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This chapter discusses that the rise of the so-called gender gap in the 1980s represented such a "broken contract" for women in America, since the growth of a distinctive women's perspective on political issues arose, essentially, because the polity failed to respond to several basic needs facing different types of women in modern society. Several sets of social forces are generally credited with producing the gender gap in ideology and partisanship. Once again, the enduring nature of the gender gap indicates that it taps some basic value and role differences between men and women in American society. The contention that feminism and/or self-interest explain at least part of the widening gender gap is based on the assumption that social change led to a shift in the attitudes of certain types of women. The gender gap in voting and partisan affiliation seemingly reflected important changes in the way men and women viewed the central issues in American politics.

Background: Oxygen (O2) is a mainstay of treatment in acute severe asthma. While there are physiological reasons why O2 should be warmed and humidified, how O2 is administered in the UK and Europe varies widely. Aim: To examine whether a trial comparing different humidified O2 to standard O2 is feasible, and specifically obtain data on accrual, adherence and outcome measure stability. Methods: Children 2-16yrs attending AE 23, 6-16yrs) recruited at 4 sites. See Table for results; all data are mean (95%CI). ASS decreased in all three groups similarly following randomisation. Conclusions: This is the first RCT to compare humidified and standard O2 therapy in acute severe asthma in children. With the caveat that these are pilot data, children treated with heated humidified O2 received more nebulised treatment and were more likely to have their treatment escalated. These findings and accompanying screening data will inform a future definitive clinical trial.

Social work students have few guidelines to help them evaluate the implication of their posted information on Internet-based social networking sites (SNSs). There is a national trend among employer...

Mouse cerebellar development occurs at late embryonic stages and through the first few weeks of postnatal life. Hormones such as 17-beta-estradiol (E2) have been implicated in cerebellar development, through the expression of E2 receptors (ER). However, the role of E2 in the development and function of cerebellar neurons has yet to be fully elucidated. To gain insight into E2's actions on the developing cerebellum, we characterized a cloned neuronal cell line, E(t)C.1, derived from late embryonic cerebellum for its neural properties and responsiveness to E2. Our results revealed that E(t)C.1 cells express markers characteristic of neural progenitor cells such as Nestin, Musashi, and Doublecortin (DCX), and of the granule cell lineage such as Math1 and Zipro1. The ER alpha and beta (ERalpha and ERbeta) were also identified in this cell line. Functionality of ERs was verified using an Estrogen Response Element (ERE)-Luciferase reporter plasmid. E2 modulated ERalpha, FMRP, and IL-6, which were expressed in these cells. However, E2 did not induce changes in neural proteins nor induce maturation of E(t)C.1 cells. CREB and ERK(1/2) protein kinases were not modulated by E2 either. Interestingly, E(t)C.1 expressed active p450 Aromatase (P450arom), which was confirmed by the aromatization of androstenedione (AD) to E2 and other estrogen metabolites. Collectively, our results show that the E(t)C.1 cell line may serve as a model to study early development of cerebellar progenitor granule cells, and their responsiveness to E2.

T h e E a r ly Ye a r s o f t h e a h s s To u r s ( J a n e t C l a r k ) Fifty years of the ahss? The weekend Tours have been running for at least half of these years. My first one as Organiser was in 1984, and before that they had been operated by Evelyn Macaulay jointly with eafas. My last was to North West Ulster in 1996, so for 13 years they were pretty prominent in my life. In 1984 the tour to ‘Strathmore and the Mearns’ was for the Forth & Borders Group of the Scottish Georgian Society. By 1985 we were the ‘Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland’ but the Tour was still ‘Forth & Borders Group’. After 1990, it became the ahss National Tour. But all this was academic; the process of planning and organising remained much the same. Over the years I’ve forgotten much of the detail, but looking at the old notes brings back very vividly many of the best and worst moments. On the coach on the return journey, we’d start by asking people where they’d like to go next year. Some suggestions were more realistic than others, but over the years we covered the country pretty well. Having settled on the location, we’d have a recovery period over the summer and then start brainstorming. List every conceivable building – the RCAHMS was, and continues to be, the prime source of information; identify the owners – this was easier in the days of the Valuation Roll; write and sound them out. Offer to come and visit them in the autumn, playing down the fact that a coach-load of 45 people would follow in the spring. Most owners were very welcoming at this stage, and the ‘Recce Tours’ were great fun. I’m sure they still are. A huge amount can be packed into three days by a few people in a car, coffee and tea flow freely even if real meals are a bit scarce, hundreds of miles are covered, often late into the night, ideas and plans are bounced around, and the fun of meeting all these new people, explaining our mission and being so warmly welcomed is tremendous. You get to see many buildings never open to the public; this curiosity is one of the main attractions for people booking the Tours. At the same time you have to note mileages, estimate times for a coach, watch out for tight corners and narrow bridges. ‘How wide is a coach? We’ll measure the gateway with my belt.’ The travel can be hair-raising – coaxing the car back to life in a snowstorm on Drumochter – or truly magical – the perfect calm and luminous light on the ferry to Shapinsay. Back to reality and formulate an itinerary. Rule out the ridiculously impractical – ‘It’s definitely not worth going all that way just to see two pieces of pottery’; if possible establish a linking thread; be realistic about how long it takes to get 45 people on and off a coach; know the

Objectives To determine the prevalence, diagnostic patterns, and management of prostatitis, interstitial cystitis, and epididymitis (PIE) in Canadian urology outpatient practice. Methods Representative urologists were randomly selected from the Canadian and Quebec Urological Associations. Each patient identified with a PIE diagnosis during a typical 2-consecutive-week period during April 2004 to July 2004 was requested to complete a corresponding Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (CPSI), O’Leary-Sant Symptom Index (OSSI), or a Chronic Epididymitis Symptom Index (CESI). Each day the participant urologist completed an outpatient log and a detailed programmed chart review to transcribe demographics, investigations, and treatments associated with each PIE patient. Results Sixty-five urologists were invited to participate. Fifty-seven (88%) agreed, and 48 (74%) completed the audit. Of the 8712 patients seen in outpatient practice (average 182 per urologist), 2675 were female and 6037 male. Prostatitis was identified in 2.7% of the men (n = 166; mean age 50 years; mean duration 3.1 years; mean CPSI score 19.7), interstitial cystitis in 2.8% of patients (n = 242; 211 women [7.9%], 26 men [0.4%]; mean age 50.2 years, mean duration 4.5 years, mean OSSI score 11.8), and epididymitis in 0.9% of men (n = 57; mean age 41.1 years, mean duration 2.5 years, mean CESI score 15.5). There was wide variance in investigations and treatments. Conclusions This prospective audit indicates that prostatitis might not be as common as frequently believed and that interstitial cystitis is more common, and it represents the first estimate of the prevalence of epididymitis in urologic practice. The wide variance in investigations and treatments confirms the need for practice management guidelines.

Purpose:: We determined the effect of a best evidence based monotherapeutic strategy for patients diagnosed with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) referred to a specialized prostatitis clinic.Materials and Methods:: Patients with CP/CPPS referred by urologists after failure of prescribed therapy for evaluation and treatment at Queen’s University prostatitis research clinic were extensively evaluated, aggressively treated following a standardized treatment algorithm and followed for 1 year using a validated prostatitis specific symptom and quality of life instrument, the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI). All patients underwent a standardized protocol for CP/CPPS including a history, physical examination, standard 4-glass test, plus urethral swab and semen for microscopy and culture, uroflowmetry and residual urine determination. Treatment followed a best evidence based strategy with a standardized monotherapy based algorithm.Results...

This paper applies aggregate data analysis to explore the relationships among the economic development level, the status of women, and the quality of life in developing societies. In particular, it tests the hypothesis that the status of women is positively related to the quality of life even after the effects of economic growth and development are statistically controlled. Our analysis strongly confirms this hypothesis since the status of women in a society appears to rival the economic development level for explaining how good or ill is the quality of life enjoyed by its citizens. We undertook this study from the theoretical perspective that questions conceptualizing and measuring development simply in terms of the level and growth of GNP per capita. Rather, the social needs and quality of life in a society, the presumed consequences of development, are important as well.

A review of a book written by Clive Chitty (2002 with a useful focus on issues of equity and social justice, including prejudice, discrimination and bullying in secondary schools. Education policy makers need to explore the extent to which it is important to produce interested, motivated and socially balanced young adults. It is well researched and documented.

Objectives To re-survey (after 1 year) men identified in 1999 as having perineal and/or ejaculatory pain/discomfort severe enough to suggest a clinical diagnosis of chronic prostatitis (using the National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index, NIH-CPSI), and to compare them with an age-matched population of men who had no prostatitis-like symptoms in the initial survey, to determine the effect of time on specific symptoms associated with the diagnosis of chronic prostatitis. Subjects and methods A comprehensive questionnaire incorporating the pain and voiding domains of the NIH-CPSI, and data on demographics, medical history, socio-economic status, health-seeking behaviour and a quality of life assessment, was sent to 67 men who had reported prostatitis-like symptoms in the 1999 survey, and to 202 age-matched controls (1 : 3) who reported no prostatitis-like symptoms in the same survey. Results Forty men (60%) with previous prostatitis-like symptoms, i.e. a mean (sd) 1999 NIH-CPSI pain score of 8.8 (0.4), and 119 (59%) of the control population completed and returned the survey. There was no difference in the 1999 demographics (P = 0.82) or NIH-CPSI pain score (P = 0.49) between patients who returned the recent questionnaire and those who could not be located or declined to complete the survey. Fifteen men (38%) identified with prostatitis in 1999 did not report similar symptoms in 2000. The initial mean NIH-CPSI pain score (0–21) for the men who had resolution of their prostatitis-like symptoms was 7.5 (0.6); 1 year later it was 0.73 (0.3). Their mean age was 51.1 (3.9) years and mean duration of symptoms 1.1 (0.3) years. Those with persistent symptoms had an initial NIH-CPSI pain score of 9.6 (0.5); 1 year later it was 8.68 (0.4), at mean age of 51.4 (2.5) years and duration of symptoms 2.2 (0.3) years. Four men (3%) in the control group who had no symptoms in 1999 reported prostatitis-like symptoms in 2000; these men had a mean age of 52.5 (5.9) and NIH-CPSI pain score of 7.0 (0.9). Conclusion About a third of men reporting prostatitis-like symptoms in the general population had resolution of their symptoms (usually those with a shorter duration and less severe symptoms) 1 year later. The severity of symptoms of men with persistent chronic prostatitis remained relatively unchanged over the year.

To our knowledge antibiotics are the most popular choice of therapy for all categories of the chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. We determine if culture, leukocyte and/or antibody status of prostate specific specimens predicts patient response to antibiotic therapy.Patients clinically diagnosed with the chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) definition had a lower urinary tract evaluation that included standard microscopy and culture of prostate specific specimens, and determination of the ratio of voided bladder 3 and voided bladder 2 antibody levels against a panel of identified prostate pathogens (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay methodology). Symptom evaluation consisted of the NIH chronic prostatitis symptom index (derived) pain scale 0 to 21, symptom severity index scale 0 to 100, symptom frequency questionnaire scale 0 to 50 and quality of life scale 0 to 6. Patients were stratified according to microscopy, culture and immune status, were treated with 12 weeks of ofloxacin, and were assessed at 4, 12 and 24 weeks with symptom scores as well as global assessments.Based on leukocyte and culture results, 102 evaluable patients were stratified into categories II (14%), IIIA (48%) and IIIB (38%) of the chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Of the cases 23% were categorized as antibody positive and 77% as antibody negative. Average age was 42 +/- 10 years and 92% of patients were white. Of the patients 57% believed that they had moderate to marked improvement. All categories of the chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome and patients in whom antibody was positive or negative had significant improvement in the NIH chronic prostatitis symptom index, symptom severity index, symptom frequency questionnaire and quality of life scores compared with baseline (p0.001). There was no significant difference in patient response to the stratification based on culture, leukocyte, that is categories II, IIIA and IIIB had same beneficial response, or antibody status.Culture, leukocyte and antibody status of prostate specific specimens does not predict antibiotic response in patients with the chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. The perceived beneficial effect of antibiotics needs to be evaluated in a randomized placebo controlled trial.