Search

The article discusses the upcoming 2024 NATO Summit and RIMPAC wargames, highlighting the resistance against U.S. imperialism. The NATO summit is described as an anti-people convention that coordinates violence across the globe, while NATO itself is portrayed as a military alliance that supports member countries' militaries and advocates for warfare. The article also mentions the involvement of NATO member states in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as their support for Israel. Additionally, it discusses the Philippines' role in NATO's military build-up in the Asia-Pacific region and the resistance of the Filipino people against U.S. militarism. The article concludes by calling for the mobilization to dismantle NATO and RIMPAC. [Extracted from the article]

Thus, the August 9th bombing of Nagasaki took place three days after the August 6th bombing of Hiroshima, too short of a period for the Japanese government to even appreciate what had happened to Hiroshima. After our visit to Nagasaki's Peace Park, Gordon told me that at the time that Japan's surrender was announced, his father had been on a troop ship passing through the Panama Canal on its way to the Pacific theater. Contra the revisionists, Thomas revives the argument that the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved lives. [Extracted from the article]

The present authors [1] and Ochoa et al. [2, 3] indicated that the creep and rupture strengths of a Sn-3.5% Ag lead-free solder alloy are very much affected by the variation of the microstructure formed under different solidification and cooling rates after casting. In the present research, the cooling effect and microstructural effect on the creep and rupture strengths of the Sn-3.5% Ag alloy is further investigated. The effect of the reflow and flow joining process on the rupture life is also discussed.

•Active case finding in Ebeye, Marshall Islands successfully screened 90% of all residents.•X-ray based screening identified 39 new tuberculosis cases (755/100,000)•TB diagnosis was strongly associated with presence of diabetes (aOR 4.68, 2.15–10.20).

JULY 7, 2023 Anthony Fauci assumed the post of the U.S.A.'s voice of science during the early days of the pandemic. Quickly, however, those virologists around Anthony Fauci coalesced around the position that they would discount the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 was created in the laboratory and therefore leaked from the laboratory. While Trump tried to place the blame on China, Fauci worked with his colleagues in virology to (1) make sure the natural origins/seafood market hypothesis became dominant, and (2) put an end to the gain-of-function (GoF), lab leak hypothesis of the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. [Extracted from the article]

The current study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients with adenocarcinoma (AC) of the uterine cervix after definitive radiotherapy (RT) and to evaluate prognostic factors, including immunity-related molecules. A total of 71 patients with AC of the uterine cervix from multiple Japanese institutions were retrospectively analysed. Histological subtypes were diagnosed according to the 2014 World Health Organization classification. All patients underwent definitive RT comprising external beam RT and intracavitary brachytherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy. Immunohistochemical studies were performed to detect the expression of programmed cell death-ligand 1(PD-L1) and CD8. The 5-year locoregional control (LC), overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates for all patients were 61.8, 49.7 and 36.1%, respectively. The LC, OS and PFS rates were not significantly different among the histological subtypes. Membranous PD-L1 expression was not significantly associated with prognosis. Patients with CD8-positive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (CD8+TILs) in the tumor nests had significantly better OS than patients without CD8+TILs in the tumor nests (5-year OS: 53.8 vs 23.8%, P= 0.038). As expected, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (2008) III–IVA and maximum tumor diameter > 40 mm were significantly associated with worse prognosis. In summary, the presence of CD8+TILs in the tumor nests has the potential to be an independent favorable prognostic factor for patients with AC of the uterine cervix after definitive RT.

Of note, Gamma caused infections in individuals who had been previously infected - demonstrating that an infection with one strain of COVID-19 might not lead to immunity against a different strain. In contrast, according to Israeli data from mid-June to mid-July 2021, the Pfizer vaccine was only 39% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection, but this data has not been published in the peer-reviewed literature. The percentage of the population that needs to be immune [whether from vaccine immunity or from infection with the original virus (I hesitate to say "wild type") or a prior variant] to achieve herd immunity is derived from R0. [Extracted from the article]

As physicians and healers, weand many of our colleagues are doing our best to support thepeople of Lahaina as well as the Maui communitywho are also being affected by this tragedy. Healing Lahaina, Healing Our World When an inferno incinerated the town of Lahaina onAugust 8, 2023, the inhabitants received little warning. [T]he United States Minister assigned to the sovereign andindependent Kingdom of Hawaii conspired with a small group ofnon-Hawaiian residents of the Kingdom of Hawaii, includingcitizens of the United States, to overthrow the indigenous andlawful Government of Hawaii.". [Extracted from the article]

More than 6000 people died in Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan in November 2013. Four years later, the people of the Eastern Visayas are the most impoverished in the Republic. This is a consequence of the Aquino and Duterte governments' approach to postdisaster reconstruction. The approach can be characterized as disaster capitalism, undergirded by neoliberalism. The withdrawal of the United States from the 2015 Paris Agreement will likely lead to more disasters of such magnitude in the future. Furthermore, without opposition from organized masses, the disaster capitalism regime will likely be the operant approach to future disasters. The people of the Eastern Visayas have organized to oppose the Philippine government's lack of action and to demand just distribution of the governmental and international support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People who have little responsibility for industrial capitalism must pay the price for global warming. The Marshall Islands of the central Pacific Ocean are among the most vulnerable locations threatened by sea-level rise and may cease to be habitable within this generation. Under its Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the United States, citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands travel freely to the United States without needing a visa. As the conditions for survival become more difficult in the Marshall Islands, the COFA provision of free entry into the United States makes migration to the United States the logical option for the Marshallese people. The highest population of Marshallese migrants are now found in northwest Arkansas, attracted by employment in the poultry industry, where, to survive, they find themselves contributing to the forces of global warming that make their island homes uninhabitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is outrageous that the Biden administration pursues military dominance of the Asia-Pacific by re-building its military facilities in the Philippines. In January, the Philippine and US governments announced plans to allow U.S. military access to four additional bases in the Philippines. As a military ally of the U.S. the elder Marcos's brutal regime received support from the U.S. He was deposed in February 1986 through the People Power Revolt, and the U.S. military was evicted from the Philippines in 1991. [Extracted from the article]

Since World War II, the Red Hill tanks have been used to store fuel for military ships and aircraft across the Pacific. In November 2021, 20,000 gallons of jet fuel spewed from the U.S. Navy's Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility into the drinking water well serving 93,000 mostly military personnel and their dependents on O'ahu. [Extracted from the article]

Howard Waitzkin, Alina Pérez, and Matthew Anderson provide us with a how-to manual on how to become a social medicine practitioner in Social Medicine and the Coming Transformation. In The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture, family physician Gabor Maté presents a new formulation for understanding health and illness. While Maté views himself as working within the biopsychosocial and social medicine paradigms, his contribution is to elucidate the epigenetic, psychological, neurologic, and immunological mechanisms by which oppressive social structures and the toxic culture of "hypermaterialist, consumerist capitalism" (p. 198) become manifest as disease. [Extracted from the article]

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) has rarely been reported in combination with infiltrating glioma, historically interpreted as a “collision tumor.” Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and BRAFV600E mutations are usually not concurrent. The former is typical of adult infiltrating gliomas, and the latter is identified in a variety of primary central nervous system neoplasms, including PXA, ganglioglioma, pilocytic astrocytoma, and rarely infiltrating gliomas. We report the case of a 56-year-old man presenting with seizures and headaches. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a large right temporal lobe mass with low T1 and high T2/FLAIR signal and a discrete contrast-enhancing focus. Histologically, the tumor showed 2 distinct components: an infiltrating astrocytoma harboring 5 mitoses/10 high-power fields and a relatively circumscribed focus, resembling PXA with, at most, 2 mitoses/10 high-power fields. No microvascular proliferation or necrosis was present in either component. The infiltrating astrocytoma component contained numerous axons, whereas the PXA-like component had sparse axons, as demonstrated by the neurofilament immunostain. Both components were positive for the mutant IDH1R132H and showed loss of ATRX expression, whereas BRAFV600E was restricted to the PXA-like component. On sequencing of the 2 components separately after microdissection, both showed identical IDH1R132H and TP53R273C point mutations, whereas the BRAFV600E mutation was limited to the PXA-like component. These findings are consistent with clonal expansion of a morphologically distinct focus, harboring a private BRAFV600E mutation within an IDH1-mutant glioma. Intratumoral heterogeneity and clonal evolution, as seems to have occurred here, suggest reevaluation of “collision tumors” as a concept.

Having assumed office on June 30, 2022, the Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr./Sara Duterte administration is not wasting any time in continuing the de facto martial law regime of Rodrigo Duterte. Readers recognize Walden Bello as a regular contributor to CounterPunch. [Extracted from the article]

AbstractThe extreme weather events that the world is experiencing are consistent with the effects of anthropogenic climate change. The western North Pacific is the area of the world with the most intense tropical cyclones. Increased sea surface temperatures directly contribute to the wind speed of storms. The 2013 Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan was the strongest tropical cyclone in recorded history to make landfall—causing more than 6000 deaths in the Philippines, mostly from storm surge. This event represents a climate injustice. On one hand, disaster prevention and preparedness were inadequate for impoverished populations in the Philippines who lived in poorly constructed housing. While the international community assisted with the response, recovery was hampered by inadequate and inequitable investment. On the other hand, climate change has been driven by the carbon emissions of industrialized states. Those who call for climate justice argue for more robust measures to control carbon emissions responsible for climate change and worsening global health security. As global citizens and as health professionals, we examine the implications for all of us as moral actors. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness.2014;0:1-4)

A strange group of visitors are arriving in Hawai'i: 38 battleships, four submarines, more than 170 aircraft, nine national land forces, and some 25,000 personnel from more than two dozen countries. In contrast, on May 23, President Joe Biden vowed that the US would engage militarily if China were to invade Taiwan, despite the horrific cost of a war in the region. Less concerned about peace, international security, and human rights, and more motivated to strengthen its military dominance, the US's war posturings against China can be expected to escalate. [Extracted from the article]

Farmer refused to accept that HIV-AIDs could be treated only in wealthy, developed countries, and he concretely demonstrated that impoverished patients in resource-poor settings could also be treated successfully, an argument that he has made more recently for multi-drug resistant TB, Ebola, and even cancer. With the untimely, unbelievable, and unfair death of Paul Farmer, those dedicated to carrying out his charge to us have no better resource to which to refer than his books. [Extracted from the article]

After finishing her medical training, Dr. Maria Natividad "Naty" Castro left her home in Metro Manila to practice rural medicine. On February 18, 2022, the police broke down the doors of the Castro family home and arrested Dr. Castro. We demand that Dr. Castro be released immediately and be given medical attention by physicians of her choice. [Extracted from the article]

Fotofinish: Zink‐substituiertes Cytochrom b562(Zn‐cyt b562), das an einer Goldelektrode immobilisiert wurde, ist eine Photodiode vom n‐Typ, Zinkcytochrom c (Zn‐cyt c) dagegen ein Photoleiter vom p‐Typ (siehe Bild). DFT‐Rechnungen zeigen, dass die Bandlücken des Cytochroms deutlich kleiner sind als die kleiner Polypeptide. Die Halbleitereigenschaften dieser Proteine hängen von der Ladungsverteilung auf ihrer Moleküloberfläche ab.

Photo finish: Zinc‐substituted cytochrome b562(Zn‐cyt b562) immobilized on a gold electrode is an n‐type photodiode, whereas zinc‐cytochrome c (Zn‐cyt c) is a p‐type photoconductor (see picture). DFT calculations indicate that the cytochrome band gaps are much lower than those estimated for smaller polypeptides. The semiconductor properties of these proteins depend on the charge distribution on their molecular surfaces.

The article highlights the negative consequences of the U.S. military's actions on water infrastructure during warfare. It cites examples of dams being bombed in Korea and Iraq, resulting in the denial of clean water to civilians, and criticizes the U.S. Navy in Hawaii for contaminating the Southern Oʻahu Basal Aquifer with jet fuel or gasoline, causing health problems for residents and the closure of water sources.

Abstract: Background: Evidence-Based Medicine. Physicians who properly practise EBM use both individual clinical expertise and the best available external evidence—neither one to the exclusion of the other. This remains the modality of EBM however and, unfortunately, is rarely practised. Evidence-Based Public Health. Similar to EBM, EBPH too is often misunderstood to mean a direct application of the evidence. Such a dogmatic interpretation of this evidence can be seen as a manifestation of representationalism, the philosophic stance that some ways of looking at the world give a more privileged and unmediated view of reality than others. Methods and results: This commentary provides a critical perspective on the current use and misuse of EBPH. As EBM has been in usage longer than EBPH, we start with comments on EBM. Conclusion: A reconsideration of EBPH would admit that values cannot be expunged from our work; rather, they need to play a foundational role. We must draw upon other forms of knowing, such as the arts, in order to practice medicine and public health with attention to transcendent concerns such as morality and social justice.

To test the hypothesis that PBL is an effective method for preparing multidisciplinary learner groups at community health centers (CHCs) for pandemics, quantitative and qualitative methods were utilized to evaluate the conduct of a PBL case of a hypothetical outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) at two CHCs in Hawaii, with multidisciplinary health professional and student participants. It was found that: (1) there was an overall increase in knowledge of bioevent preparedness; (2) participants gave high ratings for the effectiveness of the PBL process; (3) participants found value in the multidisciplinary group process; and (4) participants strongly agreed that they preferred the PBL process to the traditional lecture format for learning about bioevent preparedness. The PBL approach is useful in educating community‐based health professionals from different disciplines about issues related to pandemic preparedness.

The present study produced an integrated thermocouple in order to gain an understanding of the heat transfer mechanism during baking. The thin film thermocouple was made by depositing copper‐nickel on a polyimide sheet base, and five hot junctions were arranged at regular intervals. Thermal electromotive force was proportional to the temperature difference between the reference and hot junctions. The study also used the integrated thermocouple to investigate heat transfer properties during baking that are equivalent to effective thermal conductivity, which include latent heat transport, water vapor diffusion, and heat conduction. The effective thermal conductivity crumbs increased according to the latent heat transportation effect caused by water vapor diffusion, and the thermal conductivity of crust was in agreement with its effective thermal conductivity value measured by the steady state parallel plate method. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 36(6): 373–385, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (). DOI 10.1002/htj.20165

Association between Cigarette Consumption and Proteinuria in Healthy Japanese Men and Women from an Occupational Population: Yuichi Yamada, et al.Department of Social and Environmental Medicine (Hygiene), Kanazawa Medical University—The association between cigarette consumption and prevalence of mild proteinuria (30–99 mg/dl of albumin) was analyzed in 11,569 male and 4,715 female workers aged 18–67 yr recruited from an occupational population. Proteinuria was found in 274 (2.4%) of the total male workers and in 50 (1.1%) of the total females. Stepwise logistic regression analyses showed that sex, suspected diabetes mellitus, blood pressure (BP) and Brinkman Index (BI) levels (0, 1–199, 200–499, 500–799, 800–) were significantly related to proteinuria, and that the odds ratio of each BI level for proteinuria was 1.11 (C.I.: 1.01–1.67). In the subjects aged 50 yr or older, after excluding those suspected of having hypertension and/ or diabetes mellitus, the odds ratio reached 1.37 (C.I.: 1.15–1.63), with the gender difference then no longer significant. The odds ratio for proteinuria was calculated as 5.44 (C.I.: 2.27–13.0) in male and female smokers having a BI of 500 or above and normal-high BP (130–139/85–89 mmHg) in comparison with nonsmokers having normal BP (<130/85 mmHg). These results suggest that heavy cigarette consumption represented by a BI of 500 or above is a risk factor of proteinuria even in healthy Japanese workers, particularly in those aged 50 yr or older and having normal-high BP.

Association between Cigarette Consumption and Proteinuria in Healthy Japanese Men and Women from an Occupational Population: Yuichi Yamada, et al.Department of Social and Environmental Medicine (Hygiene), Kanazawa Medical University—The association between cigarette consumption and prevalence of mild proteinuria (30–99 mg/dl of albumin) was analyzed in 11,569 male and 4,715 female workers aged 18–67 yr recruited from an occupational population. Proteinuria was found in 274 (2.4%) of the total male workers and in 50 (1.1%) of the total females. Stepwise logistic regression analyses showed that sex, suspected diabetes mellitus, blood pressure (BP) and Brinkman Index (BI) levels (0, 1–199, 200–499, 500–799, 800–) were significantly related to proteinuria, and that the odds ratio of each BI level for proteinuria was 1.11 (C.I.: 1.01–1.67). In the subjects aged 50 yr or older, after excluding those suspected of having hypertension and/ or diabetes mellitus, the odds ratio reached 1.37 (C.I.: 1.15–1.63), with the gender difference then no longer significant. The odds ratio for proteinuria was calculated as 5.44 (C.I.: 2.27–13.0) in male and female smokers having a BI of 500 or above and normal‐high BP (130–139/85–89 mmHg) in comparison with nonsmokers having normal BP (<130/85 mmHg). These results suggest that heavy cigarette consumption represented by a BI of 500 or above is a risk factor of proteinuria even in healthy Japanese workers, particularly in those aged 50 yr or older and having normal‐high BP.

Alcohol Consumption, Serum gamma‐Glutamyltransferase Levels, and Coronary Risk Factors in a Middle‐Aged Occupational Population: Yuichi Yamada, et al.Department of Hygiene, Kanazawa Medical University—The relationships between alcohol consumption, serum gamma‐glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels, and the prevalence of major coronary risk factors were analyzed crosssectionally in 2,399 male and 1,402 female middle‐aged workers, to clarify the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on the development of the metabolic syndrome. Male moderate drinkers, consuming less than 60 ml of alcohol per day, had a lower prevalence of upper body obesity and low serum HDL‐cholesterolemia (LHDLC) in comparison with nondrinkers, but not of hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance or hypertriglyceridemia (HTG). In women, alcohol consumption did not show any significant associations with the coronary risk factors. Men with an elevated serum GGT (EGGT) of 40 U/l or above had a significantly higher odds ratio for all the coronary risk factors as compared with those with normal GGT, even after adjusting for alcohol consumption, together with age, body mass index, cigarette consumption and physical activity. Women with an EGGT of 25 U/l or above had similar findings, although significance was found only in HTG. Nearly 80% and 55% of the appearance of EGGT in men and women were attributable to alcohol consumption, and 20% and 10% of the male and female moderate drinkers had EGGT. These results suggest that even moderate alcohol consumption will increase coronary risk factors characteristic of the metabolic syndrome in drinkers who have an increase in serum GGT. Further studies are required to confirm the causal association between alcohol consumption, increase in serum GGT and development of the metabolic syndrome.

Alcohol Consumption, Serum gamma-Glutamyltransferase Levels, and Coronary Risk Factors in a Middle-Aged Occupational Population: Yuichi Yamada, et al.Department of Hygiene, Kanazawa Medical University—The relationships between alcohol consumption, serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels, and the prevalence of major coronary risk factors were analyzed crosssectionally in 2,399 male and 1,402 female middle-aged workers, to clarify the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on the development of the metabolic syndrome. Male moderate drinkers, consuming less than 60 mlof alcohol per day, had a lower prevalence of upper body obesity and low serum HDL-cholesterolemia (LHDLC) in comparison with nondrinkers, but not of hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance or hypertriglyceridemia (HTG). In women, alcohol consumption did not show any significant associations with the coronary risk factors. Men with an elevated serum GGT (EGGT) of 40 U/lor above had a significantly higher odds ratio for all the coronary risk factors as compared with those with normal GGT, even after adjusting for alcohol consumption, together with age, body mass index, cigarette consumption and physical activity. Women with an EGGT of 25 U/lor above had similar findings, although significance was found only in HTG. Nearly 80% and 55% of the appearance of EGGT in men and women were attributable to alcohol consumption, and 20% and 10% of the male and female moderate drinkers had EGGT. These results suggest that even moderate alcohol consumption will increase coronary risk factors characteristic of the metabolic syndrome in drinkers who have an increase in serum GGT. Further studies are required to confirm the causal association between alcohol consumption, increase in serum GGT and development of the metabolic syndrome.

Nano sized crystalline particles/polymer hybrids were synthesized form designed metal-organic precursors. The newly developed method is composed of the synthesis of organic matrix by polymerization and the in situ nucleation and growth of crystalline oxide particles in the organic matrix below 100°C. The design of metal-organic precursor modified with polymerizable ligand and the selection of reaction conditions does influence the size and crystallinity of ceramic particles in organic matrix. The nano-sized magnetic particle/polymer hybrid exhibits the interesting feature of superparamagnetism and quantum size effect. The crystalline particles of BaTiO3/, PbTiO3/, and KNbO3/polymer hybrids behave to be dielectric and show the typical electro-rheological behavior.