Letter from the clergy and Kings response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Letter from the clergy and Kings response - Essay Example At the time, King was in a jail in Birmingham, Alabama. He had been arrested for his part in the Birmingham campaign, a non-violent protest planned by the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights and King’s Southern Leadership Conference. This movement was directed at Birmingham’s traders and the City Government. It was no secret that Birmingham was a city known for its highly visible discrimination against blacks. It was the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States (King, 1963). This discriminatory attitude emanated both from the white business class as well as the City Government. King’s response to the clergymen’s letter indicates why he was in Birmingham, since they had deemed him an ‘outside agitator.’ As President of the Southern Leadership Conference he was invited by one of its 85 affiliate organizations, namely the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights to be on call and come to their aid in respect of a non-violen t protest whenever deemed necessary. This he had accordingly done. King asserts that his movement of non-violence was based on a detailed investigation that included collection of the facts, negotiation, self purification and direct action (King, 1963). There had been Court injustices and bombings that have not even spared churches attended by the Negro community. While they had approached the City officials for negotiation, this had never been done in good faith. Consequently there was no resort but to protest non-violently. Before this protest they had even approached the traders requesting them to remove the discriminatory and humiliating signs from their shops but this was done half-heartedly- a few signs were removed here and there but ultimately replaced. It was evident that things were not going to improve to their satisfaction. That segregation is unjust is evident from the fact that it is not rooted in eternal or natural law. It is God that created men of all color. To quote both St. Augustine and

Evidence-Based Practice Paper and Intervention Presentation on Essay

Evidence-Based Practice Paper and Intervention Presentation on Diabetes (Benchmark Assessment) - Essay Example Primarily, DM diagnosis relies on the measurement of plasma glucose levels. This diagnostic mode is effective in detecting diabetics and pre-diabetics, but it does not offer a clear mode of assessing resultant complications, which often start in the vascular system. The diagnosis therefore, only tests tolerance to glucose, and not the associated risks such as the vascular risks (Pavri, 2001). The further assessment of risk may be necessary in monitoring the condition and administration of treatment, but it has not been available. However, a recent research by Zampetaki and others has led to the discovery of biomarkers that can be used in diagnosing and monitoring type II diabetes and its associated risk (Zampetaki et al., 2010). Description of Diagnostic Tool The new diagnostic tool uses microarray screening and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) processes to monitor MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which have been positively associated with the development of the condition and its progres sion. This new tool offers significant prognostic ability to predict and monitor type II DM. The miRNAs are small group of RNAs not involved in coding. They instead work as repressors in translation (Zampetaki et al., 2010). The miRNAs bind to complementing sites by base pairing on untranslated portions of the target mRNA. They are responsible for directing repression or degradation of the transcripts. Research has shown that miRNAs influence stress responses, oncogenesis, development and angiogenesis. They also play a significant role in endothelial cell functioning as well as the regulation of angiogenic potential and inflammations. The study found that miRNAs change prior to the start of type II DM (Zampetaki et al., 2010). The changes were narrowed to miRNA-126, which was found to profoundly change with type II DM (Larkin, 2010). This provided proof for a plasma Micro-RNA signature for patients with type II DM, thus suggesting a possible prognostic value in monitoring and diagno sing DM (Zampetaki et al., 2010). Summary of Research The study on miRNAs and DM was part of a wider Italy-based Bruneck Research on various conditions including cardiovascular diseases. The study was initiated in 1990 by â€Å"King’s College London British Heart Foundation Centre (Larkin, 2010).† The researchers sampled and measured miRNAs from a total of 822 participants. Some of the participants had type II DM, whereas; others were controls. The measurements were conducted in five phases on an annual basis from 1990 to 2005. The use of microarray screening and real-time PCR identified 700 miRNAs. The researchers then used miRNA relevance network inference technique to understand the miRNAs regulatory networks. The technique revealed changes in the levels of some five miRNAs prior to the start of type II DM. Notably, miRNA-126 was found to show a consistent decline, which was correlated to the incidence and prevalence of type II DM (Zampetaki et al., 2010). The fact that miRNA-126 is significant in wound repair and vessel health implies that its decline is an indicator of vascular risk levels associated with DM. miRNA-126 is rich in normally functioning endothelial cells and its decline associated with DM may be an indicator of the progression of deterioration caused by DM, which increases vascular risk (Zampetaki et al., 2010). As such, miRNA can be a significant prognostic tool in monitoring DM and associated risks (Larkin, 2010). The study