Extending environmental justice research to religious minorities

For more than 30 years, significant research in the United States has found that racial and ethnic minorities suffer disproportionately from nearness to environmental disamenities compared with white non-Hispanics and that these results persist even controlling for poverty and “which came first,” the minorities or the disamenities. The engrained discriminatory findings of this environmental justice (EJ) research have led some to argue that we observe “systemic racism,” built into our social systems in ways that may be difficult to perceive. Yet, within the history of the United States, racial and ethnic minorities are not the only groups that have been systematically discriminated against; various religious groups also have histories of discrimination. Here we consider whether, holding constant race and ethnicity, some religious groups may also suffer from “EJ syndrome.” Since the US Census does not collect data on religion, to measure the presence of some religious groups that may be discriminated against, we use an original dataset on the presence of Jewish, Muslim, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, aka Mormon), and Roman Catholic houses of worship within California's Census tracts. Our results indicate that even controlling for race/ethnicity and income, the presence of Jewish or Muslim houses of worship in a California Census tract increases the likelihood of environmental burden as measured by the CalEnviroScreen 3.0 index of pollution and community vulnerability.     

The advocacy coalition framework in Japan: Contributions to policy process studies and the challenges involved

The advocacy coalition framework (ACF), a unified framework for understanding the policy process, has been applied in various countries and regions; however, there are few contributions from Japan, despite seemingly favorable conditions for applying it. An exploration of what hinders ACF applications in Japan is worthwhile for developing the ACF as a framework for comparative policy process studies across various social and political settings. Therefore, this study aims to systematically review previous Japanese ACF studies. Our review found that Japanese ACF studies are fewer in number, have less coverage of policy fields, and have less methodological diversity and transparency than international trends. While most of the Japanese ACF studies supported the basic hypotheses of the ACF, we found a need to refine some hypotheses and research methods of the ACF studies. We also discuss the background factors in the inactivity of ACF studies in Japan and suggest solutions for it.     

Analysis of Ecstasy Tablets Using Capillary Electrophoresis with Capacitively Coupled Contactless Conductivity Detection

A method for the identification of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and meta‐chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP) was developed employing capillary electrophoresis (CE) with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C⁴D). Sample extraction, separation, and detection of “Ecstasy” tablets were performed in <10 min without sample derivatization. The separation electrolyte was 20 mm TAPS/Lithium, pH 8.7. Average minimal detectable amounts for MDMA and mCPP were 0.04 mg/tablet, several orders of magnitude lower than the minimum amount encountered in a tablet. Seven different Ecstasy tablets seized in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were analyzed by CE‐C⁴D and compared against routine gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). The CE method demonstrated sufficient selectivity to discriminate the two target drugs, MDMA and mCPP, from the other drugs present in seizures, namely amphepramone, fenproporex, caffeine, lidocaine, and cocaine. Separation was performed in <90 sec. The advantages of using C⁴D instead of traditional CE‐UV methods for in‐field analysis are also discussed.     

行气调神针刺疗法对缺血性卒中后抑郁大鼠左前皮质及海马CREB和PDE4 mRNA表达的影响

目的 观察cAMP反应元件结合蛋白(cAMP response element binding protein,CREB)和磷酸二酯酶4(phosphodiesterase 4,PDE4)在缺血性卒中后抑郁(post stroke depression,PSD)发病中的作用及行气调神针刺疗法对其的影响。方法 将SD大鼠随机分为正常组、模型组、行气调神针刺组、西药组,每组各20只。采用大脑中动脉电凝结合应激和孤养的方法复制PSD模型。针刺组取“人中”、双侧“合谷”和双侧“太冲”,针刺治疗6周,西药组予以盐酸氟西汀灌胃治疗6周。采用RT-PCR检测左前皮质及海马CREB mRNA和PDE4 mRNA的表达水平。结果 最终各组样本量为11。与正常组比较,模型组大鼠左前皮质及海马CREB mRNA表达水平显著下调(P<0.01),PDE4 mRNA表达水平显著上调(P<0.01);与模型组比较,西药组及针刺组大鼠左前皮质及海马CREB mRNA表达水平显著上调(P<0.01),PDE4 mRNA表达水平显著下调(P<0.01)。结论 行气调神针刺疗法治疗PSD的机制与上调脑组织CREB mRNA的表达和下调PDE4 mRNA的表达有关。     

灸预处理对乙醇诱导胃黏膜损伤大鼠TLR4、MyD88、NF-κB p65蛋白的影响

目的 观察灸预处理对乙醇诱导大鼠胃黏膜损伤的影响,探讨灸法对胃黏膜损伤“未病先防”的作用机制。方法 将大鼠随机分为正常组、模型组和灸预处理组,每组10只,先对灸预处理组大鼠进行艾灸“足三里”“中脘”,再对模型组和灸预处理组大鼠进行乙醇灌胃制备胃黏膜损伤模型。比较各组大鼠胃黏膜溃疡指数(ulcer index, UI)和病理学变化,ELISA法检测大鼠血清肿瘤坏死因子-α(tumor necrosis factor-α,TNF-α)和白细胞介素-6 (interleukin-6,IL-6)水平,免疫组织化学法和Western blot法检测胃黏膜组织Toll样受体4(Toll-like receptor 4,TLR4)、髓样分化因子88(myeloid differentiation factor 88,MyD88)、核转录因子-κB(nuclear factor kappa B,NF-κB)p65蛋白表达水平。结果 模型组大鼠UI显著高于正常组,灸预处理组UI显著低于模型组(P<0.05),模型组大鼠胃黏膜上皮结构破坏严重,有出血灶和炎症细胞浸润;灸预处理组大鼠胃黏膜病理损伤低于...     

化瘀温经利湿法治疗慢性盆腔炎20例临床观察

目的观察化瘀温经利湿中药对慢性盆腔炎患者的疗效及对外周血CD4^＋CD25^＋CD127^lo调节性T细胞（regulative Tcells，Treg）的影响。方法将40例慢性盆腔炎患者按随机数字表法分为化瘀温经利湿中药治疗组20例和西药对照组20例，两组均以1个月为1个疗程，均治疗1个疗程，观察临床疗效及对症状出现率的影响；采用流式细胞术检测患者治疗前后外周血CD4^＋CD25^＋CD127^loTreg的数量及其在CD4^＋T淋巴细胞中所占的比例；并检测治疗前后血沉（erythrocyte sedimentation rate，ESR）和C反应蛋白（C—reactive peptide，CRP）水平。结果与对照组比较，治疗组总有效率和CD4^＋CD25^＋CD127^loTreg表达水平显著升高，ESR、CRP及症状出现率显著降低（P〈0．05）。结论化瘀温经利湿中药治疗慢性盆腔炎的作用机制，可能与其上调CD4^＋CD25^＋CD127^loTreg表达水平，促进免疫调节，降低炎症反应有关。     

Lipidic compounds found in soils surrounding human decomposing bodies and its use in forensic investigations – A narrative review

Following decomposition of a human body, a variety of decomposition products, such as lipids, are released into the surrounding environment, e.g. soils. The long-lasting preservation in soils and their high diagnostic potential have been neglected in forensic research. Furthermore, little is known about the preservation, chemical transformation, or degradation of those human derived lipids in soils. To date, several studies identified various lipids such as long-chain free fatty acids and steroids in soils that contained decomposition fluids. Those lipids are preserved in soils over time and could serve as markers of human decomposition in forensic investigations, e.g. for estimating the post-mortem interval or identifying the burial location of a human body. Therefore, this review focuses on the current literature regarding fatty acid and steroid that have been detected in soils and associated with human body decomposition. After a short introduction about human decomposition processes, this review summarises fatty acid and steroid analysis applied in current case studies and studies related to taphonomic research. This review provides an overview of the available studies that have used fatty acids and steroids as identifiers of human decomposition fluid in soils in a forensic context and discusses the potential for developing this innovative field of research with direct application in a forensic context.