Women’s Civic and Political Participation in the Developing World: Obstacles and Opportunities

This article provides a multidisciplinary overview and synthesis of recent scholarship on strategies to increase women’s civic and political participation in the developing world. Using a systematic method for meta-analysis, we identify points of consensus in the literature as well as debates and gaps where future research on strengthening women’s participation is needed. Strategies to increase women\u27s civic and political participation that emerge in the literature include: establishing quotas to enhance women\u27s representation; using social media platforms to mobilize women and amplify their voices; implementing policies and programs that target women as participants or beneficiaries; and mobilizing women through their intersecting identities. We discuss the opportunities inherent in these strategies, as well as their limits. A secondary goal of this article is to provide a useful guide to recent English language literature on women’s civic and political participation for an international women\u27s studies audience. The article includes a link to our Rapid Knowledge Map (RKM, a searchable excel file) that summarizes information about the over 400 studies that we reviewed using an adapted version of the Cochrane method. We hope this resource will be of use to other scholars

28043 Roflumilast cream significantly improves chronic plaque psoriasis in patients with steroid-sensitive area involvement

Roflumilast cream is a nonsteroidal, selective phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor in development for plaque psoriasis (PsO). A double-blind, phase 2b trial randomized adults with PsO to once daily roflumilast 0.3%, 0.15%, or vehicle for 12 weeks (NCT03638258).(1) Efficacy was assessed using Investigator Global Assessment (IGA), Worst Itch Numeric Rating Scale (WI–NRS), and Psoriasis Symptom Diary (PSD). This posthoc analysis reports efficacy and safety in patients with steroid-sensitive area involvement (plaques on the face, neck, or in intertriginous areas). Of 331 patients, 160 had steroid-sensitive area involvement. The primary endpoint in the study, IGA status clear/almost clear at Week 6 was met by 27.2% patients with steroid sensitive areas (P =.007 vs vehicle), 22.3% (P =.026), and 6.3% on roflumilast 0.3%, roflumilast 0.15%, and vehicle, respectively; relative to 30.1% (P =.026), 24.1% (P =.098), and 12.0% patients without steroid-sensitive areas. Among patients with baseline WI–NRS score ≥4, 73.5%, 55.6%, and 32.6% of those with steroid-sensitive areas and 45.9%, 72.7%, and 23.7% of those without steroid-sensitive areas achieved a 4-point reduction with roflumilast 0.3%, 0.15%, or vehicle at Week 12. PSD improvement from baseline at Week 12 for patients with steroid-sensitive areas was -48.3 (P ˂.001), -43.1 (P =.012), and -24.9, and for patients without steroid-sensitive areas -35.7 (P =.003), -44.6 (P ˂.001), and -17.1. Most treatment emergent adverse events were mild to moderate and there was no evidence of local irritation. Once-daily roflumilast cream was well tolerated with significant improvements in investigator and patient assessed PsO outcomes in patients with steroid-sensitive area involvement on the face, neck, or intertriginous areas

Pelvic trauma : WSES classification and guidelines

Complex pelvic injuries are among the most dangerous and deadly trauma related lesions. Different classification systems exist, some are based on the mechanism of injury, some on anatomic patterns and some are focusing on the resulting instability requiring operative fixation. The optimal treatment strategy, however, should keep into consideration the hemodynamic status, the anatomic impairment of pelvic ring function and the associated injuries. The management of pelvic trauma patients aims definitively to restore the homeostasis and the normal physiopathology associated to the mechanical stability of the pelvic ring. Thus the management of pelvic trauma must be multidisciplinary and should be ultimately based on the physiology of the patient and the anatomy of the injury. This paper presents the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) classification of pelvic trauma and the management Guidelines.Peer reviewe

Neocortical hyperexcitability defect in a mutant mouse model of spike-wave epilepsy,stargazer

Single-locus mutations in mice can express epileptic phenotypes and provide critical insights into the naturally occurring defects that alter excitability and mediate synchronization in the central nervous system (CNS). One such recessive mutation (on chromosome (Chr) 15), stargazer(stg/stg) expresses frequent bilateral 6-7 cycles per second (c/sec) spike-wave seizures associated with behavioral arrest, and provides a valuable opportunity to examine the inherited lesion associated with spike-wave synchronization. The existence of distinct and heterogeneous defects mediating spike-wave discharge (SWD) generation has been demonstrated by the presence of multiple genetic loci expressing generalized spike-wave activity and the differential effects of pharmacological agents on SWDs in different spike-wave epilepsy models. Attempts at understanding the different basic mechanisms underlying spike-wave synchronization have focused on $\gamma$-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor-, low threshold T-type Ca\sp{2+} channel-, and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R)-mediated transmission. It is believed that defects in these modes of transmission can mediate the conversion of normal oscillations in a trisynaptic circuit, which includes the neocortex, reticular nucleus and thalamus, into spike-wave activity. However, the underlying lesions involved in spike-wave synchronization have not been clearly identified. The purpose of this research project was to locate and characterize a distinct neuronal hyperexcitability defect favoring spike-wave synchronization in the stargazer brain. One experimental approach for anatomically locating areas of synchronization and hyperexcitability involved an attempt to map patterns of hypersynchronous activity with antibodies to activity-induced proteins. A second approach to characterizing the neuronal defect involved examining the neuronal responses in the mutant following application of pharmacological agents with well known sites of action. In order to test the hypothesis that an NMDA receptor mediated hyperexcitability defect exists in stargazer neocortex, extracellular field recordings were used to examine the effects of CPP and MK-801 on coronal neocortical brain slices of stargazer and wild type perfused with 0 Mg\sp{2+} artificial cerebral spinal fluid (aCSF). To study how NMDA receptor antagonists might promote increased excitability in stargazer neocortex, two basic hypotheses were tested: (1) NMDA receptor antagonists directly activate deep layer principal pyramidal cells in the neocortex of stargazer, presumably by opening NMDA receptor channels altered by the stg mutation; and (2) NMDA receptor antagonists disinhibit the neocortical network by blocking recurrent excitatory synaptic inputs onto inhibitory interneurons in the deep layers of stargazer neocortex. In order to test whether CPP might disinhibit the 0 Mg\sp{2+} bursting network in the mutant by acting on inhibitory interneurons, the inhibitory inputs were pharmacologically removed by application of GABA receptor antagonists to the cortical network, and the effects of CPP under 0 Mg\sp{2+}aCSF perfusion in layer V of stg/stg were then compared with those found in +/+ neocortex using in vitro extracellular field recordings. (Abstract shortened by UMI.

Calciphylaxis with Peau D'Orange Induration and Absence of Classical Features of Purpura, Livedo Reticularis and Ulcers

Calciphylaxis is an ill‐defined syndrome that is commonly associated with chronic renal failure. Its heterogeneous clinical features include painful livedo reticularis‐like purpuric patches and plaques, vesicles, irregularly shaped ulcers, and black eschars. Despite demonstration of extensive vascular arteriolar calcification in this syndrome, its exact pathogenesis remains unknown. Here, we report a case of calciphylaxis presenting with indurated plaques without the usual clinical picture of livedo reticulate purpura, ulcers or necrotic eschars. This case provides an opportunity to review the clinical spectrum of calciphylaxis and to discuss the therapeutic approaches and pathogenesis of this syndrome from deep intra‐wall vascular calcification to the resulting infarctions of adjacent tissues

Rapid Knowledge Map for Strengthening Women’s Civic and Political Participation in the Developing World: A Synthesis of the Scholarly Literature

This project is a multidisciplinary overview and synthesis of current scholarship on strategies to increase women’s civic and political participation in the developing world and to assess the risks of these strategies to women. Using a systematic method for meta-analysis, we identify points of consensus, debates and gaps where future research on strengthening women's participation is needed. The meta-analysis is compiled in a Rapid Knowledge Map (a searchable excel file) that we created as part of our research strategy (to be published online). A secondary goal is to provide a useful guide to the current English language literature on women’s civic and political participation for an international women's studies audience. This dataset contains the Rapid Knowledge Map and Codebook. This project and the related rapid knowledge map were developed from an interdisciplinary research group with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)