Mitología y Literatura en "Suddenly Last Summer" de Tennessee Williams: luchando contra Venus y Edipo

The aim of this article is to analyze accurately the role played by two classical references, Venus and Oedipus, in Tennessee Williams's Suddenly Last Summer, in accordance with the usual nature of studies on Classical Tradition -Greek and Roman- and focusing in this case on the relationship between literature and mythology. It is thanks to Venus and Oedipus that the playwright succeeds in showing the magnitude of men¿s and women¿s tragedy, which from his point of view is simply that they have failed to see either kindness in the face of God or to feel his loving and fatherly providence.

Can routine offering of influenza vaccination in office-based settings reduce racial and ethnic disparities in adult influenza vaccination?

BACKGROUND: Influenza vaccination remains below the federally targeted levels outlined in Healthy People 2020. Compared to non-Hispanic whites, racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to be vaccinated for influenza, despite being at increased risk for influenza-related complications and death. Also, vaccinated minorities are more likely to receive influenza vaccinations in office-based settings and less likely to use non-medical vaccination locations compared to non-Hispanic white vaccine users. OBJECTIVE: To assess the number of "missed opportunities" for influenza vaccination in office-based settings by race and ethnicity and the magnitude of potential vaccine uptake and reductions in racial and ethnic disparities in influenza vaccination if these "missed opportunities" were eliminated. DESIGN: National cross-sectional Internet survey administered between March 4 and March 14, 2010 in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: Non-Hispanic black, Hispanic and non-Hispanic white adults living in the United States (N = 3,418). MAIN MEASURES: We collected data on influenza vaccination, frequency and timing of healthcare visits, and self-reported compliance with a potential provider recommendation for vaccination during the 2009-2010 influenza season. "Missed opportunities" for seasonal influenza vaccination in office-based settings were defined as the number of unvaccinated respondents who reported at least one healthcare visit in the Fall and Winter of 2009-2010 and indicated their willingness to get vaccinated if a healthcare provider strongly recommended it. "Potential vaccine uptake" was defined as the sum of actual vaccine uptake and "missed opportunities." KEY RESULTS: The frequency of "missed opportunities" for influenza vaccination in office-based settings was significantly higher among racial and ethnic minorities than non-Hispanic whites. Eliminating these "missed opportunities" could have cut racial and ethnic disparities in influenza vaccination by roughly one half. CONCLUSIONS: Improved office-based practices regarding influenza vaccination could significantly impact Healthy People 2020 goals by increasing influenza vaccine uptake and reducing corresponding racial and ethnic disparities.

Diffusion Spectrum Imaging after stroke shows structural changes in the contra-lateral motor network correlating with functional recovery

There is growing interest in understanding the role of the non-injured contra-lateral hemisphere in stroke recovery. In the experimental field, histological evidence has been reported that structural changes occur in the contra-lateral connectivity and circuits during stroke recovery. In humans, some recent imaging studies indicated that contra-lateral sub-cortical pathways and functional and structural cortical networks are remodeling, after stroke. Structural changes in the contra-lateral networks, however, have never been correlated to clinical recovery in patients. To determine the importance of the contra-lateral structural changes in post-stroke recovery, we selected a population of patients with motor deficits after stroke affecting the motor cortex and/or sub-cortical motor white matter. We explored i) the presence of Generalized Fractional Anisotropy (GFA) changes indicating structural alterations in the motor network of patientsâeuro? contra-lateral hemisphere as well as their longitudinal evolution ii) the correlation of GFA changes with patientsâeuro? clinical scores, stroke size and demographics data iii) and a predictive model.

El Acoso en la Educación: Es Contra la Ley, 2011

Harassment is illegal in all areas protected by Iowa Code Chapter 216. This includes education, employment, public accommodations, credit and housing. Acts of harassment take place every day in schools across the country. Frequently these acts, even if reported to administration, are dismissed as harmless, as "kids will be kids," or as "no big deal." Many people do not realize that harassment that interferes with a person's educational progress is illegal, just as it is illegal in the workplace.

Immunogenicity and safety of an intradermal boosting strategy for vaccination against influenza in lung transplant recipients.

The immunogenicity of influenza vaccine is suboptimal in lung transplant recipients. Use of a booster dose and vaccine delivery by the intradermal rather than intramuscular route may improve response. We prospectively evaluated the immunogenicity and safety of a 2-dose boosting strategy of influenza vaccine. Sixty lung transplant recipients received a standard intramuscular injection of the 2006-2007 inactivated influenza vaccine, followed 4 weeks later by an intradermal booster of the same vaccine. Immunogenicity was assessed by measurement of geometric mean titer of antibodies after both the intramuscular injection and the intradermal booster. Vaccine response was defined as 4-fold or higher increase of antibody titers to at least one vaccine antigen. Thirty-eight out of 60 patients (63%) had a response after intramuscular vaccination. Geometric mean titers increased for all three vaccine antigens following the first dose (p < 0.001). However, no significant increases in titer were observed after the booster dose for all three antigens. Among nonresponders, 3/22 (13.6%) additional patients responded after the intradermal booster (p = 0.14). The use of basiliximab was associated with a positive response (p = 0.024). After a single standard dose of influenza vaccine, a booster dose given by intradermal injection did not significantly improve vaccine immunogenicity in lung transplant recipients.

Investida contra as profissões e reestruturação das identidades acadêmicas e profissionais

Este artigo baseia-se em uma série de idéias e conceitos desenvolvidos pelo sociólogo britânico Basil Bernstein para analisar os desafios e as mudanças enfrentados recentemente por indivíduos com ocupações profissionais, inclusive os das áreas de ensino e pesquisa na educação superior. O artigo discute e procura desenvolver a análise de Bernstein sobre como estruturas particulares do conhecimento podem estar relacionadas com a formação de identidades ocupacionais, centradas naquilo a que o autor se refere como "interioridade" e "dedicação interna". A seguir, examina a gama de desafios para essas identidades, em especial aqueles que surgem da "regionalização" do conhecimento e do "genericismo". Na conclusão, avalia as perspectivas de perpetuação dessas identidades em uma era de crescente mercantilização e gerencialismo.

Opera omnia : quae reperiri potuerunt in quibus ad defensionem ecclesiasticae hierarchiae, & ad instructionem & praeparationem simplicium Christi fidelium de periculis novissimorum temporum agitur, contra pseudo praedicatores hypocritas, & penetrantes domos & otiosos, & curiosos, & gyrouagos ([Reprod.])

Collection : Italian books 1601-1700 ; 3.4

Da (contra)normatividade do cotidiano escolar: problematizando discursos sobre a indisciplina discente

O artigo ambiciona colocar em causa a proliferação discursiva contemporânea em torno das condutas do alunado tidas como indisciplinadas, situando-a, em diálogo com a conceituação foucaultiana, no interior de um quadro socio-histórico e institucional atravessado por demandas multiformes de governamento dos sujeitos escolares. Para tanto, o texto oferece primeiramente uma configuração preliminar da produção acadêmica brasileira sobre a temática disciplinar nas últimas três décadas, bem como problematiza os nortes teórico-metodológicos da investigação voltada ao âmbito (contra)normativo do cotidiano escolar. Em seguida, apresenta os resultados de uma investigação baseada nos registros das ocorrências disciplinares que tomaram lugar no ensino médio de uma escola pública na cidade de São Paulo, num intervalo de cinco anos (2003-2007). Por fim, opera algumas aproximações analíticas do problema, apontando que se as queixas disciplinares parecem ser, num primeiro momento, solidárias a uma espécie de esgarçadura do modus operandi escolar clássico, num segundo momento, elas passam a apontar para a irrupção de modos sutis de controle das condutas não apenas discentes, mas também dos profissionais, de modo consoante aos processos de governamentalização em ação na contemporaneidade.

Monitoring mortality as an indicator of influenza in Catalonia, Spain.

This study aimed to investigate the behaviour of two indicators of influenza activity in the area of Barcelona and to evaluate the usefulness of modelling them to improve the detection of influenza epidemics. DESIGN: Descriptive time series study using the number of deaths due to all causes registered by funeral services and reported cases of influenza-like illness. The study concentrated on five influenza seasons, from week 45 of 1988 to week 44 of 1993. The weekly number of deaths and cases of influenza-like illness registered were processed using identification of a time series ARIMA model. SETTING: Six large towns in the Barcelona province which have more than 60,000 inhabitants and funeral services in all of them. MAIN RESULTS: For mortality, the proposed model was an autoregressive one of order 2 (ARIMA (2,0,0)) and for morbidity it was one of order 3 (ARIMA (3,0,0)). Finally, the two time series were analysed together to facilitate the detection of possible implications between them. The joint study of the two series shows that the mortality series can be modelled separately from the reported morbidity series, but the morbidity series is influenced as much by the number of previous cases of influenza reported as by the previous mortality registered. CONCLUSIONS: The model based on general mortality is useful for detecting epidemic activity of influenza. However, because there is not an absolute gold standard that allows definition of the beginning of the epidemic, the final decision of when it is considered an epidemic and control measures recommended should be taken after evaluating all the indicators included in the influenza surveillance programme.

Escribir historia: la lucha cotidiana contra los datos y contra uno mismo

Los malos estudiantes de historia se lamentan de tener que leer y digerir las opiniones de diversos autores. Estas opiniones son en muchos casos divergentes o contradictorias y una de las primeras funciones de los estudios históricos y de los manuales de historia debería ser hacerles comprender el porqué de esta situación. Diversas personas llegan a diversas conclusiones a partir de los mismos hechos históricos porque, sencillamente, cada uno de nosotros es único y ve el mundo que le rodea de manera diferente. ¿Es difícil, entonces, llegar a conclusiones de tipo histórico? ¿Es difícil escribir historia?

How critical is timing for the diagnosis of influenza in general practice?

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY: The diagnostic significance of clinical symptoms/signs of influenza has mainly been assessed in the context of controlled studies with stringent inclusion criteria. There was a need to extend the evaluation of these predictors not only in the context of general practice but also according to the duration of symptoms and to the dynamics of the epidemic. PRINCIPLES: A prospective study conducted in the Medical Outpatient Clinic in the winter season 1999-2000. Patients with influenza-like syndrome were included, as long as the primary care physician envisaged the diagnosis of influenza. The physician administered a questionnaire, a throat swab was performed and a culture acquired to document the diagnosis of influenza. RESULTS: 201 patients were included in the study. 52% were culture positive for influenza. By univariate analysis, temperature >37.8 degrees C (OR 4.2; 95% CI 2.3-7.7), duration of symptoms <48 hours (OR 3.2; 1.8-5.7), cough (OR 3.2; 1-10.4) and myalgia (OR 2.8; 1.0-7.5) were associated with a diagnosis of influenza. In a multivariable logistic analysis, the best model predicting influenza was the association of a duration of symptom <48 hours, medical attendance at the beginning of the epidemic (weeks 49-50), fever >37.8 and cough, with a sensitivity of 79%, specificity of 69%, positive predictive value of 67%, negative predictive value of 73% and an area under the ROC curve of 0.74. CONCLUSIONS: Besides relevant symptoms and signs, the physician should also consider the duration of symptoms and the epidemiological context (start, peak or end of the epidemic) in his appraisal, since both parameters considerably modify the value of the clinical predictors when assessing the probability of a patient having influenza.

Aurelii Augustini,... De civitate dei liber XXII explicit contra paganos ([Reprod.])

[La cité de Dieu (latin). 1467]

Contra les activitats d'animació de la lectura per a adults en la biblioteca pública: l'experiència de Can Sumarro

Les reflexions que volem fer aquí sobre les activitats d'animació de la lectura tenen el seu origen en l'experiència pròpia de la biblioteca pública de Can Sumarro, però també en les converses informals tingudes esporàdicament sobre aquest tema amb altres persones, professionals de la biblioteca pública igualment. Això no vol dir que les tesis exposades siguin compartides per aquestes persones, sinó simplement que es tracta d'un tema quotidià i d'un cert interès general. Com a mínim així ho esperem.

Influenza vaccination in immunocompromised patients: efficacy and safety.

Yearly administration of the influenza vaccine is the main strategy to prevent influenza in immunocompromised patients. Here, we reviewed the recent literature regarding the clinical significance of the influenza virus infection, as well as the immunogenicity and safety of the influenza vaccine in HIV‑infected individuals, solid-organ and stem-cell transplant recipients and patients receiving biological agents. Epidemiological data produced during the 2009 influenza pandemic have confirmed that immunocompromised patients remain at high risk of influenza-associated complications, namely viral and bacterial pneumonia, hospitalization and even death. The immunogenicity of the influenza vaccine is overall reduced in immunocompromised patients, although a significant clinical protection from influenza is expected to be obtained with vaccination. Influenza vaccination is safe in immunocompromised patients. The efficacy of novel strategies to improve the immunogenicity to the vaccine, such as the use of adjuvanted vaccines, boosting doses and intradermal vaccination, needs to be validated in appropriately powered clinical trials.