scholarly journals Biosemiotics and Body Signifier Theory: a way to understand High Dilutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (35) ◽  
pp. 66-66
Author(s):  
Leoni Villano Bonamin
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Code ◽  
General Concept ◽  
The Body ◽  
Living Systems ◽  
Scientific Communities ◽  
High Dilutions ◽  
Molecular Information ◽  
Molecular Signals ◽  
Regulatory Functions ◽  
To Receive

Since the 80´s Madeleine Bastide and Agnès Lagache have worked on the idea of the Body Signifier Theory, in which the living systems could be defined as “sensible” systems not only able to self-organize, but also to receive and process non-molecular information according to the Pierce semiotic triad: matrix, receiver and carrier. These ideas were built along 20 years of experimental observations, whose results presented some kind of stereotyped pattern that emerged from cells or animals exposed to high dilutions, according to the similia principle. Curiously, at the same time, classical scientific communities have developed the concept of biosemiotics after the observation that living systems are semiotics entities able to deal with codes and meanings, even in molecule-driven processes. Not only the genetic code, but all regulatory functions in living systems represent coding processes. The development of methodologies to identify and understand these codes and its outputs is the aim of biosemiotic science. Putting both concepts together (body signifiers and biosemiotics), it is possible to recognize strong similarities between their approaches and methodology, allowing logical connections between non-molecular signals and changes in cell interactions patterns. Thus, the general concept of biosemiotic could be a theoretical platform on which the construction of a solid phenomenological description of high dilutions effects could be done.

scholarly journals Towards feedback-controlled nanomedicines for smart, adaptive delivery

2018 ◽  
Vol 244 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Jones ◽  
Annette F. Taylor ◽  
Paul A Beales
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Drug Release ◽  
Drug Delivery Systems ◽  
Delivery Systems ◽  
The Body ◽  
Living Systems ◽  
Prolonged Release ◽  
Drug Bioavailability ◽  
Drug Release Profile ◽  
Chemical Systems

Nanomedicines for controlled drug release provide temporal and spatial regulation of drug bioavailability in the body. The timing of drug release is usually engineered either for slow gradual release over an extended period of time or for rapid release triggered by a specific change in its physicochemical environment. However, between these two extremes, there is the desirable possibility of adaptive nanomedicines that dynamically modulate drug release in tune with its changing environment. Adaptation and response through communication with its environment is a fundamental trait of living systems; therefore, the design of biomimetic nanomedicines through the approaches of bottom-up synthetic biology provides a viable route to this goal. This could enable drug delivery systems to optimize release in synchronicity with the body’s natural biological rhythms and the personalized physiological characteristics of the patient, e.g. their metabolic rate. Living systems achieve this responsiveness through feedback-controlled biochemical processes that regulate their functional outputs. Towards this goal of adaptive drug delivery systems, we review the general benefits of nanomedicine formulations, provide existing examples of experimental nanomedicines that encapsulate the metabolic function of enzymes, and give relevant examples of feedback-controlled chemical systems. These are the underpinning concepts that hold promise to be combined to form novel adaptive release systems. Furthermore, we motivate the advantages of adaptive release through chronobiological examples. By providing a brief review of these topics and an assessment of the state of the art, we aim to provide a useful resource to accelerate developments in this field. Impact statement The timing and rate of release of pharmaceuticals from advanced drug delivery systems is an important property that has received considerable attention in the scientific literature. Broadly, these mostly fall into two classes: controlled release with a prolonged release rate or triggered release where the drug is rapidly released in response to an environmental stimulus. This review aims to highlight the potential for developing adaptive release systems that more subtlety modulate the drug release profile through continuous communication with its environment facilitated through feedback control. By reviewing the key elements of this approach in one place (fundamental principles of nanomedicine, enzymatic nanoreactors for medical therapies and feedback-controlled chemical systems) and providing additional motivating case studies in the context of chronobiology, we hope to inspire innovative development of novel “chrononanomedicines.”

Suspiria

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
The Body ◽  
Horror Films ◽  
American Museum ◽  
Moving Image ◽  
International Reputation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
To Receive

As one of the most globally recognisable instances of 20th-century Eurohorror, Dario Argento's Suspiria (1976) is poetic, chaotic, and intriguing. The cult reputation of Argento's baroque nightmare is reflected in the critical praise it continues to receive almost 40 years after its original release, and it appears regularly on lists of the greatest horror films ever. For fans and critics alike, Suspiria is as mesmerising as it is impenetrable: the impact of Argento's notorious disinterest in matters of plot and characterisation combines with Suspiria's aggressive stylistic hyperactivity to render it a movie that needs to be experienced through the body as much as through emotion or the intellect. For its many fans, Suspiria is synonymous with European horror more broadly, and Argento himself is by far the most famous of all the Italian horror directors. If there was any doubt of his status as one of the great horror auteurs, Argento's international reputation was solidified well beyond the realms of cult fandom in the 1990s with retrospectives at both the American Museum of the Moving Image and the British Film Institute. This book considers the complex ways that Argento weaves together light, sound and cinema history to construct one of the most breathtaking horror movies of all time, a film as fascinating as it is ultimately unfathomable.

scholarly journals Bu-Shen-Yi-Sui Capsule, an Herbal Medicine Formula, Promotes Remyelination by Modulating the Molecular Signals via Exosomes in Mice with Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-Yuan Zhao ◽  
Jing Ji ◽  
Xi-Hong Liu ◽  
Hui Zhao ◽  
Bin Xue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis ◽  
Neuroprotective Effect ◽  
The Body ◽  
Biological Information ◽  
Neurological Injury ◽  
Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis ◽  
Molecular Signals ◽  
Serum Exosomes ◽  
Experimental Autoimmune

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system. Bu-shen-yi-sui capsule (BSYSC) could significantly reduce the relapse rate, prevent the progression of MS, and enhance remyelination following neurological injury in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an established model of MS; however, the mechanism underlying the effect of BSYSC on remyelination has not been well elucidated. This study showed that exosomes carrying biological information are involved in the pathological process of MS and that modified exosomes can promote remyelination by modulating related proteins and microRNAs (miRs). Here, the mechanism by which BSYSC promoted remyelination via exosome-mediated molecular signals was investigated in EAE mice and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) in vitro. The results showed that BSYSC treatment significantly improved the body weight and clinical scores of EAE mice, alleviated inflammatory infiltration and nerve fiber injury, protected the ultrastructural integrity of the myelin sheath, and significantly increased the expression of myelin basic protein (MBP) in EAE mice. In an in vitro OPC study, BSYSC-containing serum, especially 20% BSYSC, promoted the proliferation and migration of OPCs and induced OPCs to differentiate into mature oligodendrocytes that expressed MBP. Furthermore, BSYSC treatment regulated the expression of neuropilin- (NRP-) 1 and GTX, downregulated the expression of miR-16, let-7, miR-15, miR-98, miR-486, and miR-182, and upregulated the level of miR-146 in serum exosomes of EAE mice. In conclusion, these results suggested that BSYSC has a neuroprotective effect and facilitates remyelination and that the mechanism underlying the effect of BSYSC on remyelination probably involves regulation of the NRP-1 and GTX proteins and miRs in serum exosomes, which drive promyelination.

scholarly journals Single-Ascending-Dose Pharmacokinetics and Safety of the Novel Broad-Spectrum Antifungal Triazole BAL4815 after Intravenous Infusions (50, 100, and 200 Milligrams) and Oral Administrations (100, 200, and 400 Milligrams) of Its Prodrug, BAL8557, in Healthy Volunteers

2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 279-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Schmitt-Hoffmann ◽  
Brigitte Roos ◽  
Markus Heep ◽  
Michael Schleimer ◽  
Erhard Weidekamm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Volume Of Distribution ◽  
The Body ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Maximum Plasma ◽  
Serious Adverse Events ◽  
Time Curve ◽  
To Receive

ABSTRACT BAL8557 is the water-soluble prodrug of a novel antifungal triazole, BAL4815. BAL4815 is active against a broad spectrum of major opportunistic and pathogenic fungi, including strains that are resistant to other azoles. Cohorts of healthy male subjects received single-ascending oral (p.o.) doses of BAL8557 that were equivalent to 100, 200, or 400 mg of BAL4815 or single-ascending, 1-h constant-rate intravenous (i.v.) infusions of BAL8557 which were equivalent to 50, 100, or 200 mg of BAL4815. In each cohort, six subjects were randomly assigned to receive active drug and two subjects were assigned to receive the placebo. All doses were well tolerated, and no severe or serious adverse events occurred. Maximum plasma concentrations of BAL4815 were observed 1.5 to 3 h after p.o. drug intake or at the end of the 1-h infusion. After both routes of administration, values for maximum drug concentration observed in plasma and area under the concentration-time curve increased slightly more than proportionally to the administered dose. Mean elimination half-lives were particularly long (56 to 77 h after p.o. administration and 76 to 104 h after i.v. administration). The volume of distribution was large (155 to 292 liters after p.o. administration and 304 to 494 liters after i.v. administration) and systemic clearance was low (1.9 to 2.8 liter/h after p.o. administration and 2.8 to 5.0 liter/h after i.v. administration). Urinary recovery of BAL4815 was less than 0.4% of the infused dose. Based on the exposure data, oral bioavailability of BAL4815 is assumed to be very high. The pharmacokinetics of BAL4815 are well suited to maintaining concentrations of BAL4815 for a long period of time in the body and to enabling an effective treatment of systemic mycoses.

scholarly journals Follistatin Regulates Germ Cell Nest Breakdown and Primordial Follicle Formation

Endocrinology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 152 (2) ◽  
pp. 697-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuminori Kimura ◽  
Lara M. Bonomi ◽  
Alan L. Schneyer
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cell ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Ovarian Function ◽  
Primordial Follicle ◽  
Biochemical Properties ◽  
The Body ◽  
Protein Isoforms ◽  
Primordial Follicles ◽  
Reduced Rate ◽  
Regulatory Functions

Abstract Follistatin (FST) is an antagonist of activin and related TGFβ superfamily members that has important reproductive actions as well as critical regulatory functions in other tissues and systems. FST is produced as three protein isoforms that differ in their biochemical properties and in their localization within the body. We created FST288-only mice that only express the short FST288 isoform and previously reported that females are subfertile, but have an excess of primordial follicles on postnatal day (PND) 8.5 that undergo accelerated demise in adults. We have now examined germ cell nest breakdown and primordial follicle formation in the critical PND 0.5–8.5 period to test the hypothesis that the excess primordial follicles derive from increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis during germ cell nest breakdown. Using double immunofluorescence microscopy we found that there is virtually no germ cell proliferation after birth in wild-type or FST288-only females. However, the entire process of germ cell nest breakdown was extended in time (through at least PND 8.5) and apoptosis was significantly reduced in FST288-only females. In addition, FST288-only females are born with more germ cells within the nests. Thus, the excess primordial follicles in FST288-only mice derive from a greater number of germ cells at birth as well as a reduced rate of apoptosis during nest breakdown. These results also demonstrate that FST is critical for normal regulation of germ cell nest breakdown and that loss of the FST303 and/or FST315 isoforms leads to excess primordial follicles with accelerated demise, resulting in premature cessation of ovarian function.

scholarly journals Effect of Body Representation Level of an Avatar on Quality of AR-Based Remote Instruction

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Tzu-Yang Wang ◽  
Yuji Sato ◽  
Mai Otsuki ◽  
Hideaki Kuzuoka ◽  
Yusuke Suzuki
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Body Representation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Instruction System ◽  
Three Body ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Representation Level

In manufacturing, augmented reality (AR)-based remote instruction systems, which enable workers to receive instructions from an avatar, are widely used. In this study, we developed such a system and investigated the effect of the body representation level of the avatar on the quality of AR-based remote instruction. Drawing on the avatar designs of previous works, three different avatar designs (“Hand only”, “Hand + Arm”, and “Body”), representing three body representation levels, were created. In the experiment with a within-participant design, the avatar pointed at blocks sequentially and participants touched each block as soon as they identified it. The results of the experiment indicate that an AR-based remote instruction system with a “Body” avatar exhibits higher usability and can enable the participants to have a lower workload and higher efficiency.

Ideologies of Catholic Missionary Practice in a Postcolonial Era

1981 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Shapiro
Keyword(s):  
Social Systems ◽  
The Body ◽  
Real Object ◽  
The Real ◽  
The Social ◽  
Anthropological Literature ◽  
To Receive

In recent years, a number of anthropologists have come to recognize that missionaries, who play a central role in many of the social systems that anthropologists study, have yet to receive the ethnographic and theoretical attention they deserve. Often, when anthropologists discussed missionaries at all, they treated them as part of the setting, much like rainfall and elevation: matters one felt obliged to mention, but peripheral to the real object of social anthropological description and analysis. There were, to be sure, exceptions, notably the body of anthropological literature that has dealt with the effects of missionaries on various areas of native life.

Mouth: A Diagnostic Mirror

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harpreet Singh Grover ◽  
Rajinder Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cavity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Oral Manifestations ◽  
Medical Person ◽  
Portal Of Entry ◽  
To Receive

ABSTRACT The mouth is the major portal of entry to the body and is equipped with formidable mechanisms for sensing the environment and defending against toxins or invading pathogens. The oral cavity can be considered as a window to the body because many important systemic disorders manifest in the oral cavity. The dentist is frequently the first medical person to encounter such disorders. These oral manifestations must be properly recognized if the patient is to receive appropriate diagnosis and referral for treatment.

Quantum Functional Energy Medicine: The Next Frontier of Restorative Medicine

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Michael J. Gonzalez ◽  
Elizabeth Sutherland ◽  
Jose Olalde
Keyword(s):  
Nonlinear Dynamic ◽  
Quantum Physics ◽  
Life Form ◽  
The Body ◽  
Living Systems ◽  
Physiological Mechanisms ◽  
Energy Medicine ◽  
Energy Field ◽  
Negative Entropy ◽  
Biochemical Responses

Living systems may be thought of as complex, nonlinear, dynamic, self-organizing energetic and field phenomena with negative entropy. At the highest level of organization, each life form may possess an innate biologic field, or biofield. This energy field maintains the integrity of the whole organism; regulates its physiologic and biochemical responses; and is integral to development, healing, and regeneration. Energy medicine refers to several systems that work with energy fields of the body to help restore health. Many energy-related therapies challenge the current biomedical paradigm because they cannot be explained by conventional biochemical or physiological mechanisms. Quantum physics is a better paradigm with which to understand these therapies.

Lessons for Health Service: the Chernobyl Accident and the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 79-84
Author(s):  
A. Bushmanov ◽  
I. Galstyan ◽  
V. Solov'ev ◽  
M. Konchalovsky
Keyword(s):  
Chernobyl Accident ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
The Body ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Vital Functions ◽  
Medical Institutions ◽  
Emergency Drugs ◽  
To Receive

Purpose: The article is devoted to the analysis of organizational measures to overcome the medical consequences of two large-scale events: the Chernobyl accident on 26.04.1986 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: A comparison of the causes, key factors, numbers affected and involved in these events persons, and the availability of the source of knowledge about the clinical picture, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases, developing as a result of radiation exposure and the virus SARS-Cov-2. The article considers the availability of special medical institutions, the infectability of medical workers, the presence of long-term consequences for the health of victims and for the economy. Conclusions: In the development of such catastrophic events, an important role should be played by 1) Timely and adequate information to the population. 2) It is necessary to have a sufficient number of beds that can be repurposed in accordance with the needs and provided with appropriate equipment to support the vital functions of the body. 3) Planned training of qualified medical personnel should be carried out. 4) It is necessary to have stocks of emergency drugs close to the institutions where it is possible to receive victims.

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