Immigrant fertility in West Germany: is there a socialization effect in transitions to second and third births?

In this paper on immigrant fertility in West Germany, we estimate the transition rates to second and third births, using intensity-regression models. The data come from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study. We distinguish women of the first and the second immigrant generations originating from Turkey, the former Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy, and Spain, and compare their fertility levels to those of West German women. In the theoretical framework, we discuss competing hypotheses on migrant fertility. The findings support mainly the socialization hypothesis: the transition rates of first-generation immigrants vary by country of origin, and the fertility patterns of migrant descendants resemble more closely those of West Germans than those of the first immigrant generation. In addition, the analyses show that fertility differentials between immigrants and women of the indigenous population can largely, though not in full, be explained by compositional differences.Dans cet article relatif à la fécondité des immigrées en Allemagne, le passage du premier au deuxieme enfant et dans celui du deuxieme au troisieme enfant est estimé à partir de modèles de régression à risques instantanés. Les données utilisées proviennent de l’étude de Panel socio-économique allemand. On distingue les femmes immigrées de première ou de seconde génération originaires de Turquie, d’ex-Yougoslavie, de Grèce, d’Italie et d’Espagne, et leurs niveaux de fécondité sont comparés à ceux des femmes ouest-allemandes d’origine. Des hypothèses concurrentes sur la fécondité des immigrés sont discutées dans le cadre théorique. Les résultats vérifient principalement l’hypothèse de la socialisation : le passage au deuxieme et au troisieme enfant de la première génération d’immigrés varie selon le pays d’origine, et le profil de fécondité par âge des descendantes d’immigrées se rapproche plus de celui des femmes ouest-allemandes que de celui des immigrées de première génération. De plus, les analyses montrent que les différences de fécondité entre les immigrées et les femmes ouest-allemandes peuvent être en grande partie, mais pas totalement, expliquées par des différences de structure

TNFA and IL10 Gene Polymorphisms are not Associated with Periodontitis in Brazilians

IL-10 and TNF-α are cytokines that have complex and opposing roles in the inflammatory responses. G/A polymorphisms at position –1082 of IL10 and –308 of TNFA genes have been reported to influence the expression of IL-10 and TNF-α, respectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the IL10 (-1082) and TNFA (- 308) gene polymorphisms with different clinical forms or severity of periodontitis in a sample of Brazilian individuals. DNA was obtained from oral swabs of 165 Brazilian individuals, which were divided into three groups: individuals with chronic periodontitis, aggressive periodontitis and individuals without clinical evidence of periodontitis. Evaluation of IL10 and TNFA polymorphisms was performed by RFLP analysis. Statistical analysis of data was performed using the χ2 likelihood ratio and Fisher`s exact test. No significant differences in the genotype and allele distribution of either IL10 or TNFA were observed among individuals with different clinical forms or with different degrees of severity of periodontitis. Moreover, combined analysis of IL10 and TNFA polymorphisms did not show any association with periodontal status. As conclusion, the IL10 and TNFA gene promoter polymorphisms investigated are not associated with different clinical forms of periodontitis or with severity of the disease in the Brazilian population polymorphisms

Die Supervision auf dem Weg zur Profession? Professionalisierung im Spannungsfeld von Expansionsbestrebung und Selbstbescheidung

Kühl S. Die Supervision auf dem Weg zur Profession? Professionalisierung im Spannungsfeld von Expansionsbestrebung und Selbstbescheidung. Organisationsberatung - Supervision - Coaching. 2006;13(1):5-18

Gingival Changes after Immunosuppressive Therapy II.

There are emerging new problems associated with medication side effect with development of therapeutic modalities of current medical approaches. Some of these, such as Cyclosporin A (CsA), anticonvulsants, calcium channel blockers are associated with gingival overgrowth. We know the pharmacological mechanism of action, clinical and histopathological pictures, but the question about etiopathogenesis remains still open. The mechanism of gingival hyperplasia development is complicated and includes action of many co-factors, such as plaque, genetic predisposition, age and hormones. Drug-induced gingival overgrowth appears to be more prevalentin children and adolescents and has a predilection for the anterior gingival tissues. Gingival changes can occur within 3 month of dosage. The pattern of overgrowth development shows intra-patient variation, but may reach a "state of equilibrium" often within the first year of commencing medication. Changes in drug therapy or systemic illness may alter this state and lead to further gingival changes. Most studies show that an association therapy or systemic illness may alter this state and lead to further gingival changes. Most studies show an association between oral hygiene status and both the prevalence and severity of drug-induced gingival overgrowth. The question is whether the plaque is the contributory factor or a consequence of the gingival changes

Surface Geometry and Heat Flux Effect on Thin Wire Nucleate Pool Boiling of Subcooled Water in Microgravity

In the summer of 2010, a nucleate pool boiling experiment was flown on NASA’s Weightless Wonder to study nucleate boiling heat transfer in microgravity. The motivation for this research was to understand the effects of surface geometry and heat flux applied to a thin wire heater. This will further the understanding of the fundamental behaviors of boiling onset, steady state heat transfer, and bubble dynamics with respect to nucleate boiling, with the goal of creating efficient thermal management systems for space applications. Using three thin platinum wire geometries and five different power levels, subcooled water was boiled over a period of approximately 25 seconds during 15 parabolic arcs to simulate microgravity. To represent the trends in bubble behavior across hundreds of frames of video in a single graph, a new method, named relative bubble area analysis, was introduced and used to analyze the results of the experiment. It was determined that the efficiency of steady state heat transfer via nucleate boiling in microgravity is comparable to steady state heat transfer in terrestrial applications. Nucleate Pool Boiling 327 The three-wire geometry reduced the heat flux necessary to initiate boiling. Bubble dynamics show a transition from isolated bubbles to jets of small bubbles as heat flux increases. This can be confirmed both visually and with relative bubble area analysis. The implications of this research are that sustained convective heat transfer with subcooled water is possible in microgravity. A three-wire surface geometry was shown to initiate boiling at lower heat fluxes, which would provide minimal super heating of the surface, from lack of convection, before boiling heat transfer could begin

Pharmacotherapy of recurrent aphthous stomatitis in patients with genetically impaired ability to metabolize folic acid - pilot study

Introduction, aim: When treating recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), a so-called Skach's therapy, in which patients are administered folic acid and vitamin B6, is recommended. The human body can process folic acid only in the form of active folate (vitamin B9); methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) plays an important role in metabolic transformation, function of this enzyme is fundamentally influenced by gene polymorphisms. The aim of the study was to verify the assumption that administration of the active form of folic acid together with vitamins B6 and D3 can positively affect the frequency of aphthae/ulcers eruption and the course of their healing in patients with RAS. Methods: In the pilot study, we clinically examined ten patients in whom we analyzed haplogenotypes in the MTHFR gene. Conditions for inclusion of patients with RAS were: age 18-50 years, Czech nationality, genetically impaired ability to metabolize folic acid (poor metaboliser - PM or intermediate - IM) and the absence of systemic disease (Crohn's disease, Behçet's disease, kidney disease and other diseases). Pharmacotherapy in a modified double-crossed blind study (cross-over design) ran from spring 2018 and lasted three months. Patients were treated with active folate (glucosamine salt 5-methylfolate), vitamins B6 and D3 in the three-phase regimen, they were not allowed to use any other food supplements during the therapy. They kept daily records of their health status and possible risk factors for RAS and were examined clinically and in the laboratory at monthly intervals.We recorded both the subjective evaluation of the effect of the therapy by patients and the obtained laboratorydata, which were evaluated by statistical software Statistica v.13. Results: The study was comprised of three men and seven women with RAS, aged 28 to 47 years; according to the MTHFR gene profile, three were defined as PM and seven as IM of folic acid. Based on the subjective assessment, one patient reported a deterioration, two patients did not observe a change in their health state during therapy, and seven were satisfied because they had a lower or no aphthae eruption and/or healing time was significantly shorter. Subjective evaluation of therapy positively correlated with objective clinical finding (r = 0.993, P < 0.001). The laboratory analysis showed that administration of vitamin D3 significantly increased serum concentrations of 25-OH D3 from low/limit to optimal values, median of concentrations prior to study was 54.2 nmoll-1, just before administration 68.1 nmoll-1 vs. month after administration 96.6 nmoll-1 (norm: 50-175 nmoll-1), (P ≤ 0.01). The other studied parameters, such as concentration of folic acid in serum, homocysteine, ALT, AST, and blood count, were within the physiological range before and after therapy. Conclusion: The proposed modification of Skach's vitamin therapy seems to be appropriate for the treatment of patients suffering from RAS with genetic predisposition for reduced MTHFR function as during our observation, 70% of patients experienced subjective and objective improvement of their state

Papillon-Lefevre Syndrome

Papillon-Lefevre syndrome (PLS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by severe early-onset periodontal destruction involving both the deciduous and permanent dentition and skin lesions of palmoplantar hyperkeratosis. Recently it was found that PLS patients carry loss-of-function mutations in the gene encoding cathepsin C (CTSC). The aim of this study was analyzed the CTST gene in one Czech family with PLS. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from individuals belonging to this family for DNA isolation. Mutations were identified by direct sequencing of genomic DNA amplified for selected regions of the cathepsin C gene. 12-old year patient and his grandfather had a classic PLS phenotype. We analyzed all exons of the CTSC gene and identified a mutation in intron 1 (rs217077). Both affected individuals were homozygous for T allele; our child's mother and unaffected brother carried a heterozygote combination of this mutation. Dipeptidyl-peptidase I encoded by the CTSC gene play an immune and inflammatory role. Many different mutations in this gene have been reported in patients with PLS from several ethnic groups. This is the first genetic study of Papillon-Lefevre syndrome in the Czech population