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Ethnic
Kinds of Ethnic Terms modified by Ethnic Selected AbstractsEthnic and Racial Disparities in Emergency Department Care for Mild Traumatic Brain InjuryACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2003Jeffrey J. Bazarian MD Abstract Objectives: To identify racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in the emergency department (ED) care for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Methods: A secondary analysis of ED visits in the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for the years 1998 through 2000 was performed. Cases of mTBI were identified using ICD-9 codes 800.0, 800.5, 850.9, 801.5, 803.0, 803.5, 804.0, 804.5, 850.0, 850.1, 850.5, 850.9, 854.0, and 959.01. ED care variables related to imaging, procedures, treatments, and disposition were analyzed along racial, ethnic, and gender categories. The relationship between race, ethnicity, and selected ED care variables was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression with control for associated injuries, geographic region, and insurance type. Results: The incidence of mTBI was highest among men (590/100,000), Native Americans/Alaska Natives (1026.2/100,000), and non-Hispanics (391.1/100,000). After controlling for important confounders, Hispanics were more likely than non-Hispanics to receive a nasogastric tube (OR, 6.36; 95% CI = 1.2 to 33.6); nonwhites were more likely to receive ED care by a resident (OR, 3.09; 95% CI = 1.9 to 5.0) and less likely to be sent back to the referring physician after ED discharge (OR, 0.47; 95% CI = 0.3 to 0.9). Men and women received equivalent ED care. Conclusions: There are significant racial and ethnic but not gender disparities in ED care for mTBI. The causes of these disparities and the relationship between these disparities and post-mTBI outcome need to be examined. [source] Access to cancer services , do culture and ethnicity make a difference?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 1 2009ROSE THOMPSON dcrt Abstract This module discusses the diverse cultural needs of people affected by cancer and how those needs can be assessed and met. The UK experience with Black or Minority Ethnic (BME) communities will be used to explore the issues of awareness of and detection of cancer. [source] The Colour of Poverty: A Study of the Poverty of Ethnic and Immigrant Groups in CanadaINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 1 2000Abdolmohammad Kazemipur Research on immigrants' socio-economic performances in Canada has produced mixed results. One reason for this has been the fact that many studies have used measures that rely on average performance of immigrants, and also treat immigrants as a homogeneous group. Also, some measures of economic performance are unnecessarily complicated. The present article argues that this practice masks the diversity of experiences that exist among immigrants. In particular, it is argued that indices based on average income do not adequately reveal the status of low income immigrants. Using poverty status as an indicator of economic performance, the study xamines and compares different groups of immigrants, in terms of their ethnic origin, period of immigration, age at immigration, and their geo-graphical location in Canada. [source] Multiple Social Identities and Adjustment in Young Adults From Ethnically Diverse BackgroundsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 4 2008Lisa Kiang A person-centered approach was used to determine how identification across multiple social domains (ethnic, American, family, religious) was associated with distinct identity clusters. Utilizing data from 222 young adults from European, Filipino, Latin, and Asian American backgrounds, four clusters were found (Many Social Identities, Blended/Low Religious, Blended/Low Ethnic and American, Few Social Identities). Clusters were differentially associated with adjustment, both directly and via moderation of perceived ethnic discrimination. Those with low levels of identity across all four domains reported lower positive affect, higher negative affect, lower self-esteem, and perceived fewer American opportunities compared with individuals in other clusters. However, the Blended/Low Ethnic and American cluster exhibited more liabilities associated with discrimination. Discussion emphasizes the importance of multiple identities in development. [source] Cultural diversity, human rights and inconsistency in the English courtsLEGAL STUDIES, Issue 2 2001Urfan Khaliq Ethnic and cultural diversity within the UK has ensured that English courts regularly have to resolve cultural conflicts. This paper concentrates on cultural conflicts in the courts where there is an international dimension to this issue and where persons not resident in the UK seek the help of the English courts. The paper does this by reference to two areas of law, asylum and child abduction, which also allows a comparison between the approach to human rights by judges in the public and private law spheres. The paper aims to highlight the in consistency of the approach among judges in child abduction cases, where the role of human rights is unclear. It contrasts this with the judicial approach in asylum cases and English law in general, where we argue human rights are increasingly influencing the attitudes to various practices justified on a cultural or religious basis. [source] Diabetic autoimmunity in infants and pre-schoolers with type 1 diabetesPEDIATRIC DIABETES, Issue 3 2000Eba H Hathout The incidence of type 1 diabetes is increasing most rapidly in children under 5 yrs of age, a group where the disease appears to be more accelerated than traditional type 1 diabetes. Little is known about demographics, and markers of diabetes autoimmunity, in infants and pre-schoolers with type 1 diabetes. We report an analysis of 47 children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes prior to 5 yrs of age compared with a representative cohort (n=49) diagnosed after 5 yrs of age, and all were followed at Loma Linda University (LLU) Children's Hospital. Ethnic, familial, seasonal, and autoimmune marker characteristics are outlined. To determine the prevalence of diabetes autoimmune markers, ICA512, GAD65 and insulin autoantibodies (IAA) antibodies were measured. Children with early-onset diabetes had a significantly higher incidence of viral illness symptoms (p=0.005) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA; p=0.017) at the time of diagnosis. However, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) levels at diagnosis were significantly higher in the later-onset group (p=0.001). A honeymoon period was reported in 14.8% of children diagnosed before 5 yrs of age compared with 42.1% in those diagnosed over 5 yrs of age (p=0.038). Islet-cell antibodies (ICAs) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody titers were significantly different between early- and later-onset groups. ICA titers were positive in 35.29%, and GAD in 41.38% of the early-onset group versus 70.83 and 71.74% in children with later-onset disease, (p=0.001 and 0.009, respectively). IAA titers, drawn after instituting insulin therapy, were not significantly different between the two groups. GAD and ICA512 antibody results suggest a relative lack of diabetes immune markers in infants and toddlers with new-onset diabetes. This finding, and the apparent shorter pre-clinical phase reflected in the lower HbA1c values, may indicate age-related differences in type 1 diabetes autoimmunity or the existence of non-autoimmune diabetogenic mechanisms in younger children. [source] Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in two tribal populations of the sub-Himalayan region of India: Ethnic and rural,urban differencesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2005Sobhanjan Sarkar This study was undertaken to estimate prevalence of metabolic syndrome in traditional societies in the sub-Himalayan region and to assess the impact of modernization on the risk to the syndrome. Two tribal populations,Toto and Bhutia,with a shared ancestry and habitat were selected. Some Bhutians have adopted a modern lifestyle. The study design permitted assessment of the relative roles of lifestyle and genetic factors in influencing the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Our study has revealed that metabolic syndrome (or its contributing variables) can be a major health problem, even in traditional rural ethnic groups, indicating that this syndrome is not necessarily a result of modernization or urbanization. Dyslipidemia seems to be the major contributor to metabolic syndrome. Further, our study indicates that genetic factors that adversely affect the levels of such variables have long antiquities in Indian ethnic groups. We find that there is an additional adverse impact of adoption of urban lifestyles (perhaps primarily mediated through dietary changes) on metabolic syndrome. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 17:814,817, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Ethnic and Sex Differences in Ownership of Preventive Health Equipment Among Rural Older Adults With DiabetesTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2007Ronny A. Bell PhD ABSTRACT:,Context:Diabetes self-management is important for achieving successful health outcomes. Different levels of self-management have been reported among various populations, though little is known about ownership of equipment that can enhance accomplishment of these tasks.Purpose:This study examined diabetes self-management equipment ownership among rural older adults.Methods:Participants included African American, American Indian, and white men and women 65 years of age and older. Data included equipment ownership overall and by ethnicity and sex across diabetes self-management domains (glucose monitoring, foot care, medication adherence, exercise, and diet). Associations between equipment ownership and demographic and health characteristics were assessed using logistic regression.Findings:Equipment ownership ranged from 85.0% for blood glucose meters to less than 11% for special socks, modified dishes, and various forms of home exercise equipment. Equipment ownership was associated with ethnicity, living arrangements, mobility, poverty status, and formal education.Conclusions:Rural older adults with diabetes are at risk because they lack equipment to perform some self-management tasks. Providers should be sensitive to and assist patients in overcoming this barrier. [source] Ethnic (Black-White) Contrasts in 24-Hour Heart Rate Variability in Male Adolescents with High and Low Blood Pressure: The Bogalusa Heart StudyANNALS OF NONINVASIVE ELECTROCARDIOLOGY, Issue 3 2000Elaine M. Urbina M.D. Background: Heart rate variability (HRV) has been used to study autonomic effects on the heart. The time-domain measure RMSSD (root mean square of successive differences) represents high frequency (HF) changes in HRV reflecting parasympathetic nervous system activity (PS). The frequency-domain ratio of low to high power (LF/HF) represents sympathetic (SYMP) to PS balance. In adults, increased SYMP tone has been found in hypertensive as compared to normals. The present study was performed to look for differences in HRV by race and between young subjects with high and low levels of diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Methods: Subjects included 34 healthy males age 13,17 years (53% white). Half were selected with K4 DBP < 85th% for height (HT) measured twice, 3,5 years apart. Half had DBP < 15th% for HT. Subjects underwent a physical examination including BP, HT, WT, and ECG prior to Holter monitor application. HRV data was analyzed from 24-hour Holter recordings obtained during normal activity. Results: The RMSSD was lower in whites compared to blacks for day, night, and 24-hour average (P , 0.05) with day-time measurements showing the largest racial difference. This suggests increased PS tone in blacks especially with activity. The LF/HF ratio was higher in whites for all times, reaching significance during the day (all P , 0.05) suggesting SYMP predominance in whites during activity. Subjects with higher levels of DBP had lower RMSSD and higher LF/HF ratio for all times, but these did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: There is a trend towards SYMP predominance in children with higher DBP. Healthy white adolescents exhibit increased SYMP tone compared to blacks when measured during normal daytime activity. [source] "It's Different Lives": A Guatemalan American Adolescent's Construction of Ethnic and Gender Identities across Educational ContextsANTHROPOLOGY & EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2009Lucila D. Ek Drawing from a multiyear ethnography and a longitudinal case study, this article examines how one Guatemalan American teenager negotiates the multiple socializations to ethnic and gender identities in her home, her Pentecostal church, and her high school. She must face processes of Americanization and Mexicanization. Americanization's thrust is to replace the languages and cultures of Latino/a students with English and mainstream middle-class European American ways while Mexicanization pushes Central Americans to Mexican and Chicano dialects of Spanish and ways of being. With respect to gender, Amalia confronts a process of sexualization, particularly in school. Tensions between the socializations create spaces where Amalia enacts her agency and constructs her identities. The article is informed by research on multiple socializations, scholarship on identity and agency, and studies of Latino/a language and identities.,[Latina, socialization, language, identity, agency] [source] Cultural health beliefs in a rural family practice: A Malaysian perspectiveAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 1 2006Kamil M. Ariff Abstract Background:, Understanding the sociocultural dimension of a patient's health beliefs is critical to a successful clinical encounter. Malaysia with its multi-ethnic population of Malay, Chinese and Indian still uses many forms of traditional health care in spite of a remarkably modern rural health service. Objective:, The objective of this paper is discuss traditional health care in the context of some of the cultural aspects of health beliefs, perceptions and practices in the different ethnic groups of the author's rural family practices. This helps to promote communication and cooperation between doctors and patients, improves clinical diagnosis and management, avoids cultural blind spots and unnecessary medical testing and leads to better adherence to treatment by patients. Discussion:, Includes traditional practices of ,hot and cold', notions of Yin-Yang and Ayurveda, cultural healing, alternative medicine, cultural perception of body structures and cultural practices in the context of women's health. Modern and traditional medical systems are potentially complementary rather than antagonistic. Ethnic and cultural considerations can be integrated further into the modern health delivery system to improve care and health outcomes. [source] Malignant melanoma in Chile: an unusual distribution of primary sites in men from low socioeconomic strataCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2006V. Zemelman Summary Background., Mortality from malignant melanoma (MM) has increased in Chile in the past decade. The location of MM lesions on the body has been correlated with prognosis and survival. Aim. To review body site and gender relationships with histopathologically confirmed primary MM in Chile. Methods., Records of 575 cases presenting to 5 state hospitals from 1992 to 2001 were analysed. Results., There were 360 women and 215 men. Women showed a significantly higher number of MM on the legs, cheeks and arms, and in the genital area, whereas men showed a significantly higher number on the ears, backs of the hands, soles and feet. Men had a predilection for MM with a poor prognosis. Conclusion., The different body site distribution of primary MM in men and women may be explained by a different pattern of sun exposure. Ethnic and genetic factors may also be involved. The predominant location of MM in women in Chile is similar to white populations, whereas the location in men is similar to that observed in black and Asian populations. These observations may be relevant to the high mortality of MM in Chilean men. [source] Gender and Ethnic Diversity Among UK Corporate BoardsCORPORATE GOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2007Stephen Brammer This paper investigates the ethnic and gender diversity of the corporate board of UK companies, placing particular emphasis on links to board size and industry characteristics. We employ a novel dataset that covers a large sample of UK PLCs and describes a director's gender, ethnicity and position held. We find both ethnic and gender diversity to be very limited, and that diversity is somewhat less pronounced among executive positions. We find significant cross-sector variation in gender diversity, with an above average prevalence of women in Retail, Utilities, Media and Banking, while such variation in ethnic diversity is considerably less pronounced. Our evidence suggests that a close proximity to final consumers plays a more significant role in shaping board diversity than does the female presence among the industry's workforce. We argue that this shows that board diversity is influenced by a firm's external business environment and particularly an imperative to reflect corresponding diversity among its customers. [source] BIOETHNIC CONSCRIPTION: Genes, Race, and Mexicana/o Ethnicity in Diabetes ResearchCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2007MICHAEL J. MONTOYA This article is an examination of academic, corporate, and state-funded alliance of molecular, biological, computer, and clinical scientists who are conducting research into the genetic epidemiology of type 2 diabetes. Because type 2 diabetes affects human groups differently, researchers use ethnic and racial taxonomies to parse populations and social history to rationalize their categorical choices. In a process termed "bioethnic conscription," the social identities and life conditions of DNA donors are grafted into the biological explanations of human difference and disease causality in both objectionable and constructive ways. Bioethnic conscription is presented as an ethnographically sound alternative to the either,or proposition of the (R)ace,no race debate within biomedicine and anthropology. [source] Listening to Students, Negotiating Beliefs: Preparing Teachers for Urban ClassroomsCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 2 2008KATHERINE SCHULTZ ABSTRACT Learning to teach in urban schools is difficult, particularly when prospective teachers come from different racial, ethnic and/or class backgrounds than their students. The task of urban-focused teacher education programs is to prepare prospective teachers to learn and enact practices that enable them to teach successfully in under-resourced districts that offer both opportunities and constraints. In this article, we report on a 2-year ethnographic study designed to investigate how new teachers enacted a listening stance in teaching that was introduced in their preparation program. Taking a listening stance implies entering a classroom with questions as well as answers, knowledge as well as a clear sense of the limitations of that knowledge (e.g., Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999; Lytle & Cochran-Smith, 1992; Schultz, 2003). The article focuses on how four teachers attempted to adopt a listening stance in their classroom practice, while also responding to the constraints of the standardized curriculum of their district. We conclude that the process of negotiating among teachers' beliefs, practices introduced in a teacher preparation program and district mandates is a critical practice for teachers to learn. We further suggest that in the current climate of high-stakes testing and mandated curriculum, explicit teaching of negotiation skills is likely to support more teachers to enter into and remain in classrooms. [source] Ideological Representations of Taiwan's History: An Analysis of Elementary Social Studies Textbooks, 1978,1995CURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 3 2007YA-CHEN SU ABSTRACT Textbooks play a central role in Taiwanese education. In the wake of the political reform and social protest movements of the 1970s and 1980s that led to Taiwanese educational reform, critics assert that traditional textbooks reinforce the dominant national Chinese cultural identity without considering the specific perspectives and voices of different gender, cultural, and ethnic groups. The study's purpose is to examine how political and ideological issues were represented in nationally standardized grade-four social studies textbooks from 1978 to 1995; how the textbook portrayed the history of cultural and ethnic groups as well as both genders in Taiwan; and whether the ideology changed because of political and socioeconomic pressures. In order to explore this question, two series of textbooks were examined. The first series was published between 1978 and 1989, the second between 1989 and 1995. Two social studies textbooks from each series were examined. The study's theoretic framework centers on the relationship between legitimated knowledge and the textbooks, employing the methodology of textbook analysis. Three themes were examined: (1) Taiwan's historical development, (2) national identity and nationalism, and (3) ethnic and gender studies. Two analyses were applied in each theme: (1) story-line analysis and (2) language analysis. [source] Standardizing Knowledge in a Multicultural SocietyCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 1 2005CHRISTINE SLEETER ABSTRACT Across the United States, in an attempt to raise standards for student learning, states have developed curriculum standards that specify what students are to learn. Raising standards has become synonymous with standardizing curriculum. This study critically examines the reading/language arts and history-social science standards documents in California to explore how the standards movement has reconfigured codes of power, and in whose interests. To address this question, we used Bernstein's (1975) theory of codes of power in curriculum. Bernstein suggested that codes of power can be uncovered by examining how curriculum is classified and framed. Our analysis suggests that the state's curriculum standards fit within a political movement to reconfigure power relations among racial, ethnic, language, and social class groupings. This is not simply about trying to improve student learning, but more important, about reasserting who has a right to define what schools are for, whose knowledge has most legitimacy, and how the next generation should think about the social order and their place within it. [source] Dermoscopy provides useful information for the management of melanonychia striataDERMATOLOGIC THERAPY, Issue 1 2007Luc Thomas ABSTRACT:, The diagnosis of melanonychia striata is often difficult, and a biopsy of the nail matrix is required in doubtful cases. However, dermoscopic examination of the nail plate offers interesting information in order to better select the cases in which pathologic examination is indicated. In the case of brown longitudinal pigmentation with parallel regular lines, the diagnosis of nail apparatus melanocytic nevus could be made. On the other hand, the presence of a brown pigmentation overlaid by longitudinal lines irregular in their thickness, spacing, color, or parallelism is highly in favor of a melanoma. Gray homogeneous lines are observed in case of lentigo, lentiginoses, ethnic or drug-induced pigmentations, and in post-traumatic pigmentations. Blood spots are characterized by their round-shaped proximal edge and their filamentous distal edge and are highly suggestive of subungual hemorrhages. Dermoscopic examination of the free edge of the nail plate gives information on the lesion location; pigmentation of the dorsum of the nail plate is in favor of a proximal nail matrix lesion, whereas pigmentation the lower part of the nail edge is in favor of a lesion of the distal matrix. [source] Federal Restructuring in Ethiopia: Renegotiating Identity and Borders along the Oromo,Somali Ethnic FrontiersDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 4 2010Asnake Kefale ABSTRACT When the Ethiopian state was reorganized as an ethnic federation in the 1990s, both ethnicity and governance experienced the impact of the change. Most importantly, ethnicity became the key instrument regarding entitlement, representation and state organization. For the larger ethnic groups, fitting into the new ethno-federal structure has been relatively straightforward. In contrast, ethnic federalism has necessitated a renegotiation of identity and of statehood among several smaller communities that straddle larger ethnic groups. It has also led to the reconfiguration of centre,periphery relations. This contribution discusses how the federal restructuring of Ethiopia with the aim of matching ethnic and political boundaries led to renegotiation of identity, statehood and centre,periphery relations among several Somali and Oromo clans that share considerable ethno-linguistic affinities. [source] Type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity in sub-Saharan AfricaDIABETES/METABOLISM: RESEARCH AND REVIEWS, Issue 6 2010Vivian C. Tuei Abstract While communicable diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome, malaria, and tuberculosis have continued to pose greater threats to the public health system in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), it is now apparent that non-communicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus are undoubtedly adding to the multiple burdens the peoples in this region suffer. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most common form of diabetes (90,95%), exhibiting an alarming prevalence among peoples of this region. Its main risk factors include obesity, rapid urbanization, physical inactivity, ageing, nutrition transitions, and socioeconomic changes. Patients in sub-Saharan Africa also show manifestations of ,-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance. However, because of strained economic resources and a poor health care system, most of the patients are diagnosed only after they have overt symptoms and complications. Microvascular complications are the most prevalent, but metabolic disorders and acute infections cause significant mortality. The high cost of treatment of T2DM and its comorbidities, the increasing prevalence of its risk factors, and the gaps in health care system necessitate that solutions be planned and implemented urgently. Aggressive actions and positive responses from well-informed governments appear to be needed for the conducive interplay of all forces required to curb the threat of T2DM in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the varied ethnic and transitional factors and the limited population data on T2DM in sub-Saharan Africa, this review provides an extensive discussion of the literature on the epidemiology, risk factors, pathogenesis, complications, treatment, and care challenges of T2DM in this region. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Ethnic and Racial Disparities in Emergency Department Care for Mild Traumatic Brain InjuryACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2003Jeffrey J. Bazarian MD Abstract Objectives: To identify racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in the emergency department (ED) care for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Methods: A secondary analysis of ED visits in the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for the years 1998 through 2000 was performed. Cases of mTBI were identified using ICD-9 codes 800.0, 800.5, 850.9, 801.5, 803.0, 803.5, 804.0, 804.5, 850.0, 850.1, 850.5, 850.9, 854.0, and 959.01. ED care variables related to imaging, procedures, treatments, and disposition were analyzed along racial, ethnic, and gender categories. The relationship between race, ethnicity, and selected ED care variables was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression with control for associated injuries, geographic region, and insurance type. Results: The incidence of mTBI was highest among men (590/100,000), Native Americans/Alaska Natives (1026.2/100,000), and non-Hispanics (391.1/100,000). After controlling for important confounders, Hispanics were more likely than non-Hispanics to receive a nasogastric tube (OR, 6.36; 95% CI = 1.2 to 33.6); nonwhites were more likely to receive ED care by a resident (OR, 3.09; 95% CI = 1.9 to 5.0) and less likely to be sent back to the referring physician after ED discharge (OR, 0.47; 95% CI = 0.3 to 0.9). Men and women received equivalent ED care. Conclusions: There are significant racial and ethnic but not gender disparities in ED care for mTBI. The causes of these disparities and the relationship between these disparities and post-mTBI outcome need to be examined. [source] Does smoking in adolescence affect body mass index, waist or height?ADDICTION, Issue 9 2007Findings from a longitudinal study ABSTRACT Aim To assess the effect of smoking uptake on body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and height during adolescence. Design Five-year longitudinal study. Setting Thirty-six schools in South London, England, selected by a stratified random sampling procedure designed to ensure ethnic and socio-economic diversity. Participants A total of 5863 students took part in the HABITS (Health and Behaviour in Teenagers) Study between 1999 and 2003. Measurements Self-reported smoking behaviour, saliva cotinine concentrations and measured weight, waist circumference and height were obtained, along with information on gender, ethnicity, socio-economic deprivation, pubertal status, self-reported exercise and dieting. Students were examined annually from school year 7 (ages 11,12) to year 11 (ages 15,16), with response rates ranging from 74 to 84%. A total of 2665 never smokers at year 7 with complete data for years 7 and 11 were included in the analyses. Findings Adjusting for year 7 BMI and other potential confounders, regular smokers (more than six cigarettes a week) at year 11 had significantly lower BMI (P = 0.002) than other students. Smokers defined by a cotinine above 15 ng/ml also had lower BMI (P < 0.0001). Waist circumferences were lower in regular smokers (P = 0.014) and cotinine-defined smokers (P < 0.011). No consistent association was found between smoking and height. The adjusted difference in weight between regular smokers and other students amounted to 1.8 kg (95% CI, 0.52,3.17) for an average-height student. Conclusion Taking up regular smoking during adolescence may result in a lower BMI, but the effect is small and of uncertain significance. [source] The Epidemiology of Convulsive Status Epilepticus in Children: A Critical ReviewEPILEPSIA, Issue 9 2007Miquel Raspall-Chaure Summary:, There is ongoing debate regarding the most appropriate definition of status epilepticus. This depends upon the research question being asked. Based on the most widely used "30 min definition," the incidence of childhood convulsive status epilepticus (CSE) in developed countries is approximately 20/100,000/year, but will vary depending, among others, on socioeconomic and ethnic characteristics of the population. Age is a main determinant of the epidemiology of CSE and, even within the pediatric population there are substantial differences between older and younger children in terms of incidence, etiology, and frequency of prior neurological abnormalities or prior seizures. Overall, incidence is highest during the first year of life, febrile CSE is the single most common cause, around 40% of children will have previous neurological abnormalities and less than 15% will have a prior history of epilepsy. Outcome is mainly a function of etiology. However, the causative role of CSE itself on mesial temporal sclerosis and subsequent epilepsy or the influence of age, duration, or treatment on outcome of CSE remains largely unknown. Future studies should aim at clarifying these issues and identifying specific ethnic, genetic, or socioeconomic factors associated with CSE to pinpoint potential targets for its primary and secondary prevention. [source] Phenotypic Comparison of Two Scottish Families with Mutations in Different Genes Causing Autosomal Dominant Nocturnal Frontal Lobe EpilepsyEPILEPSIA, Issue 4 2003Ailsa McLellan Summary: ,Purpose: Mutations in genes coding for the ,4 and ,2 subunits of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor receptor (CHRN) are known to cause autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE). Here we examined the phenotypes in two families, from the same ethnic and geographic backgrounds, with ADNFLE as a result of mutations in these two different subunits of CHRN. Methods: All affected family members underwent a detailed clinical evaluation and review of available EEG, neuroimaging, and videotapes of seizures. The molecular study of family D is reported here; family S has a previously reported mutation in the ,2 subunit of CHRN. Results: A total of 16 individuals with ADNFLE were identified in the two families. In both families, seizure semiology, age at seizure onset, and the natural history of the seizure disorder was similar. Intrafamilial variation in terms of severity of epilepsy syndrome was present in both families. A significant number of individuals from each family had a history of psychological problems. The molecular study of family D revealed a Ser248Phe mutation in the ,4 subunit of CHRN. Conclusions: The epilepsy phenotype is not distinguishable in the two families who have ADNFLE as a result of mutations in genes coding for different CHRN subunits. This is likely to be due to the similar functional consequences of each mutation on the CHRN receptor. [source] Photosensitivity in Relation to Epileptic Syndromes: A Survey from an Epilepsy Center in JapanEPILEPSIA, Issue 3 2001Hideaki Shiraishi Summary: ,Purpose: We examined the incidence and distribution of photosensitivity among the different age groups and different types of epilepsies and epileptic syndromes. Furthermore, we considered the influence of ethnic and geographic factors on the incidence of photoparoxysmal response (PPR) in epilepsy patients. Methods: We analyzed the responses to intermittent photic stimulation (IPS) by using a Grass PS22 or PS33 photic stimulator for in 2,187 unselected patients with epilepsy who were treated in our center. Results: The classic PPR was elicited in 37 (1.7%) patients. The mean age of these 37 patients was 17.0 years. The subpopulation of patients having PPR included 2.0% of all patients with symptomatic generalized epilepsy, 5.6% (p < 0.01) of those with idiopathic generalized epilepsy, 0.7% of those with symptomatic localization-related epilepsy, and 2.9% of those with undetermined epilepsy. PPR accounted for 17.4 % (p < 0.01) of the patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, 7.6% (p < 0.01) of those with grand mal on awakening, and 6.1% (p < 0.01) of those with symptomatic occipital lobe epilepsy. The incidence of PPR increased in patients up to age 15 years, and suddenly decreased after age 20 years. Conclusion: The present study presents the first report from eastern Asia, analyzing the incidence of PPR with a restricted definition comparable to the other studies, and the rate of PPR was relatively low compared with the studies performed in the European countries. We could confirm the clear relation between age and positive PPR. [source] Seeking a Place to Rest: Representation of Bounded Movement among Russian-Jewish HomecomersETHOS, Issue 3 2002Edna Lomsky-Feder This study explores person-place relations in the context of the crisscross movement of Russian-Jewish immigrants (university students) who came to Israel in the early 1990s and who subsequently returned to their homeland on a visit. Readings of the immigrants' "visiting tales" uncovered a repertoire of five identity practices, each of which constitutes a different analytical type of person-place relation. Our analysis attests to the existence of a multiplicity of ways by which immigrants orient to the existence of place(s) and experience places while they re-constitute their relationship with both the old and the new country. Furthermore, it elucidates how they seek a place in which to rest rather than being constantly on the move. This article shows how national homecoming is a living metanarrative that regulates immigrants' relations to place even in the transnational era. It suggests that postmodern thought should be more attentive to the manner in which metanarratives (national, ethnic, ecological) produce identity practices that orchestrate movement in space and endow meaning to person-place relations. [source] Building Intercultural Citizenship through Education: a human rights approachEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 2 2008RODOLFO STAVENHAGEN This article analyses the challenges posed by traditional ethnic and linguistic minorities in multicultural states and more specifically the problems faced by indigenous peoples and communities. Their educational and cultural needs and demands are increasingly being framed in the language of human rights, based on the expanding international legal and institutional human rights system. The United Nations World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna in 1993, endorsed a rights-based approach to development, human rights education is a growing field in educational practice, respect for cultural diversity is now enshrined in international and domestic laws, and the right of every person to education and to culture has become a mainstay of international human rights principles to which a majority of the world's states has subscribed. [source] Cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen-4 exon 1 A/G polymorphism in Iranian patients with multiple sclerosisEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 8 2008A. Borhani Haghighi Background:, Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) is a T-cell surface receptor of activated T cells. Material and methods:, We studied 100 Iranian patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS) and 100 ethnic, sex- and age-matched controls. CTLA-4 exon 1 A/G polymorphism was compared amongst patients and controls. Results:, There was no statistically significant difference in the allelic [odds ratio (OR): 1.19, confidence interval (CI) 95%: 0.76,1.85, P = 0.4] and genotypes (OR: 1.60, CI 95%: 0.911,2.824, P = 0.102) distribution amongst patients and controls. Also gender, course and progression index did not reveal any statistically significant differences in allele and genotype distribution of A/G polymorphism. Conclusion:, As a non-European patient population, our results are consistent with the major previous studies showing no significant associations between CTLA4 exon 1 polymorphism and neither MS nor any of its subtypes. [source] Evaluating Acceptance and Understanding of Risk in the Emergency Department:Are All Risk Statements Created Equally?ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 4 2002James A. Feldman MD Abstract. Objective: To determine whether mathematically equivalent but conceptually different presentations of risk from radioactive isotope exposure might affect the rate of agreement to participate in a hypothetical research study. Methods: This was a prospective study of consenting English-speaking subjects more than 18 years of age who were asked whether they would agree to participate in a mock study when presented with six mathematically equivalent statements of research-related risk. Participants were classified as recognizing the equivalence of the risk statements if they accepted all or refused all of the risk statements. Results: Three hundred forty-six subjects were enrolled. There were 55 subjects (16%; 95% CI = 12% to 20%) who refused all of the six risk statements, and 23 participants (6.7%; 95% CI = 4% to 9%) who accepted all of the given risk statements. Most of the participants (77%; 95% CI = 73% to 82%) did not recognize that the six risk statements were equivalent and agreed to some, or did not understand some of the risk statements. In stepwise multivariate logistic regression, being white, being of older age, and having higher education were associated with a higher likelihood of accepting or rejecting all six of the risk statements. Conclusions: Ethnicity, age, and education affected whether patients recognized the equivalence of six risk statements for a hypothetical study of low-dose radiation. Risk acceptance may be more likely when familiar concepts are used to express research risks. Researchers must focus on strategies that enhance the understanding of research risks and address the reasons for nonparticipation by subjects who are younger, of different ethnic or cultural background, or of lower education. [source] Migrant mobilization between political institutions and citizenship regimes: A comparison of France and SwitzerlandEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2004Marco Giugni This article focuses on the political claims made by immigrants and ethnic minorities in France and Switzerland. We look at cross-national variations in the overall presence of immigrants and ethnic minorities in the national public space, and the forms and content of their claims. Following a political opportunity approach, we argue that claim-making is affected both by institutional opportunities and by national models of citizenship. The civic-assimilationist conception of citizenship in France gives migrants greater legitimacy to intervene in the national public space. Furthermore, the inclusive definition of ,membership in the national community' favors claims pertaining to minority integration politics. However, the pressure toward assimilation to the republican norms and values tends to provoke claims for the recognition of ethnic and cultural difference. Finally, closed institutional opportunities push migrants' mobilization to become more radical, but at the same time the more inclusive model of citizenship favors a moderate action repertoire of migrants. Conversely, the ethnic-assimilationist view in Switzerland leads migrants to stress homeland-related claims. When they do address the policy field of ethnic relations, immigration and citizenship, they focus on issues pertaining to the entry and stay in the host society. Finally, the forms of action are more moderate due to the more open institutional context, but at the same time the action repertoire of migrants is moderated by the more exclusive model of citizenship. Our article is an attempt to specify the concept of ,political opportunity structure', and to combine institutional and cultural factors in explaining claim-making by immigrants and ethnic minorities. We confront our arguments with data from a comparative project on the mobilization on ethnic relations, citizenship and immigration. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||