Victor Schoelcher and the abolition of slavery

En este fragmento Aimé Césaire reflexiona sobre la abolición de la esclavitud y hace un recorrido histórico de las diferentes etapas y discursos presentes en los años antes de la abolición. El fragmento está especialmente centrado en el papel de Victor Schoelcher, político francés que, a través de la aprobación del Decreto de abolición de la esclavitud de 1848, consiguió la abolición de la esclavitud en Francia y en sus colonias. A través de estas descripciones, Césaire denuncia las condiciones y el trato recibido por los negros durante el periodo de la esclavitud y de los problemas que surgieron de la abolición de esta, como, por ejemplo, el de la ciudadaniaIn this fragment Aimé Césaire reflects on the abolition of slavery and revises the history of various periods and the different discourses present during abolition. This fragment is specially focused on the role of Victor Schoelcher, a French Politician who, through the approval of the decree to abolish slavery in 1848, achieved the abolition of slavery in France and its colonies. Through these descriptions, Césaire critiques the conditions and the treatment received by blacks during slavery and the problems that emerged from abolition such as, for example, citizenshi

Anti-endometriotic Effects of the Mixture of Erigeron floribundus (Asteraceae) and Tragia benthamii (Euphorbiaceae) Extracts in Peritoneal Endometriosis in Wistar Rats

Endometriosis is a frequent pathology in gynecology. This study was aimed at investigating the curative effects of the mixture of Erigeron floribundus and Tragia benthamii aqueous extracts on experimental endometriosis in rat. Twenty endometriosic rats were randomly distributed into four groups of five animals each and orally treated during four weeks with either distilled water (10 ml/kg), raloxifene hydrochloride (10 mg/kg) or aqueous extract of plant mixture (130 or 260 mg/kg). Vaginal smear was daily checked throughout the experiments and, blood and sexual organs were collected after sacrifice. Body and sexual organ weights, sexual hormones, prostaglandin E2, oxidative stress markers and uterine histology were measured. Results showed a disrupted estrus cycle, an increase in MDA concentration, implant weight and implantation surface in the untreated endometriosic rats. On the contrary, in the plant extracts-treated endometriosic animals and raloxifene, the estrus stage frequency was increased while the endometriosis lesions were significantly (p<0.001) regressed. Plant extracts also decreased the level of estradiol, progesterone, MDA and catalase, and increased the activities of SOD and peroxidase compared to the untreated rats. Prostaglandin E2 concentration and the uterine architecture remained statistically unchanged after treatments. In conclusion, the aqueous extract of the mixture of E. floribundus and T. benthamii alleviates the endometriosic alterations in rats

Semen quality among men attending urology services in the Dschang Health District, west Cameroon: A retrospective study on 379 cases

Background: Infertility is a common condition affecting at least 15% of couples worldwide, and male factors are involved in about half of this prevalence rate. In Cameroon, about 20%-40% of couples are the victims. However, the sperm characteristics of infertile men are yet to be described in the health districts in Cameroon for better management of male infertility. Objective: The present study was designed to assess the sperm profile and related sociodemographic factors of men attending the urology services at the Dschang Health District. Materials and Methods: It consisted of a 10 yr retrospective study carried out in the Dschang Health District. The results of patients’ semen analysis (SA) were computed using Epi Info software and expressed as qualitative and quantitative spermogram state as described by the clinician and sociodemographic features of those patients. Results: Out of the 379 patients studied, 83.91% had abnormal spermogram. Patients older than 50 yr were the most affected when grouped into age categories. With regard to patient’s profession, 52.51% had specified their profession and from that group, although farmers (9.31%) represented the lowest size category, they were the most affected with 94.74% having abnormal spermogram. Conclusion: This study indicates that the sperm damage is the major cause of male infertility in the Dschang Health District. It also shows that farmers are the most affected category and it could be linked to the long-term exposure to pesticides. These results call for the assessment of the reproductive toxicity of locally used pesticides. Key words: Sperm damage, Male infertility, Semen analysis, Dschang Health District

Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Therapeutic Approaches of Cryptorchidism at the Panzi General Hospital, DR Congo: A 5-year Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND: Cryptorchidism is a common congenital malformation characterized by unilateral or bilateral undescended testis in the scrotum. It is a common disease in pediatric urology although the prevalence is yet to be determined in the East DR Congo. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence, clinical and therapeutic features of cryptorchidism at the Panzi General Hospital.METHODS: Medical records of patients who underwent pediatric surgery between January 2011 and December 2016 were reviewed. The prevalence of cryptorchidism, associated malformations, sociodemographic features of patients and therapeutic protocols were examined. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS software.RESULTS: A total of 5066 children were received during the study period in the service, of which 76 suffered from cryptorchidism giving a prevalence of 1.50% and an annual incidence of 12.70. Unilateral cases were found in 53(69.74%) patients among which 66.04% and 33.96% had unilateral right and left cryptorchidism respectively. Cryptorchidism was associated with other malformations in 71.1% of patients. The age of patients ranged from 0 to 15 years and 78.9% were older than two years. Surgery was the only therapeutic approach and fixation of cryptorchid testis in dartos through inguinal incision was the preferred therapeutic used method.CONCLUSION: This study indicates that cryptorchidism is a relatively common and neglected disease in the Est-DR Congo, due to late consultation. Therefore, the local population and pediatricians should be sensitized on scrotal palpation techniques in order to shorten the consultation delay and prevent testis damages

Human Rights and German Intellectual History in Transnational Perspective

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156446/1/gequ12147.pd

“Don’t tell me this isn’t relevant all over again in its brand new same old way”: imagination, agitation, and raging against the machine in Ali Smith’s Spring

This paper explores the third novel in Ali Smith’s seasonal quartet, Spring. Using Achille Mbembe’s Necropolitics as a conceptual frame, I analyze Smith’s rendering of a Britain grappling with Brexit in times of transnational populism. As with Autumn and Winter, Smith’s prose is saturated with intertextual borrowings from pop and “high” culture, also interrogating the links between “nanoracism” and the “immunity and community” knot (Dillet). This paper reads Spring alongside Smith’s contribution to and advocacy of the Refugee Tales project regarding the diverse discourses surrounding migration, xenophobia, and indefinite detention. Smith’s writing traces the darkness of our populist present with its rhetorical and material violence, as well as the possibilities for creative response and resistance. I argue that her seasonal quartet to date and her work with Refugee Tales aesthetically and ethically defend the principle that human dignity, both individual and collective, rests on the ability to tell stories