Herbal remedy knowledge acquisition and transmission among the Yucatec Maya in Tabi, Mexico: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Ethnobotanical knowledge continues to be important for treating illness in many rural communities, despite access to health care clinics and pharmaceuticals. However, access to health care clinics and other modern services can have an impact on the distribution of medical ethnobotanical knowledge. Many factors have been shown to be associated with distributions in this type of knowledge. The goal of the sub-analyses reported in this paper was to better understand the relationship between herbal remedy knowledge, and two such factors, age and social network position, among the Yucatec Maya in Tabi, Yucatan. METHODS: The sample consisted of 116 Yucatec Maya adults. Cultural consensus analysis was used to measure variation in herbal remedy knowledge using competence scores, which is a measure of participant agreement within a domain. Social network analysis was used to measure individual position within a network using in-degree scores, based on the number of people who asked an individual about herbal remedies. Surveys were used to capture relevant personal attributes, including age. RESULTS: Analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between age and the herbal medicine competence score for individuals 45 and under, and no relationship for individuals over 45. There was an insignificant relationship between in-degree and competence scores for individuals 50 and under and a significant positive correlation for those over 50. CONCLUSIONS: There are two possible mechanisms that could account for the differences between cohorts: 1) knowledge accumulation over time; and/or 2) the stunting of knowledge acquisition through delayed acquisition, competing treatment options, and changes in values. Primary ethnographic evidence suggests that both mechanisms may be at play in Tabi. Future studies using longitudinal or cross-site comparisons are necessary to determine the whether and how the second mechanism is influencing the different cohorts.This item is part of the UA Faculty Publications collection. For more information this item or other items in the UA Campus Repository, contact the University of Arizona Libraries at [email protected]

Venous gas embolism as a predictive tool for improving CNS decompression safety

A key process in the pathophysiological steps leading to decompression sickness (DCS) is the formation of inert gas bubbles. The adverse effects of decompression are still not fully understood, but it seems reasonable to suggest that the formation of venous gas emboli (VGE) and their effects on the endothelium may be the central mechanism leading to central nervous system (CNS) damage. Hence, VGE might also have impact on the long-term health effects of diving. In the present review, we highlight the findings from our laboratory related to the hypothesis that VGE formation is the main mechanism behind serious decompression injuries. In recent studies, we have determined the impact of VGE on endothelial function in both laboratory animals and in humans. We observed that the damage to the endothelium due to VGE was dose dependent, and that the amount of VGE can be affected both by aerobic exercise and exogenous nitric oxide (NO) intervention prior to a dive. We observed that NO reduced VGE during decompression, and pharmacological blocking of NO production increased VGE formation following a dive. The importance of micro-nuclei for the formation of VGE and how it can be possible to manipulate the formation of VGE are discussed together with the effects of VGE on the organism. In the last part of the review we introduce our thoughts for the future, and how the enigma of DCS should be approached

A scoping review and thematic analysis of social and behavioural research among HIV-serodiscordant couples in high-income settings.

CAPRISA, 2015.Abstract available in pdf

Excess Capacity and Entry Deterrence: The Case of Ocean Liner Shipping Markets

This paper attempts to shed light on the proposal that firms in concentrated industries may keep excess capacity to forestall entry or expansion by rivals. Excess capacity can deter entry by forming expectations on the part of potential entrants that dominant firms are capable of responding aggressively to threats. But in order to make a convincing case for excess capacity as a strategic entry deterrent, all potential sources of excess capacity must be considered simultaneously. These may include industry-specific structural factors, such as the divisibility of demand relative to supply, economies of scale or wide swings in demand. Ocean liner shipping exhibits structural factors that have led excess capacity for much of its history. It is a concentrated industry that until the late 1990s was dominated by price fixing industry groups known as liner shipping conferences. In spite of limited antitrust immunity granted by most governments to liner shipping conferences, excess capacity is and has been a persistent problem that could be a major cause of operational inefficiencies. As such, ocean liner shipping presents an ideal forum in which to distinguish between excess capacity that is an artefact of structural conditions of supply and demand and excess capacity that may be deployed as a strategic defense against opportunistic rivals. The results of a random effects model with instrumental variables show some limited support for the entry deterrence element of excess capacity in liner shipping. Maritime Economics & Logistics (2003) 5, 100–115. doi:10.1057/palgrave.mel.9100074