Latinos Online, 2006-2008: Narrowing the Gap

Presents survey findings on Internet use, Internet access at home, and broadband access among Latinos/Hispanics by nativity, age, education, English-reading ability, and income. Analyzes factors behind the trends and compares data with other groups

Bradycardia and atrial fibrillation in patients with stable coronary artery disease treated with ivabradine: an analysis from the SIGNIFY study

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of emergent bradycardia and atrial fibrillation (AF) on cardiovascular outcomes in 19 083 patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) receiving ivabradine or placebo (SIGNIFY, Study assessInG the morbidity–mortality beNefits of the If inhibitor ivabradine in patients with coronarY artery disease). Methods and results: Emergent bradycardia (resting heart rate <50 b.p.m. on 12-lead electrocardiogram) with ivabradine was reported in 3572 patients (37.4%) overall, and in 2242 (37.2%) patients with Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) class ≥2 angina. There was no difference in outcomes over the course of the study in ivabradine-treated patients with and without emergent bradycardia in the whole population (2.5 vs. 2.9% per year, respectively, for primary composite endpoint of cardiovascular death or non-fatal myocardial infarction) or in the angina subgroup (2.5 vs. 3.2% per year). Neither was there an increase in the rate of primary endpoint after emergent bradycardia was recorded compared with those without emergent bradycardia. There were 754 cases of emergent AF on treatment (2.2% per year ivabradine vs. 1.5% per year placebo) and 469 in the patients with angina (2.2 vs. 1.5% per year). While outcomes occurred more frequently in patients in whom emergent AF had been recorded, there was no treatment–placebo difference in outcomes, including stroke, and no difference in treatment effect in patients with limiting angina. Conclusion: Both in the overall population as well as in the angina subset, bradycardia was common in ivabradine-treated patients, but did not appear to impact outcomes. Emergent AF was relatively rare and did not appear to have an impact on outcomes relative to placebo

Modifying surfaces in 4-manifolds by twist spinning

In this paper, given a knot K, for any integer m we construct a new surface Sigma_K(m) from a smoothly embedded surface Sigma in a smooth 4-manifold X by performing a surgery on Sigma. This surgery is based on a modification of the `rim surgery' which was introduced by Fintushel and Stern, by doing additional twist spinning. We investigate the diffeomorphism type and the homeomorphism type of (X,Sigma) after the surgery. One of the main results is that for certain pairs (X,Sigma), the smooth type of Sigma_K(m) can be easily distinguished by the Alexander polynomial of the knot K and the homeomorphism type depends on the number of twist and the knot. In particular, we get new examples of knotted surfaces in CP^2, not isotopic to complex curves, but which are topologically unknotted.Comment: This is the version published by Geometry & Topology on 25 February 200

The Legal Status of Amerasian Children in Japan: A Study in the Conflict of Nationality Laws

This Article examines the conflict between Japanese and United States nationality laws. Due to the conflict in these laws, nearly 4000 Amerasian children could become stateless. The article reviews the two major conflicting principles of nationality laws, jus sanguines and jus soli, and then reviews both the Japanese & Unites States nationality laws. The article goes on to discuss the effects of statelessness including legal, social, and economic hardships. Finally the article discusses solutions to the dilemma through unilateral, bilateral, and multilateral actions

Quality of life with ivabradine in patients with angina pectoris

Background—To explore the effect of ivabradine on angina-related quality of life (QoL) in patients participating in the Study Assessing the Morbidity–Mortality Benefits of the If Inhibitor Ivabradine in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease (SIGNIFY) QoL substudy. Methods and Results—QoL was evaluated in a prespecified subgroup of SIGNIFY patients with angina (Canadian Cardiovascular Society class score, ≥2 at baseline) using the Seattle Angina Questionnaire and a generic visual analogue scale on health status. Data were available for 4187 patients (2084 ivabradine and 2103 placebo). There were improvements in QoL in both treatment groups. The primary outcome of change in physical limitation score at 12 months was 4.56 points for ivabradine versus 3.40 points for placebo (E, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, –0.14 to 2.05; P=0.085). The ivabradine−placebo difference in physical limitation score was significant at 6 months (P=0.048). At 12 months, the visual analogue scale and the other Seattle Angina Questionnaire dimensions were higher among ivabradine-treated patients, notably angina frequency (P<0.001) and disease perception (P=0.006). Patients with the worst QoL at baseline (ie, those in the lowest tertile of score) had the best improvement in QoL for 12 months, with improvements in physical limitation and a significant reduction in angina frequency (P=0.034). The effect on QoL was maintained over the study duration, and ivabradine patients had better scores on angina frequency at every visit to 36 months. Conclusions—Treatment with ivabradine did not affect the primary outcome of change in physical limitation score at 12 months. It did produce consistent improvements in other self-reported QoL parameters related to angina pectoris, notably in terms of angina frequency and disease perception