Genetic polymorphisms of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes and their association with alcoholism risk,personality and anthropometric traits among Malaysian university students

Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in alcohol-metabolizing genes – ADH1B (Arg47His), ADH1C (Ile350Val) and ALDH2 (Glu504Lys) have been extensively associated with flush reaction and alcoholism. Therefore, we investigated the association of these three SNPs with alcohol-induced reactions (AIRs), alcoholism risk, personality and anthropometric traits among Malaysian university students. AIRs, Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) and Ten-Item Personality were surveyed, anthropometric measurements and DNA samples were taken. Among 264 valid drinkers (111 males, 153 females; 229 ethnic Chinese, 35 ethnic Indians), the minor allele frequencies for ADH1B, ADH1C, ALDH2 among Chinese/Indians were .45/.07, .33/.40, .32/.41, respectively; distribution of ADH1B alleles significantly different between ethnicities. Current/former experiences of flushing, hives, heart palpitations after alcohol consumption; and sleepiness, headache reactions, early and overall SRE were significantly different between ethnicities and genders, respectively. Overall SRE score was associated with ADH1C and ALDH2 alleles. ‘Openness to Experiences’ was associated with ALDH2 genotypes and alleles; Glu/Glu or Glu carriers showed significantly higher means. ADH1B Arg/Arg and Arg carriers showed significantly higher total body and subcutaneous fats but association was abolished after controlling for ethnicity. In conclusion, gender and ethnicity, but not alcohol-metabolizing gene variants, play a role in influencing the manifestation of AIRs.     

Single Motherhood Via Donor-Insemination (DI): Separation, Absence, and Family Creation

The formation of single motherhood by choice via donor-insemination became one of the alternative family structures in recent years. This paper presents the construction of pre-maternal processes, decision-making and the actual preparation for motherhood via a clinical case study. The therapeutic process is developed through mutual co-construction of patient-therapist relationships that implement analytic relational concepts. The absence of the paternal figure generates a unique creation of familial emotional space. The lack of a conceptual, as well as, a clinical body of knowledge leads both therapist and patient to find new boundaries and meaningful bonds for this family structure.     

Nonconcurrent Multiple Baseline Designs and the Evaluation of Educational Systems

Important findings are often a balance between the rigor of the experimental design and innovativeness of the experimental question. One broad topic area that has received a great deal of discussion, but little empirical study, is the evaluation of educational systems. Experimental designs that permit the analysis of practices used by state education agencies, local education agencies, and schools have the potential for yielding socially significant findings that could improve education. In this article we discuss the use of nonconcurrent multiple baseline designs as an option for studying the activities and effects of educational programs. Nonconcurrent multiple baseline designs stagger the timing of baseline-to-intervention changes across various entities, but the baselines and intervention phases are not contemporaneous across each of the tiers. Although considered less rigorous than concurrent multiple baseline designs, nonconcurrent designs have a degree of flexibility that may allow for their use in studying complex social contexts, such as educational settings, that might otherwise go unanalyzed.     

医疗机构单病种限价面面观

单病种限价收费是医院经营的一种管理模式,是指在临床诊疗收费中,对单一病种病人限定最高费用的做法,是医院的一种自发行为。这在一定程度上解决了群众看病难、看病贵的问题,缓解了社会医疗费用过度增长的压力,有助于医疗机构收费更趋于合理化。拟从社会的各个层面对医疗机构单病种限价问题进行深入地探讨。     

Are Christian politics possible? A Kierkegaardian perspective

This paper provides a rereading of Søren Kierkegaard's attack upon Christendom in light of his theory of spheres of existence to examine whether Christian politics are possible after Kierkegaard. Talking of Christian politics makes sense only in the esthetic and the religious spheres of existence. However, Kierkegaard argues that politics worthy of the title Christian are impossible. Either such politics are simply Christendom far removed from New Testament Christianity, or Christian politics are faced with the paradox of existing before God and cannot proceed.