Validar a guerra: a construção do regime de Expertise estratégica

This article is intended to contribute to the interpretative analysis of war. For that purpose, it investigates how some apparatuses located in strategic thinking help to make modern war a social practice considered both technically feasible and, at the same time, legitimate for soldiers. In so doing, it makes use of two different but closely related theoretical fields, pragmatic sociology (finding inspiration in the work of scholars such as Luc Boltanski, Nicolas Dodier and Francis Chateauraynaud), and the sociology of scientific knowledge (based mostly on the work of Bruno Latour). On the one hand, the sociology of scientific knowledge has developed a productive questioning of the construction of scientific facts that is particularly relevant to the present research. On the other hand, pragmatic sociology generates a compatible framework able to describe collective actions. The combination of both approaches allows the description of the formation of a strategic expertise regime that supports the technical legitimacy of the use of military force. Together, the sociology of scientific knowledge and pragmatic sociology bring a particularly relevant perspective to research pertaining to war.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Vitamin A, endocrine tissues and hormones: interplay and interactions

Vitamin A (retinol) is a micronutrient critical for cell proliferation and differentiation. In adults, vitamin A and metabolites such as retinoic acid (RA) play major roles in vision, immune and brain functions and tissue remodelling and metabolism. This review presents the physiological interactions of retinoids and endocrine tissues and hormonal systems. Two endocrine systems have been particularly studied. In the pituitary, retinoids target the corticotrophs with a possible therapeutic use in corticotropinomas. In the thyroid, retinoids interfere with iodine metabolism and vitamin A deficiency aggravates thyroid dysfunction caused by iodine-deficient diets. Retinoids use in thyroid cancer appears less promising than expected. Recent and still controversial studies investigated the relations between retinoids and metabolic syndrome. Indeed, retinoids contribute to pancreatic development and modify fat and glucose metabolism. However, more detailed studies are needed before planning any therapeutic use. Finally, retinoids probably play more minor roles in adrenal and gonads development and function apart from their major effects on spermatogenesis

Use of an automated ACTH assay for the diagnosis of pituitary and adrenal-related diseases

International audienceObjective To evaluate Liaison Diasorin's automated ACTH assay. Design We investigated the limit of quantification (LOQ) and simulated the usage of the analyzer using our ACTH results database. Results The LOQ was close to the cut-off determining Cushing's syndrome ACTH dependency. 25% concentrations of normal subjects were lower than the LOQ. Although biased, the results were concordant with those of an IRMA assay. Conclusion This assay is not sensitive enough to diagnose ACTH-independent Cushing's syndrome

Inter-strain differences in glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid effects on macrophage and lymphocyte functions in mice

International audienceWe showed previously and we confirm here that macrophages from three mouse strains are differentially sensitive to the inhibition of expression of key inflammatory proteins (iNOS-II, IL-1β) by dexamethasone, a specific glucocorticoid receptor agonist (C57BL/6 > DBA/2 > BALB/c). Here we show that aldosterone (a specific mineralocorticoid agonist) has no effect on iNOS-II or IL-1β expression in macrophages from these mouse strains but decreases IL-1ra expression, with small inter-strain differences. This mechanism may be involved in the pro-inflammatory effect of this hormone. Concanavalin A-stimulated lymphocytes proliferation is also differentially sensitive to dexamethasone according to the strain, but insensitive to aldosterone

Multiple cytosolic calcium signals and membrane electrical events evoked in single arginine vasopressin-stimulated corticotrophs

The action of arginine vasopressin (AVP) on cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was investigated in single rat pituitary corticotrophs using indo-1 microfluorimetry, in part in combination with the monitoring of membrane electrical events with the perforated patch-clamp technique. In corticotrophs showing the series of short-lived [Ca2+]i rises (transient pattern) in response to corticotropin-releasing factor, 100 nM AVP evoked either the transient pattern or a [Ca2+]i spike followed by a sustained plateau (spike/plateau pattern). Not all corticotrophs responded to changes in AVP concentration in the same manner. Some cells exhibited a concentration-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i transient activity, whereas others showing the spike/plateau at high AVP concentrations responded to low agonist concentrations by two [Ca2+]i responses: a slow rising step or two to three sinusoidal-like oscillations. Combined [Ca2+]i and patch-clamp recordings as well as manipulation of extracellular Ca2+ showed that both transient pattern and the plateau of spike/plateau response depended on Ca2+ entry mainly through voltage-gated, dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels. By contrast, step, oscillations, and spike were due to Ca2+ release from internal stores. These Ca(2+)-mobilizing responses caused the activation of Ca(2+)-activated, apamin-sensitive K+ channels, which led to a membrane hyperpolarization. These results reveal cell-specific [Ca2+]i signals and associated electrical events in individual AVP-stimulated corticotrophs