Inflammation,microbiome and colorectal cancer disparity in African-Americans:Are there bugs in the genetics?

Dysregulated interactions between host inflammation and gut microbiota over the course of life increase the risk of colorectal cancer(CRC).While environmental factors and socio-economic realities of race remain predominant contributors to CRC disparities in African-Americans(AAs),this review focuses on the biological mediators of CRC disparity,namely the under-appreciated influence of inherited ancestral genetic regulation on mucosal innate immunity and its interaction with the microbiome.There remains a poor understanding of mechanisms linking immune-related genetic polymorphisms and microbiome diversity that could influence chronic inflammation and exacerbate CRC disparities in AAs.A better understanding of the relationship between host genetics,bacteria,and CRC pathogenesis will improve the prediction of cancer risk across race/ethnicity groups overall.

Toni Morrison:Strong Voice for African-Americans

Toni Morrison,the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993,has been hailed as one of the greatest American authors of the 20th century.Her works explore and portray blacks’destiny,history,and spiritual world,emphasizing on gender,race,and culture.Song of Solomon and Beloved,the two novels the thesis has selected to make analysis are crucial to her writing career.Toni Morrison’s great many literary works anatomize the survival and psychological pain of African Americans under the restrain and repression of mainstream culture,trying to find out a solution.

The Black American Church: A Reactionary and Ideological Apparatus of Slavery

This work argues that Denmark Vesey,Nat Turner,Gabriel Prosser,David Walker,Henry Highland Garnet,amongst a few others were the reactionary(dialectical)exceptions to the black church,not the norm,an(ideological)institution established to interpellate and indoctrinate blacks to accept their conditions in slavery.In other words,the aforementioned were the enslaved who used Christian dogma to(negative dialectically)respond to the barbarity of slavery by violently convicting white Christian society for not living up to its values,ideas,and ideals given the treatment of African people by so-called Christians.In the latter sense it was reactionary;in the former,it was an ideological apparatus of domination and control for the institution of slavery.The contemporary attempt to racially vindicate the black church as a sui generis revolutionary institution overflowing with Africanisms is ahistorical and ideological reaped in pseudoscientific propositions stemming from postmodern and post-structural theories.

Impact of Maintenance Steroids versus Rapid Steroid Withdrawal in African-American Kidney Transplant Recipients: Comparison of Two Urban Centers

Background: Rapid steroid withdrawal (RSW) is used increasingly in kidney transplantation but long-term outcomes in African-American (AA) recipients are not well known. We compared 1 and 5 year transplant outcomes in a large cohort of AA patients who were maintained on continued steroid therapy (CST) to those who underwent RSW. Methods: Post-transplant courses of A as receiving kidney allografts from 2003-2011 at two urban transplant centers in Chicago were followed. Prior to outcome analysis, we used Inverse Probability of Treatment Weights (IPTW) to match the two groups on a set of baseline risk factors. Graft and patient survival, GFR at 1 and 5 years, incidence and type of rejection, incidence of post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM), delayed graft function, CMV and BK viremia were compared. Results: There were 150 AA recipients in the CST analytic group and 157 in the RSW analytic group. Graft and patient survival was similar between the two groups. Rates of CMV viremia were higher in the RSW compared to the CST analytic group at 1 year. Biopsy-proven acute rejection and PTDM were similar between the RSW and CST groups. Conclusions: In AA recipients, RSW has similar long-term outcomes to CST.

African-American's Awareness of Cultural Heritage: Alice Walker's Everyday Use

Alice Walker's famous short story Everyday Use reveals African American's awareness of cultural heritage, which is deeply affected by the"double consciousness"as well as their racial identification in the Civil Rights Movement. Through the exploration of the cultural conflict reflected in Everyday Use by relating to the influence on black people produced by the AfricanAmerican Civil Rights Movement, and the discussion of the different attitudes of the mother and her daughters towards their cultural heritage, the essay aims to reinforce Alice Walker's claim that any attempt to lay too much emphasis on the ideas of utilitarian return to black people's traditional culture is shallow and superficial.

Light treatment for seasonal Winter depression in African-American vs Caucasian outpatients

AIM: To compare adherence, response, and remission with light treatment in African-American and Caucasian patients with Seasonal Affective Disorder.METHODS: Seventy-eight study participants, agerange 18-64(51 African-Americans and 27 Caucasians)recruited from the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan area, with diagnoses of recurrent mood disorder with seasonal pattern, and confirmed by a Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Ⅳ, were enrolled in an open label study of daily bright light treatment. The trial lasted6 wk with flexible dosing of light starting with 10000 lux bright light for 60 min daily in the morning. At the end of six weeks there were 65 completers. Three patients had Bipolar Ⅱ disorder and the remainder had Major depressive disorder. Outcome measures were remission(score ≤ 8) and response(50% reduction)in symptoms on the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression(SIGH-SAD)as well as symptomatic improvement on SIGH-SAD and Beck Depression Inventory-Ⅱ. Adherence was measured using participant daily log. Participant groups were compared using t-tests, chi square, linear and logistic regressions. RESULTS: The study did not find any significant group difference between African-Americans and their Caucasian counterparts in adherence with light treatment as well as in symptomatic improvement.While symptomatic improvement and rate of treatment response were not different between the two groups,African-Americans, after adjustment for age, gender and adherence, achieved a significantly lower remission rate(African-Americans 46.3%; Caucasians 75%; P =0.02).CONCLUSION: This is the first study of light treatment in African-Americans, continuing our previous work reporting a similar frequency but a lower awareness of SAD and its treatment in African-Americans. Similar rates of adherence, symptomatic improvement and treatment response suggest that light treatment is a feasible, acceptable, and beneficial treatment for SAD in African-American patients. These results should lead to intensifying education initiatives to increase awareness of SAD and its treatment in African-American communities to increased SAD treatment engagement.In African-American vs Caucasian SAD patients a remission gap was identified, as reported before with antidepressant medications for non-seasonal depression, demanding sustained efforts to investigate and then address its causes.

The Power of Partners: A Qualitative Study of the Dissonance between African-American Females’ Interest in Practicing Secondary Abstinence and Continued Sexual Activity

Reducing disparities in STI/HIV rates for young heterosexual African-American women in the US is a public health priority. Although several strategies can reduce risk, some sexually experienced young women are choosing to abstain from sex for various reasons and periods of time following sexual debut, a practice known as secondary abstinence. However, others who desire to practice secondary abstinence find it difficult to do so. This qualitative study explored barriers that explained the dissonance between interest in secondary abstinence and continued sexual activity. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 sexually-experienced African-American adolescent females, ages 18 - 23, who expressed interest in secondary abstinence. Partner-related barriers that created power imbalances presented the greatest challenges to becoming or remaining abstinent. Findings suggest that teaching young women how to recognize characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships, identify power imbalances, communicate assertively and develop positive coping skills can empower young women to build healthier relationships with their partners.

Neighborhood deprivation and availability of culturally specific African-American and Latino fruits and vegetables in five small central Illinois cities

Introduction: Although individual-level dietary behavior among racial/ethnic minority groups in the US is influenced by cultural food preferences and socioeconomic position, few studies of the food store environment have simultaneously examined both factors. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the availability of culturally specific fruits and vegetables for African Americans and Latinos by levels of neighborhood deprivation. The 5 small central Illinois cities selected for the study have exhibited increasing numbers of both racial/ ethnic groups in the last decade. Methods: A validated audit tool was used to survey 118 food stores in 2008. Census 2000 block group data was used to create a neighborhood deprivation index (categorized as low, medium, and high) based on socioeconomic characteristics using principal component analysis. Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS version 17.0 to determine whether the availability of culturally specific fruits and vegetables (n = 31) varied by neighborhood levels of deprivation and store type. Results: Fewer than 50% of neighborhoods carried culturally specific fruits and vegetables, with the lowest availability found in low deprivation neighborhoods (p < 0.05). Culturally specific fruits and vegetables were most often found in neighborhoods with medium levels of deprivation, and in grocery stores (p < 0.05). Latino fruits and vegetables were less likely to be found across neighborhoods or in stores, compared to African-American fruits and vegetables. Conclusions: The limited availability of culturally specific fruits and vegetables for African Americans and Latinos highlights potential environmental challenges with adherence to daily dietary guidelines for fruit and vegetable consumption in these groups.

Sexually Transmitted Infections among African-American Population of the Midwest United States

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia and gonorrhea are commonly reported infections in the United States. Greater Omaha has had continually higher reported rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea for more than a decade compared to the rest of the state rates. Minority and young adults have been disproportionately affected. Purpose: The objectives of our study were to estimate the prevalence and to identify risk factors for chlamydia and gonorrhea among young adults. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 310 young adults aged 19 -25 years between June 2011 and June 2012. The study collected socio-demographic, behavioral and other risk factors for STIs utilizing a pre-design standardized questionnaire. Gonorrhea and chlamydia status of the participants were established by testing urine samples using PCR-based diagnostic technique. Descriptive and multivariable regression analyses were used to examine risk factors for STIs. Results: About 12.6% survey participants had at least one STI test positive. Lower education was associated with STIs but was not statistically significant (Odd Ratio for no schooling was 8.24, 95% CI 0.93 -72.86, Odd Ratio for high school education was 2.05, 95% CI 0.25 -16.63 compared to associate or college level education). No other predictors were associated with STIs. The average age of the first sexual intercourse was lower, and the number of sexual partners was higher compared to their national counterparts. Conclusion: We found a higher percentage of STI-positive individuals compared to previously reported county-level estimates. Education was the single and most important predictor of positive STI status.

Spontaneous Baroreflex Sensitivity in Normotensive African-American Men

Purpose: African-American men (AAM) have a greater risk of hypertension (HTN) than Caucasian men (CM). To reduce this risk, determining the differences in mechanisms involved in HTN and understanding the relationship between these mechanisms and factors affecting blood pressure (BP) in AAM and CM is necessary. One such mechanism is spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity (sBRS) and two factors are cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and arterial stiffness (AS). The aims of this study were to determine, firstly, whether there are differences in sBRS between young, normotensive AAM and CM, and secondly, to determine if CRF and AS are significant predictors of sBRS in young, normotensive AAM and CM. Methods: Twenty-three normotensive AAM and 36 CM were recruited from Southern Connecticut State University. Measures included anthropometric, sBRS (alpha-index), and CRF (maximal oxygen consumption [VO2max]), as well as AS (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity [Cf-PWV]). Independent t-tests were used to determine differences between groups and multiple regression analysis was used to determine how much of the variation in sBRS was explained by CRF and AS. Results: The sBRS was significantly lower in AAM (10.3 ± 3.8 ms/mmHg) vs. CM (13.3 ± 5.7 ms/ mmHg), P = 0.03. CRF and AS were not significant predictors of sBRS in AAM (P = 0.25) and CM (P = 0.30). There was no relationship between, sBRS, CRF and AS;CRF was significantly reduced in AAM vs. CM (45.1 ± 6.3 vs. 52.1 ± 7.5 mL·kg?1·min?1, P ≤ 0.001). Conclusions: Young normotensive AAM demonstrated significantly lower sBRS vs. CM, irrespective of having fair CRF and normal BP. CRF and AS are not significant predictors of sBRS in young, normotensive AAM and CM. The attenuation in sBRS in AAM did not result in AAM having higher BP versus CM. This finding underscores the need for more detailed examination of the role of sBRS in the etiology of HTN in AAM.

Obesity in African-American Early to Middle-Aged Females: Prevention and Treatment through Education

The objective of this study was to develop an educational program for African-American females on diet and exercise in the treatment and prevention of obesity. African-American female participants aged 30-50 with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 25 were recruited for inclusion in the study. A qualitative assessment was completed which observed the attitudes, personal beliefs, dietary and physical risk factors regarding weight loss before and after an educational intervention which focused specifically on the targeted population. Pre- and post-assessment questionnaires were utilized in this study. This design intended to measure whether the educational intervention affected real change among the participant’s lifestyle choices. Results revealed that most participants initially did not consider themselves to be overweight or obese and that after the education intervention, realized that they were overweight or obese. Many participants felt that their support systems were adequate. Initially, participants consumed fried foods and high calorie drinks. After the educational intervention, many preferred baked foods and decreased the intake of high calorie drinks. Emotions were also identified as a cause of overeating. Many participants found the educational sessions beneficial to their weight loss and fitness efforts. Challenges such as lack of adequate social support and emotions controlling eating patterns still exist in this population and need to be addressed. The creation of standardized protocols to directly address emotional needs at every medical visit would assist in identification of problems which could negatively affect lifestyle choices.

Hegel and the Antidialectic

This work,using the case study of the Haitian Revolution,positions Paul C.Mocombe’s theory of antidialectic within Hegel’s dialectical reasoning.Mocombe posits that the antidialectical position in Hegel’s dialectic is the position of each self-consciousness when they initially encounter each other at the onset of the master/slave dialectic.Whereas,the master seeks to move to the dialectical position in order to dominate and eliminate the original(antidialectical)position of the slave,the slave remains in this antidialectical position so long as they seek to fight against their enslavement for the purpose of maintaining and reproducing their original,antidialectical,position,which is social,political,economic,and ideological.In any other instances,they(the slaves)are either in the dialectical,seeking to maintain the status quo,or negative dialectical,seeking to integrate the status quo on equal footing with the master,positions.

The Haitian Revolution:An Insignificant Revolution?

This work posits that the Haitian Revolution became an insignificant Revolution the minute that it was usurped by the Affranchis class,the mulatto elites and petit-bourgeois creole blacks,seeking equality of opportunity,recognition,and distribution with their former colonial masters,from the Africans who commenced the event on the night of August 14th,1791.Whereas the Africans,I conclude,sought total freedom from the mercantilist and liberal order of the whites,which made the Haitian Revolution significant,the vindicationism sought by the Affranchis class undermined the agential initiatives of the Africans rendering the Revolution revolutionarily insignificant.

An intervention to reduce psychosocial and biological indicators of stress in African American lupus patients: The balancing lupus experiences with stress strategies study

Objective: Very little is known about the impact of psychosocial stress on African American lupus patients. Due to the exposure of African Americans to a unique trajectory of stressors throughout life, it may be critical to understand the relationship between psychosocial stress and underlying biological mechanisms that influence disease activity and pathology in this high risk group. Methods: The Balancing Lupus Experiences with Stress Strategies (BLESS) study piloted the validated “Better Choices, Better Health” Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) in 30 African-American lupus patients participating in the SLE Clinic Database Project at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Measures of psychosocial and biological indicators of stress were collected in all of the patients in each of the study conditions before and after intervention activities, as well as four months’ post-intervention, to assess the effectiveness of the program in reducing perceived and biological indicators of stress. Results: Participation in the workshops had large effects upon depression (d = 1.63 and d = 1.68), social/role activities limitations (d =1.15), health distress (d = 1.13 and d = 0.78), fatigue (d = 1.03), pain (d = 0.96), and lupus self-efficacy (d = 0.85). Neither the differences in cortisol or DHEA levels pre- and post-intervention were found to be significantly different between intervention participants and controls. Conclusion: The intervention workshops acted to reduce perceived stress and improve quality of life. Our findings imply that comparable, if not more significant gains in relevant health indicators are possible in African American patients when provided the opportunity to participate in CDSMP’s.

The Political Messages Embodied in Marvel’s Film Black Panther

Black Panther is the first superhero film in Marvel’s history that is directed and acted predominantly by African-American artists.The complementary academic review,high box office and audience rating are highly attributed to the political elements embodied in the movie.A breakthrough is achieved in the conventional cinematic image of the African-American man through the creation of a black hero playing the role of world savior.It also presents a prosperous and advanced image of Africa,fulfilling and expanding the African-American people’s imagination of their spiritual home.Moreover,in responding to the Black Panther movement in black history,the film implicitly explores three possible routes of struggle for the black ethnic group and conveys a political message to the audience.

Soul Nourishment or Soul Poison:The Role of Food in Morrison’s Be⁃loved and Paradise

Toni Morrison is one of the most important writers in American history,and her prose and stories offer compelling commentaries on the intertwined experiences of race and womanhood.Morrison combines a striking narrative style with poetic language and magical realism to create novels which offer insight into the experiences of black people and women.Two novels in particular that explore these themes are Beloved and Paradise.These two novels are privy to the experiences of black women as they work together to overcome their traumas in various ways.In the novels,the theme of food is used as a motif to represent inner strength and healing from trauma.Throughout Beloved and Paradise,food is used as a powerful symbol to convey community togetherness as well as to symbolize inner strength,and its textual appearances should be analyzed for their implications about race and gender.In so doing,readers will be able to better understand how food is not just a physical necessity,but a powerful symbol of strength and solidarity.

Distinguished African-American Artists of the Past 150 Years

African-American artists have sought recognition of their various artistic endeavors for nearly 400 years in the New World.Slavery was a dehumanizing act that will always reside sadly in our personal history.The African slave trade played a large role in how society views AfricanAmericans artists and their art today.But,along with an early negative perception,we can see how the African Diaspora positively affected American art today.At first,these early artisans were exposed to European art forms,and they adapted these art forms to their own artworks.However,experimentation would eventually lead these artisans,artists,and crafts people to infuse their art forms with a mixture of West African,European,and American cultural ideas.

“A Vagabond and a Slave”:Frankenstein as(African-American)Slave Narrative

Although several studies have examined the influence of the context of slavery on Romanticism as well as Romanticism’s influence on the discourse of abolition,few have considered the ways in which narratives by former slaves who lived in the Americas have conditioned the production of Romanticism.Written soon after the abolition of the slave trade in England,Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in particular has been read as a major part of Romanticism’s anti-slavery stance.It has even been seen by some as contributing to the language and tropes necessary for the development of abolitionist discourse and the slave narrative throughout the first half of the nineteenth century.But the tradition of the slave narrative,particularly autobiographies written by former slaves who were born in Africa but lived in America,precedes the novel and,to some extent,Romanticism.My study proffers the position that without African American slave narratives such as Olaudah Equiano’s 1789 The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,or Gustavus Vassa,The African,Written by Himself,Shelley’s novel would not have been possible.By looking closely at the formal,generic,and ideological elements of both narratives,I conclude that Shelley does indeed draw intertextually upon the slave narrative tradition in constructing her own story.Furthermore,Equiano’s narrative’s political challenge to an entire economic and social order enables Shelley’s own social critique,which emerges as much more complex and ambiguous than previously thought.

Vitamin D deficiency in critically ill patients with traumatic injuries

Background:Vitamin D depletion has been associated with increased rate of infections,lengthened hospital stay,and worsened mortality for critically ill patients.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and variables associated with vitamin D deficiency in critically ill patients with severe traumatic injuries.Methods:Critically ill adult patients admitted to the trauma intensive care unit(ICU)between June 2013 and June 2014,referred to the nutrition support service for enteral or parenteral nutrition,and had a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D(25-OH vitamin D)concentration determination were retrospectively evaluated.Patients were stratified as vitamin D sufficient,insufficient,deficient,or severely deficient based on a 25-OH vitamin D concentration of 30–80,20–29.9,13.1–19.9,and≤13 ng/mL,respectively.Results:One hundred and twenty-one patients out of 158(76%)patients were vitamin D deficient or severely deficient.Thirty-one patients(20%)were insufficient and 6(4%)had a normal 25-OH vitamin D concentration.25-OH vitamin D was determined 7.5±5.1 days after ICU admission.African-Americans had a greater proportion of patients with deficiency or severe deficiency compared to other races(91 versus 64%,P=0.02).Penetrating gunshot or knife stab injury,African-American race,and obesity(elevated body mass index)were significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency or severe deficiency:OR 9.23(1.13,75.40),4.0(1.4,11.58),and 1.12(1.03,1.23),P<0.05,respectively.Conclusions:The majority of critically ill patients with traumatic injuries exhibit vitamin D deficiency or severe deficiency.Penetrating injuries,African-American race,and obesity are significant risk factors for deficiency.Severity of injury,extent of inflammation(elevated C-reactive protein concentration),or hospital admission during the winter season did not significantly influence the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency.