"Falling-Out" in Miami and the History of Culture in American Medicine.

Turning to the case of "falling-out" in Miami, this paper locates a historical context for the incorporation of culture into medical practice. In the 1970s, after playing a leading role in the organization of medical anthropology, Hazel Weidman uncovered a condition that Miami residents called "falling-out." It was characterized by sudden collapse in situations of stress, followed by a state of semiconsciousness-and it seemed to affect only individuals of African American or Afro-Caribbean descent. Observing patients' routine mismanagement by the medical system, Weidman used the condition to advocate for greater cultural awareness among health professionals. This study finds that while anthropologists worked to change the medical community, they were also embedded in a Cold War racial politics, where health became a useful site for managing ethnic difference. Moreover, the contested nature of "falling-out" in the 1970s echoes the contested nature of "culture" in medicine that institutions continue to confront today.

A genetic heritage; the same yet different: A comparative study in twins.

Since the 19th century, and in every field of medicine, monozygotic twins have been studied to assess the involvement of genetic and environmental factors in phenotypic expression. The phenotype/genotype relationship remains the leading problem in contemporary biology. In dentofacial orthopedics, this relationship is of relevance in the three-dimensional approach to the face, in both diagnosis and treatment. The present study of two monozygotic twins presenting skeletal class III malocclusions which were genetic yet different is a clear illustration of the interaction of genotype and epigenetic factors with environmental influences. We will demonstrate that treatment can reduce phenotypic differences.

She Wears the Pants: The Reform Dress as Technology in Nineteenth-Century America.

This article examines the American dress-reform movement, detailing the ways in which reformers conceptualized clothing as a social and bodily technology. In the mid-nineteenth century, women began making and wearing the "reform dress"-a costume consisting of pants and shortened, lightweight skirts-as an alternative to burdensome feminine fashions. When ridiculed in public for wearing overtly masculine garments, dress reformers insisted their clothing was healthful, functional, and natural. This article discusses women's use of medical science and technical knowledge in their rejection of fashion, promotion of sexual equality, and efforts to change mainstream clothing practices. When approached from a technological perspective, the reform dress reveals broader tensions in an industrializing American society, such as changing gender relations and new understandings of the relationship between humans and technology.

HAART to heart: highly active antiretroviral therapy and the risk of cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected or exposed children and adults.

Infection with HIV is independently associated with an increased risk for clinical heart failure, cardiomyopathies and premature atherosclerosis, including stroke and myocardial infarction in both the pre-HAART and HAART eras. HAART is also associated with clinical cardiovascular concerns. In HIV-infected individuals, HAART may cause adverse lipid profiles and increased risk for cardiovascular events. Its effects on the developing heart remain unclear. Although in utero HAART exposure may improve cardiac function in the first 2 years of life, it may also inhibit myocardial growth. Additional potentially damaging cardiovascular effects of HAART are present, and continuing cardiovascular risk evaluations, screening and follow-up of treated patients is necessary. Here, we review available research in this field and highlight the importance of understanding known complications and their mechanisms.