Events in United States Foreign Policy Digital Choice Board

This choice board invites students to: Create a news evaluation tool to evaluate social media posts about U.S. policy and the War in Ukraine. Make a digital slideshow about the history and impacts of U.S. policy toward nations in the Americas. Create a graphic history of the Barbary Pirates and the Barbary Wars. And explore many more foreign policy topics that are presented in the resourcesforhistoryteachers wiki. Go here to make your own Google doc copy of this choice board to remix.https://scholarworks.umass.edu/tecs_ed_materials/1038/thumbnail.jp

Adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of a mouse mesenchymal stem cell line (BMC9) seeded on novel melt-based chitosan/polyester 3D porous scaffolds

The aim of the present work was to study the biological behavior of a mouse mesenchymal stem cell line when seeded and cultured under osteogenic conditions onto novel processed melt-based chitosan scaffolds. Scaffolds were produced by compression molding, followed by salt leaching. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations and lCT analysis showed the pore sizes ranging between 250 and 500 lm and the interconnectivity of the porous structure. The chitosan–poly(butylenes succinate) scaffolds presented high mechanical properties, similar to the ones of trabecular bone (E1%*75 MPa). Cytotoxicity assays were carried out using standard tests (accordingly to ISO/EN 10993 part 5 guidelines), namely, MTS test with a 24 h extraction period, revealing that L929 cells had similar metabolic activities to that obtained for the negative control. Cell culture studies were conducted using a mouse mesenchymal stem cell line (BMC9). Cells were seeded onto the scaffold and allowed to proliferate for 3 weeks under osteogenic conditions. SEM observations demonstrated that cells were able to proliferate and massively colonize the scaffolds structure. The cell viability assay MTS demonstrated that BMC9 cells were viable after 3 weeks of culture. The cells clearly evidenced a positive differentiation toward the osteogenic lineage, as confirmed by the high ALP activity levels. Moreover, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis revealed the presence of Ca and P in the elaborated extracellular matrix (ECM). These combined results indicate that the novel melt-based chitosan/polyester scaffolds support the adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of the mouse MSCs and shows adequate physicochemical and biological properties for being used as scaffolds in bone tissue engineering–related strategies

Mouthwash use and cancer of the head and neck: a pooled analysis from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium (INHANCE)

Most mouthwashes contain alcohol, a known cause of head and neck cancer (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx), likely through the carcinogenic activity of acetaldehyde, formed in the oral cavity from alcohol. We carried out a pooled analysis of 8981 cases of head and neck cancer and 10090 controls from 12 case-control studies with comparable information on mouthwash use in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of mouthwash use with cancers of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx, adjusting for study, age, sex, pack-years of tobacco smoking, number of alcoholic drinks/day, and education. Compared with never users of mouthwash, the odds ratio (OR) of all head and neck cancers was 1.01 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.94-1.08] for ever users, based on 12 studies. The corresponding ORs of cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx were 1.11 (95% CI: 1.00-1.23) and 1.28 (95% CI: 1.06-1.56), respectively. OR for all head and neck cancer was 1.15 (95% CI: 1.01-1.30) for use for more than 35 years, based on seven studies (P for linear trend=0.01), and OR 1.31 (95% CI: 1.09-1.58) for use more than one per day, based on five studies (P for linear trend <0.001). Although limited by the retrospective nature of the study and the limited ability to assess risks of mouthwash use in nonusers of tobacco and alcohol, this large investigation shows potential risks for head and neck cancer subsites and in long-term and frequent users of mouthwash. This pooled analysis provides the most precise estimate of the association between mouthwash use and head and neck cancer

Vitamin or mineral supplement intake and the risk of head and neck cancer: pooled analysis in the INHANCE consortium

To investigate the potential role of vitamin or mineral supplementation on the risk of head and neck cancer (HNC), we analyzed individual-level pooled data from 12 case-control studies (7,002 HNC cases and 8,383 controls) participating in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium. There were a total of 2,028 oral cavity cancer, 2,465 pharyngeal cancer, and 874 unspecified oral/pharynx cancer, 1,329 laryngeal cancer and 306 overlapping HNC cases. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for self reported ever use of any vitamins, multivitamins, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and calcium, beta-carotene, iron, selenium, and zinc supplements were assessed. We further examined frequency, duration and cumulative exposure of each vitamin or mineral when possible and stratified by smoking and drinking status. All ORs were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, study center, education level, and pack-years of smoking, frequency of alcohol drinking and fruit/vegetable intake. A decreased risk of HNC was observed with ever use of vitamin C (OR=0.76, 95% CI=0.59-0.96) and with ever use of calcium supplement (OR=0.64, 95% CI=0.42-0.97). The inverse association with HNC risk was also observed for 10 or more years of vitamin C use (OR=0.72, 95% CI=0.54-0.97) and more than 365 tablets of cumulative calcium intake (OR=0.36, 95% CI=0.16-0.83), but linear trends were not observed for the frequency or duration of any supplement intake. We did not observe any strong associations between vitamin or mineral supplement intake and the risk of head and neck cancer

Cigarette, Cigar, and Pipe Smoking and the Risk of Head and Neck Cancers: Pooled Analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium

Cigar and pipe smoking are considered risk factors for head and neck cancers, but the magnitude of effect estimates for these products has been imprecisely estimated. By using pooled data from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) Consortium (comprising 13,935 cases and 18,691 controls in 19 studies from 1981 to 2007), we applied hierarchical logistic regression to more precisely estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoking separately, compared with reference groups of those who had never smoked each single product. Odds ratios for cigar and pipe smoking were stratified by ever cigarette smoking. We also considered effect estimates of smoking a single product exclusively versus never having smoked any product (reference group). Among never cigarette smokers, the odds ratio for ever cigar smoking was 2.54 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.93, 3.34), and the odds ratio for ever pipe smoking was 2.08 (95% CI: 1.55, 2.81). These odds ratios increased with increasing frequency and duration of smoking (Ptrend ≤ 0.0001). Odds ratios for cigar and pipe smoking were not elevated among ever cigarette smokers. Head and neck cancer risk was elevated for those who reported exclusive cigar smoking (odds ratio = 3.49, 95% CI: 2.58, 4.73) or exclusive pipe smoking (odds ratio = 3.71, 95% CI: 2.59, 5.33). These results suggest that cigar and pipe smoking are independently associated with increased risk of head and neck cancers

Alcohol drinking and head and neck cancer risk: the joint effect of intensity and duration

Background: Alcohol is a well-established risk factor for head and neck cancer (HNC). This study aims to explore the effect of alcohol intensity and duration, as joint continuous exposures, on HNC risk. Methods: Data from 26 case-control studies in the INHANCE Consortium were used, including never and current drinkers who drunk ≤10 drinks/day for ≤54 years (24234 controls, 4085 oral cavity, 3359 oropharyngeal, 983 hypopharyngeal and 3340 laryngeal cancers). The dose-response relationship between the risk and the joint exposure to drinking intensity and duration was investigated through bivariate regression spline models, adjusting for potential confounders, including tobacco smoking. Results: For all subsites, cancer risk steeply increased with increasing drinks/day, with no appreciable threshold effect at lower intensities. For each intensity level, the risk of oral cavity, hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers did not vary according to years of drinking, suggesting no effect of duration. For oropharyngeal cancer, the risk increased with durations up to 28 years, flattening thereafter. The risk peaked at the higher levels of intensity and duration for all subsites (odds ratio = 7.95 for oral cavity, 12.86 for oropharynx, 24.96 for hypopharynx and 6.60 for larynx). Conclusions: Present results further encourage the reduction of alcohol intensity to mitigate HNC risk

Libertos no Rio Grande de São Pedro: Porto Alegre e Viamão no final do século XVIII e início do XIX

O objetivo desta pesquisa é estudar a vida dos libertos de Porto Alegre e Viamão, Rio Grande do Sul, destacando e tentando entender aspectos importantes de seu cotidiano, como relações familiares, sociais e econômicas. Para isso, me vali do estudo de trajetórias individuais e do estudo quantitativo daquele grupo na segunda metade do século XVIII e início do século XIX. Interessou-me descobrir quem foram essas pessoas, de onde vieram, quantos anos tinham, se eram casados ou solteiros, se tinham filhos, o que faziam para viver, se tinham bens, se possuíam escravos, onde moravam, com quem moravam, quais estratégias utilizavam para ascender socialmente e onde, ao morrerem, eram enterrados. Entre os principais resultados está a constituição de um perfil demográfico desses libertos, a partir do qual constatei que a maioria era constituída por mulheres, embora a maioria dos escravos fosse constituída por homens. Além disso, por ser o Rio Grande do Sul um território de ocupação recente, verifiquei que a maioria dos libertos tinha origem africana, ao contrário de outras partes mais antigas do Brasil, onde os crioulos eram maioria. Apesar dos africanos da região Centro-Ocidental africana ser a maioria entre os libertos, proporcionalmente, eram os provenientes da África Ocidental que conquistavam mais alforrias. Além disso, constatei também que a maioria dos libertos se encontrava em idade fértil e produtiva. No que diz respeito às relações sociais, constatei que a maioria dos forros era casada e que tinham forte tendência à endogamia étnica; que poucas mulheres tiveram filhos e que aquelas que tiveram deram a luz a apenas uma criança, na sua maioria. Além disso, verifiquei que a maioria dos forros preferiu padrinhos brancos para batizar seus filhos, como uma estratégia de ascensão social. Em relação à situação econômica, constatei que a maioria desa população, apesar de desprovida de bens, conseguia manter-se economicamente; porém, em tempos de crise e de vulnerabilidade, muitos mudavam-se para casas de brancos e de outros forros, constituindo relações de agregamento que, em alguns casos, acabavam indo além de uma relação puramente econômica e se constituía relação de solidariedade e cooperação. Além disso, concluí também que, apesar de suas precárias condições de moradia, esses indivíduos de cor pareciam ocupar todos os cantos da freguesia de Porto Alegre, ou seja, o local de moradia não parecia refletir tão claramente suas condições sociais. No entanto, na hora da morte, a diferenciação era clara, cabendo àqueles com melhores condições econômicas os espaços privilegiados de enterro. Ao longo do trabalho utilizei fontes paroquiais, inventários post-mortem, testamentos e cartas de alforria.Salvado

Nuestro Auxilio : Órgano de la Asociación de María Auxiliadora y de los ex-alumnos salesianos de Menorca: Año XIX Número 221 - 1929 Mayo 01

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