Single motherhood and low birthweight in Spain

Nonmarital childbearing is becoming an increasingly common path to family formation in Spain. The proportion of births to unmarried mothers has increased from 2% in 1975 to 30.2% in 2007. Along with this marked increase, there has been an important shift in the sociodemographic profile of unmarried mothers. This study focuses on the impact of mothers’ marital status on the health status of their newborns, using low birthweight as an indicator. We are interested in examining how the impact of mothers’ unmarried status on birth outcomes changes as nonmarital childbearing shifts from a marginal to a relatively common behaviour. The results of the analysis reveal that the health disadvantage gap between marital and nonmarital births has narrowed significantly over the past decade in Spain. We argue that diminishing selection processes and increasing social acceptance could explain the declining significance of marital status as a risk factor for low birthweight.childbearing, cohabitation, low birthweight, nonmarital fertility, out-of-wedlock, perinatal health, Spain, unmarried mothers

Not truly partnerless: Non-residential partnerships and retreat from marriage in Spain

In Spain, nearly two-thirds of women aged 20-34 have not yet entered their first union. However, almost half of them have a stable partner in a different household. Hence, the drop in marriage rates and low prevalence of cohabitation cannot be rightly interpreted as a decline in partnership formation, but rather as a postponement of co-residential unions. This paper examines the prevalence and determinants of non-residential stable partnerships among young adults (women aged 20-34), in relation to cohabitation and marriage, using a multinomial logit model of current partnership type. The analysis is based on data from the 1999 Spanish Fertility Survey.cohabitation, LAT, partnerships, Spain, union formation

Is Latin America starting to retreat from early and universal childbearing?

The 2000 censuses show that the proportion of women below age 30 who are mothers has dropped substantially in most Latin America countries, suggesting that the social imperative of early motherhood, which has long prevailed in the region, is weakening. Surveys conducted in 14 Latin American countries in 2006 also show a strong link between childlessness and higher education across several cohorts. We discuss whether the recent increase in childlessness among young women reflects a shift towards later childbearing, a novel trend in the Latin American context, and also whether it may signal an emerging retreat from universal childbearing in the region.childlessness, fertility, first birth, Latin America

Current perspectives of the signaling pathways directing neural crest induction.

The neural crest is a migratory population of embryonic cells with a tremendous potential to differentiate and contribute to nearly every organ system in the adult body. Over the past two decades, an incredible amount of research has given us a reasonable understanding of how these cells are generated. Neural crest induction involves the combinatorial input of multiple signaling pathways and transcription factors, and is thought to occur in two phases from gastrulation to neurulation. In the first phase, FGF and Wnt signaling induce NC progenitors at the border of the neural plate, activating the expression of members of the Msx, Pax, and Zic families, among others. In the second phase, BMP, Wnt, and Notch signaling maintain these progenitors and bring about the expression of definitive NC markers including Snail2, FoxD3, and Sox9/10. In recent years, additional signaling molecules and modulators of these pathways have been uncovered, creating an increasingly complex regulatory network. In this work, we provide a comprehensive review of the major signaling pathways that participate in neural crest induction, with a focus on recent developments and current perspectives. We provide a simplified model of early neural crest development and stress similarities and differences between four major model organisms: Xenopus, chick, zebrafish, and mouse

Women’s changing socioeconomic position and union formation in Spain and Portugal

Economic and sociological theories of marriage have long emphasized the impact of women’s education and employment on union formation. In this study, we explore the relevance of the female economic independence hypothesis to explain women’s patterns of entry into marriage and cohabitation in Portugal and Spain. In these two Southern European countries, gender equity has improved remarkably in the public sphere, but family relations remain structured along traditional gender roles. We focus on three indicators of women’s autonomy: educational attainment, employment status and having lived independently from the family of origin. The analysis is based on the Fertility and Family Surveys and discrete-time multinomial logistic regression models are used to estimate the odds of marrying, cohabiting or remaining single. The results suggest that whereas the effect of female education is consistent with the independence hypothesis, women’s labour force participation encourages union formation, particularly among younger cohorts. Living independently from the family of origin reduces the likelihood of entering marriage but increases considerably the odds of cohabiting.cohabitation, education, employment, independence hypothesis, marriage, Portugal, South Europe, Spain, union formation, women’s status

Pax7 lineage contributions to the mammalian neural crest.

BackgroundNeural crest cells are vertebrate-specific multipotent cells that contribute to a variety of tissues including the peripheral nervous system, melanocytes, and craniofacial bones and cartilage. Abnormal development of the neural crest is associated with several human maladies including cleft/lip palate, aggressive cancers such as melanoma and neuroblastoma, and rare syndromes, like Waardenburg syndrome, a complex disorder involving hearing loss and pigment defects. We previously identified the transcription factor Pax7 as an early marker, and required component for neural crest development in chick embryos. In mammals, Pax7 is also thought to play a role in neural crest development, yet the precise contribution of Pax7 progenitors to the neural crest lineage has not been determined.Methodology/principal findingsHere we use Cre/loxP technology in double transgenic mice to fate map the Pax7 lineage in neural crest derivates. We find that Pax7 descendants contribute to multiple tissues including the cranial, cardiac and trunk neural crest, which in the cranial cartilage form a distinct regional pattern. The Pax7 lineage, like the Pax3 lineage, is additionally detected in some non-neural crest tissues, including a subset of the epithelial cells in specific organs.Conclusions/significanceThese results demonstrate a previously unappreciated widespread distribution of Pax7 descendants within and beyond the neural crest. They shed light regarding the regionally distinct phenotypes observed in Pax3 and Pax7 mutants, and provide a unique perspective into the potential roles of Pax7 during disease and development

Potential control of forest diseases by solutions of chitosan oligomers, propolis and nanosilver

Producción CientíficaThere is a growing necessity to replace chemical agents with ecofriendly materials, arising from the impact on the environment and/or human health, which calls for the design of new broad-spectrum fungicides. In this work, chitosan oligomers (COs), propolis (Ps) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) mixtures in solution were assessed to control the growth of different phytopathogenic fungi and oomycetes in vitro. Binary solutions of COs-Ps and COs-AgNPs evinced the highest antifungal effect against Fusarium circinatum and Diplodia pinea fungi, respectively, with a ca. 80% reduction in their mycelial growth. The COs solution by itself also proved to be greatly effective against Gremmeniella abietina, Cryphonectria parasitica and Heterobasidion annosum fungi, causing a reduction of 78%, 86% and 93% in their growth rate, respectively. Likewise, COs also attained a 100% growth inhibition on the oomycete Phytophthora cambivora. On the other hand, Ps inhibited totally the growth of Phytophthora ×alni and Phytophthora plurivora. The application of AgNPs reduced the mycelial growth of F. circinatum and D. pinea. However, the AgNPs in some binary and ternary mixtures had a counter-productive effect on the anti-fungal/oomycete activity. In spite of the fact that the anti-fungal/oomycete activity of the different treatments showed a dependence on the particular type of microorganism, these solutions based on natural compounds can be deemed as a promising tool for control of tree diseases.European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST Action FP1406 PINESTRENGTH)Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project AGL2015-69370-R

Liberados de su ‘bastilla’: saenzpeñismo, reformismo electoral y fragmentación de la elite política en torno al Centenario

El artículo busca contribuir a la comprensión de los años finales del orden conservador a través del análisis del proceso de constitución de la Unión Nacional. Se sostiene que, en un escenario de creciente fragmentación de la elite política, la Unión Nacional brindó la oportunidad de regresar al primer plano de la vida política a facciones y grupos (antiguos juaristas, políticos católicos, miembros de la elite social) que habían sido marginados en el ordenamiento político roquista. Se examina la relación establecida entre Sáenz Peña y un grupo de intelectuales nacionalistas que manifestaban una similar preocupación por el desmantelamiento del roquismo y por las consecuencias negativas del proceso de modernización. Finalmente, se argumenta que la consecución del proyecto saenzpeñista –que buscaba una renovación y circulación de las elites políticas– introduciría un nuevo clivaje político que afectaría la consistencia de las coaliciones de facciones definidas a partir de un común antirroquismo.Fil: Castro, Martín Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto de Historia Argentina y Americana "Dr. Emilio Ravignani". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Historia Argentina y Americana "Dr. Emilio Ravignani"; Argentin

Contraceptive use patterns among Spanish single youth

Objective: To examine sexual and contraceptive use patterns, including method choice, among unmarried youth in Spain. Method: The analysis is based on the 1999 Youth Survey. The analytical sample comprised 696 never-married sexually experienced women aged 15–24 and 1070 men. Logistic regression was used to assess the influence of various socio-demographic factors on contraceptive use, and multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the determinants of method choice. Results: Given the trend towards earlier sexual initiation and increasing marriage postponement, sexual activity prior to marriage has become the norm in Spain. Nine out of 10 sexually active single youth reported contraceptive use at their last intercourse. Differentials across social subgroups were small, with the exception of those based on educational level. Young women and men with more than one partner in the previous year and those not currently in a stable relationship were more likely to engage in unprotected intercourse. Regarding the choice of method, the analysis revealed that, although condom is the dominant method, there is a tendency to shift to the pill with increasing age and relationship stability. Conclusion: The level of contraceptive protection among unmarried youth is reasonably high, but a nontrivial proportion of youth engage in unprotected sexual activity.Peer reviewe

Negative integration, authoritarian nationalism and Christian democracy: the modalities of Catholic political experiences

Este artículo propone algunas reflexiones en torno al libro de José Zanca (2013) Cristianos antifascistas. Conflictos en la cultura católica argentina, 1936-1959 (Buenos Aires: Siglo XXI) a partir de la exploración de dos problemáticas definidas en el texto: el lugar del laicado en la vida de la Iglesia Católica (y sus implicancias sobre el modelo eclesial y las derivas secularizadoras) y la compenetración entre religión y política en una perspectiva que permita insertar a la sensibilidad humanista cristiana en la historia más larga de la cultura política católica. Más allá de los intereses propios que pueden guiar este recorte temático y temporal, la selección del enfoque que guía estos comentarios se fundamenta en la constatación de una de las fortalezas del ensayo "Cristianos antifascistas" es la de ubicar en perspectiva diacrónica a la recuperación por parte de los exponentes del humanismo cristiano de formas de participación predominantes en el mundo católico de comienzos del siglo XX que precedieron a la introducción de un modelo más centralizado y autoritario de interacción entre laicos y jerarquía eclesiásticaThis article reflects on José Zanca’s book Cristianos antifascistas. Conflictos en la cultura católica argentina, 1936-1959, by exploring two topics which are defined in the text: the place of the laity in the life of the Catholic Church (and the implications for the ecclesiastical structure and the secularizing consequences) and the intertwining of religion and politics from a perspective that allows the inclusion of Christian humanist sensibility in the history of Catholic political culture. Apart from the author’s own interests, the choice of focus that guides these comments is based on the confirmation of one of the strengths of Cristianos antifascistas: placing in diachronic perspective the recovery, by some Christian humanists, of the prevailing participation forms in the Catholic sphere at the beginning of the XXth century, which preceded the introduction of a more centralized and authoritarian form of interaction between laity and the Church’s hierarchy.Fil: Castro, Martín Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto de Historia Argentina y Americana ; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero; Argentin