Energy expenditure in obese women before and during weight loss, after refeeding, and in the weight-relapse period.

In 10 moderately obese women, 24-h energy expenditure (24EE) was measured in a respiration chamber under four conditions: 1) before weight loss (body weight = 77.9 kg), 2) during weight loss (63.9 kg), 3) after realimentation (62.5 kg), and 4) 6-15 mo after the study diet with ad libitum diet (67.7 kg). The 14 +/- 8 kg (mean +/- SD) weight loss produced a decrease in 24EE of 1498 +/- 1138 kJ/d (P < 0.001), ie, a decrease of weight of 107 kJ.kg body wt-1.d-1. The subsequent 24EE (conditions 3 and 4) remained lower than the value before weight loss. A significant correlation was found between changes before and after weight regain in basal respiratory quotient (RQ) and the spontaneous rate of body-weight gain after cessation of the period of low energy intake (r = 0.89, P < 0.01); this suggests that the value of the postabsorptive RQ may be a predictor of relapse of weight gain. After discontinuation of the low energy diet, an elevated postabsorptive RQ shows that the endogenous lipid oxidation is low, a condition favoring weight gain.

Women in police services in the EU: facts and figures 2012

The Institute for Public Security of Catalonia (ISPC), the only state-funded education and research centre for police in Catalonia-Spain, developed in 2012 a comparative study on Gender diversity in police services in the European Union. The study is an update of the research Facts & Figures 2008 that was carried out by the European Network of Policewomen (ENP), a non-profit organization that works in partnership with colleagues from police and/or law enforcement organizations in its member countries to facilitate positive changes in the position of women in police services. To gather the 2012 data, the ISPC invited EU Member States’ police services to cooperate in the study answering a 10- ITEM questionnaire. The questionnaire was the same tool used in 2008 by the ENP. In February 2012, the ISPC sent the questionnaires through Cepol National Contact Points’ network. In order to include as many police services as possible in the study, the ENP also supported us to gather some of the data. Altogether we received questionnaires from 29 police services corresponding to 17 UE countries. Besides, we used data from open sources about England and Wales police services and the French National Police. In this document you can find: first, the tool we used to collect the data; second, the answers we gathered presented per country; finally, some comparative tables and graphics developed by the ISPC. Countries: Austria, Belgium Cyprus, Denmark, England, Wales, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Swden.

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: It's Against the Law, 2001

A two page informational sheet about workplace sexual harassment produced by Iowa Commission on the Status of Women

Droits du patient: ce que le nouveau Code civil va modifier dans les soins aux enfants [Patients' rights: what the new swiss civil code will change in the health care of children].

Recent progress in medicine allow to provide treatment, to cure or to extend the lifespan of people that would have not survived before. Doctors and healthcare providers have become indispensable actors in Western societies. This is particularly true for children's health issues. With the new information technologies, knowledge is now available to everyone, which enables patients to dialog on an equal footing with the physician. Nowadays, therapeutic choices are discussed and negotiated. The new tensions caused by this relationship between therapist and patient have created the need for new regulations. The Swiss Confederation has modified its Civil Code with the objective of a better protection of vulnerable individuals. This article summarizes the consequences of the new regulations with regard to the care and treatment provided to children.

Pregnancy-induced chromatin remodeling in the breast of postmenopausal women.

Early pregnancy and multiparity are known to reduce the risk of women to develop breast cancer at menopause. Based on the knowledge that the differentiation of the breast induced by the hormones of pregnancy plays a major role in this protection, this work was performed with the purpose of identifying what differentiation-associated molecular changes persist in the breast until menopause. Core needle biopsies (CNB) obtained from the breast of 42 nulliparous (NP) and 71 parous (P) postmenopausal women were analyzed in morphology, immunocytochemistry and gene expression. Whereas in the NP breast, nuclei of epithelial cells were large and euchromatic, in the P breast they were small and hyperchromatic, showing strong methylation of histone 3 at lysine 9 and 27. Transcriptomic analysis performed using Affymetrix HG_U133 oligonucleotide arrays revealed that in CNB of the P breast, there were 267 upregulated probesets that comprised genes controlling chromatin organization, transcription regulation, splicing machinery, mRNA processing and noncoding elements including XIST. We concluded that the differentiation process induced by pregnancy is centered in chromatin remodeling and in the mRNA processing reactome, both of which emerge as important regulatory pathways. These are indicative of a safeguard step that maintains the fidelity of the transcription process, becoming the ultimate mechanism mediating the protection of the breast conferred by full-term pregnancy.

The prosecution service function within the spanish criminal justice system

The Spanish judicial system is independent and headed by the Supreme Court. Spain has a civil law system. The criminal procedure is governed by the legality principle--by opposition to the opportunity or expediency principle--which implies that prosecution must take place in all cases in which sufficient evidence exists of guilt. Traditionally, the role of the PPS in Spain has been very limited during the investigative stage of the process. That stage is under the responsibility of the Examining Magistrate (EM). Since the end of the 1980s, a series of modifications has been introduced in order to extend the functions of the PPS. In 1988, the PPS received extended competences which allow them to receive reports of offenses. Upon knowing of an offense (reported or known to have been committed), the PPS can initiate the criminal proceeding. The PPS is also allowed to lead a sort of plea bargain under a series of restrictive conditions and only for some offenses. At the same time, the PPS received extended competences in the juvenile justice criminal proceeding in 2000. With all this said, the role of the PPS has not changed radically and, during the investigative stage of the process, their main role remains the presentation of the accusation, playing a more active role during the trial stage of the proceeding. In this article the national criminal justice system of Spain is described. Special attention is paid to the function of the PPS within this framework and its relationship to police and courts. The article refers to legal provisions and the factual handling of criminal cases.

Sexuality in the puerperium: the experience of a group of women

Puerperium is a period of great changes in women's lives, in physiological, psychological and socio-cultural terms. Female sexuality is a broad topic that should be explored vis-à-vis the singularity of woman's experiences which themselves vary at different moments in time. This article is part of the project: Sexuality in the Puerperium, the objective of which was to understand what women's experience of their sexuality is in the postpartum period. Observation and semi-structured interview were used. The research approach was qualitative and narrative was used as the conceptual and methodological method. Six primiparas who gave birth in a public hospital in São Paulo took part in the study. Observation took place in the in-patients unit in the immediate post-partum period. The interviews were conducted in the women´s homes. The results of the study have enabled an understanding to be formed of the meanings and changes in sexuality during the postpartum period as well as of the experiences every woman faces in her new roles, relationships and difficulties.

Do women in female-dominated occupations exit the labour market more? Evidence from Italy, Spain, Denmark and the UK

Literature on sex occupational segregation has typically focused on the micro and macro determinants of it, on mobility patterns over the life course, on implications of segregation and mobility for gender inequalities. Rarely the link between sex-type occupations and women’s risk of labour market interruptions over family formation has been explored. In this piece of work we shall analyse whether women who are working in the female-dominated, male-dominated or integrated occupations have more or less chances to remain attached to the labour market, controlling for qualifications, class, sector and contract positions. By drawing from ECHP, and comparing Italy, Spain, Denmark and the UK, we shall in particular see whether such connection varies across countries with different institutional and cultural configurations.We find that, ceteris paribus, only in the UK the sex-composition of an occupation matters: women in female occupations are more likely to move to inactivity than women in mixed or male occupations. In the other countries considered the main cleavages lie elsewhere. In Italy what matters most is the sector of employment (public vs. private). In Spain the sector is relevant too, but also social class and the type of contract held (permanent vs. temporary). In Denmark women’s transitions to inactivity are largely independent of human capital and job characteristics.

Limits and possibilities experienced by nurses in the treatment of women with chronic venous ulcers

Objective To understand the experiences and expectations of nurses in the treatment of women with chronic venous ulcers. Method Phenomenological research was based on Alfred Schütz, whose statements were obtained in January, 2012, through semi-structured interviews with seven nurses. Results The nurse reveals the difficulties presented by the woman in performing self-care, the perceived limitations in the treatment anchored in motivation, and the values and beliefs of women. It showed professional frustration because venous leg ulcer recurrence, lack of inputs, interdisciplinary work and training of nursing staff. There was an expected adherence to the treatment of women, and it emphasized the need for ongoing care, supported self-care and standard practices in treatment. Conclusion That treatment of chronic venous leg ulcers constitutes a challenge that requires collective investment, involving women, professionals, managers and health institutions.

Pregnancy and childbirth: What changes in the lifestyle of women who become mothers?

Pregnancy is a period influenced by the interaction of several factors, therefore this study aimed to identify changes in lifestyles due to pregnancy and childbirth in Portuguese and immigrant women in Portugal. This is a qualitative study, using the semi-structured interview, with eighty-two Portuguese and immigrant women. Content analysis was used, with verbatim classification supported by Nvivo 10. It was authorized by an Ethics Commission. Results revealed that the primary changes in lifestyles due to pregnancy were in eating habits (nutrition), daily activity, exposure to danger, sleep and rest patterns, social and family relationships, going out, self-care, work, clothing and footwear, travel, health monitoring and sexual activity and substances consumption. The main change after the birth, manifested by these women, was that their lives began to revolve around their baby.

Reflections on Young Women and the Youth Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa

There has been an upsurge in academic studies on youth in Sub-Saharan Africa since the last decade of the 20th century, underlining the growing importance that generational cleavages seem to play in today’s societies. However, gender has been neglected in research and policies bearing on youth, unveiling a rather negative and limited approach to Sub-Saharan African youth: limit situations are those most focused on (as the role of youth in conflicts), young males being perceived as the most active in those contexts and who therefore shall be the focus of political (and academic) attention. Acknowledging the need to integrate gender in the approaches to youth, this paper tries to grasp, through a preliminary literature review, how the predicaments of the so-called “youth crisis” are lived and perceived by young girls, and identify the main themes and theoretical perspectives of the literature that has tried to explore this thematic.

Status of Females in the Juvenile Justice System, 2007

On October 12th 2007, the inaugural Girls’ Summit on females in the juvenile justice system was held. This Summit brought together key decision makers in an exploration of research and data. Those who attended were also asked to make recommendations regarding a course of action. This report represents an effort to improve our response to these young women in Iowa. It highlights pertinent information covered at the Summit as well as resulting conclusions and recommendations. On behalf of the Iowa Gender Specific Services Task Force and the participants of the Girls’ Summit, it is my hope that this report will serve as a road map for necessary improvements as well as a means to reinforce the effective tools that are already in place. There are differences that exist between young women and young men in the juvenile justice system and the efficacy of professionals rests heavily on a better understanding of these differences and how they impact the justice system response.

Education, disease prevalence and health service utilization in the Swiss National Health Survey "SOMIPOPS".

The relation among education, disease prevalence, and frequency of health service utilization was analyzed using data from the Swiss National Health Survey SOMIPOPS, conducted in 1981-1983 on a randomly selected sample of 4,255 individuals, representative of the entire Swiss population. The prevalence of several important cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, osteoarticular, and psychiatric disorders was higher among less educated individuals; only allergic conditions were directly associated with indicators of social class. More educated individuals reported lower frequencies of general practitioner visits, but higher frequencies of specialized consultations. These findings confirm that education is an important determinant not only of mortality but also of morbidity and health-care utilization and require careful consideration in terms of the planning and evaluation of health services.