Unusual Places Research Articles

COVID-19 and Pulmonary Embolism: A Comprehensive Review of Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Management

Global public health has suffered greatly as a result of the coronavirus illness 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic; yet when vaccinations against Covid-19 are available, they have contributed to the containment of the spread of SARS Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, there have been isolated reports of vaccine-induced cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) and vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) following viral vector vaccinations (Ad26.COV2 vaccine, AdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine).One of the most effective ways to address the global health issue as the new SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads around the world is immunization against COVID-19.This condition manifests as thrombocytopenia, the formation of an autoantibody against platelet-factor 4,and widespread thrombosis in unusual places, mainly in the cerebral venous. (PF4). The human Freia receptor on platelets can be bound by the PF4 autoantibody, which can then cause the platelets to aggregate. This is an uncommon side effect that closely mimics the clinical presentation of the traditional immune-mediated HIT illness that develops after heparin exposure. We will talk about the recently reported side effect known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT),which can happen after receiving specific COVID-19 vaccinations, in this Spotlight. Since the vaccinations have been employed, questions have been raised about their safety. Following the COVID-19 vaccine, the most frequent side effects include local reactions at the injection site and general systemic symptoms like fever, headache, weariness, and myalgia. These side effects could appear shortly after immunization and go away quickly. Nonetheless, a few uncommon cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) have been documented, mostly in relation to vaccinations utilizing viral vectors. Platelet expression of spike protein and subsequent immune response, platelet expression of other adenoviral proteins and subsequent reactions, the role of antibodies against platelet factor 4 (PF4), the direct interaction between adenoviral vector and platelets, the cross-reactivity of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with PF4, the cross-reactivity of anti-adenovirus antibodies and PF4 interaction between spike protein and platelets. Because severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can activate platelets, thrombocytopenia while rare in the first presentation may also be an indicator of the severity of the disease. The spike protein-angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) connection causes this directly, and the activation of coagulation and inflammation causes it indirectly. In COVID-19, dysregulation of the innate and adaptive immune systems is a significant contributing factor to thrombosis and thrombocytopenia.

Small states as unusual places of refuge: Luxembourg’s laboratory of reception practices

Small states as unusual places of refuge: Luxembourg’s laboratory of reception practices

Deviant Burials in Medieval Vilnius: Saints or Criminals?

Christian cemeteries are distinguished by certain typical burial rites. Some of the rites are characteristic of this religion, while others are common and have been known since the Stone Age. However, in all the Christian burial sites across Europe, there are always some unusual graves, sometimes called deviant (or atypical) burials; they differ from other graves and their exceptionality can occur in various burial elements. Although the first distinctive features that come to mind when conducting archaeological investigations in Christian burials are decapitation or burial in a prone position, there are many more possible distinctive features to consider. These could be burials in unusual places (isolated areas of a cemetery), burials in unusual positions, decapitations, cut-off limbs, presence of sharp objects within the body, stones or coins inside the mouth, mass graves, stoned burials covered with stones, cremation in an inhumation site (partial cremation), crime, torture, evidence of special rituals on skeletons, and so on. The following elements are to be considered when discussing deviant burials: 1) location of a grave, 2) construction of a grave, 3) spatial orientation, and 4) body treatment. When it comes to the deviant burials in medieval or modern European cemeteries, atypical cases are usually associated with vampires and witches. In Lithuania, unusual graves are sometimes associated with Pagan relics and ethnography. Deviant burials could also be accorded to outcasts of the community: criminals, people who have committed suicide, or those who have not been baptised. In other cases, a possible deep faith of the deceased is emphasised. Recently, a new field of research - 'judicial archaeology' - has emerged, in which it is sought to explain unusual burials as a possible punishment for criminals rather than a magical act. It can be concluded that the number of deviant burials discovered in the analysed medieval cemeteries was not that high. Some cases may indicate a different perception of the assessment of a deceased person, but there are few of them (except for beheading). The other cases can often be simply explained practically. For example, the stones could be related to wooden constructions of the grave, various pathologies determined the distinctive positioning of the body, the outcasts of the community (criminals or suicides) could be buried in a more secluded place, and so on. Of course, one can identify the relics of Paganism in unusual burials, especially in cases when the deceased was interred on the side or in a prone position.

The meaning of autistic movements.

What is already known?Moving the body in 'stereotyped', 'repetitive', 'ritualised' or 'unusual' ways is part of the criteria for receiving a diagnosis of autism. However, the reasons for these movements and their personal value are not well understood. Certain ways of moving have become part of a disorder, and have received negative judgements, whereas other movements have not.What this paper adds?We searched online blogs for descriptions of movement written by autistic adults, using their preferred language and definitions. The blog authors said that many types of movement attracted negative judgement, including mis-coordination shown during sports, dancing in unusual places or moving repetitively, such as when stimming. However, movement provided personal benefits, and could enhance thinking and focus, provide meaningful routine, contribute to sensory regulation, release energy, increase body awareness, emotion regulation and strengthen self-identity.Implications for practice and policyMovement could be a well-being resource, used to reduce distraction, overwhelm, confusion and distress for autistic people. This should be considered within personal coping strategies and psychological therapies. The examples provided in this study could inform autism assessments, to ensure that the meanings of movements are considered alongside the appearances of movement. Some movements such as stimming have the same functions as many other ways of moving, including dancing and exercising, which could help to reduce stigma around being autistic if reflected in policy and practice. Improving understanding is important for informing how autism is assessed, and how personal experiences of being autistic are heard.

Benign extra skeletal chondroma of the tongue in a 16-year-old female

Chondromas are tumors that result from chondroid differentiation most frequently occurring in areas where chondrocytes are present. Rarely, they can present in soft tissues, such as the tongue. This case report will review the extra skeletal chondroma found on the posterior tongue of an asymptomatic 16-year-old female. Discussed within this case report will include the importance of histopathological analysis in distinguishing enchondroma versus chondrosarcoma and review the malignant transformation rate. Additionally, it will compare the trends of chondromas found in the oral cavity that have been previously published. This case will highlight the importance of recognizing chondromas in unusual places, such as the origin of soft tissues, and emphasize the importance of early diagnosis, surgical intervention and providing optimal outcomes for young patients.

Socially engaged art proposals: between collaboration, affect, and the commons

This paper presents some aspects of socially engaged art proposals, such as collaborative methods, affective relationships, and the production of the common. Currently, we observe in transdisciplinary projects and collective actions a growing focus on collaborative practices as attempts to go beyond practices strictly engrained in established institutional spaces such as museums, universities, and governmental or private spaces. With the perspective of a certain local activation of collective pieces of knowledge and practices, these artistic proposals aim at the circulation of knowledge, its integration and contamination by unusual places, narratives and methodologies belonging to each daily life. Therefore, we find in socially engaged artistic practices artistic interventions that highlight the power of affects for the production of knowledge managed in communities, making us think about what relationships consist of and how they may or may not give space for the common. We understand that by considering the power of affects and art in their political and social dimensions, we incorporate a discourse of difference that allows for other possible forms of communal living.

Empty sella in somatotropic pituitary adenomas; a series of 23 cases.

We aimed to investigate empty sella syndrome in somatotrophic pituitary adenoma for possible etiology, complications, and treatment options. Among over 2,000 skull base masses that have been managed in our center since 2013, we searched for growth hormone-producing adenomas. Clinical, surgical, and imaging data were retrospectively collected from hospital records to check for sella that lacked pituitary tissue on routine imaging. In 220 somatotrophic adenomas, 23 patients had an empty sella with surgical and follow-up data. The mean age of the sample was 46 years with the same male-to-female ratio. Five cases had partial empty sella and the rest were complete empty sellas. The most common simultaneous hormonal disturbance was high prolactin levels. Six had adenoma invasion into the clivus or sphenoid sinus and 10 had cavernous sinus intrusion. Peri-operative low-flow and high-flow cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks were encountered in one and two patients, respectively, which were successfully sealed by abdominal fat. The majority of cases required growth hormone replacement therapy while it was controlled without any replacement therapy in nine patients. No pituitary hormonal disturbance occurred after transsphenoidal surgery except for hypothyroidism in one patient. An empty sella filled with fluid can be detected frequently in pituitary adenomas, especially in the setting of acromegaly. The pituitary gland may be pushed to the roof of the sella and might be visible as a narrow rim on imaging or may be detected in unusual places out of the sella. The pathophysiology behind such finding originates from soft and hard tissue changes and CSF pressure alternations during abundant growth hormone production.

Optimization of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Infrastructures, and Events Correlation / Regression Analysis for Optimal Cyber Security Posture

This work integrates logical and physical security processes, and simplifies the manageability of the security infrastructure. The process increases visibility to resources, which makes it easier to prevent security incidents, and provides a platform to manage the response and recovery after an incident occur. Log collection is the heart and soul of a SIEM. Log correlation is employed to identify particular sequences of log events from devices. The comparison between network level and host level events automatically perform initial validation that would not normally be performed. It considers movement of data between systems where it would not normally accounts logging on at unusual times or from unusual places, these may not generate specific security alerts, but can be much more easily spotted and flagged by a log correlation solution that sees everything in the environment. It shows some enhancements to event log normalization and significantly improves correlation rule execution. The event monitoring algorithm and SIEM correlation rules result in false positives or false negatives. Security managers, therefore, may waste time and resources that could be used to respond to real threats and assaults if there are too many false positives. This study hereby, strikes a compromise between lowering false positive alerts and not ignoring any potential abnormalities that could indicate a cyberattack when establishing SIEM correlation rules. In order to decide which data is pertinent and which data is irrelevant in an event pipeline, this research employs the use of filters. Through this examination, it can be inferred that the conditions are advantageous for promoting investment in the growth and enhancement of this technology as an essential component of industrial control systems with security operation centers, as well as offering cyber security management for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with restricted security expertise and capabilities.

Serological and molecular investigations on Toxoplasma gondii and Leptospira spp. in bats captured in urban areas from Brazil

Zoonoses affect multiple host species, including bats, which are known to harbor and transmit many zoonotic pathogens. The objective of this study was to detect antibodies against to Toxoplasma gondii and Leptospira spp., as well as DNA of the respective pathogens in bats captured for for rabies diagnosis. Bats at risk, falling or roosting in unusual places, were rescued by the Environmental Health Surveillance in Botucatu, São Paulo, and sent to the Zoonosis Diagnosis Service of the São Paulo State University (UNESP), FMVZ-UNESP, Campus of Botucatu, SP to perform the diagnostic test of rabies. Serum samples from these animals were used tested for the Modified Agglutination Test (MAT-Toxo), the Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT-Lepto), while blood samples were submitted for conventional PCR. In total, nine species of bats, insectivores, and frugivores (n = 49) of the genera Artibeus, Eptesicus, Eumops, Lasiurus, Molossus, and Myotis. Among the 49 samples tested, MAT-Toxo detected Toxoplasma antibodies in seven (14.2%), while MAT-Lepto detected Leptospira antibodies in 3 (6.1%). None of the samples tested positive by PCR. The results indicate natural exposure of insectivorous bats to T. gondii and Leptospira spp. in urban areas of Brazil and the possibility of these animals acting as reservoirs and disseminating these pathogens in the environment.

MPOX: Typical lesions in unusual places

A 54-year-old man seeks the Emergency Room due to a three-day course of left flank and left iliac pain. He had a past medical history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and splenectomy seven years ago. He denied fever and showed no signs of bowel obstruction. Pain was worsened upon palpation of the left quadrants. Digital rectal exam was unremarkable and there were no skin or ocular lesions on the physical exam.

Selected Gut Bacteria from Water Monitor Lizard Exhibit Effects against Pathogenic Acanthamoeba castellanii Belonging to the T4 Genotype.

Water monitor lizards (WMLs) reside in unhygienic and challenging ecological surroundings and are routinely exposed to various pathogenic microorganisms. It is possible that their gut microbiota produces substances to counter microbial infections. Here we determine whether selected gut bacteria of water monitor lizards (WMLs) possess anti-amoebic properties using Acanthamoeba castellanii of the T4 genotype. Conditioned media (CM) were prepared from bacteria isolated from WML. The CM were tested using amoebicidal, adhesion, encystation, excystation, cell cytotoxicity and amoeba-mediated host cell cytotoxicity assays in vitro. Amoebicidal assays revealed that CM exhibited anti-amoebic effects. CM inhibited both excystation and encystation in A. castellanii. CM inhibited amoebae binding to and cytotoxicity of host cells. In contrast, CM alone showed limited toxic effects against human cells in vitro. Mass spectrometry revealed several antimicrobials, anticancer, neurotransmitters, anti-depressant and other metabolites with biological functions. Overall, these findings imply that bacteria from unusual places, such as WML gut, produce molecules with anti-acanthamoebic capabilities.

The Devil in the Details: Looking for Tough Moments in Unusual Places

ABSTRACT Critical moments from a youth transitions' point of view, narrative turning points from a life course perspective, and biographical crisis from a subjective and reflexivity approach have been of interest for those concerned in biographical approaches, life histories, and social trajectories. It has been rightfully associated with qualitative approaches: the life stories that are told are the channel for researchers to identify and analyze the role of these specific moments in the course of lives. But is this the only route to identify, tackle and understand these moments of life? In this article we argue there are other means to analyze them. Using data from the longitudinal project “Linked Lives”, where 15 family histories (with a sum of 15 young people from 18 to 25 years of age) were collected through individual interviews, and qualitative oriented surveys were applied during and after the 2020 and the 2021 pandemic lockdowns; we explore two additional avenues. One is through the interaction during the interview. Based on ethnographic notes on postures, emotions, and interactions, during the interview as a whole, and in the moments where those tough life moments were shared, another layer of understanding is achievable. Not only regarding how these moments impact the lives of young people, but also in relation to the way they are capable and willing to express them. In another approach, we suggest that qualitative-driven surveys are capable of providing stories of tough moments. Using the collected information on self-reported wellbeing and reflections of the several phases of COVID-19 lockdowns, we are able to uncover differences and oscillations of young people in difficult contexts. This may also be an ante-camera of Pandemic long lasting hardship stories. These arguments are contextualized in longitudinal, intergenerational and household scopes, since tough moments are a result of accumulated and inter-personal dynamics.

Oral Cavity Acrochordon about a Case

Acrocordon or soft fibromas are very frequent benign lesions on the skin, specifically in the axillary region and neck, with reports in unusual places such as the penis, región perineal, anal, vulvar, vaginal and are extremely rare in oral mucosa. A case is presented and a documentation of what has been published is made.

Endoscopic ultrasound guided diagnosis of a retroperitoneal extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

GIST tumors are mesenchymal tumors that are usually positive for the CD-117 marker. They present mostly at middle ages of life and although the most frequent locations are the stomach, small intestine and rectum/colon, they can appear in unusual places such as the retroperitoneum. The case that we present reflects the diagnostic process with imaging tests such as echo-endoscopy with puncture, of a retroperitoneal GIST tumor.

Metadrama and Language (Language and Metadrama in Major Barbara and Pygmalion: Shavian Sisters)

Metadrama and Language (Language and Metadrama in <i>Major Barbara</i> and <i>Pygmalion:</i> Shavian Sisters)

‘The city’s other face’: Postsecular feminism and the creation of sacred space by women in Kurdish Turkey

ABSTRACT Geographers have examined how sacred spaces are made spiritually meaningful through embodied practice. This paper brings together scholarship on post-secular feminism and geographies of religion to develop a theory of non-subversive power in the sacred space literature. This paper demonstrates how Kurdish women create sacred space through embodied Islamic mystical practices in Kurdish Turkey and how these practices carve out a space for creative existence within and alongside state and masculinist systems of power, not against. Using a post-secular feminist framing and building on conversations of power in the sacred space literature, we show how the formation of sacred space forms the feminine subject and constitutes an act of feminine agency. Specifically, we focus on two material and sacred sites: private communal prayer houses and public tomb sites used for communal petitions. In these spaces, women organize and lead collective and embodied meditations and petitions that centre their desires, concerns, and wishes in a common register to create, following Saba Mahmood, a ‘politics in unusual places’.

Doran H. Ross

Doran H. Ross

DISCOURS DES GUIDES TOURISTIQUES FRANÇAIS SUR LA ROUMANIE

Using a strategy for celebrating a country or a region, the guidebooks turn out to be one of the most important instruments in encouraging tourists to discover unusual places, cultures or gastronomies. Blending description, stories, explanation and argument, the discourse of the guidebooks is hybrid, insofar as it relates to descriptive, advertising, procedural, critical and didactic discourse. In our article we wanted to reveal how these different types of discourses are entangled in three French guidebooks on Romania and by what stylistic devices each of them attempts to enhance the tangible and intangible heritage of this country.

Formation of tourist trains on international and domestic routes

This article examines the issue of the development of organized tourism by rail in Russia. The industry is showing clear signs of a renaissance, as evidenced by a significant increase in service offerings. We studied the materials from the websites of railway and travel companies. For the purposes of this study, we relied on comparative analysis of tourist offers. As the study showed, the development of railway tourism at present, for the most part, is associated with the preparation of rolling stock and the development of new routes that are interesting for a wide audience. Such work requires a comprehensive study and appropriate preparation of transport infrastructure, specialized management decisions to attract structures of the tourism business at various levels. Railway trips and routes are in demand among different target groups of consumers, such as school and corporate groups, tourists who are interested in unusual places. No attention is paid to the so-called social tourism, which refers to the organization of tourism services for economically weak or people in difficult life circumstances. This direction of tourism, both in our country and abroad, is noted as a very promising. Social tourism can and should be a sought-after part of railway tourism.

Viruses and Autoimmunity

Most, if not all, animals have endogenous viruses i.e., copies of parts of or complete retro-viral genomes in their chromosomes. Man, for example, has in the order of 100 000 bits and pieces of retrovirus, distributed on all chromosomes. Most of these bits are grossly defective but in man about 50 can encode a protein. There is evidence several coding endogenous viruses can recombine and start an infection. I believe these coding endogenous viruses contribute to human disease. Indeed I speculate, they are the most important limitation on size and longevity of the members of a species: both these parameters are roughly proportional to the chance of making a replicating virus. In the following I will try to argue for the importance of coding endogenous viruses. If the presence of retroviral sequences does not lead to replicating virus the situation is mostly fine. However, as soon as a virus starts replicating in an individual, the mutational level in the animal increases dramatically, by way of insertion of viral genomes at unusual places, and the animal in part loses control of its genome. This is known to result in cancer, and I believe in autoimmune disease.