Politics of race in a free and a slave society: Free black issues in the legislatures of Antebellum Ohio and Tennessee

Scope and Method of Study: An examination of legislative proceedings and roll-call voting behavior on free black issues in the antebellum general assemblies of Ohio and Tennessee.Findings and Conclusions: Historians disagree as to whether two-party politics provides compelling evidence that a white consensus prevailed in antebellum America which elevated common ideological racist convictions to the foremost imperative in the public forum. This study indicates political behaviors show the relationship between free black issues and two-party alignments was rather unstable, especially prior to mid-century. Hence, modal theories emphasizing either broad bipartisanship or vigorous two-party conflict each seemingly have limited value as explanatory devices. One instead must seek such evidence in the realm of thought or in what parties did not do rather than in what they did. Generally speaking, however, the argument for bipartisanship has greater applicability in the period of early party formation prior to the mid-1830s, although among Tennessee legislators this pattern endured more prominently. The case for two-party conflict, alternatively increasingly fits the Ohio scenario better. As a rule of thumb, however, the major parties in both states--while often in agreement on particular policy options--perennially bickered on specifics or fragmented internally on a host of collateral considerations. Nor was the trajectory of legal reform parallel across state lines. Simply put, while Democrats typically acted in more racist fashion than did their party foes, it is not clear that systematic institutionalization of white supremacy stood at the apex of their overall agenda on most occasions. At the same time the gap between party responses to free black roll calls also indicates notions of bipartisan agreement require heavy qualification and nuance. While the so-called "Negro Question" did become increasingly more salient in political discourse and more closely integrated into party warfare over time, it rarely proved the primary fulcrum upon which antebellum two-party politics normatively turned, especially compared to various economic and cultural issues which vied for issue space in the public forum

Systematic Review of Potential Health Risks Posed by Pharmaceutical, Occupational and Consumer Exposures to Metallic and Nanoscale Aluminum, Aluminum Oxides, Aluminum Hydroxide and Its Soluble Salts

Aluminum (Al) is a ubiquitous substance encountered both naturally (as the third most abundant element) and intentionally (used in water, foods, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines); it is also present in ambient and occupational airborne particulates. Existing data underscore the importance of Al physical and chemical forms in relation to its uptake, accumulation, and systemic bioavailability. The present review represents a systematic examination of the peer-reviewed literature on the adverse health effects of Al materials published since a previous critical evaluation compiled by Krewski et al. (2007). Challenges encountered in carrying out the present review reflected the experimental use of different physical and chemical Al forms, different routes of administration, and different target organs in relation to the magnitude, frequency, and duration of exposure. Wide variations in diet can result in Al intakes that are often higher than the World Health Organization provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI), which is based on studies with Al citrate. Comparing daily dietary Al exposures on the basis of “total Al”assumes that gastrointestinal bioavailability for all dietary Al forms is equivalent to that for Al citrate, an approach that requires validation. Current occupational exposure limits (OELs) for identical Al substances vary as much as 15-fold. The toxicity of different Al forms depends in large measure on their physical behavior and relative solubility in water. The toxicity of soluble Al forms depends upon the delivered dose of Al+ 3 to target tissues. Trivalent Al reacts with water to produce bidentate superoxide coordination spheres [Al(O2)(H2O4)+ 2 and Al(H2O)6 + 3] that after complexation with O2•−, generate Al superoxides [Al(O2•)](H2O5)]+ 2. Semireduced AlO2• radicals deplete mitochondrial Fe and promote generation of H2O2, O2 • − and OH•. Thus, it is the Al+ 3-induced formation of oxygen radicals that accounts for the oxidative damage that leads to intrinsic apoptosis. In contrast, the toxicity of the insoluble Al oxides depends primarily on their behavior as particulates. Aluminum has been held responsible for human morbidity and mortality, but there is no consistent and convincing evidence to associate the Al found in food and drinking water at the doses and chemical forms presently consumed by people living in North America and Western Europe with increased risk for Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD). Neither is there clear evidence to show use of Al-containing underarm antiperspirants or cosmetics increases the risk of AD or breast cancer. Metallic Al, its oxides, and common Al salts have not been shown to be either genotoxic or carcinogenic. Aluminum exposures during neonatal and pediatric parenteral nutrition (PN) can impair bone mineralization and delay neurological development. Adverse effects to vaccines with Al adjuvants have occurred; however, recent controlled trials found that the immunologic response to certain vaccines with Al adjuvants was no greater, and in some cases less than, that after identical vaccination without Al adjuvants. The scientific literature on the adverse health effects of Al is extensive. Health risk assessments for Al must take into account individual co-factors (e.g., age, renal function, diet, gastric pH). Conclusions from the current review point to the need for refinement of the PTWI, reduction of Al contamination in PN solutions, justification for routine addition of Al to vaccines, and harmonization of OELs for Al substances

Effect of actionable somatic mutations on racial/ethnic disparities in head and neck cancer prognosis

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and minorities have the worst survival. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying survival disparities have not been elucidated.In a retrospective study, we assessed association between HNSCC early death (<2 years) and 208 somatic mutations of 10 cancer-related genes in 214 patients: 98 non-Hispanic whites (46%), 72 Hispanic whites (34%), and 44 African Americans (20%).Hispanic whites and African Americans had significantly higher mutation rates for EGFR, HRAS, KRAS, and TP53. HNSCC early death was significantly associated with 3+ mutations (odds ratio [OR] = 2.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.16, 6.69), NOTCH1 mutations in non-Hispanic whites (OR = 5.51; 95% CI = 1.22-24.83) and TP53 mutations in Hispanic whites (OR = 3.84; 95% CI = 1.08-13.68) in multivariable analysis adjusted for age, sex, tumor site, and tumor stage.We have provided the proof-of-principal data to link racial/ethnic-specific somatic mutations and HNSCC prognosis and pave the way for precision medicine to overcome HNSCC survival disparities. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38:1234-1241, 2016