Death After Marijuana Use in a 27-Year-Old Male: a Case Report

The dangers of marijuana use are well documented across most body systems. We report a 27-year-old male who ingested marijuana and then experienced an ST-elevation myocardial infarction, subsequent cerebrovascular accident, and death within the span of a week. Toxicology reports were positive for THC only, echocardiography revealed diffuse hypokinesis with an ejection fraction estimated at 15-20%, and troponins peaked at greater than 270,000 pg/mL. Due to decreased Glasgow Coma Score and hemodynamic instability, the patient was not taken for cardiac catheterization, but was subsequently sedated, intubated, and placed on pressor support in the ICU. Initial brain imaging was negative for acute intracranial process but repeat head CT on day four of hospitalization showed diffuse cerebral edema and anoxic brain injury. At the request of the family, he remained on ventilator and hemodynamic support until a nuclear perfusion scan confirmed anoxic encephalopathy. He died within five minutes of extubation on day ten of his hospital stay

A cross-sectional study on attitudes toward gender equality, sexual behavior, positive sexual experiences, and communication about sex among sexually active and non-sexually active adolescents in Bolivia and Ecuador

Background: It is widely agreed upon that gender is a key aspect of sexuality however, questions remain on how gender exactly influences adolescents’ sexual health. Objective: The aim of this research was to study correlations between gender equality attitudes and sexual behavior, sexual experiences and communication about sex among sexually active and non-sexually active adolescents in 2 Latin American countries. Design: In 2011, a cross-sectional study was carried out among 5,913 adolescents aged 14–18 in 20 secondary schools in Cochabamba (Bolivia) and 6 secondary schools in Cuenca (Ecuador). Models were built using logistic regressions to assess the predictive value of attitudes toward gender equality on adolescents’ sexual behavior, on experiences and on communication. Results: The analysis shows that sexually active adolescents who consider gender equality as important report higher current use of contraceptives within the couple. They are more likely to describe their last sexual intercourse as a positive experience and consider it easier to talk with their partner about sexuality than sexually experienced adolescents who are less positively inclined toward gender equality. These correlations remained consistent whether the respondent was a boy or a girl. Non-sexually active adolescents, who consider gender equality to be important, are more likely to think that sexual intercourse is a positive experience. They consider it less necessary to have sexual intercourse to maintain a relationship and find it easier to communicate with their girlfriend or boyfriend than sexually non-active adolescents who consider gender equality to be less important. Comparable results were found for boys and girls. Conclusions: Our results suggest that gender equality attitudes have a positive impact on adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and wellbeing. Further research is necessary to better understand the relationship between gender attitudes and specific SRH outcomes such as unwanted teenage pregnancies and sexual pleasure among adolescents worldwide

Controlling for Prior Attainment Reduces the Positive Influence that Single-Gender Classroom Initiatives Exert on High School Students’ Scholastic Achievements.

Research points to the positive impact that gender-segregated schooling and classroom initiatives exert on academic attainment. An evaluation of these studies which reveal positive effects highlights, however, that students are typically selectively assigned to single- or mixed-gender instructional settings, presenting a methodological confound. The current study controls for students’ prior attainment to appraise the efficacy of a single-gender classroom initiative implemented in a co-educational high school in the United Kingdom. Secondary data analysis (using archived data) was performed on 266 middle-ability, 11–12 year-old students’ standardized test scores in Languages (English, foreign language), STEM-related (Mathematics, Science, Information and Communication Technology), and Non-STEM subjects (art, music, drama). Ninety-eight students (54, 55% female) were taught in single-gender and 168 (69, 41% female) in mixed-gender classrooms. Students undertook identical tests irrespective of classroom type, which were graded in accordance with U.K national curriculum guidelines. Controlling for students’ prior attainment, findings indicate that students do not appear to benefit from being taught in single-gender relative to mixed-gender classrooms in Language and STEM-related subjects. Young women benefitted from being taught in mixed-gender relative to single-gender classes for Non-STEM subjects. However, when prior ability is not controlled for, the intervention appears to be effective for all school subjects, highlighting the confounding influence of selective admissions. These findings suggest that gender-segregated classroom initiatives may not bolster students’ grades. It is argued that studies that do not control for selection effects may tell us little about the effectiveness of such interventions on scholastic achievement

Children's recall and recognition of sex role stereotyped and discrepant information

This research investigated the influence of differing levels of sex role stereotyped and discrepant information on immediate and delayed (one week) memory. Specifically, kindergarten and second-grade children's recall and recognition of stereotyped, moderately discrepant, and highly discrepant pictures were compared. In Study 1, a sorting procedure was utilized to determine the level of stereotyping of 34 toys. From this study 12 toys were selected as stimuli for Study 2. In Study 2, children's immediate and delayed recall and recognition was assessed. Results suggested significantly better recall of highly discrepant pictures than stereotyped or moderately discrepant pictures. In addition, immediate recall was better than delayed recall and second-grade recall was better than kindergarten recall. Similar trends emerged with the recognition task. Results were discussed with respect to the schematic processing model.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45579/1/11199_2004_Article_BF00289952.pd

A high‐resolution view of the coordination environment in a paramagnetic metalloprotein from its magnetic properties

Metalloproteins constitute a significant fraction of the proteome of all organisms and their characterization is critical for both basic sciences and biomedical applications. A large portion of metalloproteins bind paramagnetic metal ions, and paramagnetic NMR spectroscopy has been widely used in their structural characterization. However, the signals of nuclei in the immediate vicinity of the metal center are often broadened beyond detection. In this work, we show that it is possible to determine the coordination environment of the paramagnetic metal in the protein at a resolution inaccessible to other techniques. Taking the structure of a diamagnetic analogue as a starting point, a geometry optimization is carried out by fitting the pseudocontact shifts obtained from first principles quantum chemical calculations to the experimental ones

Understanding the influence of race/Ethnicity, gender, and class on inequalities in academic and non-academic outcomes among eighth-grade students: findings from an intersectionality approach

Socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, and gender inequalities in academic achievement have been widely reported in the US, but how these three axes of inequality intersect to determine academic and non-academic outcomes among school-aged children is not well understood. Using data from the US Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten (ECLS-K; N = 10,115), we apply an intersectionality approach to examine inequalities across eighth-grade outcomes at the intersection of six racial/ethnic and gender groups (Latino girls and boys, Black girls and boys, and White girls and boys) and four classes of socioeconomic advantage/disadvantage. Results of mixture models show large inequalities in socioemotional outcomes (internalizing behavior, locus of control, and self-concept) across classes of advantage/disadvantage. Within classes of advantage/disadvantage, racial/ethnic and gender inequalities are predominantly found in the most advantaged class, where Black boys and girls, and Latina girls, underperform White boys in academic assessments, but not in socioemotional outcomes. In these latter outcomes, Black boys and girls perform better than White boys. Latino boys show small differences as compared to White boys, mainly in science assessments. The contrasting outcomes between racial/ethnic and gender minorities in self-assessment and socioemotional outcomes, as compared to standardized assessments, highlight the detrimental effect that intersecting racial/ethnic and gender discrimination have in patterning academic outcomes that predict success in adult life. Interventions to eliminate achievement gaps cannot fully succeed as long as social stratification caused by gender and racial discrimination is not addressed

Peer Toy Play as a Gateway to Children’s Gender Flexibility: The Effect of (Counter)Stereotypic Portrayals of Peers in Children’s Magazines

Extensive evidence has documented the gender stereotypic content of children’s media, and media is recognized as an important socializing agent for young children. Yet, the precise impact of children’s media on the endorsement of gender-typed attitudes and behaviors has received less scholarly attention. We investigated the impact of stereotypic and counter-stereotypic peers pictured in children’s magazines on children’s gender flexibility around toy play and preferences, playmate choice, and social exclusion behavior (n = 82, age 4–7 years-old). British children were randomly assigned to view a picture of a peer-age boy and girl in a magazine playing with either a gender stereotypic or counter-stereotypic toy. In the stereotypic condition, the pictured girl was shown with a toy pony and the pictured boy was shown with a toy car; these toys were reversed in the counter-stereotypic condition. Results revealed significantly greater gender flexibility around toy play and playmate choices among children in the counterstereotypic condition compared to the stereotypic condition, and boys in the stereotypic condition were more accepting of gender-based exclusion than were girls. However, there was no difference in children’s own toy preferences between the stereotypic and counter-stereotypic condition, with children preferring more gender-typed toys overall. Implications of the findings for media, education, and parenting practices are discussed, and the potential for counterstereotypic media portrayals of toy play to shape the gender socialization of young children is explored

Tuning the MnII2/MnIII2 redox cycle of a phenoxo-bridged diMn catalase mimic with terminal carboxylate donors

International audienceA new phenoxo-bridged diMnIII complex, Na[Mn2L(OH)2(H2O)2]·5H2O (1), obtained with the ligand L5− = 5‑methyl‑2‑hydroxo‑1,3‑xylene‑α,α‑diamine‑N,N,N′,N′‑tetraacetato, has been prepared and characterized. Mass spectrometry, conductivity, UV–visible, EPR and 1H NMR spectroscopic studies showed that the complex exists in solution as a monoanionic diMnIII complex. Complex 1 catalyzes H2O2 disproportionation with second-order rate constant kcat = 305(9) M−1 min−1 and without a time-lag phase. Based on spectroscopic results, the catalase activity of complex 1 in methanol involves a MnIII2/MnII2 redox cycle, which distinguishes this catalyst from other phenoxo-bridged diMn complexes that cycle between MnIIMnIII/MnIIIMnIV species. Addition of base stabilizes the catalyst, restrains demetallation during catalysis and causes moderate enhancement of catalase activity. The terminal carboxylate donors of 1 not only contribute as internal bases to assist deprotonation of H2O2 but also favor the formation of active homovalent diMn species, just as observed for the enzyme