I am the bread of life. Imagery in John 6:32-51

John 6 is one of the most discussed chapters in the Gospel according to John, because of the Eucharistic nature of the language in 6:51c-59. The complex nature of the metaphors and imagery used in these verses, as well as the richness and power of the ensuing communication, are often overlooked. This article explores the literary nature of the text and focuses on the dynamics of metaphor, the interaction between the figurative and literal sections in the text, as well as the strong influence of the socio-religious context of the text on its interpretation and understanding.Acta Theologica Vol. 2 2007: pp. 186-20

HIV-associated sensory neuropathy in an African cohort a longitudinal study of risk factors predisposing to antiretroviral induced painful neuropathy

Includes abstract.Thesis (Ph.D. (Medicine))--University of Cape Town, 2013.Distal sensory polyneuropathy (DSP) amongst human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients is frequently a painful and disabling condition. HIV-associated DSP is either a consequence of HIV (HIV-DSP) or antiretroviral-induced toxic neuropathy (ATN). The purpose of this research was to investigate the characteristics of HIV-associated DSP over the first 24 weeks of starting cART in an African community-based cohort. Apart from studying the longitudinal association of candidate risk factors based on previous reports, we focused on two additional aspects. Firstly, the Nacetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) genotype, which determines an individual's acetylation status, influences the risk for isoniazid (INH)-associated neuropathy

Geweld in \'n evangelie van liefde: Die Evangelie van Johannes se perspektief op geweld teen Jesus en sy dissipels

Violence in a gospel of love: The perspective of the Gospel of John on violence against Jesus and his disciples This article is the first of two articles in which violence in the Gospel of John is discussed. In these articles strong techniques of vilification in the Gospel are pointed out, according to which the status of the opposing group is radically discredited by the Jews on the one hand, and the followers of Jesus on the other hand. In the first article violence and vilification by the Jews, or disciples of Moses against the followers and disciples of Jesus are investigated. It is argued that the central issue of the conflict revolves around the question: Where is God\'s presence to be found? Among the Jews or among the followers of Jesus? The conflict and violence in John could be understood against the backdrop of this important question.HTS Theological Studies/Teologiese Studies Vol. 64 (4) 2008: pp. 1793-181

The identity of the recipients of the Fourth Gospel in the light of the purpose of the Gospel

The purpose of this article is to explore the identity of the recipients at the time of the completion of the Gospel. An effort is made to determine to whom John wrote this Gospel and how he adapted his theological message to reach this aim. It will be argued that John did not only focus on a specific group of people, but had a wide variety of people (i.e., Jews, Hellenists, Samaritans) in mind, which leads to the conclusion that the Fourth Gospel was written with both evangelistic and didactic aims

Hoe is Jesus gekruisig?

The way in which Jesus was crucified After an overview of various forms of crucifixion in the ancient world, the available archaeological data and artistic renderings of different means of crucifixion are discussed. The New Testament information concerning the crucifixion of Jesus is then discussed and evaluated. It is concluded that, in the view of the absence of convincing literary evidence, the statue representing the 'crucofixion of Marsyas in the Hermitage museum provides a contemporary example of a possible manner in which Jesus could haye been crucified

Risk factors for atherosclerosis - can they be used to identify the patient with multisystem atherosclerosis?

Risk factors are often used in preventive care programmes to identify the patient at particular risk for developing atherosclerosis. Risk factors for atherosclerosis have also been shown to be linked to the presence of the disease at a given time, a fact that may be helpful when screening for additional atherosclerotic disease in the known arteriopath. Risk factors .were recorded in 471 patients admi"ed to hospital with symptoms of atherosclerosis. In patients admi"ed primarily with peripheral vascular disease, risk factors linked to the presence of additional coronary artery disease were a family history of ischaemic heart disease (odds ratio = 2,6), the presence of carotid artery disease (odds ratio = 1,9) and high fasting serum triglyceride levels (P < 0,04). Grouping these factors together usin.g logistic regression, ischaemic heart disease could be predicted with a sensitivity of 72% and a specificity of 43%. Patients admitted with carotid artery disease were more likely to have ischaemic heart disease in the presence of peripheral vascular disease (odds ratio = 1,9) and a raised serum cholesterol level (P < 0,02), while female gender (odds ratio = 2,9) and an increase in age (P< 0,001) were linked to an increased prevalence of concomitant atherosclerosis in patients admmed with acute myocardial infarction or for elective coronary artery bypass surgery. Using an age cut-off point, additional atherosclerosis could be predicted with a sensitivity of 32% and a specificity of 88% in these patients

Inhibition of glyoxylate conversion to oxalate in cultured human cells by the carbonyl-scavenging drug, aminoguanidine

Calcium oxalate is the most frequent cause of kidney stones, and is responsible for the damage to kidneys and other organs observed in inherited disorders of oxalate metabolism. Most oxalate produced in the body is derived from its metabolic precursor, glyoxylate. Thus, any means of scavenging glyoxylate to a non-toxic product, thereby diverting it away from oxalate synthesis, has considerable therapeutic implications. Here we show that aminoguanidine, a compound with a proven safety record and used for many years to prevent long-term complications of diabetes, binds glyoxylate covalently and reduces its conversion to oxalate by human liver- and lymphocyte-derived cell lines by >90%. We propose that scavenging glyoxylate with aminoguanidine or its congeners may provide a means of reducing oxalate production in vivo, and advocate the tissue culture system described here as a convenient means for testing such agents in vitro. A serendipitous finding to emerge from our study was the abiotic and strongly pH-dependent formation of oxalate from ascorbate, which has implications for the contribution of ascorbate to urine oxalate excretion

Detecting asymptomatic coronary artery disease using routine exercise testing and exercise thallium scintigraphy in patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease

ECG-monitored exercise testing has been proposed as a relatively inexpensive and effective means of screening for asymptomatic coronary artery disease in patients presenting for peripheral vascular surgery. Despite the fact that exercise thallium scintigraphy is also dependent on the patient's ability to exercise, using this test in conjunction with ECG-monitored exercise testing may enhance sensitivity and specificity of non-invasive evaluation. Thirty-two patients were subjected to ECG-monitored exercise testing, exercise thallium scintigraphy and coronary angiography. The sensitivity of ECGmonitored exercise testing for detecting coronary artery disease was calculated at 81,8% and the specificity at 87,5%, while the figures for exercise thallium scintigraphy were 73,1% and 33,3% respectively. Using these two methods in combination yielded a predictive accuracy of 90,6%. The only advantage of exercise thallium scintigraphy over exercise ECG appears to be in patients in whom the latter test could not be interpreted or was non-diagnostic

Overexpression of Kpnβ1 and Kpnα2 Importin Proteins in Cancer Derives from Deregulated E2F Activity

The Karyopherin superfamily comprises nuclear transport proteins, involved in the shuttling of certain cargo proteins into and out of the nucleus. Karyopherin β1 (Kpnβ1) and Karyopherin α2 (Kpnα2) are importin proteins, which work in concert to transport their cargo into the nucleus. We previously identified increased expression of Kpnβ1 and Kpnα2 in cervical tumours compared to normal epithelium and in transformed cells compared to their normal counterparts. This study therefore aimed to identify the transcription regulatory mechanisms associated with high Kpnβ1 and Kpnα2 levels in cancer cells. Kpnβ1 (−2013 to +100) and Kpnα2 (−1900 to +69) promoter fragments were separately cloned into the reporter vector, pGL3-basic, and luciferase assays revealed both as significantly more active in cancer and transformed cells compared to normal. A series of deletion constructs identified the −637 to −271 Kpnβ1 and −180 to −24 Kpnα2 promoter regions as responsible for the differential promoter activity, and a number of highly conserved E2F binding sites were identified within these regions. Mutation analysis confirmed the requirement of E2F sites for promoter activity, and ChIP analysis confirmed E2F2/Dp1 binding to the Kpnβ1 and Kpnα2 promoters in vivo. Dp1 inhibition resulted in decreased levels of the respective proteins, confirming the role of E2F in the overexpression of Kpnβ1 and Kpnα2 proteins in cancer. E2F activity is known to be deregulated in cervical cancer cells due to the inhibition of its repressor, Rb, by HPV E7. The inhibition of E7 using siRNA resulted in decreased Kpnβ1 and Kpnα2 promoter activities, as did the overexpression of Rb. In conclusion, this study is a first to show that elevated Kpnβ1 and Kpnα2 expression in cancer cells correlates with altered transcriptional regulation associated with deregulated E2F/Rb activitie