Glare of the Diamond; Botswana Why AIDS Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives are not successful

The research aim in this paper is to outline, detail and come to a deeper understanding as to why AIDS/HIV corporate social responsibility CSR initiatives have not been truly successful in the Central District of Botswana. I will focus on the following aspects in the analysis; history, stigma, gender and traditional values, and the corporate refocus on the blood diamond movement. Botswana is a mineral rich country, and in my scope of research I look to the mining corporations that have mines in the Central district of Botswana. De Beers, Debswana are the two larger mining corporations that I draw up in my paper, but the Tati Nickel Mine and the Soda Ash Botswana mine are also mentioned within this paper due to their location, and their parallel history and social structures to De Beers and Debswana. De Beers, like many other global corporations, has had to stand up and face their involvement with the spread and continual spread of AIDS/HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, in Botswana De Beers face many other issues that limit or side-track them on how much public ‘push’ and power they can do when they initiate corporate social responsibility CSR program(s) at their mines. To understand how Botswana and its’ relationship with De Beers [and other mining corporations] and the development of AIDS/HIV, a historical review is needed, for one has to understand how the social structures of mines, mining communities and out laying towns have been created under this ‘mining’ social structure. The second important issue in understanding CSR and how limited it is, in regards to De Beers, Debswana and other mining corporations, in Botswana is the high level of social issues such as stigmatization, traditional and gender issues/values that AIDS/HIV individuals, and government bodies have to deal with. The third and present issue that limits how De Beers deals with AIDS/HIV and their CSR response to SI (survival international) campaign to end the trade in Blood Diamonds, and with new mining exploration into the Gope area of the Kalaharia desert De Beers has redirected their CSR attention to something they can change and re-solve now

Direct cadherin-activated cell signaling: a view from the plasma membrane

Classical cadherin adhesion molecules are key determinants of cell recognition and tissue morphogenesis, with diverse effects on cell behavior. Recent developments indicate that classical cadherins are adhesion-activated signaling receptors. In particular, early–immediate Rac signaling is emerging as a mechanism to coordinate cadherin–actin integration at the plasma membrane

Multiple Myeloma and B Cell Lymphoma. Investigation of IL-6, IL-6 Receptor Antagonist (IL-6RA), and GP130 Antagonist (GP130A) Using Various Parameters in an In Vitro

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) affects the survival and proliferation of myeloma cells via autocrine and/or paracrine mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the effects of IL-6, IL-6 receptor antagonist (IL-6RA), and gp130 antagonist (gp130A) on the membrane expressions of IL-6R and gp130, on the viability, on the proliferation, on the DNA synthesis, and on the cell cycle phases in several multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines and B cell lymphoma cell lines. Our results showed that (1) all five MM cell lines (OPM-2, RPMI-8226, U-266, KMS-12-BM, MOLP-8) expressed surface IL-6R and gp130, the B cell lymphomas (WSU-1, DOHH-2, U-698) expressed only gp130; (2) exogenous IL-6 markedly up-regulated the expression of membrane IL-6R (up to 186%) and down-regulated the gp130 receptor (down to 4%) in MM cell lines, the membrane expression of gp130 in B cell lymphomas was not altered; (3) IL-6 markedly increased the spontaneous proliferation (up to 151%) in all MM cell lines, that of B cell lymphomas was not affected; (4) IL-6 increased the DNA synthesis in the S cell cycle phase of MM cells and arrested the stage G2/M, IL-6 was ineffective in any cell cycle phase of B cell lymphoma; (5) IL-6RA inhibited the membrane IL-6R partially, the proliferation was decreased only slightly; and (6) although gp130A inhibited the membrane gp130 completely, the proliferation was decreased 81—78% in MM and B cell lymphoma cell lines. This means that gp130 is not absolutely necessary for the cellular signalling cascade via JAK/STAT and RAS/MAPK pathways involved in proliferation and viability. Our results give an indication in the therapy of MM: IL-6 antibody (IL-6A) alone or in combination with IL-6RA. The latter could be more effective. This kind of therapy is not recommended for B cell lymphoma, as these cells have no IL-6R

Effects of a practice-focused nutrition intervention in Hungarian adolescents

Introduction. This work evaluated the impact of a nutrition intervention in school children of 6th and 7th grade and assessed whether changes persisted after the summer break.Materials and methods. Eight classes of Hungarian adolescents (45% boys; 12.6 ± 0.1 years) were randomized into intervention (n = 117) and control (n = 112) groups. The 9-month long intervention included: 1) weekly classroom-based education with strong focus on practical elements such as tasting and meal preparation; 2) five sessions of afterschool cooking classes (open to children, parents and grandparents); and 3) online education materials. Anthropometric parameters (weight, height, waist circumference and body fat), aerobic fitness (Cooper test, 20-meter shuttle run test), nutrition knowledge and behaviors (questionnaires) were measured three times at baseline, post-intervention and after the summer holiday.Results. Slight improvement in dietary knowledge and habits from baseline to post-intervention which did not persist after summer. Aerobic fitness increased in the intervention group, while did not change among controls. Anthropometric parameters remained unchanged in the intervention group, but waist circumference increased in controls, particularly in summer.Conclusions. Findings suggest a positive impact of this intervention. Measures to mitigate unhealthy changes during the summer break are needed

Die Rolle der Ernährung in der Prävention neurodegenerativer Erkrankungen

Die vorliegende Diplomarbeit befasst sich mit der Rolle unterschiedlicher Ernährungsfaktoren in der Prävention neurodegenerativer Erkrankungen. Bei neurodegenerativen Erkrankungen handelt es sich um erblich und sporadisch auftretende Erkrankungen, die durch eine fortschreitende Dysfunktion des Nervensystems gekennzeichnet sind. Diese Störungen gehen oft mit psychischen sowie motorischen Symptomen einher. Zu den neurodegenerativen Erkrankungen zählen unter anderem Morbus Alzheimer, Morbus Parkinson, Frontotemporale Demenz, Chorea Huntington und Amyotrophe Lateralsklerose. Aufgrund der steigenden Lebenserwartung gewinnen diese Krankheiten zunehmend an Bedeutung. Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen können durch eine Vielzahl von Faktoren beeinflusst werden. Grundsätzlich unterscheidet man positive und negative Einflussfaktoren: Zu den positiven Faktoren zählen Antioxidantien wie Vitamin A, C, E und Carotinoide. Fische und Öle, reich an ungesättigten FS, zeigen in zahlreichen Studien neuroprotektive Effekte. Besonders empfohlen wird die mediterrane Ernährungsform, die all diese Komponenten beinhaltet. Eine präventive Funktion übernehmen auch Polyphenole in unterschiedlichen Pflanzenheilmitteln wie Ginkgo, Ginseng, oder Weintrauben. Auch Gewürzen wie Ingwer und Kurkuma werden schützende Wirkungen nachgesagt. Für die Entstehung neurodegenerativer Erkrankungen verantwortlich sind unter anderem Adipositas, Diabetes mellitus, Homocysteinämie, Hyper- bzw. Hypotonie, Hypercholesterinämie sowie bestimmte Umweltfaktoren. Einige dieser Risikofaktoren können durch eine gesunde Ernährung und eine gezielte Gewichtsreduktion mit ausreichender Bewegung minimiert werden. Aus den Ergebnissen vieler Untersuchungen ist ersichtlich, dass eine gesunde Ernährung einen wesentlichen Beitrag in der Prävention und Therapie neurodegenerativer Erkrankungen leisten kann und daher berücksichtigt werden muss. Auf dem Gebiet der Prävention, der Entstehung und Therapie der neurodegenerativen Erkrankungen muss auch in Zukunft weiterhin geforscht werden, um die widersprüchlichen Studienergebnisse zu relativieren.The present diploma thesis evaluates the role of different nutrition-related factors in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. Neurodegenerative diseases involve hereditary and sporadically occurring diseases, characterised by a progressive dysfunction of the nervous system. These disorders go hand in hand with psychological and motoric symptoms. Neurodegenerative diseases include Morbus Alzheimer, Morbus Parkinson, Frontotemporal dementia, Huntington´s disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Due to the increasing life expectation, these diseases become an increasingly important issue. Neurodegenerative diseases can be influenced by a large number of factors. Principally, a distinction is made between positive and negative influencing factors: Positive factors include antioxidants like Vitamin A, C, E and carotinoids. A high fish- and oil-consumption, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, shows neuroprotective effects in several studies. The Mediterranean Diet, which includes all of these components, is especially recommended. Polyphenols in different herbal medicines like ginkgo, ginseng or grapes, also play an essential preventive role. Spices like ginger or curcuma are said to have protective effects. Responsible for the development of neurodegenerative disease are adiposity, diabetes, homocysteinaemia, hyper- or hypotension, hypercholesterolaemia and determined environmental factors. Some of these risk factors can be minimized by a healthy diet, weight loss and a lot of physical exercise. Results of many studies show that a healthy diet is a substantial contribution to the prevention and therapy of neurodegenerative diseases and therefore needs to be attented to. In the field of prevention, pathogenesis and therapy of neurodegenerative diseases lot of research has to be done in the future to answer inconsistent results

Correction to: Barriers and facilitators for the management of vertigo: a qualitative study with primary care providers

After publication of the original article 1 it was brought to the authors' attention that a sentence was missing in the acknowledgement section. The full acknowledgement is included in this Correction article