Resilience, Risk and Protective Factors for British-Indian Children of Divorce

This paper considers resilience as a dynamic concept by looking at risk and protective factors for children of divorce in British-Indian Hindu and Sikh families using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model for human development. The paper draws from a qualitative study which is based on data collected on experiences of twentyone British-Indian Adult Children of Divorce to illustrate risk and protective factors within cultural ideology, community and macro contexts. The paper concludes that resilience in individuals and communities needs to be considered as a process that is influenced by the interaction of the ecological systems. Risk and protective factors cannot be categorically identified and dynamic processes need to be acknowledged within particular contexts. This is particularly important for practitioners working with minority ethnic children and families towards understanding diversity of experiences and perspectives within minority cultures.

Chernobyl: Living with Risk and Uncertainty

The nuclear accident in Chernobyl in 1986 is a dramatic example of the type of incidents that are characteristic of a risk society. The consequences of the incident are indeterminate, the causes complex and future developments unpredictable. Nothing can compensate for its effects and it affects a broad population indiscriminately. This paper examines the lived experience of those who experienced biographical disruption as residents of the region on the basis of qualitative case studies carried out in 2003 in the Chernobyl regions of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Our analysis indicates that informants tend to view their future as highly uncertain and unpredictable; they experience uncertainty about whether they are already contaminated, and they have to take hazardous decisions about where to go and what to eat. Fear, rumours and experts compete in supplying information to residents about the actual and potential consequences of the disaster, but there is little trust in, and only limited awareness of, the information that is provided. Most informants continue with their lives and do what they must or even what they like, even where the risks are known. They often describe their behaviour as being due to economic circumstances; where there is extreme poverty, even hazardous food sources are better than none. Unlike previous studies, we identify a pronounced tendency among informants not to separate the problems associated with the disaster from the hardships that have resulted from the break-up of the USSR, with both events creating a deep-seated sense of resignation and fatalism. Although most informants hold their governments to blame for lack of information, support and preventive measures, there is little or no collective action to have these put in place. This contrasts with previous research which has suggested that populations affected by disasters attribute crucial significance to that incident and, as a consequence, become increasingly politicized with regard to related policy agendas.

Erythropoietin receptor and hematological disease

This review will discuss evidence for the role of the erythropoietin (Epo) receptor in the development of erythrocytosis and other hematological disorders, The possible causative role of mutations of other genes in the pathogenesis of idiopathic erythrocytosis will be considered, Polycythemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative disorder that is caused by an undefined stem cell abnormality, characterized by a significant erythrocytosis, leukocytosis, and thrombocytosis. However, erythrocytosis may arise from apparent (or relative) polycythemia in which the hematocrit is raised due to a low plasma volume. In such cases the red cell mass is normal. A group of disorders with increased red cell mass caused by stimulation of erythrocyte production is known as secondary polycythemia, Investigation of such patients may reveal a congenital abnormality such as high affinity hemoglobin or an acquired abnormality caused, for example, by smoking, renal Vascular impairment, or an Epo-producing tumor. Even after thorough examination there remains a cohort of patients for whom no definite cause for the erythrocytosis can be established, A careful clinical history may reveal whether this idiopathic erythrocytosis is likely to be congenital and/or familial, in which case the term

Risk and resilience: The moderating role of social coping for maternal mental health in a setting of political conflict:The moderating role of social coping for maternal mental health in a setting of political conflict

Violence can threaten individual wellbeing and tear at the social fabric of communities. At the same time, suffering can mobilize social coping and mutual support. Thus, the backdrop of political violence increases risk factors and stimulates resilience. The current study examined the moderating role of social coping as reflective of risk and resiliency in Northern Ireland, a setting of protracted conflict. Specifically, structural equation modeling was used to investigate whether social coping protects from or exacerbates the negative impact of sectarian crime and nonsectarian crime on maternal mental health (N?=?631). Nonsectarian crime predicted greater psychological distress for mothers in Belfast. Mixed support was found for the buffering and depletion moderation hypotheses; social coping functioned differently for nonsectarian crime and sectarian crime. Greater social coping buffered mothers' psychological distress from the negative effects of nonsectarian crime, but exacerbated maternal mental health problems when facing sectarian crime. Results suggest that social coping is a complex phenomenon, particularly in settings of protracted political violence. Implications for interventions aimed at alleviating psychological distress by enhancing mothers' social coping in contexts of intergroup conflict are discussed. We would like to thank the many families in Northern Ireland who have participated in the project. We would also like to express our appreciation for the project staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Ulster. A special thanks to Cindy Bergeman and Dan Lapsley for feedback on earlier drafts of this manuscript. This research was supported by NICHD grant 046933-05 to the E. Mark Cummings.

Ancestral haplotype 8.1 and lung disease severity in European cystic fibrosis patients

The clinical course of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease varies between patients bearing identical CFTR mutations. This suggests that additional genetic modifiers may contribute to the pulmonary phenotype. The highly conserved ancestral haplotype 8.1 (8.1AH), carried by up to one quarter of Caucasians, comprises linked gene polymorphisms on chromosome 6 that play a key role in the inflammatory response: LTA +252A/G; TNF -308G/A, HSP70-2 +1267A/G and RAGE -429T/C. As inflammation is a key component inducing CF lung damage, we investigated whether the 8.1AH represents a lung function modifier in CF.