Mechanism of the Protective Effect of Sesamin on Sepsis-Induced Acute Lung Injury

Sepsis is the syndrome of systemic inflammatory response caused by infection. Over 20 million people worldwide suffer from sepsis each year, of whom about 6 million die, with a case-fatality rate of more than 25%. Therefore, to develop a rational plan for the management of sepsis, there is an urgent need to understand the mechanism of pathogenesis. Sesamin is a kind of sesame lignin isolated from sesame that exhibits multiple biological functions including antiviral, antidyslipidemic, and antihypertensive to name a few. An antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of sesamin appears to be a common denominator in all of its biologic activities. However, the mechanism of sesamin on septic-induced acute pulmonary inflammation still needs further study. Herein, we have established a sepsis model of C57BL/6 mice by cecal ligation and perforation. Using this model, we have shown that sesamin could reduce the levels of several inflammatory factors as well as oxidative stress response. Furthermore, sesamin could repress NLRP3 inflammasome and activate Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, and further inhibit acute pulmonary inflammation. This study reveals the mechanism of the diminution of septic-induced acute pulmonary inflammation by sesamin. This opens a theoretical basis for the development of drugs for treatment of sepsis.

Fairness, Goodness, Reasonableness

The study of obligation in Rawls raises a number of interpretative questions about the way in which A Theory of Justice relates to Political Liberalism. The interpretation offered here is that the two are concerned with distinct problems. The problem of congruence is the problem that exemplifies the problem of moral duty. In Theory, Rawls’s aim is to show how a rational plan of life supports and affirms a person’s sense of justice. In approaching this problem, Rawls offers two sorts of arguments: the conditional and the non-conditional. The unconditional arguments rely upon balance of motives considerations, but are insufficient to reconcile a sense of a person’s good with the duties of justice. The non-conditional arguments eventually fall back upon a controversial philosophical position. In Political Liberalism the argument is transformed into one of reasonable agreement among those who share a conception of the good. However, in substituting the potential alienation of churches or sects from society at large for the alienation of individuals from moral norms, Rawls has substituted one problem for another.

The Algorithm of Rational Planning and Resource Allocation in Preparing a Group of Aircraft for Use in Conditions of Uncertainty

The article considers the algorithm of rational planning of work on preparing a group of aircraft for departure, provided that the duration of each of the work is random. The work is carried out by specialists of different profiles with restrictions — it is not allowed to simultaneously perform two or more work on one aircraft and the simultaneous work of a specialist on two or more aircraft. To evaluate the preparation plan for a group of aircraft for departure, the following indicators are taken: the time required to complete all work with a given guaranteed probability and the probability of all work being completed within a given time. To conduct a probabilistic analysis of the sequence of events that determine the progress of work, at the first stage a graph of work is built. When constructing the work graph, the restrictions imposed during the statement of the problem are taken into account by introducing fictitious works. At the second stage, on the basis of the constructed graph of work performance, a stochastic model is developed in which the duration of each work is modeled in accordance with a given distribution law. For many implementations, a distribution function of a random variable is constructed — the total time of preparation of a group of aircraft for departure, by which the values of the required performance indicators are determined. Peculiarities of constructing a graph of work performance are analyzed on the example of preparation for the departure of four aircraft. A detailed probabilistic analysis of a rational plan in conditions of uncertainty — with a random duration of work — was carried out on the example of a rational plan of work on a group of two aircraft. As a result of stochastic modeling, the distribution functions of the time moment of the end of each of the work, the delay time of the start of work and the time of the end of all work on the group of aircraft are constructed. Based on the obtained distribution laws, the dependences of the numerical characteristics of random variables — the number of completed work on the aircraft — on the current time were found. The obtained values of the performance indicators allow us to assess the acceptability of the checked rational plan. If, with rational planning of work by a team of a given composition, the guaranteed time to complete work on a group of aircraft is greater than the required value, then the composition of the team will increase. An algorithm has been developed to justify the composition of the minimum number of crews, which can provide training of a group of aircraft with a given reliability for a given time with a random duration of work.

A comprehensive IVF laboratory COVID-19 pandemic response plan

The potential of a severe pandemic necessitates the development of an organized, rational plan for the operation of embryology/andrology laboratories without the compromise of the safety of personnel and gametes/embryos. A comprehensive pandemic response plan was proposed for embryology and andrology laboratories for prepandemic preparedness, reduction or hibernation of procedures and return to normal function. Preparation involves many plans and logistics before a pandemic risk rises. Many operational changes can be considered based on the severity and duration of the pandemic. This plan includes logistical arrangements, reducing labor needs, conserving supplies, protective measures for embryologists and biological materials.

A comprehensive IVF laboratory pandemic response plan

The potential of a severe pandemic necessitates the development of an organized, rational plan for the operation of embryology/andrology laboratories without the compromise of the safety of personnel and gametes/embryos. A comprehensive pandemic response plan was proposed for embryology and andrology laboratories for prepandemic preparedness, reduction or hibernation of procedures and return to normal function. Preparation involves many plans and logistics before a pandemic risk rises. Many operational changes can be considered based on the severity and duration of the pandemic. This plan includes logistical arrangements, reducing labor needs, conserving supplies, protective measures for embryologists and biological materials.

Hugo Grotius and the God of International Society

This chapter presents Hugo Grotius as a theorist of immanent order. Uncovering the theological presuppositions of Grotius’s thought suggests that the claims of the ‘Grotian tradition’ of international society are substantially incorrect. Grotius is neither the far-sighted jurist nor the pioneer of modernity that he is typically made out to be. Investigating his conception of God as both rational and free informs a hierarchical and interconnected pattern of order that is luminous to reason, consistent with the theory of immanent order. The chapter argues that, despite being credited with secularizing natural law, Grotius’s thinking about law and rights is accommodated within God’s rational plan of the universe. This leads to two further claims. First, Grotius’s thought is less modern and less secular than it is typically portrayed by theorists of international order. Second, his thought exemplifies one of two poles (the other is represented by Hobbes) between which modern theories of international order oscillate. However, the theory of immanent of order survives mainly as a rhetoric that is set against what is done in the name of will and artifice.

Primary Rights

The ideas of moral peace, a system of trust, and public justification explain the need for a legal system that corrects and stabilizes moral rules that form the basis for social trust. Legal rules gain authority when they improve upon the system of moral rules. But some of society’s moral commitments merit protection over and above the law by constitutional rules that govern the ratification, reform, and repeal of laws. This chapter develops an account of the most fundamental constraints on justifiable constitutional rules—primary rights. Primary rights are rights that anyone with a rational plan of life would want for herself to pursue her conception of the good and justice, and ones she is willing to extend to others on reciprocal terms. These rights merit moral, legal, and constitutional protection, and begin the process of constitutional choice.

Investigação de Etiologia Genética nas Ataxias Neurodegenerativas: Recomendações do Grupo de Neurogenética do Centro Hospitalar São João, Portugal

In recent decades, a long and increasing list of monogenic neurodegenerative ataxias has been identified, allowing for better characterization of the pathophysiology, phenotype and prognosis of this heterogeneous group of disorders, while also revealing potential new therapeutic targets. However, the heterogeneity and complexity of the genotype-phenotype relationships and the high costs of molecular genetics often make it difficult for clinicians to decide on a molecular investigation based on an unbiased rational plan. Clinical history is essential to guide the diagnostic workup, but often the phenotype does not hold enough specificity to allow for predicting the genotype. The Group of Neurogenetics of the Centro Hospitalar São João, a multidisciplinary team of neurologists and geneticists with special interest in neurogenetic disorders, devised consensus recommendations for the investigation of the genetic aetiology of neurodegenerative ataxias in clinical practice, based on international consensus documents (currently containing potentially outdated information) and published scientific evidence on this topic. At the time these recommendations were written, there were around 10 well described autosomal recessive loci and more than 27 autosomal dominant loci for neurodegenerative ataxias. This document covers, in a pragmatic way, the rational process used for the genetic diagnosis of neurodegenerative ataxias, with specific recommendations for the various groups of these heterogeneous diseases, per the Portuguese reality.

Екологічні особливості епізоотичних процесів

In the emergence, development and flow of epizootics, environmental features are often not taken into account as causative agents of infectious diseases – stability in the external environment, range, adaptation to different types of animals, and vectors and reservoir of pathogens. Epizootology, studying the ecological interrelations of animals, reveals the patterns of prediction of epizootics, the elucidation of which is essential for the development of a plan for antiepizootic measures. A rational plan of measures, developed on the basis of an informed forecast, ensures its effectiveness.Epizootological geography, which studies the spread of infectious animal diseases in various natural and geographical conditions, allows us to disclose the significance of various external factors. In addition, with its help you can not only describe the territory of the spread of various infectious diseases, but also explain the geography of diseases, the history of their origin and development. As a result, it is possible to draw up prognostic maps that identify areas with favorable and unfavorable conditions for the spread of diseases and give predictions of some epizootics that occur seasonally or after a certain number of years. A significant number of infectious diseases are anthropozoonoses, and the areas of their spread are associated with physical and geographical zones in which natural foci are historically formed.The study of epizootology, from the point of view of ecology, enriches the knowledge of epizootological regularities. The ecology of animals studies the interrelationships of living organisms, the way of their life in connection with the conditions of existence in the environment, the dynamics of the number of species and the peculiarity of biocenoses.