Anti‑proliferative and cytotoxic effect of cannabidiol on human cancer cell lines in presence of serum

Objective: Cannabinoids are able to reduce tumor growth in xenograft models, but their therapeutic potential as anti-cancer drugs in humans is unclear yet. In vitro studies of the effect of cannabinoids on cancer cells are often carried out in absence of serum or in low serum concentration (i.e. 0.5% serum), conditions that limit cellular growth and therefore can increase the response of cells to additional challenges such as the presence of cannabinoids. However, the tumor microenvironment can be teaming with growth factors. In this study we assessed the viability and proliferation of cancer cells treated with cannabidiol in presence of a serum concentration that commonly sustains cell growth (10% serum). Results: The results show that cannabidiol exerts a markedly different effect on the viability of the human HT-29 cancer cell line when cultured in presence of 0.5% serum in comparison to 10% serum, displaying a cytotoxic effect only in the former situation. In presence of 10% serum, no inhibitory effect of cannabidiol on DNA replication of HT-29 cells was detected, and a weak inhibition was observed for other cancer cell lines. These results indicate that the effect of cannabidiol is cell context-dependent being modulated by the presence of growth factors

Migration and Inequalities in the Face of COVID-19: Economic, Political and Social Context in Mexico and The United States

Our world changed drastically on February 11th 2020 when the World Health Organization announced the name of the new coronavirus disease as COVID-19, and the pandemic was later considered the greatest challenge we have faced since World War II. Although we have started to experience social life in various new ways, the impacts that it will bring are still unknown. In recent years, migration had already undergone different transformations globally, and more changes are expected. How will populations on the move and migrant populations live in the following years post-COVID, and how different actors will respond to these changes, is yet to be seen. The Seminar Migration, Inequality and Public Policies at El Colegio de México has worked over the last three years on better understanding the different dimensions of inequality associated to migration, and how public policy mediates these processes. Facing this new context, we decided to generate an academic discussion, albeit accessible to the general public, to apprise how COVID-19 will impact different dimensions of migration processes, and reflect on what would be needed to address these effects. In order to ponder these questions, we brought together the perspectives of a series of binational experts from the academia, the public, social and private sectors, who deliver, on the one hand, a discussion about the economic, political and social context, and on the other, considerations on specific vulnerable mobile populations, as well as of support networks, and implications for policy aimed at diminishing the negative effects of the pandemic. We hope that these two issues of our series Notes on Migration and Inequalities will constitute a frame of reference to inform about the current situation and generate proposals that will transcend this contingency

Migration and Inequalities in the Face of COVID-19: Vulnerable Populations and Support Networks in Mexico and The United States

Our world changed drastically on February 11th 2020 when the World Health Organization announced the name of the new coronavirus disease as COVID-19, and the pandemic was later considered the greatest challenge we have faced since World War II. Although we have started to experience social life in various new ways, the impacts that it will bring are still unknown. In recent years, migration had already undergone different transformations globally, and more changes are expected. How will populations on the move and migrant populations live in the following years post-COVID, and how different actors will respond to these changes, is yet to be seen. The Seminar Migration, Inequality and Public Policies at El Colegio de México has worked over the last three years on better understanding the different dimensions of inequality associated to migration, and how public policy mediates these processes. Facing this new context, we decided to generate an academic discussion, albeit accessible to the general public, to apprise how COVID-19 will impact different dimensions of migration processes, and reflect on what would be needed to address these effects. In order to ponder these questions, we brought together the perspectives of a series of binational experts from the academia, the public, social and private sectors, who deliver, on the one hand, a discussion about the economic, political and social context, and on the other, considerations on specific vulnerable mobile populations, as well as of support networks, and implications for policy aimed at diminishing the negative effects of the pandemic. We hope that these two issues of our series Notes on Migration and Inequalities will constitute a frame of reference to inform about the current situation and generate proposals that will transcend this contingency

The intersection of immigration and family in Canada

This dissertation studies the complex relationship between family and migration processes. The overarching question that drives this research project is: How do family dynamics, migration adaptation processes, and policy mediate the immigrant integration process? Specifically, I focus on three instances of the intersection of immigration and family in Canada. First, I study differences in living arrangements by entry status over the first four years of arrival to shed light on the relationship between immigrant family dynamics, adaptation processes and selection policy. Second, I study the role of living arrangements on life satisfaction – an indicator of social integration – as recent immigrants go through processes of adaptation. Finally, I study ethnic differences in interpartnering – an indicator of and mechanism for integration – among Latin American immigrants, a population that has increased considerably in recent years.First, I study differences in living arrangements by entry status over the first four years of arrival to shed light on the relationship between immigrant family dynamics, adaptation processes and selection policy using data from the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC). Explanations for doubling-up − coresidence with extended kin and non-kin − among immigrants center on life-course events, culture, and economic need. Empirical evidence on how entry status influences the duration of being doubled-up remains limited. Findings suggest that using a linear effect of time since arrival to measure the migration process without considering variations by entry status is misleading. Second, I study the role of living arrangements on life satisfaction – an indicator of social integration – as recent immigrants go through processes of adaptation. As in the first paper, I use LSIC and cross-sectional and longitudinal logistic regression models. Findings here provide evidence that social and economic integration make a significant contribution to immigrant life satisfaction, while co-residents and living arrangements have a small influence on satisfaction shortly after arrival, and over time. Finally, using the 2006 Canadian Census, I study ethnic differences in interpartnering – an indicator of and mechanism for integration – among Latin American immigrants, examining their unions with co-nationals, non-conational foreign-born, and non-conational Canadian-born. The analysis evaluates the contribution of social exchange theory, demographic accounts, and theories of immigrant integration. Evidence from multinomial logit regressions shows that differences in exogamy between immigrants from these four countries are more prominent for men than women for both types of interpartnering, and the most pronounced country differences in interpartnering are for partnerships with non-conational foreign-born. Findings further show differences in the explanatory factors by type of partnering. The contributions of this dissertation are threefold. At the empirical level, this dissertation offers the first evaluation using nationally representative Canadian data of the outcomes under study. At the methodological level, the use of longitudinal data and fixed-effects models contributes to the understanding of the migrant adaptation process. These models account for entry status, personality, ethnicity, cultural values, and norms that are difficult to measure in quantitative studies, and that may be related to selectivity processes in family dynamics. Finally, it makes a theoretical contribution to the immigrant integration literature by showing that socialization processes and modes of incorporation do not explain interpartnering with non-conational foreign-born, demonstrates the need for a better understanding of immigrant ethnic boundaries, and shows a non-homogenous effect of time since arrival by entry status.Cette thèse s'intéresse aux relations complexes entre la famille et les processus migratoires. Elle examine la façon dont les dynamiques familiales, les processus d'adaptation migratoires et les politiques migratoires affectent le processus d'intégration des immigrants. Premièrement, nous étudions les différences dans les modalités de résidence selon le statut d'entrée afin de mieux comprendre la relation entre les dynamiques familiales des immigrants, leur processus d'adaptation et les politiques de sélection des immigrants. Deuxièmement, nous analysons l'influence des modalités de résidence sur la satisfaction à l'égard de la vie – un indicateur de l'intégration sociale – au moment où les nouveaux arrivants sont en processus d'adaptation. Enfin, nous étudions les différences ethniques quant aux unions entre groupes nationaux – un indicateur de l'intégration sociale – chez les immigrants latino-américains. Le premier article s'intéresse aux différents statuts d'entrée des immigrants et à leur propension à habiter dans un ménage partagé avec des membres de la famille élargie ou d'autres individus durant les quatre premières années dans le pays d'accueil. Les facteurs habituellement évoqués pour expliquer le fait de vivre dans un ménage partagé portent sur les événements du parcours de vie, la culture ou les nécessités économiques. Basés sur l'Enquête longitudinale auprès des immigrants du Canada (ELIC), nos résultats indiquent que le fait de supposer un effet linéaire du temps depuis l'arrivée pour mesurer le processus migratoire sans considérer le type de statut à l'arrivée peut conduire à des résultats erronés.Le deuxième article cherche à comprendre de quelle manière la satisfaction à l'égard de la vie est liée aux modalités de résidence alors que le nouvel arrivant est en processus d'adaptation. Pour cela, nous utilisons des modèles de régressions logistiques transversaux et longitudinaux appliqués aux données de l'ELIC. Les résultats montrent que l'intégration sociale et économique contribue grandement au degré de satisfaction à l'égard de la vie des immigrants, alors que la corésidence et les modalités de résidence ont relativement peu d'influence sur le niveau de satisfaction peu après l'arrivée et au fil du temps. Utilisant les données du recensement de 2006, le troisième article étudie l'exogamie chez les immigrants latino-américains au Canada. Plus précisément, nous examinons les unions entre immigrants de la même nationalité, entre immigrants de nationalités différentes et entre immigrants et natifs d'une autre nationalité. Cette analyse évalue l'apport de la théorie des échanges sociaux, des caractéristiques démographiques et des théories de l'intégration pour comprendre les modes de formation des unions des immigrants du Chili, du Guatemala, du Mexique et du Salvador. Les résultats montrent que les différences dans l'exogamie sont plus importantes pour les hommes que pour les femmes et que les différences nationales les plus marquées touchent les unions impliquant des immigrants issus de nationalités différentes. Les résultats révèlent également des différences dans l'effet des facteurs explicatifs selon le type d'exogamie. Au niveau empirique, cette thèse offre une première évaluation des éléments à l'étude en faisant usage de données nationales canadiennes. Au niveau méthodologique, l'utilisation de données longitudinales et de modèles à effets fixes, qui tiennent compte de facteurs habituellement difficiles à mesurer dans des analyses quantitatives et qui peuvent être liés au processus de sélection, constitue un apport significatif. Au niveau théorique, cette thèse illustre que les processus de socialisation et les modes d'incorporation ne permettent pas d'expliquer les unions avec les immigrants d'une autre nationalité; elle souligne la nécessité de tenir compte des frontières ethniques entre immigrants et montre que l'effet de la durée de résidence varie en fonction du statut d'entrée des immigrants

Encadré – Les principaux traits de la politique familiale au Québec

Masferrer Leon Claudia, Lapierre-Adamcyk Evelyne. Encadré – Les principaux traits de la politique familiale au Québec. In: Santé, Société et Solidarité, n°2, 2010. Politiques familiales et fécondité. pp. 28-29

Connecting the Dots: Emerging Migration Trends and Policy Questions in North and Central America

North America and the Central American countries of the Northern Triangle—El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—represent one of the world's most dynamic migration corridors, with millions traveling from, through, or to these countries in recent decades. The United States has the world's largest immigrant population; Canada has one of the highest immigration rates per capita; and Mexico and Central America have significant shares of their nationals abroad, primarily in the United States. However, policies and public perceptions around immigration, especially in the United States, are not keeping up with emerging shifts in the region's migration