bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The acute effects of magnesium in atrial fibrillation and flutter with a rapid ventricular rate
Authors: Walker Steve , Taylor James , Harrod Richard
Published: August 2010

A prospective, randomised, placebo controlled, double blinded trial to assess the efficacy of intravenous magnesium sulphate (20mmol over 30 minutes) versus placebo in patients presenting to the emergency department with rapid atrial fibrillation and flutter. The end points were slowing of the ventricular rate and reversion to sinus rhythm. A total of 41 patients were enrolled. The mean decrease in heart rate 30 minutes after commencing the infusion was 24.1/min for the magnesium group compared to 11.0/min for the placebo group (different at the 95% level of significance). The mean decrease in heart rate and the reversion rate four hours after commencing the infusion were the same at the 95% level of significance for the two groups. We conclude that magnesium has a significant effect in the acute slowing of ventricular rate but no effect in achieving reversion to sinus rhythm.
Critical incident monitoring is a useful quality improvement tool for the emergency department
Authors: Stella Damien , Hendrie James , Smythe James , Graham Ian
Published: August 2010

Objectives

To describe and evaluate the critical incident methodology as a quality improvement tool in the emergency department.

Method

An audit of Emergency Department Incident Reports over a five‐month period. The main outcome measures used were aetiology, factors which may have minimised the incident, the outcome and any suggested corrective strategies. The result was a 230 point questionnaire. This tool was called the Emergency Department Incident Monitoring System. Despite the number of questions, the circling of responses allowed the form to be completed in under five minutes.

Results

In the 112 incidents analysed, there were 46 patient factors, 92 human factors and 33 diagnostic factors identified. Skilled assistance and supervision minimised the incidents in 44% of cases. In 86% of incidents, patients suffered minor or no physiological change. In 8% of incidents, patients suffered major morbidity. There was one death in the series. Improved communication was identified as the most important corrective strategy in 21% of incidents. Further training and education were felt to be important in 20% of incidents and improved supervision in 16% of incidents.

Conclusion

The critical incident technique provides a practical and effective framework for analysing incidents. It is an inexpensive, easily implemented adjunct to traditional quality improvement programs and provides useful clinical and administrative information. Sampling error does limit the value of the technique.
Reliability of the National Triage Scale with changes in emergency department activity level
Authors: Hollis Gregory , Sprivulis Peter
Published: August 2010

Aim

To assess the reliability of the National Triage Scale (NTS) by determining whether the activity level of an emergency department influences triage category assignment.

Setting

Emergency Department, The St George Hospital, a Sydney metropolitan teaching hospital emergency department.

Methods

A prospective study of all patients presenting over a six‐month period. Triage category (TC) assignment distribution and admission rate in each TC was determined for three levels of departmental activity (Quiet, Normal, Busy) defined by the number of presentations to the department in the previous two hours.

Results

Of 17,561 presentations examined, the proportion of patients assigned to each TC did not significantly differ for NTS1,2,3 or 4. The percentage of patients assigned to NTS5 for Quiet periods was 9.0% (95%CI 7.9–10.0%), Normal 7.0% (6.5–7.6%) and Busy 6.6% (6.0–7.2%) (p<0.001). The admission rate for NTS4 for all levels of activity was 36% (35–37%) and exceeded the NTS guideline of 20–30%. Busy 16% (13–20%) and Normal 16% (13–19%) NTS5 patients had a slightly higher admission rate than Quiet NTS5 patients 10% (6–14%) (p=0.049) and exceeded the NTS guideline of 5–10%. Admission rates for NTS1,2 and 3 were within NTS guidelines for all activity levels.

Conclusion

The NTS can be applied consistently, independent of the emergency department activity level. Admission rate analysis indicates that the slightly higher proportion of NTS5 patients presenting during Quiet periods were of genuine low acuity. NTS guideline comparison suggests either 10% of NTS4 and 5% of NTS5 patients at this hospital should have been triaged to a higher TC or that the NTS admission rate guidelines may need revision.
Acute fulminant viral myocarditis
Authors: Raftos John R
Published: August 2010

Two cases of viral myocarditis resulting in early death are presented. The acute fulminant form of viral myocarditis occurs infrequently but is significant as it often involves neonates, adolescents and young adults, frequently with poor outcome. Prompt diagnosis is based on a high index of suspicion and is essential for optimal recovery. However the presence of abdominal pain as a major symptom may delay diagnosis. The clinical course and management of this form of viral myocarditis is discussed.
Massive European wasp envenomation of a child
Authors: Levick Nadine , Braitberg George
Published: August 2010

Envenomation is a unique area of emergency medicine which interfaces acute emergency care with zoological research and public education. A considerable amount is known about envenomation by the snakes and spiders of Australia, which are among the most venomous in the world. There is little known, however, about massive envenomation by the European wasp (species Vespula germanica, family Vespidae), a recently introduced, aggressive and venomous vespid wasp. Allergy to bee, wasp and ant venom (order Hymenoptera) is well reported in the literature but there has been no documentation of systemic allergic reactions following massive vespid envenomation. Massive envenomation by vespid wasps in Australia has not been reported, although there are international reports of serious morbidity and a number of fatalities. This paper reports a massive European wasp envenomation in Melbourne and reviews the international literature. In this case, in contrast to the literature on massive vespid wasp envenomation, there is predominance of central nervous system toxicity with no major metabolic disturbance. The management of massive vespid envenomation includes standard supportive care and close laboratory monitoring for early evidence of haemolysis, rhabdomyolysis and metabolic derangement, which may significantly precede any clinical deterioration. Serious complications may be delayed and it is advised to follow up patients for 72 hours. There is potential for further research into vespid wasp venom and a need for increased public awareness of preventative strategies in Australia.
Right ventricular infarction
Authors: Page Colin B , Wilkes Garry J
Published: August 2010

Right ventricular infarction is present in up to 80% of autopsy specimens following fatal myocardial infarction. The clinical features suggestive of right ventricular infarction such as raised systemic venous pressure, clear lung fields, hypotension and atrio‐ventricular nodal disturbances usually occur in association with inferior myocardial infarction, with an incidence of 30–50%. Kussmaul‘s sign of a paradoxical rise in the jugular venous pressure wave on inspiration is both sensitive and specific for right ventricular infarction. A 1mm rise in the V4R ST segment on ECG has a positive predictive value for right ventricular infarction of over 70%, increasing to 90% with the addition of ST elevation in leads VSR and V6R. ECG changes are often transient.

Acute management of right ventricular infarction includes fluid loading and inotropic support with dobutamine as necessary, with avoidance of vasodilators and diuretics. Mortality from acute myocardial infarchon is increased by right ventricular infarction, but may be lessened by thrombolytic therapy in eligible patients.
Rapid transfusion systems
Authors: Gibbs Neville M , Thackray Mark
Published: August 2010

Factors influencing the rate of infusion include the size of the venous access, the diameter and length of infusion tubing, the viscosity and density of the fluid infused, and the pressure gradient between the infusion bag and vein. Narrow gauge intravenous catheters and other restrictions reduce flow by increasing resistance, and by encouraging turbulent flow. Currently available rapid infusion systems provide efficient warming of fluids, and promote rapid flow by having low resistance and high driving pressures. The high driving pressures are achieved by applying external pressure to infusion bags, or by using a reservoir and roller pump. Given adequate intravenous access, both methods are capable of flow rates over 1000ml/min. At high flows, air eliminators are required to reduce the risk of air embolism. Open reservoir systems require additional monitors to avoid the infusion of air. Other potential complications of rapid transfusion include fluid overload, hyperkalemia and citrate toxicity.
Minimal volume, hypotense resuscitation
Authors: Myers Colin T
Published: August 2010

Large volume fluid resuscitation attempting to normalise physiological parameters in hypovolaemic shock has become the accepted management practice during the last 30 years.

This doctrine, based on research in the 1950s, teaches that shock increases mortality, aggressive resuscitation improves outcome and normalisation of vital signs protects against multiple organ dysfunction. The wide acceptance of this doctrine is demonstrated by the central role it plays in the American College of Surgeons Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course and its Australian equivalent the Early Management of Severe Trauma (EMST) course.

During the late 1980s, a number of animal research papers demonstrated severe limitations to the earlier work performed in the 1950s and proposed an alternative approach using hypotense or minimal fluid resuscitation.

Controlled haemorrhagic shock is hypovolaemic shock in which the source of the bleeding is easily controlled without operation and hence aggressive fluid resuscitation can be pursued with minimum risk.

Uncontrolled haemorrhagic shock is hypovolaemic shock due to bleeding which cannot be controlled without surgery. The restoration of blood pressure towards normal levels may lead to dislodgement of thrombus and loss of vascular spasm in damaged vessels, with a subsequent increase in blood loss. It is in this situation that hypotense resuscitation is thought to be of most value.

Hypotense resuscitation is defined as the use of fluid resuscitation to maintain blood pressure at lower than normal levels which are sufficient to maintain life, but minimise the risk of exacerbating internal bleeding.

Prompted by animal research a number of human studies have been undertaken to clarify the role of fluid resuscitation in uncontrolled haemorrhage.

At present, there is wide acceptance of the use of hypotense or minimal volume resuscitation for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm and a recent demonstration that morbidity and mortality are decreased by the use of hypotense resuscitation in penetrating truncal trauma. There are however many other clinical situations that may produce uncontrolled haemorrhagic shock about which we have little clinical data to predict appropriate levels of fluid resuscitation. These include ectopic pregnancy, gastro‐intestinal haemorrhage and blunt multi‐system trauma.

This paper will analyse the animal studies that demonstrate the physiological effects of the various fluid resuscitation regimes and discuss all the clinical papers on the subject of hypotense resuscitation. An attempt will then be made to integrate this data into current Australian practice and give broad guidelines on the modern management of uncontrolled haemorrhagic shock, based on minimal volume or hypotense resuscitation.
Intravenous fluid administration in pregnancy: maintenance and acute hydration
Authors: Crowhurst John A
Published: August 2010

Pregnancy is characterised by a hyperdynamic output state, low blood viscosity and haematocrit, reduced blood and tissue buffering capacity, increased tendency to both sodium and water retention, an exaggerated ketotic and hypoglycaemic response to dehydration and increased insensible losses and decreased heat tolerance. These changes are relevant to anaesthetists attempting to restore and maintain fluid, electrolyte, glucose and metabolic balance in labour and during anaesthesia, resuscitation and critical care.

Fluid maintenance and replacement in pregnancy follow the basic principle of replacing what is lost in both quantity and quality, remembering the specific requirements of the individual patient and situation.

The altered milieu of pregnancy makes the use of most crystalloid containing fluids somewhat controversial particularly for acute hydration (fluid loading) in association with central neural blockage or resuscitation. Normal saline and lactate tend to worsen reduced buffer base capacity and cause further dilution of plasma proteins in an already low blood glucose level, so potentiating the efforts of highlevel epidural or spinal sympathetic blockade. Glucose loads can cause fetal hyperinsulinaemia, rapid‐onset neonatal hypoglycaemia and jaundice. A balanced approach of fluid administration using colloids, crystalloids and vasopressors will be discussed.
Mammographic techniques for imaging subcutaneous foreign bodies in the extremities
Authors: Lim Kim , Blecher Carl
Published: August 2010

Conventional soft tissue radiography using specialised high definition film is at present the standard for screening for subcutaneous foreign bodies in the extremities. While this is usually sufficiently sensitive for large (greater than 1mm) or radio‐opaque objects, finer splinters particularly of plant origin are less readily demonstrated. Current mammographic technology may become another imaging option in such cases.
Emergency medicine in Antarctica
Authors: Taylor David McD , Gormly Peter J
Published: August 2010

Antarctica provides immense and varied challenges, not least of which is the provision of adequate health care for expedition personnel. Although expeditioners must be healthy and not reliant upon medication for the maintenance of health, unexpected illness and accidents are always a possibility. An Antarctic health facility must be well organised, able to accommodate almost every contingency and be provided with adequate equipment, medication and medical expertise. This paper describes the provision of emergency health care at Australian Antarctic stations and discusses the climate and environment, medical practitioner selection and training, equipment and facilities, medical conditions expected, evacuation and aspects of Antarctic telemedicine. Some illustrative cases are presented.
Head injury and the time interval to computerised tomography scan
Authors: Kijvanit Patricia K , Gaudry Paul L
Published: August 2010

Objectives

To audit the time interval from arrival at the emergency department to computerised tomography scan in patients with head injury undergoing neurosurgery and to evaluate the circumstances when this time interval exceeded two hours.

Setting

Major trauma service.

Design

Descriptive retrospective review.

Results

There were no statistically significant relationships between time to computerised tomography scan and initial Glasgow Coma Scale score, Abbreviated Injury Scale, Injury Severity Score, arrival during normal hours versus after hours type or type of neurosurgical procedure performed. Time to scan was significantly shorter for interhospital transfers than direct admissions. The time interval exceeded two hours in 29 of 115 patients (25%). This was considered avoidable in 20 patients (69%), including six with documented alcohol ingestion.

Conclusion

Audit identified a need to focus clinical staff on earlier decision making. Specific clinical guidelines have been implemented for intoxicated patients with head injury.
Pneumorrhachis following head trauma
Authors: White Paul , King Michael , Civil Ian
Published: August 2010

Pneumorrhachis or air within the spinal canal is an extremely rare complication of skull fracture. We report a case of pneumorrhachis following head trauma, and review the other two documented cases. Although rare, the finding of air within the spinal cord on lateral cervical radiographs of a trauma patient is important. As these films are done early in the assessment of the trauma patient, this finding provides early indication of skull fracture and should direct the treating team to carefully evaluate for cerebral injury.
Herpes simplex virus infection is another risk from needlestick injury
Authors: Sinnott Michael J , Thomas Peter P , Whitby R Michael
Published: August 2010

This is the first case report in the literature of herpes simplex virus type 1 infection resulting from a needlestick injury. The case highlights the need to observe Standard Precautions to prevent sharps injury and the need for prophylactic treatment, for instance in this case with acyclovir, is emphasised.
Helical CT aids in the emergency department diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism
Authors: Small Niall
Published: August 2010

Pulmonary thromboembolism remains a diagnostic challenge for emergency physicians. There is a high mortality from failed diagnosis.

Rapid and accurate diagnosis by a readily accessible and minimally invasive technique such as helical computerised tomography (CT) has the potential to reduce mortality and allow early consideration of new treatments such as thrombolysis. There is also potential to reduce the number of procedures required to reach a diagnosis. Current published material is reviewed and a suggested role for helical CT in the emergency department diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism is outlined. Three case reports are presented where CT has been utilised in the diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism in patients presenting to an emergency department.
Nicotiana glauca toxicity
Authors: Webb Mark , Dalzell Shona
Published: August 2010

A case of nicotine toxicity in a 50 year old woman who presented with persistent neurological symptoms is described. This followed the ingestion of leaves from the plant Nicotiana glauca. The active substance was a nicotine‐like alkaloid, anabasine. Only a few cases of this ingestion have been documented in the medical literature and the lay press, with two fatalities resulting from ingestion of a similar quantity of plant to that ingested by the patient described here. A description of nicotine toxicity and its management is presented.
Aboriginal utilisation of an urban emergency department
Authors: Green Tim
Published: August 2010

Objective

To profile the use of an urban emergency department by Australian Aborigines.

Setting

A large inner city adult and paediatric hospital with a significant local Aboriginal community.

Method

Aboriginal attendances were retrospectively identified for a six month study period by a search of the emergency department database. All patient charts were reviewed and data compared with that of non‐Aboriginal patients for the same period and the Australian Bureau of Statistics data on the catchment area of the hospital.

Results

There were 338 Aboriginal presentations during the study period, representing 1.7% of the total emergency department caseload. This was 27% more presentations than would be predicted from the size of the Aboriginal population in the local area as assessed by Australian Bureau of Statistics census data. Patients in the Aboriginal cohort tended to be young and female reflecting the demographic profile of the Aboriginal community. The number of Aboriginal men over the age of 45 who presented to the emergency department was 33% less than predicted. Aboriginal patients were more likely to have been referred to the emergency department by a GP and these patients had a higher admission rate than those who were self referred. There was no significant difference in the rate of ambulance use, rate of arrival with police, time of triage or disposition status between the Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal patient groups. Aborigines had significantly lower National Triage Scale scores than non‐Aborigines but the admission rate for Aborigines was higher in categories two, three and four. The contribution of the local Aboriginal Medical Service and the incidence of trauma and substance abuse are described and discussed.

Conclusions

This study is the first to describe the characteristics of emergency department use by urban Australian Aborigines. The under representation of older Aboriginal men and the lower triage categories of Aboriginal patients demonstrated in this study warrant further prospective evaluation.
Dissection of the subclavian artery with mediastinal haemorrhage – an unusual complication of central venous catheterisation
Authors: Burke Michael P , Opeskin Ken
Published: August 2010

Arterial cannulation is a recognised complication of attempted central venous cannulation. Arterial cannulation may cause haemorrhage, thrombosis, pseudoaneurysm formation, mycotic and true aneurysm formation and air embolism. We describe a case of subclavian artery dissection during attempted subclavian vein catheter placement resulting in a mediastinal haematoma and cardiac tamponade contributing to death. Inadvertent arterial cannulation may be difficult to diagnose in the hypoxic, hypotensive patient. The complications of arterial cannulation during attempted subclavian central venous catheter placement may be minimised by careful positioning, meticulous attention to technique and avoiding the use of large bore central venous catheters in unstable patients.
Non‐traumatic fracture of the first rib
Authors: Steele Donna , Bergman Jack
Published: August 2010

A 25 year old man presented to the emergency department complaining of severe left chest pain associated with shortness of breath on waking. A chest radiograph showed a fracture of the left first rib. There was no history of recent direct trauma, although a minor injury to the left shoulder girdle had occurred three weeks earlier. Current theories on mechanism of injury in fractures of the first rib with both direct and indirect trauma are discussed and clinical management outlined.
Infrared tympanic thermometers are unreliable in low ambient temperatures
Authors: O'Brien Debra , Rogers Ian , Smith Alison , Lopez Derrick
Published: August 2010

Study objective To assess the accuracy of infrared emission detection tympanic thermometers at ambient temperatures near and below their specified operating ambient temperature range.

Methods In a pilot and subsequent study, two operators, using two brands of infrared emission detection thermometers in ambient temperatures ranging from 24.6°C to −22.1°C measured tympanic temperatures of five healthy male volunteers. Each tympanic temperature measurement was taken twice by each operator, with both thermometers, in both ears of each subject. Results were compared with the subjects’ rectal temperatures taken simultaneously.

Results A total of 240 tympanic temperature readings were made. In all ambient temperatures there was close agreement between operators and between left and right ears. With decreasing ambient temperatures there was an increasing and significant difference between rectal and tympanic temperatures. Tympanic temperatures were always lower than rectal readings. Both thermometers only gave warning displays of low ambient temperature when used in ambient temperatures well below their specified operating range. Only one brand continued to give readings at very low ambient temperatures and these were substantially inaccurate.

Conclusions Infrared emission detection thermometers have limitations in low ambient temperatures. Operators should be aware of these limitations. Development of models of infrared emission detection devices with a wider operating ambient temperature range may be appropriate for use in the field.
Paediatric sedation in Australasian emergency departments
Authors: Dean Andrew
Published: August 2010

Sedation of children undergoing painful procedures in the emergency department provides a challenge to emergency department medical staff. Factors requiring consideratioii include the procedure to be performed, the pharmacology of the agents chosen and the support framework provided within individual hospitals for the after‐care of sedated children.

This paper presents the findings of a questionnaire sent to emergency departments accredited for advanced paediatric emergency registrar training in Australia and New Zealand in July 1996, to assess current sedation practices.
IMPACT OF RELATIVE POPULATION CHANGE ON REGIONAL INCOME CONVERGENCE: EVIDENCE FROM TURKEY
Authors: Kılıçaslan Yılmaz , Özatağan Güldem
Published: August 2010

The aim of this paper is to show the impact of relative population change on regional income convergence. Using the panel data of 64 Turkish provinces from 1987 to 2000, the results from modified convergence analyses show that both income and per capita income between provinces in Turkey indicate converging patterns. The convergence rates for the provincial per capita income, however, turned out to be about 30 percent larger than that of income. In order to examine this difference, the impact of relative population change on the growth process is incorporated using a decomposition analysis. The findings suggest that 17 percent of the 100 percentage point growth of per capita income resulted from the change in population share in favour of the provinces with high per capita incomes. The existence and pace of regional income convergence, therefore, may well be related to the degree of relative population change.
The Quest for Anthropological Relevance: Borgesian Maps and Epistemological Pitfalls
Authors: BUNZL MATTI
Published: August 2010

In this essay, I critique the currently dominant mode of American sociocultural anthropology. Through a historical reading of canonical texts from the 1970s to the 1990s, I trace some of contemporary anthropology's limitations and probe their implications for the possibility of a publicly engaged discipline. I focus my critique on the demand for ever‐increasing complexity, identifying it as an implicit form of positivism that renders the results of anthropological inquiries increasingly irrelevant to the big questions of the day. Epistemologically speaking, contemporary anthropology is thus not radical enough. In conclusion, I mobilize the Weberian–Boasian tradition as the most viable alternative to sociocultural anthropology's status quo.
A Response to Matti Bunzl: Public Anthropology, Pragmatism, and Pundits
Authors: BESTEMAN CATHERINE , GUSTERSON HUGH
Published: August 2010

Discussing only two out of 11 chapters, Matti Bunzl argues that Why America's Top Pundits Are Wrong (2005) embodies an excessively deconstructive approach that undermines public anthropology by opposing all generalization. In fact, the contributors to the Pundits volume come from a variety of intellectual positions, some unfriendly to deconstructionism. In a book that is deliberately jargon free, the contributors are unified not by postmodernism but by pragmatism. They oppose generalizations that are manifestly ideological and untrue, not all generalizations. The point of the book is not to nitpick generalizations but to unmask media apologetics for neoliberalism and neoconservatism that misuse core terms (e.g., culture, ethnicity, human nature, gender) from the anthropological lexicon. We advocate a revitalized public anthropology based on grounded research, translation of sophisticated anthropological knowledge into accessible English, and a passionate concern for the well‐being of those at the sharp end of neoliberal globalization.
Television's Interpellation: Heeding, Missing, Ignoring, and Resisting the Call for Pan‐National Identity in the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Pace Richard
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT In this article, I focus on the ways in which audiences in the Amazonian community of Gurupá respond to television's interpellation for pan‐national identity. I examine how viewers heed, miss, ignore, and resist the call for identity as well as how their various responses to this “call” shape their worldview and behavior and impact the process of nation building. Utilizing audience ethnography over a 25‐year period, I show in this study how televisual messages are contextualized and localized, mitigating the forces of nationalistic homogenization.
Becoming Sinless: Converting to Islam in the Christian Solomon Islands
Authors: McDougall Debra
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT Islam is beginning to have a significant presence in the predominantly Christian nation of Solomon Islands. A few well‐educated Islanders were drawn to Islam's elegant monotheism and promise of unity in the 1980s and early 1990s, but numbers have grown significantly in the years following a violent civil conflict (1998–2003). Many of these new Muslim converts, especially those from the island of Malaita, seem preoccupied with the problem of sin and blame Christianity for destroying customary rules, especially those enforcing gender segregation. Echoing long‐standing Malaitan critiques of Christian freedom, they say that Christians rely too heavily on God's grace and their own ability to resist temptation. Unlike Christianity and similar to the traditional religion of the islands, Islam provides clear moral rules for living. Seeking an escape from a cycle of sin and redemption, these ex‐evangelical Christians now see in Islam the possibility of becoming sinless.
Ethnicity and Shared Meanings: A Case Study of the “Orphaned Bones” Ritual in Mainland China and Overseas
Authors: Formoso Bernard
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT Several theories of ethnicity emphasize the analysis of intergroup relations. They neglect, however, the conflation of ideas and values structuring these relations—notably the cross‐cultural aggregates of shared cultural meanings that underlie forms of cooperation and competition between interacting groups. In this article, I explore this kind of process through a multisite ethnography of theXiu gugu(“refining of orphaned bones”), a ritual that the Chaozhou people of northeast Guangdong province, an ethnic subgroup of the Han, perform periodically. The celebration of this rite in Chaozhou is compared to versions resulting of the ritual in Malay Muslim and Thai Buddhist contexts. In the latter case, close conceptions of malevolent death underlie a fascinating interethnic cooperation, with most of the unfortunate dead whose bones are “refined” during the Chaozhou ritual being Thai.
A Sea Change in Anthropology? Public Anthropology Reviews
Authors: Checker Melissa , Vine David , Wali Alaka
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT  In this article, we introduce the inaugural issue of the “Public Anthropology Reviews” section. We suggest that the new section reflects significant changes underway in the discipline, including an expansion in the kind of work valued among anthropologists, new ways in which anthropological knowledge is being produced and disseminated, and an acknowledgment that anthropologists have a responsibility to dedicate their skills to issues of broad public import. The section will, thus, expose AA readers to some of the new anthropological work appearing in a wide variety of media and nontraditional academic formats that aims both to communicate primarily with nonanthropological audiences and to have an impact on critical issues of wide social significance. We here present the reviews in this issue, identify additional contemporary issues likely to be addressed in future reviews, and welcome submissions and critical feedback for the section.
Direct Male Care and Hominin Evolution: Why Male–Child Interaction Is More Than a Nice Social Idea
Authors: Gettler Lee T.
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT  Early members of the genus Homo experienced heightened absolute metabolic costs, partially owing to increases in body size. However, as is characteristic of modern humans, they also likely began reproducing with shortened interbirth intervals. Male investment in offspring may help explain how this life history shift occurred. Evolutionary models of hominin male investment in offspring have traditionally focused on provisioning of females and young, yet the extent to which direct male care of offspring was evolutionarily important, from an energetic perspective, is largely unaddressed. I propose an evolutionary model of direct male care, demonstrating that males could have helped reduce the energetic burden of caregiving placed on mothers by carrying young. In doing so, males would have assisted females in achieving and maintaining an energetic condition sufficient for reproduction, thereby hastening the advent of shortened interbirth intervals that played a formative role in the success of our genus.
The Absorption Hypothesis: Learning to Hear God in Evangelical Christianity
Authors: Luhrmann T. M. , Nusbaum Howard , Thisted Ronald
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT In this article, we use a combination of ethnographic data and empirical methods to identify a process called “absorption,” which may be involved in contemporary Christian evangelical prayer practice (and in the practices of other religions). The ethnographer worked with an interdisciplinary team to identify people with a proclivity for “absorption.” Those who seemed to have this proclivity were more likely to report sharper mental images, greater focus, and more unusual spiritual experience. The more they prayed, the more likely they were to have these experiences and to embrace fully the local representation of God. Our results emphasize learning, a social process to which individuals respond in variable ways, and they suggest that interpretation, proclivity, and practice are all important in understanding religious experience. This approach builds on but differs from the approach to religion within the culture‐and‐cognition school.
Revisiting Hrdlička and Boas: Asymmetries of Race and Anti‐Imperialism in Interwar Anthropology
Authors: Oppenheim Robert
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT  Physical anthropologist Aleš Hrdlička is often remembered as an institutional and political opponent of Franz Boas and as an advocate of racial typology against which the Boasian antiracialist position in American anthropology developed. I argue that Hrdlička nonetheless also has more subtle lessons to offer about the political limits of Boasian antiracism. Examining Hrdlička's engagement with the politics of Europe and East Asia from the 1920s to the 1940s, particularly with the intellectual grounding of Japanese imperialism, I suggest that he was perhaps uniquely cognizant of a “second problem of race in the world”—the racist assimilationism of the Japanese empire—vis‐à‐vis the Boasian grasp of race, rooted in a response to U.S. and Nazi racisms, as a category of invidious difference. Moreover, I contend that the lacuna that Hrdlička helps us identify has continued to haunt the discipline at certain key moments of Boasian critique of other ideological forces.
Blogging Anthropology: Savage Minds, Zero Anthropology, and AAA Blogs
Authors: Price David H.
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT  In this review essay, the academic merits of three anthropological blogs (“Savage Minds,”“Zero Anthropology”[formerly “Open Anthropology”], and the official blog of the American Anthropological Association) are considered. The review examines differences between group‐blog projects (such “Savage Minds”), single‐voiced blogs (such as “Zero Anthropology”), and official blogs representing central anthropological institutions (the AAA's blog) and identifies roles and strengths of each of these blog forms.
Teenagers in the U.S. Labor Force: Local Labor Markets, Race, and Family1
Authors: Deseran Forrest A. , Keithly Diane
Published: August 2010

Abstract Drawing on theories of family organization and labor‐market structures, it is argued that teenagers represent a useful target population for research on the effects of race, household characteristics, and local labor markets on labor‐force participation. Toward this end, predictive models of labor‐force participation are applied to a sample of all white and black 16‐ to 18‐year‐olds living at home in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan labor‐market areas in the United States. Beyond the higher labor‐force participation of white youths, both local labor‐market characteristics and family resources affect teenage labor‐force participation. Participation of white youths was more closely linked to family resources and local economic conditions than that of black youths. Queuing theories of labor‐force participation are used to interpret these findings.
Places for Practitioners in AAA Sections
Authors: Colwell‐Chanthaphonh Chip , Bennett Linda A , Tashima Nathaniel
Published: August 2010

Shirley Fiske is contributing editor of “Anthropology Works,” the AAA Committee on Practicing, Applied and Public Interest Anthropology column in Anthropology News.
AAA Participates in Humanities Advocacy Day
Authors: Dozier Damon
Published: August 2010

Washington Wire brings readers coverage of important public policy issues of general interest to the anthropology community.
A Case of Military Rape: Indigenous Women Seek Justice in Chiapas
Authors: Newdick Vivian
Published: August 2010

Shannon Speed is contributing editor of “Human Rights Forum,” the AAA Committee for Human Rights column in Anthropology News.
The Headscarf Debate in Bulgaria
Authors: Ghodsee Kristen
Published: August 2010

Janine R Wedel is contributing editor of “Research on Policy,” the AAA Interest Group for the Anthropology of Public Policy column in Anthropology News.
Decentering the Anthropologist: Legal Enforcement of Research Ethics
Authors: Stade Ronald
Published: August 2010

Lisa Frink is contributing editor of “Ethical Currents,” the AAA Committee on Ethics column in Anthropology News.
ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS: UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING THE “SILENT TSUNAMI”
Authors: Himmelgreen David , Romero‐Daza Nancy
Published: August 2010

The food riots and demonstrations that occurred in more than 50 countries in 2008 signaled the oncoming global economic recession. Skyrocketing food and fuel prices spurred on violence in poorer countries where there is no social safety net and in places impacted by food insecurity and malnutrition. Today, while the prices for some food staples have retracted a little, the deepening economic recession poses a threat in wealthier nations including the United States and members of the European Union. For example, the shuttering fall in the U.S. stock market in October 2008 resulted in the loss of billions of dollars not only to individual investors but also to states and local municipalities. In this environment, there is a potentially grave threat to the social safety net in the United States including food assistance programs. The World Food Program (WFP) has cited the increase in world food prices as the biggest challenge in its 45‐year history, calling the impact a “silent tsunami” that threatened to plunge millions into hunger. In this volume, practicing and applied anthropologists examine the current global food crisis in a variety of settings including Belize, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, and the United States. Further, they use a variety of theoretical orientations and methodological approaches to understand the chronic nature of food insecurity and the ways in which global food policies and economic restructuring have resulted in increasing food inequities across the globe. Throughout this volume, the authors make suggestions for combating the global food crisis through the application of anthropological principles and practices.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF K99, A THERMOLABILE, TRANSMISSIBLE ESCHERICHIA COLI K ANTIGEN, PREVIOUSLY CALLED “Kco”, POSSESSED BY CALF AND LAMB ENTEROPATHOGENIC STRAINS
Authors: ØRSKOV I. , ØRSKOV F. , SMITH H. WILLIAMS , SOJKA W. J.
Published: August 2010

The transmissible antigen in enteropathogenic E. coli strains from calf and lamb, previously called Kco, is established as the E. coli K99 antigen. It is probably of protein nature since it is destroyed by heating. It is pointed out that other antigens present, growth medium and unknown factors are of great importance for the demonstration of this antigen.
PRODUCTION OF CELL‐BOUND ANTIGENS BY BACTEROIDES FRAGILIS NCTC 9343 IN CONTINUOUS CULTURE
Authors: DALLAND ELI , HOFSTAD T.
Published: August 2010

Highly active antigen preparations, as measured by precipitation and inhibition of haemag‐glutination, were obtained from Bacteroides fragilis NCTC 9343 grown in continuous culture. The activity varied slightly only with the glucose concentration of the medium and the dilution rate. pH had a greater influence on antigen production.
OCCURRENCE OF K88‐NEGATIVE ESCHERICHIA COLI SEROTYPES IN PIGS WITH POST WEANING DIARRHOEA
Authors: Riising H.‐J. , Svendsen J. , Larsen J. L.
Published: August 2010

Faecal swabs from pigs with post weaning E. coli diarrhoea in 43 different herds were bacteriologically examined. A survey of the isolated haemolytic E. coli strains showed that only 1 of the examined strains possessed the K88 antigen and that E. coli strains belonging to serogroup O149:K91 were most frequently isolated. The results suggest that the K88 antigen is of minor significance in the development of post weaning diarrhoea associated with E. coli serotype O149:K91.
TWO NEW ESCHERICHIA COLI O ANTIGENS, O162 AND O163, AND ONE NEW H ANTIGEN, H56. WITHDRAWAL OF H ANTIGEN H50
Authors: ØRSKOV I. , ØRSKOV F. , BETTELHEIM K. A. , CHANDLER M. E.
Published: August 2010

Three E. coli strains representing strains from faeces of normal persons were established as antigenic test strains of two new O antigens, O162 and O163, and one new H antigen, H56.
A FIMBRIATED STRAIN OF PASTEURELLA MULTOCIDA WITH SPREADING AND CORRODING COLONIES
Authors: HENRIKSEN S. D. , FRØHOLM L. O.
Published: August 2010

A strain identified as Pasteurella multocida (“dog type”) grew on blood agar with spreading and corroding colonies; it was found to be fimbriated. A non‐fimbriated variant of the strain which did not produce spreading and corroding colonies was isolated. The fimbriated strain regularly formed surface growth by static incubation in broth. The mode of surface translocation of this strain appeared to be twitching.
EFFECT OF β‐PROPIOLACTONE ON INFECTIVITY AND HAEMAGGLUTININ OF THE BK VIRUS
Authors: PITKO VELI‐MATTI , PYÖKÄRI PEKKA , NÄSE LEENA , MÄNTYJÄRVI RAUNO
Published: August 2010

The effect of β‐propiolactone (BPL) on the infectivity and haemagglutinating properties of BK virus was studied. No virus multiplication was observed when Vero cell cultures were inoculated with virus treated with 0.1 per cent or higher concentration of BPL. On the other hand, treatment of BK virus with 0.1 per cent or lower concentration of BPL had no apparent effect on viral haemagglutinin. BPL at a concentration of 0.1 per cent could therefore be used to prepare BK virus haemagglutinin which contains little or no infectious virus. Inactivated haemagglutinin seems to be somewhat labile against freezing and thawing, but storage at 4° C had no effect on it. Identical haemagglutination inhibiting antibody titres were obtained when human sera were tested with standard haemagglutinin or with haemagglutinin inactivated with BPL.
NEW IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE METHOD FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF GROUP A, B, C, E, F, AND G STREPTOCOCCI
Authors: CARS OTTO , FORSUM URBAN , HJELM EVA
Published: August 2010

An immunofluorescence method for the identification of groups A, B, C, E, F, and G betahaemolytic streptococci has been developed, using FITC‐labelled F(ab′)2 fragments of IgG with optimal staining characteristics. The method is useful for the rapid confirmation of betahaemolytic streptococci in cultures; in a blind comparison with Lancefield grouping, there was a 97 per cent agreement.
A METHOD FOR PRODUCTION OF ANTISERA TO HEPATITIS B ANTIGEN SUBTYPES, AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF SUBTYPES D AND Y AMONG NORWEGIAN HEPATITIS B PATIENTS
Authors: TRAAVIK TERJE
Published: August 2010

A method for production of antisera to hepatitis B antigen (HBsAg) subtypes D and Y is described. The method is based on the coupling of HBsAg to a colloidal silica gel (Aerosil), and the selective adsorption of unwanted antibodies from antisera with this preparation. Some results obtained with Norwegian hepatitis patient sera are included.
SEPARATION OF PATHOGENIC TREPONEMA PALLIDUM FROM HOST RABBIT TISSUE TO OBTAIN VIRULENT AND VIABLE MICROORGANISMS
Authors: Rathlev T.
Published: August 2010

T. pallida extracted from infected rabbit testes were purified from different tissue particles by equilibrium density centrifugation at 25° C after layering on a column of Ficoll‐sodium metrizoate solution. After centrifugation, 32 per cent of the treponemes were present in a visible band and about 57 per cent were concentrated in the three ml suspension just above the interface between the Ficoll‐Na metrizoate cushion and treponeme‐containing medium. The treponemes were viable, virulent and retained their morphological integrity, infectivity, and antigenicity. Purity of the different fractions was studied by immunodiffusion experiments. The purified preparations of virulent, viable treponemes will provide a better antigen in the FTA‐ABS tests and possibly in the TPI and TPHA tests; in cellular immunity studies, electron microscopic investigations of the ultrastructure of treponemes, vaccination studies and in tissue culture investigations.
STUDIES ON POLYSACCHARIDE C OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS EPIDERMIDIS
Authors: JOHNSEN GRETHE SKOGE , ENDRESEN C. , GROV A. , OEDING P.
Published: August 2010

Polysaccharide C (poly C) has been isolated from two strains of S. epidermidis and characterized chemically. The results suggest that poly C is a wall N‐acetylglucosaminylglycerol teichoic acid, linked through 1:3‐phosphodiester linkages. One poly C preparation contained only β‐linked N‐acetylglucosamine, the other traces of α‐linked sugar in addition. The degree of substitution of sugar in the poly C preparations from the two strains was about 50 and 25 per cent.
INFLUENCE OF OSMOTIC PRESSURE ON TRANSFORMABLE AND NON TRANSFORMABLE VARIANTS OF NEISSERIA MENINGITIDIS
Authors: JYSSUM KAARE
Published: August 2010

Penicillin spheroplasts from competent (cp+) and incompetent (cp‐) variants of Neisseria meningitidis Strain M1 were equally fragile as determined by the osmotic strength necessary for stabilization. Exponential phase cells adapted to growth under increased osmotic pressure and suspended in acetate or phosphate became osmotically fragile within 2–4 hours when stabilized by sucrose plus MgCl2. Spheroplasts were formed during the succeeding 6–12 hours. Cells that were not adapted to growth at high tonicity but exposed to the stabilizing fluid under conditions leading to plasmolysis, developed osmotic fragility more rapidly, but at the same time lysis of the membranes was activated. Under these conditions, membrane lysis occurred far more rapidly in the cp‐ variant than in the cp+ variant. Membrane lysis was inhibited by MgCl2 and enhanced by CaCl2 in low concentration. The findings support the notion that osmotic stress in N. meningitidis activates membrane lysis as well as cell wall lysis, and that both activations are far more pronounced in the cp‐ variant. But the relative protection of the cp+ variant cannot be due to higher tensile strength of the membranes.
COMPARISON OF NEUTRALIZING AND IMMUNOPRECIPITATING ACTIVITY IN GUINEA PIG ANTISERA AGAINST HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPES 1 AND 2
Authors: JEANSSON STIG , VESTERGAARD BENT F.
Published: August 2010

Guinea pig antisera against Herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 were compared in neutralization tests and crossed immunoelectrophoresis. It was found that the HSV type specific neutralization of guinea pig antisera could be associated with the precipitating activity to HSV type 1 and 2 glycoproteins.