According to Fromm, the life instinct constitutes the primary potentiality in man, while the death instinct a secondary potentiality, and which of the two prevails depending crucially on the living conditions that the...According to Fromm, the life instinct constitutes the primary potentiality in man, while the death instinct a secondary potentiality, and which of the two prevails depending crucially on the living conditions that the subject experiences during his or her childhood. Not limited to the individual level, Fromm＇s observation works on the collective level as well. Different environments foster different potentialities and lead to the formation of different cultures and ethics. A biophilic ethics treasures the value of love, peace, reciprocal altruism and unity of being, while a biophobic ethics is more addicted to hatred, violence, dualistic confrontation, and mutual destruction. Appling Fromm＇s theory to the interpretation of Charles Johnson＇s Middle Passage, readers can get a newly enlightened understanding of this award-winning masterpiece. Based on Fromm＇s hypothesis about human nature, this article analyzes the representation of the confrontations between the biophobic ethics and the biophilic ethics in this novel, the former being embodied by Captain Falcon＇s ＂syndrome of decay＂ which is also Johnson＇s critical metaphor of Western civilization, while the latter embodied by the Allmuseri culture＇s ＂syndrome of growth＂ which represents Johnson＇s idealistic imagination of the sum of non-Western civilization展开更多
Joan Didion is an outstanding female writer who has achieved a distinctive position in contemporary literature.Her second novel,Play It As It Lays,is nominated for a National Book Award.Set in Hollywood and Las Vegas,...Joan Didion is an outstanding female writer who has achieved a distinctive position in contemporary literature.Her second novel,Play It As It Lays,is nominated for a National Book Award.Set in Hollywood and Las Vegas,it presents the alienated world through exquisite description of its protagonist Maria.Based on Erich Fromm’s Alienation Theory,this essay attempts to analyze the alienation in the novel from two aspects:first,the novel’s materialistic environment in the 1960s;second,the alienated relationship between spouses as well as between parents and children.展开更多
BACKGROUND： Recent studies have demonstrated that phenolic alkaloids from Menispermum dauricum （PAMD） can protect the heart and brain from ischemia/reperfusion injury, and promote neuron survival by inhibiting neur...BACKGROUND： Recent studies have demonstrated that phenolic alkaloids from Menispermum dauricum （PAMD） can protect the heart and brain from ischemia/reperfusion injury, and promote neuron survival by inhibiting neuronal Bax and upregulating Bcl-2 expression following ischemia/reperfusion. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the neuroprotective effects of PAMD versus exogenous melatonin against ischemia/reperfusion injury. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： Observation and comparison experiments at a cellular level were performed at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology between February 2007 and February 2008. MATERIALS： PAMD （95% purity） was provided by Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; melatonin was provided by Sigma, USA. METHODS： N2a mouse neuroblastoma cells were cultured in vitro deprived of glucose, serum and oxygen for 90 minutes, then cultured in normal medium containing different concentrations of PAMD （0.1, 1.0, 10 mg/L） or melatonin （1, 10, and 100 μmol/L）. Cells cultured in normal conditions served as a control. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The culture solution was collected to determine the content of ex- citatory neurotransmitters such as glutamic acid and aspartic acid; cell viability was detected by MTT methods; reactive oxygen species production was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy; mito- chondrial transmembrane potential （？Ψm） was detected by laser confocal scanning; cytochrome C was measured by western blotting; and caspase-3 activity was determined by visible spectropho- tometry. RESULTS： Melatonin and PAMD both promoted oxygen-glucose-serum deprivation-mediated N2a cell survival （P 〈 0.01） and inhibited glutamic acid release （P 〈 0.01）, but melatonin did not inhibit aspartic acid production. The protective effects were the strongest using melatonin 100 μmol/L and PAMD 10 mg/L, so subsequent experiments were the performed at those doses. Although PAMD could no longer maintain mitochondrial transmembrane potential 6 hours after reperfusion, its in- hibitory effects on cytochrome C release from mitochondria and scavengers of reactive oxygen species were stronger than those of melatonin （P 〈 0.01）. However, its inhibitory effect on caspase-3 activity was weaker than that of melatonin： PAMD could inhibit caspase-3 activity 12 hours after reperfusion （P 〈 0.01）, but melatonin inhibited caspase-3 activity 28 hours after reperfusion （P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： The results show that melatonin and PAMD have neuroprotective effects, but that the mechanisms are varied. Melatonin can maintain mitochondrial transmembrane potential, but its inhibitory effects on cytochrome C release, caspase-3 activity, and reactive oxygen species scav-enging are different from those of PAMD.展开更多
基金Acknowledgement： This research is funded by the National Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science of China （Reference 14CWW022）, and by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation （Reference 2014M552063）.
文摘According to Fromm, the life instinct constitutes the primary potentiality in man, while the death instinct a secondary potentiality, and which of the two prevails depending crucially on the living conditions that the subject experiences during his or her childhood. Not limited to the individual level, Fromm＇s observation works on the collective level as well. Different environments foster different potentialities and lead to the formation of different cultures and ethics. A biophilic ethics treasures the value of love, peace, reciprocal altruism and unity of being, while a biophobic ethics is more addicted to hatred, violence, dualistic confrontation, and mutual destruction. Appling Fromm＇s theory to the interpretation of Charles Johnson＇s Middle Passage, readers can get a newly enlightened understanding of this award-winning masterpiece. Based on Fromm＇s hypothesis about human nature, this article analyzes the representation of the confrontations between the biophobic ethics and the biophilic ethics in this novel, the former being embodied by Captain Falcon＇s ＂syndrome of decay＂ which is also Johnson＇s critical metaphor of Western civilization, while the latter embodied by the Allmuseri culture＇s ＂syndrome of growth＂ which represents Johnson＇s idealistic imagination of the sum of non-Western civilization
文摘Joan Didion is an outstanding female writer who has achieved a distinctive position in contemporary literature.Her second novel,Play It As It Lays,is nominated for a National Book Award.Set in Hollywood and Las Vegas,it presents the alienated world through exquisite description of its protagonist Maria.Based on Erich Fromm’s Alienation Theory,this essay attempts to analyze the alienation in the novel from two aspects:first,the novel’s materialistic environment in the 1960s;second,the alienated relationship between spouses as well as between parents and children.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30570555
文摘BACKGROUND： Recent studies have demonstrated that phenolic alkaloids from Menispermum dauricum （PAMD） can protect the heart and brain from ischemia/reperfusion injury, and promote neuron survival by inhibiting neuronal Bax and upregulating Bcl-2 expression following ischemia/reperfusion. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the neuroprotective effects of PAMD versus exogenous melatonin against ischemia/reperfusion injury. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： Observation and comparison experiments at a cellular level were performed at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology between February 2007 and February 2008. MATERIALS： PAMD （95% purity） was provided by Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; melatonin was provided by Sigma, USA. METHODS： N2a mouse neuroblastoma cells were cultured in vitro deprived of glucose, serum and oxygen for 90 minutes, then cultured in normal medium containing different concentrations of PAMD （0.1, 1.0, 10 mg/L） or melatonin （1, 10, and 100 μmol/L）. Cells cultured in normal conditions served as a control. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The culture solution was collected to determine the content of ex- citatory neurotransmitters such as glutamic acid and aspartic acid; cell viability was detected by MTT methods; reactive oxygen species production was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy; mito- chondrial transmembrane potential （？Ψm） was detected by laser confocal scanning; cytochrome C was measured by western blotting; and caspase-3 activity was determined by visible spectropho- tometry. RESULTS： Melatonin and PAMD both promoted oxygen-glucose-serum deprivation-mediated N2a cell survival （P 〈 0.01） and inhibited glutamic acid release （P 〈 0.01）, but melatonin did not inhibit aspartic acid production. The protective effects were the strongest using melatonin 100 μmol/L and PAMD 10 mg/L, so subsequent experiments were the performed at those doses. Although PAMD could no longer maintain mitochondrial transmembrane potential 6 hours after reperfusion, its in- hibitory effects on cytochrome C release from mitochondria and scavengers of reactive oxygen species were stronger than those of melatonin （P 〈 0.01）. However, its inhibitory effect on caspase-3 activity was weaker than that of melatonin： PAMD could inhibit caspase-3 activity 12 hours after reperfusion （P 〈 0.01）, but melatonin inhibited caspase-3 activity 28 hours after reperfusion （P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： The results show that melatonin and PAMD have neuroprotective effects, but that the mechanisms are varied. Melatonin can maintain mitochondrial transmembrane potential, but its inhibitory effects on cytochrome C release, caspase-3 activity, and reactive oxygen species scav-enging are different from those of PAMD.
