A Commentary on the English Translation of Rául Zurita’s Purgatorio

Premio extraordinario de Trabajo Fin de Máster curso 2019/2020. Máster en Traducción EspecializadaThis project consists of an analysis of the translation of the book Purgatorio, by Raúl Zurita, together with an analysis of the most relevant elements of the source text and the target text, in its translation by Anna Deeny Morales, a Porto Rican and American professor of Latin American Studies at Georgetown University, Washington DC. The text of Purgatorio itself presents a number of interesting translation problems. Particularly noteworthy is its use of numerous references to literary works, especially the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, polysemic vocabulary and the fact that the text is not completely grammatical. All of these issues are considered within the context of the translation process, using translation theories to explain the techniques chosen by Deeny and suggest possible alternatives when we see them fit.Este proyecto consiste en un análisis de la traducción del libro Purgatorio, de Raúl Zurita, junto al análisis de los elementos más relevantes del texto origen y del texto meta, en su traducción por Anna Deeny Morales, profesora portorriqueña y estadounidense de Estudios Latinoamericanos en la Universidad de Georgetown, Washington DC. Purgatorio, en sí mismo, presenta una serie de problemas de traducción interesantes. En particular, es notable el uso de numerosas referencias a obras literarias, especialmente La Divina Comedia de Dante Alighieri, el vocabulario polisémico y el hecho de que el texto no es completamente gramatical. Todas estas cuestiones se consideran dentro del contexto del proceso de traducción, utilizando la teoría de la traducción para explicar las técnicas elegidas por Deeny y sugerir posibles alternativas cuando las veamos adecuadas

Pegylated-interferon-α(2a) in clinical practice: how to manage patients suffering from side effects

Introduction: The goal of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C is to slow or halt the progression of fibrosis and prevent the development of cirrhosis. Accordingly, antiviral treatment is proposed for a large population of patients with chronic hepatitis. Areas covered: The standard-of-care for chronic hepatitis C is the combination of pegylated IFN (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin. The use of these drugs has been correlated with a range of adverse effects, including influenza-like symptoms, hematological changes and neuropsychiatric disturbances. The effects of these adverse events associated with PEG-IFN therapy are manifold and are a major reason why patients decline or stop therapy. This review addresses the screening for adverse event risk factors and guides the patient to success with adherence strategies. Expert opinion: Knowledge of the side effects correlated with PEG-IFN is very relevant for clinicians because it can allow them to arrange the best methods for treating these effects and avoid the discontinuation of antiviral treatment. Moreover, the use of new antiviral drugs will considerably shorten treatment periods reducing many of the above-described side effects and, thus, increase adherence to scheduled therapy

Granular cell tumor of stomach: a case report and review of literature.

Granular cell tumor (GCT) was described for the first time by Abrikosoff in 1926. It is a relatively rare neoplasm that may occur at many sites, but most commonly in the skin or soft tissues. The occurrence of GCT in the gastrointestinal tract is rare, accounting approximately for 8% of all tumors, among which the most common site is the esophagus, whereas gastric localization is very rare. Gastric GCTs can be solitary or, more frequently, associated with other gastrointestinal localization. Although GCTs are usually clinically and histologically benign, some malignant cases have been reported. Histologically, these tumors consist of polygonal and fusiform cells disposed in compact "nests" and immunohistochemical staining for S-100 protein supports the proposed derivation from Schwann cells. A correct preoperative diagnosis of this tumor can only be made in 50% of all patients and it is always based on endoscopic biopsy. Laparoscopic or conventional wedge resection represents the treatment of choice. In this study, the authors reported a case of a 49-year-old woman with a solitary granular cell tumor of the stomach with infiltrative pattern, successfully treated with surgical resection. A review of literature is also presented with emphasis on diagnostic criteria concerning the malignant form

Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Antagonists and Occurrence of Autoantibodies in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: A Single Center Experience

Background & Aims: Appearance of auto antibodies have been described during anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha therapy; however, their prevalence and clinical relevance are still unclear. We investigated prevalence of autoantibodies in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) patients on anti-TNFα treatment and occurrence of clinical symptoms. Methods: Titers of ANA, anti-dsDNA, SMA, AMA, LKM were evaluated from blood samples in patients receiving anti-TNFα inhibitor (adalimumab, infliximab). Results: Among 39 patients treated with anti-TNFα therapy, twenty of them developed ANA, mostly induced by infliximab. 55% ANA positive patients developed peripheral polyarthralgias with no need for intervention. No patients with positive autoantibodies developed a drug-induced lupus. The incidence of dsDNA, SMA and AMA was low and was not associated with autoimmune disease. Conclusions: Immune response induced by anti-TNFα is restricted to ANA, with lower prevalence of dsDNA antibodies, SMA and AMA. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of autoantibodies during anti-TNFα therapy

Smoking as a cofactor for causation of chronic pancreatitis: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the evidence for tobacco smoking as a risk factor for the causation of chronic pancreatitis. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis with random-effects models to estimate pooled relative risks (RRs) of chronic pancreatitis for current, former, and ever smokers, in comparison to never smokers. We also performed dose-response, heterogeneity, publication bias, and sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: Ten case-control studies and 2 cohort studies that evaluated, overall, 1705 patients with chronic pancreatitis satisfied the inclusion criteria. When contrasted to never smokers, the pooled risk estimates for current smokers was 2.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-4.2) overall and 2.5 (95% CI, 1.3-4.6) when data were adjusted for alcohol consumption. A dose-response effect of tobacco use on the risk was ascertained: the RR for subjects smoking less than 1 pack per day was 2.4 (95% CI, 0.9-6.6) and increased to 3.3 (95% CI, 1.4-7.9) in those smoking 1 or more packs per day. The risk diminished significantly after smoking cessation, as the RR estimate for former smokers dropped to a value of 1.4 (95% CI, 1.1-1.9). CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco smoking may enhance the risk of developing chronic pancreatitis. Recommendation for smoking cessation, besides alcohol abstinence, should be incorporated in the management of patients with chronic pancreatitis

Acute polymyositis during treatment of acute hepatitis C with pegylated interferon alpha-2b

Hepatitis C virus is not cleared after primary infection in 50-85% of subjects exposed to hepatitis C virus. Anti-viral treatment during the early phase of infection significantly enhances the likelihood of a sustained clearance of hepatitis C virus. Although, a variety of autoimmune-related side effects have been observed during interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis, immuno-mediated adverse reactions have not been reported during treatment of acute hepatitis C. We describe the case of a patient who developed acute hepatitis C virus infection and, while receiving pegylated interferon alpha-2b monotherapy, developed a severe polymyositis. This case illustrates the potential risk of autoimmunity by interferon, also for acute hepatitis, and underlines the importance of a prompt diagnosis and a rapid discontinuation of interferon treatment for an improvement of clinical outcomes. \ua9 2005 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l

Sex difference in the interaction of alcohol intake, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus on the risk of cirrhosis

Background The joint effect of the interaction of alcohol intake, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) on the risk of cirrhosis is still unexplored because a large sample size is required for this investigation. Objective Evaluation of interaction of HBV, HCV and alcohol abuse on the risk of cirrhosis. Design We analysed 12,262 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease of various aetiologies referring to 95 Italian liver units in 2001 or 2014. To evaluate the interaction between alcohol abuse, HBV infection, and HCV infection, patients unexposed to either factors were used as reference category. Adjustment for BMI and age was done by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results Females were older than males (p<0.01) and less frequently showed HBV and alcoholic aetiology (p<0.01). In both sexes, an overtime increasing age and an increasing proportion of subjects with liver cirrhosis was observed, reflecting a better survival (0.01).An additive interaction is observed in females: the O.R. generated by the simultaneous presence of HBV, HCV, and alcohol (5.09; 95% C.I. 1.06–24.56) exceeds the sum (4.14) of the O.R. generated by a single exposure (O.R. = 0.72 for HBsAg positivity, OR = 1.34 for antiHCV positivity, and O.R. = 2.08 for alcohol intake). No interaction is observed in male sex. Conclusions The observed gender difference suggests that the simultaneous presence of HBV/HCV coinfection and risky alcohol intake enhances the mechanism of liver damage to a greater extent in females than in males

The Impact of Antiviral Therapy and the Influence of Metabolic Cofactors on the Outcome of Chronic HCV Infection

Natural history of HCV related chronic hepatitis is influenced and modified by many factors: virus features, coinfections and host characteristics. In particular, a peculiar genetic background of the host by conditioning the occurrence of intracellular metabolic derangements (i.e., insulin resistance) might contribute to accelerate the rate of progression to cirrhosis and eventually the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and death. Likely, direct interplays between virus genotype and host genetic background might be hypothesized at this level. Morbidity and mortality in cirrhosis is primarily associated with complications of liver cirrhosis (ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, jaundice, and gastroesophageal bleeding) and HCC occurrence. Therefore the main goal of therapy is to clear viral infection and decrease liver necro-inflammation that directly relates to development of cirrhosis and HCC. Among patients treated with Interferon-based therapy, those with sustained viral response showed a significant reduction of progression to cirrhosis and development of HCC. However, a residual risk of hepatocellular carcinoma still remains indicating the need for careful follow-up using ultrasonography every six months in cirrhotic patients, even in those showing persistently normal ALT and undetectable HCV RNA levels after antiviral therapy