Assessment of hypermucoviscosity as a virulence factor for experimental Klebsiella pneumoniae infections: comparative virulence analysis with hypermucoviscosity-negative strain

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae displaying the hypermucoviscosity (HV) phenotype are considered more virulent than HV-negative strains. Nevertheless, the emergence of tissue-abscesses-associated HV-negative isolates motivated us to re-evaluate the role of HV-phenotype. Results: Instead of genetically manipulating the HV-phenotype of K. pneumoniae, we selected two clinically isolated K1 strains, 1112 (HV-positive) and 1084 (HV-negative), to avoid possible interference from defects in the capsule. These well-encapsulated strains with similar genetic backgrounds were used for comparative analysis of bacterial virulence in a pneumoniae or a liver abscess model generated in either naive or diabetic mice. In the pneumonia model, the HV-positive strain 1112 proliferated to higher loads in the lungs and blood of naive mice, but was less prone to disseminate into the blood of diabetic mice compared to the HV-negative strain 1084. In the liver abscess model, 1084 was as potent as 1112 in inducing liver abscesses in both the naive and diabetic mice. The 1084-infected diabetic mice were more inclined to develop bacteremia and had a higher mortality rate than those infected by 1112. A mini-Tn5 mutant of 1112, isolated due to its loss of HV-phenotype, was avirulent to mice. Conclusion: These results indicate that the HV-phenotype is required for the virulence of the clinically isolated HV-positive strain 1112. The superior ability of the HV-negative stain 1084 over 1112 to cause bacteremia in diabetic mice suggests that factors other than the HV phenotype were required for the systemic dissemination of K. pneumoniae in an immunocompromised setting

《使女故事》中女性對男性子宮歆羨的顛覆

In this thesis, I intend to examine the phenomenon of womb envy in Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale and how women challenge men with womb envy. Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale discusses the relationship between power and individuals and the importance of language. Many critics also discuss the same topic in this novel. In this thesis, I intend to reexamine this interesting topic from another angle to complement what the previous critics have already discussed. I will discuss why men desire to hold power and refuse women to share it. First of all, in Chapter One, I will utilize the concept of womb envy to illuminate that there are several clues to disclose men's psychological state that is related to what Eva Feder Kittay says about womb envy. Because of womb envy, men long to have power alone. Secondly, in my Chapter Two, I will elaborate on how men rationalize their cruel behavior and how men persuade women to accept their rules with the theory of hegemony by Antonio Gramsci. Finally, In Chapter Three, I would apply Hélène Cixous's ecriture feminine to discuss Offred's struggle with Gilead. Through these discussions, I will resolve the question of why men control women, how they practice their patriarchal rules, and how women escape from imprisonment.在本論文中，我試圖檢驗《使女故事》中子宮歆羨的現象以及女性如何挑戰具子宮歆羨的男性。瑪格麗特．愛特伍德的《使女故事》探討權力和個人的關係以及語言的重要性。很多評論家也討論過此主題，而本論文試圖以不同的角度再次檢驗此有趣的主題以補充前人的討論。筆者將討論為何男性渴望掌握權力並且拒絕女性分享權力。首先，筆者使用子宮歆羨的概念，指出有數個線索透露出男性的心理層次，此心理層次與子宮歆羨有關。由於子宮欽羨，男性渴望獨自擁有權力。再者，第二章將根據葛蘭姆西的霸權理論討論男性如何合理化他們的殘忍行為以及如何說服女性遵從他們的規則。最後，第三章將運用西蘇的陰性書寫探討歐芙芮德(Offred)對基列國的顛覆。經由這些討論，本論文解釋為何男性控制女性，男性如何實踐父權制度的規臬，以及女性如何逃脫此類監禁的問題。Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………..1 Chapter One Womb Envy in Gilead: Male's Manipulation of Female's Creative Power……………………………………………….11 Chapter Two The Rationalization of Power and Exterior Confinement in Gilead…………………………………………………… 35 Chapter Three The Writing of Female Subjectivity in The Handmaid's Tale……………………………………………………65 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………85 Works Cited………………………………………………………………………. 8

Hepatoprotective effects of Yi Guan Jian, an herbal medicine, in rats with dimethylnitrosamine-induced liver fibrosis

Aims of the study: Yi Guan Jian (YGJ) has long been employed clinically to treat liver fibrosis in traditional Chinese Medicine but the mechanism underlying the regulation has not been clarified in detail. The present investigation was designed to assess the involvement of the fibrosis pathway in dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced liver fibrosis in rats. Materials and methods: Liver fibrosis was induced by DMN injection (10 mg/kg, i.p., given three consecutive days each week) following 4 weeks. YGJ was oral administered (1.8 g/kg daily via gastrogavage for two weeks). Liver sample were subjected to histological and western blot studies. For evaluation of hepatic fibrosis-related factors, collagen alpha 1-I tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) mRNA and protein levels were analyzed. Results: YGJ remarkably prevented body weight loss and DMN damage in the liver, and it inhibited the elevation of serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT). Oral administration of YGJ extract significantly reduced the accumulation of collagen alpha 1-I, TIMP-1, and alpha-SMA in liver tissues. Conclusions: Taken together, these findings indicate that the YGJ Chinese herb showed hepatoprotective and anti-fibrogenic effects against DMN-induced hepatic injury. Our data suggest that the YGJ may be useful in reversing the development of hepatic fibrosis. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved