Using a multicultural lens to understand illnesses among Haitians living in America.

Currently, ethnic and racial minority individuals represent a large proportion of the U.S. population, and researchers expect that they will represent the majority of the population by 2050. This shift in U.S. demographics calls for a greater awareness and integration of cultural issues into the assessment and treatment of ethnically and linguistically diverse clients. This article examines the unique beliefs and manifestations of illnesses among Haitians in connection with the American Psychological Association's (APA, 2002) Multicultural Guidelines. The authors use a common culture-bound syndrome, Séizisman, to illustrate the cultural beliefs, assessment, and treatment of illnesses among Haitians. In so doing, they demonstrate how to incorporate the APA Multicultural Guidelines into treatment with clients of diverse cultural and racial backgrounds. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells utilizing TiO2/graphite composite counter electrode and TiO2/N719 sensitizer photoelectrode for low-cost power generation

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have evolved through the highest devotion of the research community as a low-cost alternative for...     

Integration of Emerging Biomedical Technologies in Meat Processing to Improve Meat Safety and Quality

Modern‐day processing of meat products involves a series of complex procedures designed to ensure the quality and safety of the meat for consumers. As the size of abattoirs increases, the logistical problems associated with large‐capacity animal processing can affect the sanitation of the facility and the meat products, potentially increasing transmission of infectious diseases. Additionally, spoilage of food from improper processing and storage increases the global economic and ecological burden of meat production. Advances in biomedical and materials science have allowed for the development of innovative new antibacterial technologies that have broad applications in the medical industry. Additionally, new approaches in tissue engineering and nondestructive cooling of biological specimens could significantly improve organ transplantation and tissue grafting. These same strategies may be even more effective in the preservation and protection of meat as animal carcasses are easier to manipulate and do not have the same stringent requirements of care as living patients. This review presents potential applications of emerging biomedical technologies in the food industry to improve meat safety and quality. Future research directions investigating these new technologies and their usefulness in the meat processing chain along with regulatory, logistical, and consumer perception issues will also be discussed.     

Mitral valve prolapse with atrioventricular and sinoatrial node abnormalities of long duration

A 20-hear-old patient with mitral valve prolapse and minimal mitral regurgitation associated with intermittent marked sinus bradycardia and sinus arrhythmia, and atrioventricular block, proximal to the bundle of His, varying from first-degree to high-grade, is described. Both the murmur and the atrioventricular block had been documented since the age of eight years, and probably since the first year of life, and has shown no subsequent progression. The patient's symptoms of chest pain and severe lightheadedness and near syncope have been shown by telemetry electrocardiogrphic monitoring to be unrelated to changes in cardiac rhythm.     

Electrochemiluminescence determination of 2',6'-difluorophenyl 10-methylacridan-9-carboxylate

Electrochemical oxidation of the acridan 2',6'-difluorophenyl 10-methylacridan-9-carboxylate produces the corresponding acridinium ester, which reacts with hydrogen peroxide forming a dioxetanone intermediate. Decomposition of the dioxetanone generates light at 430 nm when it relaxes to the ground state. The effect of pH and hydrogen peroxide concentration on this ECL reaction and on the stability of the acridan were investigated. At pH 8.0 and a hydrogen peroxide concentration of 10 mM, light emission from the ECL reaction was used to determine the acridan concentration with a detection limit of 54 pmol L(-1). Results suggest that acridan esters could be used as labels in ECL immunoassays and nucleotide assays.     

Development of a food frequency questionnaire for Sri Lankan adults

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQs) are commonly used in epidemiologic studies to assess long-term nutritional exposure. Because of wide variations in dietary habits in different countries, a FFQ must be developed to suit the specific population. Sri Lanka is undergoing nutritional transition and diet-related chronic diseases are emerging as an important health problem. Currently, no FFQ has been developed for Sri Lankan adults. In this study, we developed a FFQ to assess the regular dietary intake of Sri Lankan adults. METHODS: A nationally representative sample of 600 adults was selected by a multi-stage random cluster sampling technique and dietary intake was assessed by random 24-h dietary recall. Nutrient analysis of the FFQ required the selection of foods, development of recipes and application of these to cooked foods to develop a nutrient database. We constructed a comprehensive food list with the units of measurement. A stepwise regression method was used to identify foods contributing to a cumulative 90% of variance to total energy and macronutrients. In addition, a series of photographs were included. RESULTS: We obtained dietary data from 482 participants and 312 different food items were recorded. Nutritionists grouped similar food items which resulted in a total of 178 items. After performing step-wise multiple regression, 93 foods explained 90% of the variance for total energy intake, carbohydrates, protein, total fat and dietary fibre. Finally, 90 food items and 12 photographs were selected. CONCLUSION: We developed a FFQ and the related nutrient composition database for Sri Lankan adults. Culturally specific dietary tools are central to capturing the role of diet in risk for chronic disease in Sri Lanka. The next step will involve the verification of FFQ reproducibility and validity.     

Development of a cell culture system to study antibody convection in tumors

The convective transport of fluid and of a binding antibody through a cultured tumor cell layer was investigated with a mouse melanoma cell line (B16F10) grown on a microporous polycarbonate filter (Snapwell inserts). The inserts were precoated with Matrigel or collagen, or were uncoated. The cell layers were exposed to nominal pressure gradients from 5 to 25 cm H2O, and the volume flux was measured by collecting the effluent volume over time. The rate of convective transport of a binding monoclonal antibody that recognizes the murina transferrin receptor (a-TfR) was investigated at a nominal pressure gradient of 15 cm H2O and compared with that of an isotype matched, nonbinding control. The resistance, R, of the cell layer to fluid flow was quantified as the hydraulic conductivity, Lp (= 1/R); the ability of the cell layer to retard antibody transport was quantified as the reflection coefficient, sigma. The resulting Lp values decreased with increasing cell density, in a manner consistent with Poiseuille flow. Collagen or Matrigel precoating also decreased Lp values, with cells grown on Matrigel providing the greatest resistance. The sigma values were 0.67 (+/-0.08) for the a-TfR antibody and 0.51 (+/-0.06) for the control, indicating that the cell layer acts as a semipermeable barrier to convective transport of antibody that is less permeable to the binding antibody.     

Disparities in arteriovenous fistula placement in older hemodialysis patients

The benefits of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) as the preferred vascular access for hemodialysis have been clearly demonstrated. However, only about 20% of patients in the United States initiate hemodialysis with an AVF. In this study, we assessed whether disparities exist in the type of first hemodialysis access placed prior to dialysis start (rather than that used at dialysis initiation), to detect whether certain disadvantaged groups might have lower likelihood of AVF placement. Study cohort of 118,767 incident hemodialysis patients ≥67 years of age (1/2005–12/2008) derived from the United States Renal Data System was linked with Medicare claims data to identify the type of initial access placed predialysis. We used logistic regression model with outcome being the initial predialysis placement of an AVF as opposed to an arteriovenous graft or a central venous catheter. Increasing age, female sex, black race, lower body mass index, urban location, certain comorbidities, and shorter pre–end‐stage renal disease nephrology care are all associated with a significantly lower likelihood of AVF placement as initial access predialysis. Our study suggests the presence of significant disparities in the placement of an AVF as initial hemodialysis vascular access. We suggest that additional attention should be paid to these patient groups to improve disparities by patient education, earlier referral, and close follow‐up.     

Inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase blocks T cell proliferation but does not induce or prevent anergy

Three mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways are up-regulated during the activation of T lymphocytes, the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), Jun NH2-terminal kinase, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. To examine the effects of blocking the ERK pathway on T cell activation, we used the inhibitor U0126, which has been shown to specifically block mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase (MEK), the kinase upstream of ERK. This compound inhibited T cell proliferation in response to antigenic stimulation or cross-linked anti-CD3 plus anti-CD28 Abs, but had no effect on IL-2-induced proliferation. The block in T cell proliferation was mediated by down-regulating IL-2 mRNA levels. Blocking Ag-induced proliferation by inhibiting MEK did not induce anergy, unlike treatments that block entry into the cell cycle following antigenic stimulation. Surprisingly, induction of anergy in T cells exposed to TCR cross-linking in the absence of costimulation was also not affected by blocking MEK, unlike cyclosporin A treatment that blocks anergy induction. These results suggest that inhibition of MEK prevents T cell proliferation in the short term, but does not cause any long-term effects on either T cell activation or induction of anergy. These findings may help determine the viability of using mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors as immune suppressants.     

Dilute fluid suspensions

Summary A special case of the theory of oriented fluids has been proposed as a model for the flow of dilute suspensions. The paper shows how the proposed theory may be regarded as an analogy of the classical theory of binary mixtures.