Gender and poverty : a life cycle approach to the analysis of the differences in gender outcomes

The authors study complex interactions between gender and poverty in postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina. The goal of their analysis is to uncover how a spectrum of gender differentials at different parts of the life cycle varies across income groups. Using the data from the 2001 Bosniaand Herzegovina Living Standards Measurement Study, the authors find strong gender-poverty interaction in the patterns of labor force participation, gender gap in earnings, individuals'school finances, and school attendance. The main source of gender inequality seems to come from differences in investments in girls'and boys'educations that increase with declines in income levels. Short-term income shocks could lead to long-term increases in gender inequality in households with school age children, unless there is ready access to credit markets. The authors also find that the magnitude of the impact of economic development on gender differences in Bosnia will depend on where the growth is concentrated. If the poor capture at least some benefits of economic growth, the gender differences in household investment in human capital of their children will decline. If, on the other hand, growth is concentrated among the richest, then important gender disparities could remain pervasive.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Public Health Promotion,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Inequality,Housing&Human Habitats,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies

Leadership in Workplace Meetings: The Intersection of Leadership Styles and Follower Gender

Meetings are ubiquitous across organizations, yet researchers have paid scant attention to the role of meeting leaders in affecting meeting outcomes. Because meetings are important discursive sites, the style of a meeting leader may influence subordinate views of the meeting and leader. Using a sample of working adults, we first demonstrated that meeting attendees who perceived their leader as participative viewed the leader as more warm and competent than meeting attendees who had a directive leader. We explain this finding through the framework of social exchange theory. In Study 2, we conducted an experiment to further probe the relation between meeting leader style and subordinate perceptions of the leader. Again, participants viewed participative leaders as more warm and competent than directive leaders. Interestingly, working adults preferred participative leaders over directive leaders across every type of work meeting. We further found that participant gender interacted with leader style, such that men rated directive leaders are warmer than did women, but men and women did not differ in their assessments of participative leaders

Cell Death Pathways in Photodynamic Therapy of Cancer

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging cancer therapy that uses the combination of non-toxic dyes or photosensitizers (PS) and harmless visible light to produce reactive oxygen species and destroy tumors. The PS can be localized in various organelles such as mitochondria, lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and plasma membranes and this sub-cellular location governs much of the signaling that occurs after PDT. There is an acute stress response that leads to changes in calcium and lipid metabolism and causes the production of cytokines and stress response mediators. Enzymes (particularly protein kinases) are activated and transcription factors are expressed. Many of the cellular responses center on mitochondria and frequently lead to induction of apoptosis by the mitochondrial pathway involving caspase activation and release of cytochrome c. Certain specific proteins (such as Bcl-2) are damaged by PDT-induced oxidation thereby increasing apoptosis, and a build-up of oxidized proteins leads to an ER-stress response that may be increased by proteasome inhibition. Autophagy plays a role in either inhibiting or enhancing cell death after PDT

Cell Death Pathways in Photodynamic Therapy of Cancer

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging cancer therapy that uses the combination of non-toxic dyes or photosensitizers (PS) and harmless visible light to produce reactive oxygen species and destroy tumors. The PS can be localized in various organelles such as mitochondria, lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and plasma membranes and this sub-cellular location governs much of the signaling that occurs after PDT. There is an acute stress response that leads to changes in calcium and lipid metabolism and causes the production of cytokines and stress response mediators. Enzymes (particularly protein kinases) are activated and transcription factors are expressed. Many of the cellular responses center on mitochondria and frequently lead to induction of apoptosis by the mitochondrial pathway involving caspase activation and release of cytochrome c. Certain specific proteins (such as Bcl-2) are damaged by PDT-induced oxidation thereby increasing apoptosis, and a build-up of oxidized proteins leads to an ER-stress response that may be increased by proteasome inhibition. Autophagy plays a role in either inhibiting or enhancing cell death after PDT.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH grant R01AI050875)Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (DAMD17-02-2-0006)United States. Dept. of Defense. Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP Program in TBI (W81XWH-09-1-0514))United States. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (FA9950-04-1-0079)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH Dermatology training grant

User Engagement Associated with Web-Intervention Features to Attain Clinically Meaningful Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance in Rural Women

Objective: Purely web-based weight loss and weight-loss maintenance interventions show promise to influence behavior change. Yet, little is known about user engagement with features of web-based interventions that predict clinically meaningful weight loss (≥5% bodyweight loss). This study examines level of website feature engagement with the likelihood of attaining ≥5% bodyweight loss after 6 and 18 months participation in a web-based intervention, among rural women at high risk of obesity-related diseases and disability. Methods: In this secondary analysis of clinical trial data of 201 rural women, we examined weight change and user engagement, measured as clicks on specific web-based intervention features (messaging and self-tracking), as associated with clinically meaningful weight loss (baseline to 6 months) and weight-loss maintenance (6 to 18 months). Results: Generalized estimating equations, adjusted for age, intervention group, and intervention phase, revealed high engagement with messaging predicted whether women achieved ≥5% weight loss at 6 months and at 18 months. There was no effect of self-tracking. Conclusions: Being engaged with messages was associated with attaining clinically meaningful short-term and longer-term weight loss. This trial is registered with NCT01307644

1.10 Quantifying Sources of Variability in Neonicotinoid Residue Data for Assessing Risks to Pollinators

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2014 guidance for assessing pesticide risks to bees relies on higher-tier studies of residues in pollen and nectar to refine pesticide exposure estimates obtained from lower tier information (e.g., default values and model-generated estimates). These higher tier residue studies tend to be resource intensive due to the need to address spatial and temporal factors which influence pesticide residues in pollen and nectar. Time and resource considerations restrict the number of samples, crops, and locations which can be studied. Given these resource constraints, questions remain on how to best optimize the design and number of residue studies for obtaining a robust dataset to refine exposure estimates of bees to pesticides. Factors to be optimized include the number of replicates in each sampling event, the number of sampling events over time, the number of sites/regions per study, and the number of crops to be assessed within and across crop groups. Using available field residue data for the neonicotinoid class of insecticides, we conducted an analysis of variability in residue data to address these and other study design elements. Comparisons of the magnitude of residues and variability are made across neonicotinoid chemicals (imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam and dinotefuran) as well as the variability associated with intra- and inter-crop group comparisons and regional and soil texture gradients. Additionally, this analysis includes consideration of bee-relevant toxic metabolites for imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. Results of these analyses of neonicotinoid residue data are presented in the context of optimizing field residue study designs for assessing pesticide risks to bees.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2014 guidance for assessing pesticide risks to bees relies on higher-tier studies of residues in pollen and nectar to refine pesticide exposure estimates obtained from lower tier information (e.g., default values and model-generated estimates). These higher tier residue studies tend to be resource intensive due to the need to address spatial and temporal factors which influence pesticide residues in pollen and nectar. Time and resource considerations restrict the number of samples, crops, and locations which can be studied. Given these resource constraints, questions remain on how to best optimize the design and number of residue studies for obtaining a robust dataset to refine exposure estimates of bees to pesticides. Factors to be optimized include the number of replicates in each sampling event, the number of sampling events over time, the number of sites/regions per study, and the number of crops to be assessed within and across crop groups. Using available field residue data for the neonicotinoid class of insecticides, we conducted an analysis of variability in residue data to address these and other study design elements. Comparisons of the magnitude of residues and variability are made across neonicotinoid chemicals (imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam and dinotefuran) as well as the variability associated with intra- and inter-crop group comparisons and regional and soil texture gradients. Additionally, this analysis includes consideration of bee-relevant toxic metabolites for imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. Results of these analyses of neonicotinoid residue data are presented in the context of optimizing field residue study designs for assessing pesticide risks to bees

Impact of Baseline Magnetic Resonance Imaging on Neurologic, Functional, and Safety Outcomes in Patients With Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Study Design: Systematic review. Objective: To perform a systematic review to evaluate the utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with acute spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: An electronic search of Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Collaboration Library, and Google Scholar was conducted for literature published through May 12, 2015, to answer key questions associated with the use of MRI in patients with acute SCI. Results: The literature search yielded 796 potentially relevant citations, 8 of which were included in this review. One study used MRI in a protocol to decide on early surgical decompression. The MRI-protocol group showed improved outcomes; however, the quality of evidence was deemed very low due to selection bias. Seven studies reported MRI predictors of neurologic or functional outcomes. There was moderate-quality evidence that longer intramedullary hemorrhage (2 studies) and low-quality evidence that smaller spinal canal diameter at the location of maximal spinal cord compression and the presence of cord swelling are associated with poor neurologic recovery. There was moderate-quality evidence that clinical outcomes are not predicted by SCI lesion length and the presence of cord edema. Conclusions: Certain MRI characteristics appear to be predictive of outcomes in acute SCI, including length of intramedullary hemorrhage (moderate-quality evidence), canal diameter at maximal spinal cord compression (low-quality evidence), and spinal cord swelling (low-quality evidence). Other imaging features were either inconsistently (presence of hemorrhage, maximal canal compromise, and edema length) or not associated with outcomes. The paucity of literature highlights the need for well-designed prospective studies. © 2017, © The Author(s) 2017

Incidence and Outcomes of Acute Implant Extrusion Following Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN: Multi-institutional retrospective case series of 8887 patients who underwent anterior cervical spine surgery. OBJECTIVE: Anterior decompression from discectomy or corpectomy is not without risk. Surgical morbidity ranges from 9% to 20% and is likely underreported. Little is known of the incidence and effects of rare complications on functional outcomes following anterior spinal surgery. In this retrospective review, we examined implant extrusions (IEs) following anterior cervical fusion. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter case series study involving 21 high-volume surgical centers from the AOSpine North America Clinical Research Network. Medical records for 17 625 patients who received cervical spine surgery (levels from C2 to C7) between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011, were reviewed to identify occurrence of 21 predefined treatment complications. RESULTS: Following anterior cervical fusion, the incidence of IE ranged from 0.0% to 0.8% across 21 institutions with 11 cases reported. All surgeries involved multiple levels, and 7/11 (64%) involved either multilevel corpectomies or hybrid constructs with at least one adjacent discectomy to a corpectomy. In 7/11 (64%) patients, constructs ended with reconstruction or stabilization at C7. Nine patients required surgery for repair and stabilization following IE. Average length of hospital stay after IE was 5.2 days. Only 2 (18%) had residual deficits after reoperation. CONCLUSIONS: IE is a very rare complication after anterior cervical spine surgery often requiring revision. Constructs requiring multilevel reconstruction, especially at the cervicothoracic junction, have a higher risk for failure, and surgeons should proceed with caution in using an anterior-only approach in these demanding cases. Surgeons can expect most patients to regain function after reoperation