Leibniz's theory of bodies: monadic aggregates, phenomena, or both?

Leibniz's conception of bodies seems to be a puzzling theory. Bodies are seen as aggregates of monads and as wellfounded phenomena. This has initiated controversy and unending discussions. The paper attempts to resolve the apparent inconsistencies by a new and formally spirited reconstruction of Leibniz's theory of monads and perception, on the one hand, and a (re-)formulation and precisation of his concept of preestablished harmony, on the other hand. Preestablished harmony is modelled basically as a covariation between the monadic and the ideal realm.

Bodies, Borders, Crossings -näyttely Covernors Island, New York

Bodies, Borders, Crossings -ryhmänäyttely, Covernors Island rantakasarmi, kuraattorit Leena-Maija Rossi ja Kari Soinio, tuottaja Frame ja Suomen New Yorkin kulttuuri-instituutti. Esillä videoteos Miss Kong.

Effects of splenic allograft in lipid profile of non-splenectomized rats: the immune and metabolic role of the "double spleen"

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the role of the spleen and splenic allograft in lipid control and evaluate its effect on the lipid profile of rats.METHOD: 32 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into four groups: control group (1), total splenectomy group (2), splenectomy and implantation of allograft group (3) and double spleen group (4). Each group was subdivided into two subgroups: A and B, based on the death of the animals after 30 or 120 days of monitoring. The procedures in groups 2, 3 and 4 were made simultaneously, and splenectomized animals, groups 2 and 3 were donors, respectively, for the animals of groups 3 and 4. In group 4 the spleen was preserved and the animals received implants from the spleens of rats from group 3. The regeneration of splenic tissue was evaluated by macroscopic and microscopic analyzes of the grafts and own spleens, as well as with measurements of VLDL, HDL, LDL, total cholesterol and triglycerides.RESULTS: after 120 days, Group 4 showed levels of total cholesterol and LDL lower than the other groups. Group 1 had higher levels of lipids.CONCLUSION: The technique of double spleen was effective in the control of lipid metabolism, corroborating the function of the spleen as a reserve of lipids.

Impact of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass on lipid and inflammatory profiles

Objective: To evaluate the behavior of acute phase proteins and lipid profile in patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Methods : We conducted a prospective study, consisting of three moments: M1 - preoperative (24 hours before surgery); M2 - 30 days after surgery; and M3 - 180 days after surgery. We carried measured height and BMI, as well as determined the concentrations of acute phase proteins (C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin and Alpha-1-acid glycoprotein) and total cholesterol, LDL-c, HDL-c and triacylglycerol. Results : participants comprised 25 individuals, with a mean age of 39.28 ± 8.07, 72% female. At all times of the study there was statistically significant difference as for weight loss and BMI. We found a significant decrease in CRP concentrations between the moments M1 and M3 (p = 0.041) and between M2 and M3 (p = 0.018). There was decrease in Alpha-1-GA concentrations between M1 and M2 (p = 0.023) and between M1 and M3 (p = 0.028). The albumin values increased, but did not differ between times. Total cholesterol and triacylglycerol decreased significantly ay all times. LDL-c concentrations decreased and differed between M1 and M2 (p = 0.001) and between M1 and M3 (p = 0.001). HDL-c values increased, however only differing between M1 and M2 (p = 0.050). Conclusion : Roux-en-Y gastric bypass promoted a decrease in plasma concentrations of CRP and Alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, improving lipid and inflammatory profiles.

Unintentionally retained foreign bodies after surgical procedures. Analysis of 4547 cases

Objective: this study aims to explore the experience of Brazilian surgeons on Unintentionally Retained Foreign Bodies (RFB) after surgical procedures. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to surgeons by electronic mail, between March and July 2012. The questions analyzed their experience with foreign bodies (FB), foreign bodies' types, clinical manifestations, diagnoses, risk factors and legal implications. Results: in the 2872 eligible questionnaires, 43% of the surgeons asserted that they had already left FB and 73% had removed FB in one or more occasions, totalizing 4547. Of these foreign bodies, 90% were textiles, 78% were discovered in the first year and 14% remained asymptomatic. Among doctors with less than five years after graduation, 36% had already left a FB. The most frequently surgical procedures mentioned were the elective (57%) and routine (85%) ones. Emergency (26%), lack of counting (25%) and inadequate conditions of work contributed (12.5%) to the occurrence. In 46% of the cases patients were alerted about the FB, and 26% of them sued the doctors or the institution. Conclusions: challenging medical situations, omission of security protocols and inadequate work conditions contributed to RFB. However, RFB occurs mostly in routine procedures such as cesarean or cholecystectomy, and at the beginning of the professional career, highlighting, particularly in poorest countries, the need for primary prevention. Textiles predominated causing clinical repercussions and they were diagnosed in the first postoperative months. Surgeons were sued in 11.3% of the RFB cases.

Association between Lipid Accumulation Product and Hirsutism in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Objective Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine metabolic disorder in women between menarche and menopause. Clinical hyperandrogenism is the most important diagnostic criterion of the syndrome, which manifests as hirsutism in 70% of cases. Hirsute carriers of PCOS have high cardiovascular risk. Lipid accumulation product (LAP) is an index for the evaluation of lipid accumulation in adults and the prediction of cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between LAP and hirsutism in women with PCOS. Methods This was a cross-sectional observational study of a secondary database, which included 263 patients who had visited the Hyperandrogenism Outpatient Clinic from November 2009 to July 2014. The exclusion criteria were patients without Ferriman-Gallwey index (FGI) and/or LAP data. We used the Rotterdam criteria for the diagnosis of PCOS. All patients underwent medical assessment followed by measurement and recording of anthropometric data and the laboratory tests for measurement of the following: thyroid-stimulating hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, prolactin, total testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone (follicular phase), glycohemoglobin A1c, and basal insulin. In addition, the subjects underwent lipid profiling and oral glucose tolerance tests. Other laboratory measurements were determined according to clinical criteria. LAP and the homeostatic model assessment index (HOMA-IR) were calculated using the data obtained. We divided patients into two groups: the PCOS group with normal LAP (< 34.5) and the PCOS group with altered LAP (> 34.5) to compare the occurrence of hirsutism. For statistical analysis, we used SPSS Statistics for Windows(r) and Microsoft Excel programs, with descriptive (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) and comparative analyses (Student's t-test and Chi-square test). We considered relations significant when the p-value was≤0.05. Results LAP was high in most patients (n = 177; 67.3%) and the FGI indicated that 58.5% of the patients (n = 154) had hirsutism. The analysis by LAP quartiles showed a positive correlation (p = 0.04) among patients with a high FGI and an upper quartile LAP (> 79.5) when compared with those with LAP < 29.0 (lower quartile). Conclusion This study demonstrated an association between high LAP and hirsutism. The FGI could represent a simple and low-cost tool to infer an increased cardiovascular risk in women with PCOS.

A brief review and a new treatment for rigid bodies collision models

In general the motion of a body takes place in a confined environment and collision of the body with the containing wall is possible. In order to predict the dynamics of a body in this condition one must know what happens in a collision. Therefore, the problem is: if one knows the pre-collision dynamics of the body and the properties of the body and the wall one wants to predict the post-collision dynamics. This problem is quite old and it appeared in the literature in 1668. Up to 1984 it seemed that Newton's model was enough to solve the problem. But it was found that this was not the case and a renewed interest in the problem appeared. The aim of this paper is to treat the problem of plan collisions of rigid bodies, to classify the different models found in the literature and to present a new model that is a generalization of most of these models.

Membrane properties of structurally modified ceramides : effects on lipid lateral distribution and sphingomyelin-interactions in artificial bilayer membranes

Ceramides comprise a class of sphingolipids that exist only in small amounts in cellular membranes, but which have been associated with important roles in cellular signaling processes. The influences that ceramides have on the physical properties of bilayer membranes reach from altered thermodynamical behavior to significant impacts on the molecular order and lateral distribution of membrane lipids. Along with the idea that the membrane physical state could influence the physiological state of a cell, the membrane properties of ceramides have gained increasing interest. Therefore, membrane phenomena related to ceramides have become a subject of intense study both in cellular as well as in artificial membranes. Artificial bilayers, the so called model membranes, are substantially simpler in terms of contents and spatio-temporal variation than actual cellular membranes, and can be used to give detailed information about the properties of individual lipid species in different environments. This thesis focuses on investigating how the different parts of the ceramide molecule, i.e., the N-linked acyl chain, the long-chain sphingoid base and the membrane-water interface region, govern the interactions and lateral distribution of these lipids in bilayer membranes. With the emphasis on ceramide/sphingomyelin(SM)-interactions, the relevance of the size of the SMhead group for the interaction was also studied. Ceramides with methylbranched N-linked acyl chains, varying length sphingoid bases, or methylated 2N (amide-nitrogen) and 3O (C3-hydroxyl) at the interface region, as well as SMs with decreased head group size, were synthesized and their bilayer properties studied by calorimetric and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. In brief, the results showed that the packing of the ceramide acyl chains was more sensitive to methyl-branching in the mid part than in the distal end of the N-linked chain, and that disrupting the interfacial structure at the amide-nitrogen, as opposed to the C3-hydroxyl, had greater effect on the interlipid interactions of ceramides. Interestingly, it appeared that the bilayer properties of ceramides could be more sensitive to small alterations in the length of the long-chain base than what was previously reported for the N-linked acyl chain. Furthermore, the data indicated that the SM-head group does not strongly influence the interactions between SMs and ceramides. The results in this thesis illustrate the pivotal role of some essential parts of the ceramide molecules in determining their bilayer properties. The thesis provides increased understanding of the molecular aspects of ceramides that possibly affect their functions in biological membranes, and could relate to distinct effects on cell physiology.

Transforming Bodies, Wandering Desires. Intra-actions of Gender and Sexuality in Non-heterosexual Transgender Embodiment

Pro gradu -tutkielmani käsittelee sukupuolen ja seksuaalisuuden keskinäisiä intraaktiivisia vuorovaikutussuhteita elettyjen, ei-heteroseksuaalisten transsukupuolisten ruumiiden kokemuksissa. Tutkielmani haastaa sukupuolen ja seksuaalisuuden pysyvyyden käsityksiä sekä niihin liittyviä yhteiskunnallisia normeja kuvaten tapoja, joilla seksuaalisuuden ja sukupuolen kokeminen ja käytännöt liikkuvat, kehittyvät ja vuorovaikuttavat eletyissä transsukupuolisuuden ruumiillistumissa. Haastattelen kuutta suomalaista, syntymässä naiseksi määriteltyä transsukupuolista henkilöä liittyen heidän kokemuksiinsa sukupuolesta, seksuaalisuudesta ja näiden muutoksista heidän tähänastisen elämänsä aikana. Tarkastelen nauhoitettuja ja litteroituja haastattelutekstejä transtutkimusta, queer-teoriaa ja feminististä uusmaterialistista filosofiaa yhdistävän teoreettisen kehyksen kautta keskittyen siihen, miten sukupuoli ja seksuaalisuus vaikuttavat toistensa kehitykseen, muutokseen ja materialisoitumiseen eri elämänvaiheissa ja tilanteissa. Erityisen tärkeiksi teoreettisiksi vaikuttajiksi tutkielmassani muodostuvat Judith Butlerin Gender Trouble (2006 [1990]) -teoksessaan hahmottelema performatiivisen sukupuolen teoria, Sara Ahmedin analyysi teoksessa Queer Phenomenology. Orientations, Objects, Others (2006) ja Karen Baradin teoksessa Meeting the Universe Halfway. Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning (2007) teoretisoima toimijuudellinen realismi. Päästäkseni kiinni sukupuolen ja seksuaalisuuden yhtymäkohtiin erittelen ensin niitä ominaisuuksia ja kokemuksia, jotka näyttäytyvät haastatteluteksteissäni oleellisina seksuaalisuuden ja sukupuolen kannalta. Tarkastelen seksuaalisuutta suuntautumisen, halun ja seksuaalisten käytäntöjen näkökulmasta: vaikka nämä seksuaalisuuden aspektit ovat kiinteästi kytköksissä toisiinsa, niitä ei voi kokonaan palauttaa toisiinsa. Sukupuolta käsittelen performatiivisuuden näkökulmasta painottaen transsukupuolisiin ruumiisiin ja niiden materiaalisuuteen liittyviä erityispiirteitä. Sukupuolen ja seksuaalisuuden suhteita toisiinsa tarkastelen sekä sellaisissa tilanteissa, joissa niitä on vaikea erottaa toisistaan, että sellaisissa, joissa niiden voidaan nähdä tuottavan toinentoisiaan. Tutkielmallani on etnografisia, filosofisia ja poliittisia ulottuvuuksia. Yhtäältä tahdon kuvata ja analysoida elettyjä transsukupuolisia kokemuksia ja tuottaa tietoa vähän tutkitun ihmisryhmän todellisuudesta. Toisaalta osallistun sukupuolifilosofiseen keskusteluun ruumiillisuudesta ja sukupuolen ja seksuaalisuuden olemuksesta. Lähestyn tutkimusprosessiani niin sanotusta transgender standpoint -näkökulmasta; kirjoitan transsukupuolisena ruumiina, transsukupuolisia ruumiita koskien, pyrkimyksenäni edistää elävien transsukupuolisten ruumiiden asemaa, toimijuutta ja näkyvyyttä yhteiskunnassa.

Inhibition of lipid peroxidation and iron (II)-dependent DNA damage by extracts of Pothomorphe peltata (L.) Miq

Leaves of Pothomorphe peltata (L.) Miq. (Piperaceae) are used locally as anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, hepatoprotective and diuretic infusions and to treat external ulcers and local infections in several parts of the Peruvian, Bolivian and Brazilian Amazon region. The antioxidant activity of different extracts of P. peltata was studied using the hydroperoxide-initiated chemiluminescence assay in liver homogenates, and the methanolic extract was found to have the highest antioxidant activity, with an IC50 = 4 µg/ml. Aqueous and dichloromethane extracts did not show antioxidant activity. The extracts were further evaluated using the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) assay. Finally, an assay of DNA sugar damage induced by Fe (II) salt was used to determine the capacity of the extracts to suppress the oxidative degradation of DNA. All the extracts showed antioxidant activity in the latter two bioassays. The methanolic extract showed the highest activity in reducing oxidative damage to DNA, with an IC50 = 5 µg/ml. Since this extract was highly effective in reducing chemiluminescence and DNA damage, and because the latter activity could be due to the presence of compounds that bind to DNA, DNA-binding activity was studied using the DNA-methyl green (DNA-MG) bioassay. A 30% decrease in the initial absorbance of DNA-MG complex was observed in the methanolic extract at 1000 µg/ml, suggesting the presence of compounds that bind to genetic material. No DNA-binding activity was observed in the aqueous or dichloromethane extracts

Worker honeybee hemolymph lipid composition and synodic lunar cycle periodicities

The aim of the present investigation was to extend a previous study, showing a correlation of the variations of hemolymph carbohydrates with synodic lunar-like cycle and its circaseptan harmonics to worker honeybee hemolymph lipids. Hemolymph lipid concentrations of emerging worker imagos were analyzed in terms of one ideal synodic lunar cycle and processed by the cosinor method testing the null hypothesis versus the presence of 29.5-, 14.8- or 7.4-day periods in the data. A rhythmicity statistically compatible with a 29.5-day rhythm was observed for triacylglycerols and steroids as well as for body weight. A circadiseptan rhythm was determined for 1,3 diacylglycerols, while fatty acids and phospholipids exhibited a circaseptan rhythm. An agreement of peaks for triacylglycerols, steroids and body weight at the new moon, but not at the full moon, was noted with respect to trehalose and glucose circadiseptan rhythms. The latter moon-phase timing of peaks and nadirs, compared with that previously determined for trehalose and glucose, appeared to be identical to the circadiseptan rhythm and reciprocal for the circaseptan rhythms of 1,3 diacylglycerols. Reciprocal tendencies in circaseptans of trehalose and glucose on the one hand, and fatty acids and phospholipids on the other are indicated. The underlying causal nexus of these relationships is unknown

Aluminum induces lipid peroxidation and aggregation of human blood platelets

Aluminum (Al3+) intoxication is thought to play a major role in the development of Alzheimer's disease and in certain pathologic manifestations arising from long-term hemodialysis. Although the metal does not present redox capacity, it can stimulate tissue lipid peroxidation in animal models. Furthermore, in vitro studies have revealed that the fluoroaluminate complex induces diacylglycerol formation, 43-kDa protein phosphorylation and aggregation. Based on these observations, we postulated that Al3+-induced blood platelet aggregation was mediated by lipid peroxidation. Using chemiluminescence (CL) of luminol as an index of total lipid peroxidation capacity, we established a correlation between lipid peroxidation capacity and platelet aggregation. Al3+ (20-100 &micro;M) stimulated CL production by human blood platelets as well as their aggregation. Incubation of the platelets with the antioxidants nor-dihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) (100 &micro;M) and n-propyl gallate (NPG) (100 &micro;M), inhibitors of the lipoxygenase pathway, completely prevented CL and platelet aggregation. Acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) (100 &micro;M), an inhibitor of the cyclooxygenase pathway, was a weaker inhibitor of both events. These findings suggest that Al3+ stimulates lipid peroxidation and the lipoxygenase pathway in human blood platelets thereby causing their aggregation

Apolipoprotein and lipid abnormalities in chronic liver failure

Total serum lipids, as well as apolipoproteins A-I (apo A-I) and B (apo B), were determined in 74 patients with chronic liver failure without cholestasis and in 82 normal subjects. The VLDL, LDL and HDL lipid fractions were reduced in the liver failure group by 36%, 24% and 46%, respectively (P<0.001). Apolipoproteins A-I and B were also reduced by 26% and 25%, respectively (P<0.001). However, the reduction of HDL cholesterol (HDLc) was more pronounced than that of apo A-I and the HDLc:apo A-I ratio was significantly lower in the liver failure group. After separating these patients into groups with plasma albumin lower than 3.0, between 3.0 and 3.5, and higher than 3.5 g/dl, the HDLc:apo A-I ratio was proportional to plasma albumin, but the correlation was not statistically significant. When these patients were separated by the Child classification of liver function, there was a correlation between the HDLc:apo A-I ratio and liver function. The differences in the HDLc:apo A-I ratio between the Child groups B and C, and A and C were statistically significant (P<0.05). We conclude that there is a more pronounced reduction in HDL cholesterol than in apo A-I in liver failure patients. Therefore, the HDLc:apo A-I ratio is a marker of liver function, probably because there is a decreased lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase production by the diseased liver