Metaphors in Arabic and English Texts: A Case Study of Translation of Metaphors in the English Versions of Al-Sahifah Al-Sajjadiyyah

The aim of the present research is the study of translation of metaphor as one of the literary devices of Al-Sahifah Al-Sajjadiyah from Arabic into English. Al-Sahifah Al-Sajjadiyah contains 54 valuable supplications regarding political, social, military, family, religious, etc, issues. The secret of its permanency among Moslems and Shi'ites, in particular, has been its elegance and fluency. It is replete with literary devices such as proverbs, parables, metaphors, etc. It contains beautiful metaphors throughout. This study is an attempt to examine the translation of this literary device from Arabic into English based on Roman Jakobson’s (1956) framework. Therefore, a group of 65 metaphors of that book was selected from the entire book. The translation of selected metaphors by two English translators, namely William C. Chittick (2008) and Sayyid Ahmad Muhani (1984) were compared with the original ones according to the Roman Jakobson’ s (1956) syntagmatic and paradigmatic axes.On the syntagmatic axis, the axis of combination, words are linked, or chained, together according to grammatical rules, but we make choices about which words to link together on the paradigmatic axis, the axis of selection. The study finally comes up with the conclusion that Chittick has tried to render the metaphors as literally and of course faithfully as possible. He has observed two axes in his translation more than second translator, Muhani and for this reason approaches the original text’s literary style. Muhani mostly has converted the metaphors to their senses. He has more attention to meaning and content rather than linguistic form and in some cases ignoring the form to present the meaning. Keywords: Al-Sahifah Al-Sajjadiyah, Metaphor, Jakobson, Syntagmatic axis, Paradigmatic axis

Simultaneous Underexpression of let-7a-5p and let-7f-5p microRNAs in Plasma and Stool Samples from Early Stage Colorectal Carcinoma: Supplementary Issue: Biomarkers for Colon Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy and the second most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Early detection of CRC can improve patient survival rates; thus, the identification of noninvasive diagnostic markers is urgently needed. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have extensive potential to diagnose several diseases, including cancer. In this study, we compared the expression pattern of miRNAs from plasma and stool samples of patients with early stages of CRC (I, II) with that of healthy subjects. We performed miRNA profiling using microarrays on plasma and stool samples of eight patients with CRC and four healthy subjects. Seven miRNAs were found to be underexpressed in both plasma and stool samples of patients with CRC versus healthy subjects. Then, we aimed to verify two out of these seven differentially expressed miRNAs (let-7a-5p and let-7f-5p) by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on a larger set of plasma and stool samples of 51 patients with CRC and 26 healthy subjects. We confirmed the results of microarray analysis since their expression was significantly lower in stool and plasma samples of patients with CRC. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that fecal let-7f expression levels have significant sensitivity and specificity to distinguish between patients with CRC and healthy subjects. In conclusion, if the results are confirmed in larger series of patients, underexpressed let-7a-5p and let-7f-5p miRNAs in both plasma and stool samples of patients with CRC may serve potentially as noninvasive molecular biomarkers for the early detection of CRC.Peer reviewe

Simultaneous Underexpression of let-7a-5p and let-7f-5p microRNAs in Plasma and Stool Samples from Early Stage Colorectal Carcinoma

International audienc

Simultaneous underexpression of let-7a-5p and let-7f-5p microRNAs in plasma and stool samples from early stage colorectal carcinoma

The study was supported by Novartis, Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, and Cancer Society of Finland. The authors confirm that the funder had no influence over the study design, content of the article, or selection of this journal.Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy and the second most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Early detection of CRC can improve patient survival rates; thus, the identification of noninvasive diagnostic markers is urgently needed. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have extensive potential to diagnose several diseases, including cancer. In this study, we compared the expression pattern of miRNAs from plasma and stool samples of patients with early stages of CRC (I, II) with that of healthy subjects. We performed miRNA profiling using microarrays on plasma and stool samples of eight patients with CRC and four healthy subjects. Seven miRNAs were found to be underexpressed in both plasma and stool samples of patients with CRC versus healthy subjects. Then, we aimed to verify two out of these seven differentially expressed miRNAs (let-7a-5p and let-7f-5p) by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on a larger set of plasma and stool samples of 51 patients with CRC and 26 healthy subjects. We confirmed the results of microarray analysis since their expression was significantly lower in stool and plasma samples of patients with CRC. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that fecal let-7f expression levels have significant sensitivity and specificity to distinguish between patients with CRC and healthy subjects. In conclusion, if the results are confirmed in larger series of patients, underexpressed let-7a-5p and let-7f-5p miRNAs in both plasma and stool samples of patients with CRC may serve potentially as noninvasive molecular biomarkers for the early detection of CRC

The association between dietary intake and cervical cancer in women at risk of cervical cancer; a nested case-control study

Background: The risk of cervical cancer was reported to be influenced by dietary components. This study aimed to illustrate the association between cervical cancer with the intake of food groups in women with a history of cervical neoplasia. Methods: This nested case-control study was conducted in 558 people with a history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), including 279 women with cervical cancers and 279 controls with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL). A validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess the intake of food groups. Results: The intake of fruits and vegetables in the case group was significantly lower than the control group (P=0.001). Low intake of dairy products, vegetables, and fruits was associated with cervical cancer risk (OR=4.67; 95% CI 1.2-9.49, P=0.001; OR=9.75, 95% CI 1.36-19. 51, P=0.001; and OR=4.82, 95% CI 1.09-7.25, P=0.001, respectively). After adjusting for age, family history, age at first menstruation, number of children, history of vaginal infection, and age at first sexual intercourse, the results were still significant. Additional adjustments to BMI did not change the results. Conclusion: The results indicate that the risk of cervical cancer can be affected by the intake of certain food groups. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these findings and determine the underlying mechanism of the influence of dietary components on cervical cancer risk