Reproductive efficiency as a social indicator

An index of reproductive effiency (RE) is proposed as a social indicator that will meet the need to consider various forms of pregnancy wastage, to compare their relative costs, and to guide reproductive health policy accordingly. This article discusses conceptual and measurement aspects of RE. Conversion of wanted to unwanted pregnancies and the reverse, interpretation of abortion in relation to other pregnancy outcomes, defining the end point for the reproductive process and criteria for the events to be included as significant outcomes are conceptual issues. Measurement problems include: whether aggregation is justified, prospective and retrospective tracking of outcomes, record limitations, duplication of adversities in a single pregnancy, and selection of optimal rate for comparison. A measurement of RE for the entire United States based on the National Natality Survey of 1964-1966 is presented, showing 74.5 percent of pregnancies resulting in healthy liveborn infants. For those years, data on abortions could not be included. Within the group of reported pregnancy losses, the importance of congenital abnormalities and low-birth-weight babies is enhanced by application of economic weights based on associated medical care costs. Changing opportunities for birth timing, prenatal and infant care, and control of family size are social means of reducing adverse outcomes associated with teenage pregnancy and high-parity births, often found together with poverty. Successive increments in RE may be progressively more expensive to achieve, and cost effectiveness comparison will be necessary.     

Spectrum of AIDS-associated malignant disorders

BACKGROUND: To clarify which types of cancer result from AIDS, we compared the cancer experiences of people with AIDS with those of the general population by matching population-based cancer and AIDS registries in the USA and Puerto Rico. METHODS: We used a probabilistic matching algorithm to compare names, birth dates, and, where available, social-security numbers of 98,336 people with AIDS and 1,125,098 people with cancer aged less than 70 years. We defined AIDS-related cancers as those with both significantly raised incidence post-AIDS and increasing prevalence from 5 years pre-AIDS to 2 years post-AIDS. FINDINGS: Among people with AIDS, we found 7028 cases of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), 1793 of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and 712 other cases of histologically defined cancer. Incidence rates among people with AIDS were increased 310-fold for KS, 113-fold for NHL, and 1.9-fold (95% CI 1.5-2.3) for other cancers. Of 38 malignant disorders other than KS and NHL, only angiosarcoma (36.7-fold), Hodgkin's disease (7.6-fold), multiple myeloma (4.5-fold), brain cancer (3.5-fold), and seminoma (2.9-fold) were raised and increasing significantly (p<0.02) from the pre-AIDS to the post-AIDS period. INTERPRETATION: Interpretation is complicated by screening and shared risk factors, such as sexual behaviour and cigarette smoking. However, our data indicate that AIDS leads to a significantly increased risk of Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, brain cancer, and seminoma. Immunological failure to control herpes or other viral infections may contribute to these malignant diseases.     

Naltrexone, relapse prevention, and supportive therapy with alcoholics: An analysis of patient treatment matching.

Alcohol-dependent patients (N?=?97 ) were randomly assigned to receive either naltrexone or placebo and either relapse prevention therapy or supportive therapy. The present report explored the hypothesis that patients could be matched to the above treatments on the basis of specific pretreatment characteristics. Treatment matching variables explored included craving, alcohol dependence severity, and cognitive measures of learning and memory. Results of linear regression analyses tentatively suggest that patients experiencing higher levels of craving and poorer cognitive functioning may derive the greatest benefit from naltrexone versus placebo. For psychotherapy, lower levels of verbal learning were associated with poorer drinking outcomes for relapse prevention therapy but not for supportive therapy. Conversely, higher levels of verbal learning were associated with better outcomes for relapse prevention therapy but not for supportive therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prenatal sonographic assessment of early, rapidly growing fetal cervical teratoma

Although malignant transformation of fetal cervical teratoma is extremely rare, perinatal morbidity is high and usually related to the size of the tumour, which may compromise fetal swallowing and subsequently lead to upper airway obstruction. We present a case in which mid-trimester serial sonography demonstrated markedly rapid early growth of a lesion of this type between 17 and 19 weeks' gestation indicating the aggressive nature of this tumour, assisting parental decision to terminate the pregnancy. Histopathology confirmed grade 3 immaturity of the lesion.     

Intraperitoneal in vivo gene therapy to deliver alpha 1-antitrypsin to the systemic circulation

The utility of replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus vector-mediated transfer and expression of the alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1AT) cDNA to peritoneal mesothelial tissues was evaluated as a means of delivering alpha 1AT to the systemic circulation. Preliminary studies with Ad.RSV beta gal, an adenovirus vector expressing the Escherichia coli lacZ gene (beta-galactosidase), showed that intraperitoneal injection of 10(9) plaque-forming units (pfu) to cotton rats resulted in beta-galactosidase activity in mesothelial cells lining the peritoneal cavity. After intraperitoneal administration of 10(9) pfu of Ad alpha 1AT (an adenovirus vector containing the human alpha 1AT cDNA), human alpha 1AT was detectable in serum for up to 24 days, with a maximal level of 3.4 micrograms/ml at 4 days. Expression of the exogenous gene was localized to the peritoneal mesothelium as PCR analyses detected no evidence of expression of the exogenous gene in any other tissues evaluated. Anti-adenovirus vector antibodies were detectable in serum after intraperitoneal administration of the recombinant vectors, including antibodies with neutralizing activity. Repeat administrations of adenovirus vectors to the peritoneal cavity at 1 wk and 1 mo after the initial dose failed to show gene expression, but repeat administration 3 mo after demonstrated measurable gene transfer and expression. Together these observations suggest replication-deficient adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to the peritoneal mesothelium offers a promising means to transfer alpha 1AT to the systemic circulation, although immunity induced against the adenovirus may limit frequent repetitive dosing.     

Objectivity Among Mentors.

After hearing two graduate students in experimental psychology extol learnedly a major theoretical position, the authors were disturbed by a phenomenon that has doubtlessly troubled other psychologists. They wonder why more or less equally intelligent and motivated students, though at different universities, adopt at least superficially but in most cases intrinsically different theoretical biases, each promoting and defending his own belief as though it were verily the most defensible and reasonable theoretical position? Are the various learning theories that different to justify enthusiastic and pious acceptance by comparably capable students? Do celebrated theorists promote their own views comprehensively and dramatically while presenting other views cursorily and sluggishly? Are graduate students really guileless and uncritical? They decry the failure in teaching objectivity in evaluating the numerous theories extant as a serious injustice to the student, who will probably be woefully lacking during later professional maturity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Imprisonment: A Major Gateway to Homelessness

This paper presents and discusses the results of a survey of inmates in a representative sample of prisons in Norway. The main conclusion of the study is that imprisonment creates homelessness. While this study and those of others find that approximately one-third of inmates are homeless or live in a precarious housing situation prior to imprisonment, the survey also found that two-thirds were homeless on release. Although the literature on and studies of homelessness and imprisonment are sparse, studies from other countries support this close link between imprisonment and homelessness. There are several reasons why imprisonment should be one of the primary routes into homelessness and the cause of people remaining in precarious housing. The paper also discusses connections between imprisonment, homelessness and social exclusion.     

Influence of fires on O3 concentrations in the western U.S

Because forest fires emit substantial NOx and hydrocarbons--known contributors to O3 production--we hypothesize that interannual variation in western U.S. O3 is related to the burned area. To evaluate this hypothesis we used a gridded database of western U.S. summer burned area (BA) and biomass consumed (BC) by fires between 101-125 degrees W. The fire data were compared with daytime summer O3 mixing ratios from nine rural Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET) and National Park Service (NPS) sites. Large fire years exhibited widespread enhanced O3. The summer BA was significantly correlated with O3 at all sites. For each 1 million acres burned in the western U.S. during summer, we estimate that the daytime mean O3 was enhanced across the region by 2.0 ppbv. For mean and maximum fire years, O3 was enhanced by an average of 3.5 and 8.8 ppbv, respectively. At most sites O3 was significantly correlated with fires in the surrounding 5 x 5 degrees and 10 x 10 degrees regions, but not with fires in the nearest 1 x 1 degree region, reflecting the balance between O3 production and destruction in a high NOx environment. BC was a slightly better predictor of O3, compared with BA. The relationship between O3 and temperature was examined at two sites (Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Parks). At these two sites, high fire years were significantly warmer than lowfire years; however, daytime seasonal meantemperature and O3 were not significantly correlated. This indicates that the presence of fire is a more important predictor for O3 than is temperature.     

Reproducible,biocompatible medical materials from biologically derived polysaccharides: Processing and Characterization

Natural polysaccharides like chitosan and dextran have garnered considerable interest in biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and nontoxicity. Nonetheless, the development of a reproducible class of medical devices from these materials is challenging and has had limited success. Chitosan and dextran are inherently variable and synthesis using these materials is prone to inconsistencies. In this study, we put forward a robust product development regimen that allows these natural materials to be developed into a reproducible class of biomaterials. First, an array of validated characterization methods (Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, titrations, Ultraviolet spectroscopy, Size Exclusion Chromatography—Multi-Angle Light Scattering, Size Exclusion Chromatography—Refractive Index, and proprietary methods) were developed that allowed rigorous specifications to be set for unprocessed chitosan and dextran, chitosan and dextran intermediates, and chemically modified materials—acrylated chitosan (aCHN) and oxidized dextran (oDEX). Second, a robust and reproducible synthesis scheme involving various in-process controls was developed to chemically modify the unprocessed polysaccharides. Third, purification methods to remove byproducts and low-molecular-weight impurities for both aCHN and oDEX were developed. The study presents a viable strategy for converting variable, natural materials into a reproducible class of biomaterials that can be applied in various biomedical applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48454.     

A Nature‐Inspired,Flexible Substrate Strategy for Future Wearable Electronics

Flexibility plays a vital role in wearable electronics. Repeated bending often leads to the dramatic decrease of conductivity because of the numerous microcracks formed in the metal coating layer, which is undesirable for flexible conductors. Herein, conductive textile‐based tactile sensors and metal‐coated polyurethane sponge‐based bending sensors with superior flexibility for monitoring human touch and arm motions are proposed, respectively. Tannic acid, a traditional mordant, is introduced to attach to various flexible substrates, providing a perfect platform for catalyst absorbing and subsequent electroless deposition (ELD). By understanding the nucleation, growth, and structure of electroless metal deposits, the surface morphology of metal nanoparticles can be controlled in nanoscale with simple variation of the plating time. When the electroless plating time is 20 min, the normalized resistance (R/R₀) of as‐made conductive fibers is only 1.6, which is much lower than a 60 min ELD sample at the same conditions (R/R₀ ≈ 5). This is because a large number of unfilled gaps between nanoparticles prevent metal films from cracking under bending. Importantly, the Kelvin problem is relevant to deposited conductive coatings because metallic cells have a honeycomb‐like structure, which is a rationale to explain the relationships of conductivity and flexibility.