Is Vegan Confectionary Sold in the United Kingdom Safe for Milk Allergy Sufferers?

Background Milk allergy is the most common childhood allergy. Reading food labels is important to prevent an allergic reaction. By United Kingdom (UK) law, milk needs to be listed on the food label if it used as an ingredient. Products can be called ‘free from’ milk if manufacturers have undergone rigorous process and testing to ensure it is not contaminated with milk. Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL) like ‘may contain milk’ statements are unregulated and can be used at manufacturer’s discretion. Similarly, ‘Vegan’ products are not regulated by law and appear to be on the increase. Objective The study aimed to assess the suitability of vegan confectionery sold online in the UK for cow’s milk allergy sufferers by analyzing the food labels and their reference to milk. The secondary aim was to verify the online food labels with those instore. Method The food labels of vegan confectionery from the top 4 groceries stores in the UK were analyzed online for milk listed as an ingredient; PAL for milk; listed as ‘free from’ milk and no reference to milk on the food label. The food labels from a 10% subsample were verified with instore labels. Exact multinomial tests were used for the significance cow’s milk labelling while the exact binomial test was used at a 95% confidence interval to verify online food labels instore. Results Vegan confectionery (n=143) products analyzed online were deemed not suitable for cow’s milk allergy sufferers (p=0) as 20.3% had PAL for milk; 27.3% made no reference to cow’s milk; and 52.5% were labelled as ‘free from’ milk. When verified in store a significant number of products (n=3) did not match the online food label (pConclusion Vegan confectionery sold in the United Kingdom is not necessarily suitable for cow’s milk allergy sufferers. Patients should read individual food labels prior to consumption to assess product suitability as food labels may change

Racial Profiling, Security, and Human Rights

Neighborhood Watch coordinator George Zimmerman’s February 2012 fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed, 17-year old African American in a gated community in Sanford, Florida has raised serious questions concerning racial profiling. Although a violation of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, ample evidence attests to racial profiling’s pervasiveness as a law enforcement tactic in contexts of street-level crime, counterterrorism, and immigration control. Since September 11, 2001, the longstanding problem of racial profiling has both deepened and expanded in terms of the populations targeted. Incentives to profile have been built into laws and policies that sacrifice civil liberties and rights for the purported sake of homeland security. Escalating anxieties over security in transnational, national and local contexts have produced a volatile climate in which individuals perceived to fit stereotypes of Islamist terrorists, illegal immigrants, and ghetto thugs are subjected to indiscriminate profiling, which is a form of racial discrimination. This paper examines the Trayvon Martin tragedy from the vantage point of the international human rights community. The paper’s point of departure is the 2009 report that the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance submitted to the Human Rights Council on his data-gathering mission to the United States

Ana and her web?: an investigation into Internet use in adults with an eating disorder

The aim of the study was to explore the use of the internet in adults with an eating disorder. Previous evidence has suggested that people with an eating disorder are likely to access websites that are associated with their eating disorder (Wilson, Peebles, Hardy & Litt, 2006). The researcher hypothesised that the scores on measures of stage of change, self-efficacy for recovery, eating disorder symptoms, and perceived social support would be different depending upon the type of website accessed. A cross-sectional survey was administered online. 45 participants were recruited from specialist eating disorder services, support groups and via the eating disorder charity B-eat. Survey responses were anonymous and the survey content included measures related to the hypothesis as well as questions regarding internet use associated with eating disorders. The results of this study show that the majority of the participants accessed websites associated with eating disorders. Most participants visited pro-recovery websites, some visited pro-eating disorder websites, and a small minority accessed both types of websites. The majority of the participants in this study visited these websites for social support. However, those who accessed pro-eating disorder websites also visited with the intention of triggering eating disorder behaviour. Nonetheless, no differences were found between those who accessed pro-eating disorder websites or pro-recovery websites on any measures. However, those who accessed both types of website (pro-recovery and pro-eating disorder) had significantly higher levels of weight concern. As participants who accessed both types of website were less likely to be accessing treatment, and had more incidences of hospitalisation than those who accessed pro-recovery websites or pro-eating disorder websites exclusively, the difference in weight concern scores may be more related to whether treatment is being sought than website use. Whilst adults with an eating disorder may access websites associated with eating disorders, this does not appear to increase levels of perceived social support. Additionally, accessing pro-eating disorder websites did not appear related to eating disorder severity. Therefore this study suggests that pro-eating disorder websites may not influence behaviour as feared by professionals

From Standing Rock to flint and beyond: resisting neoliberal assaults on indigenous, maroon, and other sites of racially subjected community sustainability in the Americas

Protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline led by water protectors from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota have brought human rights violations related to Indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice, and sustainable development into the foreground of political debate in the United States. The struggle at Standing Rock has been strengthened by a coalition formed with activists from other Indigenous Nations, including representatives from the Amazon Basin, and from non-Indigenous movements and political organizations such as the Green Party and #BlackLivesMatter. This article reflects upon the centrality of Indigenous Sovereignty within the broader struggle for human rights and democracy in their most inclusive and substantive senses, especially in societies whose development has been built upon the violence of colonial expansion, white supremacy, and heteropatriarchy. The article also situates Indigenous rights within regimes of multiple articulated alterities in which the subjugation and dispossession of Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples have been historically differentiated yet intertwined in the Americas. The article offers a multi-sited framework for understanding the convergent and divergent points of reference in the logics of Indigenous and Afro-descendant identity, the relationship with the State and Market, and connections to the material and spiritual resources of land. Attention is directed to cases in the United States, Honduras, and Suriname (including those of communities that define themselves as “Afro-Indigenous”) in which some notion of common ground, affinity, or alliance with past or present-day Indigenous peoples has been mobilized in Afro-descendants’ collective claims on rights to land, development, and cultural resources.RESUMEN EN ESPAÑOL: Protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline led by water protectors from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota have brought human rights violations related to Indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice, and sustainable development into the foreground of political debate in the United States. The struggle at Standing Rock has been strengthened by a coalition formed with activists from other Indigenous Nations, including representatives from the Amazon Basin, and from non-Indigenous movements and political organizations such as the Green Party and #BlackLivesMatter.  This article reflects upon the centrality of Indigenous Sovereignty within the broader struggle for human rights and democracy in their most inclusive and substantive senses, especially in societies whose development has been built upon the violence of colonial expansion, white supremacy, and heteropatriarchy.  The article also situates Indigenous rights within regimes of multiple articulated alterities in which the subjugation and dispossession of Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples have been historically differentiated yet intertwined in the Americas.  The article offers a multi-sited framework for understanding the convergent and divergent points of reference in the logics of Indigenous and Afro-descendant identity, the relationship with the State and Market, and connections to the material and spiritual resources of land.  Attention is directed to cases in the United States, Honduras, and Suriname (including those of communities that define themselves as “Afro-Indigenous”) in which some notion of common ground, affinity, or alliance with past or present-day Indigenous peoples has been mobilized in Afro-descendants’ collective claims on rights to land, development, and cultural resources.  Protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline led by water protectors from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota have brought human rights violations related to Indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice, and sustainable development into the foreground of political debate in the United States. The struggle at Standing Rock has been strengthened by a coalition formed with activists from other Indigenous Nations, including representatives from the Amazon Basin, and from non-Indigenous movements and political organizations such as the Green Party and #BlackLivesMatter. This article reflects upon the centrality of Indigenous Sovereignty within the broader struggle for human rights and democracy in their most inclusive and substantive senses, especially in societies whose development has been built upon the violence of colonial expansion, white supremacy, and heteropatriarchy. The article also situates Indigenous rights within regimes of multiple articulated alterities in which the subjugation and dispossession of Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples have been historically differentiated yet intertwined in the Americas. The article offers a multi-sited framework for understanding the convergent and divergent points of reference in the logics of Indigenous and Afro-descendant identity, the relationship with the State and Market, and connections to the material and spiritual resources of land. Attention is directed to cases in the United States, Honduras, and Suriname (including those of communities that define themselves as “Afro-Indigenous”) in which some notion of common ground, affinity, or alliance with past or present-day Indigenous peoples has been mobilized in Afro-descendants’ collective claims on rights to land, development, and cultural resources

Ana and her web?: an investigation into Internet use in adults with an eating disorder

The aim of the study was to explore the use of the internet in adults with an eating disorder. Previous evidence has suggested that people with an eating disorder are likely to access websites that are associated with their eating disorder (Wilson, Peebles, Hardy & Litt, 2006). The researcher hypothesised that the scores on measures of stage of change, self-efficacy for recovery, eating disorder symptoms, and perceived social support would be different depending upon the type of website accessed. A cross-sectional survey was administered online. 45 participants were recruited from specialist eating disorder services, support groups and via the eating disorder charity B-eat. Survey responses were anonymous and the survey content included measures related to the hypothesis as well as questions regarding internet use associated with eating disorders. The results of this study show that the majority of the participants accessed websites associated with eating disorders. Most participants visited pro-recovery websites, some visited pro-eating disorder websites, and a small minority accessed both types of websites. The majority of the participants in this study visited these websites for social support. However, those who accessed pro-eating disorder websites also visited with the intention of triggering eating disorder behaviour. Nonetheless, no differences were found between those who accessed pro-eating disorder websites or pro-recovery websites on any measures. However, those who accessed both types of website (pro-recovery and pro-eating disorder) had significantly higher levels of weight concern. As participants who accessed both types of website were less likely to be accessing treatment, and had more incidences of hospitalisation than those who accessed pro-recovery websites or pro-eating disorder websites exclusively, the difference in weight concern scores may be more related to whether treatment is being sought than website use. Whilst adults with an eating disorder may access websites associated with eating disorders, this does not appear to increase levels of perceived social support. Additionally, accessing pro-eating disorder websites did not appear related to eating disorder severity. Therefore this study suggests that pro-eating disorder websites may not influence behaviour as feared by professionals

Impact of COVID-19 response on global surgical volumes:an ongoing observational study

Objective: To determine whether location-linked anaesthesiology calculator mobile application (app) data can serve as a qualitative proxy for global surgical case volumes and therefore monitor the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: We collected data provided by users of the mobile app "Anesthesiologist" during 1 October 2018-30 June 2020. We analysed these using RStudio and generated 7-day moving-average app use plots. We calculated country-level reductions in app use as a percentage of baseline. We obtained data on COVID-19 case counts from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. We plotted changing app use and COVID-19 case counts for several countries and regions. Findings: A total of 100 099 app users within 214 countries and territories provided data. We observed that app use was reduced during holidays, weekends and at night, correlating with expected fluctuations in surgical volume. We observed that the onset of the pandemic prompted substantial reductions in app use. We noted strong cross-correlation between COVID-19 case count and reductions in app use in low- and middle-income countries, but not in high-income countries. Of the 112 countries and territories with non-zero app use during baseline and during the pandemic, we calculated a median reduction in app use to 73.6% of baseline. Conclusion: App data provide a proxy for surgical case volumes, and can therefore be used as a real-time monitor of the impact of COVID-19 on surgical capacity. We have created a dashboard for ongoing visualization of these data, allowing policy-makers to direct resources to areas of greatest need

Patterns of glutamate, glycine, and GABA immunolabeling in four synaptic terminal classes in the lateral superior olive of the guinea pig

The goal of this study was to correlate synaptic ultrastructure with transmitter specificity and function in the lateral superior olive (LSO), a nucleus that is thought to play a major role in sound localization. This was accomplished by means of postembedding immunogold immunocytochemistry. Four classes of synaptic terminals were identified in the LSO. They were distinguishable from one another both morphologically and on the basis of their different patterns of immunolabeling for glutamate, glycine, and Γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The highest level of glutamate immunoreactivity was found in terminals that contained round vesicles (R) and formed synaptic contacts with asymmetric synaptic junctions. Round-vesicle terminals predominated on small caliber dendrites by a ratio of at least 2:1 over the other classes combined. The thinnest dendrites were typically contacted by R terminals only. The ratio of R terminals to the other types decreased as the caliber of the dendritic profiles they apposed increased so that on the soma, R terminals were outnumbered by at least 2:1 by the other types. Terminals containing flattened vesicles (F) exhibited intense immunoreactivity for both glycine and glutamate, although the glutamate immunolabeling was not as high as that in the R terminals. Flattened-vesicle terminals formed symmetric synaptic contacts with their targets and their distribution was the reverse of that described for R terminals; i.e., they were most abundant on LSO perikarya and fewest on small caliber dendrites. Two terminal types, both containing pleomorphic vesicles and forming symmetric synaptic junctions, were found in far fewer numbers. One group contained large pleomorphic vesicles (LP) and was immunoreactive for both glycine and GABA. The other group contained small pleomorphic vesicles (SP) along with a few dense-core vesicles and labeled for GABA only. The LP terminals were preferentially distributed on somata and large–caliber dendrites, while the SP terminals most often contacted smaller dendrites. Previous work suggests that a large percentage of the R terminals arise from spherical cells in the ipsilateral cochlear nucleus and are excitatory in action. This pathway may use glutamate as a transmitter. Many of the F terminals are thought to originate from the ipsilateral medial nucleus of the trapezoid body and appear to be the inhibitory (glycinergic) terminals from a pathway that originates from the contralateral ear. The origins and functions of LP and SP terminals are unknown, but a few possibilities are discussed along with the significance of cocontainment of neuroactive substances in specific terminal types. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50052/1/903230302_ftp.pd