: Christian and Muslim Pilgrims to St George's Sanctuary

International audienceThis paper deals with conditions for tolerance at holy places, with special attention to issues related to central and peripheral sites. The contemporary general framework is the rise of religious fundamentalism, the growing political importance of the religious domain, sometimes the invasion of religion into the social life of countries bordering the Mediterranean - all relatively recent phenomena of the post-colonial era. The present configuration is marked by the ultimate separation of ethno-religious communities within most circum-Mediterranean nation states: during the 19th and 20th centuries, Christians, Jews and Muslims have strived to achieve religious homogeneity within political territories, putting an end to a long history of cohabitation

Du cynégétique à l’abominable

RésuméCe travail reprend le thème des catégories animales en anthropologie et explore la thématique des frontières à travers les usages de la catégorie « chien » en grec moderne. Il explore les lieux où, utilisé comme insulte, « Chien » constitue une métonymie pour « Autre », établissant la différence et légitimant la violence entre groupes sociaux qui se distinguent sur le plan symbolique. On voit ici comment les ennemis sont impurs et réciproquement, à mesure qu’on retrace l’emploi du terme dans un but d’exclusion à la fois par les chrétiens et les musulmans en Méditerranée orientale.Enfin, on constate que la catégorie reste liminale, ambiguë, ne se séparant jamais définitivement de la nature hurmaine.AbstractThis paper revisits the theme of animal categories and verbal abuse and explores the frontier theme in anthropology by examining the uses of the « Dog » category in modern Greek. It attempts to explore how « Dog » is metonymically used for « Other » and how this establishes a difference and legitimates violence between symbolically distinct social groups. It further examines how enemies are considered impure and vice versa by tracing the ways the insult « Dog! » is used as a way to reject the Other among both Muslims and Christians in the Eastern Mediterranean. This animal category remains nevertheless liminal, ambiguous, never achieving complete separation from human nature

Rapport de mission

[ Δε διατίθεται περίληψη / no abstract available

Effects of Dietary Fish Oil on the Depletion of Carcinogenic PAH-DNA Adduct Levels in the Liver of B6C3F1 Mouse

Many carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their metabolites can bind covalently to DNA. Carcinogen-DNA adducts may lead to mutations in critical genes, eventually leading to cancer. In this study we report that fish oil (FO) blocks the formation of DNA adducts by detoxification of PAHs. B6C3F1 male mice were fed a FO or corn oil (CO) diet for 30 days. The animals were then treated with seven carcinogenic PAHs including benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) with one of two doses via a single intraperitoneal injection. Animals were terminated at 1, 3, or 7 d after treatment. The levels of DNA adducts were analyzed by the 32P-postlabeling assay. Our results showed that the levels of total hepatic DNA adducts were significantly decreased in FO groups compared to CO groups with an exception of low PAH dose at 3 d (P = 0.067). Total adduct levels in the high dose PAH groups were 41.36±6.48 (Mean±SEM) and 78.72±8.03 in 109 nucleotides (P = 0.011), respectively, for the FO and CO groups at 7 d. Animals treated with the low dose (2.5 fold lower) PAHs displayed similar trends. Total adduct levels were 12.21±2.33 in the FO group and 24.07±1.99 in the CO group, P = 0.008. BPDE-dG adduct values at 7 d after treatment of high dose PAHs were 32.34±1.94 (CO group) and 21.82±3.37 (FO group) in 109 nucleotides with P value being 0.035. Low dose groups showed similar trends for BPDE-dG adduct in the two diet groups. FO significantly enhanced gene expression of Cyp1a1 in both the high and low dose PAH groups. Gstt1 at low dose of PAHs showed high levels in FO compared to CO groups with P values being 0.014. Histological observations indicated that FO played a hepatoprotective role during the early stages. Our results suggest that FO has a potential to be developed as a cancer chemopreventive agent

Emergent Strain of Human Adenovirus Endemic in Iowa

We evaluated 76 adenovirus type 7 (Ad7) isolates collected in Iowa from 1992 to 2002 and found that genome type Ad7d2 became increasingly prevalent. By 2002, it had supplanted all other Ad7 genome types. The association of Ad7d2 with severe illness and death calls for heightened public health concern

Role of Cytochrome P450 (CYP)1A in Hyperoxic Lung Injury: Analysis of the Transcriptome and Proteome

AbstractHyperoxia contributes to lung injury in experimental animals and diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome in humans. Cytochrome P450 (CYP)1A enzymes are protective against hyperoxic lung injury (HLI). The molecular pathways and differences in gene expression that modulate these protective effects remain largely unknown. Our objective was to characterize genotype specific differences in the transcriptome and proteome of acute hyperoxic lung injury using the omics platforms: microarray and Reverse Phase Proteomic Array. Wild type (WT), Cyp1a1−/− and Cyp1a2−/− (8–10 wk, C57BL/6J background) mice were exposed to hyperoxia (FiO2 &gt; 0.95) for 48 hours. Comparison of transcriptome changes in hyperoxia-exposed animals (WT versus knock-out) identified 171 genes unique to Cyp1a1−/− and 119 unique to Cyp1a2−/− mice. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis revealed pathways including apoptosis, DNA repair and early estrogen response that were differentially regulated between WT, Cyp1a1−/− and Cyp1a2−/− mice. Candidate genes from these pathways were validated at the mRNA and protein level. Quantification of oxidative DNA adducts with 32P-postlabeling also revealed genotype specific differences. These findings provide novel insights into mechanisms behind the differences in susceptibility of Cyp1a1−/− and Cyp1a2−/− mice to HLI and suggest novel pathways that need to be investigated as possible therapeutic targets for acute lung injury.</jats:p

Chlamydia trachomatis infection in early neonatal period

BACKGROUND: The clinical characteristics of Chlamydia trachomatis respiratory tract infections in Japanese neonates were investigated. METHODS: Clinical, laboratory and microbiological characteristics of five infants with pneumonia due to C. trachomatis in early neonatal period were analyzed. RESULTS: Only C. trachomatis was identified in 4 infants. Both C. trachomatis and cytomegalovirus was identified in one. Wheezing, tachypnea and cyanosis were common in infants. Mothers of five infants had negative chlamydial EIAs at 20 weeks of gestation. CONCLUSIONS: We identified five cases of C. trachomatis respiratory tract infections in early neonatal period with the possibility of intrauterine infection. Targeted screening, early diagnosis, and effective treatment of perinatal and neonatal chlamydial infections seems to be necessar

PCR Improves Diagnostic Yield from Lung Aspiration in Malawian Children with Radiologically Confirmed Pneumonia

Accurate data on childhood pneumonia aetiology are essential especially from regions where mortality is high, in order to inform case-management guidelines and the potential of prevention strategies such as bacterial conjugate vaccines. Yield from blood culture is low, but lung aspirate culture provides a higher diagnostic yield. We aimed to determine if diagnostic yield could be increased further by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae b) and viruses in lung aspirate fluid.A total of 95 children with radiological focal, lobar or segmental consolidation had lung aspirate performed and sent for bacterial culture and for PCR for detection of bacteria, viruses and Pneumocystis jirovecii. In children with a pneumococcal aetiology, pneumococcal bacterial loads were calculated in blood and lung aspirate fluid.Blood culture identified a bacterial pathogen in only 8 patients (8%). With the addition of PCR on lung aspirate samples, causative pathogens (bacterial, viral, pneumocystis) were identified singly or as co-infections in 59 children (62%). The commonest bacterial organism was S.pneumoniae (41%), followed by H. influenzae b (6%), and the commonest virus identified was adenovirus (16%), followed by human bocavirus (HBoV) (4%), either as single or co-infection.In a select group of African children, lung aspirate PCR significantly improves diagnostic yield. Our study confirms a major role of S.pneumoniae and viruses in the aetiology of childhood pneumonia in Africa

Génos, ethnos. Nation et État-Nation

Pour explorer l’idée nationale et ses transformations dans l’imaginaire politique grec, il convient de rappeler que deux périodes historiques successives sont à mettre en relation avec les représentations du nationalisme et du patriotisme grec : la plus ancienne est celle de la nation en tant que communauté des Grecs orthodoxes dans l’Empire ottoman, la plus récente, celle de l’État-nation né au xixe siècle. À sa fondation, l’État prend le nom de Hellas, signifiant ainsi une revendication de ..