March 17th, 2010 Posted by: admin
Abstract
This study examines the state of sense of community, neighboring behavior, and social capital in the People’s Republic of
China, and explores their ability to predict local political participation, in the form of voting in elections for Urban Resident/Rural
Villager Committees. Using a nationally representative survey, rural, older and married residents and those with a primary
or high school education and higher perceived socio-economic status are more likely to participate. In rural areas, men are
more likely than women to vote. For urban residents, knowing one’s neighbors is more important whereas in rural areas, neighboring
behavior is more important, but both predict voting. Social capital does not generally predict Chinese people’s local political
participation. Western definitions of social capital derived from theories about networking, bonding and bridging ties may
be too culturally individualistic for China, whose collectivist society and agrarian kinship networks predate Communism. Simply
knowing and helping one’s neighbors, rather than more abstract notions of trust, reciprocity or membership, may lead to the
development of local democracy.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- DOI 10.1007/s10464-010-9312-2
- Authors
- Qingwen Xu, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work 140 Commonwealth Ave Chestnut Hill MA 02467 USA
- Douglas D. Perkins, Vanderbilt University Center for Community Studies, Graduate Program in Community Research & Action, Department of Human & Organization Development, Peabody College #90 Nashville TN 37203-5701 USA
- Julian Chun-Chung Chow, University of California at Berkeley School of Social Welfare 120 Haviland Hall #7400 Berkeley CA 94720-7400 USA
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March 17th, 2010 Posted by: admin
Abstract
Data collected during an evaluation of a multi-site trial of an enhanced after-school program were used to relate quality
of program implementation to student experiences after school. The enhanced after-school program incorporated a drug use and
violence prevention component that was shown to be effective in previous research. Building on Durlak and Dupre’s (Am J Community
Psychol 41:327–350, 2008) dimensions of implementation, we assessed the level of dosage, quality of management and climate, participant responsiveness,
and staffing quality achieved at the five program sites. We evaluated how these characteristics co-varied with self-reported
positive experiences after-school. The study illustrates how multiple dimensions of program implementation can be measured,
and shows that some but not all dimensions of implementation are related to the quality of student after-school experiences.
Measures of quality of management and climate, participant responsiveness, and staffing stability were most clearly associated
with youth experiences. The importance of measuring multiple dimensions of program implementation in intervention research
is discussed.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- DOI 10.1007/s10464-010-9295-z
- Authors
- Amanda Brown Cross, University of Maryland Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice 2220 LeFrak Hall College Park MD 20742-8235 USA
- Denise C. Gottfredson, University of Maryland Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice 2220 LeFrak Hall College Park MD 20742-8235 USA
- Denise M. Wilson, University of Maryland Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice 2220 LeFrak Hall College Park MD 20742-8235 USA
- Melissa Rorie, University of Maryland Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice 2220 LeFrak Hall College Park MD 20742-8235 USA
- Nadine Connell, Rowan University Glassboro NJ USA
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March 17th, 2010 Posted by: admin
Publication year: 2010
Source: The American Journal of Cardiology, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 16 March 2010
Ingar, Holme , Kurt, Boman , Philippe, Brudi , Kenneth, Egstrup , Christa, Gohlke-Baerwolf , …
In the Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) trial, combined ezetimibe (10 mg) and simvastatin (40 mg) decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels by 50% and ischemic cardiovascular event (ICE) risk by 22% compared to placebo. A larger decrease in ICE risk might have been expected for the degree of lipid-lowering observed. This analysis investigated relations between changes in lipoprotein components (LCs), and ICE risk decrease in the SEAS trial in all patients, by severity of aortic stenosis (AS), and compared to results of other clinical trials. A total of 1,570 patients with baseline aortic jet velocity (JV) data, baseline…
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March 17th, 2010 Posted by: admin
Purpose: The objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment option for treating the condition of dry eye.Methods: We searched the literature using 14 databases from their inceptions to 3 December 2009, without language restrictions. We included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing acupuncture with conventional treatment. Their risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane criteria.Results: Six RCTs met all the inclusion criteria. Three RCTs compared the effects of acupuncture with artificial tears in patients with xerophthalmia or Sjögren syndrome. A meta-analysis of these data showed that acupuncture improved tear break-up times (p < 0.0001), Schirmer test scores (p < 0.00001), response rates (p = 0.002) and the region of cornea fluorescent staining (p = 0.0001) significantly more than artificial tears did. The other three RCTs compared the effects of acupuncture plus artificial tears with artificial tears alone. Two of these studies failed to show significant effects of acupuncture, while one reported significant effects. For Schirmer test scores and frequency of artificial tear usage, two RCTs reported superior effects of acupuncture plus artificial tears, while one RCT failed to do so.Conclusion: These results provide limited evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating dry eye. However, the total number of RCTs, the total sample size and the methodological quality were too low to draw firm conclusions.
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March 17th, 2010 Posted by: admin
This article reviews the historical and current concepts of ‘tobacco optic neuropathy’ (TON) a rare disorder of optic nerve function related to the toxic effects of an unidentified constituent of tobacco. It is considered to be an entity distinct from that often described as ‘tobacco-alcohol amblyopia’, a disorder better described as a nutritional optic neuropathy. It is suggested that ‘tobacco-alcohol amblyopia’ is an inappropriate term, because the condition to which it refers is not an amblyopia, and there is little evidence to implicate a toxic effect of either tobacco or alcohol in the pathogenesis of that disorder.
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March 17th, 2010 Posted by: admin
Purpose: To compare the outcomes of treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab alone (BEVA group) or in combination with photodynamic therapy (PDT) (COMB group), in patients aged at least 50 years with neovascular maculopathy.Methods: Forty-one patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (n = 31) or polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) (n = 10) were randomized to either the BEVA group (n = 18) or the COMB group (n = 23). A total of three intravitreal bevacizumab injections (1.25 mg/0.05 ml) were given at 6-week intervals. In the COMB group, PDT was included near the time of one injection. Patients underwent best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) measurement and optical coherence tomography (OCT) at every visit. Fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography were repeated every 3 months.Results: Overall BCVA (p = 0.001) and central foveal thickness (CFT) (p < 0.001) measured by OCT improved significantly at 12 months, and there was no between-group difference in BCVA or CFT between the BEVA and COMB groups. Whereas AMD patients showed significant improvement in BCVA (p = 0.001) and CFT (p = 0.004), PCV patients failed to improve. The effect of bevacizumab alone on neovascular AMD was similar to that of combination therapy, when measured by both BCVA and CFT. The total number of bevacizumab injections was not reduced when PDT was given, either among all patients or in a subgroup of naïve patients (p > 0.05). No serious complication was noted.Conclusion: The results of our 12-month prospective study indicate that intravitreal bevacizumab alone has similar efficacy and safety to bevacizumab plus PDT for treatment of patients with neovascular AMD, even treatment-naïve patients. The addition of PDT did not assist in reducing the required total number of bevacizumab injections.
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March 15th, 2010 Posted by: admin
Publication year: 2010
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy, Volume 8, Issue 1, February 2010, Page IFC
[No author name available]
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March 15th, 2010 Posted by: admin
Publication year: 2010
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy, Volume 8, Issue 1, February 2010, Pages 1-3
Joseph T., Hanlon
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March 15th, 2010 Posted by: admin
Publication year: 2010
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy, Volume 8, Issue 1, February 2010, Pages 4-33
Karen, Barnard , Cathleen, Colón-Emeric
Background: Vitamin D insufficiency is prevalent among older adults and may be associated with higher risk for cardiovascular (CV) disease, mortality, depression, and cognitive deficits.Objective: The aim of this article was to review published observational and experimental studies that explored the association between vitamin D insufficiency and CV disease, mortality, mood, and cognition with an emphasis on older adults.Methods: PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for English-language articles from January 1966 through June 2009 relating to vitamin D, using the following MeSH terms: aged, vitamin D deficiency, physiopathology, drug therapy, cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure, mortality, delirium, dementia, cognitive…
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March 15th, 2010 Posted by: admin
Publication year: 2010
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy, Volume 8, Issue 1, February 2010, Pages 34-46
Richard H., Lee , Kenneth W., Lyles , Cathleen, Colón-Emeric
Background: Osteoporosis and seizure disorders are common diagnoses in older adults and often occur concomitantly.Objective: The goal of this review was to discuss the current hypothesis for the pathogenesis of anticonvulsantinduced bone density loss and the evidence regarding the risk for osteoporosis and fractures in older individuals.Methods: A review of the literature was performed, searching in MEDLINE and CINAHL for articles published between 1990 and October 2009 with the following search terms: anticonvulsant OR antiepileptic; AND osteoporosis OR bone density OR fracture OR absorptiometry, photon. Studies within the pediatric population, cross-sectional studies, and studies whose results were published in a…
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