibitors. We have designed a synthetic pseudopeptide inhibitor with an amine linker group based on a known high-affinity peptidomimetic MMP inhibitor have demonstrated inhibition of MMP-1, -2, -3 and -9 activity in standard solutions. The inhibitor was also tethered to a polyethylene glycol hydrogel using a facile reaction between the linker unit on the inhibitor and the hydrogel precursors. After tethering, we observed inhibition of the MMPs although there was an increase in the IC50s which was attributed to poor diffusion of the MMPs into the hydrogels, reduced activity of the tethered inhibitor or incomplete incorporation of the inhibitor into the hydrogels. When the tethered inhibitors were tested against chronic wound fluid we observed significant inhibition in proteolytic activity suggesting our approach may prove useful in rebalancing MMPs within chronic wounds.

Bioengineered 3D platform to explore cell-ECM interactions and drug resistance of epithelial ovarian cancer cells

The behaviour of cells cultured within three-dimensional (3D) structures rather than onto two-dimensional (2D) culture plastic more closely reflects their in vivo responses. Consequently, 3D culture systems are becoming crucial scientific tools in cancer cell research. We used a novel 3D culture concept to assess cell-matrix interactions implicated in carcinogenesis: a synthetic hydrogel matrix equipped with key biomimetic features, namely incorporated cell integrin-binding motifs (e.g. RGD peptides) and the ability of being degraded by cell-secreted proteases (e.g. matrix metalloproteases). As a cell model, we chose epithelial ovarian cancer, an aggressive disease typically diagnosed at an advanced stage when chemoresistance occurs. Both cell lines used (OV-MZ-6, SKOV-3) proliferated similarly in 2D, but not in 3D. Spheroid formation was observed exclusively in 3D when cells were embedded within hydrogels. By exploiting the design flexibility of the hydrogel characteristics, we showed that proliferation in 3D was dependent on cell-integrin engagement and the ability of cells to proteolytically remodel their extracellular microenvironment. Higher survival rates after exposure to the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel were observed in cell spheroids grown in hydrogels (40-60%) compared to cell monolayers in 2D (20%). Thus, 2D evaluation of chemosensitivity may not reflect pathophysiological events seen in patients. Because of the design flexibility of their characteristics and their stability in long-term cultures (28 days), these biomimetic hydrogels represent alternative culture systems for the increasing demand in cancer research for more versatile, physiologically relevant and reproducible 3D matrices.

Deleuze and "The Intercessors"

The late French philosopher Gilles Deleuze has enjoyed significant notoriety and acclaim in American academia over the last 20 years. The unique disciplinary focus of the contemporary discussion has derived from Deleuze the architectural possibilities of biotechnology, systems theory, and digital processualism. While the persistence of Deleuze’s theory of science and the formalist readings of Mille Plateaux and Le Bergsonisme have dominated the reception since the 1990s, few are aware of a much earlier encounter between Deleuze and architects, beginning at Columbia University in the 1970s, which converged on the radical politics of Anti-OEdipus and its American reception in the journal Semiotext(e), through which architecture engaged a much broader discourse alongside artists, musicians, filmmakers, and intellectuals in the New York aesthetic underground, of which Deleuze and Félix Guattari were themselves a part.