Introduction to Travelling Islam

At the core of this special issue, Travelling Islam: The Circulation of Ideas in Africa, lies the editors’ fascination with the circulation of ideas by means of African languages, texts and people in and from Islamic Africa. It draws inspiration from a previous work on “Travelling Texts Beyond the West,” co-edited by Clarissa Vierke and Annachiara Raia. Further input has been provided by a workshop organised in 2020 with the generous support of lucis (Leiden University Centre of Islam in Society) and in cooperation with colleagues from the African Studies Centre Leiden, its collaborative research group ‘Africa in the World: Rethinking Africa’s Global Connections,’ and the neh Ajami Project

De manhaftige Arria in wetenschappelijk perspectief

What we know about women in ancient Rome depends on the available sources, but also on the questions we ask. In this article, the role of women in Latin literature is discussed in relation to the academic interest for these characters and the changes in these interests. Whereas a first generation of studies of Roman women was mostly focused on (stereo)types in literature, the second generation used material and textual sources to contextualize the lives of actual women in specific places and at specific times, and the third generation is influenced by gender theories and questions what femininity and masculinity mean in a specific socio-cultural environment. The case of Arria as described by Martial and Pliny serves to illustrate the different approaches to women in antiquity

De manhaftige Arria in wetenschappelijk perspectief

What we know about women in ancient Rome depends on the available sources, but also on the questions we ask. In this article, the role of women in Latin literature is discussed in relation to the academic interest for these characters and the changes in these interests. Whereas a first generation of studies of Roman women was mostly focused on (stereo)types in literature, the second generation used material and textual sources to contextualize the lives of actual women in specific places and at specific times, and the third generation is influenced by gender theories and questions what femininity and masculinity mean in a specific socio-cultural environment. The case of Arria as described by Martial and Pliny serves to illustrate the different approaches to women in antiquity

The human cost of development:Situating development-induced displacement in international human rights law

Development-induced displacement (DID)—a phenomenon where people are involuntarily moved from their homes or residences to make room for development projects—is one of the prominent causes of internal displacement affecting millions of people every year. DID can be caused by a range of small and large-scale development projects, such as the construction of dams, urban (re)development projects, and extraction of natural resources. While these development projects have significant economic potential, the involuntary displacement they often cause comes with a plethora of risks and consequences including, inter alia, loss of land, a decrease of income sources, lack of access to public services, and disruption of culture and way of life. These adverse consequences further interfere with and potentially violate a range of human rights, such as the right to housing, the right to property, the right to work, and the right to education. Moreover, DID and its adverse consequences often hit the hardest vulnerable and marginalized groups potentially perpetuating existing vulnerabilities and inequalities. Against this background, the current study seeks to situate DID and its adverse consequences in international human rights law. Using the human rights-based approach as a theoretical framework, it seeks to (re)frame the adverse consequences of DID as human rights issues and explore rights-based solutions to address these issues. The study will identify the pertinent human rights norms and assess their application in the context of DID. In doing so, it seeks to explore the human rights safeguards that need to be provided for people(s) affected by DID and the corresponding obligations of states. Overall, the objectives of this research are twofold, i.e. map out the existing international human rights law norms that apply to DID and assess the adequacy of these norms in addressing the adverse consequences and the salient features of DID

Inflammatory arthritis from health to disease:Insights into immunopathogenesis and patient perspectives

Chronic inflammatory arthritides (IA) are immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) that are currently incurable. If left untreated, IA results in irreversible joint damage, limited mobility and a decreased quality of life. Early identification and early treatment of IA are required to prevent this. At-risk populations have been defined, although it is not possible to predict which at-risk individual will develop IA or prevent onset of IA. A better understanding of pathogenic mechanisms operative in the earliest phases of IA will improve identification of at-risk individuals or early IA patients and development of new therapies or preventive interventions. This thesis therefore studied: i. immunological processes responsible for IA development and ii. perspectives of patients or at-risk individuals towards translational research studies and therapeutic interventions, which will help to tailor therapy according to patients’ needs once it is available. This thesis revealed that studies in lymphoid organs are well-tolerated and may aid the identification of novel drug targets, as they will provide novel insights into early immunopathogenesis. Furthermore, this thesis showed that the Treat-to-Target strategy is not strictly applied in axial spondyloarthritis patients in daily clinical practice. Further studies are needed to investigate if this results in worse outcome for the patients or that is prevents overtreatment. Finally, we concluded that preventive interventions for IA might be accepted by at-risk individuals and physicians, although we need additional studies to better understand these perspectives and improve education for at-risk individuals

Navigating NAFLD non-invasively:Ingredients to shape future care paths in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing worldwide, including the advanced stages: NAFLD fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The stage of liver fibrosis is linearly associated with risk of liver-related and all-cause mortality. This warrants the development of guidelines, including diagnostic algorithms using non-invasive tests, to improve awareness and management of NAFLD and to identify those patients at high risk of developing advanced fibrosis.This thesis outlines the wide range of liver test candidates to navigate, diagnose and stage NAFLD non-invasively in different populations and care settings. This broad spectrum of non-invasive liver tests may perform varyingly in a diverse population. Therefore, it is key to select the optimal test for any particular patient. This selection process should be implemented in NAFLD care paths.To conclude, chief ingredients to shape future care paths in NAFLD are: improved awareness of this disease among health care professionals; the acknowledgement that non-invasive liver test performance can vary in diverse populations and the realization that a lot of work still needs to be done to reach an ideal situation

Pediatric gastroesophageal motility disorders:From diagnosis to management

This thesis focuses on the diagnosis and management of most common acquired and congenital gastroesophageal motility disorders in children and tests that are used for the diagnosis or follow-up of these disorders. In part I of this thesis, we evaluated diagnostic tests for the evaluation of pediatric gastroesophageal motility disorders. We calculated age-specific normal values of the Infant GastroEsophageal Reflux Questionnaire Revised (I-GERQ-R) and assessed the feasibility of high resolution manometry (HRM) and 24h pH Multichannel Intraluminal Impedance (pH-MII) testing in children. In part II of this thesis, we discussed the management of two gastroesophageal motility disorders: esophageal atresia (EA) and achalasia in children. In achalasia, incidence, clinical course and quality of life were additionally evaluated

Neutrophils in the spotlight:In dendritic cell-driven adaptive immunity

The daily challenge of dodging pathogenic infections is carried out by the two arms of our immune system: the innate and the adaptive immune system. Innate immune cells, like neutrophils and dendritic cells (DCs), form the first line of defense against invading pathogens. Neutrophils are the most abundant cell type of the innate immune system and they can directly kill invading pathogens, a non-specific and rapid response. DCs are important orchestrators of adaptive immune responses, by adequately activating them, while maintaining immune tolerance against autoantigens and harmless antigens, e.g., dietary nutrients. The induction of peripheral tolerance by DCs and how neutrophils are able to shape DC-driven T cell development is explained. The current knowledge on the effects of tolerogenic adjuvants vitamin D3 (VD3), vitamin A-derivative retinoic acid (RA) and corticosteroid dexamethasone (DEX) on both DCs and neutrophils is described. In this thesis, we investigated the effects of these adjuvants on neutrophils and on DC-driven T cell development. We demonstrate that tolerogenic adjuvants VD3 and RA that could be used in DC-targeting therapies inhibit T helper 17 cell development, while they can also directly affect neutrophils. While DEX shows inhibitory effects on the function of stimulated neutrophils, RA increases neutrophil function. Therefore, we envision that combining a tolerogenic adjuvant-loaded DC-targeting nanoparticle with DEX treatment could be a valuable treatment strategy for patients with chronic inflammatory diseases. This treatment would promote a tolerogenic adaptive immune response while reducing the harmful effects of neutrophils as seen in some autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis

Gear shifting in Archaca and Eukarya

This thesis investigates the different levels of coupling in Archaea and Eukarya using a systems biology approach that integrates modelling, experiments, and theory. Specifically, chapter 2 summarizes the bidirectional coupling between cellular metabolism and the cell cycle machinery in budding yeast, which involves complex metabolic and biosynthetic reactions necessary for building new cells. Chapter 3 focuses on investigating the effect of the Cyclin B/Cdk1 complex on some yeast metabolic enzymes using in vitro phosphorylation assays, finding that Fba1 and Pgk may be phosphorylated by Cdk1. Additionally, this study examines the possible effect of Sic1 on the activities of three important metabolic enzymes, finding that Sic1 may have a slight negative effect on Hxk2 activity. The thesis also describes a minimal computer model of the cell cycle that predicts timely mitotic cyclin Clb2 expression and validates the model through chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments. The last two chapters focus on understanding the phenomenon of gear shifting in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Saccharolobus solfataricus. Chapter 5 describes gear shifting both at the substrate-level phosphorylation around glyceraldehyde-3 phosphate dehydrogenase, or at the membrane-linked oxidative phosphorylation with the involvement of alternative terminal oxidases. Specifically, with application of kinetic models, chapter 6 shows that the ATP/ADP ratio could well be the force driving the shifting of the organisms from the high-gear GAPDH plus PGK route to the low-gear GAPN. Overall, the study contributes to a better understanding of the coupling between metabolic and cell cycle machinery and the phenomenon of gear shifting in extremophilic organisms