Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)is the causative agent of gastritis,peptic ulcer disease,mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and gastric cancer(GC).While this bacterium infects 50%of the world’s population,in Afr...Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)is the causative agent of gastritis,peptic ulcer disease,mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and gastric cancer(GC).While this bacterium infects 50%of the world’s population,in Africa its prevalence reach as high as 80%as the infection is acquired during childhood.Risk factors for H.pylori acquisition have been reported to be mainly due to overcrowding,to have infected siblings or parent and to unsafe water sources.Despite this high H.pylori prevalence there still does not exist an African guideline,equivalent to the Maastricht V/Florence Consensus Report of the European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group for the management of this infection.In this continent,although there is a paucity of epidemiologic data,a contrast between the high prevalence of H.pylori infection and the low incidence of GC has been reported.This phenomenon is the so-called“African Enigma”and it has been hypothesized that it could be explained by environmental,dietary and genetic factors.A heterogeneity of data both on diagnosis and on therapy have been published.In this context,it is evident that in several African countries the increasing rate of bacterial resistance,mainly to metronidazole and clarithromycin,requires continental guidelines to recommend the appropriate management of H.pylori.The aim of this manuscript is to review current literature on H.pylori infection in Africa,in terms of prevalence,risk factors,impact on human health,treatment and challenges encountered so as to proffer possible solutions to reduce H.pylori transmission in this continent.展开更多
Transcultural literary studies as advocated by Italo-Australian critic Arianna Dagnino claims to investigate writers who live transnational lives and write out of a border-crossing and transcendent sensibility. But, i...Transcultural literary studies as advocated by Italo-Australian critic Arianna Dagnino claims to investigate writers who live transnational lives and write out of a border-crossing and transcendent sensibility. But, in arguing for indeterminacy and fuzziness in transcultural novels, it fails to explain how specifically different cultures should be dealt with in this type of writing. In this essay, I draw on Per Aage Brandt's cognitive semiotic definition of cultural "sedimentation" as opposed to Raymond Williams' "analysis of culture" to help with a close reading of two Australian travel novels of the 20 th century, i.e. Margaret Jones' The Confucius Enigma and Nicholas Jose's Avenue of Eternal Peace, with special attention to how the two books handle Chinese culture. Such a reading reveals that, while both novels are set in China, the former remains satisfied with minimum cultural representation, and the latter mainly focuses on certain areas of contemporary Chinese culture instead of others. Although Avenue of Eternal Peace does dig beyond the "iconic meanings" of the Chinese culture to reveal authorial knowledge of its "symbolic meanings", the novel devotes too much of itself to the overwhelmingly "negative semiosis" of China, refl ecting a complacent attitude on the part of the protagonist/narrator/author towards Chinese culture. For this reason, neither novel meets Dagnino's criteria for transcultural writing. And the two novels start us thinking about Dagnino's theorization of transcultural writing because her emphasis on "transcending" only implies an aloofness and detachment. Brandt's defi nition of culture as sedimented symbolic meanings teaches us that genuine transcultural writers should perhaps be prepared not just to know and understand and stay at a distance from other cultures but to engage and heartily share and even partake of their sedimented symbolic meanings at all levels and learn to feel the same way about them as their native members. This is true of the third world diasporic/migrant writer展开更多
Ernest Hemingway, one of the brightest stars on the literary stage of both American and the whole world literature in the twentieth century, had gained an everlasting reputation by the image of"the tough man"...Ernest Hemingway, one of the brightest stars on the literary stage of both American and the whole world literature in the twentieth century, had gained an everlasting reputation by the image of"the tough man"he created in lots of his works.Hence, to readers, Hemingway must be a strong man both physically and mentally. Though Hemingway had passed away, he left us an inestimable literary treasure, and we can draw some lessons from his suicide tragedy. To modern people who are展开更多
The introduction of specific sites in organic frames for accommodation of various modes of bonding has been focused on reaction types which are described by using different theoretical models with or without a definit...The introduction of specific sites in organic frames for accommodation of various modes of bonding has been focused on reaction types which are described by using different theoretical models with or without a definite experimental proof. In this study three-center four-, three-, and two-electron systems based on carbon-, boron-, hydrogen-, and halogen exchange are under consideration. Based on the number of electrons in the transition state or transition complex it is shown that all transfer or exchange reactions share the same ratio numbers expressed as the quotient of the transitional bond distance under investigation and its normal bond length. With X-ray data of model systems it was even possible to give the ratio numbers for a three-center four-electron configuration experimental support with additional ab initio data. Furthermore a novel model type of substitution in organic chemistry is introduced through electrophilic insertion, informative for enzyme-substrate interactions based on the lock-and-key model. Reactions based on a three-center two-electron configuration mostly follow a nonlinear transition. In this alignment there will be a pursuit of cyclization for stabilization via homoaromaticity as homocyclopropenyl cation. The molecular dynamics of such a process is discussed based on recent X-ray crystallographic data of the symmetrically bridged, nonclassical geometry of the 2-norbornyl cation. In the present paper the focus is aimed at the transition intermediate of the (classical) 2-norbornyl cation involved in the isomerization into the nonclassical geometry. This model description is compared with a simple molecular rearrangement of the 1-propyl cation into the corner-protonated cyclopropane using the ab initio data. The exclusivity of the former isomerization compared with the latter one could be unambiguously demonstrated by the invention that theintramolecularelectron shift can be expressed in a linear relationship between the concerned electron-donating and accepting bond lengths. Finally, th展开更多
It was more than 40 years ago, as a first-year Urology resident, that I performed my first varicocele ligation （a palomo procedure under the watchful eye and able hands of my staff physician. I dutifully read all I c...It was more than 40 years ago, as a first-year Urology resident, that I performed my first varicocele ligation （a palomo procedure under the watchful eye and able hands of my staff physician. I dutifully read all I could the night before the procedure and became familiar with the names of Barfield, Macomber and Sanders, Tulloch, MacLeod, Ivanissevich, Palomo, Amelar and Dubin and others who had written about varicoceles being associated with abnormal semen parameters and a potentially surgically correctable cause of male infertility.展开更多
Presenting a hard-to-predict typography-varying system predicated on Nazi-era cryptography, the Enigma cipher machine, this paper illustrates conditions under which unrepeatable phenomena can arise, even from straight...Presenting a hard-to-predict typography-varying system predicated on Nazi-era cryptography, the Enigma cipher machine, this paper illustrates conditions under which unrepeatable phenomena can arise, even from straight-forward mechanisms. Such conditions arise where systems are observed from outside of boundaries that arise through their observation, and where such systems refer to themselves in a circular fashion. It argues that the Enigma cipher machine is isomorphous with Heinz yon Foersters portrayals of non-triviality in his non-trivial machine （NTM）, but not with surprising human behaviour, and it demonstrates that the NTM does not account for spontaneity as it is observed in humans in general.展开更多
Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) is one of the most widespread infections in humans worldwide that chronically infects up to 50% of the world's population. The infection is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic ac...Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) is one of the most widespread infections in humans worldwide that chronically infects up to 50% of the world's population. The infection is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcer, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and gastric cancer, therefore, it has been classified as class Ⅰ definite carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Despite the established etiological role of H. pylori, its actual distribution and association with related diseases is controversial and there is a large intercountry variation especially among Asian countries. H. pylori infection is more frequent in developing countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as compared to developed Asian countries like Japan, China and South Korea. However, the frequency of gastric cancer is comparatively lower in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh with that of Japan, China and South Korea. Such phenomenon of clinical diversity, defined as enigma, is judged by genetic variability of the infecting H. pylori strains, differences in the host genetic background in various ethnic groups, and environmental factors such as dietary habits. Most of the studies have so far focused on the bacterial factor while environmental issues, including dietary components, were not given due attention as one of the factors related with H. pylori associated gastric carcinogenesis. The dietary factor has been suggested to play an important role in H. pylori related carcinogenesis, and in this respect several studies have corroborated the intake of various dietary components as modulatory factors for gastric cancer risk. In this review, such studies, from in vitro experiments to clinical trials, are being focused in detail with respect to enigma associated with H. pylori. It may be conceivably concluded from the available evidence that dietary factor can be a game changer in the scenario of Asian enigma, particularly in high risk population infected with virulent H. pylori strains, however further affirmati展开更多
The main line of John Fowles' short story The Enigma is the missing of John Marcus Fielding. It mainly narrates people's views on Mr. Fielding, attitudes to him and attempts to clear the mystery up. Fowles inh...The main line of John Fowles' short story The Enigma is the missing of John Marcus Fielding. It mainly narrates people's views on Mr. Fielding, attitudes to him and attempts to clear the mystery up. Fowles inherits the concept of postmodernism in terms of themes, narration and other aspects, which gives a further and deeper expression of his views on freedom, mystery and the relationship between author, characters and readers. In particular, this short story of John Fowles, who was influenced by existentialism, carries out a profound literary interpretation of existentialism in many aspects. Focusing on the themes, the paper will look at the existentialist articulation in The Enigma.展开更多
American writer Emily Dickinson(1830-1886) uses the riddle as literary form in her poetry.There are mainly three kinds of riddle:enigma,charade,and conundrum.She uses riddles in her poetry to discuss the relationship ...American writer Emily Dickinson(1830-1886) uses the riddle as literary form in her poetry.There are mainly three kinds of riddle:enigma,charade,and conundrum.She uses riddles in her poetry to discuss the relationship of man to nature and death.展开更多
Intrduction: Edema, Hypertension and Hypokalemia occur with inhibition of 11 B-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2 (11B-HSD2) by chronic Licorice ingestion. However, a similar presentation following a chronic use of a...Intrduction: Edema, Hypertension and Hypokalemia occur with inhibition of 11 B-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2 (11B-HSD2) by chronic Licorice ingestion. However, a similar presentation following a chronic use of another commonly used sweetener “Stevia” is not reported. Objective: To document a first case report of a subject presenting with Edema, Prehypertension and Hypokalemia induced by 11B-HSD2 inhibition induced by chronic ingestion of sweetener stevia. Case Report: 32 year old Caucasian woman presented with generalized edema (feet, hands and face) of over 6 months. She was noted to also manifest Prehypertension (138/88 mmHg) and Hypokalemia (3.4 mM/l). Laboratory tests revealed decline in serum aldosterone and plasma renin activity, an increase in plasma cortisol/cortisone ratio. On persistent interrogation, patient admitted to daily consumption of sweetener stevia for over 9 months. All the presenting manifestations resolved with normalization of the laboratory tests on withdrawal of stevia. Conclusion: This case report indicates that chronic ingestion of sweetener stevia may induce edema, hypertension and hypokalemia via reduced conversion of cortisol into cortisone by inhibition of 11 B-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2.展开更多
AIM： To conduct a detailed histological study of gastritis in adult patients attending an endoscopy clinic at a Kenyan teaching and referral hospital.METHODS： Biopsy specimens from consecutive patients were examined...AIM： To conduct a detailed histological study of gastritis in adult patients attending an endoscopy clinic at a Kenyan teaching and referral hospital.METHODS： Biopsy specimens from consecutive patients were examined and graded according to the Updated Sydney System for H pylori infection, chronic inflammation, neutrophil activity, glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia. Also documented were gastric tissue eosinophil counts and presence of lymphoid follicles.RESULTS： The rate of the graded variables, in the antrum and corpus respectively, were as follows： H pylori infection （91%, 86%）, chronic inflammation （98%, 93%）, neutrophil activity （91%, 86%）, glandular atrophy （57%, 15%） and intestinal metaplasia （11%, 2%）. Lymphoid follicles were noted in 11% of cases. Duodenal and gastric ulcers were documented in 32% and 2% respectively. The mean eosinophil count was 5.9 ±0.74 eosinophils/ HPF and 9.58 ± 0.93 eosinophils/HPF in the corpus and antrum respectively. Significant association was found between the degree of H pylori colonisation with chronic inflammation, neutrophil activity and antral glandular atrophy. Biopsies from the antrum and corpus showed significant histopathological discordance for all the graded variables. H pylori negative cases were associated with recent antibiotic use.CONCLUSION： The study the chief cause of gastritis reaffirms that H pylori is in this environment. The majority of patients show a moderate to high degree of inflammation but a low degree of glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia. The study shows that interrelationships between the histological variables in this African population are similar to those found in other populations worldwide including non-African populations.展开更多
Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a product of the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with Chinese realities and the primary stage of socialism in China, marked by reform and opening up. In this stage ...Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a product of the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with Chinese realities and the primary stage of socialism in China, marked by reform and opening up. In this stage capital and market exist and play important roles and capitalism is utilized for the Chinese modernization drive under the leadership of the Communist Party. With changes in historical conditions, the ideal of scientific socialism raised by Marx and Engels is confronted with a lot of challenges. It is the historical mission of Chinese Marxists to take up the gauntlet in response to these challenges and solve the historical enigma of human development in contemporary society.展开更多
文摘Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)is the causative agent of gastritis,peptic ulcer disease,mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and gastric cancer(GC).While this bacterium infects 50%of the world’s population,in Africa its prevalence reach as high as 80%as the infection is acquired during childhood.Risk factors for H.pylori acquisition have been reported to be mainly due to overcrowding,to have infected siblings or parent and to unsafe water sources.Despite this high H.pylori prevalence there still does not exist an African guideline,equivalent to the Maastricht V/Florence Consensus Report of the European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group for the management of this infection.In this continent,although there is a paucity of epidemiologic data,a contrast between the high prevalence of H.pylori infection and the low incidence of GC has been reported.This phenomenon is the so-called“African Enigma”and it has been hypothesized that it could be explained by environmental,dietary and genetic factors.A heterogeneity of data both on diagnosis and on therapy have been published.In this context,it is evident that in several African countries the increasing rate of bacterial resistance,mainly to metronidazole and clarithromycin,requires continental guidelines to recommend the appropriate management of H.pylori.The aim of this manuscript is to review current literature on H.pylori infection in Africa,in terms of prevalence,risk factors,impact on human health,treatment and challenges encountered so as to proffer possible solutions to reduce H.pylori transmission in this continent.
文摘Transcultural literary studies as advocated by Italo-Australian critic Arianna Dagnino claims to investigate writers who live transnational lives and write out of a border-crossing and transcendent sensibility. But, in arguing for indeterminacy and fuzziness in transcultural novels, it fails to explain how specifically different cultures should be dealt with in this type of writing. In this essay, I draw on Per Aage Brandt's cognitive semiotic definition of cultural "sedimentation" as opposed to Raymond Williams' "analysis of culture" to help with a close reading of two Australian travel novels of the 20 th century, i.e. Margaret Jones' The Confucius Enigma and Nicholas Jose's Avenue of Eternal Peace, with special attention to how the two books handle Chinese culture. Such a reading reveals that, while both novels are set in China, the former remains satisfied with minimum cultural representation, and the latter mainly focuses on certain areas of contemporary Chinese culture instead of others. Although Avenue of Eternal Peace does dig beyond the "iconic meanings" of the Chinese culture to reveal authorial knowledge of its "symbolic meanings", the novel devotes too much of itself to the overwhelmingly "negative semiosis" of China, refl ecting a complacent attitude on the part of the protagonist/narrator/author towards Chinese culture. For this reason, neither novel meets Dagnino's criteria for transcultural writing. And the two novels start us thinking about Dagnino's theorization of transcultural writing because her emphasis on "transcending" only implies an aloofness and detachment. Brandt's defi nition of culture as sedimented symbolic meanings teaches us that genuine transcultural writers should perhaps be prepared not just to know and understand and stay at a distance from other cultures but to engage and heartily share and even partake of their sedimented symbolic meanings at all levels and learn to feel the same way about them as their native members. This is true of the third world diasporic/migrant writer
文摘Ernest Hemingway, one of the brightest stars on the literary stage of both American and the whole world literature in the twentieth century, had gained an everlasting reputation by the image of"the tough man"he created in lots of his works.Hence, to readers, Hemingway must be a strong man both physically and mentally. Though Hemingway had passed away, he left us an inestimable literary treasure, and we can draw some lessons from his suicide tragedy. To modern people who are
文摘The introduction of specific sites in organic frames for accommodation of various modes of bonding has been focused on reaction types which are described by using different theoretical models with or without a definite experimental proof. In this study three-center four-, three-, and two-electron systems based on carbon-, boron-, hydrogen-, and halogen exchange are under consideration. Based on the number of electrons in the transition state or transition complex it is shown that all transfer or exchange reactions share the same ratio numbers expressed as the quotient of the transitional bond distance under investigation and its normal bond length. With X-ray data of model systems it was even possible to give the ratio numbers for a three-center four-electron configuration experimental support with additional ab initio data. Furthermore a novel model type of substitution in organic chemistry is introduced through electrophilic insertion, informative for enzyme-substrate interactions based on the lock-and-key model. Reactions based on a three-center two-electron configuration mostly follow a nonlinear transition. In this alignment there will be a pursuit of cyclization for stabilization via homoaromaticity as homocyclopropenyl cation. The molecular dynamics of such a process is discussed based on recent X-ray crystallographic data of the symmetrically bridged, nonclassical geometry of the 2-norbornyl cation. In the present paper the focus is aimed at the transition intermediate of the (classical) 2-norbornyl cation involved in the isomerization into the nonclassical geometry. This model description is compared with a simple molecular rearrangement of the 1-propyl cation into the corner-protonated cyclopropane using the ab initio data. The exclusivity of the former isomerization compared with the latter one could be unambiguously demonstrated by the invention that theintramolecularelectron shift can be expressed in a linear relationship between the concerned electron-donating and accepting bond lengths. Finally, th
文摘It was more than 40 years ago, as a first-year Urology resident, that I performed my first varicocele ligation （a palomo procedure under the watchful eye and able hands of my staff physician. I dutifully read all I could the night before the procedure and became familiar with the names of Barfield, Macomber and Sanders, Tulloch, MacLeod, Ivanissevich, Palomo, Amelar and Dubin and others who had written about varicoceles being associated with abnormal semen parameters and a potentially surgically correctable cause of male infertility.
文摘Presenting a hard-to-predict typography-varying system predicated on Nazi-era cryptography, the Enigma cipher machine, this paper illustrates conditions under which unrepeatable phenomena can arise, even from straight-forward mechanisms. Such conditions arise where systems are observed from outside of boundaries that arise through their observation, and where such systems refer to themselves in a circular fashion. It argues that the Enigma cipher machine is isomorphous with Heinz yon Foersters portrayals of non-triviality in his non-trivial machine （NTM）, but not with surprising human behaviour, and it demonstrates that the NTM does not account for spontaneity as it is observed in humans in general.
文摘Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) is one of the most widespread infections in humans worldwide that chronically infects up to 50% of the world's population. The infection is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcer, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and gastric cancer, therefore, it has been classified as class Ⅰ definite carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Despite the established etiological role of H. pylori, its actual distribution and association with related diseases is controversial and there is a large intercountry variation especially among Asian countries. H. pylori infection is more frequent in developing countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as compared to developed Asian countries like Japan, China and South Korea. However, the frequency of gastric cancer is comparatively lower in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh with that of Japan, China and South Korea. Such phenomenon of clinical diversity, defined as enigma, is judged by genetic variability of the infecting H. pylori strains, differences in the host genetic background in various ethnic groups, and environmental factors such as dietary habits. Most of the studies have so far focused on the bacterial factor while environmental issues, including dietary components, were not given due attention as one of the factors related with H. pylori associated gastric carcinogenesis. The dietary factor has been suggested to play an important role in H. pylori related carcinogenesis, and in this respect several studies have corroborated the intake of various dietary components as modulatory factors for gastric cancer risk. In this review, such studies, from in vitro experiments to clinical trials, are being focused in detail with respect to enigma associated with H. pylori. It may be conceivably concluded from the available evidence that dietary factor can be a game changer in the scenario of Asian enigma, particularly in high risk population infected with virulent H. pylori strains, however further affirmati
文摘The main line of John Fowles' short story The Enigma is the missing of John Marcus Fielding. It mainly narrates people's views on Mr. Fielding, attitudes to him and attempts to clear the mystery up. Fowles inherits the concept of postmodernism in terms of themes, narration and other aspects, which gives a further and deeper expression of his views on freedom, mystery and the relationship between author, characters and readers. In particular, this short story of John Fowles, who was influenced by existentialism, carries out a profound literary interpretation of existentialism in many aspects. Focusing on the themes, the paper will look at the existentialist articulation in The Enigma.
文摘American writer Emily Dickinson(1830-1886) uses the riddle as literary form in her poetry.There are mainly three kinds of riddle:enigma,charade,and conundrum.She uses riddles in her poetry to discuss the relationship of man to nature and death.
文摘Intrduction: Edema, Hypertension and Hypokalemia occur with inhibition of 11 B-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2 (11B-HSD2) by chronic Licorice ingestion. However, a similar presentation following a chronic use of another commonly used sweetener “Stevia” is not reported. Objective: To document a first case report of a subject presenting with Edema, Prehypertension and Hypokalemia induced by 11B-HSD2 inhibition induced by chronic ingestion of sweetener stevia. Case Report: 32 year old Caucasian woman presented with generalized edema (feet, hands and face) of over 6 months. She was noted to also manifest Prehypertension (138/88 mmHg) and Hypokalemia (3.4 mM/l). Laboratory tests revealed decline in serum aldosterone and plasma renin activity, an increase in plasma cortisol/cortisone ratio. On persistent interrogation, patient admitted to daily consumption of sweetener stevia for over 9 months. All the presenting manifestations resolved with normalization of the laboratory tests on withdrawal of stevia. Conclusion: This case report indicates that chronic ingestion of sweetener stevia may induce edema, hypertension and hypokalemia via reduced conversion of cortisol into cortisone by inhibition of 11 B-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2.
文摘AIM： To conduct a detailed histological study of gastritis in adult patients attending an endoscopy clinic at a Kenyan teaching and referral hospital.METHODS： Biopsy specimens from consecutive patients were examined and graded according to the Updated Sydney System for H pylori infection, chronic inflammation, neutrophil activity, glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia. Also documented were gastric tissue eosinophil counts and presence of lymphoid follicles.RESULTS： The rate of the graded variables, in the antrum and corpus respectively, were as follows： H pylori infection （91%, 86%）, chronic inflammation （98%, 93%）, neutrophil activity （91%, 86%）, glandular atrophy （57%, 15%） and intestinal metaplasia （11%, 2%）. Lymphoid follicles were noted in 11% of cases. Duodenal and gastric ulcers were documented in 32% and 2% respectively. The mean eosinophil count was 5.9 ±0.74 eosinophils/ HPF and 9.58 ± 0.93 eosinophils/HPF in the corpus and antrum respectively. Significant association was found between the degree of H pylori colonisation with chronic inflammation, neutrophil activity and antral glandular atrophy. Biopsies from the antrum and corpus showed significant histopathological discordance for all the graded variables. H pylori negative cases were associated with recent antibiotic use.CONCLUSION： The study the chief cause of gastritis reaffirms that H pylori is in this environment. The majority of patients show a moderate to high degree of inflammation but a low degree of glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia. The study shows that interrelationships between the histological variables in this African population are similar to those found in other populations worldwide including non-African populations.
文摘Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a product of the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with Chinese realities and the primary stage of socialism in China, marked by reform and opening up. In this stage capital and market exist and play important roles and capitalism is utilized for the Chinese modernization drive under the leadership of the Communist Party. With changes in historical conditions, the ideal of scientific socialism raised by Marx and Engels is confronted with a lot of challenges. It is the historical mission of Chinese Marxists to take up the gauntlet in response to these challenges and solve the historical enigma of human development in contemporary society.
