To the publication of the textbook "Immunology" (2021, 4th ed., Revised and enlarged) authored by academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences R.M. Khaitov

A pleasant event for specialists in immunology and specialties related to immunology took place this year. A new, 4th edition of the textbook "Immunology" has been published, prepared by the famous Russian immunologist, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Rakhim Musaevich Khaitov. Compared to the previous edition, issued in 2018, this version is a substantially updated and revised version, replenished with information obtained during this relatively short period by world immunology, one of the most rapidly developing areas of scientific knowledge. With all the complexity of modern immunology, this training manual has achieved a perfect in form, consistent and at the same time accessible presentation of the material in accordance with the latest international data. Attention is drawn to the appropriate placement of perfectly done illustrations that explain the text material and create liveliness, interest and accessibility to its development. Special attention should be paid to the fact that after getting acquainted with the deeply and easily presented material about the structure and function of the immune system, the reader is fully prepared for an easier perception of special clinic-oriented information, in particular, on allergies in the chapter "Allergic diseases" presented in in accordance with the principles of evidence-based medicine, modern international and national guidelines and consensus documents. Undoubtedly, the textbook will be an irreplaceable guide for students and teachers of medical and biological educational institutions, researchers, doctors of various specialties interested in immunology and allergology.

Report and Abstracts of the 18th Meeting of the Interuniversity Institute of Myology: Virtual meeting, October 21-24, 2021

In 2021, as the situation due to COVID-19 pandemic was still uncertain, the 18 th annual meeting of the Interuniversity Institute of Myology (IIM), took place on a virtual platform, following the same organization already tested for the previous edition. Participants from Italy, European countries, Canada and USA included clinicians, scientists, pharmaceutical companies and representatives of patient organizations. Four keynote speakers presented new insights into the modulation of muscle stem cell self-renewal in the treatment of neuromuscular disease, the role of nuclear positioning in muscle function, regeneration and tumorigenesis in the heart and advances on therapies of muscular dystrophies. Young PhD students and trainees presented oral communications distributed in five scientific sessions and posters in two poster sessions. On October 21, 2021, selected young scientists participated in the “High Training Course on Advanced Myology”, organized with the University of Perugia, Italy. This course consisted of lectures on muscle regeneration and therapeutic perspectives by internationally recognized speakers, followed by roundtable discussions on “Omics technologies in myology” and “New therapeutic approaches”, plus the meeting itself. Young trainees, winners of past IIM conferences, forming the Young IIM Committee, selected one of Keynote speakers and were involved in the organization of scientific sessions and roundtable discussions. The friendly welcoming of the meeting, which has strongly characterized this event and is of great help in facilitating scientific exchanges and stimulating novel collaborations, was the hallmark of the conference this year again, even on virtual platform. Breakthrough studies showing interdisciplinary works are fostering new avenues in the field of myology. This year again, scientists and students attended the meeting at the huger number, challenging the difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All participants shared the wish to continue and implement IIM meeting with new insights on muscle biology, perspectives in the understanding of the muscle-related diseases and in novel therapeutic approaches. We report here abstracts of the meeting describing basic, translational, and clinical research contributing to the large field of myology.

Oxford Handbook of Anaesthesia

The Oxford Handbook of Anaesthesia is a comprehensive, authoritative and practical guide to the whole field of anaesthetic practice. It encompasses all ages, from neonates to the elderly, and all surgical specialties including cardiac surgery, interventional radiology and weight-reduction surgery. Local, regional and neuraxial techniques are described, including ultrasound guidance. The entire patient journey is covered, from pre-operative assessment and investigation, through informed consent and intraoperative care, to post-operative analgesia. There are substantial sections dealing with acute pain and the management of intra-operative emergencies. A brief drug formulary is provided. The fifth edition is a complete overhaul of the layout and content of the previous edition, with significant new content added.

THE ROLE OF REASONABLENESS IN THE REVIEW OF LABOUR ARBITRATON AWARDS (PART 2)

This article is published in two parts. In the first part (published in the previous edition of Obiter) the general principles relating to administration review were established and the different forms of review considered. It was also established that the making of a CCMA arbitration award constitutes administrative action that is subject to the constitutional right to administrative justice; that justifiability is a constitutional requirement for just administrative action and that a failure to make a decision that is justifiable in terms of the reasons given may render an award reviewable in terms of section 145 of the LRA. This second part of the article will build on the conclusions of the first by focusing on setting out the key findings made by the CC in Sidumo v Rustenburg Platinum Mines Ltd (2007 12 BLLR 1097 (CC)) as regards the test for reviewing arbitration awards in terms of section 145 of the LRA. The purpose is to establish how reasonableness might best be understood and defined as well as to determine its implications for subsequent review proceedings. Case law that has sought to interpret and apply the principles established in Sidumo, will likewise be discussed in order to contextualise the place of reasonableness in the review of arbitration awards with a view better to understand its implications for the courts’ review function. Particular attention will be given to determining the applicability of the reasonableness standard to jurisdictional reviews. The principles laid down by the labour appeal court in Fidelity Cash Management Service v CCMA (2008 3 BLLR 197 (LAC)) will also be discussed with the objective of determining whether the court’s approach that an award is not reviewable because of flawed reasoning determining that the outcome is sustainable according to reasons identified in the record, and whether this finding is consistent with CC’s findings in Sidumo. It will also be considered whether the reasonableness standard as introduced by Sidumo will have any influence on the review of private arbitration awards in terms of section 33 of the Arbitration Act 42 of 19652 and whether parties can agree that an award would be reviewable on the same grounds and subject to the same test as a CCMA award. Finally, proposals will be made in respect of the interpretation and application of the reasonableness principle for the purpose of assisting in review proceedings to come.

Treatise on International Criminal Law

This second edition of Volume I of the three-volume Treatise on International Criminal Law addresses the foundations of international criminal law and the emerging general principles. It examines the history of the discipline and the concepts behind it. Starting with the development of international criminal justice, the book proceeds as follows: it attends to the sources of international criminal law, then moves to investigate the general structure of crime in international criminal law, and addresses in detail the concept and forms of individual criminal responsibility; it then turns to the subjective requirements of criminal responsibility, and defences that exclude such responsibility. International criminal justice is a flourishing field, with the birth of new international criminal tribunals and both accountability and investigative mechanisms. Case law increases rapidly, so does the ensuing substantive scholarship. This is also true for international criminal law’s foundations and general principles, treated in this volume. Thus, the previous edition has been completely revised, updated, and rewritten in some parts. The author strived to include both relevant case law and scholarly work up to March 2021.

ANÁLISE ESTRATÉGICA NERNT

In 2021, the covid-19 pandemic continues to dominate the international scene, but that does not mean that the political cleavages and tensions lost their space. In this edition, relevant themes are analyzed, such as the reasons for the recent clashes that affect national stability in Angola, a promising African state. Next, two articles address the issue of the Russian opponent Navalny and the situation in eastern Ukraine, showing little-known dimensions about these two themes. As for the set of problems that concern the containment of China by the United States and the United Kingdom, the subject that was selected was that of the demonstrations in Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020, which brings an original and thought-provoking analysis. Vaccine diplomacy also emerged as a new topic, with political-strategic and economic dimensions that go beyond the global health crisis, and was objectively assessed here. Another event that surprised many analysts was the military coup in Myanmar, which has both an internal and an external dimension and is addressed here from a critical perspective. Then, an overview of the first 100 days of the Biden administration in the diplomatic and security fields is offered, confirming the predictions expressed in the previous edition that the foreign policy changes would rely on form, and not so much on content. Finally, the return of leftist candidates to power in Latin America is analyzed, exploring the fluidity and uncertainty of the regional political framework. The analysis of the conjuncture, more than just explaining specific events, can contribute to the understanding of ongoing processes and the structure that is taking shape. In this sense, the covid-19 pandemic, regardless of its origin (will we ever know for sure?), has been addressed, as it appears, in an ineffectual way even by prosperous and organized countries. Thus, a strategic reflection shows that the health crisis may be serving as a cover for another one, which was already manifesting itself in previous years: the economic slowdown. All social difficulties would now be presented as a result of the pandemic, as well as the political morass within the states of the system, and conflicts between them would be justified or camouflaged. So, here is a question for reflection: is the ongoing situation being used, to a large extent, as an opportune instrument for managing the economic crisis and the technological and geopolitical dispute currently underway?

Capacity Building in Peer-Review: a Student-led Journal Experience

Introduction: Peer-review plays a pivotal role in optimizing the quality of research articles. However, new strategies need to be implemented in the peer-review system to enhance research rigor, accurate reporting, and data reliability, such as increasing diversity among the reviewers through the inclusion of undergraduate students as reviewers. We aim to report the peer-review policies, procedures, and practices of a medical student-led journal editorial board in 2020, specifically detailing the challenges and the role of the students in the peer-review process. Methods: Through validated online training courses and peer education methodology, the students built capacity regarding the relevance of peer-review, its models, structure, and the publication process. The peer-review process was blinded for authors and reviewers, emphasizing the importance of impartiality and the minimization of identification bias. Guidelines for authors and reviewers were developed to add standardization to the submission and review processes, based on journals’ recommendations and reporting guidelines. Results: From July to August of 2020, the student-led journal received 254 submitted manuscripts from all five Brazilian geographic regions, compared to the 72 submissions received in the previous edition. After review, 50 manuscripts were accepted with major or minor corrections. Discussion: Peer-review contributes to the construction of content, and is the foundation for evidence-based medicine. In addition, it improves ethical thinking, communication skills, and critical appraisal abilities, also desirable in the academic and professional spheres. The medical student peer-review process has numerous benefits and should be promoted and further studied as a potential strategy for building capacity in peer-review.

Capacity Building in Peer Review: a Student-led Journal Experience

Introduction: Peer review plays a pivotal role in optimizing articles’ quality. However, in a context of poor methodological publications and unreliable data, it is questionable which strategies to invest in to improve peer reviewing. An excellent start is by enhancing diversity through inclusion of undergraduate students to reviewers. We aim to report the peer reviewing policies, procedures, and practices of a medical student-led journal editorial board in 2020, detailing the challenges and the role of students in building capacity in peer review. Methods: Through validated online training courses and peer education methodology, the students built capacity regarding the relevance of peer review, its models, structure, and publication process. The journal peer-reviewing was blinded for authors and reviewers, pursuing impartiality and minimization of identification bias. To add standardization to the submission and review processes, guidelines for authors and reviewers were developed, based on journals’ recommendations, and reporting guidelines. Results: The journal had 254 submitted manuscripts from all five Brazilian geographic regions during the second semester of 2020, a considerable increase compared to the 72 submissions in the previous edition. After reviewing, 50 articles were accepted to the Brazilian Medical Students’ 7th edition, demanding minor or major corrections.Discussion: Peer review contributes to the construction of content, standing for evidence-based medicine. Besides, it improves ethical, communication, and critical appraisal abilities, also desirable in the academic and professional spheres. Among the benefits and limitations of this medical students' peer review process, there is an interesting strategy to be studied and further promoted.

Assessing Pre-service Teachers' Beliefs About the Role of the Library Media Specialist

The revision of Information Power (1998) focuses on building partnerships for greater student learning. While not a radical departure from the previous edition (1988), the recent document emphasizes both greater collaboration and leadership and increased involvement with the technologies of information and learning. This study set out to determine whether teacher education programs were preparing tomorrow's teachers to expect and accept the redefined role of the school library media specialist. It involved the development and the administration of a scale to assess pre-service teachers' beliefs about the role of the school library media specialist. The results of the pilot study reported here are preliminary but suggest that while pre-service teachers distinguish three distinct sets of functions they place more emphasis on those functions associated with information access and delivery than on those related to learning and teaching. Further, pre-service teachers do not appear to understand the role areas of learning/teaching and program administration.

PUNISHMENT FOR SLANDER

Federal Law No. 538-FZ of 30 December 2020 substantially tightened the sanctions of the libel article, which previously contained only fines and compulsory labour, by including com-pulsory labour, arrest and imprisonment in most of them. The explanatory memorandum to the bill explained the changes by the need to provide the court with the choice of fair punish-ment, without specifying this provision in detail. As part of the research described in the article, statistics for the Russian Federation for 2013-2020 were taken from the reports of the Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to study the practice of punishment for defamation. The analysis showed that law enforcers used the potential of sanctions of Article 128-1 of the Criminal Code in their previous edition to a very limited extent. This was reflected in the high share of fines among penalties imposed, as well as in insignificant amounts of fines even for qualified and especially qualified types of libel, despite the fact that sanctions provide for high maxi-mum fine limits - from RUB 500,000 in part 1 of Article 128-1 of the Criminal Code to RUB 5 million in part 5. In particular, the share of fine among penalties imposed for simple libel was over 85%, and the average fine was equal in 2018 to RUB 11,500. - 11.5 thousand roubles, in 2019 - 13.7 thousand roubles, in 2020. - 16.3 thousand roubles. In 2018, the average fine for public libel (part 2, article 128-1 of the Criminal Code) was 19,500 rubles; in 2020 - 23,100 rubles. - The sanction allowed for a fine of up to 1 million roubles, while the sanction allowed for a fine of up to 1 million roubles. Moreover, over a quarter of those convicted for especially qualified defamation under part 5 of article 128-1 of the Criminal Code were sentenced to a fine of 5,000 rubles, i.e., one thousand times less than the maximum limit established by the sanction. Only in single cases of slander convictions, the fine exceeded 100 thousand rubles. The establishment of custodial sentences for qualified and especially qualified types of defamation seems excessive: a verbal crime against a person's honour and dignity does not require such a harsh criminal legal response. Moreover, the legislator has designed sanctions with too broad a framework, fraught with the risk of arbitrariness in sentencing and the for-mation of contradictory judicial practice (for example, under part 5 of article 128-1 of the RF Criminal Code, both a fine of 5 thousand rubles, and imprisonment for the period of 5 years can be imposed). The inclusion of arrest in the sanction cannot be considered justified, as this type of punishment has not been introduced yet. The optimum way to improve the sanctions for the part 2 to 5 parts of Article 128-1 of the Criminal Code of the RF would be to enhance them with correctional labour and restriction of freedom. These types of punishments corre-spond to the typical level of public danger of qualified and especially qualified types of slan-der and perpetrators of such deeds. Their inclusion in the sanctions would compensate for the disadvantages of the latter, related to the restrictions enshrined in the law on imposing com-pulsory works and large fines.