Factor Analytic Study of Spatial Abilities in Second-Grade, English-Speaking Navajo and Non-Navajo Children

This study was conducted to continue the investigation of apparent differences in cognitive ii abilities between Navajo Indian children and non-Navajo children. Subjects were 248 second-grade students, ranging from 7 to 9 years old. The Navajo sample lived in the Shiprock, New Mexico, area of the Navajo Indian Reservation, and the non-Navajo sample lived on the east side of Salt Lake City, Utah. Data were collected using six tests designed to measure spatial abilities in primary grade children. Results indicated that the non-Navajo children scored significantly higher on two individual tests and on the total test score under timed conditions, with no differences between groups when timing was not a factor. Two factors were identified for both groups. Factor loadings were different between the groups. As the scoring moved from timed to extended time, it changed for the nonNavajo children but remained the same for the Navajo group. Discriminate function analysis indicated a moderate ability to predict group membership using these tests. Gender differences were noted as well, with females scoring significantly lower than males on timed but not on extended time. Some race/gender interactions also were recorded. Suggestions were made that differences may be related to varying strategies used by not only different racial groups but by both genders as well. The within-group variability indicated a need for investigation of individual differences as well as group differences. Suggestions included using a greater number of instruments, an exploration of strategies, and using a examiner familiar to the students

Omeprazole- and Esomeprazole-associated Hypomagnesaemia: Data Mining of the Public Version of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System

Objective: Case reports showing that proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), omeprazole and esomeprazole, can cause hypomagnesaemia have been accumulating since 2006. In this study, the reports submitted to the Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were evaluated to assess omeprazole and esomeprazole in terms of susceptibility to hypomagnesaemia

Oxaliplatin up-regulated the function and expression of P-glycoprotein/MDR1 in porcine kidney epithelial LLC-PK cells

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of oxaliplatin on the function and expression of the multidrug efflux transporter P-glycoprotein/MDR1 in a porcine kidney epithelial cell line, LLC-PK, as a renal tubular epithelial model. LLC-PK cells were pretreated with or without oxaliplatin for 48 h, and the growth inhibitory effects of a MDR1 substrate, paclitaxel, and the transport of a MDR1 substrate, Rhodamine123, were assessed. The level of MDR1 mRNA and protein was also examined in the cells treated with or without oxaliplatin for 48 h using RT-PCR and immunoblotting. In the present study, the pretreatment with oxaliplatin tended to suppress the growth inhibitory effects of paclitaxel in LLC-PK cells, presumably by accelerating the functions of MDR1. In addition, the uptake of Rhodamine123 was reduced significantly by pretreatment with oxaliplatin, and the efflux of Rhodamine123 from LLC-PK cells was enhanced significantly. These accelerated functions were supported by the suppression of Rhodamine123 s transport by a representative MDR1 substrate/inhibitor, ciclosporin, at 10 µM. The exposure to oxaliplatin for 48 h resulted in an increase in the expression of MDR1 in LLC-PK cells. These findings were similar to those obtained with cisplatin, a nephrotoxic drug. In conclusion, the present findings suggested that transient exposure for 48 h to oxaliplatin caused the up-regulation of MDR1 function and expression in LLC-PK cells, as was the case for cisplatin

Sicherheitspolitische Herausforderungen der Regierung Obama in Asien

"Mit der Amtseinführung von Barack Obama richtet sich die Aufmerksamkeit in Erwartung eines Wandels in der US-Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik auf die gegenwärtigen Konfliktschauplätze im Nahen Osten. Aber auch im Hinblick auf das vielschichtige transpazifisch-asiatische Beziehungsgefüge sieht sich die neue Regierung in Washington mit sicherheitspolitischen Herausforderungen und veränderten Konstellationen konfrontiert. Dabei weicht ihre Konzentration auf den Pazifik zunehmend einer 'multifokalen' Asienpolitik. Sollten sich die Bemühungen der US-Streitkräfte stärker auf Afghanistan konzentrieren, wird es notwendig werden, die regionalpolitischen Interessen der wichtigsten 'Player' sowohl in Südasien als auch in Zentralasien zu berücksichtigen. Expräsident Bush hinterlässt der neuen Regierung eine eng gefasste Verhandlungsagenda zur nuklearen Abrüstung Nordkoreas. Diese wird sich aber unter Obama vermutlich erweitern und eine enge, aber aufgrund der gegenwärtigen Situation sich schwierig gestaltende bündnispolitische Abstimmung mit Japan und Südkorea erfordern. Durch die Wahl von Ma Ying-jeou zum Präsidenten Taiwans findet die Regierung Obama eine günstige Ausgangssituation vor, um die Beziehungen zu China zu vertiefen." (Autorenreferat