People's Liberation Research Articles

Sentence Versus Redemption and the ‘Spiritual World’ in Osiris Rising, Fragments, Why Are We So Blest? KMT: In the House of Life by Ayi Kwei Armah and Mama Day by Gloria Naylor

This paper attempts to evaluate the different characteristics in the spiritual world that act on human destiny in blacks ‘cosmology in Ayi Kwei Armah and Gloria Naylor’s fiction while justifying the awareness of black intellectuals in their different approaches to sentence and redemption for African cultural revival. It also exposes black people facing acculturation phenomena and the deconstruction of the ancestral home. However, it argues that the achievement of the struggle for African cultural revival will be possible if they take the initiative in finding out specific strategies that would culturally, socially and politically reconnect black with their indigenous cultural reality. Some of these stratagems include good cultural references, rootedness, unity, teaming work, and rationality. To examine blacks’ spirituality in its double vocation of sentence and redemption, this study uses theories of anti-colonialists and Afro-centrists that advocate total liberation and empowerment of black people while assessing the issues of the disgrace of both African and African-American people. Similarly, the insights and commitment of thinkers like Afro-centrists are well considered as additional elements in this work. Ultimately, the novels contend that in African spirituality there is a divine will owed to the ancestors that have the mission of watching over their people and judging them in several ways when they are satisfied through rituals or recognition. As the authors of the three books suggest, the appreciation of ancestral legacy and cultural advancement is an effective means of ensuring blacks ‘social welfare in their communities and elsewhere.

Long-term efficacy of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in patients with pharmacologically intractable epilepsy: a case series of six patients.

Epilepsy is one of the widespread neurological illnesses, and about 20-40% of epilepsy patients are pharmacoresistant. We aimed to assess the long-term efficacy of subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) for drug-resistant epilepsy. We included pharmacologically intractable epilepsy patients who had STN-DBS at the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital between June 2016 and December 2018. We retrospectively evaluated pre- and postoperative clinical outcomes, including seizure frequency, seizure type, anti-seizure medication, cognitive function, anatomical target coordinates, stimulation parameters, and adverse events following the surgical procedure. Six patients with a mean follow-up of 49.3 ± 10.2 months, were included. Seizure frequency decreased by an average of 64.0% after STN-DBS at last year follow-up (p = 0.046), and one patient (1/6) achieved seizure-free status. For seizure type, anti-seizure medication, and cognitive function, there were no significant differences between pre-and post-operation (p > 0.05). In terms of stimulation parameters, the pulse width, amplitude, and frequency were 58.3 ± 9.4 μsec, 2.5 ± 0.7 V, and 122.5 ± 15.7 Hz, respectively. None of the patients showed normal electroencephalography during the electroencephalography reexamination. There were no surgery-related complications, and chronic STN stimulation was generally well tolerated in five patients. However, one patient (1/6) had a difficulty of dyskinesia in the right arm. In conclusion, neuromodulation of the STN by DBS is a promising option for patients with pharmacologically intractable epilepsy, especially for whose epileptic zone originates mainly from the frontoparietal region and who are unsuitable for resective surgery. Further prospective multicenter studies with a larger sample size are necessary for further exploration.

Efficacy analysis of anti-thymocyte globulin regimens with different timing strategies for matched sibling donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Objective: To compare the effects of two administration time strategies for rabbit antihuman thymocyte immunoglobulin (rATG) of 5mg/kg total dose in matched sibling donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (MSD-HSCT) . Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 32 patients who received MSD-HSCT with 5 mg/kg rATG conditioning regimen at the Department of Hematology of the First Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army General Hospital from October 2020 to April 2022. The patients were classified into two groups: the 4d-rATG group (16 cases), who received antithymocyte globulin (ATG) from day -5 to day -2, and the 2d-rATG group (16 cases), who received ATG from day -5 to day -4. Between the two groups, the transplantation outcomes, serum concentrations of active antithymocyte globulin (ATG) in patients from -4 days to 28 days after graft infusion (+28 days), and the reconstitution of lymphocyte subsets on days +30, +60, and +90 were compared. Results: The cumulative incidences of acute graft-versus-host disease at 100 days after graft infusion were 25.0% (95% CI 7.8% -47.2% ) and 18.8% (95% CI 4.6% -40.2% ) (P=0.605) in the 4d-rATG group and 2d-rATG group, respectively. The 1-year cumulative incidences of chronic graft-versus-host disease were 25.9% (95% CI 8.0% -48.6% ) and 21.8% (95% CI 5.2% -45.7% ) (P=0.896). The 1-year cumulative incidence of relapse was 37.5% (95% CI 18.9% -65.1% ) and 14.6% (95% CI 3.6% -46.0% ) (P=0.135), and the 1-year probabilities of overall survival were 75.0% (95% CI 46.3% -89.8% ) and 100% (P=0.062). The total area under the curve (AUC) of serum active ATG was 36.11 UE/ml·d and 35.89 UE/ml·d in the 4d-rATG and 2d-rATG groups, respectively (P=0.984). The AUC was higher in the 4d-rATG group than that in the 2d-rATG group (20.76 UE/ml·d vs 15.95 UE/ml·d, P=0.047). Three months after graft infusion, the average absolute count of CD8(+) T lymphocytes in the 4d-rATG group was lower than that in the 2d-rATG group (623 cells/μl vs 852 cells/μl, P=0.037) . Conclusion: The efficiencies of GVHD prophylaxis in MSD-PBSCT receiving 4d-ATG regimen and the 2d-rATG regimen were found to be similar. The reconstruction of CD8(+)T lymphocytes in the 2d-rATG group was better than that in the 4d-rATG group, which is related to the lower AUC of active ATG after transplantation.

Efficacy of non-surgical comprehensive treatment for locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma with cervical esophagus invasion

Objective: To analyze the treatment effects and side effects of non-surgical comprehensive treatment for locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma invading cervical esophagus. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on sixty-six patients with locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma invade the esophagus. These patients were treated in the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery of Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital between January 2011 and May 2022, including sixty-five males and one female, aged 43-71 years. Treatment regimen consisted of induction chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiothrapy and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapy, three of these cases were treated with programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) immunotherapy. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. Side effects were evaluated with the established CTCAE (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) 5.0 criteria. The factors affecting prognosis were analyzed by Cox multivariate regression analysis. Results: Sixty-four (97.0%, 64/66) patients completed the radiotherapy and chemotherapy plan. The most common grade three side effects were radioactive oropharyngeal mucositis (89.1%, 57/64) and leukopenia (23.4%, 15/64). Five (7.8%, 5/64) patients showed grade three hoarseness; two patients (3.1%, 2/64) suffered from grade three swallowing dysfunction and required feeding tube and intravenous nutrition; the remaining patients(89.1%) retained good vocal and swallowing functions. The overall survival (OS) of all patients was 81.5% after one year, 54.0% after three years, and 39.9% after five years; the progression-free survival (PFS) was 78.3% after one year, 54.9% after three years, and 42.6% after five years; local control rate (LCR) was 80.9% after one year, 62.5% after three years, and 52.0% after five years. T4a patients showed better OS, PFS and LCR than T4b patients, with statistically significant differences (χ2=8.10, 8.27, and 6.64, respectively, all P<0.05). Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that lymph node metastasis was an independent factor affecting prognosis (χ2=10.21, P<0.05). Conclusion: Non-surgical comprehensive treatment can provide with another option of radical treatment for locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma with cervical esophagus invasion, offering the patients higher rate of larynx and esophageal preservation with tolerable side effects.

Land Conflict Resolution Efforts Of The Laman Kinipan Indigenous Community In Lamandau Regency By Alliansi Indigenous Peoples Of The Archipelago (Aman) To Support National Security

Issues regarding security have always been a trending topic to be discussed, especially topics concerning matters that may cause conflicts of interest. Security studies that discuss security elements continue to be developed by various stakeholders. Security within the Archipelago To achieve comprehensive national security, these elements of national security must be implemented in policy formulation. Land conflict is a threat to two elements of national security, namely human security and environmental security. The escalation of the potential threat of conflict shows a very significant increase, so it is necessary to look for a solution so that it does not develop into a vertical or horizontal conflict. This problem affects the security of human citizens and the threat of environmental damage due to destruction of forest areas due to deforestation is a form of threat to these elements of national security. This study aims to unravel the land conflict resolution efforts of the Laman Kinipan Indigenous Community in Lamandau District by the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago. Qualitative research methods use a case study approach. Data collection techniques were in the form of interviews with the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago of Central Kalimantan, the Central Kalimantan Indonesian Forum for the Environment, and the Indigenous Territory Registration Agency as well as data collection through literature study techniques. The research shows that steps of AMAN and the Coalition of Justice for the Kinipan fighting for the liberation of indigenous peoples from various forms threats to human security, such as demanding the release of Effendi Buhing and the indigenous youth of Kinipan, and various other actions is an effort to guarantee human rights for the community Kinpan custom. This also makes indigenous peoples free from fear threat to human security.Until now, the expected form of output is recognition as a customary law community legitimized by the Regional Government Lamandau Regency, there is a decree from the Ministry of Environment Life and Forestry, and the realization of national security by the Community The adat of Laman Kinipan still cannot be felt by indigenous peoples. The output that has not been felt by the beneficiaries is Indigenous Communities The Kinipan page shows the implementation of this national security has not materialized. The conclusion is with the efforts of the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago in resolution of the Laman Kinipan Land conflict with the stages of community organizing, visioning, planning, and implementation and evaluation to realize national security by being linked through elements of environmental security and human security.

The effect of sex differences on neointimal characteristics of in-stent restenosis in drug-eluting stents: An optical coherence tomography study

BackgroundPrevious studies have demonstrated that there are sex-related differences in atherosclerosis. However, in terms of the nature of in-stent restenosis (ISR) neointima, the effect of gender on the results is unclear. MethodsPatients with ISR of drug-eluting stents (DES) who underwent OCT examination in Senior Department of Cardiology of the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital from March 2010 to March 2022 were included. The patients were divided into male and female groups. ResultsIn this study, a total of 230 DES-ISR patients and 249 DES-ISR target lesions were analyzed. OCT data showed that compared to females, males have a higher incidence of thin-cap fibrous atherosclerosis (TCFA) (37.4% [n = 77] vs. 9.3% [n = 4], p < 0.001) and in-stent neoatherosclerosis (ISNA) (82.0% [n = 169] vs. 62.8% [n = 27]). p = 0.005). In addition, a multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that male was independently associated with a higher incidence of ISNA (OR: 2.659, 95% CI: 1.239–5.707; p = 0.012) and TCFA (OR: 4.216, 95% CI: 1.370–12.976; p = 0.012). ConclusionFor DES-ISR patients, the incidence of ISNA in female was significantly lower than that in male and vulnerability of neointimal pattern is lower in female than in male.

Christian Education, Quo Vadis?

Christian education is very important. It can help to bring a holistic liberation and development of people. A good education can be a key to a good life. Our reflection is on Christian education; quo vadis, meaning where are you going? Chapter one will be a general introduction. Chapter two will focus on a brief historical survey of Christian education. It will reflect, among others, on the way Christian education was brought to Africa from Europe. In some places, it was regarded as a colonial tool. The analysis of the state of Christian education will be in chapter three. It will, among other things, evaluate the merits and demerits of Christian education in Africa in its current form. Chapter four will focus on the future of Christian education in Africa. It will contain our suggestions to improve Christian education in Africa. It will provide some propositions not only on how to bring about the decolonisation of Christian education but also its Africanisation. There should be a deconstruction of colonial Christian education and the reconstruction of an Africanised Christian education. The suggestions will be associated with the contextualization, decontextualization, and recontextualization of Christian education in Africa. Through, inter alia, its proper Christian education, Africa should be able to “think globally but act locally”. The last chapter will be the general conclusion.

Observation of the clinical effect of immediate implantation and delayed implantation in the maxillary and maxillary molars.

To study the clinical application effect of two kinds of implants in the upper and lower molars. A selection of 120 patients (134 teeth) who underwent implant treatment in the upper and lower molars in the army hospital of the Chinese people's liberation army from January 2018 to June 2019 were divided into an immediate group (using immediate implantation) and a delayed group (using delayed implantation) using a random number table 60 cases (60 teeth) in each group; differences in implant success rate, buccal keratinized gingival width before and after treatment, alveolar bone absorption, periodontal pocket depth, and gingival aesthetic indicators were compared between the two groups. The gingival aesthetics effect of the immediate group was better than that of the delayed group on the whole and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05); after 12 months of restoration, the implantation success rate of the immediate group was 96.67%. The deferred group was 93.33%, and the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Both delayed restoration and immediate implant restoration can achieve good results in implant restoration treatment in the maxillary and maxillary molars. However, immediate implantation has certain advantages in reducing the amount of alveolar bone absorption and maintaining the aesthetic effect of the gums.

Predictive factors and clinicopathological characteristics of outcome in poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma: a single-institution study.

To elucidate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma. A total of 24912 thyroid carcinoma patients admitted to the First Medical Center of Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital from 2005 to 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 94 patients (39 males and 55 females, a male-female ratio of 1:1.4) fulfilled the selection criteria. Of these, 73 patients had undergone surgery. The clinical and pathological data were collected from each enrolled patient. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to determine independent prognostic factors. All analyses were performed with the SPSS version 26.0 and R version 1.2.5033 in the R Studio environment. The specimens included 20 cases of poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma complicated with papillary thyroid carcinoma, 17 cases complicated with follicular thyroid carcinoma, 34 cases complicated with other pathological types and 23 with a separate entity. The patient demonstrated a large age span, median age was 57 years (range 8-85 years, average 55.20 ± 15.74 years). The survival time of the 94 cases was calculated, and the mean Overall survival time was 33 (range, 1-170) months, and the mean Recurrence-free survival time was 14 (range, 1-90) months. Recurrence-free mortality is related to the age at diagnosis, extrathyroidal extension and Associated thyroid cancer (p<0.05). In contrast, overall mortality is related to the age at diagnosis, sex, extrathyroidal extension, T stage (AJCC 8th), surgery and radiation (p<0.05). Middle-aged and elderly patients are still at high risk for poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma. The pathologic results of poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma are varied, and reasonable treatment has an important impact on the prognosis of poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

Preliminary study of PPARA regulate the ferroptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma to prevent disease deterioration

To explore whether PPARA is involved in the process of ferroptosis in hepatoma cells, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPARA) was comprehensively analyzed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through public database and experimental data, including the expression, the functions and the potential roles of tumor progression. The research design is experimental research,data analysis based on bioinformatics and cell experiment. From January 2022 to August 2022, relevant cell experiments were conducted in the Basic Medical Laboratory of the General Hospital of the Southern Theatre of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The expression and the correlation with clinicopathologic features of PPARA in HCC were analyzed by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. To study the protein expression of PPARA in HCC and normal tissues through the Human Protein Atlas (HPA). The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network between PPARA and the core factor of ferroptosis was constructed based on Search Tool for the Retrival of Interacting Genes/Protein (STRING) database, then, the correlation between PPARA and the core gene Glutamate-cysteine Ligase Catalytic Subunit (GCLC) was analyzed by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA). Assessed the expression of PPARA in HCC cell lines SK-HEP-1, SMMC-7721, MHCC-97H, BEL-7402 and normal liver cell L02 by Western Blot (WB) and the changes of PPARA expression after 48h treatment with ferroptosis inducer Erastin were observed. Single factor analysis of variance was used to compare the expression of PPARA between groups in GEPIA database. The expression of PPARA in GSE25097 and GSE112790 data was compared by rank sum test. Survival analysis was performed using time series test method. The difference of PPARA expression between clinical and pathological features was compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The correlation between the expression of GCLC and PPARA was compared by the method of Spearman correlation. The expression of PPARA in cell lines was compared by paired T test. The results showed that the RNA and protein expression of PPARA in HCC was lower than that in normal tissues (P<0.05). PPARA alterations were correlated with patient clinicopathological features and prognosis (P<0.05). The PPI constructed by STRING database suggests that PPARA interact with the key factors of ferroptosis, such as NFE2 like bZIP transcription factor 2 (NFE2L2), Heme Oxygenase 1 (HMOX1), Tumor Protein P53 (TP53), GCLC, Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 (DPP4), Citrate Synthase (CS), Arachidonate 15-Lipoxygenase (ALOX15) and Acyl-CoA Synthetase Long Chain Family Member 4 (ACSL4). Furthermore, the PPARA was significantly associated with GCLC validated via GEPIA database(R=0.6, P<0.05). The expression of PPARA increased after treatment with ferroptosis inducer Erastin for 48 h by WB. In conclusion, the expression of PPARA is lower in HCC with a poor prognosis. PPARA interacts with GCLC in regulating ferroptosis in HCC.

War on paper: A critical discourse analysis of war reporting in Ethiopia

This study aims to examine the construction of the war between Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the central government, as well as its actors, in the local newspaper Bekur. Both a theoretical framework and a research methodology have been developed around critical discourse analysis (CDA). Methods for data analysis include Hodge's war discourse components and Van Dijk's ideological square. The findings indicate that Bekur constructed the war between TPLF forces and the central government as a war of existence. The stories portrayed the war in Ethiopia as a conflict between “country savers” and “dismantlers.” Furthermore, the TPLF forces—the out-group—are portrayed as country destabilizers, while the central government is portrayed as the country's saviour. The newspaper also represented the PM as central to winning the battle. Lastly, the positive representation of us, the in-group, and the negative representation of them, the out-group, in the newspaper seem to blatantly support the continuation of unequal power relations among those involved in the war in Ethiopia.

Analysis of the clinical characteristics of 25 cases with parenchymal neuro-Behcet's disease

Objective: To retrospectively investigate the clinical data, radiological characteristics, treatment, and outcome of patients with parenchymal neuro-Behcet's disease (P-NBD) with particular emphasis on dizziness. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of clinical data from 25 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of P-NBD who were admitted to the Department of Neurology of the First Medical Center of Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital between 2010 and 2022. The median age of the population was 37 years (range: 17-85 years). Clinical data were retrospectively analyzed, including gender, age of onset, disease duration, clinical manifestations, serum immune indicators, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) routine biochemical and cytokine levels, cranial and spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, treatment, and outcome. Results: The majority of patients were male (16 cases; 64.0%), the mean age of onset was (28±14) (range: 4-58 years), and the disease course was acute or subacute. Fever was the most common clinical presentation, and the complaint of dizziness was not uncommon (8/25 patients). Analysis of serum immune indices, including complement (C3 and C4), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrotic factor-alpha were abnormal in 80.0% of patients (20/25). Most of the 16/25 patients who underwent lumbar puncture tests had normal intracranial pressure and increased CSF white cell count and protein [median values were 44 (15-380) ×106/L and 0.73 (0.49-2.81) g/L, respectively]. Of the five patients who underwent CSF cytokine tests, four patients had abnormal results; of these, an elevated level of IL-6 was most common, followed by IL-1 and IL-8. The most common site of involvement in cranial MRI was the brainstem and basal ganglia (60.0% respectively), followed by white matter (48.0%) and the cortex (44.0%). Nine cases (36.0%) showed lesions with enhancement and six cases (24.0%) showed mass-like lesions. Three patients (12.0%) patients had lesions in the spinal cord, most frequently in the thoracic cord. All patients received immunological intervention therapy; during follow up, the majority had a favorable outcome. Conclusions: P-NBD is an autoimmune disease with multiple system involvement and diverse clinical manifestations. The symptom of dizziness is not uncommon and can be easily ignored. Early treatment with immunotherapy is important and can improve the outcome of these patients.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Performance of MicroRNA-25, Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9, Carcinoembryonic Antigen, and Carbohydrate Antigen 125 in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic cancer is a malignancy with high mortality due to the difficulties in early detection. We investigated and compared the diagnostic and prognostic performance of several blood biomarkers, including microRNA-25 (miR-25), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125). A retrospective study was conducted at the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital from May 2014 to September 2018. Serum specimens were collected, and miR-25 expression levels were measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Serum CA19-9, CEA, and CA125 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analyses including nonparametric test, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves, Kaplan-Meier analysis, and subsequent log-rank test were performed with PRISM 5.0 software. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed with the R software. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 250 individuals were recruited, including 75 with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), 75 with benign lesions, and 100 healthy controls. miR-25, CA19-9, CEA, and CA125 exhibited an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.88, 0.91, 0.81, and 0.76 with a sensitivity of 78.7%, 74.7%, 37.3%, and 35.7% and specificity of 91.5%, 97.0%, 98.2%, and 98.3%, respectively. The combination of miR-25 and CA19-9 further increased the sensitivity to 93.3% with a specificity of 88.5%. Stage-dependent sensitivity was observed with CA19-9, CEA, and CA125. miR-25 levels significantly stratified the prognosis by median level (4,989.97 copies/mL). CA19-9, CEA, and CA125 levels significantly stratified the prognosis by median levels. Univariate and subsequent multivariate analyses identified tumor (T) stage, CA19-9, and CA125 as independent risk factors for PDAC prognosis. The combination of miR-25 and CA19-9 significantly enhanced the detection sensitivity of PDAC. T stage, CA19-9, and CA125 levels were independent risk factors for PDAC prognosis.

A biomythography introducing the Blafemme Healing framework.

Black feminism has so much to offer. Its philosophical, intellectual, and activist practice grounded in the experiences of Black women is a source of healing and liberation. Building on the Black feminist tradition, the current article introduces an intersectional and practical healing framework titled Blafemme Healing. The framework is designed to support individuals in exploring personal healing regardless of their social location while intentionally providing mechanisms for increasing the experience and outcome of wellness, equity, love, liberation, and survival for Black people. The framework includes eight areas, or chambers, that require people's attention if we are to achieve personal and collective wellness. The author, a Black queer cisgender woman pursuing personal and collective wellness and healing through and beyond the field of psychology, uses the biomythography method to introduce and describe Blafemme Healing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Stories From the Margin: Theorizing and Historicizing Testimonial Writings in Regional Indian Literature

Testimonio is a new genre that emerged in the 1960s in Latin America and came to be used by liberation and social movements of women, black, Adivasis, and other oppressed people. As the oppressed reasserted themselves publicly, their voices became more audible, and they began to vigorously develop their strategies for effective communication. When the oppressed find the existing genre is not appropriate to express their feelings, they start to introduce new forms of literature; it is because of the existing genre’s inadequacy of representing the oppressed in early literary forms like novels, short stories, essays, picaresque novels, lyrics, sonnets, autobiographies, and secular theatres. This paper is an attempt to engage with the ongoing debate of the testimonio literature in post-colonial Writings. Taking some works written in Indian Regional Literature, we pose the question that the marginalized and indigenous people start to reflect on their lives through literature and a new type of genre called ‘Testimonio Literature’ is slowly emerging from the margin. To extend the scope of the question, we take a few autobiographical anecdotes and narratives on such marginalized lives. We argue that marginalized lives have never been represented as they deserve, and their identity is always hidden in the wider genre of literature.

Values of ATX in predicting disease progression in patients with PBC and PBC related HCC

Objective: To clarify the values of autotaxin (ATX) in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and PBC-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: 179 patients with PBC were selected from prospective cohorts of autoimmune liver diseases at the time of first diagnosis of PBC in Department of Hepatology, the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, from January 2016 to January 2018, all patients with PBC received UDCA therapy, primary endpoint was event of HCC, the follow-up period was censored at the date of HCC. The relationship between level of ATX and clinical features in patients with PBC and its potential value in predicting disease progression and PBC-related HCC were analyzed. Results: The ATX level in the peripheral blood of patients with PBC was significantly higher than that of alcoholic liver cirrhosis(ALC) (t = 3.278, P = 0.001) and healthy controls(HC) (t = 6.594, P < 0.001), however, when comparing PBC to non-PBC related HCC, no significant difference was found between the groups(t=-0.240, P = 0.811). Consistent with peripheral blood levels, histochemical staining indicated that ATX in the liver of patients with PBC was significantly higher than that of HC (Z=-3.633, P < 0.001) and ALC (Z=-3.283, P < 0.001), and the expression of ATX in PBC with advanced histological stage was significantly higher than PBC with early stage (Z=-2.018, P = 0.034). The baseline ATX level in PBC patients without developing to HCC during follow-up had significant difference to patients with developing to HCC (228.451 ± 124.093 ng/ml vs 301.583 ± 100.512 ng/ml, t = 2.339, P = 0.021). The result in multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ATX were independent predictors of PBC related HCC(OR 1.245, 95%CI 1.097-1.413). The optimal critical value of peripheral blood ATX level at baseline for predicting HCC was 235.254 ng/ml, with the cut-off value of 0.714 in AUC of the ROC (95% CI was 0.597~ 0.857), sensitivity and specificity were 84.6% and 59.0%, respectively. Conclusion: ATX level was significantly higher in PBC patients over controls, and it's concentration was correlated with UDCA efficacy and fibrosis stage. ATX has potential values in predicting disease progression and PBC-related HCC.

#Landback, Forced Migration, and Praxes of Hospitality: What Performance Studies Can Learn from Indigenous Revolutionary Action

Building upon emergent theorisations and praxes of decolonisation and decoloniality, in this essay Laster undertakes the critical work of suturing diverse understandings and practices of these notions from a range of fields and contexts. She begins by examining the crucial distinction between (de)colonisation and (de)coloniality, before arguing that the complementarity of the two ultimately means that both need to be mobilised in the liberation of Native lands, Nations, and peoples. Next, she turns her attention to several key discussions that focus on questions of imperialism and decolonisation in the field of performance studies, tracing their trajectories, as well as exploring some areas of potential growth for the field. In the second half of the essay, Laster discusses instances of Indigenous decolonisation—from perspectives of creative, critical, and activist praxis—that relate to the issue of forced migration, with a particular focus on Indigenous practices of hospitality and its limits.

HISTORICAL STAGES OF FORMATION OF THE SYSTEM OF POLITICAL VALUES AS A COMPONENT OF UKRAINIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY

The article highlights the main historical stages of the formation of the system of political values as a component of Ukrainian national identity. It is indicated that political values are the basis of the formation and implementation of the national development strategy, the ideology of state formation, state policy, adoption of laws and management decisions. It is emphasized that an important historical stage in the formation of political values was the period of the Cossack state, founded in the first half of the 16th century, which had a significant impact on the formation of national identity. This state was based on such values as freedom, fraternity and equality, Orthodoxy, dignity, respect for the opinion and will of the community, faithfulness to one's word and duty. Attention is focused on the fact that the 20th century was an important stage of Ukrainian state-building, when the Ukrainian people tried to build their state and actively developed their national self-awareness and political values. M. Hrushevskyi, P. Skoropadskyi, S. Petlyura, S. Bandera, Yu. Shukhevich and others should be named among the key political figures who influenced these processes. Each of them had slightly different ideas about the state structure of Ukraine, but they all aspired to its independence and sovereignty. It is indicated that the political values formed in different periods of the formation of Ukrainian statehood reflected the important principles that formed the Ukrainian ethnic group and its culture, and also contributed to the preservation of Ukrainian identity and national consciousness. It is on these values that modern Ukrainian society, which strives to preserve and develop its culture and national identity, is based. It is these values that the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine profess today, who have absorbed the best experience of the Ukrainian people's liberation strugg le for their freedom and independence.

Five-year long-term comparison of robotic and laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer: a large single-center cohort study.

Robotic gastrectomy (RG) has been reported to be technically feasible and safe for patients with gastric cancer. However, 5-year long-term survival and recurrence outcomes for advanced gastric cancer have rarely been reported. This study aimed to compare the long-term oncologic outcomes between RG and laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) for gastric cancer. The general clinicopathological data of 1905 consecutive patients who underwent RG and LG were retrospectively collected at the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital between November 2011 and October 2017. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match groups. The primary endpoints were 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). After PSM, a well-balanced cohort of 283 patients in the RG group and 701 patients in the LG group were included in the analysis. The 5-year cumulative DFS rates were 67.28% in the robotic group and 70.41% in the laparoscopic group. The 5-year OS rate was 69.01% in the robotic group and 69.58% in the laparoscopic group. No significant differences in Kaplan-Meier survival curves for DFS (HR = 1.08, 95% CI 0.83-1.39, Log-rank P = 0.557) and OS (HR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.78-1.34, Log-rank P = 0.850) were observed between the 2 groups. In the subgroup analyses for potential confounding variables, there were no significant differences in 5-year DFS and 5-year OS survival between the 2 groups (P > 0.05), except for patients with pathological stage III and pathological stage N3 (P < 0.05). For patients with early gastric cancer, robotic and laparoscopic approaches have similar long-term survival. For patients with advanced gastric cancer, further studies need to be conducted to assess the long-term survival outcomes of RG.

The value of cell free DNA of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the early diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis

Objective: To detect the cell-free DNA of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Cf-TB) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM), and to assess the diagnostic value of this method for TBM. Methods: We prospectively included patients with suspected meningitis from the Department of Tuberculosis, Beijing Chest Hospital, Department of Neurology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital and Department of Neurology, 263 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army from September 2019 to March 2022. A total of 189 patients were included in this study. Among them, 116 were male and 73 were female, aged from 7 to 85 years, with an average of (38.5±19.1) years. The CSF specimens of the patients were collected for Cf-TB, MTB culture and Xpert MTB/RIF. SPSS 20.0 was used for statistical analysis and the difference was statistically significant with P<0.05. Results: Among the 189 patients, there were 127 patients in the TBM group and 62 patients in the non-TBM group. The sensitivity of Cf-TB was 50.4% (95%CI 41.4%-59.3%), the specificity was 100% (95%CI 92.7%-100.0%), the positive predictive value was 100% (95%CI 92.9%-100.0%), and the negative predictive value was 49.6% (95%CI 40.6%-58.6%). Using clinical diagnosis as the gold standard, the sensitivity of Cf-TB was 50.4% (64/127), which was significantly higher than that of MTB culture (8.7%, 11/127) and Xpert MTB/RIF (15.7%,20/127) (all P<0.001). Using etiology as the gold standard, the sensitivity of Cf-TB was 72.7% (24/33), which was significantly higher than that of MTB culture [33.3%, 11/33, (χ2=10.28, P=0.001)] and was similar to Xpert MTB/RIF (60.6%, 20/33) (χ2=1.091, P=0.296). Conclusion: The sensitivity of the Cf-TB test was significantly higher than that of CSF MTB culture and Xpert MTB/RIF. Cf-TB may provide evidence for earlier diagnosis and treatment of TBM.