Signs of Mortality in David Bowie＇s ＂Black Star＂ Video Clip

＂Black Star＂ music video was released two days before Bowie＇s death （January 8, 2016）. It bears various implications of dying and the notion of mortality is both literal and metaphorical. It is highly autobiographical and serves as a theatrical stage for Bowie to act both as a music performer and as a self-conscious human being. In this paper, we discuss the signs of mortality in Bowie＇s ＂Black Star＂ music video-clip. We focus on video＇s cinematic techniques and codes （editing, mise-en-sc6ne）, on its motivic elements and on its narrative in relation with music, lyrics, characters, and gestures. We also discuss the video＇s intertextual references and the broader signification of the black star figure. We adopt a quasi-semiotic approach considering ＂Black Star＂ music video-clip as a text which can be investigated through its signs, codes, and conventions of the musical, visual, and cinematic languages as well. Our interdisciplinary tools derive from visual semiotics and audiovisual analysis models （Barthes 1977; Goodwin 1992; Vernallis 2001, 2004）, without leaving outside Bowie＇s musical-artistic and personal history. As it turns out, Bowie created a video clip that is philosophical in nature and poetic in structure, preserving the role of protagonist. With the visuals creating a psychedelic atmosphere, the lyrics often are heard as a personal confession. They both generate cognitive and emotional responses that influence the way the viewers-listeners may experience, decompose, and interpret Bowie＇s artistic endeavor bridging life and death.

Kynurenine plays an immunosuppressive role in 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfate-induced colitis in mice

BACKGROUND Inflammatory bowel disease,such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis,is characterized by chronic intestinal inflammation leading to intestinal mucosal damage.Inflammatory bowel disease causes dysregulation of mucosal T cell responses,especially the responses of CD4+T cells.Previously,we demonstrated that indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase plays an immunosuppressive role in 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfate(TNBS)-induced colitis.Although indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase exerts immunosuppressive effects by altering the local concentration of tryptophan(Trp)and immunomodulatory Trp metabolites,the specific changes in immune regulation during colitis caused by Trp metabolites and its related enzymes remain unclear.AIM To investigate role of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase(KMO)in TNBS-induced colitis and involvement of Trp metabolites in maintenance of intestinal homeostasis.METHODS Colitis was induced in eight-week-old male KMO+/+or KMO−/−mice of C57BL/6N background using TNBS.Three days later,the colon was used for hematoxylin-eosin staining for histological grading,immunohistochemical or immunofluorescence staining for KMO,cytokines,and immune cells.Inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were measured using quantitative RT-PCR,and kynurenine(Kyn)pathway metabolites were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography.The cell proportions of colonic lamina propria and mesenteric lymph nodes were analyzed by flow cytometry.RESULTS KMO expression levels in the colonic mononuclear phagocytes,including dendritic cells and macrophages increased upon TNBS induction.Notably,KMO deficiency reduced TNBS-induced colitis,resulting in an increased frequency of Foxp3+regulatory T cells and increased mRNA and protein levels of antiinflammatory cytokines,including transforming growth factor-βand interleukin-10.CONCLUSION Absence of KMO reduced TNBS-induced colitis via generation of Foxp3+regulatory T cells by producing Kyn.Thus,Kyn may play a therapeutic role in colon protection during colitis.