The Polish Jew : his social and economic value

by Beatrice C. Baskerville

Widows may have fewer social and financial problems than in the past (Interview von Shereen Lehman mit Prof. Pasqualina Perrig-Chiello zu finanziellen und sozialen Problemen von Verwitweten)

(Reuters Health) – - A new Swiss study says that widows and widowers still mourn their spouses as much as ever, but compared to 35 years ago, everyday life is easier, especially for women. Widows, at least in Switzerland, have fewer financial troubles and more social connections than their counterparts in 1979, but widowers still complain of loneliness, researchers found.

Matching Social and Ecological Systems in Complex Ocean Fisheries

This paper considers ocean fisheries as complex adaptive systems and addresses the question of how human institutions might be best matched to their structure and function. Ocean ecosystems operate at multiple scales, but the management of fisheries tends to be aimed at a single species considered at a single broad scale. The paper argues that this mismatch of ecological and management scale makes it difficult to address the fine-scale aspects of ocean ecosystems, and leads to fishing rights and strategies that tend to erode the underlying structure of populations and the system itself. A successful transition to ecosystem-based management will require institutions better able to economize on the acquisition of feedback about the impact of human activities. This is likely to be achieved by multiscale institutions whose organization mirrors the spatial organization of the ecosystem and whose communications occur through a polycentric network. Better feedback will allow the exploration of fine-scale science and the employment of fine-scale fishing restraints, better adapted to the behavior of fish and habitat. The scale and scope of individual fishing rights also needs to be congruent with the spatial structure of the ecosystem. Place-based rights can be expected to create a longer private planning horizon as well as stronger incentives for the private and public acquisition of system relevant knowledge.

Social and behavioral determinants of consistent condom use among female commercial sex workers (FCSWs) in Ghana

This study aims at investigating the social and behavioral predictors of consistent condom use among female commercial sex workers (FCSWs) in Ghana. Street commercial sex workers were interviewed in Accra, Kumasi and Techiman. Whereas respondents had attained certain accurate knowledge about HIV transmission routes, misconceptions were still commonly reported. The level of condom education was very low (14%), however consistent condom use (all the time) with clients was relatively high (49.6%), 38.89% reported using condom sometimes and 11.56% reported never using condoms. ^ 277 of the respondent ants did not use condoms all the time. 163 of them reported not using condoms due to refusal by their clients, the remaining 64 respondents did not even request their clients to use condom due to cultural perception of power, lack of authority and the fear of loosing clients. ^ Significant predictive factors associated with consistency of condom use among FCSWs in a multivariate analysis were; age, level of education, religion, and number of customers. Some of the major obstacles to condom use by the FCSWs were refusal by clients, availability of free condoms, trying to communicate trust to their clients, and the lack of empowerment to negotiate safer sex with clients. Some of the respondents may have developed a false sense of safety by subjectively assessing whether their clients were well and do not look sick, but they were unaware that HIV carriers may show no obvious symptoms of illness at all. ^ In summary, this study points to an urgent need for reestablishing effective prevention intervention and some insights of what is required of such program in Ghana. ^

Parental demographic risk factors and occupational exposure to ionizing radiation for achondroplasia, thanatophoric and autosomal deletions in Texas, 1996--2002

Little is known about the etiology of Achondroplasia (AC), Thanatophoric Dwarfism (TD), and autosomal deletions (CD). These syndromes are due to fully penetrate genetic mutations, yet arise de novo, instead of being inherited. We examined the association between parental demographic characteristics and parental occupations with exposure to ionizing radiation and these birth defects. ^ We conducted a cross-sectional study and two case-control studies using a large database that was created by linking records from Texas Birth Defects Registry, Texas birth certificates and Texas fetal death certificates from 1996 to 2002. The first case-control study was matched on paternal age and examined 73 cases of AC and 43 cases of TD. The second case-control study was unmatched and examined 343 cases of autosomal deletion syndromes. ^ We used a job exposure matrix (JEM) to measure exposures to ionizing radiation in the workplace. This gives an estimate of the intensity and probability of exposure to ionizing radiation for each occupation and industry. ^ The prevalence rate of Achondroplasia, Thanatophoric Dwarfism and autosomal deletions was 0.36 per 10,000, 0.21 per 10,000, and 1.68 per 10,000 births respectively in Texas 1996–2002. ^ Older fathers had a strong increase in the risk of having offspring with AC or TD and a modest increase in the risk of CD. Fathers who were Black or Hispanic were less likely to have infants with AC or TD compared to Whites (adjusted POR=0.61; 95% CI 0.30, 1.26 and 0.44; 95% CI 0.27, 0.88, respectively). Black fathers and Hispanic mothers were also less likely to have infants with CD (adjusted POR=0.54; 95% CI 0.22, 1.35 and 0.62; 95% CI 0.39, 0.97). ^ After adjusting for other parental demographic factors, there was no significant relation between fathers exposure to ionizing radiation in the work place and AC or TD (adjusted OR=0.48; 95% CI 0.19, 1.25) and no significant relation between parental exposure to ionizing radiation in the work place and CD (adjusted OR=1.16; 95% CI 0.73, 1.85). ^ This is the first study to find an association between father's age and TD and CD and paternal race and AC or CD. Parental exposure to radiation for therapeutic or diagnostic indications was not measured, thus it can not be excluded as a cause of these birth defects. ^

A current literature review of the social and economic ramifications of pharmacogenomic research

Objective. To explore issues in current literature concerning possible social and economic ramifications of pharmacogenomic research. Design. Review of the literature. Data sources: Academic Search Premier, Blackwell Synergy, PUBMED and Social Sciences Citation Index. Review methods. Articles dealing with the social and economic ramifications of pharmacogenomic research were selected. The articles discussed at least one of 5 areas (race, privacy/confidentiality, ethics, insurance, and research and development). Some restrictions were placed on the articles chosen to narrow down the number of articles to a relevant, manageable amount. Results. Approximately 219 articles were selected for review; 159 were fully reviewed and found to be relevant to the issues; and 33 were cited. Conclusion. Insurance and research and development decisions are led by the free-market system with limited intervention from government. Race/ethnicity, privacy/confidentiality, and ethics continue to be debated with no clear answer. However, some compromise is regulated by government based upon current laws involving these issues. ^

Leukemia and occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields: An incident case-control study

The existence of an association between leukemia and electromagnetic fields (EMF) is still controversial. The results of epidemiologic studies of leukemia in occupational groups with exposure to EMF are inconsistent. Weak associations have been seen in a few studies. EMF assessment is lacking in precision. Reported dose-response relationships have been based on qualitative levels of exposure to EMF without regard to duration of employment or EMF intensity on the jobs. Furthermore, potential confounding factors in the associations were not often well controlled. The current study is an analysis of the data collected from an incident case-control study. The primary objective was to test the hypothesis that occupational exposure to EMF is associated with leukemia, including total leukemia (TL), myelogenous leukemia (MYELOG) and acute non-lymphoid leukemia (ANLL). Potential confounding factors: occupational exposure to benzene, age, smoking, alcohol consumption, and previous medical radiation exposures were controlled in multivariate logistic regression models. Dose-response relationships were estimated by cumulative occupational exposure to EMF, taking into account duration of employment and EMF intensity on the jobs. In order to overcome weaknesses of most previous studies, special efforts were made to improve the precision of EMF assessment. Two definitions of EMF were used and result discrepancies using the two definitions were observed. These difference raised a question as to whether the workers at jobs with low EMF exposure should be considered as non-exposed in future studies. In addition, the current study suggested use of lifetime cumulative EMF exposure estimates to determine dose-response relationship. The analyses of the current study suggest an association between ANLL and employment at selected jobs with high EMF exposure. The existence of an association between three types of leukemia and broader categories of occupational EMF exposure, is still undetermined. If an association does exist between occupational EMF exposure and leukemia, the results of the current study suggest that EMF might only be a potential factor in the promotion of leukemia, but not its initiation. ^

PRETERM BIRTH AND OCCUPATIONAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: A CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LENGTH OF GESTATION AND THE PHYSICAL DEMAND OF U.S. ARMY MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTIES (UNITED STATES)

A case-control study has been conducted examining the relationship between preterm birth and occupational physical activity among U.S. Army enlisted gravidas from 1981 to 1984. The study includes 604 cases (37 or less weeks gestation) and 6,070 controls (greater than 37 weeks gestation) treated at U.S. Army medical treatment facilities worldwide. Occupational physical activity was measured using existing physical demand ratings of military occupational specialties.^ A statistically significant trend of preterm birth with increasing physical demand level was found (p = 0.0056). The relative risk point estimates for the two highest physical demand categories were statistically significant, RR's = 1.69 (p = 0.02) and 1.75 (p = 0.01), respectively. Six of eleven additional variables were also statistically significant predictors of preterm birth: age (less than 20), race (non-white), marital status (single, never married), paygrade (E1 - E3), length of military service (less than 2 years), and aptitude score (less than 100).^ Multivariate analyses using the logistic model resulted in three statistically significant risk factors for preterm birth: occupational physical demand; lower paygrade; and non-white race. Controlling for race and paygrade, the two highest physical demand categories were again statistically significant with relative risk point estimates of 1.56 and 1.70, respectively. The population attributable risk for military occupational physical demand was 26%, adjusted for paygrade and race; 17.5% of the preterm births were attributable to the two highest physical demand categories. ^

SOCIAL AND BIOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS OF SHORT-TERM GROWTH VELOCITY AMONG PRESCHOOLERS OF RURAL GUATEMALA: A PATH ANALYSIS APPROACH (WEIGHT-GAIN, IRON DEFICIENCY, GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS)

This dissertation develops and tests through path analysis a theoretical model to explain how socioeconomic, socioenvironmental, and biologic risk factors simultaneously influence each other to further produce short-term, depressed growth in preschoolers. Three areas of risk factors were identified: child's proximal environment, maturational stage, and biological vulnerability. The theoretical model represented both the conceptual framework and the nature and direction of the hypotheses. Original research completed in 1978-80 and in 1982 provided the background data. It was analyzed first by nested-analysis of variance, followed by path analysis. The study provided evidence of mild iron deficiency and gastrointestinal symptomatology in the etiology of depressed, short-term weight gain. Also, there was evidence suggesting that family resources for material and social survival significantly contribute to the variability of short-term, age-adjusted growth velocity. These results challenge current views of unifocal intervention, whether for prevention or control. For policy formulations, though, the mechanisms underlying any set of interlaced relationships must be decoded. Theoretical formulations here proposed should be reassessed under a more extensive research design. It is suggested that studies should be undertaken where social changes are actually in progress; otherwise, nutritional epidemiology in developing countries operates somewhere between social reality and research concepts, with little grasp of its real potential. The study stresses that there is a connection between substantive theory, empirical observation, and policy issues. ^