Ethnic Groups

, the number of elderly Hispanics and Asians living in US nursing homes grew by 54.9 percent and 54.1 percent, respectively, while the number of elderly black residents increased 10.8 percent. During the same period, the number of white nursing home residents declined 10.2 percent. These shifts have been driven in part by changing demographics, especially the fast growth of older minority populations. However, the numbers of minority residents in nursing homes increased more rapidly than the minority population overall, even in areas with high concentrations of minority populations. Thus, these results may indicate unequal minority access to home and communitybased alternatives, which are generally preferred for long-term care. When designing initiatives to balance institutional and noninstitutional long-term care, policy makers should take steps to reduce racial and ethnic disparities.

Delays in follow-up after cancer screening contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in cancer outcomes. We evaluated a patient navigator intervention among innercity women with breast abnormalities. A full-time patient navigator supported patients using the care management model. Female patients 18 years and above, referred to an urban, hospital-based, diagnostic breast health practice from January to June 2000 (preintervention) and November 2001 to February 2003 (intervention), were studied. Timely follow-up was defined as arrival to diagnostic evaluation within 120 days from the date the original appointment was scheduled. Data were collected via computerized registration, medical records, and patient interview. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted, comparing preintervention and intervention groups, with propensity score analysis and time trend analysis to address the limitations of the pre-post design. 314 patients were scheduled preintervention; 1018, during the intervention. Overall, mean age was 44 years; 40% black, 36% non-Hispanic white, 14%

The material and the symbolic in theorizing social strati cation: issues of gender, ethnicity and class ABSTRACT Within most approaches to strati cation gender and ethnicity are seen to pertain primarily to the symbolic or cultural realms, whilst class is regarded as pertaining to material inequality. This constructs gender and ethnic positioning as entailing honour, deference, worth, value and differential treatment (sometimes expressed through the notion of 'status'), but the social relations around these are themselves not seen as constitutive of social strati cation. In this paper I will rethink social strati cation away from the polarity between the material and the symbolic, and argue that material inequality, as a set of outcomes relating to life conditions, life chances and solidar y processes, is informed by claims and struggles over resources of different types, undertaken in terms of gender, ethnicity/race and class. This formulation allows us to include these categorial formations, alongside class, as important elements of social strati cation i.e. as determining the allocation of socially valued resources and social places/ locations.

Researchers across the health sciences are engaged in a vigorous debate over the role that the concepts of “race” and “ethnicity” play in health research and clinical practice. Here we contribute to that debate by examining how the concepts of race, ethnicity, and racism are used in medical–anthropological research. We present a content analysis of Medical Anthropology and Medical Anthropology Quarterly, based on a systematic random sample of empirical research articles (n =283) published in these journals from 1977 to 2002. We identify both differences and similarities in the use of race, ethnicity, and racism concepts in medical anthropology and neighboring disciplines, and we offer recommendations for ways that medical anthropologists can contribute to the broader debate over racial and ethnic inequalities in health.

The gut bacteria exert phenotypic traits to the host but the factors which determine the gut bacterial profile (GBP) is poorly understood. This study aimed to understand the effect of ethnicity and geography on GBP of Mongoloid and Proto-Australoid tribes of India. Fecal bacterial diversity was studied in fifteen tribal populations representing four geographic regions (Assam, Telangana, Manipur and Sikkim) by DGGE followed by NGS analysis on Illumina MiSeq platform. Geography and diet had significant effect on GBP of the Indian tribes which was dominated by Prevotella. The effects were more prominent with lower taxonomic levels, indicating probable functional redundancy of the core GBP. A comparison with the worldwide data revealed that GBP of the Indian population was similar to the Mongolian population (Mongolia). The bacterial genera Faecalibacterium, Eubacterium, Clostridium, Blautia, Ruminococcus and Roseburia were found to be core genera in the representative populations of th...

Ancestry inference for an individual can only be as good as the reference populations with allele frequency data on the SNPs being used. If the most relevant ancestral population(s) does not have data available for the SNPs studied, then analyses based on DNA evidence may indicate a quite distantly related population, albeit one among the more closely related of the existing reference populations. We have added reference population allele frequencies for 14 additional population samples (with >1100 individuals studied) to the 125 population samples previously published for the Kidd Lab 55 AISNP panel. Allele frequencies are now publicly available for all 55 SNPs in ALFRED and FROG-kb for a total of 139 population samples. This Kidd Lab panel of 55 ancestry informative SNPs has been incorporated in commercial kits by both ThermoFisher Scientific and Illumina for massively parallel sequencing. Researchers employing those kits will find the enhanced set of reference populations useful.

Parenting teens served by a teen-tot program and teens from a prenatal clinic participated in focus groups to explore their perceptions of medical care, social services, and psycho-educational parenting groups. Design: The teens met in four focus groups, two prenatal and two postnatal. Setting: Teens receiving care from a teen-tot program and associated prenatal clinic in a large metropolitan area in New England. Participants: A total of 16 pregnant (n ϭ 6) and parenting (n ϭ 10) teens ages ranging from 16 to 21 years (13 African American, 2 Latina, and 1 Haitian) participated in the four focus groups. Methods: A qualitative focus group study was performed. Structured, culturally sensitive questions guided the discussion based on a hypothetical case scenario. Themes were identified through grounded theory with three coders and differences were reconciled. Results: The groups revealed prenatal and postnatal mothers valued medical and social services provided in a teen-focused hospital clinic. Prenatal teens looked to providers for health education services and group support. Parenting teens requested consistent doctors for their children and social supports for themselves. Both groups desired assistance with social services, education, housing, and finances as well as educational services for fathers. Conclusions: Teen parents' perceptions and suggestions for services are critical to program development that meets the needs of participants.

Background. In the United Kingdom, diabetic nephropathy is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease. There is a higher incidence amongst subjects of Indo-Asian and African-Caribbean origin compared with Caucasians that is not wholly explained by the differences in the prevalence of diabetes. Therefore, we postulated that this observation could be related to variations in the rate of progression of renal disease according to racial origin. Methods. We conducted a retrospective case-note review of 1684 adult attendees of the diabetes clinic. Forty-®ve patients were found with renal impairment (serum creatinine P170 mmolul) due to diabetic nephropathy. The patients were of Indo-Asian (ns10), African-Caribbean (ns11), and Caucasian (ns24) origin. Progression of nephropathy was assessed by analysing (i) the doubling of serum creatinine through construction of Kaplan±Meier curves and (ii) the slope (b) of the rate of change in serum creatinine using linear regression analysis in relation to demographic variables, putative risk factors for nephropathy and antihypertensive drug therapy. Results. There were no statistically signi®cant differences between systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glycaemic control, smoking habit, baseline proteinuria, and usage of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors between the three groups. The proportion of patients doubling their creatinine was signi®cantly higher in the Indo-Asian compared with the African-Caribbean and Caucasian groups (100, 45 and 50%; Ps0.025 respectively). In addition, the mean (95% CI) of b (mmolulumonth) was highest in the Indo-Asian (5.36 (2.21±8.52)) compared with the African-Caribbean (3.14 (0.82±5.46)) and Caucasian (2.22 (1.31±3.14)) groups (Ps0.035). The mean ranks of b were highest in the Indo-Asian group (Ps0.038) after adjusting for marginal differences in blood pressure age, gender, baseline proteinuria, anti-hypertensive treatment, and smoking habit. Conclusions. In this small cohort of type 2 diabetic subjects with established renal disease, the rate of decline in renal function is accelerated in Indo-Asian subjects. This observation could be related to differences in renoprotection from antihypertensive therapy.

The prevalence and associated factors of diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) were studied in a tribal community with an apparently high diabetes prevalence. A sample of 724 subjects aged Ն 25 years was selected using a multi-stage cluster method and underwent a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test. The crude prevalence of DM and IGT were 8.3 % (men 9.9 %; women 7.5 %) and 7.9 % (men 4.1 %; women 9.7 %), respectively. Age-adjusted prevalence rates, according to the standard population of Segi, were 10.4 % (95 % CI 7.7-13.2) and 9.8 % (95% CI 7.2-12.5) for DM and IGT, respectively. No urban/rural differences were found in the prevalence rates of DM and IGT. New cases (5.1%) were almost twice as common as previously known cases (3.2 %). Family history of diabetes, obesity, and advanced age were associated with higher rates of diabetes. The results confirmed that diabetes is common in the Danagla community compared to other communities of northern Sudan. Varying environmental, nutritional, and genetic factors may contribute to this high prevalence. These findings will have profound impact on the health services for this community and the Sudan as a whole.

A recent finding of the Confidential Enquiry on Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH) 1 was that maternal mortality is associated with risk factors such as increased maternal age (>35 years), obesity [body mass index (BMI) > 30], late booking and social disadvantage. In the 3-year period from April 2002, there were 10 maternal deaths at Northwick Park Hospital (NPH); due to this excessive number, the unit was investigated by the Health Care Commision 2 and placed under 'special measures' by the Department of Health until October 2006.

Background: To investigate the role of geography (place of residence) as a moderator in the relationship between dental caries disease and treatment experience and dental fear in 16-year-olds living in Malaysia. Methods: A multi-stage-stratified sampling method was employed. Five hundred and three, 16-year-olds from 6 government secondary schools participated in this study. The questionnaire examined participants' demographic profile and assessed their dental fear using the Dental Fear Survey (DFS). The clinical examination consisted of the DMFT as the outcome measure of dental caries disease and treatment experience by a single examiner (ICC = 0.98). Structural equation modelling inspected the relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience. Results: The mean DMFT was 2.76 (SD 3.25). The DT, MT and FT components were 0.64 (SD 1.25), 0.14 (SD 0.56) and 1.98 (SD 2.43) respectively. Rural compared with urban adolescents had significantly greater mean numbers of decayed and missing teeth. The mean DFS score was 40.8 (SD 12.4). Rural compared with urban adolescents had significantly higher mean scores for physical symptoms of dental fear. The correlation between dental fear (DFS) and dental caries disease and treatment experience (DMFT) was 0.29, p < 0.0001. The structural equation model fitted the raw data well (χ 2 = 9.20, df = 8, p = 0.34). All components of DMFT were closely associated in equal strength to the unidimensional hypothetical latent variable of dental caries disease and treatment experience. The strength of the relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience varied in accordance with place of residence. Conclusion: In conclusion a relationship between dental fear and dental caries disease and treatment experience was shown to exist in 16-year-old adolescents living in Malaysia. This study showed that the rural-urban dichotomy acted as a moderator upon this relationship.

Background: In maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) outpatients, a reverse epidemiology is described, ie, baseline obesity appears paradoxically associated with improved survival. However, the association between changes in weight over time and prospective mortality is not known. Methods: Using time-dependent Cox models and adjusting for changes in laboratory values over time, the relation of quarterly-varying 3-month averaged body mass index (BMI) to all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was examined in a 2-year cohort of 54,535 MHD patients from virtually all DaVita dialysis clinics in the United States. Results: Patients, aged 61.7 ؎ 15.5 (SD) years, included 54% men and 45% with diabetes. Time-dependent unadjusted and multivariate-adjusted models, based on quarterlyaveraged BMI controlled for case-mix and available time-varying laboratory surrogates of nutritional status, were calculated in 11 categories of BMI. Obesity, including morbid obesity, was associated with better survival and reduced cardiovascular death, even after accounting for changes in BMI and laboratory values over time. Survival advantages of obesity were maintained for dichotomized BMI cutoff values of 25, 30, and 35 kg/m 2 across almost all strata of age, race, sex, dialysis dose, protein intake, and serum albumin level. Examining the regression slope of change in weight over time, progressively worsening weight loss was associated with poor survival, whereas weight gain showed a tendency toward decreased cardiovascular death. Conclusion: Weight gain and both baseline and time-varying obesity may be associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality in MHD patients independent of laboratory surrogates of nutritional status and their changes over time. Morbidly obese patients have the lowest mortality. Clinical trials need to verify these observational findings. Am J Kidney Dis 46:489-500.

Epidemiological research on childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and its consequences in adult life mainly relies on retrospective reports. This study explores their consistency and the correlates of inconsistent CSA self-reports in a random population sample. A stratified subsample of 2,462 subjects (selected from a large-scale (N = 34,267) representative sample of Dutch adults aged 40 and beyond) participated in a two-phase online questionnaire survey on extra-familial CSA which was conducted on a four- to six-week interval. Subjects reporting CSA were overrepresented. Participants with consistent and inconsistent responses were compared with regard to demographics, family background, abuse severity, and clinical characteristics. Potential correlates of inconsistency were identified using logistic regression analysis. An additional questionnaire (Phase III) administered to inconsistent respondents explored possible reasons for their inconsistency. Of the 1,992 respondents who had reported...

The aim of this research was to identify a small set of indicators of an individual's deprivation that is appropriate for all ethnic groups and can be combined into a single and simple index of individual socioeconomic deprivation in New Zealand. The NZiDep index of socioeconomic deprivation was derived using the same theoretical basis as the national census-based small-area indices of relative socioeconomic deprivation. The index has been created and validated from the analysis of representative sample survey data obtained from approximately 300 Maori, 300 Pacific, and 300 non-Maori, non-Pacific adults. Twenty-eight deprivation-related characteristics, derived from New Zealand and overseas surveys, were analysed by standard statistical techniques (factor analysis, Cronbach's coefficient alpha, item-total correlations, principal component analysis). The index was validated using information on tobacco smoking, which is known to be strongly related to deprivation.

To describe the prevalence of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and its risk factors in a multi-ethnic Asian population. This population-based study of 10,033 participants (75.7% response rate) included Chinese, Indian and Malay persons aged 40 years and older. A comprehensive ophthalmic examination, standardized interviews and laboratory blood tests were performed. Digital fundus photographs were assessed for presence of RVO following the definitions used in the Blue Mountains Eye Study. Regression analysis models were constructed to study the relationship between ocular and systemic factors and RVO. Age-specific prevalence rates of RVO were applied to project the number of people affected in Asia from 2013 to 2040. The overall crude prevalence of RVO was 0.72% (n = 71; 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.54-0.87%). The crude prevalence of RVO was similar in Chinese, Indian and Malay participants (p = 0.865). In multivariable regression models, significant risk factors of RVO included increa...

Despite evidence of considerable racial/ethnic variation in adolescent suicidal behavior in the United States, research on youth of European American descent accounts for much of what is know about preventing adolescent suicide. In response to the need to advance research on the phenomenology and prevention of suicidal behavior among ethnic minority populations, NIMH co-sponsored the "Pragmatic Considerations of Culture in Preventing Suicide" workshop to elicit through interdisciplinary dialogue how culture can be considered in the design, development, and implementation of suicidal behavior prevention programs. In this discussion paper we consider the three ethnic minority suicide prevention efforts described in the articles appearing in this issue, along with workshop participants' comments, and propose six major areas where issues of culture need to be better integrated into suicidal behavior research. In the United States, there is significant variability in suicidal ideation and behaviors among adolescents of different ethnic backgrounds. In adolescent populations, American Indian/ Alaska Native youth tend to have highest rates of ideation and nonfatal suicidal behavior of all ethnic groups, followed by Latina/o and then African American and European American youth (see Figure 1). Across ethnicities, nonfatal suicidal behavior is more common in girls than in boys, by an average ratio of 3:1. At the same time, the gender gap in rates of nonfatal suicidal behavior is most pronounced among youths of European American descent, and least pronounced among some American Indian youths (Canetto, 1997). For example, among Native Hawaiians and some American Indians (i.e., among Pueblo Indians but not Zuni Indians), adolescent males report similar rates of nonfatal suicidal behavior as adolescent females (Howard-Pitney, LaFromboise, Basil, September, & Johnson, 1992;Joe & Marcus, 2003;Yuen et al., 1996). American Indian youth have historically recorded the highest rates of suicide mortality, though there are significant variations in suicide mortality rates across tribes. Across ethnicities, suicide is more common among boys than among girls, by an average ratio of 5:1 (Canetto & Lester, 1995). In recent decades, the gender gap in suicide mortality has been widening, especially in some U.S. ethnic minority groups (Centers for Disease Control and

There have been few previous studies of the kinetics of pigmentation following ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure, and these have included only fair-skinned persons. The current study investigated pigmentation increase to steady state and fading in 12 Scandinavians and 12 Indians/Pakistanis. Over a period of 3 weeks the subjects were UV-irradiated 6 times on the right side of the back and 12 times on the left side using a Solar Simulator and narrowband UVB with equal sub-Minimal Melanogenesis Doses (individually predetermined). Pigmentation was measured from skin remittance at 555 nm and 660 nm (allowing correction for erythema). The absolute pigmentation increase was independent of pre-exposure pigmentation, therefore the percentage pigmentation increase was higher in fair-skinned volunteers. The UV dose to minimal pigmentation was higher in darker-skinned persons for single and multiple UV exposures for both UV sources. Going from a single exposure to 6 and 12 exposures, the required do...

This article examined the relationships among race-related stress, quality of life indicators, and life satisfaction among elderly African Americans. A sample of 127 elderly African Americans, consisting of 87 women and 26 men (and 14 missing values), were administered the Index of Race-Related Stress, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, and the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey. Results indicated that elderly African American men and women differed significantly with regard to institutional and collective racism-related stress. In addition, the authors found that institutional racismrelated stress was a significant predictor of psychological health in this sample of elderly African Americans. • racism and health • African American elderly • quality of life indicators Several researchers have documented the stark disparities between African Americans and other racial groups with regard to quality of life indicators (Chatters,

The United States is a country of immigrants. With the exception of Native Americans, every other American is, or descends from, an immigrant. First-and second-generation immigrant children are the most rapidly growing segment of the American population [1,2]. The future of American society is ultimately related to the adaptation of these children. Addressing psychiatric emergencies in these populations requires attention to their cultural differences and needs. Arce [3] pointed out that because of the cultural diversity that exists in America, ''a patient-therapist cross-cultural dyad now constitutes the modal unit.'' Jackson [4] asserted that the role of the therapist is to explore the style of social interactions between the patient and the therapist ''in the same way an archeologist studies the area of research before he begins to dig.'' It is the therapist's initial respect for the patient's cultural background ''that will allow for the common universal themes and defenses to begin to emerge and reveal themselves, independently of the patients cultural heritage.'' Child and adolescent psychiatrists are at the forefront of these changes and should be familiar with the cultural changes in American society to provide sensitive and effective interventions to patients and their families. This is most important when faced with mental health crises with culturally diverse patients. The new face of America Until the mid-twentieth century, the racial and cultural characteristics of European immigrants allowed them to assimilate readily into the American social

Pathological T-wave inversion (PTWI) is rarely observed on the ECG of healthy athletes, whereas it is common in patients with certain cardiac diseases. All ECG interpretation guidelines for use within athletes state that PTWI (except in leads aVR, III and V1 and in V1-V4 when preceded by domed ST segment in asymptomatic Afro-Caribbean athletes only) cannot be considered a physiological adaptation. The aims of the present study were to prospectively determine the prevalence of cardiac pathology in athletes presenting with PTWI, and to examine the efficacy of cardiac magnetic resonance in the work-up battery of further examinations. Athletes presenting with PTWI (n=155) were investigated with clinical examination, ECG, echocardiography, exercise testing, 24h Holter ECG, and cardiac magnetic resonance. Cardiac disease was established in 44.5% of athletes, with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (81%) the most common pathology. Echocardiography was abnormal in 53.6% of positive cases, and card...

Physiologic melanin pigmentation (racial pigmentation) of the oral mucosa varies in prevalence among different races and ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of physiologic pigmentation in Israeli Jewish children of different ethnic origins. A total of 1,300 children, 6 to 10 years of age, was examined. Physiologic pigmentation was found in 13.5% of the population studied. Children of Eastern origin showed a significantly higher prevalence of pigmentation compared with Ashkenazi and Sephardic groups. Because melanin pigmentation can be enhanced by mechanical and chemical stimulation (smoking), this study may serve as a baseline for investigation of melanin pigmentation in various ethnic groups.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. 52 53 54 Commentary 55 This report reminds me of the time I spent at Tripler 56 Army Medical center in Honolulu during the mid-1960s. It 57 was there I initially encountered moxibustion and cupping. 58 Both techniques continue to be used to the present time by 59 traditional oriental medical practitioners [1-4]. Moxibustion 60 entails lighting a fire to a compressed, dried wad or stick 61 of mugwort, called a moxa, and holding it close to the skin 62 at accepted acupuncture sites or near the area of pain. The 63 heat causes increased capillary blood flow in the skin, thus 64 changing the energy flow and counteracting the pain or 65 disease. Cupping attempts the same thing by applying the 66 inverted cup to the skin and producing a vacuum, raising a 67 weal and increasing the capillary flow. Currently, cups are 68 usually made of glass and the vacuum applied through a 69 rubber bulb or mechanical suction attached to the inverted 70 bottom of the cup and the weal is temporary without cups were made of metal and the inverted bottom was a 73 hollow into which the moxa was placed and lit with a 74 match. The heat expanded the air in the cup, driving it out 75 where the cup was applied to the skin and suction 76 developed from the resulting vacuum also causing a weal. 77 However, the heat transmitted to the skin by the metal cup 78 often left permanent burn scars quite similar in shape and size 79 as those depicted in this letter to the editor. When I left the 80 military and started practice on the northeast side of Chicago, 81 the hospital I worked at was adjacent to an oriental 82 community. I consulted on a case of lumbar radiculopathy 83 in an elderly lady of Chinese descent who had been treated by 84 a traditional practitioner using moxibustion cupping. She had 85 a series of darkened circular scars, each about an inch wide 86 running linearly down the back of her thigh and calf to the 87 ankle, following her radicular pain, as is noted in this report 88 by Rahimi-Movaghar. 89 The Balouch people of Iran have a long history, extending 90 back to either the original people of the fertile crescent or to 91 immigrants from the area around the Caspian Sea [5]. They 92 are not directly related to the ancient Chinese and it appears 93 that the use of heat to treat maladies arose independent of 94 Chinese tradition and thus is likely an even more ancient 95 human tradition. I agree with the author's goal of trying to 96 educate people to more acceptable modern ways of medical 97

Objective. The identification of the determinants of physical activity (PA) among older adults is an important avenue of research. To date, although the health action process approach (HAPA) has proven to be a valid framework for the prediction of PA among heterogeneous sample of both middle-aged and older adults in rehabilitation and work settings, no studies have specifically considered its predictive value among older adults in their retirement years. Therefore, drawing upon the HAPA, the present study aimed to identify the social cognitive determinants of PA involvement among retired older adults.

Background The experience of race-related stressors is associated with physiological stress responses. However, much is unknown still about the complex relationship between how race-related stressors are perceived and experienced and potential moderators such as strength of racial identity. Purpose This research examines the impact of a real-life stressor and strength of race identity on physiological responses to a social evaluative threat induced in the laboratory. Methods Salivary cortisol measures were collected throughout a stressor protocol. African-American participants were also randomized to one of two conditions designed to promote either racial identification or student identification, before the experimental task. Unexpectedly, a highly publicized real-life racial stressor, the Duke Lacrosse (LaX) scandal, occurred during the course of the data collection. This allowed for pre-post LaX comparisons to be made on cortisol levels. Results These comparisons showed that across both priming conditions, participants post-LaX had highly elevated cortisol levels that were nonresponsive to the experimental stress task, while their pre-LaX counterparts had lower cortisol levels that exhibited a normal stress response pattern. Furthermore, this effect of LaX was significantly moderated by gender, with women having lower mean cortisol levels pre-LaX but significantly greater cortisol levels than all other groups post-LaX. Conclusions These results suggest that recent exposure to race-related stress can have a sustained impact on physiological stress responses for African Americans.

The discomfort reported by the general public at the prospect of personal contact with marginalised groups is an expression of the stigma they experience. This has been widely studied in relation to ethnic minorities and immigrants but less so for persons with disabilities. A national survey with a representative sample of over 1100 Irish adults provided an opportunity to examine reported discomfort with persons who had different impairments, including mental health conditions, with four other minority groups. Moreover, the personal and situational variables associated with expressions of discomfort were identified. Respondents were most comfortable having persons with physical and sensorial disabilities living in their neighbourhood or in their workplace but less so for persons with intellectual disabilities and even less for people with mental health conditions. They were much less comfortable with the four other social groups: gay, lesbian or bisexual people; Eastern European mig...

is an extraordinary social scientist and we are very lucky to have her here at Cornell today. In preparing to discuss her paper, I read a number of her previous writings on percentage plans and learned an enormous amount from her body of research. 1 I encourage you to read her work carefully. To provide a transition to the next session, I want to begin by talking about the future of affirmative action for underrepresented minorities in the context of another group that historically faced barriers in higher education. Throughout the first half of the 20 th century, the discrimination that American Jews faced in selective private higher education is well documented. 2 Formal or informal quotas were present at many Ivy League institutions. If we turn to 1940, we would observe Paul Samuelson being turned down for a regular faculty position at Harvard University, even though he had already completed most of the work on the book, Foundations of Economic Analysis, which in 1970 would win him the second Nobel Prize awarded in Economics (and the first to be won by an American). Harvard only had one Jewish faculty member, Seymour Harris, in the economics department in 1940 and his colleagues required him to wait for 18 years until he received tenure. 3 So Samuelson went to a newer university a few miles down the Charles River that recruited faculty based on merit, rather than heritage. A number of

This study examines the effects of family structure and family environments on the initiation of illicit drug use among a sample of U.S.-and foreign-bom Hispanic/Latino, African American, and White non-Hispanic adolescent boys (N = 3413). Bivariate and multivariate analyses with longitudinal data, three years, were used to assess transitional/temporal influences of family variables on the initiation of illicit drug use. Findings revealed large differences in family structure among the three race/ethnic groups. African American adolescents report the lowest incidence of illicit drug use initiation, and the weakest effects of family structure and environment on substance use. Cumulative effects of family risk factors were strongly associated with increased probabilities of illicit drug use initiation, but there were temporal as well as race/ethnic variations on these effects. Deteriorating changes in family environments were stronger predictors of the initiation of drug use among Hispanic immigrants than nonimmigrants, and family socioeconomic status was a predictor for immigrant Hispanics only. The relationship between family structure and drug use initia

Pemphigus is a group of potentially life-threatening diseases characterized by cutaneous and mucosal blistering. There is a fairly strong genetic background to pemphigus with linkage to HLA class II alleles. Certain ethnic groups, such as Ashkenazi Jews and those of Mediterranean origin, are especially liable to pemphigus. Pemphigus vulgaris (PV), the most common and important variant, is an autoimmune blistering disease characterized by circulating pathogenic IgG antibodies against desmoglein 3 (Dsg3), about half the patients also having Dsg1 autoantibodies. Oral lesions are initially vesiculobullous but readily rupture, new bullae developing as the older ones rupture and ulcerate. Biopsy of perilesional tissue, with histological and immunostaining examinations, is essential to the diagnosis. Serum autoantibodies to either Dsg1 or Dsg3 are best detected by both normal human skin and monkey esophagus or by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Before the introduction of cortico...

The a.borigi?zaf d~t~b~Lt~~~ of ~a~~~~~a~ irk North Alnerka is found not to be positively related to the richrkess of the n&ml ~~~r~~r~l~, cantmy to thr: ~edicti~~ of the ~~~u~th~s~ark model, the dominant one irk Anthr~lo~y. Great aln4ndurtce of some reso?&rces can encourage nomadism or rake thtz productivity of women, two detuminarkts qf the cost qfc/kildr??n, which I find are associated with lower abotiginal population density umong a sample of tribes of Norttk American Indians. POPULATION EQUILIBRIUM IN PRIMITIVE SOCIETIES 749 POPUIATION EQUILIBRIUM IN PRIMITIVE SOCIETIES 767 8. See the earlier quotation from Marshall Sahlins. 9. This rate was computed from those societies with both pre and post-epidemic estimates. 10. The important role of forest is because the implements of the Indians were not suitable for breaking up the tough grasses of open land (Driver and Massey, 1957, p. 225).

What is already known about this topic? In school districts where food allergy action plans have been implemented, practice inconsistencies have been described, and the reasons behind these inconsistencies are unknown. Minority children have the highest prevalence of food allergies, but the influence of ethnicity or socioeconomic status on the identification of children with food allergy or the presence of epinephrine injectors in schools has never been investigated.

Specific genetic hypotheses about the mode of transmission of bipolar affective disorders were examined by performing complex segregation analyses of Old Order Amish families. The analyses were performed on 1) the total set of 42 families including 689 relatives, 2) a subset of 19 families consisting of those kindreds sharing common ancestors within three generations that contained 333 relatives, and 3) a subset of 23 more distantly related families with 356 relatives. When all 42 families were included in the analyses, the specific mode of transmission that could be distinguished was dependent upon the diagnostic scheme used in the analysis. An autosomal dominant mode of inheritance could be rejected when relatives with bipolar I, atypical bipolar, major depressive disorder, and hypomania were included as affected. When analyses included only the subset of families more closely related, an autosomal dominant inheritance model was found to be consistent with transmission of BP I disorder. It was not possible to distinguish between other transmission models with broader diagnostic schemes in this subset of families. Finally, results of analyses on the subset of more distantly related families suggest that there is a significant proportion of Old Order Amish families in which the genetic factors contributing to the expression of bipolar illness are either polygenic or oligogenic.

This cross-sectional study tested a conceptual model of women's HIV/AIDS protective behaviors using gender roles, relationship power strategies, and precautionary sexual self-efficacy as predictors in a predominantly Black and Latina community sample of heterosexual women (N ϭ 125). Results revealed no support for the full model, but partial confirmation for several components of the model. Education significantly predicted gender roles, and gender roles and use of direct power strategies were significant predictors of sexual self-efficacy. Most of the participants were married or partnered and were unconcerned about contracting HIV, suggesting that if women perceive that they are at low or no risk, their gender roles, power strategies, and precautionary sexual self-efficacy will be inconsequential to their HIV/ AIDS risk reduction practices. In 1982, a year after HIV/AIDS was first identified, 67 cases of AIDS in women were reported to the Centers for Disease Control [CDC] (1983). Sixteen years later, the CDC recorded 106,059 cases among women and adolescent girls nationwide (CDC, 1998), making women the fastest growing group of people with the disease. Between 1991 and 1995, the number of women diagnosed with AIDS increased by 63% (Wortley & Fleming, 1997).

The authors tested the hypothesis that race bias in teacher evaluations may be problem specific by examining the extent to which ratings of child behavior were influenced by the interaction between the race of the child and the type of presenting behavior. Teachers (N ϭ 197) were presented with three vignettes (overcontrolled, undercontrolled, and "normal"), systematically paired with a photograph of a male child (African American, Asian American, or Caucasian). Respondents rated the seriousness, referability, and typicality of the behavior; the child's family life; academic ability and performance; and causal dimensions. Although results did not reveal a bias in the ratings of African American students, data suggest that stereotypes remain embedded in teachers' interpretive framework for Asian Americans, particularly regarding expectations of overcontrolled traits.

In this process, Iran, as one of the most concentrated destination of immigrants and refugees, has hosted around 3 million Afghan migrants and refugees in the past three decades. In spite of the repatriation programme, still around 2 to 2.5 million Afghan immigrants, both legal and illegal, live in Iran (2-4). Health and nutrition status of immigrants is of concern from public-health point of view. Food insecurity that is characterized by "limited access to or availability of nutritionally-adequate, culturallyrelevant, and safe food and/or limited or uncertain ability to acquire food in socially acceptable ways" (5), has long been a problem for the most vulnerable and under-represented segments of the population, including foreign immigrants and refugees. However, research in this field is rare and, thus, the need for assessing the extent of food insecurity among such vulnerable and hard-to-reach segments of the population is of great importance (6). Food insecurity represents a major public-health concern and is a useful index of health and wellbeing because it is associated with poverty, ill-health,

Adherence with permethrin-treated bed net (ITN) use and their proper deployment was directly observed in 2,178 individuals (784 households) participating in a large-scale trial of ITNs on child mortality in western Kenya. The ITNs were distributed free of charge to ensure high coverage, resulting in a ratio of 1.46 persons per ITN. Approximately 30% of ITNs present were unused. The overall percentage adherence was 72.3%. The probability of adherence by individuals depended strongly on age (relative risk [RR] ‫ס‬ 0.86, 95% confidence limit [CL] − 0.78-0.94), in which children less than five years of age were less likely to use ITNs than older individuals, and temperature, in which ITNs were more likely to be used in periods of cooler weather. A marginally significant diminution in adherence during the second year of the project was also observed (RR ‫ס‬ 0.83, 95% CL ‫ס‬ 0.68-1.01). Mosquito numbers, relative wealth, number of house occupants, and the educational level of the head of the household had no effect on adherence. In unstructured questioning of house residents, excessive heat was often cited as a reason for not deploying the child's ITN. The most important reason for non-adherence was disruption of sleeping arrangements, indicating that ITNs were not readily redeployed in the face of shifting sleeping patterns due to visitors, funerals, house construction, and other events. Challenges faced by health education programs to maximize adherence with ITN use are discussed.

This paper examines the impact of immigrants on the income of various groups of resident workers in the United States and Europe. Our approach features the use of a production technology incorporating education, experience, and unskilled labor as inputs. This contrasts with the assumption used in earlier studies that native-born and immigrant labor are distinct inputs into production. We find that in both United States and European production, education, unskilled labor and experience are complementary inputs. Based on these results, simulations of the impact of immigration on residents are carried out. The absolute magnitude of these effects is found to be very small. * Phone: (908) 932-7405,