From Ethnography

There are an estimated 1.1 billion smokers worldwide, among whom 80 percent live in low and middle income countries. This paper explores the link between cultural norms of reciprocity and hierarchy as well as the socio-economic structure of Bangladesh with its inequality, poverty and exploitation contribute to the tobacco consumption and related health problems of the poor. It specifically examines Bidis, or hand-rolled, filterless tobacco cigarettes, marketed to and consumed by the poor in Bangladesh. Inexpensive Bidis offer smokers relief from physical ailments specific to the poor: hunger, indigestion and constipation. More than this they are a socially accepted mood-altering drug offering relief from their everyday tensions, angers, perceived exploitations and disappointments.

This study considers the bigger picture and highlights how Consideration of tobacco use goes far beyond health to aspects of education and social justice: it is on the wane amongst the wealthy and on the rise amongst the poor, and profits from its production are heavily concentrated amongst the elitist few. Meanwhile, the workers – who represent so many of the users – live in abject poverty.

Bidis, or hand-rolled, filterless tobacco cigarettes, are largely marketed to and consumed by the poor in Bangladesh. In exploring perceived rationales and the situational contexts of smoking, this study identifies the crucial connections betweenbidi smoking and the social and economic forces that influence choices and shape the contexts of individual suffering. Ethnographic research in Netrakona District revealed that inexpensive bidis were used to gain relief from physical ailments specific to the poor, such as hunger, indigestion and constipation. Bidis were found to be a socially accepted mood-altering drug that symbolizes relief from their everyday tensions, angers, perceived exploitations and disappointments. I argue that both cultural norms of reciprocity and hierarchy as well as the socio-economic structure of Bangladesh with its inequality, poverty and exploitation contribute to the tobacco consumption and related health problems of the poor.

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Roy, A. (2011). Tobacco consumption and the poor: An ethnographic analysis of hand-rolled cigarette (bidi) use in Bangladesh Ethnography DOI: 10.1177/1466138111413337

From Lupus

In 1976 researchers in Japan reported on 9 cases of systemic sclerosis in subjects with silicone implants. A further 100 similar cases were quickly then discovered followed by  hundreds of case reports and patient studies reporting the development of diverse clinical symptoms following the insertion of silicone implants, which especially when these implants had ruptured. However, even when not ruptured an increased incidence of autoantibodies was recorded in many of these subjects. We now know that an asymptomatic presence of autoantibodies in the serum may precede the eventual development of full blown autoimmune diseases by several years. This new syndrome has been called ASIA (Autoimmune syndrome induced by adjuvant). Silicone was selected for use within implants because of its consistency as well as the belief that it is inert and would not be targeted by the immune system, yet it has been found to act as an adjuvant, especially when invading neighboring tissues when an implant ruptures. The recent use of cheaper implants by the French company PIP has highlighted the increased rate of early rupture in such products and raised the importance of investigations into the development of ASIA. This special issue of Lupus (February 2012) details many clinical conditions which form the ASIA syndrome.

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Agmon-Levin, N., Hughes, G., & Shoenfeld, Y. (2012). The spectrum of ASIA: ‘Autoimmune (Auto-inflammatory) Syndrome induced by Adjuvants’ Lupus, 21 (2), 118-120 DOI: 10.1177/0961203311429316

Link to table of contents of special issue (February 2012 Volume 21 Issue 2)

Contents include

• Foreword
• Editorial – The spectrum of ASIA: ‘Autoimmune (Auto-inflammatory) Syndrome induced by Adjuvants’
• Clinical manifestation of ASIA
• Silicone and scleroderma revisited
• Human adjuvant disease induced by foreign substances: a new model of ASIA (Shoenfeld’s syndrome)
• Autoimmune Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants (ASIA) in the Middle East: morphea following silicone implantation
• Still’s disease, lupus-like syndrome, and silicone breast implants. A case of ‘ASIA’ (Shoenfeld’s syndrome)
• Autoimmunity following Hepatitis B vaccine as part of the spectrum of ‘Autoimmune (Auto-inflammatory) Syndrome induced by Adjuvants’ (ASIA): analysis of 93 cases
• Giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica after influenza vaccination: report of 10 cases and review of the literature
• Systemic lupus erythematosus following HPV immunization or infection?
• Influenza vaccination can induce new-onset anticardiolipins but not β2-glycoprotein-I antibodies among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
• Autoimmune response following influenza vaccination in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease
• Macrophagic myofasciitis: characterization and pathophysiology
• Gulf War Syndrome as a part of the autoimmune (autoinflammatory) syndrome induced by adjuvant (ASIA)
• Experimental models of ASIA
• Vaccine model of antiphospholipid syndrome induced by tetanus vaccine
• Induction of the ‘ASIA’ syndrome in NZB/NZWF1 mice after injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)
• Adjuvant immunization induces high levels of pathogenic antiphospholipid antibodies in genetically prone mice: another facet of the ASIA syndrome
• Adjuvants – Biology, mechanisms and related diseases
• Mechanisms of aluminum adjuvant toxicity and autoimmunity in pediatric populations
• Aluminum as an adjuvant in Crohn’s disease induction

From Palliative Medicine

Although around two thirds of us would prefer to die at home, in the developed world the trend in recent years has been for the majority to spend their final days in an institutional setting. But according to this study the tide has now turned and an increasing number of people in the UK are dying at home. In this study, the researchers analyzed death registration data from the UK Office for National Statistics for all those who had died between 2004 and 2010 – over 3.5 million records. The team found that, following trends in the USA and Canada, dying at home is now also becoming more prevalent in Britain. Earlier research drew attention to the gaps between preferences and actuality, which changed Government policy, leading to greater emphasis on meeting patient preferences. Although more of the very elderly are dying at home based on these ONS statistics, the most elderly in Britain continue to have fewer chances to die at home than other age group.

Even for those who do die at home, little evidence has been gathered to establish whether they, and their relatives, experience better care than those who die in institutions such as hospitals, hospices or nursing homes.

Abstract

Background: Increased attention is being paid to the place where people die with a view to providing choice and adequately planning care for terminally ill patients. Secular trends towards an institutionalised dying have been reported in Britain and other developed world regions.

Aim: This study aimed to examine British national trends in place of death from 2004 to 2010.

Design and setting: Descriptive analysis of death registration data from the Office for National Statistics, representing all 3,525,564 decedents in England and Wales from 2004 to 2010.

Results: There was a slow but steady increase in the proportion of deaths at home, from 18.3% in 2004 to 20.8% in 2010. Absolute numbers of home deaths increased by 9.1%, whilst overall numbers of deaths decreased by 3.8%. The rise in home deaths was more pronounced in cancer, happened for both genders and across all age groups, except for those younger than 14 years and for those aged 65–84, but only up to 2006. The rise was more evident when ageing was accounted for (age–gender standardised proportions of home deaths increased from 20.6% to 23.5%).

Conclusions: Following trends in the USA and Canada, dying is also shifting to people’s homes in Britain. Home deaths increased for the first time since 1974 amongst people aged 85 years and over. There is an urgent need across nations for comparative evidence on the outcomes and the costs of dying at home.

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Gomes, B., Calanzani, N., & Higginson, I. (2012). Reversal of the British trends in place of death: Time series analysis 2004-2010 Palliative Medicine DOI: 10.1177/0269216311432329

From American Journal of Men’s Health

Alarmingly, recent data gathered in the United States predicts that 1 in 16 Black men in will be infected with HIV in their lifetime. Black men at heterosexual risk of HIV have largely been neglected by research, program, and policy, as the focus historically has been on risks for homosexual Black men and drug users. This article presents data documenting heterosexual risks for HIV among Black men and outlines how this trend is a major concern. Findings suggest that Black communities may be moving toward a more generalized HIV epidemic.

The authors outline the seriousness of the situation by highlighting the fact that It has now been 30 years since the first cases of HIV were recognized as a potential epidemic for the US. At that time both the government and society were slow to respond with serious repercussions for the gay community. They warn of repeating history by ignoring the current danger of the HIV epidemic among straight Black men.  They conclude with a call to action to increase awareness and support for research, program, and policies that can improve HIV prevention and testing as part of the national agenda to reduce rates of HIV in Black communities.

Abstract

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrate that 1 in 16 Black men in the United States will be infected with HIV in their lifetime. Furthermore, the long-standing HIV disparity in Black communities is actually increasing for Black men. National efforts to curb the epidemic among U.S. Black men focus primarily on men who have sex with men and injection drug users. Black men at heterosexual risk for HIV have largely been neglected by research, program, and policy. This article presents epidemiologic data documenting that heterosexual risk for HIV among Black men is a major concern for Black communities and is likely additional evidence among growing indications of a generalized epidemic in low-income and urban Black communities. The authors offer a call to action to increase support for research, program, and policies that can improve HIV prevention and testing among heterosexual Black men in the United States, as part of the national agenda to reduce rates of HIV in Black communities.

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Raj, A., & Bowleg, L. (2011). Heterosexual Risk for HIV Among Black Men in the United States: A Call to Action Against a Neglected Crisis in Black Communities American Journal of Men’s Health DOI: 10.1177/1557988311416496

In 1997, while reforming federal welfare programs, the U.S. Congress established the Family Violence Option (FVO) to prevent reforms from adversely affecting those welfare recipients who are domestic violence victims. This research investigated if known domestic violence victims, and in particular those who received an FVO waiver, remained on the welfare rolls longer and worked less than other welfare recipients, as many critics speculated. The study wanted to assess what difference the FVO, in practice, has made on women’s ability to leave welfare and find employment. Using administrative and interview data the findings do not indicate that FVO waivers encourage women to stay on welfare longer. However, the poor outcomes of undocumented victims indicate that some individuals may be slipping through the cracks of a well-intentioned policy.

Objective: The establishment of the Family Violence Option (FVO) in 1997 was met with some controversy, as critics believed waivers from time limit and work requirements would hinder women’s ability to leave welfare and find employment. Method: Using administrative and interview data from Maryland, multivariate equations analyze if domestic violence disclosure, administrative documentation, or waiver use had a statistically significant affect on one year employment and welfare use outcomes of individuals. Results: Waiver holders did not differ from non victims, but victims who are not documented received fewer months of welfare and earned less income. Conclusions: Findings do not indicate that FVO waivers encourage women to stay on welfare longer. However, the poor outcomes of undocumented victims indicate that some individuals may be slipping through the cracks of a well-intentioned policy.

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Hetling, A. (2005). Examining the Impact of the Family Violence Option on Women’s Efforts to Leave Welfare Research on Social Work Practice, 15 (3), 143-153 DOI: 10.1177/1049731504272908

From SAGE Open

While contracts are an indispensable tool in the modern workplace, this study has found that they may also be very effective in contemporary classrooms. Students designed their own course based on a contract and this lead to both higher grades and higher student satisfaction than traditional points-based courses. A total of 40 college freshmen enrolled in one introductory psychology course to a traditional or contract grading system. Those assigned to the contract system signed a contract at the beginning of the semester in which they indicated what grade they were aiming to receive and specified which assignments they would complete to receive that grade. Students who wanted to receive a better grade had to complete more assignments and receive a higher score on exams than those aiming for a lower grade. Though the instructor and course materials were identical for both sections, at the end of the semester, the group of students who were graded contractually were three times more likely to earn an A grade, one third as likely to fail or withdraw from the course, perceived a higher degree of control over their grade, and consistently rated their own effort, their instructor, and the course overall more favorably.

Abstract

The use of behavioral techniques in college teaching has declined during the past three decades. The purpose of this study was to compare a behaviorally based grading approach with a traditional point-based system. A total of 40 college freshmen were randomly assigned to a Traditionally Graded or Contract Graded Introductory Psychology course. Contract graded students were one third as likely to fail or withdraw, 3 times more likely to earn an A grade, and were more likely to perceive a high degree of control over their grade. These findings support use of a contract grading system in the contemporary college classroom.

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Lindemann, D., & Harbke, C. (2011). Use of Contract Grading to Improve Grades Among College Freshmen in Introductory Psychology SAGE Open DOI: 10.1177/2158244011434103

From The International Journal of Press/Politics

If bourgeois cafés were the scenario of democratic discussions in the nineteenth century, and newspapers played a crucial role in mediating public opinion in the twentieth century, it is time to assess whether online newspapers provide a new incarnation of the public sphere,

becoming the digital cafés of a Public Sphere 2.0. Using a sample of more than 15,000 comments was selected from the online versions of five national newspapers this article assesses to what extent online news forms of digital discussion fit in Habermas’ principles for democratic debate. Two models of audience participation emerge from the analysis, one where communities of debate are formed based on mostly respectful discussions between diverse points of view and another of homogenous communities, in which expressing feelings about current events dominates the contributions and there is less of an argumentative debate. While the results of the study suggest a rather bleak overall picture of comments in online news as a space for the reproduction of hegemonic points of view and the expression of the citizen frustrations with the ruling class, they also provide evidence that some users do engage in thoughtful discussions enjoying the exercise of trying to provide the most convincing argument.

Abstract

Comments in online news could be the contemporary enactment of the eighteenth-century cafés that founded public sphere. This article assesses to what extent do these forms of digital discussion fit in Habermas’ principles for democratic debate, using his discursive ethics as a demanding normative benchmark. The sample of more than 15,000 comments was selected from the online versions of five national newspapers of record from different political and journalistic contexts: The Guardian (United Kingdom), Le Monde (France), The New York Times (United States), El País (Spain), and La Repubblica (Italy). The ethical guidelines and legal frameworks set up by the newspapers as well as their moderation strategies were considered to understand the different settings of the conversations. Two models of audience participation emerge from the analysis, one where communities of debate are formed based on mostly respectful discussions between diverse points of view and another of homogenous communities, in which expressing feelings about current events dominates the contributions and there is less of an argumentative debate

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Ruiz, C., Domingo, D., Mico, J., Diaz-Noci, J., Masip, P., & Meso, K. (2011). Public Sphere 2.0? The Democratic Qualities of Citizen Debates in Online Newspapers The International Journal of Press/Politics DOI: 10.1177/1940161211415849
 

From Social Psychological and Personality Science

Forgiveness is a desirable outcome to conflict. It has been shown to foster both mental and physical health among victims as well as improvements in well-being and self-esteem among perpetrators. According to Archbishop Tutu, forgiveness is only possible if victims and perpetrators of wrongdoing recognize and build upon their shared humanness. This research investigates the relationship between common humanity and forgiveness expectations. The study finds that focusing on common humanity will increase expectations of forgiveness among perpetrators, particularly if the wrongdoing occurred at a subjectively distant point in time. It is argued that this effect is less likely to occur in the context of subjectively recent wrongdoing. It found that perpetrators expect forgiveness when categorized at the human, compared to social, level. The findings indicate that perpetrator groups may feel a passive disregard for victim suffering in addition to becoming directly adversarial when focused on common humanity. Awareness of common humanity might facilitate victims’ willingness to forgive but also leads perpetrators to gratuitously expect forgiveness—a potential recipe for a rocky road to reconciliation.

Abstract

The present research identified why and under what conditions perpetrator groups expect forgiveness from victims when focused on common humanity. In Experiment 1 (N = 41), thinking about victims as fellow humans increased expectations of forgiveness among perpetrator group members. Experiment 2 (N = 74) revealed the important role of subjective temporal distance in qualifying the effect of appealing to common humanity. Forgiveness expectations increased when a transgression was perceived as temporally distant rather than close. Experiment 3 (N = 70) found that expecting forgiveness was associated negatively with remorse for wrongdoing and revealed reduced empathy for victims as a mediator of the effect. Taken together, the findings reveal that factors shown to encourage forgiveness among victims can also create corresponding expectations among perpetrators. Unfortunately, this process is more likely to damage than repair intergroup relations.

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Greenaway, K., Louis, W., & Wohl, M. (2011). Awareness of Common Humanity Reduces Empathy and Heightens Expectations of Forgiveness for Temporally Distant Wrongdoing Social Psychological and Personality Science DOI: 10.1177/1948550611425861

From Indoor and Built Environment

North America is one of the largest industrialized nations involved in marijuana production, although it is illegal to produce and sell this plant in that nation. This demand has caused an increase in the number of illegal ‘‘marijuana grow operations’’.  This study considers the health impacts when living in or near the conditions required for the cultivation of marijuana. There are risks involved with the inevitable moisture, damp, mould, and fungi, plus there are potential hazards associated with pesticides, carbon monoxide and unvented combustion appliances.

Abstract

Based on the data from the breadth of Canada (∼4300 km), one-third of Canadian homes have ventilation rates below the recommended standard of 0.3 air changes per hour and are at risk for moisture problems. For the purposes of this investigation, a literature review was performed on the health risks associated with exposure to living and drying marijuana plants and the fungi associated with large numbers of indoor plantings. Analysis was made of the impact on Canadian homes if used to grow marijuana. These are commonly called “marijuana grow operations” based on measured ventilation rates from homes in Windsor, Ontario and Regina, Saskatchewan (representing diverse climates) and derived moisture loadings from published data. The growing and drying of marijuana plants contributes considerable amounts of water vapour to the indoor environment. Depending on the scale of production, considerable mould damage in the building can result. There are also a number of abiotic hazards resulting from marijuana production including pesticides, carbon monoxide, and products of unvented combustion appliances. Both indirect and direct evidence are described for the health impact of living in these conditions. This has a number of implications in terms of documentation and personal protection for industrial hygienists, home inspectors, and public health officials.

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Johnson, L., & Miller, J. (2011). Consequences of Large- scale Production of Marijuana in Residential Buildings Indoor and Built Environment DOI: 10.1177/1420326X11411954

From Cartilage 

More than 300 million play soccer across the globe and while the game is one of fast footwork, two organizations are trying to make sure these athletes stay on their feet. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) have teamed up on this special supplement that examines the effects of articular cartilage injury and degeneration in soccer players. The editors confirm that this issue provides a compact reference for players, coaches, medical staff, and researchers working with football players, it is intended to act as a catalyst for the advancement of science and education of cartilage injury in soccer. This supplement builds upon FIFA’s successful 11+ program that is an easy-to-follow, standardized warm-up routine that helps all levels of soccer athletes reduce injury.

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Mithoefer, K., Peterson, L., Saris, D., Mandelbaum, B., & Dvorak, J. (2011). Special Issue on Articular Cartilage Injury in the Football (Soccer) Player Cartilage, 3 (1 Suppl), 4-5 DOI: 10.1177/1947603511427113