Presumed species synonymy in the genus Allogynaspis Krantz, 2018 (Acari: Macrochelidae).

Macrocheles bolivari Iavorschi, 1987 was described in a volume of invited papers on hypogean invertebrate fauna collected primarily in Venezuela in 1982 during the first Romanian/Venezuelan Biospeleogical Expedition [corrected]. The volume, "Hypogean and hemiedaphic fauna from Venezuela and other countries of South America. 1" was recently brought to my attention by Bruce Halliday, who recognised the similarity between Iavorschi's M. bolivari and Allogynaspis flechtmanni Krantz, 2018, recently described from Brazil. Although some important opisthosomatic and gnathosomatic details were omitted from Iavorschi's description, the nature of the epigynal and dorsal shields (Iavorschi 1987, Figs 1A, B), along with the unusual fixed cheliceral digit dentition (Iavorschi 1987, Fig. 1C), leave little doubt that Macrocheles bolivari is a species of Allogynaspis. However, there are discrepancies between the descriptions of M. bolivari and A. flechtmanni, such that final verification of species synonymy may only be possible if type specimens of these two entities can be compared. Of special significance here are differences in sternal shield morphology and ornamentation (Krantz 2018, Fig. 2; Iavorschi 1987, Fig. 1A), and omission of any mention in Iavorschi's description of greatly enlarged setae on tarsus IV as described for A. flechtmanni (Krantz 2018, Fig. 6).

Allogynaspis flechtmanni, a new genus and species of the subfamily Macrochelinae (Acari: Mesostigmata: Macrochelidae) from southeastern Brazil, with comments on cheliceral dentition, reproductive strategies, and postepigynal platelets.

Allogynaspis flechtmanni n. gen., n. sp. is described from litter bordering a stream in a forested area of Itatiaia National Park in southeastern Brazil. Although it shares a number of traits with the free-living macrochelid genera Nothrholaspis and Macrholaspis, the new species presents a unique combination of characters that argues against its inclusion in either genus, or in any other recognised macrochelid genus. A dichotomous key that distinguishes Allogynaspis from related macrocheline genera is included in the text.

Global health education in Swedish medical schools.

AIMS: Global health education is increasingly acknowledged as an opportunity for medical schools to prepare future practitioners for the broad health challenges of our time. The purpose of this study was to describe the evolution of global health education in Swedish medical schools and to assess students' perceived needs for such education. METHODS: Data on global health education were collected from all medical faculties in Sweden for the years 2000-2013. In addition, 76% (439/577) of all Swedish medical students in their final semester answered a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Global health education is offered at four of Sweden's seven medical schools, and most medical students have had no global health education. Medical students in their final semester consider themselves to lack knowledge and skills in areas such as the global burden of disease (51%), social determinants of health (52%), culture and health (60%), climate and health (62%), health promotion and disease prevention (66%), strategies for equal access to health care (69%) and global health care systems (72%). A significant association was found between self-assessed competence and the amount of global health education received (p<0.001). A majority of Swedish medical students (83%) wished to have more global health education added to the curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: Most Swedish medical students have had no global health education as part of their medical school curriculum. Expanded education in global health is sought after by medical students and could strengthen the professional development of future medical doctors in a wide range of topics important for practitioners in the global world of the twenty-first century.

Possibilities and hindrances for prevention of intimate partner violence: perceptions among professionals and decision makers in a Swedish medium-sized town.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem, but few evidence-based prevention programs have yet been implemented. PURPOSE: This study explored the perceptions and beliefs of local-level decision makers, social and health-care professionals, and representatives from the police force regarding the possibilities and hindrances for prevention of IPV. METHOD: An explorative qualitative approach was used, and participants were strategically selected for focus group discussions. The participants, 19 men and 23 women, were professionals or decision makers within health-care services, social welfare, municipal administration, the police force, local industry, and local politicians in a Swedish town of 54,000 inhabitants. The focus group discussions were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed. A manifest content analysis was performed on the text. RESULTS: Preschools, schools, sports associations, workplaces, and the mass media were suggested as possible arenas for prevention measures. The proposed activities included norm building and improved social support structures. Hindrances were conceptualized as societal beliefs and attitudes, shame, silence, gender inequality, the counteracting influence of the media, and lack of resources. The participants demonstrated closeness and distance to IPV, expressed as acceptance or referral of responsibility to others regarding where and by whom prevention measures should be executed. CONCLUSION: This study gave new insights in the prevailing perceptions of professionals and decision makers of a medium-sized Swedish town, which can be a useful knowledge in future preventive work and contribute to bridge the gap between research and practice.

Childhood experiences of interparental violence as a risk factor for intimate partner violence: a population-based study from northern Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the act of witnessing interparental violence as a girl and its association with experience of intimate partner violence later in life. A higher level of acceptance of violence was tested as an explanatory factor, in the light of learnt behaviour and gender socialisation theories. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used structured interviews for data collection. In all, 730 married women, aged 17-60, in rural Vietnam participated, with a response rate of 83%. Bi- and multivariate analyses are presented. RESULTS: 16% reported witnessing interparental violence as a child. Of these, 40% had experienced physical/sexual violence in their intimate relationship over time and 16% in the past year. The risk of lifetime (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.88 to 4.34) and past-year physical and sexual violence (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.31 to 4.1) was significantly higher for those who had witnessed interparental violence during childhood than those with no such experience. Women with experience of interparental violence during childhood reported acceptance of violence within an intimate relationship to a higher extent than those with no such experience. CONCLUSION: These findings should be understood within the frame of existing theories on social learning, learnt behaviour and the gender socialisation process. The findings further highlight the importance of the intergenerational effect and the need for preventative strategies focused on improving women's autonomy, for gender equity and for effective legislation that stops all kinds of violence against women.

Gender differences in work-home interplay and symptom perception among Swedish white-collar employees.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse gender differences in paid and unpaid workload and symptoms in matched groups of Swedish white-collar workers with children. DESIGN AND SETTING: Paid and unpaid workload and perceived stress from paid work, conflict between demands and control over household work were measured by a total workload (TWL) questionnaire. Some symptoms were rated with regard to frequency and severity as a measure of health. Cross-sectional analyses were performed. PARTICIPANTS: Matched groups of male (n = 440) and female (n = 529) well-educated white-collar workers in full-time employment, aged 32-58 years and living with children in the home. RESULTS: Women in higher positions in Sweden are healthier than the average population of women, but report more symptoms than men in the same position as well as more stress from paid work, more conflict between demands and a greater TWL. However, women also reported more control over household duties and TWL was not associated with more symptoms. The men were mainly focused on their paid work role and perhaps even more so than men in the general population as they were fairly resistant to feelings of conflicting demands. CONCLUSION: Even among matched groups of full-time employed, well-educated men and women, traditional gender differences in division of responsibilities and time allocation were found. Even though the women were healthy at this stage, they might risk future ill health, owing to high workload, stress and feelings of conflicting demands.

Intimate partner violence: forms, consequences and preparedness to act as perceived by healthcare staff and district and community leaders in a rural district in northern Vietnam.

OBJECTIVES: A qualitative study was conducted among healthcare staff and district and community leaders in May and June 2002 to describe their perceptions of violence occurring between intimate partners. It focused on male violence towards females, and its forms, consequences and preparedness to act in a rural setting in Vietnam. METHODS: Twenty men and 20 women were strategically selected for focus group discussions and a phenomenographic approach was employed. FINDINGS: Violence was described not only as physical but also, primarily, as affecting women's mental health status. Mental violence was exemplified as verbally offending, ignoring or humiliating a woman. Sexual abuse was mentioned less frequently. IPV was considered to be a private matter, occurring in the home away from relatives, neighbours and the local community. Only very serious cases would seek health care. Divorce and deteriorating family finances were reported as serious consequences, not least for the children. Local reconciliation groups, comprised of trusted community members, played a role in mediating, while health professionals were found to be uninformed about prevalence rates and reluctant to intervene. CONCLUSIONS: Gender-based violence needs to receive attention from policy makers, and effective advocacy programmes are needed at all levels. In Vietnam, partner violence against women seems to be recognized at Government level. At community level, Women's Union staff and local reconciliation groups are prepared to act. However, the subject is surrounded by silence. We found that healthcare workers exhibited a lack of understanding of violence against women as a health problem in their own working environment.

Generic and specific synonymy of Mitonyssoides stercoralis Yunker, Lukoschus, and Giesen, 1990 with Coprolactistus whitakeri Radovsky and Krantz, 1998 (Acari: Mesostigmata: Macronyssidae).

Mitonyssoides stercoralis Yunker, Lukoschus, and Giesen, 1990 is recognized as a senior subjective synonym of Coprolactistus whitakeri Radovsky and Krantz, 1998, new synonymy, and therefore Mitonyssoides Yunker, Lukoschus, and Giesen, 1990 is a senior synonym of Coprolactistus Radovsky and Krantz, 1998, new synonymy. By the species synonymy reported in this work, the known range of bat guano associations for M. stercoralis is extended to include both Vespertilionidae and Molossidae. Systematic and distributional implications of the synonymies are discussed.

Double exposure. The combined impact of domestic responsibilities and job strain on common symptoms in employed Swedish women.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the influence of domestic responsibility and job strain, and especially simultaneous exposure to these factors (i.e. 'double exposure') on common physical and mental symptoms in Swedish women. METHODS: A questionnaire containing items on socio-economic factors, domestic responsibilities, and psychosocial working conditions was sent to a random population of women, 40 to 50 years of age, in a rural Swedish community. The response rate was 81.7% (397 women). Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to test for potential confounding factors and effect modification. Attributable risks were computed based on prevalence data. RESULTS: Women shouldering great domestic responsibility or who experienced job strain were at risk of a high level of common symptoms (OR 1.76; 1.04-2.97 and OR 3.48; 2.05-5.92, respectively). 'Double exposure' considerably increased the odds for common symptoms (OR 6.91; 2.58-18.48), with support for synergy noted. The population attributable risk (PAR) of great domestic responsibility was 10.0% and of job strain it was 26.7% in producing a high level of common symptoms. The corresponding figure for the population of women subjected to 'double exposure' was 11.8% and for the population of women subjected to either single or 'double exposure' the PAR was 30.3%. CONCLUSION: Heavy domestic responsibility and/or a job strain situation are factors that seem to make important contributions to the causes of a high level of common symptoms among salaried women 40 to 50 years of age. 'Double exposure' showed a particularly high risk because of synergy.

The association between violence victimisation and common symptoms in Swedish women.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between violence and abuse suffered by women during childhood or adult life, and the manifestation of a high level of common physical and mental symptoms. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A questionnaire was sent to a random population of women, 40 to 50 years of age, living in a rural Swedish community. The response rate was 81.7 per cent (397 women). Odds ratios were used to estimate bivariate associations between the experience of violence/abuse and common symptoms. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to test for confounding and effect modification. MAIN RESULTS: The experience of violence or abuse during childhood was reported by 32.2 per cent of the women, while 15.6 per cent reported being abused as an adult. In both cases, these experiences reached statistical significance in their association with a high level of common symptoms (OR=1.67; 95% CI 1. 08, 2.49 and OR=2.26; 95%CI 1.30, 3.92, respectively). The associations between childhood and as well adult experience of violence or abuse and common symptoms were largely independent of potential confounders such as unemployment, job strain, social support, and sense of coherence. The combined exposure to adult violence/abuse and low psychosocial coping resources, such as low social support or a low level of sense of coherence, considerably increased the odds ratio for common symptoms and a synergistic effect seemed to exist. CONCLUSION: Violence or abuse experience is an important factor when considering illness manifestations in terms of common symptoms in women 40 to 50 years of age.

Common symptoms in middle aged women: their relation to employment status, psychosocial work conditions and social support in a Swedish setting.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Over the past few decades there has been a growing interest among researchers, in women's overall life circumstances and their relation to women's health status. For example, paid employment has been considered an important part of women's living conditions in Western societies as the number of women entering the labour market has grown constantly over the past decades. When comparing men's and women's health, one of the most consistent findings is a higher rate of symptoms among women. The most commonly reported symptoms in women are depressive symptoms, symptoms of bodily tension and chronic pain from muscles and joints. The aim of this study was to investigate whether socioeconomic factors, employment status, psychosocial work conditions and social network/support are associated with middle aged women's health status in terms of common symptoms. DESIGN: A mailed questionnaire was used in a cross sectional design assessing socioeconomic factors, employment status, psychosocial work conditions according to the demand/control model, social network/support and an index based on the 15 most frequent symptoms presented by middle aged women when seeking health care. SETTING: A rural community with 13,200 inhabitants in the western part of Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Women were randomly selected from the general population in the study area, 40 to 50 years of age. The response rate was 81.7 per cent. MAIN RESULTS: Women who were non-employed had a significantly increased odds of a high level of common symptoms (OR = 2.82; 95% confidence intervals 1.69, 4.70), as well as women exposed to job strain (OR = 3.27; 1.92, 5.57), independently of the level of social network/support. Furthermore, exposure to low social support, low social anchorage or low social participation independently showed significantly increased odds of a high level of common symptoms (OR = 2.75; 1.71, 4.42; OR = 2.91; 1.81, 4.69 and OR = 1.69; 1.10, 2.61, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Work related factors, such as non-employment and job strain, and circumstances within the private sphere, such as social network/support, seem equally important for middle aged women's health status. These findings ought to have important policy implications and also to be of major importance in a primary health care setting when meeting women who seek health care because of common symptoms.

Women's health: do common symptoms in women mirror general distress or specific disease entities?

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study was to determine aspects of validity of a short self-report inventory, based on physical and psychological symptoms that, according to other studies, are most prevalent in women. It was hypothesized that such symptoms form a single entity, which would be consistent with the view that they represent a proxy for general distress in women. METHOD: One hundred and one women were approached, all of whom filled in the "common symptoms in the general population of women" (CSGP) instrument and the multidimensional self-report inventory Symptom Check List 90 (SCL90) for external comparison. The results indicate that the CSGP scale has high internal consistency (alpha = 0.80). The strongest correlations were found between the CSGP scale and the SCL90 subscales assessing "somatization", "depression" and "anxiety". In the factor analysis, the items on the CSGP scale were widely dispersed among the factors represented by the main SCL90 subscales, and therefore could not be considered to represent any particular subscale. Our conclusion is that the CSGP scale seems to assess a single entity. Other researchers suggest that such an entity represent a proxy for general distress in women. This will have implications for the interpretation of the common symptoms represented by the scale, which women report in clinical settings.

A new genus and species of predaceous mite in the parasitic family Macronyssidae (Acari: Mesostigmata).

Coprolactistus whitakeri Radovsky & Krantz, a new genus and species of Macronyssidae, is described in all stases. Unlike other macronyssids, all of which are vertebrate parasites, C. whitakeri is predaceous, feeding on other mites in bat guano. Its morphology confirms the family assignment, and it has the peculiar macronyssid life cycle in which a regressive, nonfeeding deutonymph follows a normal, feeding protonymph. The chelicerae are typically macronyssid despite the predatory diet. Available information indicates that C. whitakeri evolved from macronyssid parasites. C. whitakeri is a distinctive species that is not obviously close to any other described macronyssid. It occurs in the guano of the big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus, in Indiana and in the guano of an unidentified bat in Brazil.

Reflections on the biology, morphology and ecology of the Macrochelidae.

The Macrochelidae is a cosmopolitan family of predatory mesostigmatic mites, many of which occupy specialized and often unstable habitats. Most known species have adapted to life in dung deposits where prey is plentiful and the potential exists for rapid population growth. Phoresy on co-occurring flying insects plays a vital role in assuring niche continuity for macrochelids in these ephemeral substrates. A brief general review of some of the earlier highlights of macrochelid research is presented, followed by a discussion of the emergence of phoresy as a major survival strategy in the Macrochelidae associated with dung beetles. Special emphasis is placed on the behavioural and chemical mechanisms that mediate phoretic specificity of macrochelid species in the unique n-dimensional universes of their scarab hosts. Phylogenetic analysis of selected phoretic and non-phoretic macrochelid taxa has shown a strong correlation between phoretic state and evolutionary position, indicating that an increasing commitment to phoresy in the Macrochelidae is correlated with an advance from early derivative to terminal taxa. Laboratory and field observations have confirmed the importance of chemical, behavioural and ecological factors in maintaining the integrity of the relationship between phoretically specific macrochelids and their dung beetle hosts.

[Health developments for Scandinavian women]. / Hälsoutvecklingen för nordiska kvinnor.

The article reports developments in health status among women in four Nordic countries, based upon data published in the Swedish Public Health and two research reports, one Danish the other Nordic. The mean life expectancy of Danish women has fallen and, in an international comparison restricted to OECD countries, was shown only to be higher than that of women in Turkey or Ireland. A similar health development is manifest among women in Norway and Sweden, increasing class differences being a common feature. The mean life expectancy of Finnish women exceeds that of Finnish men by eight years.

Costs, needs must be balanced when buying computer systems.

A healthcare institution must carefully examine its internal needs and external requirements before selecting an information system. The system's costs must be carefully weighed because significant computer cost overruns can cripple overall hospital finances. A New Jersey hospital carefully studied these issues and determined that a contract with a regional data center was its best option.