bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The importance of environment on respiratory genotype/phenotype relationships in the Inuit
Authors: Candelaria P. V. , Backer V. , Khoo S.‐K. , Bizzintino J. A. , Hayden C. M. , Baynam G. , Laing I. A. , Zhang G. , Porsbjerg C. , Goldblatt J. , Le Souëf P. N. ,   The Greenlandic Study Population Group
Published: October 2009

To cite this article: Candelaria PV, Backer V, Khoo S‐K, Bizzintino JA, Hayden CM, Baynam G, Laing IA, Zhang G, Porsbjerg C, Goldblatt J, LeSouëf PN, The Greenlandic Study Population Group. The importance of environment on respiratory genotype/phenotype relationships in the Inuit. Allergy 2010; 65: 229–237.

Background:  Genetic and environmental influences and their interactions are central to asthma pathogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different macro‐environments on asthma genotype–phenotype associations in two geographically separated populations with common ancestry.

Methods:  To accomplish this, two unselected populations of Inuit were recruited, one living in Greenland (n = 618) and the other in Denmark (n = 739). Subjects were genotyped for CD14 C‐159T, SCGB1A1 A38G, ADRB2 Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu. The resulting genetic data were analysed for relationships with asthma‐related parameters including lung function, ever asthma, atopy, rhinitis and dermatitis.

Results:  The results showed contrasting magnitude and direction of genetic associations between the two geographically separate Inuit populations. In Greenland, the ADRB2 16Arg allele was associated with male‐specific lower lung function, but in Denmark the same allele was associated with male‐specific higher lung function. This allele was also associated with higher incidence of ever asthma in Denmark but not in Greenland. The SCGB1A1 38A allele was associated with lower rhinitis prevalence in Greenland but not in Denmark.

Conclusions:  These associations suggest that environment interacts with candidate asthma genes to modulate asthma pathogenesis in the Inuit.
Symptoms after mould exposure including Stachybotrys chartarum, and comparison with darkroom disease
Authors: Al‐Ahmad M. , Manno M. , Ng V. , Ribeiro M. , Liss G. M. , Tarlo S. M.
Published: October 2009

To cite this article: Al‐Ahmad M, Manno M, Ng V, Ribeiro M, Liss GM, Tarlo SM. Symptoms after mould exposure including Stachybotrys chartarum, and comparison with darkroom disease. Allergy 2010; 65: 245–255.

Background:  Mould‐attributed symptoms have included features which overlap with unexplained syndromes such as sick building syndrome.

Objectives:  We describe questionnaire and chart review findings in patients following exposure to moulds which include Stachybotrys and compare responses with two control groups.

Methods:  Thirty‐two patients presented with symptoms attributed to mould exposures. Exposure identification for 25 patients had reported S tachybotrys chartarum as well as other mould (Aspergillus, Penicillium), 88% at work. The remaining seven had professionally visualized or self‐reported/photographic exposure evidence only. A chart review was performed and a follow‐up with a questionnaire, including questions on current health status, and nonspecific symptoms.

Results:  Cough, shortness of breath and chest tightness (at presentation) were reported in 79%, 70% and 64%, respectively, and persisted >6 weeks in 91%. Skin test(s) were positive to fungal extract(s) in 30%. Seventeen returned questionnaires were obtained 3.1 (SD 0.5) years after the initial clinic assessment. Among this subgroup, persisting asthma‐like symptoms and symptoms suggestive of sick building syndrome were frequent, and similar to a group previously assessed for darkroom disease among medical radiation technologists. The mould‐exposed group more commonly reported they were bothered when walking in a room with carpets, complained of a chemical or metallic taste in their mouth, and had problems in concentration when compared with a control physiotherapist group (P < 0.005).

Conclusions:  Although only a minority with health concerns from indoor mould exposure had demonstrable mould‐allergy, a significant proportion had asthma‐like symptoms. Other symptoms were also common and persistent after the initial implicated exposure.
Genetic variability in CRTH2 polymorphism increases eotaxin‐2 levels in patients with aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease
Authors: Palikhe N. S. , Kim S.‐H. , Cho B.‐Y. , Ye Y.‐M. , Choi G.‐S. , Park H.‐S.
Published: October 2009

To cite this article: Palikhe NS, Kim S‐H, Cho B‐Y, Ye Y‐M, Choi G‐S, Park H‐S. Genetic variability in CRTH2 polymorphism increases eotaxin‐2 levels in patients with aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease. Allergy 2010; 65: 338–346.

Introduction:  CRTH2 is expressed on the surface of eosinophils and has been shown to mediate PGD2‐induced eosinophil migration in vitro. Eosinophilic infiltration in the upper and lower airways is the key feature of asthma. Considering the fact that eosinophil infiltration is prominent in the upper and lower airways of aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) compared to aspirin‐tolerant asthma (ATA) patients, we hypothesized that activation of eosinophils via dysregulation of the CRTH2 gene may play an important role and be an important marker for AERD.

Methods:  The three study groups – 107 with AERD, 115 with ATA and 133 normal healthy controls (NC) – were recruited from Ajou University Hospital, South Korea. Two polymorphisms of the CRTH2 gene at ‐466T>C and ‐129C>A were genotyped using primer extension methods.

Results:  AERD patients had significantly higher serum eotaxin‐2 levels than did those with ATA (P = 0.034). A significant difference in the genotype frequencies of CRTH2 ‐466T>C was detected between AERD and ATA patients (P < 0.05). The serum eotaxin‐2 level was significantly higher in AERD patients carrying the TT genotype of CRTH2 ‐466T>C than those with the CT and CC (P < 0.05). In vitro functional study demonstrated that the ‐466T allele had lower luciferase activity (P < 0.001) and lower mRNA expression with higher production of eotaxin‐2 (P = 0.003) in human lung epithelial cells. EMSA showed that CRTH2 ‐466T produced a specific band with a higher affinity than CRTH2 ‐466C had.

Conclusion:  The CRTH2 ‐466T>C polymorphism increases serum and cellular eotaxin‐2 production through lowered CRTH2 expression, leading to eosinophilic infiltration in AERD patients.
A meta‐analysis on wood dust exposure and risk of asthma
Authors: Pérez‐Ríos M. , Ruano‐Ravina A. , Etminan M. , Takkouche B.
Published: October 2009

To cite this article: Pérez‐Ríos M, Ruano‐Ravina A, Etminan M, Takkouche B. A meta‐analysis on wood dust exposure and risk of asthma. Allergy 2010; 65: 467–473.

Work‐related asthma is the most common occupational respiratory disorder in the industrialized countries. It has been postulated that wood dust exposure may increase the risk of work‐related asthma. The objective of this study was to assess, through a meta‐analysis, the risk of developing work‐related asthma associated with wood dust exposure. A systematic search of the literature was performed. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied and a quality scale used to measure the quality of the included studies was developed. Using standard meta‐analysis techniques, studies were pooled using both random and fixed effects models. Nineteen studies were included which consisted of three cohort studies, twelve case–control studies and four mortality studies. The pooled relative risk (RR) of asthma among workers exposed to wood dust was 1.53 (95% CI 1.25–1.87). When the analysis was restricted to studies carried out on Caucasian populations, the pooled RR was 1.59 (95% CI 1.26–2.00) while the pooled RR of studies on Asian populations was 1.15 (95% CI 0.92–1.44). Wood workers present a higher risk of asthma. Future research should include careful evaluation of ethnicity and nativity as risk modifiers.
Impact of allergic rhinitis on asthma in children: effects on bronchodilation test
Authors: Capasso M. , Varricchio A. , Ciprandi G.
Published: October 2009

To cite this article: Capasso M, Varricchio A, Ciprandi G. Impact of allergic rhinitis on asthma in children: effects on bronchodilation test. Allergy 2010; 65: 264–268 DOI: 10.1111/j.1398‐9995.2009.02168.x.

Background:  Relevant relationship exists between upper and lower airways. Bronchial obstruction is a paramount feature of asthma and its reversibility is considered a diagnostic step for asthma diagnosis.

Objective:  This study aimed at evaluating a large group of children with allergic rhinitis alone for investigating the degree of brochodilation and possible factors related to it.

Methods:  Two hundred patients with allergic rhinitis and 150 normal subjects were consecutively evaluated. Clinical examination, skin prick test, spirometry, and bronchodilation test were performed in all patients.

Results:  Rhinitics showed a significant FEV1 increase after bronchodilation test (P < 0.0001) in comparison both to basal values and to controls’ levels. More than 20% of rhinitics had reversibility (≥12% basal levels). Patients with reversibility had lower FEV1 levels, longer rhinitis duration, and perennial allergy.

Conclusion:  This study highlights the close link between upper and lower airways and the relevance of performing bronchodilation test in patients with allergic rhinitis and these characteristics.
When is an oral food challenge positive?
Authors: Niggemann B.
Published: October 2009

Oral food challenges still remain the gold standard in the diagnosis of food related symptoms and are performed to obtain a clear ‘yes or no’ response. However, this is often difficult to achieve, and so proposals may be appropriate for criteria on when to stop oral food challenges. In daily practice it makes sense to challenge until clear objective symptoms occur without harming the patient. Clinical symptoms should be objective and/or: (a) severe or (b) reproducible or (c) persisting. A sensitive parameter for a beginning clinical reaction is a general change of mood. The sooner symptoms appear, the more likely they are to represent a ‘true’ positive reaction and the more organ systems are involved the easier it is to assess an oral food challenge as positive. In the case of subjective symptoms, the number of placebo doses should be increased. In unclear situations, the observation time until the next dose should be prolonged or the same dose repeated. Transient objective clinical symptoms usually end up in a positive challenge result. There are a number of causes for false positive and false negative challenge results, which should be considered. The aim of all oral challenge testing should be to hold the balance between two conflicting aspects: on the one hand the need to achieve clear and justified results from oral food challenges in order to avoid unnecessary diets, and on the other hand to protect patients from any harm caused by high doses of a potentially dangerous food.
Landmarks in the understanding and treatment of reflux disease
Authors: Dent John
Published: October 2009

The last 50 years have seen a transformation in the understanding and treatment of reflux disease. The development and wide use of flexible endoscopy and progressively more sophisticated approaches to measurement of pathophysiological factors have been major drivers of advances. The recognition and progressive elucidation of the mechanical events that comprise the transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxation and how they lead to reflux provide a novel and firm foundation for tailoring therapies that act directly to reduce occurrence of reflux episodes, either surgically or pharmacologically. Novel GABAB agonist drugs have been shown to inhibit transient relaxations and are currently being evaluated in clinical trials on patients with reflux disease.

Better understanding has extended to recognition of the extraordinarily high prevalence of reflux disease and of the ability of proton pump inhibitor drugs to deliver major benefits to a high proportion of patients with reflux disease.

The life of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia has spanned the period of these major advances. A large number of the members of the Society and their associates have contributed substantially to these advances.
Whither dyspepsia? A historical perspective of functional dyspepsia, and concepts of pathogenesis and therapy in 2009
Authors: Talley Nicholas J , Choung Rok Seon
Published: October 2009

Functional dyspepsia is a highly prevalent but heterogeneous disorder; multiple pathogenetic mechanisms are likely involved but the underlying causal pathways in functional dyspepsia remain obscure. The term functional dyspepsia was popularized by the famed Walter Alvarez at the Mayo Clinic early last century. Prominent Australian gastroenterologists who have contributed to our understanding of functional dyspepsia include Peter Baume, Barry Marshall, Douglas Piper, Nick Talley, John Kellow, and Gerald Holtmann. Specific dyspeptic symptoms have not generally correlated very well with any particular physiologic disturbance, although gastric disaccommodation and duodenal eosinophilia have been linked to early satiety in this condition. Genetic markers have been tentatively identified, and functional dyspepsia can follow bacterial gastroenteritis. No objective diagnostic tools for functional dyspepsia are currently agreed upon, although meal induction of symptoms appears reproducible and may have diagnostic utility. The symptomatic criteria for functional dyspepsia (Rome III criteria) are based on expert consensus and the exclusion of organic causes. Various therapeutic modalities for functional dyspepsia have been explored; however, empirical approaches are still employed for the treatment of functional dyspepsia. Better approaches for functional dyspepsia are likely to follow an improved understanding of the underlying pathophysiological abnormalities.
Family‐based screening for colorectal cancer: The Australian perspective
Authors: Leggett Barbara A
Published: October 2009

Over the last 20 years, the rapid expansion of genetic technology has allowed much progress to be made in understanding the molecular basis of inherited bowel cancer. At the same time, improvements in endoscopic and surgical techniques have meant that very effective surveillance can be offered to subjects known to be at high risk. The genes underlying the major polyposis syndromes have been identified and the genetic basis for Lynch Syndrome (Hereditary NonPolypsis Syndrome) is well understood. In Australia, this new knowledge has been incorporated in a multidisciplinary model of care involving clinical geneticists, gastroenterologists and gastrointestinal surgeons, pathologists, and family cancer registries. Challenges for the future include identifying families which would benefit from referral to these services but also encouraging the uptake of predictive testing and appropriate surveillance by at risk members of families where the genetic mutation is known. Surprisingly high numbers of individuals for whom a predictive blood test and surveillance program is freely available fail to participate and the reasons for this choice are still poorly understood. This has implications for the utilization of new genetic knowledge in other diseases. Another major challenge for the future is identifying the genes underlying the increased risk of bowel cancer in families which do not have the syndromes described above. Australian clinicians and scientists are actively participating in the global research effort to discover these genes.
Making every colonoscopy count: Ensuring quality in endoscopy
Authors: Bourke Michael J
Published: October 2009

The last few years have seen a burgeoning interest in the measurement of clinical performance and its impact on quality standards. The advent of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program has highlighted the many deficiencies that exist in the provision of colonoscopy services in Australia. These include the absence of an agreed tool to measure the quality of colonoscopy on either an individual, departmental or regional basis and the absence of an endoscopic or colonoscopy training curriculum or an agreed standard for colonoscopy trainers. This review will discuss the current status and shortfalls of measuring quality in colonoscopy, highlight some recent initiatives by the Gastroenterological Society of Australia and articulate a direction for the future.
New insights into alcoholic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer
Authors: Apte Minoti , Pirola Romano , Wilson Jeremy
Published: October 2009

Pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer represent two major diseases of the exocrine pancreas. Pancreatitis exhibits both acute and chronic manifestations. The commonest causes of acute pancreatitis are gallstones and alcohol abuse; the latter is also the predominant cause of chronic pancreatitis. Recent evidence indicates that endotoxinemia, which occurs in alcoholics due to increased gut permeability, may trigger overt necroinflammation of the pancreas in alcoholics and one that may also play a critical role in progression to chronic pancreatitis (acinar atrophy and fibrosis) via activation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs). Chronic pancreatitis is a major risk factor for the development of pancreatic cancer, which is the fourth leading cause of cancer‐related deaths in humans. Increasing attention has been paid in recent years to the role of the stroma in pancreatic cancer progression. It is now well established that PSCs play a key role in the production of cancer stroma and that they interact closely with cancer cells to create a tumor facilitatory environment that stimulates local tumor growth and distant metastasis. This review summarizes recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of alcoholic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, with particular reference to the central role played by PSCs in both diseases. An improved knowledge of PSC biology has the potential to provide an insight into pathways that may be therapeutically targeted to inhibit PSC activation, thereby inhibiting the development of fibrosis in chronic pancreatitis and interrupting stellate cell–cancer cell interactions so as to retard cancer progression.
New and emerging therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases
Authors: Grimm Michael C
Published: October 2009

The inflammatory bowel diseases have undergone an explosion of discovery in the last 10 years. The overwhelming focus of this has been in genetics and immune mechanisms of disease. While the former has provided critical information on predisposing factors, the latter has resulted in a panoply of novel immune‐based therapies and technologies. These range from an improved approach to the use of conventional immunomodulators, such as azathioprine and 6‐mercaptopurine, to commonplace availability of anti‐tumor necrosis factor agents such as infliximab and adalimumab, through to small molecule inhibition of immune mediators. Unusual treatments, such as helminth infestation, stem cell transplantation, and leucocytapheresis, all derive from the burgeoning understanding of pathogenesis. Most important to our successful use of these therapies will be a fundamental understanding of the patient phenotypes and genotypes that will dictate particular treatment approaches in the future.
Fifty years of Australian pediatric gastroenterology
Authors: Cameron Don
Published: October 2009

When the Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA) began 50 years ago there were very few pediatric gastroenterologists in the world. The ‘Mother’ of Paediatric Gastroenterology was Australian Charlotte (‘Charlo’) Anderson who established one of the world's first pediatric gastroenterology units in Melbourne in the early 1960s. Her earlier work in Birmingham had identified gluten as the component of wheat responsible for celiac disease and helped separate maldigestion (cystic fibrosis) and mucosal malabsorption. The first comprehensive textbook of Paediatric Gastroenterology was edited by Charlotte Anderson and Valerie Burke in 1975. Rudge Townley succeeded Charlotte Anderson in Melbourne and went on to further develop small bowel biopsy techniques making it a safe, simple, and quick procedure that led to much greater understanding of small bowel disease and ultimately the discovery of Rotavirus by Ruth Bishop et al. and subsequently to Rotavirus immunization. Australian Paediatric Gastroenterology subsequently developed rapidly with units being established in all mainland capital cities by the end of the 1970s. The Australian Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (AuSPGHAN) was established in the 1980s. Australians have contributed significantly in many areas of gastroenterology in infants, children, and adolescents including celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, liver disease, transplantation, gastrointestinal infection, allergy, indigenous health, inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal motility, and the development of novel tests of gastrointestinal function and basic science. There have also been major contributions to nutrition in cystic fibrosis, end‐stage liver disease, and intestinal failure. The future of Australian Paediatric Gastroenterology is in good hands.
Intestinal failure: A new era in clinical management
Authors: Bines Julie E
Published: October 2009

Only 50 years ago intestinal failure was considered incompatible with life. Since then, developments in parenteral nutrition, and, more recently, small intestinal transplantation, have provided new therapeutic options with the potential to offer long‐term survival with a good quality of life. Current medical and surgical strategies are aimed at enhancing intestinal adaptation, improving absorption to achieve nutritional independence, and minimizing the complications of parenteral nutrition therapy. An integrated, multidisciplinary approach to the management of patients with intestinal failure, closely linked to a transplantation program to facilitate early referral, is recognized as a key factor in optimizing patient outcomes.
Overview: Liver disease and transplantation
Authors: Powell Lawrie W
Published: October 2009

Australia has had a proud and enviable record of seminal contributions to hepatology, with many contributors. Thus, any attempt to summarize these contributions ab initio in a brief review article is a significant challenge, primarily because it is so easy to overlook or underestimate particular aspects. In this article, I have confined my comments primarily to the areas where the contributions have had a significant global impact and have clearly been recognized internationally. This means that many worthwhile Australian additions will be omitted if there was less apparent international impact. The first significant interest in liver disease in Australia was from the Melbourne group at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) and Royal Melbourne Hospital, leading to seminal contributions to the description, diagnosis, aetiopathogenesis and therapy of autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis. Others from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney contributed substantially to the effects of immunosuppression of autoimmune hepatitis and to early descriptions of primary sclerosing cholangitis. Other areas where Australians have contributed significantly include steatohepatitis, iron metabolism (and in particular hemochromatosis), viral hepatitis (both at the molecular and clinical level), portal hypertension, and transplant immunology. The remarkable contribution of Professor Dame Sheila Sherlock to Australian hepatology is also summarized.
The liver and the waistline: Fifty years of growth
Authors: Farrell Geoffrey C
Published: October 2009

Fifty years of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia have witnessed the changing appearance of Australians. Asian immigration has transformed the dominant urban culture from European to Eurasian, with some unique Australian attributes. Meanwhile, global conditions have altered body shape, and our sports‐proud country is now fat! Thus, as in North America, Europe, China, and affluent Asia–Pacific countries, prosperity and lifestyle, cheap processed foods coupled with reduced physical activity have created an epidemic of over‐nutrition resulting in overweight/obesity. Additional genetic factors are at the core of the apple shape (central obesity) that typifies over‐nourished persons with metabolic syndrome. Indigenous Australians, once the leanest and fittest humans, now have exceedingly high rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes, contributing to shorter life expectancy; Asian Australians are also at higher risk. Like non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cigarette smoking, obesity now contributes much to gastrointestinal morbidity and mortality (gastroesophageal reflux disease, cancers, gallstones, endoscopy complications). This review focuses on Australian research about fatty liver, particularly roles of central obesity/insulin resistance in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis (NAFLD/NASH). The outputs include many highly cited original articles and reviews and the first book on NAFLD. Studies have identified community prevalence, clinical outcomes, association with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and hypoadiponectinemia, developed and explored animal models for mechanisms of inflammation and fibrosis, conceptualized etiopathogenesis, and demonstrated that NASH can be reversed by lowering body weight and increasing physical activity. The findings have led to development of regional guidelines on NAFLD, the first internationally, and should now inform daily practice of gastroenterologists.
How do pediatric anesthesiologists define intraoperative hypotension?
Authors: NAFIU OLUBUKOLA O. , VOEPEL‐LEWIS TERRI , MORRIS MICHELLE , CHIMBIRA WILSON T. , MALVIYA SHOBHA , REYNOLDS PAUL I. , TREMPER KEVIN K.
Published: October 2009

Introduction:  Although blood pressure (BP) monitoring is a recommended standard of care by the ASA, and pediatric anesthesiologists routinely monitor the BP of their patients and when appropriate treat deviations from ‘normal’, there is no robust definition of hypotension in any of the pediatric anesthesia texts or journals. Consequently, what constitutes hypotension in pediatric anesthesia is currently unknown. We designed a questionnaire‐based survey of pediatric anesthesiologists to determine the BP ranges and thresholds used to define intraoperative hypotension (IOH).

Methods:  Members of the Society of Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) and the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists (APA) of Great Britain and Ireland were contacted through e‐mail to participate in this survey. We asked a few demographic questions and five questions about specific definitions of hypotension for different age groups of patients undergoing inguinal herniorraphy, a common pediatric surgical procedure.

Results:  The overall response rate was 56% (483/860), of which 76% were SPA members. Majority of the respondents (72%) work in academic institutions, while 8.9% work in institutions with fewer than 1000 annual pediatric surgical caseload. About 76% of respondents indicated that a 20–30% reduction in baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) indicates significant hypotension in children under anesthesia. Most responders (86.7%) indicated that they use mean arterial pressure or SBP (72%) to define IOH. The mean SBP values for hypotension quoted by SPA members was about 5–7% lower across all pediatric age groups compared to values quoted by APA members (P = 0.001 for all age groups).

Conclusions:  There is great variability in the BP parameters used and the threshold used for defining and treating IOH among pediatric anesthesiologists. The majority of respondents considered a 20–30% reduction from baseline in SBP as indicative of significant hypotension. Lack of a consensus definition for a common clinical condition like IOH could have implications for patient care as well as future clinical research.
Personal Characteristics and Resilience to Economic Hardship and Its Consequences: Conceptual Issues and Empirical Illustrations
Authors: Donnellan M. Brent , Conger Katherine J. , McAdams Kimberly K. , Neppl Tricia K.
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACT
This article describes a theoretical model that links personal characteristics with resilience to economic hardship and its psychological and interpersonal consequences. This transactional model integrates social influence and social selection perspectives concerning the relation between socioeconomic circumstances and the development of individuals and families. In addition, this article discusses methodological and conceptual issues related to investigating the effects of personal characteristics in this context. Finally, initial empirical support for some of the key predictions from the proposed model are provided using longitudinal data collected from a sample of Midwestern families. Specifically, adolescent academic achievement, self‐reports of Conscientiousness, and self‐reports of low Neuroticism during adolescence predicted relevant outcomes in adulthood such as less economic pressure, more satisfying romantic relationships, and less harsh parenting behaviors. These preliminary findings support the hypothesized model and extend research concerning the life course outcomes associated with personal characteristics.
The Black–White Paradox in Health: Flourishing in the Face of Social Inequality and Discrimination
Authors: Keyes Corey L. M.
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACT
This paper reviews published research and presents new analyses from the 1995 nationally representative sample from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study to investigate whether there is support for the paradox of race and health in the United States. Findings reveal that Blacks have lower rates of several common mental disorders, but Blacks also have higher rates of flourishing than Whites. Blacks are mentally resilient in the face of greater social inequality and exposure to discrimination as well as high rates of physical morbidity—all of which are distinctive risk factors for mental distress and mental illness in the general population. Findings also show that controlling for perceived discrimination increases the Black advantage in 12 of the 13 signs of flourishing, suggesting that Blacks would have even better mental health were it not for discrimination. This paper concludes by considering what mechanisms—both adaptive and maladaptive—might explain this particular example of resilience in the Black population.
Resiliency in the Face of Disadvantage: Do Hispanic Cultural Characteristics Protect Health Outcomes?
Authors: Gallo Linda C. , Penedo Frank J. , Espinosa de los Monteros Karla , Arguelles William
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTHispanics living in the United States may face substantial adversity, given stresses of immigration and acculturation, low incomes, poor educational and occupational opportunities, inadequate access to health care, and exposure to discrimination. Despite these disadvantages, the Hispanic population often shows equal or better health outcomes when compared to non‐Hispanic Whites, a trend that has puzzled researchers and has been referred to as the “Hispanic Paradox.” Hispanics with non‐U.S. nativity also tend to show better health than those born in the United States, although this advantage dissipates with increasing time spent in the United States. The current article discusses the Reserve Capacity Model (L.C.Gallo & K. A. Matthews, 2003) as a potential framework for understanding how psychosocial risk and resilient factors may contribute to health disparities associated with broad sociocultural factors, such as low socioeconomic status or minority ethnicity. In addition, we examine theory concerning features of the Hispanic culture that may enhance resilience (e.g., social resources, familism, religiousness; G.Marin & B. V. Marin, 1991) in the face of adverse circumstances. We summarize some of our recent work that has empirically tested effects of risk and resilient factors in Hispanic health in the contexts of prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease. We conclude by discussing future directions and opportunities for researchers interested in culture‐specific resiliency factors in relation to health outcomes.
Positive Affect and Psychobiological Processes Relevant to Health
Authors: Steptoe Andrew , Dockray Samantha , Wardle Jane
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTEmpirical evidence suggests that there are marked associations between positive psychological states and health outcomes, including reduced cardiovascular disease risk and increased resistance to infection. These observations have stimulated the investigation of behavioral and biological processes that might mediate protective effects. Evidence linking positive affect with health behaviors has been mixed, though recent cross‐cultural research has documented associations with exercising regularly, not smoking, and prudent diet. At the biological level, cortisol output has been consistently shown to be lower among individuals reporting positive affect, and favorable associations with heart rate, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers such as interleukin‐6 have also been described. Importantly, these relationships are independent of negative affect and depressed mood, suggesting that positive affect may have distinctive biological correlates that can benefit health. At the same time, positive affect is associated with protective psychosocial factors such as greater social connectedness, perceived social support, optimism, and preference for adaptive coping responses. Positive affect may be part of a broader profile of psychosocial resilience that reduces risk of adverse physical health outcomes.
Invisible colour: Landscapes of whiteness and racial identity in international development
Authors: Loftsdóttir Kristín
Published: October 2009

Racialized identity in relation to international development is a surprisingly unanalyzed theme within anthropology, even though extensively explored in connection with contemporary western multi‐cultural societies and historical relations between different parts of the world. In the paper I explore race and whiteness in relation to international development, emphasizing the importance of analyzing how the historical construction of racial identity continues to inform actual lived relationships of people belonging to different geographical spaces. In order to capture the importance of development in visual and everyday lives of people in different parts of the world, I use the term “developscape”, adapting Arjun Appadurai's (1996) idea of globalization consisting of different “scapes”, furhtermore, as asking how this “developscape” is racialized.
Swat in the eye of the storm: Interview with Akbar Ahmed
Authors: Ahmed Akbar , Houtman Gustaaf
Published: October 2009

In this interview, Akbar Ahmed looks at the latest developments among the Swat Pathan, a people who have been the subject of classic ethnographies in anthropology for many years, but who are now at the centre of a bigger battle for control of this key geo‐political region. What, if anything, can anthropologists contribute to understand and ameliorate the conflicts that rage in this region?
‘You'll see how big we are’: Journey into America
Authors: Benthall Jonathan
Published: October 2009

This is a review of Akbar Ahmed's documentary Journey into America. Produced and narrated by Akbar Ahmed; directed by Craig Consadine, 2009, 99 minutes.
Addressing the Legitimacy Gap in the Israeli Corporatist Revival
Authors: Mundlak Guy
Published: October 2009

Since the mid‐1980s, Israel's labour law and industrial relations have transitioned from a Continental corporatist system to an Anglo‐American pluralist system. The process has been characterized by greater fragmentation of the labour market and the system of interests' representation. However, in recent years, there have been several episodes of nationwide collective agreements and social pacts. These agreements resonate with a second generation of social corporatist bargaining that has been identified in some European countries. In this article, I question the legitimacy of the new agreements. The legitimacy gap evolves from the use of corporatist instruments against the backdrop of a pluralist system. I discuss the attempts to increase the legitimacy of the corporatist instruments, pointing to their limited success. Future attempts must consider solutions that track the hybrid nature of the industrial relations system and devise institutions that bring together the traditional corporatist social partners and the new pluralist agents. Of particular importance is the need to consider the role of the new associations in civil society that voice the interests of the growing segment of disadvantaged workers in the secondary labour market.
Coping Strategies in Call Centres: Work Intensity and the Role of Co‐workers and Supervisors
Authors: Deery Stephen J. , Iverson Roderick D. , Walsh Janet T.
Published: October 2009

It has been observed that customer service workers often develop mutually supportive coping strategies to protect themselves from the emotional strain of overwork. These strategies can receive tacit support from supervisors, who may accept them as a means of getting the work done. The study explores the impact of a number of different forms of support on emotional exhaustion among a group of 480 call centre workers focusing, in particular, on the role of supportive behaviours relating to absence taking. The research shows that a supportive co‐worker absence culture and team leader absence permissiveness can lessen the effects of job demands on emotional exhaustion and improve worker well‐being. The implications of these findings are discussed.
ABORTION AND HUMAN CAPITAL ACCUMULATION: A CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE GENDER GAP IN EDUCATION
Authors: Azarnert Leonid V.
Published: October 2009

This article analyzes the relationship between abortion and female education. It provides new empirical evidence from sub‐Saharan Africa to show that more liberal abortion policies are associated with a higher female secondary school enrollment. It is assumed in the model that easier access to abortion decreases probability of dropping out of school for a female child in the case of an occasional pregnancy. As a consequence, it enhances parental investment in human capital of their female offspring and helps to reduce the gender gap in education.
ROBUST ESTIMATIONS OF EQUILIBRIUM EXCHANGE RATES WITHIN THE G20: A PANEL BEER APPROACH
Authors: Bénassy‐Quéré Agnès , Béreau Sophie , Mignon Valérie
Published: October 2009

This paper is concerned with the robustness of equilibrium exchange rate estimations based on the BEER approach for a set of both industrial and emerging countries. The robustness is studied in four directions, successively. First, we investigate the impact of using alternative proxies for relative productivity. Second, we analyze the impact of estimating the equilibrium equation on one single panel covering G20 countries, or separately for G7 and non‐G7 countries. Third, we measure the influence of the choice of the numeraire on the derivation of bilateral equilibrium rates. Finally, we study the temporal robustness of the estimations by dropping one or 2 years from the estimation period. Our main conclusion is that BEER estimations are quite robust to these successive tests, although at one point of time misalignments can differ by several percentage points depending on the methodology. The choice of the productivity proxy is the most sensible one, followed by the country sample. In contrast, the choice of the numeraire and the time sample have a relatively limited impact on estimated misalignments.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND CAPITAL ACCUMULATION: FIRM‐LEVEL EVIDENCE FROM ITALY
Authors: Rondi Laura , Elston Julie Ann
Published: October 2009

This study investigates the impact of investor protection on firm ownership and capital growth in a model where investor protection is allowed to vary between firms. Using panel data for Italy, we construct firm‐level variables to capture the degree of investor protection, which is observable to all shareholders. Empirical evidence indicates that the stronger the investor protection the lower the fraction of equity that is owned by insiders. Results show that higher insider equity ownership is linked to larger risk premiums and higher costs of capital. Implications suggest that the magnitude of capital stock distortions is particularly important when shareholder protection is weak and ownership concentration is high.
INEQUALITY IN CITIES*
Authors: Glaeser Edward L. , Resseger Matt , Tobio Kristina
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTMuch of the inequality literature has focused on national inequality, but local inequality is also important. Crime rates are higher in more unequal cities; people in unequal cities are more likely to say that they are unhappy. There is a negative association between local inequality and the growth of city‐level income and population, once we control for the initial distribution of skills. High levels of mobility across cities mean that city‐level inequality should not be studied with the same analytical tools used to understand national inequality, and policy approaches need to reflect the urban context. Urban inequality reflects the choices of more and less skilled people to live together in particular areas. City‐level skill inequality can explain about one‐third of the variation in city‐level income inequality, while skill inequality is itself explained by historical schooling patterns and immigration. Local income also reflects the substantial differences in the returns to skill across, which are related to local industrial patterns.
CULTURAL IDENTITY AND KNOWLEDGE CREATION IN COSMOPOLITAN CITIES*
Authors: Ottaviano Gianmarco I.P. , Prarolo Giovanni
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTWe study how the city system is affected by the possibility for the members of the same cultural diaspora to interact across different cities. In so doing, we propose a simple two‐city model with two mobile cultural groups. A localized externality fosters the productivity of individuals when groups interact in a city. At the same time, such interaction dilutes cultural identities and reduces the consumption of culture‐specific goods and services. We show that the two groups segregate in different cities when diaspora members find it hard to communicate at distance whereas they integrate in multicultural cities when communication is easy. The model generates situations in which segregation is an equilibrium but is Pareto dominated by integration.
AGING NATIONS AND THE FUTURE OF CITIES*
Authors: Gaigné Carl , Thisse Jacques‐François
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACT We investigate whether an aging population may challenge the supremacy of large working cities. To this end, we develop an economic geography model with two types of individuals (workers and retirees) and two sectors (local services and manufacturing). Workers produce and consume; the elderly consume only. As a result, the mobility decision of workers is driven by both the wage gap and the cost‐of‐living gap, unlike the elderly who react to the differences in the cost of living only. We show that the return of pre‐industrial urban system dominated by rentier cities does not seem to be on the agenda. Quite the opposite, the future of large working cities is still bright, the reason being that today's urban costs act as a strong force that prevents a large share of local services and manufacturing firms from following the rentiers in the elderly cities, while the supply of differentiated b2c services impede their complete separation.
Visualising Gender Wage Differences in the European Union
Authors: Aláez‐Aller Ricardo , Longás‐García Juan Carlos , Ullibarri‐Arce Miren
Published: October 2009

The purpose of this article is to illustrate differences in the gender wage gap in 13 EU member states, using figures taken from the Household Panel for 2000. The methodology is based primarily on the kernel density functions of men's and women's wages. A range of situations can be observed from the Mediterranean countries (with a smaller gender pay gap) to the very specific cases of Austria and the UK and to northern European countries where the gender pay gap is chiefly the result of a larger proportion of men at higher‐paid levels. We also offer conclusions on the relevance of public employment, part‐time employment and short‐term hiring to explain the gender wage gap in each of the countries studied.
Get Back into that Kitchen, Woman: Management Conferences and the Making of the Female Professional Worker
Authors: Ford Jackie , Harding Nancy
Published: October 2009

Conferences are a little studied aspect of working lives. In this article we explore how management conferences contribute to the continuing imbalance of power between men and women in management. We analyse data gathered from a reflexive ethnographic study of a management conference. We show that women arrive at conferences as knowing subjects, able easily to occupy the subject position of conference participant, but they are then subjected to processes of infantilization and seduction. They are made to feel scared and are given the order, as were their mothers and grandmothers: get back to the kitchen. We avoid using a theoretical explanation for these findings, preferring to offer them without much explanation, for we favour instead a political approach, and we use the findings as a way of making a call to arms to change the ways in which conferences are hostile to women.
Gender Differences in Job Challenge: A Matter of Task Allocation
Authors: De Pater Irene E. , Van Vianen Annelies E. M. , Bechtoldt Myriam N.
Published: October 2009

Challenging job experiences are considered important prerequisites for management development and career success. Several researchers have suggested that women are given fewer challenging assignments than their male colleagues. To test this idea we performed two studies. The first examined possible gender differences in challenging job experiences at middle job levels. The results indicated that female employees had fewer challenging experiences in their jobs than their male counterparts. The second explored the proposition that differential assignment of challenging tasks to male and female subordinates underlies gender differences in job challenge. The results indeed suggest that supervisors' task allocation decisions are not gender‐blind and may result in women having fewer challenging job experiences than men.
Gendering in the Holistic Milieu: A Critical Realist Analysis of Homeopathic Work
Authors: Taylor Scott
Published: October 2009

Increasing attention is being paid to the economic sector known as the holistic milieu, in which alternative or New Age spiritualities are transformed into commercial products and services. Made up of a wide variety of activities and products, many marketized, this milieu is dominated by women as producers and consumers. The discourses of holism and wellbeing that underpin activity offer promises of gender equality and the freedom to develop subjectivity according to individual preferences. Despite its economic and cultural significance, little is known of why women in particular enter this sector. This article presents a critical realist analysis of how five women negotiated structural conditions and agency when leaving a mainstream occupation or organization to move into homeopathy, a key activity in the holistic milieu. I suggest that while there are numerous tensions and contradictions involved in this move, it is nonetheless a form of action that offers a different subject position and altered gender relations, based on embodied identity and exercise of agency. Whether the holistic milieu offers more equitable gender relations is less clear, but this seems less important for respondents than the other benefits the move implies.