«Differential calculus…is the algebra of pure thought» (Deleuze 1994:181–2). Here, in an oftenoverlooked passage of Difference and Repetition, Deleuze presents the model of his philosophy of ...difference inexplicit terms. In this context, calculus is not a simple mathematical tool but the model for the genesis of every actual reality, including thought. This model makes it possible to explain the working of the mind on the basis of sensory experience in order to produce its determinations while also grounding knowledge on a non-phenomenal reality: ideas as differentials of thought. This article will begin by clarifying how Deleuze draws from modern analysis in order to formulate the paradigm that allows him to ground knowledge on “real conditions of thought” (Deleuze 1988: 23), that is, pre-individual genetic conditions rather than a priori, subjective conditions.
Determine the usefulness of ocular motility testing to detect the presence of muscle entrapment.
Cross-sectional study of patients with symptoms of diplopia secondary to facial trauma. Inclusion ...criteria: age between 20 and 80 years; symptoms of diplopia following facial trauma; presence of orbital floor fracture confirmed radiologically; presence of muscle entrapment confirmed at the time of surgery; best-corrected visual acuity of 0.6 or more. Exclusion criteria: muscle entrapment visible on computed tomography; candidate for immediate surgical correction; prior history of strabismus surgery. Outcome measures: Abnormal Head Position (AHP), Hirschberg Corneal Reflexes (CR), Cover/Uncover and Alternating Cover Test, Hertel exophthalmometry, Near Point of Convergence (NPC), Kestenbaum Limbus test, Red Filter test, and Hess screen test.
Forty-six subjects (38 males, 8 females, mean age 27 ± 3.3 SD years). Pre-operative assessment: forty-six (100%) reported diplopia on the Red Filter test and showed some degree of abnormality on the Hess Screen test. Forty-two (91%) showed AHP. Forty-one (89%) had exophthalmometry values that differed 2 mm or more between the two eyes and insufficient NPC. Thirty-two (69.6%) showed deficits of 3 mm or more on the Kestenbaum Limbus test. Sixteen (35%) had abnormal Hirschberg corneal reflexes. Eleven (24%) demonstrated constant or intermittent strabismus.
Ocular motility testing can differentiate non-invasively, pre-operatively, and cost-effectively the presence of muscle entrapment even when this is not visible on computed tomography.
The use of dermoscopy is known to increase the sensitivity and specificity in the clinical diagnosis of cutaneous pigmented melanocytic lesions compared with naked-eye examinations. However, small ...pigmented melanocytic lesions with maximum clinical diameters of 6 mm remain the most significant diagnostic challenge to the clinician, particularly in the diagnosis of small melanoma, both in naked-eye and in dermatoscopic examinations. The aim of the present study was to analyze the clinical and dermatoscopic features of small pigmented melanocytic lesions, focusing on more frequently occurring features in small melanoma to identify them earlier. A total of 103 pigmented melanocytic lesions with diameters less than 6 mm were analyzed. On histopathological examination, 34 of these lesions were diagnosed as melanomas and the remaining lesions (n = 69) were diagnosed as benign, melanocytic lesions. Images of cases were independently and blindly administered to three dermatologist experts in dermoscopy, who were asked to examine the clinical and dermatoscopic images of melanocytic skin lesions separately and to fill out a printed questionnaire to rate the images according to the ABCD clinical criteria and according to typical dermoscopic pattern analyses. The results of the questionnaires were then analyzed and crossed in order to rate the clinical and dermoscopic features of small pigmented lesions. Our study proved that the clinical criteria for diagnosing melanoma are not as reliable in the diagnosis of pigmented lesions of less than 6 mm diameter. However, the use of dermoscopy, even if not nullifying, allows a better classification of small, melanocytic lesions through pattern analysis.
The paper explores the "mix-and-match" consumption trend and the brand recognition of luxury fashion brands. Results show that consumer recognition of luxury fashion brands increases when pairing ...these branded products with those made by fast-fashion companies. Findings also show that luxury fashion brands are mainly recognized through accessories. Eye-tracking technology has been used to conduct the study.
COVID-19 vaccination is the most significant step toward the long-term mitigation of SARS-CoV-2-related complication, avoiding disease and death and decreasing virus spread. This study aimed to ...evaluate, in a real-world setting, booster dose effectiveness to reduce COVID-19 risk considering the amount of time after the end of the two-dose vaccination cycle. A sub-analysis was conducted to adjust the booster dose effect for occupational and demographic factors.
About 16,000 COVID-19-vaccinated HCWs of three University Hospital Networks in Milan (HN1/HN2/HN3) were included in the study. Data were collected by Occupational Health Physicians of the HNs within specific computerized databases.
In univariable analysis, booster dose administration displayed a slightly higher risk of infection with respect to not receiving it, OR = 1.18, with 95% confidence interval (C.I) 0.99, 1.41. When the model was adjusted with the modulating effect of time from the completion of the vaccination cycle on booster dose administration, the latter resulted in strong protective effect against infection, OR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.26, 0.74. However, considering the modifying influence of time from the vaccination cycle's completion, the administration of booster doses appeared to have a protective effect against infection. In HN1, students and resident physicians displayed lower odds of infection with respect to physicians. Lastly, a non-linear effect of age was reported.
Our findings suggest that the correct timing in vaccine scheduling and administration is critical to vaccine effectiveness. These findings, applicable to all vaccinations, should help in setting up more effective vaccination strategies.
Pericytes are branched cells located in the wall of capillary blood vessels that are found throughout the body, embedded within the microvascular basement membrane and wrapping endothelial cells, ...with which they establish a strong physical contact. Pericytes regulate angiogenesis, vessel stabilization, and contribute to the formation of both the blood-brain and blood-retina barriers by Angiopoietin-1/Tie-2, platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF) signaling pathways, regulating pericyte-endothelial cell communication. Human pericytes that have been cultured for a long period give rise to multilineage progenitor cells and exhibit mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) features. We focused our attention on the roles of pericytes in brain and ocular diseases. In particular, pericyte involvement in brain ischemia, brain tumors, diabetic retinopathy, and uveal melanoma is described. Several molecules, such as adenosine and nitric oxide, are responsible for pericyte shrinkage during ischemia-reperfusion. Anti-inflammatory molecules, such as IL-10, TGFβ, and MHC-II, which are increased in glioblastoma-activated pericytes, are responsible for tumor growth. As regards the eye, pericytes play a role not only in ocular vessel stabilization, but also as a stem cell niche that contributes to regenerative processes in diabetic retinopathy. Moreover, pericytes participate in melanoma cell extravasation and the genetic ablation of the PDGF receptor reduces the number of pericytes and aberrant tumor microvessel formation with important implications for therapy efficacy. Thanks to their MSC features, pericytes could be considered excellent candidates to promote nervous tissue repair and for regenerative medicine.
Angiogenesis is involved in many pathological states such as progression of tumours, retinopathy of prematurity and diabetic retinopathy. The latter is a more complex diabetic complication in which ...neurodegeneration plays a significant role and a leading cause of blindness. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a powerful pro‐angiogenic factor that acts through three tyrosine kinase receptors (VEGFR‐1, VEGFR‐2 and VEGFR‐3). In this work we studied the anti‐angiogenic effect of quercetin (Q) and some of its derivates in human microvascular endothelial cells, as a blood retinal barrier model, after stimulation with VEGF‐A. We found that a permethylated form of Q, namely 8MQPM, more than the simple Q, is a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis both in vitro and ex vivo. Our results showed that these compounds inhibited cell viability and migration and disrupted the formation of microvessels in rabbit aortic ring. The addition of Q and more significantly 8MQPM caused recoveries or completely re‐establish the transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) to the control values and suppressed the activation of VEGFR2 downstream signalling molecules such as AKT, extracellular signal‐regulated kinase, and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase. Taken together, these data suggest that 8MQPM might have an important role in the contrast of angiogenesis‐related diseases.
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