Repeated rat-forced swim test: reducing the number of animals to evaluate gradual effects of antidepressants.

The forced swim test (FST) is a pre-clinical test to short and long term treatment with antidepressant drugs (ADT), which requires between-subject designs. Herein a modified protocol of the FST using within-subject design (repeated rat-FST) was evaluated. Male Wistar rats were submitted to 15 min of swimming (Day 1: pretest) followed by three subsequent 5 min-swimming tests one week apart (Day 2: test, Day 7: retest 1, Day 14: retest 2). To determine the temporal and factorial characteristics of the variables scored in the repeated rat-FST, the protocol was carried out in untreated animals (E1). To validate the method, daily injections of Fluoxetine (FLX, 2.5mg/kg, i.p.) or saline were given over a 2-week period (E2). Tests and retests have been videotaped for further register of the latency, frequency and duration of behaviors. Over retesting the latency to immobility decreased whereas duration of immobility tended to increase. Factorial analysis revealed that the test, the retest 1 as well as the retest 2 have variables suitable to detection of antidepressant-like effects of ADT. Compared to saline, FLX chronically administrated reduced duration of immobility whereas increased duration of swimming in retest 2. The data suggest that repeated rat-FST detected the gradual increase in the efficacy of low doses of FLX over time. Therefore, repeated rat-FST seemed suitable to detect short and long term effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or other ADT, thus reducing the number of animals used in the screenings of this type of compounds.

The use of the Alvarado score in the management of right lower quadrant abdominal pain in the adult.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The Alvarado score is a validated test in clinical adult surgery practice which can be helpful in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. This study aimed to assess the reliability and the reproducibility of this score for patients presenting in the emergency room with acute right lower quadrant abdominal pain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective monocenter study included all adults who presented in the emergency room with right lower quadrant abdominal pain. The score was calculated by assessing six symptoms and two laboratory values weighted by coefficients. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis was confirmed by the histological examination of the resected appendix. Three groups of patients with high, low, and intermediate scores were defined as described in the literature. RESULTS: Of the 233 patients studied, 174 underwent surgery: three had a normal appendix on histological exam. The statistical analysis of the results showed that a score lower than 4 was significantly associated with the absence of acute appendicitis while a score higher than 6 was significantly associated with acute appendicitis which required surgical care. But a score between 4 and 6 was not discriminant. CONCLUSION: The Alvarado score is a reliable, cheap and reproducible tool for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in the emergency room; if the score is higher than 6 or lower than 4, there is no need for complementary exams. Patients with a score between 4 and 6, require serial reassessment of physical findings and score over 24 hours and/or complementary diagnostic exam such as ultrasound or CT scan.

Immigration theory for a new century: some problems and opportunities.

"This essay examines some of the pitfalls in contemporary immigration theory and reviews some of the most promising developments in research in this field. As a data-driven field [of] study, immigration has not had to contend with grand generalizations for highly abstract theorizing. On the contrary, the bias has run in the opposite direction, that is toward ground-level studies of particular migrant groups or analysis of official migration policies. As the distillate of past research in the field and a source of guidance for future work, theory represents one of the most valuable products of our collective intellectual endeavor. Ways to foster it and problems presented by certain common misunderstandings about the meaning and scope of scientific theorizing are discussed." The geographical focus is on the United States.

Mental illness and help-seeking behavior among Mariel Cuban and Haitian refugees in south Florida.

Differences in psychopathology and use of the mental health system by recent refugee groups are explored in light of competing hypotheses stemming from theories of immigrant adaptation and minority mental health. Results show that would-be Haitian refugees arriving in South Florida during the early 1980s had relatively small needs for mental health care, but whatever needs they had were largely unattended by the health services system. Mariel Cubans had far greater needs that were mostly met satisfactorily by virtue of their familiarity with service facilities prior to departure and their incorporation into a favorable social environment. These contextual factors are added and compared with the individual-level predictor variables suggested by Andersen and others. The results' implications for theories of immigrant mental health and help-seeking and for the implementation of effective delivery programs are discussed.

Contemporary immigration: theoretical perspectives on its determinants and modes of incorporation.

This article reviews conventional theories about different aspects of labor migration: its origins, stability over time, and patterns of migrant settlement. For each of these aspects, the authors provide alternative explanatory hypotheses derived from the notions of increasing articulation of the international system and the social embeddedness of its various subprocesses, including labor flows. A typology of sources and outcomes of contemporary immigration is presented as a heuristic device to organize the diversity of such movements as described in the empirical literature.

Mariel refugees: six years after.

In 1983, the economic situation of Mariel Cubans could be summarized as abysmal. Those without a job represented close to 1/2 of the sample; the unemployment rate amounted to 27%. A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University in collaboration with Miami-Dade Community College and Florida International University has investigated whether Mariels remain a group apart within the broader Cuban community or whether they have melted into the rest of the community. The study followed a large sample of Mariel refugees living in the Miami area over a period of several years. A sample of 514 Mariel men and women were interviewed in 1983 and were reinterviewed during 1985-1986. The authors conclude that, as a group, Mariel refugees have made rapid progress toward integration into the South Florida economy. There has been a rapid decline in unemployment during the past 2 years and a rapid shift into self-employment. There is still a sizable gap in labor force participation and earnings between this group and the pre-Mariel Cuban population. Mariel incorporation into South Florida society has taken place almost completely through their absorption into the pre-existing Cuban community; there is tension, however, as Mariel refugees see themselves as more discriminated against by fellow Cubans than by outside Anglos. This minority-within-a-minority syndrome is likely to underlie the reported willingness of many to leave the US if conditions in Cuba were to change for the better. Despite these problems, the majority of Mariel refugees would come again to the US if they had to make the choice anew and declare themselves satisfied with their present lives. Within Dade County, the more positive indicators of economic advancement and general adaptation are found among refugees in the cities of Miami and Hialeah. The most problematic economic situation and the greatest alienation from their surroundings is detected among refugees living elsewhere, primarily in Miami Beach. Results indicate that official and private programs targeted on this refugee group should give priority to 4 aspects: 1) support of small entrepreneurship through credit and training facilities to buttress the widespread efforts in this direction; 2) provision of English language courses and help to overcome extreme language deficiencies; 3) promotion of the reunification of the Mariel refugee families who were separated against their will; and 4) additional efforts by Cuban-American organizations to combat lingering prejudice against Mariel refugees.

Flight into despair: a profile of recent Haitian refugees in South Florida.

PIP: Based on a 1983-1984 random sample survey of 499 Haitians who had recently arrived in the US, plus participant observation and intensive interviewing, this article examines the following areas: 1) individual background characteristics of Haitian immigrants; 2) their arrival and early resettlement experiences; 3) their education, knowledge of English, and information about the US; 4) current employment status and occupation; 5) income and use of public assistance; 6) predictors of employment, occupation, and income; and 7) beliefs and orientations. Few immigrant groups in recent history have suffered unemployment, downward occupational mobility, and poverty to the extent that Haitians have. In part, this situation is a consequence of the modest education and occupational training brought by these refugees--above average in the country of origin but significantly below US standards. However, even among the better educated and knowledgeable, unemployment rates are unacceptably high and occupational status and income extremely low. The 2nd part of the explanation must be found in the reception accorded to this group. Haitians arrived into a social context unprepared to receive them either as economic immigrants or as political refugees. Their claims for political asylum have been repeatedly rejected by the US. The motivation of individuals who crossed 700 miles of open sea to Florida aboard barely seaworthy craft is high enough to succeed, but the Haitians' inability to gain more than a temporary entrant status weighs heavily against their eventual success.^ieng

Class structure and spatial polarization: an assessment of recent urban trends in Latin America.

"In this paper, we review those major trends characteristic of peripheral urbanization as they are reflected in the recent Latin American experience. Such trends include: urban primacy and the relative absence of secondary city systems, the character and dynamics of the informal sector, housing deficiencies and state housing policy, and the recent rise of popular organizations oriented toward self-sufficiency or militant demand-making. These trends are important because they represent the form in which continuity and change of peripheral class structures are reflected in space, both at the national and local levels....[The authors conclude that] the political economy of Latin American cities is one where the resolution to the plight of underdevelopment promised by accelerated capitalist industrialization has not materialized. Instead, the process has produced a more complex and more contradictory social fabric."

[Immigration and the international system: some characteristics of recent Mexican immigrants to the United States]. / La inmigracion y el sistema internacional: algunas caracteristicas de los mexicanos recientemente emigrados a los Estados Unidos

PIP: The implications of U.S. migration policy are evaluated, with a focus on the demographic and sociological aspects, labor market effects, and economic implications of Mexican migration to the United States.^ieng