How does Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck appeal to such a wide audience?

Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a universally celebrated story because of its deep ties to the human experience. The relationship between George and Lennie is brotherhood, is human connection, at its most simple and powerful. Remember at the beginning of the story when George and Lennie are talking by the river? They're sitting on the bank, discussing what their perfect future life would look like. Lennie bugs George to tell him about the farm they might one day own and operate together. George agrees, and describes how Lennie will be able to care for the animals. 

That relationship is why the story is so popular. George's care for Lennie is total, despite that fact that, without Lennie, George's life could be "so easy."  He's willing to do whatever it takes to take care of his friend--culminating, of course, in that painful climax. 

It is in George and Lennie's friendship that we readers see ourselves, or what we long for. That level of human connection is rare, and we all want it. Maybe reading the story makes you think of your spouse or significant other and how you'd do anything for them. Maybe it makes you think of your best friend or your sibling. Maybe it makes you realize that you don't have that kind of connection with anyone, and sparks a longing in you. 

This is what good literature does, it shows us what we want most deeply.  

How does The Scarlet Pimpernel's historical setting change the lives of Sir and Lady Blakeney?

In Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel, the historical backdrop of the French Revolution affects everything about each character's life, especially the lives of the novel's main characters—Lord Percy Blakeney and his wife Marguerite St. Just. One might argue that the couple would have never met if it had not been for Sir Percy's secretive activities which prompted his many travels to France during the Revolution. As part of the British nobility, Blakeney could have simply avoided France until the turmoil there died down. However, he entangles himself in French affairs by leading a ring which rescues French men and women from the guillotine.

As for Marguerite, she had just risen to the height of Parisian society

"at the very moment when the greatest social upheaval the world has ever known was taking place within [Paris's] walls" (Orczy, Chapter VI).

With the help of her beauty, wit, and ingenuity, Marguerite has made a place for herself in the Parisian theatre at just eighteen years of age. Orphaned and having only a brother to watch over and support her, the tumultuous times in France have forced young people like Marguerite to summon their ambition and make a life for themselves. The French Revolution also places Marguerite in the unique position of being able to overcome the traditional discrimination that would have resulted from her "common" birth. Her philosophy is that

"'money and titles may be hereditary . . . but brains are not,' and thus her charming salon [is] reserved for originality and intellect, for brilliance and wit, for clever men and talented women" (Orczy, Chapter VI).

This propensity to surround herself with witty intellectuals essentially leads to Marguerite's being able to appreciate Sir Percy's clever persona even when he plays a fop in front of everyone else. The Revolution also erases the social class barrier that might have once existed between Percy and Marguerite and enables them to marry quickly, move to England, and be "mostly" accepted by British society.

As the novel's plot continues after the Blakeneys' wedding, the historical events of the era continue to generate conflict in their relationship, for Sir Percy is leading a double life which includes deceiving his wife. Ultimately, though, Marguerite realizes that her husband is involved in a noble venture, and his actions in the face of perilous historical events draw the couple closer to one another.

Overall, Baroness Orczy uses her novel and its sequel, Eldorado, to illustrate that no class in society is entirely evil or good. Many of the French aristocrats most certainly abused their power at the expense of the common class, but so, too, did Robespierre and the Jacobins when they begin their Reign of Terror. This difficult setting is one which the Blakeneys and many like them who sought moral justice had to navigate during the Revolution.

What are natural treatments for varicose veins?

Principal Proposed Natural Treatments

When it comes to natural products, some illnesses are far more responsive than others. While there are no well-documented natural therapies for asthma (as an example), more than half a dozen natural therapies have meaningful supporting evidence as treatments for varicose veins or venous insufficiency.

These treatments have much in common. All of them appear to work by strengthening the walls of veins and other vessels, with the net effect of reducing fluid leakage. Studies indicate that the use of such products reduces leg swelling and pain. However, there is no meaningful evidence that any natural product can cure unsightly varicose veins that already exist or prevent new ones from developing.

Symptoms similar to those caused by varicose veins can actually be caused by dangerous conditions such as phlebitis or thrombosis. One should consult a doctor before self-treating with the natural supplements described here.

Horse chestnut
. The most popular herbal treatment for venous insufficiency and varicose veins is horse chestnut. More than eight hundred people have been involved in double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of horse chestnut for treating venous insufficiency. One of the largest of these trials followed 212 people for forty days using a crossover design. Participants initially received either horse chestnut or placebo and were then crossed over to the other treatment (without their knowledge) after twenty days. Horse chestnut treatment significantly reduced leg edema, pain, and the sensation of heaviness when compared with placebo. However, the design of this study was not quite up to modern standards. A better-designed double-blind study of seventy-four people also found benefit.

Good results were also seen in a partially double-blind, placebo-controlled study that compared the effectiveness of horse chestnut to that of compression stockings in 240 people for twelve weeks (horse chestnut and placebo were blinded, but the compression stockings were not). Compression stockings worked faster to lessen swelling, but by twelve weeks, the results were equivalent between the two treatments, and both were better than placebo.

Unlike many herbs, the active ingredients in horse chestnut have been identified to a reasonable degree of certainty. The ingredients appear to be a complex of related chemicals known as aescin. Aescin reduces the rate of fluid leakage from stressed and irritated vessel walls. It is not known how this works, but the most prominent theory proposes that aescin plugs leaking capillaries, prevents the release of enzymes that break down collagen and open holes in capillary walls, and forestalls other forms of vein damage.

Oxerutins and other bioflavonoids. Oxerutins have been widely used in Europe since the mid-1960s but remain hard to find in North America. Derived from a naturally occurring bioflavonoid called rutin, oxerutins were specifically developed to treat varicose veins and related venous problems. It is not clear whether this particular derivative of rutin is more effective than other bioflavonoids used for these conditions, but oxerutins are by far the best studied.

About twenty double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, enrolling a total of more than two thousand persons, have examined the effectiveness of oxerutins for treating varicose veins and venous insufficiency. Virtually all have found oxerutins significantly more effective than placebo, giving substantial relief from swelling, aching, leg pains, and other uncomfortable symptoms, while causing no significant side effects. Together, these studies make a strong case for the use of oxerutins in these conditions.

For example, a twelve-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study enrolled 133 women with moderate, chronic venous insufficiency. One-half received 1,000 milligrams (mg) of oxerutins daily, and the rest of the participants took placebo. All participants were also fitted with standard compression stockings and wore them for the duration of the trial. The researchers measured subjective symptoms, such as aches and pains, and objective measures of edema in the leg.

Those who took oxerutins experienced significantly less lower-leg edema than the placebo group. Furthermore, these better results lasted through a six-week follow-up period, even though participants were no longer taking oxerutins. The stockings produced no lasting benefit after participants stopped wearing them. They gave symptomatic relief while they were worn, but they did not improve capillary circulation in a lasting way, as oxerutins apparently did.

Several other double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have also found benefits with oxerutins. Additionally, there is some evidence that troxerutin, one of the compounds in the standardized mixture sold as oxerutins, may be effective when taken alone, though perhaps not as effective as the standard mixture of oxerutins.

Oxerutins are closely related to the natural flavonoid rutin, which is found primarily in citrus fruits and buckwheat. Two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies suggest that buckwheat tea might also be effective against varicose veins, presumably because of its rutin content. Other citrus-derived bioflavonoids, such as diosmin, hesperidin, and hidrosmin, may also be effective.

Oligomeric proanthocyanidins
. Grape seed and pine bark contain high levels of special bioflavonoids called oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPCs). Similar substances are found in cranberry, bilberry, blueberry, hawthorn, and other plants.

OPCs are antioxidant chemicals that appear to have the ability to improve collagen (a type of strengthening tissue found in many parts of the body), reduce capillary leakage, and control inflammation.

Placebo-controlled studies (most of them double-blind) involving about four hundred participants, suggest that OPCs provide significant benefit for varicose veins. For example, a double-blind study comparing grape seed OPCs with placebo in seventy-one persons showed improvement in 75 percent of the treated group, compared to 41 percent in the control group. Similarly, a two-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of forty persons with chronic venous insufficiency found that 100 mg three times daily of OPCs from pine bark significantly reduced edema, pain, and the sensation of leg heaviness. Another double-blind, placebo-controlled study of twenty persons also found OPCs from pine bark effective. In addition, evidence from small double-blind trials suggests that OPCs might be more effective for venous insufficiency than either diosmin or horse chestnut.

Gotu kola
. There is significant scientific evidence for the effectiveness of the herb gotu kola in varicose veins and venous insufficiency. A vacuum suction chamber has been used in some gotu kola studies to evaluate the rate of fluid leakage in venous insufficiency. The vacuum produces swelling when applied to the skin of the ankle. When leg veins are leaking a lot of fluid, this swelling takes longer to disappear.

In one study of people with venous insufficiency, two weeks of treatment with gotu kola extracts was shown to reduce the time necessary for the swelling to disappear. A placebo-controlled study (whether it was double-blind was not stated) of fifty-two persons with venous insufficiency compared the effects of gotu kola extract at 180 and 90 mg daily with placebo. After four weeks of treatment, researchers observed improvement in various measurements of vein function in all treated persons, but not in the placebo group. They also found that the higher dose was more effective than the lower dose. This kind of dose responsiveness is generally taken as good evidence that a treatment is actually effective.

Another study of double-blind design followed eighty-seven people with varicose veins and compared the benefits of gotu kola at 60 and 30 mg daily with placebo. Again, the results showed improvements in both of the treated groups, but greater improvement at the higher dose.

A double-blind study of ninety-four people with venous insufficiency of the lower limb compared the benefits of gotu kola extract at 120 and 60 mg daily with placebo. The results also showed a significant dose-related improvement in the treated groups in symptoms such as subjective heaviness, discomfort, and edema.

A 1992 review of all the gotu kola studies available concluded that gotu kola extract provides a dose-related improvement in venous insufficiency symptoms, reducing foot swelling, ankle edema, and fluid leakage from the veins.

Red vine leaf. Extracts of red vine leaf (Folia vitis viniferae, or grape leaf) have also been tried as a treatment for chronic venous insufficiency. One twelve-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study followed 219 people with chronic venous insufficiency. In this study, daily doses of 360 and 720 mg of red vine leaf extract both proved significantly more effective than placebo in reducing edema and in improving pain and other symptoms. The researchers concluded that the higher dosage resulted in a slightly greater, more sustained improvement. Benefits were also seen in a much smaller study. (The usual dose of red vine leaf is 360 or 720 mg taken once daily.)

In the foregoing double-blind study, side effects were largely limited to mild gastrointestinal distress and occasional reports of headaches. Blood tests and physical examination did not reveal any harmful effects. However, comprehensive safety studies have not been performed, and red vine leaf is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women or for persons with severe liver or kidney disease.

Butcher’s broom
. Butcher’s broom (Ruscus aculeatus) is so named because its branches were a traditional source of broom straw used by butchers. This Mediterranean evergreen bush has a long history of traditional use in the treatment of urinary conditions. More recent European interest has focused on the possible value of butcher’s broom in the treatment of hemorrhoids and varicose veins.

A well-designed and well-reported double-blind trial evaluated the effectiveness of a standardized butcher’s broom extract in 166 women with chronic venous insufficiency. For twelve weeks, participants received either placebo or butcher’s broom (one tablet twice daily containing 36 to 37.5 mg of a methanol dry extract concentrated at 15-20:1). The results showed that leg swelling (the primary measurement used) decreased significantly in the butcher’s broom group compared with the placebo group. Similar results were seen in a twelve-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 148 participants.

Other Proposed Natural Treatments

A minimum of twenty double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have evaluated the efficacy of a popular European treatment containing butcher’s broom extract combined with the bioflavonoid hesperidin methyl chalcone as well as vitamin C. Although not all studies were positive, and many had design flaws, in general it appears that this combination treatment is more effective than placebo.

A substance extracted from pig intestines known as mesoglycan has been investigated in Italy as a remedy for varicose veins and related conditions. In the best of the reported trials, 183 persons with leg ulcers caused by poor vein function were treated with either placebo or mesoglycan (first by injection and then orally) for twenty-four weeks. The results of this double-blind study suggest that mesoglycan significantly improved the rate at which the leg ulcers healed.

The bark of the tree Mimosa tenuiflora is used in Mexico to treat skin problems. One small, double-blind, placebo-controlled study hints that the use of a gel containing M. tenuiflora extract might also help heal such vein-related leg ulcerations.

Bromelain is not actually a single substance but, rather, a collection of protein-digesting enzymes found in pineapple juice and in the stems of pineapple plants. Although there is no direct evidence on its use for varicose veins, bromelain has antiedema effects similar to those of treatments used for varicose veins, suggesting that it might be helpful.

The herb Collinsonia, or stone root, has a long history of use as an oral treatment for varicose veins and hemorrhoids, but it has not been scientifically evaluated to any meaningful extent. The same is true of topical witch hazel, comfrey, and calendula.

Balneotherapy, which involves the use of aqueous spa treatments such as warm and cold baths, mud packs, saunas, and steam baths, has been promoted for the treatment of varicose veins. A small randomized trial in France found that four daily balneotherapy sessions for three weeks significantly improved skin changes and quality of life in subjects with moderate to severe varicose veins, compared to a group waiting to undergo the therapy.

Boyle, P., C. Diehm, and C. Robertson. “Meta-analysis of Clinical Trials of Cyclo 3 Fort in the Treatment of Chronic Venous Insufficiency.” International Angiology 22 (2003): 250-262.

Carpentier, P. H., and B. Satger. “Evaluation of Balneotherapy Associated with Patient Education in Patients with Advanced Chronic Venous Insufficiency.” Journal of Vascular Surgery 49 (2009): 163-170.

Petruzzellis, V., et al. “Oxerutins (Venoruton): Efficacy in Chronic Venous Insufficiency.” Angiology 53 (2002): 257-263.

Rivera-Arce, E., et al. “Therapeutic Effectiveness of a Mimosa tenuiflora Cortex Extract in Venous Leg Ulceration Treatment.” Journal of Ethnopharmacology 109 (2007): 523-528.

Do viruses act as parasites?

Yes, viruses do act as parasites. Although it is contested whether or not they are living organisms, they do possess the traits associated with parasitism. Viruses do not have the ability to survive on their own and must take advantage of a host to do so. They do contain their own genetic material (either RNA or DNA, but not both), but do not contain the machinery to replicate. This is why they must invade living cells.

The definition of parasitism is an interaction between two species in which one species benefits at the expense of the other. This is exactly what viruses do. The virus benefits from this interaction by using the host cell's machinery to replicate itself. The cell of the host, however, is damaged and may even undergo lysis or apoptosis as a result. The additive effect of many cell deaths can compromise the health of the entire organism. Common viruses that use humans as their hosts include herpes, influenza, and the common cold.

What did Lyddie mean when she said the bear had won in Lyddie?

Lyddie blames the bear for separating her family. 

For Lyddie, the bear is kind of a symbol of her troubles.  When Lyddie’s father left, her family became very fragile.  Her mother just did not know how to handle life.  As Lyddie’s mother’s mental stability diminished, Lyddie became the caretaker of the household.  Lyddie handled the bear well, but her mother saw it as a sign.

The bear came into Lyddie’s cabin looking for food.  Thinking fast, Lyddie was able to get her family upstairs into a loft.  The bear left, but Lyddie’s mother was shaken.

Lyddie’s mother is convinced that the bear is a sign from God, and they should leave the farm.

"Clarissa said when the end drew near, the devil would walk the earth." 

"That weren't no devil, Mama," Charles said. "It were only a black bear." 

" 'Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.' " (Ch. 1) 

She takes the younger two children and goes to her sister.  Lyddie and Charlie remain on the farm, and then their mother sends them a letter saying she rented out the land and they will both go to work.  Lyddie will work at a tavern, and Charlie at a mill. 

Lyddie is horrified when her family is separated.  She does not like the tavern, feeling enslaved.  She is fired for leaving when the cook gave her permission, and gets a job at a factory.  The entire time, Lyddie plans to pay off their debts and get back the farm.  She wants her family together. 

It is not to be. Her youngest sister dies, and then her mother is institutionalized.  Lyddie’s uncle brings her Rachel, the next youngest sister, and Lyddie keeps her briefly at her boarding house until Charlie takes her to live with his family.  Lyddie is dejected.  She is then fired from her factory job for standing up to her predatory boss.  

At this point, Lyddie feels like she has nothing left. 

The bear had won. It had stolen her home, her family, her work, her good name. She had thought she was so strong, so tough, and she had just stood there like a day-old lamb and let it gobble her down. (Ch. 22) 

The bear became symbolic of all of the trials and traumas she suffered.  It was the first step that lost her the family that meant so much.  Lyddie is on her own now, and has to make the best of things.

In My Side of the Mountain, what does the narrator do that makes him feel pleased with himself?

Interesting question! In the book My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, Sam (the narrator) accomplishes numerous impressive endeavors. However, he seems especially pleased with himself when he makes his deerskin door and deerskin pants.

Beginning with the deerskin door, Sam utilizes the door to protect himself from the weather and from other humans. With the deerskin door, the door blends in with Sam’s tree. As a result, people fail to recognize that Sam lives in the tree, which quite pleases Sam. As the text shows:

“All this time sitting and talking with me, and he had not seen the entrance to my tree. I was pleased.”

Subsequently, Sam was also quite excited when he made himself deerskin pants. As Sam’s clothes began to wear thin, Sam realizes that he should make deerskin pants. Sam spent numerous hours creating his new pants. However, after he finishes, he is quite proud of himself. As the text reveals:

“They fit well, and were the best-looking pants I had ever seen. I was terribly proud of them.”

Consequently, Sam accomplishes numerous impressive achievements in the wilderness. However, he seems especially proud of his creations with deerskin. He is exceedingly proud of his deerskin pants and is quite pleased with his deerskin door.

What are Brucella?

Definition

Brucella are gram-negative, nonmotile, non-spore-forming,
nonencapsulated, small coccobacilli of worldwide distribution. They are
pathogenic in animals, including humans.

Natural Habitat and Features

The taxonomy of the genus Brucella has gone through several changes. By 1986, there were six recognized species, but scientists believed that not enough genetic difference existed among them and thus suggested that all be combined as B. melitensis, with the old species names listed as a subspecies. In 2010, the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes, subcommittee on the taxonomy of Brucella, unanimously agreed to reinstate the original six species and to add four additional species.

Each of the ten species has a different host range and has some metabolic
differences. Two species that have been most studied and whose DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid) has been sequenced, melitensis and
abortus, have two circular chromosomes, one with just more
than 2 million base pairs and one with just more than 1million base pairs.

Brucella spp. are small, gram-negative coccobacilli, approximately 0.5 micrometers (m) in diameter and 0.6 to 1.5 m in length. With the exception of microti, they are slow-growing in culture, often taking several days to weeks to show growth. Nutritionally, they are considered to be fastidious and require several vitamins and amino acids.

Both abortus and melitensis grow best when
erythritol is added to the medium as a carbon source. They are considered
facultative intracellular parasites and can survive for long periods in soil and
water. They have worldwide distribution and reservoirs in several domestic and
nondomestic mammal species. Studies with microti suggest that, in
addition to its normal vole reservoir, soil could serve as a reservoir for this
species. In their animal reservoirs, there is often a high concentration of
bacteria in the reproductive organs; these bacteria are
transferred during sex, by licking of the external genitalia, and by contact with
the placenta and fluids released during birth. Carnivores can sometimes become
infected when they eat an infected animal.

Pathogenicity and Clinical Significance

Each Brucella species has a small group of mammals that can
serve as hosts. For example, abortus affects cattle, bison,
buffalo, elk, camels, and yaks; melitensis affects sheep, goats,
and camels; suis affects swine; and canis
infects dogs. Immunizations and the slaughter of infected animals have eradicated
or nearly eradicated brucellosis in many parts of the
industrialized world. In the United States, abortus infection in
domestic cattle has been almost extirpated; however, a reservoir of the bacteria
exist in bison and elk in and around Yellowstone National Park. Humans are
accidental hosts when they ingest infected meat or unpasteurized dairy products or
come in contact with infected body fluids from one of the usual host animals.

In the United States, human brucellosis is rare, causing fewer than one hundred cases per year. It is much more common in the countries bordering the Mediterranean, in countries of the Arabian Peninsula, in India, and in Latin America. In humans, abortus, melitensis, canis, and suis can all cause classical brucellosis, while ceti and pinnepedialis have been associated with neural brucellosis.

Brucellosis, also known as undulant fever, Mediterranean fever, Malta fever, and Crimean fever, has varied, nonspecific, flulike symptoms such as fever, malaise, joint pain, headache, and fatigue. In humans, melitensis infections are the most common and cause the most severe symptoms, which can, on rare occasions, lead to death. Suis infections are also quite severe and can lead to prolonged illness, often with pus-forming lesions. Abortus and canis infections are often mild and self-limiting.

Brucellosis can be acute or chronic, with chronic infection being associated
with severe debility and increased morbidity. In addition, relapsing brucellosis
is difficult to distinguish from reinfection. Subclinical infections are
also seen in high-risk occupations, such as veterinarians and workers on the
kill-floor of slaughterhouses. In these subclinical infections, the person is
asymptomatic but shows Brucella infection after serologic
screening.

Drug Susceptibility

Because of high relapse rates with single drug therapy, most treatment regimens are based on two drugs. For adults, recommended drugs are oral doxycycline or ciprofloxacin for six weeks, with either oral rifampin for six weeks or intramuscular streptomycin or gentamicin for three weeks. The streptomycin or gentamicin treatment leads to fewer relapses, and gentamicin has fewer side effects. For children under eight years of age, doxycycline is not recommended. Instead, a regimen using rifampin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is the standard. Although immunizations have been developed for several species of domestic animals, there is no human immunization against brucellosis.

Bibliography

Corbel, Michael J. Brucellosis in Humans and Animals. Geneva: World Health Organization Press, 2006. This volume covers both animal and human Brucella infections and includes their epidemiology, diagnoses, and prevention.

Krieg, Noel R., et al., eds. Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. 2d ed. New York: Springer, 2010. Volume 2 of this multivolume work describes the Proteobacteria in detail.

Lopez-Goni, Ignacio, and Ignacio Moriyon, eds. Brucella: Molecular and Cellular Biology. Wymondhan, England: Horizon Bioscience, 2004. A comprehensive review of the genus Brucella and its varied species.

Madigan, Michael T., and John M. Martinko. Brock Biology of Microorganisms. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2010. This text outlines many common bacteria and describes their natural history, pathogenicity, and other characteristics.

Romich, Janet A. Understanding Zoonotic Diseases. Clifton Park, N.Y.: Thomson Delmar, 2008. A good introduction to zoonotic diseases, including those caused by Brucella species.