A Study of the Chinese Americans＇ Dreams in Gish Jen＇s Typical American

Published in 1991, Jen＇s Typical American depicts a first-generation Chinese immigrant family＇s pursuing their American Dream in the Post-War American society. By choosing Chinese American immigrants as her main characters and describing their struggling in the American society, Jen expresses her understanding of being Americans. In the novel, as they move from ＂sojourners＂ to American citizens, the Chang family shows different attitude towards Chinese and American cultural values. The dreams they pursue also vary. This thesis, through an analysis of the dreams the Chang family pursue in Typical American, attempts to demonstrate how the Chang family identify with their cultural identities in this process, and how they evolve from ＂sojourners＂ to ＂typical Americans＂.

Chronic Hepatitis B in Indian Americans: Lack of Screening and Poor Linkage to Care

Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality in the United States (US) and globally. CHB disproportionately affects Asian Americans and many other immigrant minority populations, primarily owing to the high prevalence of CHB in their countries of origin. India is a country with a medium-to-high prevalence of hepatitis B (HB) (>2%) and has over 40 million people infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), with more than 115,000 deaths annually from HBV-related complications. Indian Americans are one of the largest immigrant populations in the US but remain underdiagnosed and poorly linked to clinical care. We, therefore, assessed the HBV prevalence and evaluated the linkage-to-care (LTC) among Indian Americans to develop strategic plans to reduce the impact of HBV in the US. Methods: Between April 2022 and January 2024, serologic screening and surveys were provided to 328 Indian American adults (age 20 - 80) in New York City. All participants were tested for a triple panel consisting of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs), and hepatitis B core IgG antibody (anti-HBc). A survey was conducted on the subjects chronically infected with HBV regarding their histories of infection. Self-administered questionnaires were employed to evaluate demographic and epidemiologic characteristics. Results: Of 328 screened and evaluated (246 males and 82 females), 10 (3.0%) were HBV-infected, 222 (67.7%) were susceptible to HBV, and 96 (29.3%) were immune. The prevalence of chronic HBV varied between the age groups: 4.6% (age 20 - 40), 3.4% (age 41 - 60), and 1.7% (age 61 - 80). Of 10 chronically infected, only two subjects had been previously diagnosed but were not engaged in care. Conclusion: HBV disproportionately affects Asian Americans, primarily owing to immigration from parts of the world where the disease is endemic. Indian Americans belong to an intermediate-risk group, with an HBV prevalence of >2%, but remain underdiagnosed and poorly linked to care. Our pilot study on Indian American populations, the first of its kind, demonstrates a 3% prevalence of CHB, none of whom are linked to care. In addition, this population has a high percentage of unimmune subjects, creating a large reservoir for future infection. With the growing population of Indian Americans, our findings can be used to develop community-based strategies for HBV screenings and LTC that target high-risk groups.

Community-Based Hepatitis B Campaign in Asian Americans

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) disproportionately affects minority groups in the US, particularly Asian Americans, with numerous factors contributing to this disparity. Of the 2.4 million people living with chronic HBV in the US, 60% are Asian American. Many are unaware of their status and lack access to proper clinical care, with less than ten percent receiving necessary antiviral treatment. Barriers to screening and care include lack of disease awareness, language and cultural barriers, and financial constraints. Additionally, healthcare providers and systems in the US often overlook the importance of CHB, leading to inadequate care. In response, the Center for Viral Hepatitis (CVH) has implemented a community-based outreach program over the past sixteen years, employing a multifaceted approach involving all sectors of society and various organizations to combat health disparities in CHB. This grassroots campaign has proven highly effective, leveraging CVH’s leadership in spearheading numerous collaborative activities with community members, healthcare professionals, and policymakers. We have summarized the key points of CVH's efforts and their significance in combating CHB-related health disparities. The CHB Screening and Awareness Campaign, tailored to the Asian American community, serves as a successful model for increasing CHB screening, linkage-to-care, and addressing socio-cultural barriers and health literacy. Insights from these outreach programs have guided the development of culturally relevant resources and education initiatives. These findings suggest that such community-driven approaches are essential for addressing health disparities. The strategies and outcomes of CVH’s efforts can inform future health initiatives for other minority communities in the US and globally.

Analysis on Bicultural Identities of Chinese Americans Based on Acculturation Theory

In the context of globalization,the communication between countries is gradually enhanced and the immigration is increasing.Chinese Americans,as a unique ethnic group,are easy to fall into the difficult problem of self-identity construction when facing the bicultural identity conflict between Chinese and American.This paper selects the film The Farewell created by a Chinese American director as the research object,analyzes the cultural identity crisis of Chinese Americans,introduces the cultural adaption strategy adopted by Chinese Americans from the perspective of Acculturation Theory,and provides reference for Chinese Americans about how to realize the bicultural identities in the cultural diaspora.

A Dream in Myth: Existential Conditions of Second Generation of Chinese Americans

David Wong Louie, a Chinese American writer whose first collection of short stories Pangs of Love is highly valued.After the publication, critics are interested in the conflicts faced by the second generation Chinese Americans. By analyzing three kinds of conflicts in namesake story"Pangs of Love"in it, it is argued in this paper that the hope of the second generation of Chinese Americans to be assimilated into the mainstream of the White world is but a dream in myth. Focusing on reasons of these conflicts, this paper illuminates the way that Chinese Americans need to transform and establish their own cultural identity.

论“中国梦”的英译和American Dream的汉译

中国翻译界目前有一种倾向:"中国梦"的英译模仿"美国梦"的英语American Dream而译成Chinese Dream。研究发现,American Dream被译为"美国梦"是误译,正确译文是"美国人的梦",因为"American Dream"的真正含义是美国人的梦,是美国人对富裕和充实生活的梦想,而不是美国对富裕和充实生活的梦想。"中国梦"是中华民族复兴之梦,是整个中华民族的梦,"中国梦"是中国的梦,"中国梦"只能译为China Dream,不能译成Chinese Dream(中国人的梦)。

An Interpretation to the Modern American Dream in the Pursuit of Happyness

Focuses on the modern American Dream,with the movie the Pursuit of Happyness as the background,this paper analyzes every hero's American Dream in the movie and the hard process of pursuing the dreams so as to make people rethinking the American Dream expressed in the movie and understanding the distinct characteristics of the modern American Dream.

A Contrastive Analysis of American Dream and China Dream

As one part of social ideology,Country Dream not only deeply engraves in the people’s heart but also continuously pushes the country forward.American Dream and China Dream are widely adored by its people respectively.This thesis is designated to unearth the differences between American Dream and China Dream.It is hoped that readers will develop a more objective understanding of the two concepts.

Causes of the Disillusionment of Sister Carrie's American Dream

Theodore Dreiser’s novel Sister Carrie is the representative of studying the disillusionment of the American Dream.Since the publication of Sister Carrie,there have been many critics who commented on this work,and its main character Sister Carrie is a controversial person.Dreiser was criticized by critics and readers because he didn’t give any comment on her degener ation.This thesis tries to analyze the causes of this tragedy.In the end,the paper draws the conclusion:the American Dream looks beautiful,but to some extent it is not reliable,just like the foam of soap.It only gives people an illusion.So Carrie’s tragedy is in evitable.

The American Dream in The Great Gatsby

The American dream is an ever recurring theme in American literature,in which The Great Gatsby is a classic work by Fitzgerald. This paper will attempt to explore how the title role of this book represents the American dream with its specific characteristics endowed by the age of 1920s. After an analysis of the corrupted nature of the American dream in the 1920s,the paper arrives at the conclusion that the American dream then is doomed a disillusionment.

Theme Analysis of Everyday Use by Alice Walker——about Afro-Americans' Cultural Identification

By discussing the cultural and historical context of the story and through detailed reviewing of the content,the article tries to deeply analyze the theme of Alice Walker's Everyday Use,and it shows that the writer wants to tell readers two mistakes in Afro-Americans' cultural identification: escaping from the painful history and blind seeking for African culture.

The Disillusionment of American Dream in The Great Gatsby

Focusing on Gatsby's dream in The Great Gatsby, I attempt to analyze the reason for the disillusionment of American Dream at the historical time of the 1920 s. From the micro perspective, Gatsby has four times of disillusionment altogether. The first one was from his birth to his leaving home, the second disillusionment came after his under Dan Cody's patron for several years, ended by Cody's sudden death leaving Gatsby no money actually inherited. His third disillusionment was the frustration of his love for Daisy as Daisy married to Tom Buchanan. Finally, his fourth disillusion brought him away altogether with his death, after the car accident committed by Daisy and Gatsby was mistakenly regarded as the murderer. In a macro perspective,Gatsby's death in the novel symbolizes the disillusionment of American Dream in the Jazz Age.

Gut microbiome profiling and colorectal cancer in African Americans and Caucasian Americans

AIM To determine whether and to what extent the gut microbiome is involved in regulating racial disparity in colorectal cancer(CRC). METHODS All patients were recruited and experiments were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations by the Institutional Review Boards (IRB), committees of the John D. Dingell VAMC and Wayne State University guidelines. African American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) patients were scheduled for an outpatient screening for colonoscopy, and no active malignancy volunteer patients were doubly consented, initially by the gastroenterologist and later by the study coordinator, for participation in the study. The gut microbial communities in colonic effluents from AAs and CAs were examined using 16 sRNA profiling, and bacterial identifications were validated by performing SYBR-based Real Time PCR. For metagenomic analysis to characterize the microbial communities, multiple software/tools were used, including Metastats and R statistical software.RESULTS It is generally accepted that the incidence and mortality of CRC is higher in AAs than in CAs. However, the reason for this disparity is not well understood. We hypothesize that the gut microbiome plays a role in regulating this disparity. Indeed, we found significant differences in species richness and diversity between AAs and CAs. Bacteroidetes was more abundant in AAs than in CAs. In particular, the pro-inflammatory bacteria Fusobacterium nucleatum and Enterobacter species were significantly higher in AAs, whereas probiotic Akkermansia muciniphila and Bifidobacterium were higher in CAs. The polyphyletic Clostridia class showed a divergent pattern, with Clostridium XI elevated in AAs, and Clostridium IV, known for its beneficial function, higher in CAs. Lastly, the AA group had decreased microbial diversity overall in comparison to the CA group. In summary, there were significant differences in pro-inflammatory bacteria and microbial diversity between AA and CA, which may help explain the CRC disparity between groups.CONCLUSION Our current investigation, for the first time, demonstrates microbial dysbiosis between AAs and CAs, which could contribute to the racial disparity of CRC.

Hepatitis B among Asian Americans:Prevalence, progress, and prospects for control

After tobacco use, chronic hepatitis B(CHB) viral infections are the most important cause of cancer globally in that 1 out of 3 individuals have been infected with the hepatitis B virus(HBV). Though infection rates are low(< 1%) in the United States, Asian Americans who comprise about 6% of the population experience about 60% of the CHB burden. This paper reviews the magnitude of hepatitis B(HBV) burden among Asian Americans and the progress being made to mitigate this burden, primarily through localized, communitybased efforts to increase screening and vaccination among Asian American children, adolescents, and adults. This review brings to light that despite the numerous community-based screening efforts, a vast majority of Asian Americans have not been screened and that vaccination efforts, particularly for adults, are sub-optimal. Greater efforts to integrate screenings by providers within existing healthcare systems are urged. Evidence-based strategies are offered to implement CDC's three major recommendations to control and prevent hepatitis B through targeted screening and enhanced vaccination efforts.

Poor CD4 count is a predictor of untreated depression in human immunodeficiency virus-positive African-Americans

AIM: To determine if efforts to improve antiretroviral therapy(ART) adherence minimizes the negative impact of depression on human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) outcomes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of a clinic-based cohort of 158 HIV seropositive(HIV+) African Americans screened for major depressive disorder(MDD) in 2012. CD4 T lymphocyte(CD4+) counts were obtained from these individuals. Self-report on adherence to ART was determined from questionnaire administered during clinic visits. The primary outcome measure was conditional odds of having a poorer CD4+ count(< 350 cells/mm3). Association between CD4+ count and antidepressant-treated or untreated MDD subjects was examined controlling for self-reported adherence and other potential confounders. RESULTS: Out of 147 individuals with available CD4+ T lymphocyte data, 31% had CD4+ count < 350 cells/mm^3 and 28% reported poor ART adherence. As expected the group with > 350 cells/mm^3 CD4+ T lymphocyte endorsed significantly greater ART adherence compared to the group with < 350 cells/mm3 CD4+ T lymphocyte count(P < 0.004). Prevalence of MDD was 39.5% and 66% of individuals with MDD took antidepressants. Poor CD4+ T lymphocyte count was associated with poor ART adherence and MDD. Adjusting for ART adherence, age, sex and education, which were potential confounders, the association between MDD and poor CD4+ T lymphocyte remained significant only in the untreated MDD group.CONCLUSION: Therefore, CD4+ count could be a clinical marker of untreated depression in HIV+. Also, mental health care may be relevant to primary care of HIV+ patients.

Association between recognizing dementia as a mental illness and dementia knowledge among elderly Chinese Americans

AIM: To investigate whether older Chinese Americans perceive dementia as a mental illness and the relationship between such perception and their general understanding of dementia remains unclear. Our study aims to understand this relationship and its future implication on improving dementia literacy among ethnic minorities.METHODS: Elderly Chinese American participants from the Greater Los Angeles were asked to complete an 11-item dementia questionnaire, following a community health seminar. Cross-sectional survey data was analyzed using standard statistical methods.RESULTS: The questionnaire received an 88.3% response rate. Among 316 responders, only 28.8%(n = 91) of elderly Chinese Americans identified dementia as a mental illness, and 71.2%(n = 225) did not recognize its mental disease origin. Furthermore, in comparison between these two groups, the first group demonstrated significantly higher level of baseline knowledge of the disease.CONCLUSION: This study reveals that only approximately 1 out of 4 older Chinese Americans recognized dementia as a mental illness, consistent with previous studies on Asian Americans. Our study however showed that when dementia was being perceived as a mental illness, such perception was associated with a higher level of baseline dementia understanding. The current study suggested the potential of improving older Chinese Americans dementia literacy by increasing awareness of its mental illness origin.

Comparison of reflux esophagitis and its complications between African Americans and non-Hispanic whites

AIM: To determine the effect of ethnicity on the severity of reflux esophagitis (RE) and its complications. METHODS: A retrospective search of the endoscopy database at the University of Florida Health Science Center/Jacksonville for all cases of reflux esophagitis and its complications from January 1 to March 31, 2001 was performed. Inclusion criteria were endoscopic evidence of esophagitis using the LA classif ication, reflux related complications and self-reported ethnicity. The data obtained included esophagitis grade, presence of a hiatal hernia, esophageal ulcer, stricture and Barrett's esophagus, and endoscopy indication. RESULTS: The search identified 259 patients with RE or its complications, of which 171 were non-Hispanic whites and 88 were African Americans. The mean ages and male/female ratios were similar in the two groups. RE grade, esophageal ulcer, stricture and hiatal hernia frequency were likewise similar in the groups. Barrett's esophagus was present more often in non-Hispanic whites than in African Americans (15.8% vs 4.5%; P < 0.01). Heartburn was a more frequent indication for endoscopy in non-Hispanic whites with erosive esophagitis than in African Americans (28.1% vs 7.9%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Distribution of RE grade and frequency of reflux-related esophageal ulcer, stricture andhiatal hernia are similar in non-Hispanic whites and African Americans. Heartburn was more frequently and nausea/vomiting less frequently reported as the primary endoscopic indication in non-Hispanic whites compared with African Americans with erosive esophagitis or its complications. African Americans have a decreased prevalence of Barrett's esophagus compared with non-Hispanic whites.

Death of a Salesman and American Dream

American Dream refers to the belief of the majority of Americans.Through hard work,thrift,and determination,they can surely achieve a better life and live a comfortable life.Such an American Dream has a profound influence on several generations of Americans.American Dream has a close relationship with people' s working life and cultural activities.Death of a Salesman is a typical play about the pursuit and the illusionary of the Dream follower.In Death of a Salesman,the American Dream is the main hero as well as Willy Loman' s spiritual pillar.The pursuit,the realization,and the disillusionment of the American Dream develop with Willy and his family.

The Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby

From the view of historical background and morality, this thesis mainly describes the development of American Dream, and then reveals its disillusionment, which is reflected in the Francis Scott Fitzgerald＇s The Great （iatsby. By analyzing specifically that Gatsby＇s dream of love and status is shattered by the cruel reality, that Nick＇s dream of success by his own efforts is smashed easily by the crazy society, that Myrtle Wilson＇s dream of rich life is destroyed by the wasteland of morality in 1920s, this thesis reveals that the active American Dream has become an excuse of greed, and reflects people＇s disillusionment and void in that times.

Electrocardiographic abnormalities among Mexican Americans: Correlations with diabetes, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome

INTRODUCTION: Resting ischemic electrocardiographic abnormalities have been associated with cardio-vascular mortality. Simple markers of abnormal autonomic tone have also been associated with diabetes, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome in some populations. Data on these electrocardiographic abnormalities and correlations with coronary risk factors are lacking among Mexican Americans wherein these conditions are prevalent. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalent resting electrocardiographic abnormalities among community-dwelling Mexican Americans, and to correlate these findings with coronary risk factors, particularly diabetes, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Study subjects (n = 1280) were drawn from the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort comprised of community-dwelling Mexican Americans living in Brownsville, Texas at the United States-Mexico border. Ischemic electro-cardiographic abnormalities were defined as presence of ST/T wave abnormalities suggestive of ischemia, abnormal Q waves, and left bundle branch block. Parameters that reflect autonomic tone, such as heart rate-corrected QT interval and resting heart rate, were also measured. RESULTS: Ischemic electrocar-diographic abnormalities were more prevalent among older persons and those with hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome. Subjects in the highest quartiles of QTc interval and resting heart rate were also more likely to have diabetes, hypertension, obesity, or the metabolic syndrome. CONCLU- SIONS: Among Mexican Americans, persons with diabetes, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome were more likely to have ischemic electrocardiographic abnormalities, longer QTc intervals, and higher resting heart rates. A resting electrocardiogram can play a complementary role in the comprehensive evaluation of cardiovascular risk in this minority population.