Domestic Violence and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: Jessica Lenahan (Gonzales) v United States

On 21 July 2011 the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued its much awaited decision in the case of Jessica Lenahan (Gonzales) v United States. In a landmark decision the Commission found the United States of America to be in violation of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man 1948 due to the failure of the state to protect a victim of domestic violence and her children. This paper analyses the Lenahan decision and its significance for the United States. In particular, the substantial influence of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights on the Commission’s reasoning is examined.

A novel Kazal-type trypsin inhibitor from the skin secretion of the Central American red-eyed leaf frog, Agalychnis callidryas.

The chemical complexity of the defensive skin secretion of the red-eyed leaf frog, (Agalychnis callidryas), has not been elucidated in detail. During a systematic study of the skin secretion peptidomes of phyllomedusine frogs, we discovered a novel Kazal-type protein with potent trypsin inhibitory activity (Ki = 1.9 nM) that displays the highest degree of structural similarity with Kazal proteins from bony fishes. The protein was located in reverse-phase HPLC fractions following a screen of such for trypsin inhibition and subsequent partial Edman degradation of the peak active fraction derived the sequence: ATKPR-QYIVL-PRILRPV-GT. The molecular mass of the major component in this fraction was established by MALDI-TOF MS as 5893.09 Da. This partial sequence (assuming blank cycles to be Cys residues) was used to design a degenerate primer pool that was employed successfully in RACE-PCR to clone homologous precursor-encoding cDNA that encoded a mature Kazal protein of 52 amino acid residues with a computed molecular mass of 5892.82 Da. The protein was named A. callidryas Kazal trypsin inhibitor (ACKTI). BLAST analysis revealed that ACKTI contained a canonical Kazal motif (C-x(7)-C-x(6)-Y-x(3)-C-x(2,3)-C). This novel amphibian skin Kazal trypsin inhibitor adds to the spectrum of trypsin inhibitors of Kunitz- and Bowman Birk-type reported from this amphibian source.

'Strange Visitor From Another Planet': Genre, Corporate Identity and the Arrival of American Telefantasy on British Television

While the BBC had been broadcasting television Science Fiction productions from as early as 1938, and Horror since the start of television in 1936, American Telefantasy had no place on British television until ITV’s broadcast of Adventures of Superman (1952-1958) in 1956. It would be easy to assign this absence to the avoidance of popular American programming, but this would ignore the presence of Western and adventure serials imported from the US and Canada for monopoly British television. Similarly, it would be inaccurate to suggest that these imports were purely purchased as thrilling fare to appease a child audience, as it was the commercial ITV that was first to broadcast the more adult-orientated Science Fiction Theatre (1955-7) and Inner Sanctum (1954). This article builds on the work of Paul Rixon and Rob Leggott to argue that these imports were used primarily to supply relatively cheap broadcast material for the new channel, but that they also served to appeal to the notion of spectacular entertainment attached to the new channel through its own productions, such as The Invisible Man (1958-1959) and swashbucklers such as The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-60). However, the appeal was not just to the exciting, but also to the transatlantic, with ITV embracing this conception of America as a modern place of adventure through its imports and its creation of productions for export, incorporating an American lead into The Invisible Man and drawing upon an (inexpensive) American talent pool of blacklisted screenwriters to provide a transatlantic style and relevance to its own adventure series. Where the BBC used its imported serials as filler directed at children, ITV embraced this transatlantic entertainment as part of its identity and differentiation from the BBC.

Risk of Alzheimer's disease is associated with a very low-density lipoprotein receptor genotype in Northern Ireland

The epsilon-4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE) is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the pathogenic mechanism is unknown. The 5-repeat allele of a CGG repeat polymorphism in the 5' untranslated region of the very low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDL-R) gene, a receptor for apoE, has been found to be associated with increased risk of AD in a Japanese population. Other groups have been unable to replicate this in American Caucasian populations. A case-control study utilizing a clinically well-defined group of late-onset AD patients (n = 108) and age- and sex-matched control subjects (n = 108) from Northern Ireland was performed to test this association in a relatively homogeneous population. The 9,9 genotype of the VLDL-R was found to be significantly increased in patients compared to controls (P = 0.003; Pcorr = 0.035), leading to an increased risk of AD to subjects with this genotype (OR = 3.9; 95% CI, 1.52-11.25). In contrast to results from the Japanese study, the 5-repeat allele was found to be significantly reduced in the patient group when compared to controls (P = 0.008; Pcorr = 0.047). The results from this study suggest that individuals who have the 9,9 genotype of the VLDL-R gene are at increased risk of AD in Northern Ireland.

Arsenic speciation in Japanese rice drinks and condiments

Rice has been demonstrated to be one of the major contributors to inorganic arsenic (i-As) intake in humans. However, little is known about rice products as additional source of i-As exposure. In this study, misos, syrups and amazake (a fermented sweet rice drink) produced from rice, barley and millet were analysed for total arsenic (t-As) and a subset of samples were also analyzed for As speciation. Rice based products displayed a higher i-As content than those derived from barley and millet. Most of the t-As in the rice products studied was inorganic (63-83%), the remainder being dimethylarsinic acid. Those who regularly consume rice drinks and condiments, such as the Japanese population and those who follow health conscious diets based on the Japanese cuisine, could reach up to 23% of the World Health Organization's Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake of i-As, by only consuming these kinds of products. This study provides a wide appreciation of how i-As derived from rice based products enters the human diet and how this may be of concern to populations who are already exposed to high levels of i-As through consumption of foods such as rice and seaweed.

Survey of arsenic and its speciation in rice products such as breakfast cereals, rice crackers and Japanese rice condiments

Rice has been demonstrated to be one of the major contributors to arsenic (As) in human diets in addition to drinking water, but little is known about rice products as an additional source of As exposure. Rice products were analyzed for total As and a subset of samples were measured for arsenic speciation using high performance liquid chromatography interfaced with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). A wide range of rice products had total and inorganic arsenic levels that typified those found in rice grain including, crisped rice, puffed rice, rice crackers, rice noodles and a range of Japanese rice condiments as well as rice products targeted at the macrobiotic, vegan, lactose intolerant and gluten intolerance food market. Most As in rice products are inorganic As (75.2-90.1%). This study provides a wider appreciation of how inorganic arsenic derived from rice products enters the human diet. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.