bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unsafe abortion in urban and rural Tanzania: method, provider and consequences
Authors: Rasch Vibeke , Kipingili Rose
Published: July 2009

Objective  To describe unsafe abortion methods and associated health consequences in Tanzania, where induced abortion is restricted by law but common and known to account for a disproportionate share of hospital admissions.

Method  Cross‐sectional study of women admitted with alleged miscarriage: 278 in rural Tanzania and 473 in urban Tanzania. Women who had undergone a clandestinely induced abortion were identified by an empathetic approach and interviewed in detail about the procedure. Information about complications was obtained from the patient file.

Results  Sixty‐two per cent in rural Tanzania and 63% in urban Tanzania stated that they had had an unsafe induced abortion. The abortion had been induced by an unskilled provider in 46% of rural women and 60% of urban women. Herbs and roots had commonly been used for induction, in 42% of rural and 54% of urban women. The method most often associated with abortion complications was catheter/roots, whereas the method least often associated with complications was herbs.

Conclusion  The large number of women identified as having had unsafe abortion together with the prevalent use of herbs calls for attention.
Five‐year experience with scaling‐up access to antiretroviral treatment in an HIV care programme in Cambodia
Authors: Thai Sopheak , Koole Olivier , Un Phally , Ros Seilavath , De Munter Paul , Van Damme Wim , Jacques Gary , Colebunders Robert , Lynen Lutgarde
Published: July 2009

Objectives  To evaluate a 5‐year HIV care programme (2003–2007) in the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Methods  Analysis of routine programme indicators per year: number of new patients, active patients, antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage in the cohort, mortality and loss to follow‐up. Comparison of mortality before and after the start of ART using Kaplan–Meier survival curves. Analysis of risk factors using Cox regression for the combined endpoint of mortality and loss to follow‐up in patients on ART.

Results  3844 patients were registered in the hospital between March 2003 and December 2007. The mortality and loss to follow‐up rate fell and paralleled the rise of ART coverage from 23% in 2003 to 90% in 2007. The mortality and the loss to follow‐up rate was significantly higher in patients not on ART but eligible (Log rank P < 0.001). The combined endpoint of mortality and loss to follow‐up was 48.7% after one year in patients who were waiting for ART. 1667 patients were started on ART. The combined endpoint (mortality and loss to follow‐up) in this group was 11.5% at 12 months and 14.2% at 24 months. Risk factors for mortality in the ART group were male sex, CD4 count <50 cells/μl, BMI <18 and haemoglobin levels <10 g/dl.

Conclusion  Better access to ART is associated with lower mortality and fewer losses to follow‐up. Pre‐ART attrition remains significant. Strategies are needed to enable an earlier start of ART and to promote retention in care.
Early exposure to solid foods and the development of eczema in children up to 4 years of age
Authors: Sariachvili Manana , Droste Jos , Dom Sandra , Wieringa Marjan , Hagendorens Margo , Stevens Wim , Van Sprundel Marc , Desager Kristien , Weyler Joost
Published: July 2009

Sariachvili M, Droste J, Dom S, Wieringa M, Hagendorens M, Stevens W, van Sprundel M, Desager K, Weyler J. Early exposure to solid foods and the development of eczema in children up to 4 years of age. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2010: 21: 74–81. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Early exposure to solid foods in infancy has been associated with the development of allergic diseases. However, scientific evidence for this is conflicting. The aim of this study was to examine the association between early exposure to solid foods in the infant’s diet and the development of eczema up to 4 years of age. We conducted an etiologic case–control study nested in the PIPO cohort (Prospective Cohort on the Influence of Perinatal Factors on the Occurrence of Asthma and Allergies). In this cohort data on nutrition, environmental exposures and parent‐reported eczema were collected prospectively starting from 5 months pregnancy by means of questionnaires administered during two home visits and semi‐annual postal questionnaires. In addition, detailed information on the timing of introduction of solid foods at individual food item level was collected at 1 year of age. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were computed using logistic regression analysis as a measure of association between eczema and the timing of exposure to solid foods. Early introduction (within the first 4 months) of solid foods was inversely associated with eczema up to 4 years of age (adj OR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.32–0.74). Moreover, we found that early exposure to solid foods was associated with a reduced risk for eczema only among children with allergic parents (adj OR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.20–0.63), whereas no significant effect was found among children with non‐allergic parents (adj OR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.37–1.29). The results of this study show that early exposure to solid foods is associated with less parent‐reported eczema in children, particularly among children with allergic parents. Therefore, the current study does not support a delayed introduction of solid foods for the prevention of eczema in childhood.
Probiotics and prebiotics in atopic dermatitis: review of the theoretical background and clinical evidence
Authors: Van Der Aa Leontien B. , Heymans Hugo S.A. , Van Aalderen Wim M.C. , Sprikkelman Aline B.
Published: July 2009

van der Aa LB, Heymans HSA, van Aalderen WMC, Sprikkelman AB. Probiotics and prebiotics in atopic dermatitis: review of the theoretical background and clinical evidence. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2010: 21: e355–e367. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S

The prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) has risen over the past decades, especially in western societies. According to the revised hygiene hypothesis this increase is caused by a changed intestinal colonization pattern during infancy, which has an impact on the immune system. Manipulating the intestinal microflora with pro‐, pre‐ or synbiotics is an innovative way to prevent or treat AD. This review provides an overview of the theoretical basis for using probiotics and prebiotics in AD and presents the current evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding prevention and treatment of AD and food allergy in children with pro‐, pre‐ and synbiotics. Seven RCTs on prevention and 12 RCTs on treatment were found by searching the Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane databases. Results of these trials are conflicting. In conclusion, at this moment there is not enough evidence to support the use of pro‐, pre‐ or synbiotics for prevention or treatment of AD in children in clinical practice.
Specific oral tolerance induction (SOTI) in pediatric age: Clinical research or just routine practice?
Authors: Sopo Stefano Miceli , Onesimo Roberta , Giorgio Valentina , Fundarò Carlo
Published: July 2009

Miceli Sopo S, Onesimo R, Giorgio V, Fundarò C. Specific oral tolerance induction (SOTI) in pediatric age: Clinical research or just routine practice? Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2010: 21: e446–e449. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Specific Oral Tolerance (SOTI) is a promising therapy of food allergy, specially for IgE‐mediated cow milk allergy (CMA) in pediatric age. Randomized controlled trials have reported that about 35% of children, at least 5 years of age, became full tolerant to cow milk proteins after SOTI. Regard to the safety, literature describes about 200 children who underwent SOTI, with no fatal events. Nevertheless, a considerable percentage of those children (15%–20%) had to stop SOTI, because of important adverse effects. Numerous protocols have been described, some audacious and other prudent, however all demand an intense commitment either of the doctors and of the families. The information about the follow up of the children who underwent SOTI are still insufficient. For these reasons, we think that SOTI is still an experimental therapy.
Ultrastructural features of the process of wound healing after tail and limb amputation in lizard
Authors: Alibardi L.
Published: July 2009

Alibardi, L. 2010. Ultrastructural features of the process of wound healing after tail and limb amputation in lizard.—Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 91: 306–318

Wound healing and re‐epitelization after amputation of tail and limb in lizard have been studied by electron microscopy to understand the cytological base of immunity to infection in this species. After 2 days post‐amputation in both limb and tail stumps, numerous granulocytes are accumulated over the stump, and participate to the formation of the scab. Bacteria remain confined to the scab or are engulfed by leukocytes and migrating keratinocytes located underneath the scab. Bacteria are degraded within lysosomes present in these cells and are not observed among mesenchymal cells or in blood vessels of the regenerative blastema. Granulocytes, migrating keratinocytes, and later macrophages form an effective barrier responsible for limiting microbe penetration. The innate immunity in lizard is very effective in natural (dirty) condition and impedes the spreading of infection to inner tissues. While the complete re‐epitelization of the tail stump underneath the scab requires 4–7 days, the same process in the limb requires 8–18 or more days post‐amputation, depending from the level of amputation and the persistence of a protruding humerus or femurs on the stump surface. This delay produces the permanence of inflammatory cells such as granulocytes and macrophages in the limb stump for a much longer period than in the tail stump, a process that stimulates scarring.
The fate of an unsatisfactory urine cytology test among patients with urothelial carcinoma
Authors: Ordon Michael , Boerner Scott , Zlotta Alexandre R. , Jewett Michael A. , Fleshner Neil
Published: July 2009

OBJECTIVE

To determine the outcome of patients with a urinary cytology test that is unsatisfactory (UUCyt) for evaluation (<50 urothelial cells) to guide the clinical decision‐making process, as currently there are no guidelines to aid in interpreting this result and directing further investigations.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 142 patients, with 265 instances of UUCyt, in our bladder cancer database and by chart review. The cytology, cystoscopy and pathology results in the subsequent 12 months after a UUCyt result were reviewed, and the incidence of new and recurrent genitourinary tract cancers was calculated.

RESULTS

All patients had a previous history of, or developed, urothelial carcinoma during the follow‐up. There were 41 instances (16.3%) in which bladder cancer was evident at the time of the UUCyt and 29% of these tumours were high‐grade. There were another 44 instances (17.5%) in which new or recurrent bladder cancer developed in the subsequent year after a UUCyt test, and many (38.6%) of these tumours were high‐grade.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of urothelial carcinoma after a UUCyt was high (33.9%) with a substantial number of high‐grade (34%) tumours, implying that a UUCyt result cannot be interpreted as negative for malignancy. Therefore, in these cases, the urologist must depend on cystoscopy to make a diagnosis.
Para‐anastomotic haematoma volume predicts the presence of anastomotic extravasation after radical retropubic prostatectomy
Authors: O’Malley Rebecca L. , Telegrafi Shpetim , Laze Juliana , Lepor Herbert
Published: July 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series)  Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To determine the mechanism for delayed healing of the urinary anastomosis after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The volumes of the para‐anastomotic haematoma (PHV) and anastomotic extravasation were measured by ultrasonography in 95 men after RRP. The performance characteristics of PHV for predicting urinary extravasation were ascertained and compared with that of postoperative blood loss, measured as the difference between the haematocrit immediately after RRP and that at discharge.

RESULTS

The sensitivity and specificity of PHV for predicting urinary extravasation at a threshold of 37 mL was 100% and 96%, respectively. PHV was superior to postoperative blood loss in predicting anastomotic extravasation, as shown by an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.99 vs 0.91, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings provide compelling evidence that delayed healing of the anastomosis after RRP is due to distraction forces secondary to a pelvic haematoma. The accuracy of PHV as a predictor of anastomotic extravasation suggests that this measurement might replace cystography for assessing anastomotic integrity after RRP.
The need for ureteric re‐implantation during augmentation cystoplasty: video‐urodynamic evaluation
Authors: Soygur Tarkan , Burgu Berk , Zümrütbas Ali , Süer Evren
Published: July 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series)  Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate video‐urodynamic (VUD) results before and after surgery in children with high‐pressure, low‐compliance bladders and vesico‐ureteric reflux (VUR), who had augmentation cystoplasty with no antireflux surgery, hypothesising that in these patients, poor preoperative bladder dynamics is not always the cause of the associated VUR, as VUR persists in some patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We assessed objective VUD criteria where antireflux surgery might potentially be necessary to avoid reflux after augmentation, and retrospectively evaluated the clinical consequences of persistent VUR and compared it to those whom VUR resolved. In all, 19 patients with VUR and hypocompliant bladders (mean age 11.4 years, range 5–21) had augmentation ileocystoplasty. Lower urinary tract function was assessed before surgery and at 3 and 6 months afterward with VUD. Symptomatic febrile urinary tract infections (UTIs) and progressive renal scarring on scintigraphy were retrospectively evaluated in all patients.

RESULTS

VUR persisted in nine patients despite a low‐pressure bladder. In all patients with persistent VUR, VUD at 6 months after surgery showed that VUR started at low bladder volumes (mean 29.6 mL, range 19–52) and low pressures (mean 14.6 cmH2O, range 9.6–25) when compared to the group with no persistent VUR. Before surgery VUD showed that reflux started at the beginning of the filling phase (mean 14.8 mL, range 8–33) with very low intravesical pressures (mean 7.8 cmH2O, range 4–17) in these nine patients. During the follow‐up febrile UTIs were significantly more frequent in the group with persistent VUR. One patient had progressive renal scarring on scintigraphy after cystoplasty.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative VUD findings might be a very important predictor of the spontaneous resolution of VUR. In these patients concomitant VUR should be corrected simultaneously during bladder augmentation if it starts at low pressures on preoperative VUD, as persistence of VUR can induce scarring from febrile UTIs.
Understanding the impact of an Assertive Outreach Team on couples caring for adult children with psychosis
Authors: Wane Julia , Larkin Michael , Earl‐Gray Megan , Smith Hayley
Published: July 2009

Carers play an essential role in the lives of people suffering from mental health problems. Caring is very often a relational activity carried out by family members. Assertive Outreach (AO) services ought to be particularly well placed to support carers, but their impact upon families is not well understood. We set out to understand the intervention of AO services from a family perspective, and in particular to explore its meaning from the perspectives of pairs of carers. Three pairs of carer‐parents participated in six individual open‐ended interviews. Transcripts were analysed from an interpretative phenomenological perspective. All three families described a series of distressing crisis experiences prior to their relationship with AO. Carers had felt painfully excluded from their parental roles – both by their children and by services. Two further themes illuminated their subsequent relationship with AO: first, carers felt reassured; valued and included; and benefited from improvements in family relationships. Second, there were still concerns about the continuing relationship with professionals, and about the future of their family member – especially in relation to how services might secure these things. It was striking that there were different needs and concerns not only between the three couples but within each pair. Changing roles and relationships within the family were related to what families wanted from services. We note that engagement with systemic ways of working may prove fruitful for the development of AO services.
Family interventions in psychosis: a scale to measure therapist adherence
Authors: Onwumere Juliana , Kuipers Elizabeth , Gamble Catherine , Jolley Suzanne , Smith Ben , Rollinson Rebecca , Steel Craig , Fowler David , Bebbington Paul , Dunn Graham , Freeman Daniel , Garety Philippa
Published: July 2009

The efficacy of family interventions in psychosis is well documented. UK and USA schizophrenia treatment guidelines advocate the practice of family interventions within routine clinical services. However, less attention has been paid to the study of treatment fidelity and the tools used in its assessment. This study reports the inter‐rater reliability of a new scale: Family Intervention in Psychosis‐Adherence Scale (FIPAS). This measure is designed to assess therapist adherence to the Kuipers et al. (2002) family intervention in psychosis treatment manual. Reliability ratings were based on a sample of thirteen audiotapes drawn from a randomized controlled trial of family intervention. The results indicated that the majority of items of the FIPAS had acceptable levels of inter‐rater reliability. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the training and monitoring of the effectiveness of practitioners for family interventions in psychosis.
Myrdal's Prediction
Authors: Kinder Donald R. , Drake Katherine W.
Published: July 2009

InAn American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy,Gunnar Myrdal (1944) argued that white Americans were caught in a dilemma, torn between their commitment to noble democratic principles—what Myrdal called the American Creed—on the one side, and their belief in the superiority of the white race, on the other. Myrdal was certain that in the struggle between democratic principles and race prejudice, the former would prevail. Prejudice, Myrdal famously predicted, was about to disappear. Acknowledging the considerable progress that has taken place in American race relations over the past 60 years, we show that on this particular point Myrdal was wrong. Contrary to his prediction, prejudice has not disappeared; nor has its political significance diminished. Prejudice remains and its importance for politics depends, today as in Myrdal's time, on political circumstance: on the vicissitudes of history and the actions of leaders.
When Public Statements Reveal Private Beliefs: Assessing Operational Codes at a Distance
Authors: Renshon Jonathan
Published: July 2009

This article uses both public and private documents to measure the operational code of John F. Kennedy in the summer of 1962. Previous operational code research (and indeed, much of content analysis more generally) has relied exclusively on the analysis of public speeches and is thus open to charges that the speeches represent attempts at deception, persuasion, or impression management. This article tests the validity of using public speech data in operational code analysis by comparing the output to the results one gets by analyzing private statements from the same period. The results strongly indicate that one obtains the same results using either the public or the private data, thus providing tentative confirmation of the validity of using public speeches for assessing the operational codes of leaders.
Relations of Temperament to Maladjustment and Ego Resiliency in At‐risk Children
Authors: Eisenberg Nancy , Haugen Rg , Spinrad Tracy L. , Hofer Claire , Chassin Laurie , Zhou Qing , Kupfer Anne , Smith Cynthia L. , Valiente Carlos , Liew Jeffrey
Published: July 2009

The relations of control/regulation‐related temperamentally based dispositions (effortful control (EC), impulsivity, and approach/avoidance) to externalizing problems and personality ego resiliency were examined in a sample of 467 children (M age = 7.46 years), some of whom were children of alcoholics (COAs). In addition, we examined if the relations of temperamental regulation/control to maladjustment/ego resiliency were moderated by COA status or sex of the child. In general, regulated, controlled temperament was negatively related to externalizing problems and EC was positively related to ego resiliency. Relations between a problematic temperament and externalizing problems were stronger and sometimes only found for COAs, especially male COAs. Ego resiliency was positively related to high father‐reported approach for boys who were not sons of alcoholics. In addition, COA status was related to high impulsivity, approach behavior, and externalizing problems and low EC.
Relations between Theory of Mind and Indirect and Physical Aggression in Kindergarten: Evidence of the Moderating Role of Prosocial Behaviors
Authors: Renouf Annie , Brendgen Mara , Parent Sophie , Vitaro Frank , David Zelazo Philip , Boivin Michel , Dionne Ginette , Tremblay Richard E. , Pérusse Daniel , Séguin Jean R.
Published: July 2009

The present study examined the association between theory of mind and indirect versus physical aggression, as well as the potential moderating role of prosocial behavior in this context. Participants were 399 twins and singletons drawn from two longitudinal studies in Canada. At five years of age, children completed a theory of mind task and a receptive vocabulary task. A year later, teachers evaluated children's indirect and physical aggression and prosocial behavior. Indirect aggression was significantly and positively associated with theory of mind skills, but only in children with average or low levels of prosocial behavior. Physical aggression was negatively associated with prosocial behavior but not with theory of mind. Each analysis included gender, receptive vocabulary, and the respective other subtype of aggression as control variables. These results did not differ between girls and boys or between twins and singletons. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Turning qualitative into quantitative evidence: a well‐used method made explicit1
Authors: CARUS A. W. , OGILVIE SHEILAGH
Published: June 2009

Many historians reject quantitative methods as inappropriate to understanding past societies. This article argues that no sharp distinction between qualitative and quantitative concepts can be drawn, as almost any concept used to describe a past society is implicitly quantitative. Many recent advances in understanding have been achieved by deriving quantitative evidence from qualitative evidence, using the two dialectically, and indexing them against other quantitative findings from the same population. We show that this triangulation method can be extended to many apparently qualitative sources. Despite its successes, the potential of turning qualitative into quantitative evidence has only just begun to be exploited.
An early warning system for financial crisis using a stock market instability index
Authors: Kim Dong Ha , Lee Suk Jun , Oh Kyong Joo , Kim Tae Yoon
Published: July 2009

Abstract: This paper proposes to utilize a stock market instability index (SMII) to develop an early warning system for financial crisis. The system focuses on measuring the differences between the current market conditions and the conditions of the past when the market was stable. Technically the system evaluates the current time series against the past stable time series modelled by an asymptotic stationary autoregressive model via artificial neural networks. Advantageously accessible to extensive resources, the system turns out better results than the conventional system which detects similarities between the conditions of the current market and the conditions of previous markets that were in crisis. Therefore, it should be considered as a more advanced tool to prevent financial crises than the conventional one. As an empirical example, an SMII for the Korean stock market is developed in order to demonstrate its potential usefulness as an early warning system.
Fuzzy sliding mode control of a finger of a humanoid robot hand
Authors: Arslan Yunus Ziya , Hacioglu Yuksel , Yagiz Nurkan
Published: July 2009

Abstract: The motion control problem for the finger of a humanoid robot hand is investigated. First, the index finger of the human hand is dynamically modelled as a kinematic chain of cylindrical links. During construction of the model, special attention is given to determining bone dimensions and masses that are similar to the real human hand. After the kinematic and dynamic analysis of the model, in order to ensure that the finger model tracks its desired trajectory during a closing motion, a fuzzy sliding mode controller is applied to the finger model. In this controller, a fuzzy logic algorithm is used in order to tune the control gain of the sliding mode controller; thus, an adaptive controller is obtained. Finally, numerical results, which include a performance comparison of the proposed fuzzy sliding mode controller and a conventional sliding mode controller, are presented. The results demonstrate that the proposed control method can be used to perform the desired motion task for humanoid robot hands efficiently.
Impact of hyperglycaemia and cholesterol levels on the outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment in HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients
Authors: Cesari M , Caramma I , Antinori S , Adorni F , Galli M , Milazzo L
Published: July 2009

Objectives

High serum total cholesterol and low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) levels have been demonstrated to increase the probability of a sustained viral response (SVR) in chronic hepatitis C. Conversely, insulin resistance reduces SVR rates. We investigated the influence of baseline glucose and lipid values on the outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment in HIV‐1 infected subjects.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients treated with an interferon‐based regimen from 2002 to 2008. Fasting glucose levels and total cholesterol, LDL and triglyceride levels were recorded prior to the initiation of treatment.

Results

Of the 96 patients enrolled in the study, 36 (37.5%) had genotype 1, 48 (50%) genotype 2 or 3 and 12 (12.5%) genotype 4. SVR was obtained in 25% (nine of 36) and 70% (42 of 60) of patients with genotype 1 and other genotypes, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, the independent predictors of SVR were: genotype other than genotype 1 [adjusted odds ratio 9.64, confidence interval (CI) 2.7–34.3; P<0.0001], HCV viraemia [adjusted odds ratio 0.36, CI 0.15–0.9; P=0.028], fasting glucose ≥100 mg/dL [adjusted odds ratio 0.13, CI 0.034–0.51; P=0.003], and cholesterol level ≥190 mg/dL [adjusted odds ratio 5.96, CI 1.6–22.3; P=0.008].

Conclusions

Higher baseline serum glucose and cholesterol levels may be significant prognostic indicators for anti‐HCV treatment outcome in HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients.
The relationship between antiretroviral prescription patterns and treatment guidelines in treatment‐naïve HIV‐1‐infected patients
Authors: Suarez‐Lozano I , Viciana P , Lacalle J‐R , Teira R , Lozano F , Lopez‐Aldeguer J , Pedrol E , Domingo P , Cosin J , Roca B , Geijo P , Fuente B , Vergara A , Ribera E , Galindo M‐J , Zapata A , Sanchez T , Vidal F , Munoz‐Sanz A , Munoz‐Sanchez J , Garrido M
Published: July 2009

Background

Reports have shown that the publication of practice guidelines does not guarantee their use in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to evaluate the agreement between antiretroviral treatments (ARTs) prescribed in clinical practice and the recommendations in published guidelines.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was carried out in ART‐naïve adults of the Spanish Asociacion Medica Vach de Estudios Multicentricos (VACH) Cohort for the period from 2003 to 2006.

Results

A total of 945 patients initiated ART. Of these patients, 12.3% had a CD4 cell count above 350 cells/μL. A ‘nonrecommended’ antiretroviral regimen was prescribed to 5.3, 5.1 and 7.8% of patients with CD4 counts <200, 200–350 and >350 cells/μL, respectively. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that only a higher viral load was associated with the selection of a combination treatment that was recommended by the guidelines.

Conclusions

Most patients were prescribed initial treatments in agreement with the recommendations. Appropriate routine data collection in databases can be used to evaluate the level of antiretroviral guideline compliance. We propose that routine evaluations of the guidelines must be part of quality assessment to improve medical care.
A Crisis of Identity: Nacro's Bid to Run a Prison and What it Means for the Voluntary Sector
Authors: NEILSON ANDREW
Published: July 2009

Abstract: The presence of a penal reform charity, Nacro, alongside private companies in a consortium bidding to run a new prison is a development that highlights troubling issues for the voluntary sector. This article argues that a combination of poorly implemented market reforms to the criminal justice sector, and the increasing dependence of many charities on government funding, is leading some voluntary organisations to compromise their campaigning and advocacy roles and openly risk ‘goal distortion’ (Kendall and Knapp 1996). There is a risk the voluntary sector will increasingly be split between quasi‐governmental organisations and those charities that remain truly independent.
Speaking up for Probation
Authors: McKNIGHT JUDY
Published: July 2009

Abstract: This article, based on the 2008 Bill McWilliams Memorial Lecture, outlines the concern that the voice of the Probation Service is being silenced by political expediency and needless structural change. The Service has been destabilised by New Labour's post‐1997 shift from an initial empirical policy of ‘what works’, in the context of reducing reoffending, to a later dogmatic approach, based upon penal populism and constant restructuring to provide for the introduction of the misplaced concept of contestability. The Probation Service, which has a proud century‐long record of achievement, should remain a properly resourced public service, with a champion at a senior organisational level, speaking up for probation, as well as having the voice of Napo, the trade union and professional association.
Social assistance and minimum income benefits in old and new EU democracies
Authors: Nelson Kenneth
Published: July 2009

Nelson K. Social assistance and minimum income benefits in old and new EU democracies

Int J Soc Welfare 2010: 19: 367–378 © 2009 The Author, Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare.

In this article, social assistance developments are analysed in a large number of European Union (EU) member states, including European transition countries and the new democracies of southern Europe. The empirical analysis is based on the unique and recently established SaMip Dataset, which provides social assistance benefit levels for 27 countries from 1990 to 2005. It is shown that social assistance benefits have had a less favourable development than that of unemployment provision. Hardly any of the investigated countries provide social assistance benefits above the EU near‐poverty threshold. Social assistance benefit levels have not converged in Europe. Instead, divergence can be observed, which is due mainly to lagging developments in eastern and southern Europe.
Changing Landscapes of Power: Opulence and the Urge for Authenticity
Authors: ZUKIN SHARON
Published: July 2009

Moving beyond two often used constructs that describe recent socio‐spatial changes in cities — gentrification and neoliberalism — this discussion suggests working with the aesthetic idea of authenticity to support the right to a diverse city. As an analytic construct, authenticity has several virtues: it directs attention to culture as well as political economy in the development of global urbanism; it connects to the pervasive modern search for sources of ‘real’ identity; and it reflects concern with changes in urban experience, as well as with physical displacement in the built environment. Reviewing the post‐second world war history of US cities, as they replaced the ‘urban village’ with the ‘corporate city’, and more recent examples from New York City, I consider capital, the state, the growing power of the media and new middle‐class tastes.

Dépassant deux notions fréquemment utilisées pour décrire les récentes évolutions socio‐spatiales urbaines (gentrification et néolibéralisme), cette discussion propose de recourir à l'idée esthétique d'authenticité pour défendre le droit à une ville diversifiée. Comme concept analytique, l'authenticité revêt plusieurs vertus : elle oriente l'intérêt vers la culture et l'économie politique dans l'élaboration d'un urbanisme globalisé; elle rejoint l'incessante quête moderne de sources d'identité‘réelle'; elle traduit une préoccupation des transformations de l'expérience urbaine, ainsi que du déplacement physique dans un environnement bâti. En reprenant l'histoire des villes américaines après la Seconde Guerre mondiale, lesquelles ont remplacé le ‘village urbain’ par la ‘ville économique’, avec des cas new‐yorkais plus récents, ce travail s'intéresse aux capitaux, à l'État, au pouvoir des médias et aux goûts des classes moyennes.
When Local Housing Becomes an Electronic Instrument: The Global Circulation of Mortgages — A Research Note
Authors: SASSEN SASKIA
Published: July 2009

The securitizing of mortgages has brought with it a new channel for extracting household income, bundling it up with other types of debt and selling it off to financial investors. Extending this concept to modest‐income households opens up a global potential market comprising billions of households. The first part of this article examines how mortgages for modest‐income households could jump circuits and function as investment instruments in the secondary financial circuit, thereby making the creditworthiness of mortgage holders irrelevant as a source of profit, to the disadvantage of modest‐income households. The second part examines the potential for this mechanism in major regions of the world. The critical indicator used is the low ratios of residential mortgage capital to GDP, a ratio far lower than in the US and other developed economies. The final section examines the costs of this innovation — for cities, for various countries and for banks.

Avec la titrisation des crédits hypothécaires, est apparu un nouveau canal de prélèvement des revenus des ménages, amalgaméà d’autres types de dettes et revendu à des investisseurs financiers. Étendre ce concept aux ménages modestes ouvre sur un marché potentiel mondial de plusieurs milliards de foyers. Dans une première partie, ce travail étudie comment les prêts hypothécaires destinés aux ménages à revenus modestes ont pu passer d’un circuit à un autre jusqu’à opérer comme instruments de placement sur le circuit financier secondaire, rendant la solvabilité des créanciers hypothécaires insignifiante en tant que source de profit, au désavantage des ménages modestes. Dans une deuxième partie, est examiné le potentiel de ce mécanisme dans les grandes régions du globe. Le principal indicateur utilisé est la faiblesse des ratios ‘capitaux des crédits hypothécaires au logement sur PIB’, un ratio très inférieur au États‐Unis et dans d’autres économies développées. La dernière partie s’intéresse aux coûts de cette innovation, à la fois pour les villes, les différents pays et les banques.
Afterword: Mortgage Markets and the Urban Problematic in the Global Transition
Authors: DYMSKI GARY A.
Published: July 2009

This afterword develops one argument about, and then engages in two dialogues with, this symposium on the subprime crisis and the mortgage market. First, it argues that these articles have a unifying theme: they all insist that any understanding of the evolution of the subprime crisis must take into account the role of the complex, racialized dynamics of social inequality in urban space. This perspective, which we term the ‘urban problematic’, is shared by the authors gathered here; however, it is notably absent from many other accounts of the origins of the subprime crisis. This leads to two dialogues with these articles. The first explores this question: if this problematic is so powerful, then why isn't it pervasive in all social‐scientific and economic discussions of the subprime crisis? The second dialogue then asks why there aren't richer ongoing exchanges between social scientists engaged in the urban problematic, on one side, and heterodox economists, on the other side? We suggest that it will be beneficial to deepen these interdisciplinary exchanges; and doing so will require making visible — and then overcoming — some hidden disjunctures in the ways that those working on these problems from different starting points frame and orient their work.

Après un argumentaire dans le cadre de ce symposium sur la crise dessubprimeset le marché des prêts hypothécaires, ce texte de clôture propose deux axes de dialogue. D’abord, ces articles ont un thème en commun: tous insistent sur le fait que, pour comprendre l’évolution de la crise dessubprimes, il fait tenir compte des dynamiques racialisées et complexes de l’inégalité sociale dans l’espace urbain. Cette optique, que nous appellerons ‘problématique urbaine’, est partagée par les auteurs réunis ici; toutefois, son absence est flagrante dans beaucoup d’autres versions des origines de cette crise. Il en découle deux axes de dialogue. Le premier part de l’interrogation suivante: si cette problématique est si forte, pourquoi n’imprègne‐t‐elle pas toutes les analyses de la crise dessubprimesen sciences sociales et en économie? Le second cherche pourquoi les échanges actuels ne sont pas plus riches entre les spécialistes en sciences sociales intéressés par la problématique urbaine d’un côté, et les économistes hétérodoxes de l’autre. Un renforcement des échanges interdisciplinaires serait bénéfique, ce qui impliquerait de donner une visibilité— puis une prépondérance —à certaines disjonctions sous‐jacentes dans les façons dont ceux qui traitent ces problèmes sous des angles différents élaborent et orientent leurs travaux.
Redlining Revisited: Mortgage Lending Patterns in Sacramento 1930–2004
Authors: HERNANDEZ JESUS
Published: July 2009

Despite decades of government reform, the American housing credit system continues to mirror long‐standing patterns of racial segregation and inequality. Consistent with this trend, the current housing crisis reveals an unusually high concentration of subprime mortgage activity and property foreclosures in non‐white residential settlements across the nation. Given the generally accepted premise of market neutrality, this case study of lending patterns in Sacramento, California, questions why US housing market exchanges continue to produce racially disparate outcomes and seeks to identify the ideological practices in which race is deployed, informs state and private economic action and shapes contemporary credit market practices.

Malgré des décennies de réformes gouvernementales, le système de crédit immobilier américain reflète toujours les anciens schémas de ségrégation raciale et d’inégalité. Conforme à cette logique, la crise du logement actuelle révèle une concentration étonnamment élevée de prêts hypothécaires à risque (subprime) et de saisies immobilières dans les quartiers résidentiels non‐blancs du pays. Considérant l’hypothèse communément admise de la neutralité du marché, cette étude de cas sur les schémas de prêts à Sacramento (Californie) analyse les raisons pour lesquelles les transactions immobilières continuent à produire des résultats distinctifs au plan racial; elle identifie également les pratiques idéologiques dans lesquelles la race intervient, guide l’action économique de l’État et du secteur privé, et façonne les pratiques contemporaines sur le marché du crédit.
Chinese Alternatives
Authors: HAILA ANNE
Published: July 2009

Urban scholars have been privileged to follow the transformation of Chinese cities. In order not to produce just a new city‐based paradigm for urban studies it is important to discuss the theoretical frameworks, assumptions, concepts and theories we use in interpreting Chinese urban development. Given the length of the history of Chinese cities and the richness of their alternative developments, what surprises me is the uncritical adoption of a single framework — the framework of the property rights school and its assumptions of the tragedy of the commons and rent‐seeking. In my reply to the comments concerning my original paper I refer to some of these alternatives and alternative ways of seeing: protecting public property, social aspects of introducing a market mechanism, communal nature of property ownership, collectively owned land, experiments with zero priced housing land, and the comedy of the commons.

La recherche urbaine a eu le privilège de suivre la transformation des villes chinoises. Si l'on veut éviter un paradigme supplémentaire fondé sur la ville et élaboré pour les études urbaines, il est important d'examiner les cadres théoriques, hypothèses, concepts et théories utilisés pour interpréter le développement urbain en Chine. Étant donnés le long historique des villes chinoises et la multiplicité de leurs évolutions alternatives, je me suis étonnée de l'adoption sans discussion d'un cadre de référence unique: celui de l'école des droits de propriété, avec ses postulats sur la tragédie des biens communs et sur le parasitisme (recherche de rente). Pour répondre aux commentaires soulevés par mon article initial, j'aborde certaines de ces alternatives et perspectives alternatives: protection de la propriété publique, aspects sociaux liés à l'introduction d'un mécanisme de marché, nature commune de la propriété immobilière, terrains en propriété collective, expériences de terrains d'habitation gratuits, et la ‘comédie’ des biens communs.
Against Institutionalism
Authors: LASH SCOTT
Published: July 2009

This is a complement to Anne Haila's critique of institutionalism in Chinese urbanism. This is understood as an extension of Ronald Coase's transaction cost economics in urban space. The focus is well‐defined property rights which, extended to both urban land and intellectual property, allow monopoly competition and internalise public goods — whether social or environmental — into the logic of the neoliberal commoditized transaction. This (‘Washington‐Consensus’) notion of rights is contrasted to the blurred (‘Beijing‐Consensus’) property rights arrangements of today's China. Here property is a ‘bundle of rights’, in which different legal persons have rights in the same unit of urban space. In this property is not well defined but instead a ‘boundary object’. I draw on Francois Jullien to describe such relational property, which is coloured, less by individualism, than by Taoist‐like relations. These comprise a long‐time horizon, an ongoing never completed, never actualized character of transacting or exchange. They comprise rights‐sharing, obligation‐sharing and risk‐sharing. Parallels are drawn with, not Roman and Continental a priorist, but with English a posteriorist notions of property.

À l’appui de la critique d’Anne Haila sur l’institutionnalisme dans l’urbanisme chinois, ce texte l’appréhende comme une extension, à l’espace urbain, de l’économie des coûts de transaction selon Ronald Coase. Le propos s’attache aux droits de propriété bien définis qui, étendus aux terrains urbains et à la propriété intellectuelle, permettent une concurrence monopolistique et une internalisation des biens publics, qu’ils soient sociaux ou environnementaux, dans la logique de la transaction néolibérale banalisée. Cette notion des droits (dans l’axe du Consensus de Washington) est opposée aux dispositifs flous (au sens d’un ‘Consensus de Beijing’) propres aux droits de propriété dans la Chine d’aujourd’hui. La propriété y est constituée d’un ‘lot de droits’, par lequel plusieurs personnes morales ont des droits dans la même unité d’espace urbain; la propriété n’y est pas définie avec précision, constituant plutôt un ‘objet‐frontière’. François Jullien éclaire la description de cette propriétérelationnelle, moins empreinte d’individualisme que de rapports d’inspiration taoïste; ceux‐ci correspondent à un type de transaction ou d’échange suivi, à longue échéance, jamais terminé, jamais actualisé– tout en englobant le partage des droits, des obligations et des risques. Par comparaison, cette conception de la propriété se rapproche, non pas des a priori de la notion romaine ou continentale, mais de l’a posteriori de la notion anglaise.
Are People with Intellectual Disabilities Represented in European Public Health Surveys?
Authors: Linehan Christine , Walsh P. N. , Van Schrojenstein Lantman‐de Valk H. M. J. , Kerr M. P. , Dawson Frances ,   on behalf of the Pomona‐1 Group
Published: July 2009

Background  Evidence suggests that people with intellectual disabilities experience secondary health conditions and report inequities in health status and access to health systems. Reliable information is essential to identify health disparities. A review of health interview and health examination surveys conducted in 17 European countries was undertaken to determine whether people with intellectual disabilities were represented.

Method  Using the online HIS HES database, 123 health surveys were scrutinized to determine whether they contained questions relevant to the Pomona 18 indicator set, and whether data could be extracted specifically on behalf of respondents with intellectual disabilities.

Results  Findings reveal that while items relating to 16 of the Pomona 18 health indicators were found in 123 of the surveys scrutinized, only nine surveys were identified as having potential to extract data on respondents with intellectual disabilities.

Conclusion  These findings have implications for those charged with the collection of comparable information about population health.
Development of motor speed and associated movements from 5 to 18 years
Authors: GASSER THEO , ROUSSON VALENTIN , CAFLISCH JON , JENNI OSKAR G
Published: July 2009

Aim  To study the development of motor speed and associated movements in participants aged 5 to 18 years for age, sex, and laterality.

Method  Ten motor tasks of the Zurich Neuromotor Assessment (repetitive and alternating movements of hands and feet, repetitive and sequential finger movements, the pegboard, static and dynamic balance, diadochokinesis) were administered to 593 right‐handed participants (286 males, 307 females).

Results  A strong improvement with age was observed in motor speed from age 5 to 10, followed by a levelling‐off between 12 and 18 years. Simple tasks and the pegboard matured early and complex tasks later. Simple tasks showed no associated movements beyond early childhood; in complex tasks associated movements persisted until early adulthood. The two sexes differed only marginally in speed, but markedly in associated movements. A significant laterality (p<0.001) in speed was found for all tasks except for static balance; the pegboard was most lateralized, and sequential finger movements least. Associated movements were lateralized only for a few complex tasks. We also noted a substantial interindividual variability.

Interpretation  Motor speed and associated movements improve strongly in childhood, weakly in adolescence, and are both of developmental relevance. Because they correlate weakly, they provide complementary information.