The Influence of Globalization on Adolescents' Conceptions of Self and Future Self in Rural and Urban Armenia.

Globalization is affecting the identity of adolescents worldwide. Armenia, a country beset by many challenges since 1895, remained isolated after it separated from the Soviet Union in 1991. Widespread poverty limited Armenia's access to technology until recently. This chapter reports the influence of globalization on rural and urban Armenian adolescents' selves and future selves through Internet use. Participants included 92 rural and 80 urban adolescents (Mage = 15.9 years). Using KagitÒ«ibasi's (2007) model of family change, we found that rural adolescents, who used the Internet less frequently, identified more closely with traditional cultural attitudes and reflected a family model of interdependence and a heteronomous-related self. Urban adolescents, who used the Internet more frequently, were developing global identities through their greater exposure to worldwide media, while also retaining the essence of their Armenian heritage. This research begins to fill a gap in the limited literature on human development from post-Soviet countries.

Dental caries among children in Georgia by age, gender, residence location and ethnic group.

OBJECTIVE: To provide prevalence data for dental caries in Georgia. METHODS: This World Health Organization pathfinder survey was conducted among 1,351 (6, 12 and 15 year-old) Georgian children, representing the main ethnic groups in urban and rural locations. Caries was analysed at univariate and multivariate levels, according to age, gender, urban/rural locality and ethnic group. RESULTS: Caries experience levels among 6-year-olds were dmft = 4.57, sd 3.42 (14.8% caries-free); DMFT = 2.04 (sd 2.02) among 12-year-olds (31.1% caries-free); and DMFT = 3.51 (sd 3.14) for the 15-year-olds (17.7% caries-free). Urban children at ages 6 and 12 years were more likely to be caries-free and have both lower levels of caries-experience and higher levels of filled or restored teeth. In multivariate regression analyses, most age groups showed a significant contribution from residence location. No differences were found by age and no consistent differences were detected by ethnic group. CONCLUSION: These data should provide the baseline for formulating and conducting public oral health efforts in Georgia, with emphases on rural residence locations.

Evaluation of sun holiday, diet habits, origin and other factors as determinants of vitamin D status in Swedish primary health care patients: a cross-sectional study with regression analysis of ethnic Swedish and immigrant women.

BACKGROUND: Determinants of vitamin D status measured as 25-OH-vitamin D in blood are exposure to sunlight and intake of vitamin D through food and supplements. It is unclear how large the contributions are from these determinants in Swedish primary care patients, considering the low radiation of UVB in Sweden and the fortification of some foods. Asian and African immigrants in Norway and Denmark have been found to have very low levels, but it is not clear whether the same applies to Swedish patients. The purpose of our study was to identify contributors to vitamin D status in Swedish women attending a primary health care centre at latitude 60°N in Sweden. METHODS: In this cross-sectional, observational study, 61 female patients were consecutively recruited between January and March 2009, irrespective of reason for attending the clinic. The women were interviewed about their sun habits, smoking, education and food intake at a personal appointment and blood samples were drawn for measurements of vitamin D and calcium concentrations. RESULTS: Plasma concentration of 25-OH-vitamin D below 25 nmol/L was found in 61% (19/31) of immigrant and 7% (2/30) of native women. Multivariate analysis showed that reported sun holiday of one week during the last year at latitude below 40°N with the purpose of sun-bathing and native origin, were significantly, independently and positively associated with 25-OH-vitamin D concentrations in plasma with the strongest association for sun holiday during the past year. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency was common among the women in the present study, with sun holiday and origin as main determinants of 25-OH-vitamin D concentrations in plasma. Given a negative effect on health this would imply needs for vitamin D treatment particularly in women with immigrant background who have moved from lower to higher latitudes.

HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DRB1 allele distribution in a large Armenian population sample.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DRB1 gene frequencies were investigated in 4279 unrelated Armenian bone marrow donors. HLA alleles were defined by using PCR amplification with sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP) high- and low-resolution kits. The aim of this study was to examine the HLA diversity at the high-resolution level in a large Armenian population sample, and to compare HLA allele group distribution in Armenian subpopulations. The most frequently observed alleles in the HLA class I were HLA-A*0201, A*0101, A*2402, A*0301, HLA-B*5101, HLA-B*3501, and B*4901. Among DRB1 alleles, high frequencies of DRB1*1104 and DRB1*1501 were observed, followed by DRB1*1101 and DRB1*1401. The most common three-locus haplotype found in the Armenian population was A*33-B*14-DRB1*01, followed by A*03-B*35-DRB1*01. Our results show a similar distribution of alleles in Armenian subpopulations from different countries, and from different regions of the Republics of Armenia and Karabagh. The low level of genetic distances between subpopulations indicates a high level of population homogeneity, and the genetic distances between Armenians and other populations show Armenians as a distinct ethnic group relative to others, reflecting the fact that Armenians have been an 'isolated population' throughout centuries. This study is the first comprehensive investigation of HLA-allele group distribution in a subset of Armenian populations, and the first to provide HLA-allele and haplotype frequencies at a high-resolution level. It is a valuable reference for organ transplantation and for future studies of HLA-associated diseases in Armenian populations.

The prevalence of Behçet's syndrome, familial Mediterranean fever, HLA-B51 and MEFV gene mutations among ethnic Armenians living in Istanbul, Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the prevalence of Behçet's syndrome (BS) among the ethnic Armenians in Istanbul using Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) as a comparator disease. We also studied HLA-B51 and MEFV mutations among a group of healthy Armenians and a non-Armenian population. METHODS: The prevalence study was conducted in 2 parts in the Armenian primary schools in Istanbul, using the enrolled students as index cases to study the core family. In Part I, a questionnaire seeking only whether either parent had previously been diagnosed as having BS or FMF by a physician was distributed to a total of 1873 index students registered at 10 schools. A total of 1380 parents filled in the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 37% (1380 / 3746). In Part II, eight schools participated with a response rate of 83 % (1183/1428). Also, genomic DNA samples of 108 healthy (14 M/94 F) Armenians and 97 (45 M/ 52 F) non-Armenians, were studied for HLAB51 and MEFV gene mutations. RESULTS: In Part I, none of the parents turned out to have been diagnosed as BS, whereas a total of 12 / 1380 (870/105) had been diagnosed as FMF. In the second part the estimated prevalence of BS was 90 /105 and that of FMF was 760/ 105. HLA-B51 carrier rate was found to be similar between the Armenian (27%, 29/108) and the non-Armenian participants (19%, 18/97), (p=0.158). Overall carrier rate of MEFV gene mutations was significantly higher in the Armenian group (36% vs. 20%, p=0.015). CONCLUSIONS: The genetic load for FMF is considerably higher among the Armenians when compared to the load for BS among the same ethnic group. On the other hand, the rather low frequency of BS among the Armenians when compared to the frequency among the general population living in the same environment is further evidence for a genetic predisposition to BS. HLA- B51 does not seem to play a dominant role in the said predisposition. Finally, as we have used an unorthodox epidemiological methodology in data collection our results might need to be further verified by more conventional methods.

[Refractive disorders in a group of the Lebanese population of Armenian descent: a pilot study]. / Troubles réfractifs dans un groupe de la population Libanaise d'origine Arménienne: etude pilote.

AIM: To calculate the prevalence of emmetropia, myopia, hyperopia, and amblyopia. METHOD: Cross sectional, descriptive, population-based study, studying 212 randomly selected Lebanese patients of Armenian origin, aged from 15 to 45 years, from June 1st till September 30th 2003. The patients presenting with no exclusion factors are examined, before and after cycloplegia. Mean keratometry and mean ocular axial length are measured for each eye. RESULTS: 212 patients are examined. Mean age is 33.6 years. Sex ratio F/M is 1.94. The prevalence of hyperopia, emmetropia and myopia is 14.6%, 51%, and 34.4% before cycloplegia, and 50%, 16.5% and 33.5% after cycloplegia, respectively. 14.9% of patients wearing myopic corrections were not found myopic after cycloplegia. The prevalence of amblyopia is 19.8%. Most of hyperopic patients do not wear eyeglasses (p = 0.00000101), whereas most of the myopic patients wear eyeglasses (p = 0.00000024). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of hyperopia is very high (50%) in this group of Lebanese Armenian population, as well as amblyopia (19.8%). Moreover, 6.7% of myopic patients wearing eyeglasses are not truly myopic.

The League of Nations' rescue of Armenian genocide survivors and the making of modern humanitarianism, 1920-1927.

The essay centers of the efforts by the League of Nations to rescue women and children survivors of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. This rescue -- a seemingly unambiguous good -- was at once a constitutive act in drawing the boundaries of the international community, a key moment in the definition of humanitarianism, and a site of resistance to the colonial presence in the post-Ottoman Eastern Mediterranean. Drawing from a wide range of source materials in a number of languages, including Turkish, Armenian, and Arabic, the essay brings the intellectual and social context of humanitarianism in initiating societies together with the lived experience of humanitarianism in the places where the act took form. In so doing, it draws our attention to the proper place of the Eastern mediterranean, and its women and children, in the global history of humanitarianism. The prevailing narrative of the history of human rights places much of its emphasis on the post-World War II era, the international reaction to the Holocaust, and the founding of the United Nations. yet contemporary human rights thinking also took place within practices of humanitarianism in the interwar period, and is necessarily inseparable from the histories of refugees, colonialism, and the non-West.

The antibiotic knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of patients, doctors and pharmacists in the WHO Eastern European region - a qualitative, comparative analysis of the culture of antibiotic use in Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia and Tajikistan.

BACKGROUND: To reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR), initiatives such as surveillance activities and activities to increase knowledge about how and why antibiotics (ABs) are (mis)used are needed. More surveillance systems are in place in the WHO Western European region than in the Eastern region, and only sparse knowledge exists about the current culture of AB use in the Eastern European countries. OBJECTIVE: To investigate AB knowledge, attitudes and behaviors in countries in the WHO Eastern European region in order to identify overall similarities and differences across the region and how AB knowledge, attitudes and behavior patterns may be influenced by the national health care system. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia and Tajikistan with patients, doctors and pharmacists. In total, 80 interviews were carried out. A directed content analysis was applied, followed by a comparative analysis, identifying the similarities and differences in AB attitudes, knowledge and behaviors between the countries and discussing how the national health care systems might influence these patterns. RESULTS: Cross-national patterns were identified regarding patients seeking ABs over-the-counter (OTC), patient variations in their requests for ABs when consulting doctors, and, finally, doctors and pharmacists appearing knowledgeable about ABs and their uses, with doctors displaying careful attitudes towards AMR. Indications of national differences between the countries included the ability of patients to afford ABs, prescribing practices of doctors and pharmacist attitudes towards selling ABs without prescriptions. Multiple aspects involved in patient and pharmacist AB decision making were detected, such as various rationales involved in buying/selling ABs OTC, implying that these processes are more complex than previously reported in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: Similarities across the Eastern European region could be seen in patient needs and uses of antibiotics obtained OTC at community pharmacies, whereas doctors appeared more influenced by specific structures of the national healthcare system.

Patrilocality and recent migrations have little impact on shaping patterns of genetic structure of the Armenian population.

In general, genetic distances between human populations (also within one ethnic group) are larger for the Y chromosome markers than for the mtDNA. It is usually explained by higher rate of female versus male migration due to the cultural practice of patrilocality, when women move to their husbands' residence after marriage. Recently found a reversed picture for the genetic variation in some ethno-territorial groups confirm the strict role of cultural traditions in shaping patterns of populations' genetic structure. To test the role of patrilocality for the genetic structure of the Armenian population, we compared the Y chromosome and the mtDNA haplotype variations among and between geographical groups identified according to paternal (maternal) grandparental place of birth, from one side, and the populations currently living in the same geographical areas, from the other side. The results demonstrate that the Armenian population is regionally more structured for the Y chromosome than for the mtDNA. Additionally, in spite of expressed directivity of migration processes (caused by the phenomenon of patrilocality as well), the patterns of genetic variations for the populations of the same geographic areas remain without any significant changes during the last three generations.

Prevalence and Predictors of Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in Armenian Americans in Los Angeles.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) along with associated risk factors among Armenian Americans living in Los Angeles. Methods After Institutional Review Board approval, a sample of 877 Armenian Americans was collected for 5 consecutive years (2011-2015) at a health fair. Collected data included: sociodemographic variables; cardiometabolic data, including systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, glucose (Glu), and lipids; anthropometric data, including height (Ht), weight (Wt), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC). Retrospective descriptive correlation, test of significance, and logistic regression analyses were performed. Results Findings showed that about 50% of the participants had abnormal waist/hip ratio and approximately one-quarter of the subjects had glucose levels that were indicative of high risk for DM. Logistic regression analysis revealed that high SBP ( P = .04), above normal WC ( P = .03), and high triglycerides ( P = .04) were significant in predicting DM. Moreover, age ( P =.0001), family history of cardiovascular disease ( P= .01), and above normal WC ( P = .04) were found to be significant predictors of HTN. Conclusion Waist circumference indicated to be a strong predictor for DM and HTN. Early detection and timely interventions are important to prevent DM and HTN and their associated complications. For an underserved population, health fairs become one effective avenue for screening, referral, and evaluation.

Genetic Structure of the Armenian Population.

Located at the crossroads of Europe and the Middle East, the Armenian Highland served as a transition corridor for major waves of prehistoric and historic migrations. The genetic history of Armenians as an indigenous population of the region attracts keen scientific interest to resolve the puzzle of ancient Middle Eastern populations' expansion and the spread of Indo-European languages. Here, we review the current state of studies on the genetic structure of both modern and ancient inhabitants of the Armenian Highland and outline further steps to be fulfilled in this regard.

Genetic screening of fourteen mutations in Jordanian familial Mediterranean fever patients.

Familial Mediterranean fever is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by episodic fever, abdominal and pleuritic pain, serositis and arthritis. The FMF gene (MEFV) has been mapped to chromosome 16p13.3 and generates a protein found exclusively in granulocytes. Seventeen mutations have been reported up to the present in FMF patients. This study involves the screening of 14 mutations in 42 Jordanian patients by two methods: RFLP and ARMS. The most frequent mutations were M694V and V726A (20% and 14% of the alleles respectively), followed by M680I and E148Q (9.5% and 7% of the alleles respectively). The A744S mutation accounts for 2.5% and the M694I, T267I and F479L mutations account each for 1% of the alleles. E167D, R761H, P369S, I692del and M694del mutations were not found in this population. Forty-four percent of the alleles did not have any of the 14 mutations. The results show the diversity and the frequency of the mutations in the Jordanian patients, and open the way for further investigations on patients diagnosed to have FMF and in whom no mutations were found. Hum Mutat 15:384, 2000.

The epidemiology of infant deaths in the Armenian parish records of Lebanon.

It is difficult to study time trends in mortality from most developing countries due to the lack of an appropriate data base. The present investigation is based on data from parish records of the Armenian Apostolic churches in Lebanon. Death and baptismal registers have been regularly maintained in these churches from 1863. Infant deaths were identified in the registers of the 13 churches. Available data on these deaths were abstracted, coded and analysed. Denominators for the different periods of study and for the various churches were calculated from baptismal records. The study shows that there has been a constant drop in the infant deaths over the review period. Infant mortality rates were higher in the parishes located in refugee camp areas. The most important recorded causes of death included diarrhoea and pneumonia. A study of clustering of deaths by time and place revealed a major epidemic of measles with high fatality in 1926. This epidemic had been previously unrecorded. The present study demonstrates the use of non-traditional data sources to assess long-term secular trends of mortality.

Patterns of infant mortality from Armenian parish records: a study from 10 countries of the diaspora, 1737-1982.

Using parish records from 10 different countries with small Armenian communities, this study compared patterns of infant mortality in these countries over a period of 245 years. Deaths registered as aged < or = 1 year were used to estimate the numerator for the infant mortality rates (IMR) while the denominator was estimated from births in the same year based on baptisms in the appropriate registers. To check on the validity of using the baptisms as the denominator for the IMR, records of infant deaths were linked with the baptismal records. Thus, from a sample of 273 infant deaths 78.4% had a baptismal record in the registers of the same church in which the death was recorded. Of the deaths 60% had a recorded cause of death. Over the past 245 years, IMR have fallen substantially in all parishes. However, there were notable exceptions to this general pattern of declining IMR over time. For example, the IMR was tripled in Palestine during the decade of the First World War, possibly as a result of the influx of refugees deported from Turkey. A study of the seasonal occurrence of the deaths revealed peaking of deaths between May and August, a pattern influenced by the relative importance of gastroenteritis as a cause of death during the summer months in Egypt where the majority of these infant deaths were recorded. A review of the most important causes of death helped identify an outbreak of undetermined cause in Belgrade in 1737 and an outbreak of dysentery deaths in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1909.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

PIP: The use of parish records of the Armenian infant mortality rate (IMR) illustrates the trends of IMR over time and among Armenian population in different countries, and indicates the overall health of the population at different stages of development. The data from parish records collected by the Armenian Genealogical Society is reasonably valid as a whole, but suffers from misclassification bias reporting in the cause of death. Cause of death was reported in only 60% of cases. Coding of specific causes was based on List B of the List of 50 Causes from the ICD, 8th Revision. Heaping may occur at age 1, but mortality both above and below age 1 was rounded and may minimize this bias. Bias is reporting neonatal deaths is possible, but 78.4% of deaths were linked to baptismal records. Uniformity of recording systems were established by the Armenian church after 1863. IMR data span a period of 245 years (1737-1982) and includes information from 10 countries having long standing Armenian communities: Singapore, Burma, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Egypt, Palestine, Cyprus, Greece, and Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Baptismal records were used to calculate births for the denominator in the IMR. Tabulations were made by the church, which showed variations in the proportion of successful matches of births and deaths. Data were available by age, sex, and geographical distribution and varied through time and seasons. In the analysis of time trends, it was revealed that IMR declined continuously but varied for all countries. In India and the Far East, IMR was consistently lower that the IMR from the Middle East parishes. Greece and Cyprus also had somewhat low IMR. The large settlements of Armenians had the highest IMR; these large communities also were communities with low socioeconomic status. Between 1910 and 1919, IMR from Palestine parishes increased; this may have been due to the refugees fleeting persecution and genocide in Armenia and those deported from Turkey. Economic and health conditions among refugees were known to be poor. Neonatal deaths were higher in countries with low IMR. Peak deaths occurred during the months of May and August. Gastroenteritis was a primary cause of death. The most important causes of death were due to diarrhea and respiratory infections. Neonatal deaths were primarily due to congenital anomalies. Many of the death clusters occurred during peak epidemics.

Transferable clastogenic activity in plasma from persons exposed as salvage personnel of the Chernobyl reactor.

Clastogenic factors were first described in the plasma of people who had been accidentally or therapeutically irradiated. They were found also in A-bomb survivors, where they persisted for many years after the irradiation. The present study searched for these factors in the plasma of 32 civil workers from Armenia, who had been engaged as "liquidators" around the Chernobyl atomic power station in 1986. It also included 15 liquidators who had emigrated from the ex-Soviet Union to Israel. Reference plasma samples were obtained from 41 blood donors from the Armenian Blood Center in Yerevan. The samples were tested for their clastogenic activity in blood cultures from healthy donors. The majority of results from the liquidators exceeded those from the unexposed reference samples. The samples from the first Armenian group, with the higher average irradiation dose (0.6 +/- 0.6 Gy), were more clastogenic than those from the second group exposed to 0.2 +/- 0.2 Gy. The number of aberrations in the test cultures was 17.9 +/- 2.9% and 10.5 +/- 3.8% respectively, compared to 5.7 +/- 3.2% in the cultures exposed to the reference ultrafiltrates from Armenian blood donors. The samples from the Israeli liquidators also induced significantly increased aberration rates (14.0 +/- 3.9% aberrant cells). The clastogenic activity was regularly inhibited by superoxide dismutase, indicating that the chromosome-damaging effects of radiation-induced clastogenic factors are exerted via the intermediation of superoxide radicals, as is known for clastogenic factors of different origin.

Clastogenic factors in the plasma of Chernobyl accident recovery workers: anticlastogenic effect of Ginkgo biloba extract.

Clastogenic factors are found in the plasma of persons irradiated accidentally or therapeutically. They persisted in the plasma of A-bomb survivors over 30 years. Clastogenic factors were found in 33 of 47 Chernobyl accident recovery workers (often referred to as liquidators) in a previous study (I. Emerit et al., J. Cancer Res. Clin. Oncol. 120, 558-561, 1994). In the present study, we show that there is a positive correlation between clastogenic activity and dose and that these biomarkers of oxidative stress can be influenced successfully by appropriate antioxidant treatment. With the authorization of the Armenian Ministry of Health, 30 workers were treated with antioxidants from Ginkgo biloba leaves. The extract EGb 761 containing flavonoids and terpenoids was given at a daily dose of 3 x 40 mg (Tanakan, IPSEN, France) during 2 months. The clastogenic activity of the plasma was reduced to control levels on the first day after the end of the treatment. A 1-year follow-up showed that the benefit of the treatment persisted for at least 7 months. One-third of the workers again had clastogenic factors after 1 year, demonstrating that the process which produced clastogenic factors continued. However, the observation that antioxidants do not have to be given continuously is encouraging for intervention trials on a large-scale basis. These appear justified, since clastogenic factors are thought to be risk factors for the development of late effects of irradiation.

MEFV mutations and phenotype-genotype correlations in North African Jews and Armenians with familial Mediterranean fever.

BACKGROUND: Familial Mediterranean fever is a genetic disease in which some characteristic gene mutations have been found. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the phenotype-genotype correlations in North African Jews and Armenians with FMF. METHODS: We studied MEFV gene mutations and phenotype-genotype correlations in North African Jews and Armenians with Familial Mediterranean Fever living in France. RESULTS: M694V mutation was the most common mutation in Jews and in Armenians. Patients with M680I homozygosity or M680I/M694V compound heterozygosity had a phenotype as severe as patients with M694V homozygosity. CONCLUSIONS: This study characterizes the phenotype-genotype in specific ethnic groups of patients with FMF.

Reactions to disaster at a distance. The first week after the earthquake in Soviet Armenia.

Armenian-American adolescents from a Los Angeles school were interviewed during the first week after the massive earthquake in Soviet Armenia in December 1988. The authors describe their observations: All the adolescents strongly identified with the victims and felt that the catastrophe personally affected them; they all rushed into hectic activities to escape intolerable grief reactions; there was strong group pressure to accelerate helping efforts; the catastrophe was experienced as fortifying group cohesion; and there was a distinct preference to preserve and strengthen communal values, even over and above helping the earthquake victims. In particular, the authors observed the phenomenon of "participation envy," a special form of survivor guilt involving envious resentment at being excluded from a unique and rallying communal experience.

Putting into words, putting to rest and putting aside the ancestors. How an analysand who was heir to the Armenian genocide of 1915 worked through mourning.

The author discusses the intergenerational psychic transmission of collective trauma on the basis of her personal experience as a descendant of victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915. She shows how the processes of transmission are encumbered within a diaspora community such as hers by the incorporation of objects in the throes of mourning, the invalidation of prohibitions by murder-become-law, and lack of differentiation between the sexes. A parallel is drawn between the characteristic secrecy of the genocidal project on the part of the perpetrators and the sense of illegitimacy of the victims' descendants, exacerbated in the case of the Armenian catastrophe by the refusal of the state that inherited the genocide to confess to it and consequently its erasure from Western consciousness. The author describes how she was enabled to emerge from confinement in the trauma by her French schooling and her analysis, and subsequently became able to work through mourning and writing, by divulging the secret and in particular the publication of her father's deportation diary. The written text is seen as a shroud in which the dead can finally be interred. Presenting an episode from her schooldays, she demonstrates the importance of her immersion in French culture in allowing her to achieve the necessary linguistic and psychic distance from her heritage.