Autosomal microsatellite data from Northwestern Colombia

Allele frequencies and some forensic parameters for 12 autosomal microsatellites (CSF1PO, TPOX, THO1, VWA, D16S539, D7S820, D13S317, D5S818, F13A1, FESFPS, F13B, LPL) were estimated from three departments from Northwestern Colombia. The total number of samples analysed was 1045 individuals. Comparative analysis among the three studied departments and with other published Colombian populations were also performed and discussed.     

Aberrent group B reactions detected in mixtures of semen and vaginal secretions possibly due to acquired B

Routine ABO grouping tests performed on vaginal swabs from a group O female showed the presence of blood group B activity as well as the expected A and H activity after intercourse with her group A partner. The source of the B activity was readily detectable using the Laboratory's routine elution test, but it was not detectable when a monoclonal anti-B was used and detection by the inhibition technique was possible only with a selected antiserum. A possible explanation of the reactions observed is that the acquired B is capable of reacting with only a portion of the antibodies present in normal polyclonal anti-B sera.     

Non-voluntary licensing of antivirals under patent: options the Australian Government should consider in light of a potential bird flu pandemic

In the face of a potential bird flu pandemic, Australian Federal Health Minister, Tony Abbott, has recently dismissed expert advice that the government should begin, or even publicly consider, authorising generic manufacturers to produce antivirals, such as Tamiflu and Relenza, under patent via non-voluntary licensing methods. This is despite the fact that the demand for antivirals in Australia, and throughout the world, cannot be met by manufacturers under the control of limited patent owners alone. This article proposes that Australian patent law, which allows for non-voluntary licensing when it comes to important public health issues that affect Australian citizens, is relevant in meeting the demand for increased antiviral treatments during a possible bird flu pandemic, domestically and abroad. It argues that the Australian Government must go beyond what is currently being done and investigate and pursue such options.     

Empowerment at village level through a workshop method

This article describes the activities and lessons learned of a 2-day workshop held in Sheikhupura District in Punjab, Pakistan. The project aim was to strengthen primary health care and to include the community in health development. The pilot program established Village Health Committees (VHCs) to promote local participation. Villagers decided that VHCs should be representative of the community. The community elected traditional birth attendants, teachers, holy men, and village activists. Workshops were held with VHCs in order to provide basic concepts of community awareness, organization, and development. Each workshop included 3-4 VHCs. Groups were comprised of up to 6 people. Workshops were held near villages and had access to lavatories. The workshop aims were identified throughout individual sessions and linked with each other. Facilitators kept discussions relevant, objective, and interesting. Participants introduced each other, which provided an opportunity to establish comfort and trust. Initial discussions centered on health issues that were introduced as interrelated. The health system issues was related to the village situation. Participants were asked to develop a health system model. The aim of the sessions was to reinforce the importance of the role of community. An exercise was conducted to illustrate the importance of dialogue and collective work. Participants discussed the nature of community organization and means of development, threats to the village, and empowerment. The workshops created awareness of the process of community involvement in development and were ongoing.     

Reviews

Nigel Swain, Hungary—The Rise and Fall of Feasible Socialism. London and New York: Verso, 1992, vii + 264 pp., £13.95 p/b.

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Lewis H. Siegelbaum, Soviet State and Society between Revolutions, 1918–1929. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992, xiii + 284 pp., £40.00 h/b, £13.95 p/b.

Gerald Segal‐ et al., Openness and Foreign Policy Reform in Communist Slates. London and New York: Routledge for The Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1992, x + 248 pp., £40.00.

Joan Barth Urban, ed., Moscow and the Global Left in the Gorbachev Era. New York: Cornell University Press, 1992, xii + 204 pp., $32.95 h/b, $14.25 p/b.

Donald Filtzer, Soviet Workers and De‐Stalinization: The Consolidation of the Modern System of Soviet Production Relations, 1953–1964. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992, xv+ 318 pp.

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Autosomal microsatellite data from Northwestern Colombia

Allele frequencies and some forensic parameters for 12 autosomal microsatellites (CSF1PO, TPOX, THO1, VWA, D16S539, D7S820, D13S317, D5S818, F13A1, FESFPS, F13B, LPL) were estimated from three departments from Northwestern Colombia. The total number of samples analysed was 1045 individuals.Comparative analysis among the three studied departments and with other published Colombian populations were also performed and discussed.     

Perceptions and prevalence of stalking in a male sample

Abstract

Most research into stalking has focused on males as perpetrators and females as victims. The present study investigated firstly how males perceive the crime of stalking and secondly the prevalence of stalking and other intrusive activities in a male population. A sample of 210 British men was asked to indicate which of a continuum of 42 behaviours they believed to represent stalking. Clear subtypes of perceived stalking were identified, and these did not significantly differ from those produced by a female sample in earlier work (Sheridan, Davies and Boon, 2001). Thus, male and females hold similar views on which activities do and do not constitute ‘stalking’, Respondents were then asked to indicate whether they had personal experience of the same 42 behaviours and if they had, to provide free narrative on their ‘worst experience’. As expected, males reported substantially less experience of intrusive behaviour than females, and just 5.2% were judged to have suffered ‘stalking’. Whilst this figure is significantly below estimates made for females, it still indicates a notable risk for males and suggests that complaints of stalking made by males should be taken as seriously as those made by females.     

Knowledge Utilization in Canadian Health Service Organizations: A Path Analysis

The aim of this article is to study direct and causality effects of variables involved in knowledge utilization (KU) explanations. Based on a survey of 928 managers and professionals in Canadian health service organizations (HSOs) (ministries, regional health authorities, and hospitals), the results of the path analysis indicate that the extent to which research results are used in policy and practice is influenced by the format of research results, by organizational and contextual variables (e.g., research culture and absorptive capacity), by the formal partnership activities initiated between the producers of research and users (formal linkage mechanisms), and by the user’s relational capital (informal linkage mechanisms), among other variables. Formal and informal linkage mechanisms have a positive and significant impact on KU in different causal explanations. The article shows that utilization processes are interdependent in their causes and effects, and thus complicated to study.