Socio-Economic Impacts Associated with the Introduction of Casino Gambling: A Literature Review and Synthesis

This literature review was commissioned by Blue Thorn Research.This review is an attempt to comprehensively identify and synthesize the literature examining the socio-economic impacts associated with the introduction of casino-style gambling. Search terms used for the literature review included but were not limited to the following keywords and subject headings / descriptors: "gambling", "gaming", "casino", "casinos", "casino gambling", "casino gaming", "socioeconomic", "socioeconomic", "social", "economic", "effects", "impacts", "introduction". It should be noted that each database generally uses its own terminology which makes searching unique. The academic literature on the socio-economic impacts of gambling is quite extensive and an effort was made to limit results to articles and reports published after 1990 that related specifically to casino-style gambling.N

The Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling

There has been considerable debate about the best methodological and theoretical approach to analyzing the social and economic impacts of gambling, with one of the central issues being how to aggregate the social impacts with the financial impacts to arrive at an overall summative measure. However, there is no reliable way of doing this. Judging the overall positive or negative nature of gambling will always be a subjective determination about the relative importance of the observed social impacts compared to the observed economic impacts. This does not mean that high quality socioeconomic analyses of gambling cannot be conducted. Rather, there are many basic principles for conducting socioeconomic impact studies that can ensure that the obtained results are comprehensive, provide a meaningful accounting of the social impacts of gambling, and are scientifically rigorous. These principles are outlined in the first section of this report. In light of these methodological principles, the second section of this report provided an exhaustive review of what is known about the social and economic impacts of gambling, including a compilation of 492 studies on this topic, and a summary of the findings of these studies in a series of tables organized by impact area and type of gambling. These Summary Tables provide a useful documentation of which types of gambling have been most and least studied, the types of impacts that have been most and least studied, and the general pattern of results in terms of whether a particular form of gambling has found increases, decreases, no impact, or just changes in that impact area. Additionally, these tables provide a reference source for other researchers who may wish to conduct even more in-depth analyses of specific domains or types of gambling.Canadian Consortium for Gambling Research; Alberta Gaming Research Institute; Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse; Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch of British Columbia; Manitoba Gaming Control Commission; Ministère de la Sante et des Services Sociaux du Québec; Gambling Awareness Foundation of Nova Scotia; Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre

Gambling and problem gambling in North American Aboriginal people

Author manuscriptThe purpose of this paper is to review what is known about gambling and problem gambling among Aboriginal peoples of North America. The focus is primarily on current gambling practices, and on health and social issues rather than economic ones. The first part of this paper provides a brief review of historical aspects of Aboriginal gambling. The second part reviews the current situation with specific reference to the meaning of gambling for Aboriginal people, current patterns of gambling behaviour, and the prevalence and causes of problem gambling within this population.Ye

The population prevalence of problem gambling: methodological influences, standardized rates, jurisdictional differences, and worldwide trends

Report prepared for the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.The primary purpose of the present research was to standardize problem gambling prevalence rates so as to facilitate comparisons between jurisdictions as well as within the same jurisdiction over time. The first step in this process was the identification and collection of all published and unpublished studies that involve a jurisdiction-wide adult prevalence survey of problem gambling. A total of 202 studies were conducted between 1975 and 2012. All pertinent information was extracted from each of these 202 studies and is reported in Appendices A, B, C, and D. These Appendices represent the most complete collection of problem gambling prevalence studies to date and will serve as a database for future researchers. In addition, the demographic, characterological, environmental, and gambling format correlates of problem gambling in these 202 studies are summarized and reported in Appendices E, F, G, and H. The second step in this process was the examination of the impact of methodological differences on obtained problem gambling prevalence rates. The main methodological elements influencing obtained problem gambling prevalence are: a) which assessment instrument is used; b) the time frame used to assess the presence of problem gambling (i.e., past year, lifetime); c) how the survey is described to prospective participants; d) how the survey is administered (i.e., face-to-face, telephone, self-administered); and e) the threshold criterion that determines when problem gambling questions are asked. The methodological approach (within each of these elements) that produced the most valid prevalence rate was identified, as well as weighting factors that could be applied to obtain rates that would have been obtained using the more valid approach. The third part of this report presents the results of applying these weighting factors to create standardized past year problem gambling prevalence rates for all studies.N

Antimicrobial effects of XF drugs against Candida albicans and its biofilms

Compared with antibiotics for treating bacterial infections, there are a limited number of antifungal agents. This is due to several factors, including the difficulties of identifying suitable antifungals that target the fungal cell without damaging host cells, and the reduced rates of diagnosis of fungal infections compared with those caused by bacteria. The problem of treating fungal infections is exacerbated by an increasing incidence of antifungal resistance among human fungal pathogens. Three XF drugs (XF-73, XF-70, and DPD-207) have previously displayed innate bactericidal effects and a low propensity for microbial resistance, with XF-73 and XF-70 having a second, light-activated mechanism of action [known as photodynamic therapy (PDT)]. In an effort to expand the repertoire of antifungal agents, this research assessed the in vitro activity of XF drugs via both mechanisms of action against six strains of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans in both planktonic and biofilm cultures. In addition, this research examined the effects of XF drug treatment on biofilms of C. albicans in a reconstituted human oral epithelium model. All C. albicans strains tested were susceptible to XF-73 and XF-70, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) between 0.25 µg/mL and 2 µg/mL; DPD-207 was less potent, with MICs between 4 µg/mL and 16 µg/mL, and light activation did not enhance these MICs. Complete biofilm eradication was not reported at the tested XF drug concentrations. However, live and dead staining of C. albicans cells in biofilms after XF drug treatment demonstrated that XF-73 and XF-70 were active against most Candida biofilms tested from 64 µg/mL; again, light activation did not enhance anti-biofilm activity. Candida biofilms were more resistant to DPD-207, with fungicidal effects occurring from 256 µg/mL. XF-73 and XF-70 reduced penetration of C. albicans biofilm into reconstituted human oral epithelium (RHOE) and resulted in less damage (as determined by reduced lactate dehydrogenase release) than untreated biofilms. Overall, the results highlight the potential of XF drugs as new drugs for the management of topical infections caused by C. albicans. Further studies are warranted on the development of XF drugs as antifungals, particularly for XF-73 and XF-70

The definition, dimensionalization, and assessment of gambling participation

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Incidence and Characteristics of Total Stroke in the United States

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke, increasingly referred to as a "brain attack", is one of the leading causes of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the United States. It has recently been estimated that there were three quarters of a million strokes in the United States in 1995. The aim of this study was to replicate the 1995 estimate and examine if there was an increase from 1995 to 1996 by using a large administrative claims database representative of all 1996 US inpatient discharges. METHODS: We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, release 5, which contains ≈ 20 percent of all 1996 US inpatient discharges. We identified stroke patients by using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes from 430 to 438, and we compared the 1996 database with that of 1995. RESULTS: There were 712,000 occurrences of stroke with hospitalization (95% CI 688,000 to 737,000) and an estimated 71,000 occurrences of stroke without hospitalization. This totaled 783,000 occurrences of stroke in 1996, compared to 750,000 in 1995. The overall rate for occurrence of total stroke (first-ever and recurrent) was 269 per 100,000 population (age- and sex-adjusted to 1996 US population). CONCLUSIONS: We estimate that there were 783,000 first-ever or recurrent strokes in the United States during 1996, compared to the figure of 750,000 in 1995. This study replicates and confirms the previous annual estimates of approximately three quarters of a million total strokes. This slight increase is likely due to the aging of the population and the population gain in the US from 1995 to 1996

Structural resolution of switchable states of a de novo peptide assembly

De novo protein design is advancing rapidly. However, most designs are for single states. Here we report a de novo designed peptide that forms multiple α-helical-bundle states that are accessible and interconvertible under the same conditions. Usually in such designs amphipathic α helices associate to form compact structures with consolidated hydrophobic cores. However, recent rational and computational designs have delivered open α-helical barrels with functionalisable cavities. By placing glycine judiciously in the helical interfaces of an α-helical barrel, we obtain both open and compact states in a single protein crystal. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate a free-energy landscape with multiple and interconverting states. Together, these findings suggest a frustrated system in which steric interactions that maintain the open barrel and the hydrophobic effect that drives complete collapse are traded-off. Indeed, addition of a hydrophobic co-solvent that can bind within the barrel affects the switch between the states both in silico and experimentally

LEF-1 drives aberrant β-catenin nuclear localization in myeloid leukemia cells

Canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling is frequently dysregulated in myeloid leukemias and is implicated in leukemogenesis. Nuclear-localized β-catenin is indicative of active Wnt signaling and is frequently observed in acute myeloid leukemia patients; however, some patients exhibit little or no nuclear β-catenin even where cytosolic β-catenin is abundant. Control of the subcellular localization of β-catenin therefore represents an additional mechanism regulating Wnt signaling in hematopoietic cells. To investigate the factors mediating the nuclear-localization of β-catenin we carried out the first nuclear/cytoplasmic proteomic analysis of the β-catenin interactome in myeloid leukemia cells and identified putative novel β-catenin interactors. Comparison of interacting factors between Wnt-responsive cells (high nuclear β-catenin) versus Wnt-unresponsive cells (low nuclear β-catenin) suggested the transcriptional partner, LEF-1, could direct the nuclear-localization of β-catenin. The relative levels of nuclear LEF-1 and β-catenin were tightly correlated in both cell lines and in primary AML blasts. Furthermore, LEF-1 knockdown perturbed β-catenin nuclear-localization and transcriptional activation in Wnt-responsive cells. Conversely, LEF-1 overexpression was able to promote both nuclear-localization and β-catenin-dependent transcriptional responses in previously Wnt-unresponsive cells. This is the first β-catenin interactome study in hematopoietic cells and reveals LEF-1 as a mediator of nuclear β-catenin level human myeloid leukemia

Physical activity and exercise outcomes in Huntington Disease (PACE-HD): Protocol for a 12-Month trial within cohort evaluation of a physical activity intervention in people with Huntington Disease

Background Exercise is emerging as an important aspect in the management of disease-related symptoms and functional decline in people with Huntington disease (HD). Long-term evaluation of physical activity and exercise participation in HD has yet to be undertaken. Objective The objective is to investigate the feasibility of a nested randomized controlled trial (RCT) alongside a longitudinal observational study of physical activity and exercise outcomes in people with HD. Design This will be a 12-month longitudinal observational study (n = 120) with a nested evaluation of a physical activity intervention (n = 30) compared with usual activity (n = 30) using a “trial within a cohort” design. Setting The study will take place in HD specialist clinics in Germany, Spain, and the United States, with intervention delivery in community settings. Participants The participants will have early-mid–stage HD and be participating in the Enroll-HD study. Intervention This will be a 12-month physical activity behavioral change intervention, delivered by physical therapists in 18 sessions, targeting uptake of aerobic exercise and increased physical activity. Measurements All participants (n = 120) will complete Enroll-HD assessments (motor, cognitive, behavioral, and quality of life) at baseline and at 12 months. Additional Physical ACtivity and Exercise Outcomes in Huntington Disease (PACE-HD) assessments include fitness (predicted maximal oxygen uptake [V  o2max]), self-reported and quantitative measures of physical activity, disease-specific symptoms, and walking endurance. RCT participants (n = 60) will complete an additional battery of quantitative motor assessments and a 6-month interim assessment. Enroll-HD data will be linked to PACE-HD physical activity and fitness data. Limitations The limitations include that the embedded RCT is open, and assessors at RCT sites are not blinded to participant allocation. Conclusion PACE-HD will enable determination of the feasibility of long-term physical activity interventions in people with HD. The novel “trial within a cohort” design and incorporation of data linkage have potential to reduce participant burden. This design could be applied to other neurological diseases and movement disorders where recruitment and retention are challenging