Guillaume Caoursin, the Vice-chancellor of the Order of the Hospital, wrote the Obsidionis Rhodiae urbis descriptio (Description of the Siege of Rhodes) as the official record of the Ottoman siege of ...the Knights in Rhodes in 1480. The Descriptio was the first authorized account of the Order’s activities to appear in printed form, and it became one of the best sellers of the 15th century. The publication of the Descriptio not only fed Western Europe’s hunger for news about an important Christian victory in the ongoing war with the Turks, it also served to shape public perceptions of the Hospitallers. Caoursin wrote in a humanistic style, sacrificing military terminology to appeal to an educated audience; within a few years, however, his Latin text became the basis for vernacular versions, which also circulated widely. Modern historians recognize the contributions that the Ottoman siege of Rhodes in 1480 made in the development of military technology, particularly the science of fortifications. This book is the first complete modern Latin edition with an English translation of the Descriptio obsidionis Rhodiae. Two other published eyewitness accounts, Pierre D’Aubusson’s Relatio obsidionis Rhodie and Jacomo Curte’s De urbis Rhodiae obsidione a. 1480 a Turcis tentata, also appear in modern Latin edition and English translation. This book also includes John Kay’s Description of the Siege of Rhodes and an English translation of Ademar Dupuis’ Le siège de Rhodes. The lengthy introductory chapters by Theresa Vann place the Ottoman siege of Rhodes in 1480 within the context of Mehmed II’s expansion in the Eastern Mediterranean after he captured Constantinople in 1453. They then examine the development of an official message, or propaganda, as an essential tool for the Hospitallers to raise money in Europe to defend Rhodes, a process that is traced through the chancery’s official communications describing the aftermath of Constantinople and the Ottoman
Theresa M. Vann is a research associate at the University of Minnesota. Previously, she was the Joseph S. Micallef Curator of the Malta Study Center at the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Saint John’s University, USA. Donald J. Kagay is a professor in the Department of History, Albany State University, USA.
•LCMV peptide matches MBP more closely than peptides shown to cross-react with MBP.•LCMV is concentrated in geographical regions where MS incidence is highest.•LCMV inhibits production of type I ...interferons.•Both immune dysregulation and molecular mimicry may contribute to initiate MS.
The etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) involves both genetic and environmental factors. Genetically, the strongest link is with HLA DRB1*1501, but the environmental trigger, probably a virus, remains uncertain. This investigation scans a panel of proteins from encephalitogenic viruses for peptides homologous to the primary autoantigen from myelin basic protein (MBP), then evaluates candidate peptides against a motif required for T cell cross-reactivity and compares viral prevalence patterns to epidemiological characteristics of MS. The only peptide meeting criteria for cross-reactivity with MBP was one from lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), a zoonotic agent. In contrast to current candidates such as Epstein–Barr virus, the distribution of LCMV is consistent with epidemiological features of MS, including concentration in the temperate zone, higher prevalence farther from the equator, and increased prevalence in proximity to regions of peak MS incidence, while lack of person-to-person transmission is consistent with low MS concordance across monozygotic twins. Further, LCMV blocks induction of type I interferon (IFN). Hypothetically this would dysregulate immune processes in favor of proinflammatory pathways as well as upregulating HLA class II and providing more binding sites for autoantigen. The combination of molecular mimicry with virally-induced immune dysregulation has the potential to explain aspects of autoimmunity not addressed by either mechanism alone.
Highlights • The HLA-DRB1*1501 and cataplexy were related to the EEG slowing during wakefulness. • The HLA-DRB1*1501 and cataplexy increased EEG fast activity during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. • ...The EEG findings characterize clinical symptoms of narcolepsy-spectrum disorders.
The technique of oil painting was introduced to Iran via a cultural exchange with Europe in the Safavid period (ad 1501–1736). Since the first attempt at scientific conservation of wall paintings in ...Iran in the 1960s, the nature of green pigment used in Persian wall paintings has not been clear, although work on contemporary miniature paintings has identified malachite and verdigris. PLM, FT–IR, SEM/EDX, GC–MS and the study of contemporary historical treatises of the Safavid period were the main tools used in the present study to identify the green pigments in Persian (oil‐based) wall paintings. Eight samples taken from the two famous Safavid buildings, Chehel Sotoon Palace and the Sukias House in Isfahan, were analysed. Here, the identification of copper‐based pigment and of verdigris in oil as oleate amends the existing knowledge of the green pigment used in these paintings. It also suggests that oleate was introduced to Persian artists via the European influence on Persian painting as a result of cultural exchange in the Safavid period, when the technique of Persian painting changed from tempera to oil painting. However, as verdigris in oil and resin can appear as oleate over time, it is unknown whether the Persian artists did this deliberately or accidentally.
