Globalisation masculinities, empire building and forced prostitution: a critical analysis of the gendered impact of the neoliberal economic agenda in post-invasion/occupation Iraq

Adopting a transnational feminist lens and using a political economy approach, this article addresses both the direct and indirect consequences of the 2003 war in Iraq, specifically the impact on civilian women. Pre-war security and gender relations in Iraq will be compared with the situation post-invasion/occupation. The article examines the globalised processes of capitalism, neoliberalism and neo-colonialism and their impact on the political, social and economic infrastructure in Iraq. Particular attention will be paid to illicit and informal economies: coping, combat and criminal. The 2003 Iraq war was fought using masculinities of empire, post-colonialism and neoliberalism. Using the example of forced prostitution, the article will argue that these globalisation masculinities – specifically the privatisation agenda of the West and its illegal economic occupation – have resulted in women either being forced into the illicit (coping) economy as a means of survival, or trafficked for sexual slavery by profit-seeking criminal networks who exploit the informal economy in a post-invasion/occupation Iraq

Surface modification of stainless steel for biomedical applications: Revisiting a century-old material

Stainless steel (SS) has been widely used as a material for fabricating cardiovascular stents/valves, orthopedic prosthesis, and other devices and implants used in biomedicine due to its malleability and resistance to corrosion and fatigue. Despite its good mechanical properties, SS (as other metals) lacks biofunctionality. To be successfully used as a biomaterial, SS must be made resistant to the biological environment by increasing its anti-fouling properties, preventing biofilm formation (passive surface modification), and imparting functionality for eluting a specific drug or capturing selected cells (active surface modification); these features depend on the final application. Various physico-chemical techniques, including plasma vapor deposition, electrochemical treatment, and attachment of different linkers that add functional groups, are used to obtain SS with increased corrosion resistance, improved osseointegration capabilities, added hemocompatibility, and enhanced antibacterial properties. Existing literature on this topic is extensive and has not been covered in an integrated way in previous reviews. This review aims to fill this gap, by surveying the literature on SS surface modification methods, as well as modification routes tailored for specific biomedical applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Stainless steel (SS) is widely used in many biomedical applications including bone implants and cardiovascular stents due to its good mechanical properties, biocompatibility and low price. Surface modification allows improving its characteristics without compromising its important bulk properties. SS with improved blood compatibility (blood contacting implants), enhanced ability to resist bacterial infection (long-term devices), better integration with a tissue (bone implants) are examples of successful SS surface modifications. Existing literature on this topic is extensive and has not been covered in an integrated way in previous reviews. This review paper aims to fill this gap, by surveying the literature on SS surface modification methods, as well as to provide guidance for selecting appropriate modification routes tailored for specific biomedical applications.Accepted manuscrip

One-pot RAFT and fast polymersomes assembly: a ‘beeline’ from monomers to drug-loaded nanovectors

Rapid and simple routes to functional polymersomes are increasingly needed to expand their clinical or industrial applications. Here we describe a novel strategy where polymersomes are prepared through an in-line process in just a few hours, starting from simple acrylate or acrylamide monomers. Using Perrier's protocol, well-defined amphiphilic diblock copolymers formed from PEG acrylate (mPEGA480), 2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl-3-chloro-4-hydroxybenzoate (ACH) or 2-(3-chloro-4-hydroxybenzamido)ethyl acrylate (CHB), have been synthesised by RAFT polymerisation in one-pot, pushing the monomer conversion for each block close to completion (≥94%). The reaction mixture, consisting of green biocompatible solvents (ethanol/water) have then been directly utilised to generate well-defined polymersomes, by simple cannulation into water or in a more automated process, by using a bespoke microfluidic device. Terbinafine and cyanocobalamine were used to demonstrate the suitability of the process to incorporate model hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs, respectively. Vesicles size and morphology were characterised by DLS, TEM, and AFM. In this work we show that materials and experimental conditions can be chosen to allow facile and rapid generation drug-loaded polymersomes, through a suitable in-line process, directly from acrylate or acrylamide monomer building blocks

A genome-wide association study of anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex and heritable eating disorder characterized by dangerously low body weight. Neither candidate gene studies nor an initial genome-wide association study (GWAS) have yielded significant and replicated results. We performed a GWAS in 2907 cases with AN from 14 countries (15 sites) and 14 860 ancestrally matched controls as part of the Genetic Consortium for AN (GCAN) and the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 3 (WTCCC3). Individual association analyses were conducted in each stratum and meta-analyzed across all 15 discovery data sets. Seventy-six (72 independent) single nucleotide polymorphisms were taken forward for in silico (two data sets) or de novo (13 data sets) replication genotyping in 2677 independent AN cases and 8629 European ancestry controls along with 458 AN cases and 421 controls from Japan. The final global meta-analysis across discovery and replication data sets comprised 5551 AN cases and 21 080 controls. AN subtype analyses (1606 AN restricting; 1445 AN binge-purge) were performed. No findings reached genome-wide significance. Two intronic variants were suggestively associated: rs9839776 (P=3.01 × 10(-7)) in SOX2OT and rs17030795 (P=5.84 × 10(-6)) in PPP3CA. Two additional signals were specific to Europeans: rs1523921 (P=5.76 × 10(-)(6)) between CUL3 and FAM124B and rs1886797 (P=8.05 × 10(-)(6)) near SPATA13. Comparing discovery with replication results, 76% of the effects were in the same direction, an observation highly unlikely to be due to chance (P=4 × 10(-6)), strongly suggesting that true findings exist but our sample, the largest yet reported, was underpowered for their detection. The accrual of large genotyped AN case-control samples should be an immediate priority for the field

Health and wellbeing of under-five year olds in the South Island 2017

In this report the New Zealand Child and Youth Epidemiology Service (NZCYES) provides data and information to contribute to the effective planning and funding of services to improve, promote and protect the health and wellbeing of New Zealand children in their earliest years. The indicators of child health and wellbeing reported in this report begin in the prenatal period and extend to around five years of age. Indicator data for this report were extracted in 2017 from a range of routinely collected datasets. For each indicator the report provides an analysis of the most recent data available at the time of writing, followed by evidence for good practice derived from current policies, guidelines and the evidence-based literature. Where possible, the evidence for good practice includes discussion of equity issues relevant to each indicator, to inform service planning and delivery. The 2017 report begins with the very earliest days in a child’s development, the prenatal period. Early enrolment with a lead maternity carer or district health board (DHB) primary maternity service, maternal smoking and maternal weight are sentinel indicators of the health and wellbeing of women who are pregnant. The next section presents birth outcome data including gestation at birth and birthweight, as well as data about fetal deaths (also known as stillbirths). Birth outcome data can also be used to help quantify the need for care for babies born prematurely or with low birthweight. Birth outcomes are associated with a number of factors, including access to high quality antenatal care (which can help to reduce rates of preterm birth, low birthweight, and stillbirth and also to identify when a newborn baby may require additional services). The mortality rate for children aged under five years is a high-level indicator of child health and well-being within a population. The 2017 report presents data on all deaths of under-five-year-olds, on deaths of infants in the first year of life, including sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), and deaths of 1–4 year olds. Immunisation and Well Child/Tamariki Ora (WCTO) services provide a foundation for child health and wellbeing. The next three sections of the report present data on breastfeeding, immunisation coverage, and child weight. Hospitalisations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSH) may provide an indication, at a community level, of accessibility of primary care services. However, ACSH rates are also influenced by other factors at a local level, including overall social determinants of health, and must be interpreted in the light of each DHB’s specific circumstances. The final section of this report provides data from the community oral health service on oral health of five-year-olds in the community, with further data on hospitalisations of under-five-year-olds for dental conditions. Two review topics were selected by DHBs for inclusion in this report: Making health easier: Reducing inequalities in child health through addressing low health literacy (by Dr Judith Adams) and Factors that influence inequity of oral health in New Zealand and what we can we do about them (by Deanna M Beckett and Alison M Meldrum, from the University of Otago Dental School). These two sections of the report can inform strategies to promote health and wellbeing for all children. Health services can provide information in a way that supports parents to build their knowledge and skills to keep their children well and safe. Healthy public policy and supportive environments are key components to promote good oral health for all children from their earliest years

Health and wellbeing of under-five year olds in Hawke’s Bay 2017

In this report the New Zealand Child and Youth Epidemiology Service (NZCYES) provides data and information to contribute to the effective planning and funding of services to improve, promote and protect the health and wellbeing of New Zealand children in their earliest years. The indicators of child health and wellbeing reported in this report begin in the prenatal period and extend to around five years of age. Indicator data for this report were extracted in 2017 from a range of routinely collected datasets. For each indicator the report provides an analysis of the most recent data available at the time of writing, followed by evidence for good practice derived from current policies, guidelines and the evidence-based literature. Where possible, the evidence for good practice includes discussion of equity issues relevant to each indicator, to inform service planning and delivery. The 2017 report begins with the very earliest days in a child’s development, the prenatal period. Early enrolment with a lead maternity carer or district health board (DHB) primary maternity service, maternal smoking and maternal weight are sentinel indicators of the health and wellbeing of women who are pregnant. The next section presents birth outcome data including gestation at birth and birthweight, as well as data about fetal deaths (also known as stillbirths). Birth outcome data can also be used to help quantify the need for care for babies born prematurely or with low birthweight. Birth outcomes are associated with a number of factors, including access to high quality antenatal care (which can help to reduce rates of preterm birth, low birthweight, and stillbirth and also to identify when a newborn baby may require additional services). The mortality rate for children aged under five years is a high-level indicator of child health and well-being within a population. The 2017 report presents data on all deaths of under-five-year-olds, on deaths of infants in the first year of life, including sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), and deaths of 1–4 year olds. Immunisation and Well Child/Tamariki Ora (WCTO) services provide a foundation for child health and wellbeing. The next three sections of the report present data on breastfeeding, immunisation coverage, and child weight. Hospitalisations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSH) may provide an indication, at a community level, of accessibility of primary care services. However, ACSH rates are also influenced by other factors at a local level, including overall social determinants of health, and must be interpreted in the light of each DHB’s specific circumstances. The final section of this report provides data from the community oral health service on oral health of five-year-olds in the community, with further data on hospitalisations of under-five-year-olds for dental conditions. Two review topics were selected by DHBs for inclusion in this report: Making health easier: Reducing inequalities in child health through addressing low health literacy (by Dr Judith Adams) and Factors that influence inequity of oral health in New Zealand and what we can we do about them (by Deanna M Beckett and Alison M Meldrum, from the University of Otago Dental School). These two sections of the report can inform strategies to promote health and wellbeing for all children. Health services can provide information in a way that supports parents to build their knowledge and skills to keep their children well and safe. Healthy public policy and supportive environments are key components to promote good oral health for all children from their earliest years