A catholic perspective on human rights

The following is a transcript of the lecture titled "Human Rights – a Catholic Perspective" delivered on the 15th of October, 2004, by Ms. Cherie Booth. The event was organized by the European Law Student's Association (ELSA Malta), in collaboration with the British High Commission and International Law Department of the University of Malta, who we thank for their hard work and for the great interest they have shown in 'Id-Drift' over the years. Whilst giving special thanks to Ms. Booth for her unhesitant cooperation and support, I would like to remind you that the 'Id-Drift' Editorial Board was given special permission by her to publish this article and that she wishes the following not to be reproduced further and also, that she retains full copyright of all the material. The same applies for the other two papers in this section.peer-reviewe

Sexual network characteristics, condomless anal intercourse, and the HIV care cascade among MSM living with controlled versus uncontrolled HIV infection in Lima, Peru: a population-based cross-sectional analysis

Background: Despite high rates of HIV transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Lima, Peru, limited data exist on the sexual network characteristics or risk factors for secondary HIV transmission among MSM with uncontrolled HIV infection. We report the frequency of serodiscordant, condomless anal intercourse (CAI) and associated sexual network characteristics among MSM in Lima with detectable HIV viremia and compare to those with undetectable viremia. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis includes MSM who tested positive for HIV-1 during screening for a trial of partner management and STI control (June 2022–January 2023). Participants were tested for HIV, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and syphilis, and completed questionnaires on their demographic characteristics, sexual identity and behaviour, sexual network structures and engagement in HIV care. Findings: Of 665 MSM, 153 (23%) had detectable (>200 copies/mL) viremia. 75% (499/662) of men living with HIV were previously diagnosed, with 94% (n = 469/499) reporting that they were on ART, and 93% (n = 436/469) virally suppressed. 96% (n = 147/153) of men with detectable viremia reported serodiscordant CAI with at least one of their last three sexual partners, and 74% (n = 106/144) reported the same with all three of their recent partners. In contrast, 62% (n = 302/489) of men with undetectable viral load reported serodiscordant CAI with all of their last three partners (p < 0.01). Interpretation: 23% of men living with HIV in Peru had detectable viremia, of whom almost all (96%) reported recent serodiscordant CAI. The primary gap in the HIV care cascade lies in awareness of HIV serostatus, suggesting that improved access to HIV testing could be a key prevention strategy in Peru. Funding: Funding for this study was provided by NIH/ NIMH grants R01 MH118973 (PI: Clark) and R25 MH087222 (PI: Clark).National Institutes of HealthRevisión por pare

A case–control study of tobacco use and other non-occupational risk factors for lymphoma subtypes defined by t(14; 18) translocations and bcl-2 expression

We re-evaluated reported associations between tobacco use and other factors and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) t(14;18)-subtypes based on fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays believed to be more sensitive than polymerase chain reaction (PCR), previously used for detecting t(14;18)

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) subtypes defined by common translocations: Utility of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in a case–control study

We used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays to identify t(14;18) translocations in archival paraffin-embedded tumor sections from non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) cases enrolled in a population-based study. t(14;18) was identified in 54% of 152 cases, including 39% of diffuse large cell lymphomas (26 of 66 cases) and 84% of follicular lymphomas (36 of 43 cases). Eighty-seven percent of t(14;18)-positive cases and 57% of t(14;18)-negative cases expressed bcl-2. FISH assays detected twice as many t(14;18)-positive follicular lymphomas as PCR assays. Overall, study findings support the use of FISH assays to detect t(14;18) in archival tumor samples for epidemiologic studies of NHL subtypes

Mobile phones and entrepreneurial identity negotiation by urban female street traders in Uganda

Mobile phones have been posited as enhancing women's entrepreneurship and gender equality in developing countries, yet empowerment outcomes are unclear. This article considers how women in the gender-segregated informal economy construct their entrepreneurial identity in relation to mobile phones and the discursive repertoires that marginalize and empower. Using data from interviews with six urban female street traders in Kampala, Uganda, it explores how these repertoires illustrate their sense of self, positioning and belonging to the business community. Normative representations and positioning of female traders can sideline entrepreneurial identity and over-validate gender identity. But, participants also negotiate entrepreneurial identity construction in response to these marginalizing influences. Although the data demonstrate that participants are equivocal about their entrepreneurial identity or fit in business, some representations are more validating and offer a sense of belonging. The article concludes by highlighting the nuanced opportunities for social change their discursive repertoires may present

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Contextualizing risk: examining the impact of substance use on HIV transmission dynamics among a cohort of men who have sex with men

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic and represent 70% of incident HIV cases in the United States, despite constituting 3.9% of the population. These disparities are particularly relevant in the context of the burgeoning stimulant use epidemic, as stimulant use is associated with increased HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence among MSM. Given these contexts, this dissertation consists of three studies that explored the impacts of stimulant use on HIV/STI transmission dynamics among a diverse cohort of MSM in Los Angeles, California. Study one examined the relative contributions of methamphetamine use, depression, and sexual risk behavior on rectal STIs using path analysis. Study two consisted of a latent class analysis to determine risk behaviors associated with patterns of sexualized stimulant and alcohol use. Study three used machine learning techniques, specifically least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) and elastic net, for variable selection to determine characteristics associated with increased stimulant use and whether these factors differed in relation to HIV status. This dissertation demonstrated that the factors surrounding stimulant use and HIV/STI transmission dynamics are both nuanced and complex. Our findings reinforced the known associations between syndemic health conditions, such as depression, unstable housing, polysubstance use, and transactional sex, with stimulant use and sexual risk behaviors. However, our results highlight that the factors and contexts surrounding stimulant use and sexual risk behaviors likely differ between MSM subpopulations. For example, Black/Latinx MSM who engaged in stimulant use were more likely to experience syndemic health conditions (e.g., STIs, depressive symptoms) than their Black/Latinx counterparts who did not engage in sexualized stimulant use. Similar differences in stimulant use patterns were observed based on HIV status. Among MSM living with HIV, increased stimulant use correlated highly with reported co-substance use whereas sexual risk behaviors and sexual partnership contexts were correlated with increased stimulant use among HIV-negative MSM. This dissertation demonstrates that the contexts and factors which contribute to stimulant use patterns likely differ between MSM subpopulations and suggest that these differences should be accounted for in the design of HIV prevention and treatment interventions