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The author asserts that surrogacy practices would seem not to be an exception when one considers the practice in trade and human sacrifices made to gain an income. He reviews the ethical conditions for transnational gestational surrogacy in India, Japan and Thailand. He also evaluates the works on surrogacy by D. R. J. Macer in 1998, A. Banerjee in 201 and J.Kirby in 2014, as well as concludes that education of women is the best way to prevent exploitation.

This article presents a review of the literature, summarizes current initiatives, and provides a heuristic for assessing the effectiveness of a range of institutional review board (IRB) collaborative strategies that can reduce the regulatory burden of ethics review while ensuring protection of human subjects, with a particular focus on international research. Broad adoption of IRB collaborative strategies will reduce regulatory burdens posed by overlapping oversight mechanisms and has the potential to enhance human subjects protections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses existing tools to facilitate international review board (IRB) collaborations. It informs that U.S. IRBs primarily focus on 45CFR46 and 21CFR50/56 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), while international committees use the Declaration of Helsinki and Council for International Organizations of Medical Science (CIOMS) guidelines. It also elaborates on the Office of Human Research Protection (OHRP), IRBNet, and the International Compilation of Human Research Standards.

The article asserts that assessment of the tenets of successful collaboration in international review board (IRB) cannot be viewed narrowly as either global or local. It comments that the methodological demands of regulatory science must be aligned with the normative aspirations of bioethical scholarship. It also argues that normative implications grounded in political science and local politics must influence the design of a useful heuristic for assessing international collaboration mechanism.

The article reviews an article by Professor Jeffrey Kirby, which explored conditions under gestational surrogacy in developing countries such as India that may or may not be considered as exploitative. It asserts that the solutions proposed to render surrogacy non-exploitative should be considered from a broader perspective. It also argues that the development of transnational gestational surrogacy (TGS) practices might promote female empowerment more effectively than any government policy.

The article presents the author's rebuttal on the open peer commentaries on his target report on transnational gestational surrogacy (TGS) women exploitation. He comments on G. K. D. Crozier's human rights framework and agrees with S. Bassan's assessment. He also elaborates on the reviews offered by R. L. Fischbach and J. D. Loike, Y.-C. Su, and V. Panitch.

The article discusses the role of social networks in the recovery from alcohol and drug abuse by facilitating entry into treatment. It discusses the papers by Mowbary and colleagues and Stone and colleagues which explored the social links and social network characteristics of participants of National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) study and examined how social network characteristics of individuals in the recovery process change over time, respectively.

Background: While some argue that social network ties of individuals with alcohol use disorders (AUD) are robust, there is evidence to suggest that individuals with AUDs have few social network ties, which are a known risk factor for health and wellness. Objectives: Social network ties to friends, family, co-workers and communities of individuals are compared among individuals with a past-year diagnosis of alcohol dependence or alcohol abuse to individuals with no lifetime diagnosis of AUD. Method: Respondents from Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol Related Conditions (NESARC) were assessed for the presence of past-year alcohol dependence or past-year alcohol abuse, social network ties, sociodemographics and clinical characteristics. Results: Bivariate analyses showed that both social network size and social network diversity was significantly smaller among individuals with alcohol dependence, compared to individuals with alcohol abuse or no AUD. When social and clinical factors related to AUD status were controlled, multinomial logistic models showed that social network diversity remained a significant predictor of AUD status, while social network size did not differ among AUD groups. Conclusion: Social networks of individuals with AUD may be different than individuals with no AUD, but this claim is dependent on specific AUD diagnosis and how social networks are measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few studies have considered the retention of the individuals (alters) comprising the social networks of people in recovery. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe factors predicting whether alters were retained 6 months after participants completed treatment. Method: The Important Person Inventory was given to 270 ex-offenders (224 men, 46 women) transitioning from treatment to Oxford House residences, Safe Haven therapeutic communities, or to usual aftercare. A 6-month follow-up was completed by 176 participants (137 men, 39 women). Results: We found that alters who were related to the participant, did not use drugs, were embedded in smaller networks, and had more frequent contact with the participant were significantly more likely to be retained as important people over 6 months. The alters' drinking and criminal history were not significantly predictive of retention in the network. Conclusions: Certain characteristics of important people are related to their retention in a social network. Understanding these relationships and the extent to which the network change that occurs is aligned with abstinence-supporting networks is essential for creating effective social interventions for persons in recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drug and alcohol abuse among women is a growing problem in the United States. Drug treatment is an effective way to manage the psychological, biological, financial, and social cost of drug abuse. Prior research has identified criminal justice referrals or coercion as a predictor of treatment completion among men but questions remain about the same effect in women. Objectives: This study uses the Treatment Episodes Datasets Discharge 2006-2008 (TEDS-D) to explore the association between coercion and treatment completion among women. Methods: Analysis compared primary treatment episodes of coerced women to those who entered treatment voluntarily. A logistic model of the odds of treatment success was performed controlling for race/ethnicity, age, education, employment, primary substance of abuse, number of substances reported at admission, referral source, treatment setting, and treatment duration. Results: 582 671 primary treatment episodes were analyzed comparing women with coercion referrals ( n = 196 660) to those who entered treatment voluntarily ( n = 390 054). Results of multivariable logistic modeling showed that coerced women had better odds of completion or transfer than women who entered voluntarily. However, this association was modified by treatment setting with better odds in ambulatory (OR = 1.49 [1.47, 1.51]) than in inpatient (OR = 1.06 [1.03, 1.10]) and worst outcomes in detoxification (OR = 0.89 [0.84, 0.96]). Conclusion: These results dispute the broad effectiveness of legal mandates across all drug treatment settings among women. They show the need for further recognition of female-specific characteristics that can affect motivation and treatment success to better inform healthcare and judicial policies on drug treatment services for women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Employment has been identified as an important part of substance abuse treatment and is a predictor of treatment retention, treatment completion, and decreased relapse. Although employment interventions have been designed for substance abusers, few interventions have focused specifically on drug-involved offenders. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine employment outcomes for drug-involved offenders who received a tailored employment intervention. Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, baseline and follow-up data were collected from 500 drug-involved offenders who were enrolled in a drug court program. Participants were randomly assigned to drug court as usual (control group) or to the employment intervention in addition to drug court. Results: Intent-to-treat analyses found that the tailored intervention was associated only with more days of paid employment at follow-up (210.1 vs. 199.9 days). When focusing on those with greater employment assistance needs, a work trajectory analyses, which took into account participants' pre-baseline employment pattern (negative or positive), revealed that intervention group participants had higher rates of employment (82.1% vs. 64.1%), more days paid for employment (188.9 vs. 157.0 days), and more employment income ($8623 vs. $6888) at follow-up than control group participants. Conclusion: The present study adds to the growing substance abuse and employment literature. It demonstrates the efficacy of an innovative employment intervention tailored for drug-involved offenders by showing positive changes in 12-month employment outcomes, most strongly for those who have not had recent employment success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stigma has been suggested as a possible contributor to the high rates of treatment attrition in substance-dependent individuals, but no published empirical studies have examined this association. Objectives: The present paper assessed the relationship between baseline stigma variables and length of treatment stay in a sample of patients in a residential addictions treatment unit. Methods: The relationship between baseline stigma variables (self-stigma, enacted stigma, and shame) and length of stay for participants ( n = 103) in a residential addictions treatment unit was examined. Results: Higher self-stigma predicted longer stay in residential addictions treatment, even after controlling for age, marital status, race, overall mental health, social support, enacted stigma, and internalized shame. However, other stigma variables (i.e. internalized shame, stigma-related rejection) did not reliably predict length of treatment stay. Conclusion: These results are consistent with other findings suggesting that people with higher self-stigma may have a lowered sense of self-efficacy and heightened fear of being stigmatized and therefore retreat into more protected settings such as residential treatment, potentially resulting in higher treatment costs. Specialized clinical interventions may be necessary to help participants cope with reduced self-efficacy and fear of being stigmatized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The study objective was to use latent class analyses (LCAs) to identify gender- and racial/ethnic-specific groups of adolescent alcohol users and associations between alcohol use group and adolescent and adulthood illicit drug use in a nationally-representative US sample. Methods: We used Wave I (1994-1995, adolescence) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to conduct LCAs by gender and race/ethnicity and measure associations between class membership and Wave I and Wave III (2001-2002, young adulthood) drug use. Participants included white ( n = 9548), African American ( n = 4005) and Hispanic ( n = 3184) participants. LCAs were based on quantity and frequency of adolescent alcohol use; physiological and social consequences of use; and peer use. Results: Males and females were characterized by different alcohol use typologies and consequences. Males in the highest severity class (i.e. drank both heavily and frequently) experienced disproportionate risk of alcohol-related consequences compared with abstainers and other alcohol-using groups. Females who drank heavily when drinking even if only occasionally, experienced high risk of alcohol-related consequences. Substantial proportions of males reported diverse alcohol-related problems, whereas females most commonly reported alcohol-related problems with dating and sexual experiences. Though levels of alcohol use and report of problems associated with use were higher among white versus minority populations, other racial/ethnic differences in patterns of alcohol use were minimal. Classification in any drinking class was a strong risk factor for adolescent and adulthood illicit drug use, with heavy drinkers at greatest risk of drug use. Conclusions: Gender-specific adolescent alcohol and substance use prevention programs are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stress is a well-documented factor in the development of addiction. However, no longitudinal studies to date have assessed the role of stress in mediating the development of substance use disorders (SUD). Our previous results have demonstrated that a measure called Transmissible Liability Index (TLI) assessed during pre-adolescent years serves as a significant predictor of risk for substance use disorder among young adults. However, it remains unclear whether life stress mediates the relationship between TLI and SUD, or whether stress predicts SUD. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study involving 191 male subjects to assess whether life stress mediates the relationship between TLI as assessed at age 10-12 and subsequent development of SUD at age 22, after controlling for other relevant factors. Results: Logistic regression demonstrated that the development of SUD at age 22 was associated with stress at age 19. A path analysis demonstrated that stress at age 19 significantly predicted SUD at age 22. However, stress did not mediate the relationship between the TLI assessed at age 10-12 and SUD in young adulthood. Conclusions and scientific significance: These findings confirm that stress plays a role in the development of SUD, but also shows that stress does not mediate the development of SUD. Further studies are warranted to clarify the role of stress in the etiology of SUD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Empirical work has documented a robust and consistent relation between panic attacks and smoking behavior. Theoretical models posit smokers with panic attacks may rely on smoking to help them manage chronically elevated negative affect due to uncomfortable bodily states, which may explain higher levels of nicotine dependence and quit problems. Methods: The current study examined the effects of panic attack history on nicotine dependence, perceived barriers for quitting, smoking inflexibility when emotionally distressed, and expired carbon monoxide among 461 treatment-seeking smokers. A multiple mediator path model was evaluated to examine the indirect effects of negative affect and negative affect reduction motives as mediators of the panic attack-smoking relations. Results: Panic attack history was indirectly related to greater levels of nicotine dependence ( b = 0.039, CI95% = 0.008, 0.097), perceived barriers to smoking cessation ( b = 0.195, CI95% = 0.043, 0.479), smoking inflexibility/avoidance when emotionally distressed ( b = 0.188, CI95% = 0.041, 0.445), and higher levels of expired carbon monoxide ( b = 0.071, CI95% = 0.010, 0.230) through the sequential effects of negative affect and negative affect smoking motives. Conclusions: The present results provide empirical support for the sequential mediating role of negative affect and smoking motives for negative affect reduction in the relation between panic attacks and a variety of smoking variables in treatment-seeking smokers. These mediating variables are likely important processes to address in smoking cessation treatment, especially in panic-vulnerable smokers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The activity of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor, which responds to the levels of polyamines, modifies the neurotoxicity caused by ethanol. We aimed to investigate if the functionality of the spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase (SSAT1) gene could be associated with a differential risk for alcoholism. Methods: We studied a sample of 586 subjects: 104 alcohol-dependent patients, 273 patients with psychiatric disorders but without substance dependence, and 209 healthy controls. After gender stratification, the allele frequency distribution of the SSAT1 gene was compared between these three groups. Results: In females, the TC genotype was significantly more frequent in alcohol-dependent patients than in non-alcohol-dependent psychiatric controls (χ2 = 7.509 df = 2, p = 0.023). A trend was found when alcohol-dependent females were compared with the healthy control group (χ2 = 4.897 df = 2, p = 0.086). No statistical differences were found among the males. Discussion and conclusion: Gender differences in the regulation of SSAT1 gene expression may possibly be due to gender-specific effects of stress, ethanol toxicity, and/or polyamines levels. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Activation of Kv7 potassium channels may decrease the reactivity of mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons that are implicated in mediating the reinforcing effects of ethanol. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine whether the administration of the Kv7 potassium channel opener retigabine would decrease ethanol intake in Long Evans rats. Methods: A limited access two-bottle choice model of alcohol (10% solution) consumption was used in this study. A separate group of animals was tested to evaluate the actions of retigabine on sucrose (5% solution) consumption to determine whether this drug might produce non-selective impairment of the ability of rats to drink liquids. Animals were treated with either vehicle or increasing doses (2.5-7.5 mg/kg SC) of retigabine administered over a 3-day period. Results: Compared to vehicle, retigabine at a dose of 7.5 mg/kg produced a reduction in the amount of ethanol consumed. These effects did not occur in association with significant changes in water consumption. A significant time effect was found for the actions of retigabine in sucrose-drinking rats with a trend for an increase in sucrose intake with the highest dose of retigabine administered. Conclusions: These results indicate that the administration of retigabine may produce a decrease in ethanol consumption by rats at doses that do not significantly reduce the drinking of either water or a sucrose solution. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that activation of Kv7 channels facilitates the reduction of alcohol consumption in the rat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Young drivers represent a disproportionate number of the individuals involved in alcohol-impaired driving. Although there is a known association between drinking and alcohol-impaired driving in young drivers, the link between early onset drinking and early onset alcohol-impaired driving has not been explored. Objectives: The present study aimed to assess this link along with potentially confounding factors. Methods: The assessment used a proportional hazards model with data collected from the Buffalo Longitudinal Study of Young Men, a population-based sample of 625 males at aged 16-19. Results: Controlling for the effects of potentially relevant confounds, the early onset of drinking was the most influential factor in predicting the early onset of alcohol-impaired driving. Race and the early onset of other forms of delinquency also played a significant role in the early onset of alcohol-impaired driving. Conclusion: Preventing an early start of drinking among adolescents may be the most critical factor to address in preventing an early start of alcohol-impaired driving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many experiencing the recent “great recession” in the United States have faced unemployment and economic difficulties. Yet sparse literature regarding how to be of assistance in working with clientele facing such issues exists. In this qualitative study, data from 16 marriage and family therapy trainees regarding their perceptions after participating in a “Counseling the Unemployed” program was attained. From the participants’ experiences, four themes emerged, which included: common presenting problems, differences in clinical work with those employed versus those experiencing unemployment, helpful therapeutic experiences when working with unemployed clientele, and some of the unhelpful components in counseling the unemployed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article, we explore attachment perspectives of romantic relationships and intimate partner commitments. We then present four challenges faced by individuals who are in a relationship where an expressed problem is the lack of a formal commitment. The four challenges that we address are (a) lack of recognition for the relationship, (b) cultural/religious pressures, (c) not being financially ready for a formal commitment, and (d) differences in what a formal commitment means. We then provide real-life examples of four people struggling with formal commitment, and we conclude with clinical implications of this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The role of social support is an important factor in building resilience within families. While robust definitions of social support exist, few assessments parallel these conceptual frameworks. This study tested the psychometric properties of one commonly used measure of social support (SSI) with 651 low income families through a local public housing program. Results of this study show that the SSI can approach a more robust assessment of social support when the measure is used as a multi-dimensional tool. Conclusions offer a subscale scoring system for this assessment which can be used in both research and clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article, author discusses the problems during unknotting a knot diagram when its unknotted. A knot is described as an embedding of a circle into three dimensional space. It informs about the work of Dynnikov, who is considered as the discoverer of uses of arc presentations for solving the problems for determining the unknot directly from a diagram of knot.

The article presents the geometric representation of real and complex continued fractions. It discusses several facts which includes chains of horocycles and horospheres in hyperbolic space, explanation of representation by using the isometric action of the group of Möbius transformations on hyperbolic space and proof of a classical theorem on continued fractions.

The article offers information on the manipulations made by many mathematicians with set theory and describes the concept of the axioms of set theory. It discusses several facts which includes axiomatization due to F. William Lawvere, traditional axiomatization of sets is known as Zermelo-Fraenkel with Choice and framework for ZFC.

The article offers information on several theorem which investigates the process of determining the integer k for any base ten digit d in order to find a composite number. It also talks about various theorems including theorem on infinitely many positive integers k with set group, theorem on finding an integer that remains composite integer and theorem on the existence of pandigit seed.

In this article, author discusses the interpretation of a general scheme for evaluation of Wallis-type infinite products by using Pólya Urn models. It discusses several facts which includes examples of Wallis type products, converging infinite products of fractions and evaluation by means of the gamma function in terms of powers of pi.

The article offers information on the elementary proof of Booker's result which shows omission of infinitely many primes from second sequence which was neglected by the Euclid. It discusses several facts which includes consideration of infinite sequence of distinct prime numbers, first and second Euclid-Mullin sequences and preliminaries on the distribution of squares and non-squares modulo a prime.

The article presents a solution for the tangency property of the parbelos, a parabolic analog of arbelos with the help of Lambert's theorem on the parabola. It also describes several new properties of parabola. It mentions the aim of the paper which includes a detailed proof of property of parbelos asked by Jonathan Sondow, mathematician.

The article presents a derivation that proves the generalization of Banach's Theorem of mapping by considering Cantor-Schroeder-Bernstein theorem and Knaster-Tarski theorem.

In this article, author argues on the exponential bound on the probability of large deviation for sampling without replacement. It mentions a special case which describes relationship between the binomial and hypergeometric distributions. It discusses several facts which includes consideration of probability generating function, direct manipulation of simple expressions and direct manipulations of the binomial coefficients.

In this article author discusses facts regarding several articles which includes "Yet a Simpler Proof of the Chain Rule," by Haryono Tandra, "Introductory Complex Analysis ", by Richard A. Silverman and "Pi Day is Upon Us Again and We Still Do Not Know if Pi is Normal," by David Bailey and Jon Borwein. It also presents a correction to the article, "It's First Fifty Years" that was published in the March 2014 issue.

A response from the authors of the article "A Repeated Grammatical Error Does Not Make it Right" in the 2013 issue is presented.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Closed Sequential and Multistage Inference on Binary Responses With or Without Replacement," by I. Ignatova, R. C. Deutsch, and D. Edwards in the 2012 issue.

As increasing numbers of people worldwide are using traditional Chinese medicines, their characterization has become increasingly critical. This study describes the development of a facile and reproducible high-performance liquid chromatography-based method to obtain the fingerprint of the traditional Chinese medicine Yuhuanglian. First, similarity analysis and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were investigated to interpret differences in the chromatograms of samples from different groups. Seven fingerprint peaks were identified by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS), including magnolforine, coptisine, berberin, epiberberin, dehydroevodiamine, 12α-hydroxylimonin, and 12α-hydroxyevodol. The established fingerprint method was then applied to the analysis of Evodiae Fructus, Coptis Rhizoma, Yuhuanglian, and analogs of Yuhuanglian, which reflected their chemical constituent properties. The proposed method provides a technical platform for the characterization of Yuhuanglian, which will ensure the safe and effective use of this traditional Chinese medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A novel electrochemical sensor for bisphenol A was developed through the combination of a molecular imprinting technique with a multiwalled carbon nanotube paste electrode. A molecularly imprinted polymer and nonimprinted polymer were synthesized in the presence and absence of bisphenol A, and then used to prepare the electrode. The bisphenol A imprinted polymer was applied as a selective recognition element in the electrochemical sensor. Differential pulse voltammetry was used to characterize the electrochemical behavior of bisphenol A at the modified electrodes. The results showed that the imprinted sensor had highest response for bisphenol A. Parameters including the carbon paste composition, pH, and adsorption time for the imprinted sensor were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the differential pulse voltammetry peak current was linear with the concentration of bisphenol A from 0.08 to 100.0 µM, with a detection limit of 0.022 µM. The imprinted sensor for bisphenol A exhibited good selectivity, stability, and reproducibility. This sensor was successfully used for the determination of bisphenol A in real water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A surface molecular imprinting technique was used to prepare a novel molecularly imprinted polymer using urea as the template molecule, chitosan as the functional matrix, epichlorohydrin as the cross-linker, and formaldehyde as the amino-protecting agent. Infrared analysis of the polymer confirmed that urea was successfully imprinted on cross-linked chitosan. On the basis of a single-factor test, Box–Behnken central composite experimental design and response surface methodology were used to optimize the preparation conditions. The optimum preparation conditions included 0.05 mL of acetic acid, 0.79 g of urea, a pre-polymerization time of 2.41 h, 1.63 mL of epichlorohydrin, and 0.6 g of chitosan. The predicted maximum adsorption capacity of urea (9.53 mg/g) was consistent with the experimental value (9.61 ± 0.16 mg/g), which confirmed the accuracy of the response surface method to optimize the preparation conditions of molecularly imprinted polymer. The recycling rate of the molecularly imprinted polymers was up to 84.6%. The molecularly imprinted polymer was used to adsorb urea from a serum sample. The adsorption efficiency had a maximum value of 54.51%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The trend of escalating obesity has prompted some armed forces to employ comprehensive health surveys to report obesity trends and prevalence, the findings of which suggest that obesity is a growing concern in these specific populations. Aim: To provide an appraisal of obesity prevalence and risk to obesity-related diseases in the British Army in relation to age, gender, military rank and employment. Subjects and method: An observational cohort study ( n = 50 635) consisting of 47 173 men and 3462 women was drawn from a study sample hosted on the Fitness Information Software System (FISS) ( n = 54 854). Multiple logistic regression techniques were employed separately for men and women. Results: According to BMI, 56.7% of the study population were overweight and of those individuals 12% were obese. Whilst a higher percentage of males were obese (12.2% and 8.6%, respectively), when waist circumference data were added to the BMI data, the results indicate that females displayed a higher percentage of risk to obesity-related diseases than males (30.4% and 24%, respectively). Conclusions: Armed service personnel should be made aware of the implications of obesity in regards to health and occupation. Specific focus should be given to those older individuals employed in managerial positions undertaking low levels of occupational physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To examine the change in Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) among primary and secondary school students aged 7-18 in Anhui Province between 2005-2010. Subjects and methods: A total of 15 812 primary and secondary school students aged 7-18 were included in two national surveys on students' constitution and health in 2005 and 2010 in Anhui Province. Measurements of height, weight and WC were taken by trained investigators. BMI was calculated for each subject. Results: The mean BMI and WC were significantly increased from 2005 to 2010. For boys, mean increases were 0.85 kg/m2 and 2.01 cm or 0.08 and 0.34 SD score units, while for girls those were 0.39 kg/m2 and 2.10 cm or 0.20 and 0.39 SD score units (all p < 0.001). The standard deviation scores for WC increased much more than for BMI (0.34 units vs 0.08 units for boys and 0.39 units vs 0.20 units for girls). Conclusions: The average value of BMI and WC among primary and secondary school students has increased dramatically from 2005 to 2010 in Anhui, China. Changes in WC have greatly exceeded those in BMI, showing that WC is a good proxy for central fatness rather than BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies of the process of human mate selection and attractiveness have assumed that selection favours morphological features that correlate with (genetic) quality. Degree of masculinity/femininity and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) may signal (genetic) quality, but what information they harboured and how they relate to fitness is still debated. Aim: To study strength of associations between facial masculinity/femininity, facial FA, attractiveness and physical strength in humans. Subjects and methods: Two-hundred young males and females were studied by measuring facial asymmetry and masculinity on the basis of frontal photographs. Attractiveness was determined on the basis of scores given by an anonymous panel, and physical strength using hand grip strength. Results: Patterns differed markedly between males and females and analysis method used (univariate vs multivariate). Overall, no associations between FA and attractiveness, masculinity and physical strength were found. In females, but not males, masculinity and attractiveness correlated negatively and masculinity and physical strength correlated positively. Conclusion: Further research into the differences between males and females in associations between facial morphology, attractiveness and physical strength is clearly needed. The use of a multivariate approach can increase our understanding of which regions of the face harbour specific information of hormone levels and perhaps behavioural traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is a multifactorial disorder due to the complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Liver X receptor alpha (LXR α), encoded by the gene NR1H3, is involved in lipoprotein metabolism and its genetic variations may also play a role in the aetiology of obesity. Aim: To assess the association of two NR1H3 polymorphisms (rs11039155 and rs2279238) and their haplotypes with obesity in an Iranian population. Subjects and methods: A total of 447 unrelated subjects (including 206 overweight, 162 obese and 79 controls) were enrolled in the study and were genotyped by TaqMan assay using DNA from peripheral blood. The association of these two LXR α polymorphisms with the presence of obesity and overweight was assessed. Results: There was no significant association between the two SNPs and obesity, even after adjustment for age and sex. By logistic regression using a dominant model, the odds ratios for obesity were: 1.32 (0.85-2.74) for rs11039155 and 0.77 (0.30--1.99) for rs2279238. Haplotype analyses identified three common haplotypes GC, GT and AC with frequency greater than 1%, but none of the haplotypes was associated with the risk of obesity. Conclusions: This study revealed that there was no significant association between LXR α polymorphisms and the presence of obesity in an Iranian population and suggests that these two SNPs are not major contributors to obesity risk in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Although psychological stress has been implicated as a cause of idiopathic infertility in both men and women, it has received little scientific attention among males as compared to females. The aim of the study was to examine the association between occupational, life stress, family functioning and semen quality. Methods and results: The study population consisted of 327 men who were attending an infertility clinic for diagnostic purposes. Psychological stress was assessed based on two questionnaires: The Subjective Work Characteristics Questionnaire and the Perceived Stress Scale. The level of satisfaction with family functioning and support was evaluated by means of the APGAR Family Scale. The findings suggest that, on the one hand, exposure to occupational stressors can be negatively associated with semen quality (there was a positive association between stress and the percentage of sperm with DNA damage ( p = 0.03) and atypical sperm ( p = 0.05)); on the other hand, there was no correlation between the level of life stress and semen quality indicators. Negative associations were found between satisfaction with family functioning and the percentage of motile sperm cells ( p = 0.02), VAP ( p = 0.05), VSL ( p = 0.05) and VCL ( p = 0.04). Conclusion: The study indicates that occupational stress can affect male semen quality; however, due to limited data on this issue, the obtained results should be confirmed in longitudinal studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The negative health consequences of childhood overweight/obesity (OW/OB) are well known. Therefore, an accurate monitoring of the OW/OB prevalence is essential. Anthropometry is the most practical and cost-effective method for nutritional status evaluation. Aim: To describe trends in the nutritional status among 7-10-year-old children by investigating changes in the prevalence of stunting, thinness, overweight, obesity, risk and excess abdominal adiposity, and to study changes in height-for-age, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Subjects and methods: A school-based sample of 7-10-year-old children participated in two cross-sectional studies in 2002 ( n = 2936) and 2007 ( n = 1232) in Florianopolis, southern Brazil. Prevalence of stunting, risk and excess abdominal adiposity and changes in the distribution of height-for-age, BMI-for-age, WC-for-age z-scores were evaluated. Three BMI-based references were used to define the prevalence of thinness, overweight and obesity. Results: Between 2002-2007, the prevalence of stunting, thinness, obesity and excess abdominal adiposity remained stable, whereas overweight (including obesity) increased 10-23% in boys and 18-21% in girls, depending on the BMI reference used. The risk of abdominal adiposity increased in boys, but not in girls. No significant change was observed in mean height, BMI, WC-for-age z-scores. Conclusions: This study identified a potential levelling off in the prevalence of obesity and excess abdominal adiposity, but a continuing increase in the prevalence of overweight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Significant political changes-accompanied by economic changes and social restratification-occurred in Eastern and Central European countries in the 1990s. The main purposes of this study were to assess how prevalence of overweight and obese children changed in Hungary during this transitional period; and to compare the prevalence data of childhood overweight in Central and Eastern European countries, where a similar political and socioeconomic environment existed before the transition and similar changes occurred during the transitional period. Subjects and methods: Representative samples from the first (1983-1986) and second (2003-2006) Hungarian growth studies were used to assess the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in Hungary. The most frequently used indicators of social welfare were used to estimate economic and health status as well as nutritional supply in the transition countries, while data on prevalence of childhood overweight in the studied countries were collected by a search of epidemiological surveys from the region. Results and conclusion: Frequency of overweight and obese children in Hungary increased between the 1980s and the beginning of the 2000s. Prevalence of childhood overweight was very similar in those Central and Eastern European countries where economic, nutritional or health indicators of general welfare were at a similar level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) has increased in youth, the potential independent contribution of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) to the clustering of metabolic risk factors has received relatively little attention. Aim: This study evaluated associations between the clustering of metabolic risk factors and CRF in a sample of youth. Subjects and methods: Height, weight, BMI, fasting glucose, insulin, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressures were measured in a cross-sectional sample of 924 youth (402 males, 522 females) of 11-17 years. CRF was assessed using the 20-metre shuttle run test. Physical activity (PA) was measured with a 3-day diary. Outcome variables were statistically normalized and expressed as Z-scores. A MetS risk score was computed as the mean of the Z-scores. Multiple linear regression was used to test associations between CRF and metabolic risk, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, PA and parental education. Results: CRF was inversely associated with MetS after adjustment for potential confounders. After adjusting for BMI, the relationship between CRF and metabolic risk has substantially improved. Conclusion: CRF was independently associated with the clustering of metabolic risk factors in youth of 11-17 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the notice of concern issued by the journal regarding its investigation of article that was published in 2011 in a Chinese language.

To elucidate the mechanisms related to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and other degenerative diseases at a molecular level, a better understanding of the changes in the chromatin structure and the corresponding functional changes in molecular pathways is still needed. For example, persons with low birth weight are at a high risk for development of T2D later in life, suggesting that the intrauterine environment contributes to the disease. One of the hypotheses is that epigenetic regulation, including changes in DNA methylation leading to modifications in chromatin structure, are behind metabolic alterations, e.g. leading to the phenomenon termed metabolic memory. Altered DNA methylation has been shown to affect healthy aging and also to promote age-related health problems. There is suggestive evidence that lifestyle changes including weight loss can have an impact on DNA methylation and consequently gene expression. In this review we provide an overview of human studies investigating DNA methylation in obesity and T2D and associated risk factors behind these diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia is an incurable chronic disease, characterized by clonal expansion of cytotoxic T- or NK-cells in blood and bone marrow. Cytopenias (anemia, neutropenia) and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis are the most common clinical manifestations of LGL leukemia. Recently, somatic activating STAT3 gene mutations were shown to be specific for LGL leukemia with a prevalence of up to 70%. Analogous mutations in the STAT5b gene were seen in a smaller proportion of patients. These gain-of-function mutations are located in the SH2 domain of STAT3 and affect the phosphotyrosine-SH2 interaction required for dimerization of STAT3. The mutations increase the phosphorylation of STAT3 and STAT5b and enhance the transcriptional activity of the mutated proteins. STAT3 and STAT5b mutations can be used as molecular markers for LGL leukemia diagnostics, and they present novel therapeutic targets for STAT3 and STAT5b inhibitors, which currently are in development for treatment of cancer and autoimmune disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Annals of the Association of American Geographers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Annals of the Association of American Geographers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)