Geographical variations in arsenic contents in rice plants from Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula in relation to soil conditions.

Arsenic is a ubiquitous, toxic element that is efficiently accumulated by rice plants. This study assessed the spatial variability in the total As (tAs) contents and organic and inorganic forms in different types of rice, plant parts (husk, stem, leaves and phytoliths) and residues. Samples were collected in different countries in Latin America (Ecuador, Brazil and Peru) and the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). The tAs content in commercial polished rice from the Latin American countries was similar (0.130-0.166 mg kg-1) and significantly lower than in the rice from the Iberian countries (0.191 ± 0.066 mg kg-1), and together, the tAs concentration in brown rice (236 ± 0.093 mg kg-1) was significantly higher than in polished and parboiled rice. The inorganic As (iAs) content in rice was similar in both geographical regions, and the aforementioned difference was attributed to dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). The relative abundance of organic species increased as the tAs content in rice grain increased. A meta-analysis of our and previously reported data confirmed the negative correlation between iAs/tAs and tAs. At low tAs concentrations, inorganic forms are dominant, while at higher values (tAs > 0.300 mg kg-1) the concentration of organic As increases substantially and DMA becomes the dominant form in rice grain. On the contrary, inorganic arsenic was always the dominant form, mainly as arsenate [As(V)], in leaves and stems. The presence in soils of high concentrations of amorphous Fe and Al oxides and hydroxides, which are capable of strongly adsorbing oxyanions (i.e. arsenate), was associated with low concentrations of As in rice plants. In addition, the presence of high concentrations of As(V) in stems and leaves, low concentration of As in phytoliths, and the As associated with organic matter in stems and husk, together suggest that rice plants take up more As(V) than As(III).

Deportation experiences and depression among U.S. citizen-children with undocumented Mexican parents.

BACKGROUND: There is a critical need to document the mental health effects of immigration policies and practices on children vulnerable to parental deportation. Few studies capture the differential experiences produced by U.S. citizen-children's encounters with immigration enforcement, much less in ways that analyse mental health outcomes alongside the psychosocial contexts within which those outcomes arise. METHODS: We explore the psychosocial dimensions of depression in U.S. citizen-children with undocumented Mexican parents to examine differences between citizen-children affected and not affected by parental deportation. An exploratory mixed-method design was used to integrate a quantitative measure of depression symptoms (CDI-2) within qualitative data collected with 48 citizen-children aged 8 to 15 with and without experiences of parental deportation. RESULTS: Stressors elicited by citizen-children in the qualitative interview included an inability to communicate with friends, negative perceptions of Mexico, financial struggles, loss of supportive school networks, stressed relation with parent(s) and violence. Fifty percent of citizen-children with probable depression - regardless of experiences with parental deportation - cited 'stressed relation with parents,' compared to 9% without depression. In contrast, themes of 'loss of supportive school network' and 'violence' were mentioned almost exclusively by citizen-children with probable depression and affected by parental deportation. CONCLUSIONS: While citizen-children who suffer parental deportation experience the most severe consequences associated with immigration enforcement, our findings also suggest that the burden of mental health issues extends to those children concomitantly affected by immigration enforcement policies that target their undocumented parents.

Making strides towards better mental health care in Peru: Results from a primary care mental health training.

Our program attempted to improve attitudes and confidence of Peruvian primary care physicians (PCPs) providing mental health care. The training program underwent an evaluation to determine impact of sustained confidence in performing medical and psychiatric procedures, and application of learned skills. Fifty-two Peruvian primary care practitioners were trained at the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma (HPRT) over a two-week period. There was significant improvement in PCPs' confidence levels of performing psychiatric procedures (counseling, prescribing medications, psychiatric diagnosis, assessing the risk for violence, and treating trauma victims) when comparing baseline and post-two-week to one year follow-up. When comparing post-two-week and one-year follow-up quantitative measures, confidences levels went slightly down. This may be an implication that the frequency of trainings and supervisions are needed more frequently. In contrast, qualitative responses from the one-year follow-up revealed increase in victims of violence clinical care, advocacy, awareness, education, training, policy changes, accessibility of care, and sustainment of diagnostic tools. This study supports the feasibility of training PCP's in a culturally effective manner with sustainability over time.

Health-related functional status in pregnancy: relationship to depression and social support in a multi-ethnic population.

OBJECTIVE: To describe perceived well-being and functional status during uncomplicated late pregnancy among low-income minority women, and to examine the relationship of functional status to depression and social support. METHODS: Hispanic and black women with low-risk pregnancies completed an interview consisting of demographics, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the 155 women who were eligible and asked to participate, 41 refused for a participation rate of 74%. Results of the SF-36 showed lowest perceived well-being in the vitality and physical role dimensions. Depressive symptomatology was high, with a mean BDI score of 15 (standard deviation 8.6). Using a BDI score of 14 as the cutoff point, over half of the sample was categorized as having significant depressive symptoms. Significantly lower functional status was seen for depressed subjects in all subscales of the SF-36 compared with nondepressed subjects. Although functional status was negatively correlated with BDI score in all dimensions (r =.23-.69), correlation of SF-36 scores with social support was much weaker (r =.06-.24). CONCLUSION: Elevated levels of depressive symptomatology are strongly correlated with lowered health-related functioning and perceived well-being. Social support is not associated with increased physical or emotional well-being but is weakly associated with mental health as measured by the SF-36.

Cultural and linguistic considerations in psychodiagnosis with Hispanics: the need for an empirically informed process model.

It is estimated that in the next century nearly half of the clientele seeking mental health services will be members of ethnic minority groups. Hispanics are the most rapidly growing population in the United States, and epidemiological evidence suggests that they present higher levels of psychiatric symptomatology and prevalence rates of disorder compared with other ethnic groups. Despite the unprecedented recognition of cultural considerations found in DSM-IV for rendering a psychiatric diagnosis, there is still surprisingly little empirical research examining cultural and linguistic factors influencing the diagnostic process. This article critically reviews this research and considers process variables that can inform social workers' culturally sensitive diagnosis of Hispanics.

Conducting research in culturally diverse inner-city neighborhoods: some lessons learned.

Social, behavioral, and health research among disenfranchised groups in inner cities poses problems in collecting data. It is a challenge to achieve data of sufficient quantity and quality necessary to be scientifically usable. This article describes the experiences of a research team during two phases of data collection in a mental health intervention study in New York's South Bronx. Challenges in addressing human subject concerns, the formation of a fieldwork team, enrollment and retention of respondents, and administration of instruments are described and solutions are discussed. Emphasis is placed on researchers' approaches to the selection, orientation, and safety of interviewers, interviewer-respondent race and ethnic matching, contacts and rapport with respondents, and the handling of such interpersonal issues as distrust, poor cooperation, and family dynamics. The procedures developed took into consideration the culture and life conditions of the population to ensure a satisfactory response rate and high-quality data.

Understanding suicide attempts by adolescent Hispanic females.

This article presents integrative model to aid clinicians in understanding suicide attempts by adolescent Hispanic females. On the basis of knowledge accumulated through clinical and research experience, the model describes a convergence of sociocultural, familial, developmental, and psychological factors that include considerations of family and parental functioning; adolescent female development; and the relationships of fathers, mothers, and daughters.

Exploring instructional quality indicators in ambulatory medical settings: an ethnographic approach.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: As medical education moves to community settings, the quality of learning is influenced by differences in the practice environment, organization, resources, patient case mix, and demographics. This ethnographic study identified experiences and processes that influence student learning in community-based practice settings. METHODS: Trained field researchers conducted participant observation in eight community teaching sites. Data were analyzed using a qualitative, grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Three dominant themes emerged: 1) the preceptor's role in situating learning opportunities, 2) the learner's role in transforming experience into learning, and 3) the practice organization as a classroom setting. The findings highlight the importance of exploiting learning opportunities and the contributions of other medical staff and patients in facilitating unique learning experiences. CONCLUSIONS: This research suggests the need to move beyond the typical student ratings of teacher effectiveness to consider and assess additional important factors and processes that affect instructional quality.

Exploring lay definitions of asthma and interpersonal barriers to care in a predominantly Puerto Rican, inner-city community.

Lay definitions of asthma were elicited through a single open-ended question from a population-based sample of mostly Puerto Rican, inner-city residents in Buffalo, New York. One hundred fifty-five household responses to the question, "What do you think asthma is?" were analyzed qualitatively using the editing approach. Five common codes emerged in order of significance: "symptoms," "disease," "triggers," "threat," and "coping." Overall, expressions of illness reflected a largely symptomatic perception of asthma regardless of asthma status. Perceptions of "disease" increased with higher level of education. Patients' definitions of illness should be considered to help reduce interpersonal barriers to asthma care.

Barriers to completion of health care proxies: an examination of ethnic differences.

BACKGROUND: Advance directives have not been uniformly used by different segments of the US population and studies have consistently shown a lower prevalence of advance directives among African Americans and Hispanics compared with non-Hispanic whites. OBJECTIVE: To examine barriers to completion of health care proxies for different ethnic groups. METHODS: One hundred ninety-seven subjects aged 65 years or older self-identified as African American (n = 65), Hispanic (n = 65), or non-Hispanic white (n = 67) attending a geriatrics and internal medicine outpatient clinic of a large New York City teaching hospital were administered a questionnaire. Questionnaires were developed to examine potential barriers to completion of health care proxies. Barriers were drawn from the literature and from focus groups. RESULTS: Significant predictors of proxy completion using logistic regression analysis included knowledge of health care proxies, availability of a health care agent, exposure to mechanical ventilation, age, and self-reported health status as fair to poor. Subjects who believed that a health care agent was irrelevant in the setting of involved family were significantly less likely to have completed a health care proxy. Although there were significant differences in the baseline completion rates of health care proxies for the 3 ethnic groups, ethnicity did not predict prior appointment of a health care agent in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in health care proxy completion rates across white, African American, and Hispanic elderly individuals in this New York City population seem to be related to potentially reversible barriers such as lack of knowledge and the perceived irrelevance of advance directives in the setting of involved family. Enhanced educational efforts of both health care personnel and patients could increase the rate of formal health care proxy appointment.

Alcohol and drug use, and depression among Hispanic men in early adulthood.

Community research and clinical practice have shown that alcohol and drug use and depression are interrelated. Among Hispanics, acculturation may play a role in these relationships. To investigate these relationships as well as alcohol-related problems, we interviewed 288 Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Colombian men in early adulthood. No significant differences emerged in the proportions of abstainers across the three groups. Colombians drank significantly more frequently and had more alcohol-related problems than Dominicans. Dominicans were at least risk for and least likely to have alcohol-related problems. Puerto Ricans were much more likely to use drugs than the other Hispanic men. Drug use was associated with an increased likelihood of heavy drinking which, in turn, increased the risk of drug use and depression. Acculturation decreased the risk of drug use. Results are discussed in terms of implications for community psychology research and interventions.

Unmasking adverse birth outcomes among Hispanic subgroups.

The 1988 Upstate New York Live Birth Certificate was the first to record Hispanic ethnicity and country of origin. This registry was used to compare low birthweight and preterm delivery among non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic infants. Risk of low birthweight and preterm delivery was assessed for Hispanics by country of origin. Unconditional backward elimination logistic regression analysis, controlling for confounders was used to assess risk of low birthweight and preterm delivery of Hispanic subgroups compared to non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black mothers. The data showed that non-Hispanic black mothers are at greatest risk of low birthweight and preterm delivery. Hispanics as a group have rates similar to non-Hispanic white mothers, although risk of preterm delivery and low birthweight differs among Hispanic ethnic subgroups. This study supports the need to assess Hispanic subgroups separately rather than as a single entity.

Patterns of dysphoria in a Puerto Rican urban community.

This study was undertaken to explore the prevalence of perceived dysphoria in a poor, urban, predominantly Puerto Rican community. A cross-sectional sample of 704 adult respondents were asked a single validated question, with a five-item Likert scale response, about their level of perceived dysphoria. Chi-squared analysis and Spearman's correlation coefficients were used to assess the association of level of dysphoria with social characteristics, barriers to health care, health status, and substance use. Linear regression modeling was used to control for confounding variables. Twenty percent of the respondents were dysphoric. Respondents with no health insurance or no source of health care were least likely to be dysphoric. Persons who perceived distance to the hospital and the doctor, and understanding language of the doctor and office staff as barriers to care were more likely to be dysphoric. Ethnicity was not correlated with level of perceived dysphoria; however, age, gender, and health status were found to be associated with level of dysphoria after controlling for other correlated variables. These results indicate that the psychological needs of communities need to be understood and interventions that are appropriate for the population need to be devised.

The value of curiosity and naiveté for the cross-cultural psychotherapist.

Therapists today face a dramatic increase in the cultural diversity of their client populations. Cultural literacy, long the dominant model for preparing to do cross-cultural therapy, advocates study of the prospective client's history and culture. This model, however, poses logistical problems, emphasizes scholarship over the experiential and phenomenological, and risks seeing clients as their culture and not as themselves. In this essay, we argue that teaching culture alone can obscure therapists' view of human diversity. To balance the cognitive model of preparation, a process-oriented approach is considered, whereby the therapists' attitudes of cultural naiveté and respectful curiosity are given equal importance to knowledge and skill. We begin from a concern with clients' vulnerability in the power distribution that inevitably exists in therapy, especially with immigrant and marginalized populations. The use of acculturation narratives, which the therapist explores with naiveté and curiosity, helps clients to find their voices.

A comparative study of the visible light photochemistry of gilvocarcins V and M.

Quantum yields for the formation of superoxide ions, O2-., and singlet oxygen, 1O2, were determined during the photolyses of gilvocarcin M (GM) in air-saturated dry dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and in 45:55 (vol/vol) DMSO-water mixtures. The quantum yield for the photoreduction of methyl viologen by GM in nitrogen-saturated dry DMSO was also determined. These values are not different, within experimental error, from those corresponding to gilvocarcin V (GV). Because GV is a strong photocytotoxic agent and GM is not, these results imply that Type I and Type II mechanisms are not important pathways in the cytotoxicity of GV.

Reductive activation of benzazolo[3,2-a]-quinolinium chlorides.

Initial ferricytochrome c (Cyt(III)c) reduction rates occurring in aerobic or anaerobic solutions containing either 3-nitrobenzothiazolo[3,2-a]-(NBQCl), 1-ethyl-3-nitrobenzimidazolo[3,2-a]-(ENBIQCl), 7-ethylbenzimidazolo[3,2-a]quinolinium chloride (EHBIQCL), or nitrofurantoin (NFT) and xanthine/xanthine oxidase were measured. Maximum rates in nitrogen-saturated solutions follow the order NFT > NBQCL > ENBIQCL > EHBIQCL. These rates correlate linearly with the half-wave reduction potentials (E1/2) of these compounds. With the exception of EHBIQCl, smaller rates of Cyt(III)c reduction were obtained in air-saturated than in nitrogen-saturated solutions at the quinolinium salt concentrations used. Larger concentrations of superoxide dismutase (SOD) are needed for 50% inhibition of the Cyt(III)c reduction reaction for heterocyclic compounds with larger E1/2 values. Thus, measurement of the portion of the Cyt(III)c reduction rate under air that is inhibited by SOD does not account solely for the production of superoxide. These observations suggest that NBQCL, ENBIQCl, and less probably EHBIQCl may interfere with mitochondrial energy metabolism or induce DNA damage through reduced intermediates.

Social workers training primary care physicians: essential psychosocial principles.

The growth of primary care medicine is opening new roles for the social worker in medical education to provide instruction and to design curricula that include the psychosocial dimensions of medical practice. This article describes a family-oriented, community-based medical residency program in which the social work faculty plays a prominent role in the education of young physicians. The relevance of core social work principles to medicine and how they are introduced into the teaching and precepting of medical residents are discussed.