bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enlightenment of old ideas from new investigations: more questions regarding the evolution of bacteriogenic light organs in squids
Authors: Nishiguchi M. K. , Lopez J. E. , Boletzky S. v.
Published: January 2004

Bioluminescence is widespread among many different types of marine organisms. Metazoans contain two types of luminescence production, bacteriogenic (symbiotic with bacteria) or autogenic, via the production of a luminous secretion or the intrinsic properties of luminous cells. Several species in two families of squids, the Loliginidae and the Sepiolidae (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) harbor bacteriogenic light organs that are found central in the mantle cavity. These light organs are exceptional in function, that is, the morphology and the complexity suggests that the organ has evolved to enhance and direct light emission from bacteria that are harbored inside. Although light organs are widespread among taxa within the Sepiolidae, the origin and development of this important feature is not well studied. We compared light organ morphology from several closely related taxa within the Sepiolidae and combined molecular phylogenetic data using four loci (nuclear ribosomal 28S rRNA and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 12S and 16S rRNA) to determine whether this character was an ancestral trait repeatedly lost among both families or whether it evolved independently as an adaptation to the pelagic and benthic lifestyles. By comparing other closely related extant taxa that do not contain symbiotic light organs, we hypothesized that the ancestral state of sepiolid light organs most likely evolved from part of a separate accessory gland open to the environment that allowed colonization of bacteria to occur and further specialize in the eventual development of the modern light organ.
Is Low Fertility a Temporary Phenomenon in the European Union?
Authors: Lesthaeghe Ron , Willems Paul
Published: January 2004

This article addresses two questions: (i) will the mere end of further postponement of fertility in the EU‐countries lead to an appreciable rise in European fertility and bring total fertility rates closer to replacement level, as witnessed in the United States? and (ii) what are the chances that such a stop to postponement is imminent? The answer to the first question is positive, but only if there is enough recuperation of fertility at older ages. Translated in the Bongaarts–Feeney framework, this condition means that the birth‐order‐specific TFRs would indeed remain constant. In the absence of full recuperation at older ages, the induced rise in the national TFRs would be trivial and by no means restore period and cohort TFRs to replacement levels. Hence, caution is needed when using the Bongaarts–Feeney adjusted TFRs for pro‐jective purposes. With respect to the second question, female education and employment trends in tandem with ideational and family disruption data are used to speculate about the prospects for such an end to further fertility postponement and for fertility increases at older ages. Strikingly, EU‐countries that have the greatest potential for still later fertility are also the ones with very low TFRs (below 1.5) at present. The overall conclusion is that low to very low fertility in the EU is unlikely to be a temporary phenomenon
How Influential Are Demography Journals?
Authors: van Dalen Hendrik P. , Henkens Kène
Published: January 2004

This article examines, by means of citation analysis for the years 1991–95, the process of knowledge dissemination in demography journals and the intellectual exchange of demography journals with neighboring social sciences. In addition, it investigates the degree of uncitedness in demography journals. It turns out that a considerable percentage of articles are left uncited: 36 percent of the articles published in demography journals between 1990 and 1992 remained uncited in the five years following their publication. However, these overall uncitedness rates conceal large variations between journals. General‐oriented demography journals from the US are well cited. Within the set of demography journals, knowledge flows from general to specialized journals and to a lesser extent the other way round. Specialized journals play a minor role in the construction and exchange of fundamental demographic knowledge. They do, however, influence specific audiences in neighboring social sciences.
Absent and Problematic Men: Demographic Accounts of Male Reproductive Roles
Authors: Greene Margaret E. , Biddlecom Ann E.
Published: January 2004

Both men and women are important actors in bringing children into life, yet demographic studies on reproduction have tended to focus on women alone. The aims of this article are: 1) to describe why men have attracted limited interest as subjects of such research; 2) to evaluate existing research on men's roles in developing countries; and 3) to suggest directions for future research on male reproductive roles. Men, once neglected, are now included in research on fertility but from a narrow, overly problem‐oriented perspective. A review of the literature, however, raises questions about the adequacy of a problem oriented approach. The authors argue that demography should focus on men not only as women's partners, but also as individuals with distinct reproductive histories. In situations, now increasingly common, where the links between marriage and childbearing erode, the differences in men's and women's reproductive experiences and the costs and benefits of parenting will become more salient for future research.
Rethinking the African AIDS Epidemic
Authors: Caldwell John C.
Published: January 2004

Half the AIDS victims in the world are in East and Southern Africa, where adult HIV sero‐prevalence was 11.4 percent by the end of 1997 and over 25 percent in two countries of Southern Africa. HIV/AIDS infection is not the result of ignorance, as nearly everyone has sufficient knowledge about AIDS and how it is transmitted. The high levels of AIDS arise from the failure of African political and religious leaders to recognize social and sexual reality. The means for containing and conquering the epidemic are already known, and could prove effective if the leadership could be induced to adopt them. The lack of individual behavioral change and of the implementation of effective government policy has roots in attitudes to death and a silence about the epidemic arising from beliefs about its nature and the timing of death. International responsibility may have to be taken before the needed effective policies are put in place.
Long‐Term Population Projections and the US Social Security System
Authors: Lee Ronald
Published: January 2004

According to a report recently issued by the Technical Panel for the US Social Security Administration, the long‐term financial outlook for the system is worse than previously thought. The worsening projected by the panel in the long‐run funding imbalance of the Social Security System is mostly due to the recommendation by the panel to add an extra four years to the currently projected increase in life expectancy by 2075: from 81.8 years to 85.9 years. The panel recommended no change in the current intermediate projected long‐run TFR of 1.9 and net immigration of 900,000 persons per year. The recommendation to increase the projected gains in life expectancy was based on international trends as well as on historical trends in the United States and the absence of biological evidence ruling out such gains. Industrial countries have a history of under‐predicting the growth of their elderly population, and it is expected that large mortality adjustments may be needed in the projections for public pension programs also in industrial countries other than the United States.
The Limits to Low Fertility: A Biosocial Approach
Authors: Foster Caroline
Published: January 2004

In light of 30 years of below‐replacement fertility in many industrialized societies, demographers are asking whether fertility could drop even further, or whether there is a “floor” below which it will not fall. A key unanswered question is whether there may be a variable biological component to fertility motivation which ensures that we continue to reproduce. Drawing on evidence from evolutionary biology, ethology, quantitative genetics, developmental psychobiology, and psychology, the article argues that our evolved biological predisposition is toward nurturing behaviors, rather than having children per se. Humans have the unique ability to be aware of such biological predispositions and translate them into conscious, but nevertheless biologically based, fertility motivation. It is likely that we have already reached the limits to low fertility since this “need to nurture,” in conjunction with normative pressures, ensures that the majority of women will want to bear at least one child. A sketch for a biosocial model of fertility motivation is outlined.
Coresidential Patterns in Historical China: A Simulation Study
Authors: Zhao Zhongwei
Published: January 2004

The controversy regarding China's historical residential patterns is related to the lack of investigation into demographic influences on past kinship structures and household formation. This study uses computer micro‐simulation to examine demographic feasibility of people living in large multi‐generation households under the demographic conditions close to those recorded in Chinese history. It investigates both the composition of households in which individuals live at a particular point in their life course and the transition in their household structure and the length of time they spend in households of different types. The simulation exercise suggests that demographic regimes and household formation systems similar to those operating in China in the past produce diverse residential patterns, in which individuals could experience different household forms at different stages of the life cycle.
Uncertain Aims and Tacit Negotiation: Birth Control Practices in Britain, 1925–50
Authors: Fisher Kate
Published: January 2004

Evidence from oral history interviews is used to suggest the need to reevaluate our understanding of the dynamics of fertility decisions and behavior in the first half of the twentieth century. Those interviewed stressed their vague and haphazard approach to contraceptive use, in sharp contrast to the dominant depiction in studies of fertility decline that emphasize the degree to which individuals made deliberate and calculated choices about family size based on an assessment of the costs and benefits of childrearing. Details of individual contraceptive strategies elucidate the complexities of birth control behavior: couples, lacking explicit aims for family limitation, adopted diverse methods of birth control, using them for different reasons, at different times, with varying degrees of determination and confidence and frequently with very little direct discussion or planning. Explicit articulation of aims was not a necessary prerequisite of the spread of birth control; accepted gender roles meant that responsibilities and obligations emerged gradually and tacitly. As a result, nevertheless, low fertility was effectively achieved.
SHORT REVIEWS
Authors: Biddlecom Ann E. , Bongaarts John , Brockerhoff Martin , Greenhalgh Susan , McNicoll Geoffrey
Published: January 2004

Books reviewed in this article:

Roderic Beaujot, Earning and Caring in Canadian Families

Gareth Dale And Mike Cole (eds.), The European Union and Migrant Labour

Andrew Dobson (ed.), Fairness and Futurity: Essays on Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice

Jean Drèze (ed.), The Economics of Famine

James W. Hughes and Joseph J. Seneca (eds.), America's Demographic Tapestry: Baseline for the New Millennium

Robert D. Kaplan, The Coming Anarchy: Shattering the Dreams of the Post Cold War

Matthew Lockwood, Fertility and Household Labour in Tanzania: Demography, Economy, and Society

Yahya M. Sadowski, The Myth of Global Chaos

John B. Williamson, Diane M. Watts‐Roy, And Eric R. Kingson (eds.), The Generational Equity Debate
Gender Equity in Theories of Fertility Transition
Authors: McDonald Peter
Published: January 2004

Recent theoretical discussion has postulated that low fertility in advanced countries is attributable to low levels of gender equity. Low gender equity is evidenced in the lack of support for women to combine paid employment and childrearing; tax‐transfer systems that remain based on the male‐breadwinner model of the family; and the retention of gender‐oriented roles within the family. Hence, it is argued that an increase in gender equity is a precondition of a rise in fertility from very low levels. At the same time, theorists argue that, in less developed countries, higher levels of gender equity are a necessary condition for achieving lower fertility. The article addresses this apparent contradiction by distinguishing two types of gender equity: gender equity in individual‐oriented institutions and gender equity in family‐oriented institutions. The argument is made that the transition from very high fertility to replacement‐level fertility has been associated with a gradual increase in gender equity primarily within the family itself. In contrast, the further movement to very low fertility is associated with a rapid shift toward high levels of gender equity in individual institutions such as education and market employment, in combination with persistent low levels of gender equity within the family and in family‐oriented institutions.
Conditioning Factors for Fertility Decline in Bengal: History, Language Identity, and Openness to Innovations
Authors: Basu Alaka Malwade , Amin Sajeda
Published: January 2004

This article argues that looking solely for the immediate causes of reproductive change may distort our understanding of policy options by failing to take into account the historical and cultural factors that affect not only the impact of policies and programs but their very nature and existence. The article examines the historical origins and spread of “modern” ideas in Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal in India. It concludes that a colonial history in which education and modernization processes took hold very early among the elites in the larger Bengal region was paradoxically accompanied by a strong allegiance to the Bengali language. This strong sense of language identity has facilitated and reinforced the diffusion of modern ideas both within and between the two Bengali‐speaking regions. Thus, to understand the fertility decline in Bangladesh, for example, one needs to look also at cultural boundaries. In this case, the cultural commonality through language facilitates the spread of new ideas across the two Bengals. In turn, the strong sense of language identity has facilitated mass mobilization more easily and intensely within the two Bengals. Shaped by these processes, Bangladesh and West Bengal today are more amenable to social change than many other parts of South Asia and the Middle East.
Labor Supply Prospects in 16 Developed Countries, 2000–2050
Authors: McDonald Peter , Kippen Rebecca
Published: January 2004

Over the past 20 years, policy attention has been focused upon the implications of below‐replacement fertility for the aging of populations. This article argues that another potential consequence, a decline in the absolute size of the labor force, may prove to be an equally compelling issue because of its impact on rates of economic growth. Because the United States will experience both increasing labor productivity and an increase in its labor supply, the growth orientation of the global economy is likely to persist. In this circumstance, given relatively comparable changes in the productivity of labor across countries, countries that face major declines in their labor supply will fare less well than countries that are able to maintain their labor supply at least constant. The article examines the labor supply prospects of 16 developed countries for the period 2000–2050, drawing attention to the ways in which countries may be able to influence the future levels of their labor supply.
Prenatal Sex Determination and Sex‐Selective Abortion in Rural Central China
Authors: Junhong Chu
Published: January 2004

This study analyzes the practice of prenatal sex selection in rural central China. It examines the prevalence and determinants of prenatal sex determination by ultrasound scanning and subsequent sex‐selective abortion. The data are derived from a survey of 820 married women aged 20–44 and from in‐depth interviews with rural women and men, village leaders, family planning managers, and health providers, conducted by the author in one county in central China in 2000. Prenatal sex determination was a widespread practice, especially for second and higher‐order pregnancies. Sex‐selective abortion was prevalent and order of pregnancy, sex of fetus, and sex of previous children were major determinants of the practice. A female fetus representing a high‐order pregnancy in a family with one or more daughters was the most likely to be aborted. Awareness among rural families that in the population at large a future marriage squeeze was likely did not diminish the demand for sex‐selective abortion.
Measurement of Biomarkers in Surveys in Developing Countries: Opportunities and Problems
Authors: Boerma J. Ties , Holt Elizabeth , Black Robert
Published: January 2004

Reliable and comprehensive data on disease levels, patterns, and trends in populations are required to monitor global and local epidemics and to assess the effectiveness of public health approaches to disease and injury prevention and control. For most developing countries, little is reliably known about causes of mortality or about disease incidence, prevalence, and duration. Advances in technology offer the opportunity to collect biomarkers—biological and clinical data—in existing large‐scale, national sample surveys. Such data on biomarkers could result in significantly better insight into public health problems and more rational and equitable policies leading to improved health. The combination of traditionally collected behavioral data with biological and clinical data affords many possibilities to better assess health problems and to develop the most cost‐effective set of interventions. Careful assessment and discussion of the potential public health benefits, ethical issues, and logistical challenges should guide the application of technological advances in population‐based surveys.
The Preliminary Demography of the 2001 Census of India
Authors: Dyson Tim
Published: January 2004

This note presents and comments on the provisional results of the 2001 census of India. For the first time since Independence in 1947 there is clear evidence that the country's intercensal rate of population growth has fallen significantly—from an average annual rate of 2.14 percent between 1981 and 1991 to a rate of 1.93 percent between 1991 and 2001. At the state level there has been little change in the rates of population growth in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, but there are signs of—often quite considerable—reductions in growth rates for most of the remaining states. The provisional census results suggest that there has been a decline in India's population masculinity compared to 1991. But the note contends that this decline is probably largely spurious because females were less fully enumerated in 1991 than they were in 2001. Indeed the sex ratios of the states of Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Gujarat have become noticeably more masculine, which may partly reflect the influence of sex‐selective abortion.
Life Span Extension in Humans Is Self‐Reinforcing: A General Theory of Longevity
Authors: Carey James R. , Judge Debra S.
Published: January 2004

This article proposes that longevity is not merely the result of an absence of mortality but a self‐reinforcing and positively selected life‐history trait in social species. It argues that a small increase in longevity is amplified as (1) reductions in mortality at young ages increase natural selection for mechanisms of maintenance and repair at all older ages as well as increasing the potential for intergenerational transfers; (2) intergenera‐tional transfers of resources from old to young increase fitness (e.g., through improved health, skill, and competitive ability) of the young and thus favor the presence of older individuals in a population; and (3) the division of labor increases both efficiency and innovation at all levels, resulting in increased resources that can be reinvested. This theory is framed around the longevity‐oriented question posed two decades ago by the ger‐ontologist George Sacher, “Why do we live as long as we do?,” rather than the more prevalent question today, “Why do we grow old?” The article describes the foundational principles and the main phases of a model for the evolution of longevity mediated through social organization, and applies the concept specifically to human populations.
The Age of Migration in China
Authors: Liang Zai
Published: January 2004

Using data from the 1987 and 1995 China One Percent Population Sample Surveys, this article examines migration patterns during 1982–95, a period of sweeping social and economic changes in China. Several major patterns are evident: the increase in overall migration and especially in temporary migration, the increasing importance of inter‐provincial migration, and the concentration of migrants in the coastal region. Over time, migrants of rural origin were more likely to choose cities as destinations than towns. The consequences and implications of the changes in migration patterns are explored.
Divergent Paths of Immigration Politics in the United States and Australia
Authors: Freeman Gary P. , Birrell Bob
Published: January 2004

The United States and Australia converged by the mid‐1980s on receptive and expan sive immigration policies reflecting “client” politics. Australia has since pursued a more restrictive and selective course while the United States has resisted pressures toward such a stance. The authors account for these differences by assessing the theoretical perspectives of interests, rights, and states. Conflicts among groups with direct interests in policy outcomes are the principal source of immigration politics, but a comparison of the roles of rights and state institutions helps explain peculiarities of the two cases. The distinctive Australian policy trajectory is shaped by greater volatility of public opinion about immigration and multiculturalism, and by political institutions that are more responsive to popular sentiment.
How Long Do We Live?
Authors: Bongaarts John , Feeney Griffith
Published: January 2004

Period life expectancy is calculated from age‐specific death rates using life table methods that are among the oldest and most widely employed tools of demography. These methods are rarely questioned, much less criticized. Yet changing age patterns of adult mortality in countries with high life expectancy provide a basis for questioning the conventional use of life tables. This article argues that when the mean age at death is rising, period life expectancy at birth as conventionally calculated overestimates life expectancy. Estimates of this upward bias, ranging from 1.6 years for the United States and Sweden to 3.3 years for Japan for 1980–95, are presented. A similar bias in the opposite direction occurs when mean age at death is falling. These biases can also distort trends in life expectancy as conventionally calculated and may affect projected future trends in period life expectation, particularly in the short run.
Maternal Work and Child Care in China: A Multi‐Method Analysis
Authors: Short Susan E. , Chen Feinian , Entwisle Barbara , Fengying Zhai
Published: January 2004

The majority of women in China, including mothers of young children, are in the labor force. This article investigates the relationship between mothers' work and child care and explores how type of work affects level of involvement in children's care. Substantive understandings of the relationship between mothers' work and child care may well depend on the way work is conceptualized and measured, especially nonwage work. Nearly two‐thirds of women in China live in rural areas, where nonwage work predominates. Analysis of data from eight provinces indicates that wage workers spend less time in child care, but so do women with heavy nonwage demands. Women's involvement in multiple economic activities has consequences for both work‐child care compatibility and work intensity, and may be especially important in efforts to categorize women's work in industrializing economies. Because the majority of the world's women do not work in the wage sector, the implications of these findings extend beyond China.
SHORT REVIEWS
Authors: Bongaarts John , Greenhalgh Susan , McNicoll Geoffrey , Petersen William , Todaro Michael P. , Zimmer Zachary
Published: January 2004

Books reviewed in this article:

Iris Chi, Neena L. Chappell, and James Lubben (eds.), Elderly Chinese in Pacific Rim Countries: Social Support and Integration

Wayne A. Cornelius, Thomas J. Espenshade, and Idean Salehyan (eds.), The International Migration of the Highly Skilled: Demand, Supply, and Development Consequences in Sending and Receiving Countries

Bimal Ghosh (ed.), Managing Migration: Time for a New International Regime?

Institute of Medicine, Forum on Emerging Infections, Emerging Infectious Diseases from the Global to the Local Perspective: Workshop Summary

Hans‐Peter Kohler, Fertility and Social Interaction: An Economic Perspective

David Kyle and Key Koslowski (eds.), Global Human Smuggling: Comparative Perspectives

Brian C. O'Neill, F. Landis Mackellar, and Wolfgang Lutz, Population and Climate Change

Neil J. Smelser and Paul B. Baltes (eds.), International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences

Thomas Spira, Nationalism and Ethnicity Terminologies: An Encyclopedic Dictionary and Research Guide, vol. 1

Li Zhang, Strangers in the City: Reconfigurations of Space, Power, and Social Networks within China's Floating Population
Sex Differentials in Undernutrition: A Look at Survey Evidence
Authors: Marcoux Alain
Published: January 2004

This note seeks indirect evidence regarding possible sex biases in food intake for adults and children, through large‐scale survey findings for anthropometric indicators. Among adults, excess female undernutrition is a serious problem in view of the large populations concerned (rural China, India), but data are still needed to assess the situation in many countries. Regarding preschool children, the anti‐female biases once noted for China, India, and other countries seem to have disappeared. Where differences exist, boys fare worse than girls (probably because girls, given a less than adequate food supply, tend to cope with it better than boys). Anti‐female discriminatory practices either are limited in magnitude or apply in groups that are too few or too small to be detectable in large populations.
A Turning Point in Gender Bias in Mortality? An Update on the Number of Missing Women
Authors: Klasen Stephan , Wink Claudia
Published: January 2004

Amartya Sen started a debate about gender bias in mortality by estimating the number of “missing women,” which refers to the number of females of any age who have presumably died as a result of discriminatory treatment. Depending on the assumptions made, the combined estimates for countries exhibiting the presence of such gender bias varied between 60 and 107 million. As new population data have become available for these countries, this article examines whether the number of “missing women” has changed in the past decade. The combined estimate of the number of missing women has risen in absolute terms but has fallen slightly in relation to overall population. Considerable improvement is evident in West Asia, North Africa, and parts of South Asia, while only small improvements have occurred in India and a deterioration took place in China. Analyses of the underlying causes of gender bias in mortality suggest that improvements are largely related to improved female education and employment opportunities and rising overall incomes, while deterioration is mostly attributable to the rising incidence of sex‐selective abortions.
Production, Reproduction, and Education: Women, Children, and Work in a British Perspective
Authors: Joshi Heather
Published: January 2004

This article reviews findings of studies by the author and colleagues on relationships between women's work and the reproduction of the British population based on data for female birth cohorts 1922–70. The studies address three questions: (1) How do children affect women's paid work and lifetime earnings? (2) How does women's employment affect the quantity of children born? (3) How does women's employment affect the “quality” of children? The answers are affected by the woman's educational attainment. On question 1, childrearing may often halve lifetime earnings, but seldom for the well educated. By contrast, any effects from employment to childbearing are most apparent in the late motherhood of the well educated. Child quality, as assessed by indicators of child development, benefits from maternal education and suffers little from maternal employment. The economic advantages for children in dual‐career families are thus unabated. A widening gulf between mothers will tend to polarize the life chances of their children, unless there are more options to combine employment and childrearing, especially including good‐quality child care for those who cannot afford the market price. Education is a powerful influence, but does not alone solve all issues of equity, whether between families or between sexes.
Muslim and Non‐Muslim Differences in Female Autonomy and Fertility: Evidence from Four Asian Countries
Authors: Morgan S. Philip , Stash Sharon , Smith Herbert L. , Mason Karen Oppenheim
Published: January 2004

On the basis of research on paired Muslim and non‐Muslim communities selected in India, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, the authors test the hypothesis that greater observed Muslim pronatalism can be explained by less power or lower autonomy among Muslim women. Indeed, wives in the Muslim communities, compared to the non‐Muslim ones: 1) had more children, 2) were more likely to desire additional children, and 3) if they desired no more children, were less likely to be using contraception. However, the authors do not find that Muslim communities consistently score lower on dimensions of women's power/autonomy. Thus, aggregate‐level comparisons provide little evidence of a relationship between lower autonomy and higher fertility. Individual‐level multivariate analysis of married women in these paired settings similarly suggests that women's autonomy differentials do not account for the higher fertility, demand for more children, and less use of contraception among Muslim wives. These results suggest that explanations for Muslim/non‐Muslim fertility differences lie elsewhere.
Household Organization, Women's Autonomy, and Contraceptive Behavior in Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Hogan Dennis P. , Berhanu Betemariam , Hailemariam Assefa
Published: January 2004

The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region of Ethiopia (SNNPR) is home to 11 million people constituting more than 45 language and ethnic groups, most of whom live in extremely poor rural communities. Data for currently married, fecund women aged 15–49 from demographic surveys conducted in the SNNPR in 1990 and 1997 are used to investigate contraceptive knowledge and communication, and the use and future need for family planning services in this population. This study focuses on how these processes are affected by household organization and women's status, and on their implications for population policies and programs. Considerations of the implications of these results for understanding the fertility transition of a highly diverse African population under severe stress are presented. Although household extension and polygamy characterize one‐third of the women sampled, they do not affect the women's contraceptive behavior. Women's literacy and autonomy are, by far, the most significant forces in the movement toward lower fertility in the region.
Women's Reports of Severe (Near‐miss) Obstetric Complications in Benin
Authors: Filippi Véronique , Ronsmans Carine , Gandaho Timothée , Graham Wendy , Alihonou Eusèbe , Santos Paul
Published: January 2004

This study examines the validity of a survey instrument on near‐miss obstetric complications. Three groups of women–with severe complications, with mild complications, and with a normal delivery–were identified retrospectively in three hospitals in South Benin and interviewed at home. The concept of “near‐miss” was used to identify women with severe episodes of morbidity. The questionnaire was able to detect, with some accuracy, eclamptic fits, abnormal bleeding in the third trimester for a recall period of at least three to four years, and all episodes of bleeding independent of timing within a period of two years. Questions concerning dystocia and infections of the genital tract generated disappointing results except when information on treatment was included. Overall, better results were achieved for antepartum and acute events. Severity made a positive difference only in the case of eclampsia, with an increase in sensitivity. The implications of the results for using women's recall of obstetric complications in surveys are discussed.
Mobilizing Demand for Contraception in Rural Gambia
Authors: Luck Margaret , Jarju Ebrima , Nell M. Diane , George Melville O.
Published: January 2004

A community trial was conducted in rural Gambia in order to determine whether a community‐based intervention designed to mobilize latent demand for contraception would increase use of modern contraceptives, even in the absence of improved availability of family planning services. Analysis of trial data indicates that the demand‐mobilization intervention had a statistically significant positive effect on nonusers' adoption of modern contraception and that coterminous implementation of an intervention designed to improve access to services offered no additional benefit. The program component found to have the greatest impact was the “kabilo approach,” in which village women provide basic health and family planning counseling to other women in their extended families. These results suggest that the principal barriers to increased contraceptive use in rural Gambia are psychosocial and that these barriers can be overcome through village‐based interventions designed to provide socially appropriate counseling to potential contraceptive users.
Nutritive constituents of Silky fowl eggs: comparison with hen eggs of White Leghorn origin
Authors: KOKETSU Mamoru , TOYOSAKI Toshiyuki
Published: January 2004

In the present study, proportional parts, amounts of major constituents, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids composition of Silky fowl eggs were examined compared with those of hen eggs. The ratio of egg yolk weight to whole egg weight of Silky fowl egg was significantly larger than that of egg yolk of hen egg. The amount of cholesterol of Silky fowl eggs were significantly (P < 0.01) less than those of hen eggs. The amount of vitamins (B2, B6, D and E), calcium and potassium in Silky fowl eggs were significantly higher than those of hen eggs. Unsaturated fatty acids in Silky fowl eggs were 62.5% among total fatty acids, the unsaturated fatty acids of hen eggs were 53.9%. Especially, the contents of arachidonic acid, docosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in Silky fowl eggs were significantly larger than in hen eggs.
Production of germ‐line chimeras by the transfer of cryopreserved gonadal germ cells collected from 7‐ and 9‐day‐old chick embryos
Authors: TAJIMA Atsushi , MINEMATSU Takeo , OHARA Mutsuo
Published: January 2004

Gonadal germ cells (GGC) were collected from the gonads of 7‐ or 9‐day‐old White Leghorn chick embryos and suspended in freezing medium containing 10% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The cell suspension was frozen at −1°C/min. until the temperature reached −80°C. Then, the cells were immersed in liquid nitrogen at −196°C and stored for 3–4 months. Approximately 50 frozen/thawed GGC were injected into the dorsal aorta of each 2‐day‐old Rhode Island Red (RIR) embryo, from which blood was drawn before germ‐cell injection. The injected embryos were incubated until they hatched and the chicks were raised until sexually mature. On reaching sexual maturity, a progeny test was performed by mating recipient chicks with normal RIR of the opposite sex. Progenies were obtained from male germ cell recipients that were injected with germ cells collected from 7‐ and 9‐day‐old embryos. The results demonstrated that frozen/thawed GGC collected from 7‐ or 9‐day‐old fertilized eggs can be used to produce male germ‐line chimeras.
Oral glucose clearance in nonagenarians in relation to functional capacity, medication and oral variables
Authors: Lundgren M. , Birkhed D. , Steen G. , Emilson C.G. , Österberg T. , Steen B.
Published: January 2004

Objectives:To study oral sugar (glucose) clearance and to examine some factors which were believed to either influence or be dependent upon oral glucose clearance. Design:Cross‐sectional, clinical study with analysis of records. Setting:Göteborg gerontological and geriatric population studies, Göteborg University, Sweden. Subjects:71 community‐dwelling individuals, 27 men and 44 women, of a representative sample of 260 92‐year‐old persons. Intervention and Main outcome measures: Glucose concentration was measured in saliva after chewing of a glucose tablet and the clearance was assessed by three different variables: (i) the initial salivary glucose concentration, (ii) the area under the curve (AUC) and (iii) the clearance time. Results:The glucose clearance showed a wide inter‐individual variation, which could be explained partly by differences in oral state, chewing time, stimulated salivary secretion rate and medication use. A positive correlation was found between the clearance variables and the number of lactobacilli and mutans streptococci in saliva and the percentage of untreated root caries lesions of the total number of exposed root surfaces. Conclusions: A slow oral sugar clearance is more common among 92‐year‐olds than younger adults earlier reported in other studies, particularly in those who have uncompensated functional impairments and a high medication history. A decreased oral glucose clearance was associated with high counts of salivary lactobacilli and mutans streptococci and a high proportion of untreated root caries lesions.
The reasons for tooth loss in geriatric patients attending two surgical clinics in Jerusalem, Israel.
Authors: Stabholz Ayala , Babayof Itai , Mersel Alex , Mann Jonathan
Published: January 2004

Abstract Objectives Numerous studies around the world have been conducted in order to understand the reasons for tooth extractions in various age groups. Most studies have dealt with the general adult population but little attention has been paid to the elderly population. In Israel, as in most of the western countries, the elderly population is growing rapidly and thus demands for its dental needs are also increasing. In order to meet the dental requirements of the geriatric population, data on the main reasons of tooth mortality have been collected. Design Retrospective analysis of reasons for extraction divided into three categories: caries, periodontal disease and “other’’. Subjects The files of 302 consecutive elderly patients aged 65‐95 years attending for extraction. The cause for tooth extraction was gathered from the written diagnosis described by the operator as well as from radiographs. Setting Two surgical clinics in Jerusalem serving low income residents. Results Results indicated that 30% of the extractions were due to caries, 65% were due to periodontal disease and only 6.4% related to “other’’ reasons. In both, males and females, periodontal disease was the major cause for tooth loss yet, females exhibited more extractions due to caries than males (35%vs 23% respectively). A relatively high incidence of tooth loss was documented for the 85+ age group. Of the teeth that were extracted, incisors and molars were equally the most frequent (29%) followed by premolars (26%) and canines (17%). Premolars were the teeth most frequently extracted out of the teeth removed due to caries (32%) whereas incisors were the most frequently removed within the group of teeth extracted due to periodontal disease (31%). Conclusions The results of this study point to the importance of prevention and treatment of dental diseases, particularly periodontal disease, in adults aged 0 years and above in order to prevent tooth loss in their later years.
Oral health status and related behaviours of U.S. nursing home residents, 1995
Authors: Gift Helen C. , Cherry‐Peppers Gail , Oldakowski Richard J.
Published: January 2004

Setting: The 1995 U.S. National Nursing Home Survey. Aims: A descriptive overview of reported oral health status and related behaviours for residents. Design:Cross‐sectional survey. Subjects:8,056 residents. Intervention:Interviews by knowledgeable staff, examination of charts and/or personal knowledge. Main outcome measures: Information on the overall condition of oral health, edentulous status, presence/absence of dentures, difficulty chewing or biting, dental care received in past month, and method of payment for dental services in addition to personal characteristics and medical information. Results:Fifteen percent of the residents were described as having excellent or very good oral health. Forty‐one percent of the residents had difficulty chewing and biting. Almost one half of nursing home residents (47%) were totally edentulous. Twenty‐six percent of residents had dental services paid for during the past month. Nursing home residents have multiple known barriers to oral health: ability to pay, extended periods of time without direct access to the dental care delivery system, and serious chronic medical conditions. Conclusions:There are serious deficiencies in acheiving one of the US national health objectives: ensuring adequate oral health care for institutionalized individuals.
Attitudes to the importance of retaining natural teeth in an adult Swedish population
Authors: Nederfors T.
Published: January 2004

Objectives. To evaluate the attitudes to retaining natural teeth in an adult Swedish population, and to correlate the attitude to retaining natural teeth with some presumed influencing background factors. Design: Cross‐sectional study using a newly developed questionnaire. Subjects: From the national census register of four municipalities in the southern part of the province of Halland, Sweden, with a total population of 126,878 adult (≥20 years) inhabitants, 4,200 persons were selected at random. The sample was randomised by age and sex, and 300 men and 300 women from the age groups 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 years were included. Intervention and main outcome measures: The questionnaire aimed to evaluate the number of remaining natural teeth, the dental care habits, the self‐estimated quality of natural teeth, and the attitude t o retaining natural teeth In the studied population, and also to evaluate the possible correlation between those factors, in particular, the attitude to retaining natural teeth versus the other factors. Results: It was found that the attitude to the importance of retaining natural teeth was strongly correlated with the number of remaining natural teeth, the dental care habits, and the self‐estimated quality of natural teeth. Also sex had an influence on this attitude but not age. Conclusions: The attitude to the importance of retaining natural teeth in an adult Swedish population is correlated with the number of remaining natural teeth, the dental care habits, the self‐estimated quality of natural teeth, and sex, but not with age.
Maryland veterans' knowledge of risk factors for and signs of oral cancers and their use of dental services
Authors: Canto M.T. , Horowitz A.M. , Goodman H.S. , Watson M.R. , Cohen L.A. , Fedele D.J.
Published: January 2004

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate outpatient veteran'í knowledge about risk factors for and signs of oral cancers, and their utilization of dental services. Design: Patients receiving primary health care services were surveyed during August 1997. Setting: Primary health care services at three medical centres within the VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS). Subjects: A total of 135 outpatient veterans were interviewed. Intervention: Questionnaire administered by trained interviewers. Main outcome measures: Fifteen percent of the sample were eligible for dental care at the VA, while over 40% of those veterans participating in the study were unaware of their VA eligibility for dental services. Fifty six percent of the total sample received dental services from a private dentist, while 13% reported they had no provider of dental care. Of those not eligible for dental care at the VA (n=115), the majority (67%) received dental care from a private dentist. Current use of tobacco and alcohol was reported by 27% of the sample. Nonsmokers were more likely to visit the dentist in the previous year than smokers (OR=2.39, 95%C.I. 1.11,5.12). Although 84% correctly identified tobacco use as a risk factor, only 39% correctly identified regular alcohol use as a risk factor. Conclusions: Veterans at higher risk for oral cancers were less likely to have visited the dentist in the previous year, and, overall, were ill informed and misinformed about these cancers.
A study of the impact of oral health on the quality of life of older people in the UK‐ findings from a National Survey.
Authors: McGrath C. , Bedi R.
Published: January 2004

Objectives The aim of this study was to was to determine whether older adults perceive oral health as affecting their life quality and to identify variations in impacts in relation to socio‐demographic factors, dental service utilisation and method of payment. Design This study formed part of the Office for National Statistics Omnibus Survey, which utilised a random probability sample of addresses from the British Postcode Address File (PAF). Setting 3,000 homes were selected from one hundred post sectors across Britain. Respondents were interviewed in their homes about how oral health affects their quality of life. Subjects 454 older people (aged 65 and over) took part in the survey. Main outcome measures The study group perceived oral health as impacting on their quality of life in general (negative and/or positive impact) (70%, 318), enhancing (53%, 241) and detracting (44%, 199) from their life quality. The most frequently perceived way in which oral health affects life quality was its effect on eating and comfort. Older people from higher socio‐economic groups reported that oral health had a greater impact on their quality of life in general (positive and/or negative impacts), (OR=1.77,95% CI= 1.22,2.78) and specifically, enhancing their quality of life (OR=1.52, 95% CI=1.01,2.30). Those who reported attending the dentist within the last year perceived that their oral health enhanced their life quality (OR=1.55, 95% CI=1.01,2.38). Conclusions Socio‐economic background and dental attendance pattern are associated with how older people perceived oral health as affecting quality of life. These findings may have implications for promoting regular dental attendance and auditing dental services for older people.