The Economic Foundations of Contemporary Slavery

“Slavery existed before money or law” (Hochschild 2005). Indeed the “peculiar institution” is one of humanity’s oldest. It has, however, evolved and manifested itself quite distinctly in different periods of history. In contrast to historical views of slavery that are associated with Chattel Slavery, numerous forms fall under the umbrella term of contemporary slavery. The United Nations (U.N.) Working Group recognizes such radically new forms as: child labor, children in conflict, trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, and the sale of children. The International Labor Office (ILO) approaches the topic through the lens of forced labor. The ILO recognizes slavery and abductions, compulsory participation in public works projects, forced labor in agriculture, domestic workers, bonded labor, forced labor imposed by the military, forced labor in the trafficking of persons, as well as some aspects of prison labor and rehabilitation through work. A linking factor between these varied forms of contemporary slavery, according to the U.N. Working Group, is the role that poverty plays in creating vulnerability. This link is echoed in the work of Kevin Bales, arguably the world’s foremost expert on contemporary slavery. According to Bales, contemporary slavery is “the complete control of a person, for economic exploitation, by violence, or the threat of violence.” Using this definition, it is possible to explore the economic links that all forms of slavery, despite their unique characteristics, share

Weathering the Storm: Climate Change, Vulnerability, and Adaptation in Bangladesh

The world is guaranteed a certain level of climate change due to the emissions already released into the atmosphere. Therefore, adaptation to climate change is necessary. Increases in diarrheal disease and malnutrition due to climate change are analyzed for Bangladesh. Relative risks determined by the World Health Organization, estimates obtained from agricultural models, and migration estimates are utilized to determine the costs associated with each of these diseases, as well as reductions in rice production and increases in urban migration. It is found that climate change will create additional costs for treating each of these diseases that equal .05% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), losses to rice production equal to 1.5705% of GDP, and increases in urban migration of 4.2%. Utilizing a vulnerability framework, adaptation policies are recommended that reduce societal vulnerability to these impacts

Transgenic Expression of Nonclassically Secreted FGF Suppresses Kidney Repair

FGF1 is a signal peptide-less nonclassically released growth factor that is involved in angiogenesis, tissue repair, inflammation, and carcinogenesis. The effects of nonclassical FGF export in vivo are not sufficiently studied. We produced transgenic mice expressing FGF1 in endothelial cells (EC), which allowed the detection of FGF1 export to the vasculature, and studied the efficiency of postischemic kidney repair in these animals. Although FGF1 transgenic mice had a normal phenotype with unperturbed kidney structure, they showed a severely inhibited kidney repair after unilateral ischemia/reperfusion. This was manifested by a strong decrease of postischemic kidney size and weight, whereas the undamaged contralateral kidney exhibited an enhanced compensatory size increase. In addition, the postischemic kidneys of transgenic mice were characterized by hyperplasia of interstitial cells, paucity of epithelial tubular structures, increase of the areas occupied by connective tissue, and neutrophil and macrophage infiltration. The continuous treatment of transgenic mice with the cell membrane stabilizer, taurine, inhibited nonclassical FGF1 export and significantly rescued postischemic kidney repair. It was also found that similar to EC, the transgenic expression of FGF1 in monocytes and macrophages suppresses kidney repair. We suggest that nonclassical export may be used as a target for the treatment of pathologies involving signal peptide-less FGFs

Proceedings of the 3rd Biennial Conference of the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) 2015: advancing efficient methodologies through community partnerships and team science

It is well documented that the majority of adults, children and families in need of evidence-based behavioral health interventionsi do not receive them [1, 2] and that few robust empirically supported methods for implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) exist. The Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) represents a burgeoning effort to advance the innovation and rigor of implementation research and is uniquely focused on bringing together researchers and stakeholders committed to evaluating the implementation of complex evidence-based behavioral health interventions. Through its diverse activities and membership, SIRC aims to foster the promise of implementation research to better serve the behavioral health needs of the population by identifying rigorous, relevant, and efficient strategies that successfully transfer scientific evidence to clinical knowledge for use in real world settings [3]. SIRC began as a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded conference series in 2010 (previously titled the “Seattle Implementation Research Conference”; $150,000 USD for 3 conferences in 2011, 2013, and 2015) with the recognition that there were multiple researchers and stakeholdersi working in parallel on innovative implementation science projects in behavioral health, but that formal channels for communicating and collaborating with one another were relatively unavailable. There was a significant need for a forum within which implementation researchers and stakeholders could learn from one another, refine approaches to science and practice, and develop an implementation research agenda using common measures, methods, and research principles to improve both the frequency and quality with which behavioral health treatment implementation is evaluated. SIRC’s membership growth is a testament to this identified need with more than 1000 members from 2011 to the present.ii SIRC’s primary objectives are to: (1) foster communication and collaboration across diverse groups, including implementation researchers, intermediariesi, as well as community stakeholders (SIRC uses the term “EBP champions” for these groups) – and to do so across multiple career levels (e.g., students, early career faculty, established investigators); and (2) enhance and disseminate rigorous measures and methodologies for implementing EBPs and evaluating EBP implementation efforts. These objectives are well aligned with Glasgow and colleagues’ [4] five core tenets deemed critical for advancing implementation science: collaboration, efficiency and speed, rigor and relevance, improved capacity, and cumulative knowledge. SIRC advances these objectives and tenets through in-person conferences, which bring together multidisciplinary implementation researchers and those implementing evidence-based behavioral health interventions in the community to share their work and create professional connections and collaborations

Intersection of Renal Peritubular Cells, Mitogen Activated Kinases, and Chronic Kidney Disease

The kidneys are critical organs in physiology and disease. With chronic kidney disease on the rise around the globe, it is of utmost importance to uncover the mechanisms of kidney fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis in order to devise treatment alternatives to dialysis and organ transplantation. The renal peritubular and mesangial cells are of particular interest as these populations are prone to the hyper proliferation and deleterious ECM deposition resulting in chronic kidney disease (CKD). While cell signaling mediators, notably TGFβ signaling, of CKD are known, the specific intracellular mechanisms of these signals is not fully understood. In this work we examine known and putative TFGβ receptor interacting proteins within the peritubular compartment and glomerulus, elucidate the expression domain and potential gene regulatory roles of Foxd1 in adult kidney cells, and finally delete the key MAPK protein downstream of TGFP with in the Foxd1 lineage of cells. We find that the protein DAPK2 is expressed within the peritubular compartment, and that Foxd1 is expressed in adult podocytes. Conditional deletion of MAP3K7 in the Foxdl lineage of peritubular and mesangial cells results in juvenile nephrosis that resembles the human syndrome Denys- Drash, both in its phenotypic presentation and its responsiveness to the clinically used treatment, Cyclosporin A. Using mouse genetics we identify important tools and disease models that will be valuable in further defining the mechanisms of CKD in humans, and lead to better treatments for this increasingly prevalent condition

Inactivation of MAP3K7 in FOXD1-expressing cells results in loss of mesangial PDGFRΒ and juvenile kidney scarring.

Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) plays a central role in renal scarring, controlling extracellular matrix deposition by interstitial cells and mesangial cells. TGFβ signals through Smad and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. To understand the role of MAPK in interstitial and mesangial cells, we genetically inactivated TGFβ-activated kinase-1 ( Map3k7) using Foxd

Death associated protein kinase 2 is expressed in cortical interstitial cells of the mouse kidney.

BACKGROUND: DAPK2 is a pro-apoptotic protein kinase that associates with TGFβ receptors. The homolog DAPK1 has been shown to mediate apoptosis in kidney injury. Expression databases indicate that DAPK2 is expressed in the kidney, and in this work we investigate the localization of renal DAPK2 expression and its role in the kidney. RESULTS: Immunostaining demonstrates DAPK2 expression in interstitial cells of the renal cortex including PDGFRβ-positive pericytes and the CD73-positive erythropoietin-expressing fibroblast population. Tubulointerstitial fibrosis in experimental CKD arises directly from resident interstitial cells, and we therefore evaluated the expression of DAPK2 in the expanded interstitium of mice with kidney disease induced by chronic cisplatin administration. Expanded renal interstitium in these animals was negative for DAPK2 expression, but healthy areas of the kidney in which the tubular interstitium had not expanded expressed DAPK2 at levels similar to the uninjured control. Dapk2 null mice were generated to evaluate if DAPK2 is required for formation of the kidney, or its maintenance in the adult. Kidneys of Dapk2 null mice did not show overt malformations or age-related degeneration, but did show a slight increase in the number of interstitial fibroblasts. Differences were seen between Dapk2 null mice and wild type controls in the response to tubulointerstitial fibrosis caused by chronic cisplatin administration. Although mutant and wild type mice displayed comparable levels of alpha smooth muscle actin, interstitial proliferation and SMAD2 signaling, Dapk2 null mice showed reduced interstitial collagen accumulation. CONCLUSIONS: In the kidney, DAPK2 is strongly and specifically expressed in interstitial cells of the cortex, providing a useful marker for this important cell population. Dapk2 null mice are phenotypically normal under steady state conditions, but display some resistance to extracellular matrix deposition in experimental renal fibrosis indicating that DAPK2 plays a profibrotic role in kidney injury

Current orthopaedic surgeon practices for nonarthroplasty treatment of osteoarthritis of adult hip and knee.

Evidence-based guidelines have recently been published for the nonarthroplasty treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee and are becoming an expected part of comprehensive patient care. To understand how current treatment practices correlate with these guidelines, a survey was administered to 50 consecutive hip replacement and 50 consecutive knee replacement patients immediately before arthroplasty for osteoarthritis in one group practice. This article is a compilation of patients\u27 usage of the modalities suggested in two such exemplary guidelines and demonstrates that patient and surgeon preferences, as well as factors such as preoperative Oxford score, body mass index, age, and joint involved, affect usage of one or more of the commonly employed preoperative modalities. This information provides orthopaedic surgeons and administrators with a compilation of responses that reflects surgeon and patient preferences for treatment before surgery

Measurements and Micro-CT Analysis of Animals.

<p>(A) Resultant spike with animals with and without device attachment (B) Non-destructive measurements of animals with and without device. (C) Micro-CT bone volume and surface area of animals that had a device attached versus those who did not. (Statistical significance: * for p < 0.05, ** for p < 0.01, and * for p < 0.001).</p