scholarly journals Wildlife Trade and COVID-19: Towards a Criminology of Anthropogenic Pathogen Spillover

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piers Beirne
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
One Health ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Wildlife Trade ◽  
Green Criminology ◽  
Critical Animal Studies ◽  
Underlying Assumption ◽  
Legal Personhood

Abstract The general remit of this paper is the role of wildlife trade in pathogen spillover. Its underlying assumption is that, so far from being the exclusive domain of the life sciences, the study of pathogen spillover will be greatly enhanced by multi-perspectival approaches, including One Health and those employed here, namely, non-speciesist green criminology and critical animal studies. The paper moves from discussions of zoonosis, anthroponosis and wildlife trade to the emergence of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. The paper recommends the abolition of all wildlife trade and the reclamation of wildlife habitat and broaches discussion of the extension of legal personhood to wild animals.

scholarly journals Including the animal standpoint in critical public relations research

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-161
Author(s):  
Núria Almiron ◽  
Laura Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Critical Animal Studies ◽  
Essential Step ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Discourse Studies ◽  
Theoretical Paper ◽  
Short Explanation

In this paper we argue that adopting critical animal studies perspectives in critical public relations can not only be very fruitful, but that it is also a necessity if the aims of the latter are to be achieved. To this end, this text introduces the challenges and opportunities that the field of critical animal studies brings to critical public relations studies. First, a short explanation of what critical animal studies is and why it can contribute to critical public relations studies is provided. Then the main fields of research where this contribution can be most relevant are discussed, including ethics, discourse studies and political economy. The final aim of this theoretical paper is to expand research within the field of critical public relations by including a critical animal studies approach. Eventually, the authors suggest that embracing the animal standpoint in critical public relations is an essential step to furthering the study of power, hegemony, ideology, propaganda or social change and to accomplishing the emancipatory role of research.

Understanding animal (ab)use: Green criminological contributions, missed opportunities and a way forward

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 402-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nik Taylor ◽  
Amy Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Meat Production ◽  
Green Criminology ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Critical Animal Studies ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Nonhuman Animals

While the last two decades have witnessed considerable growth in green criminology, the positioning of nonhuman animals within the field remains unclear and contested. This article provides an analysis of green criminological work—published since the 1998 special issue of Theoretical Criminology—that addresses harms and crime perpetrated against nonhuman animals. We assess trends in the quantity of the work over time and how the treatment of nonhuman animals has unfolded through an analysis of green criminology articles, chapters in edited volumes and monographs. We find that while the amount of consideration given to nonhuman animals by green criminologists has increased dramatically over the years, much of this work has focused on crimes and harms against wild animals (e.g. “wildlife poaching”, “trafficking”), comparatively less attention has been paid to so-called “domesticated animals” or to larger questions of species justice. Based on these findings, we consider how concepts in critical animal studies, ecofeminism and feminist intersectional theories may be utilized in green criminological debates regarding animal (ab)use. With the goal of stimulating further work in this vein, we outline three areas where green criminology has much to offer: (1) researching and exposing meat production and consumption as a form of animal abuse and as a major contributor to global climate change; (2) bridging the divide between environmentalism, animal advocacy and their associated areas of academic study; and (3) refining and reflecting on methodological choices, all with the aim of developing a nonspeciesist green criminology.

scholarly journals The State of Human-Animal Studies

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margo DeMello ◽  
Kenneth Shapiro
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Critical Animal Studies ◽  
The Past ◽  
Current Economic Crisis ◽  
Interdisciplinary Nature ◽  
College Programs ◽  
Animal Welfare Science ◽  
Human Animal

AbstractThe growth of human-animal studies (HAS) over the past twenty years can be seen in the explosion of new books, journals, conferences, organizations, college programs, listserves, and courses, both in the United States and throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. We look as well at trends in the field, including the increasing popularity of animal-assisted therapy programs, the rise of new fields like transspecies psychology and critical animal studies, and the importance of animal welfare science. We also discuss the problems continuing to face the field, including the conservative culture of universities, the interdisciplinary nature of the field, the current economic crisis, and general anthropocentrism within academia. We end with a discussion of the tension between the scholarly role and the role of animal advocate, and offer some suggestions for HAS to continue to grow.

scholarly journals Hypoxia and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Pregnancy Complications

Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang-Qun Hu ◽  
Lubo Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Pregnancy Complications ◽  
Intrauterine Growth Restriction ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Major Effect ◽  
Causative Role ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Maternal Complications ◽  
Mitochondrial Ros ◽  
Subsequent Risk

Hypoxia is a common and severe stress to an organism’s homeostatic mechanisms, and hypoxia during gestation is associated with significantly increased incidence of maternal complications of preeclampsia, adversely impacting on the fetal development and subsequent risk for cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Human and animal studies have revealed a causative role of increased uterine vascular resistance and placental hypoxia in preeclampsia and fetal/intrauterine growth restriction (FGR/IUGR) associated with gestational hypoxia. Gestational hypoxia has a major effect on mitochondria of uteroplacental cells to overproduce reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative stress. Excess mitochondrial ROS in turn cause uteroplacental dysfunction by damaging cellular macromolecules, which underlies the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and FGR. In this article, we review the current understanding of hypoxia-induced mitochondrial ROS and their role in placental dysfunction and the pathogenesis of pregnancy complications. In addition, therapeutic approaches selectively targeting mitochondrial ROS in the placental cells are discussed.

scholarly journals Oxidative Stress as a Possible Target in the Treatment of Toxoplasmosis: Perspectives and Ambiguities

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 5705
Author(s):  
Karolina Szewczyk-Golec ◽  
Marta Pawłowska ◽  
Roland Wesołowski ◽  
Marcin Wróblewski ◽  
Celestyna Mila-Kierzenkowska
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Natural Antioxidants ◽  
Redox Status ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Parasite Viability

Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite causing toxoplasmosis, a common disease, which is most typically asymptomatic. However, toxoplasmosis can be severe and even fatal in immunocompromised patients and fetuses. Available treatment options are limited, so there is a strong impetus to develop novel therapeutics. This review focuses on the role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology and treatment of T. gondii infection. Chemical compounds that modify redox status can reduce the parasite viability and thus be potential anti-Toxoplasma drugs. On the other hand, oxidative stress caused by the activation of the inflammatory response may have some deleterious consequences in host cells. In this respect, the potential use of natural antioxidants is worth considering, including melatonin and some vitamins, as possible novel anti-Toxoplasma therapeutics. Results of in vitro and animal studies are promising. However, supplementation with some antioxidants was found to promote the increase in parasitemia, and the disease was then characterized by a milder course. Undoubtedly, research in this area may have a significant impact on the future prospects of toxoplasmosis therapy.

Animal studies on the role of 50/60-hertz magnetic fields in carcinogenesis

Life Sciences ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 54 (21) ◽  
pp. 1531-1543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Löscher ◽  
Meike Mevissen
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Fields ◽  
Animal Studies

Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants as a risk factor of offspring metabolic syndrome development during childhood

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlene Cervantes González
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Prenatal Exposure ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Polychlorinated Biphenyl ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Experimental Findings

Abstract Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are exogenous, artificially made chemicals that can disrupt the biological system of individuals and animals. POPs encompass a variety of chemicals including, dioxins, organochlorines (OCs), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) that contain a long half-life and highly resistant to biodegradation. These environmental pollutants accumulate over time in adipose tissues of living organisms and alter various insulin function-related genes. Childhood Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) consists of multiple cardiovascular risk factors, insulin function being one of them. Over the years, the incidence of the syndrome has increased dramatically. It is imperative to explore the role of persistent organic pollutants in the development of Childhood Metabolic Syndrome. Some epidemiological studies have reported an association between prenatal exposure to POPs and offspring MetS development throughout childhood. These findings have been replicated in animal studies in which these pollutants exercise negative health outcomes such as obesity and increased waist circumference. This review discusses the role of prenatal exposure to POPs among offspring who develop MetS in childhood, the latest research on the MetS concept, epidemiological and experimental findings on MetS, and the POPs modes of action. This literature review identified consistent research results on this topic. Even though the studies in this review had many strengths, one major weakness was the usage of different combinations of MetS criteria to measure the outcomes. These findings elucidate the urgent need to solidify the pediatric MetS definition. An accurate definition will permit scientists to measure the MetS as a health outcome properly and allow clinicians to diagnose pediatric MetS and provide individualized treatment appropriately.

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