First-job preferences and expectations of pharmacy students: intergender and interethnic comparisons.

OBJECTIVES: To identify and measure intergender and interethnic differences in preferences and expectations of pharmacy students. DESIGN: Two-part survey. One part addressed systematic variations in work-related expectations and preferences between the sexes and among ethnic minorities that may result from cumulative disadvantage or attitudinal traits; the other part focused on similarities and differences in expected sources of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. SETTING: College of Pharmacy, Nova Southeastern University. PARTICIPANTS: 171 students enrolled in their final semester of didactic training (that is, immediately before rotations or internship). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Significance of intergender and interethnic disparities was determined using t tests. RESULTS: No significant intergender disparities were detected in income expectations, anticipated level of job satisfaction, estimated time from graduation to passing the Board exam or working, or in preferred or expected sector of first job. African American students expected to earn lower levels of income, experience less satisfaction in their first job as a pharmacist, and work longer hours. Hispanic and Asian American students exhibited less confidence in their ability to pass the Board exam and in the allocative function of the job market. Salary and ability to help patients were the two sources of job satisfaction anticipated most frequently, whereas work overload ranked first among the anticipated sources of job dissatisfaction. CONCLUSION: The rapidly changing gender composition of the profession has altered traditional integender differences in outlook and attitudinal traits, contributing to the disappearance of intergender disparities identified in previous research. However, significant interethnic differences in preferences and expectations suggest the presence of cumulative disadvantage among minorities.

Circulating CLA+ lymphocytes from children with atopic dermatitis contain an increased percentage of cells bearing staphylococcal-related T-cell receptor variable segments.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis is an allergic T-cell mediated skin inflammation. Staphylococcus aureus colonization is very common in cutaneous atopic dermatitis lesions. The cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA) is a T cell skin homing receptor that defines T lymphocytes associated with the cutaneous immune response. OBJECTIVE: To study whether CLA+ T cells from atopic dermatitis children present a selective expression for Staphylococcus aureus-related TCR Vbeta segments. METHODS: Peripheral blood T cells were stained with HECA-452 (anti-CLA) and a panel of TCR Vbeta specific monoclonal antibodies and analysed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Atopic dermatitis patients have a higher percentage of circulating CLA+ CD3+ lymphocytes compared with healthy controls. Patients with active atopic dermatitis during the study expressed a higher percentage of cells positive for the TCR Vbeta2 and Vbeta5.1 segments in the CLA+ but not in the CLA- subset. These TCR Vbetas are recognized by staphylococcal superantigens. Moreover, there was an increased percentage of HLA-DR+ expression by CLA+ Vbeta5.1+ T cells in patients with active atopic dermatitis, but those patients whose eczema was inactive had very similar values to healthy controls regarding TCR Vbeta and HLA-DR phenotype in circulating CLA+ T lymphocytes. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that circulating skin-homing T cells of patients with active atopic dermatitis contain an increased percentage of cells bearing TCR Vbeta segments related with Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus superantigens may therefore trigger expansion or at least circulation of appropriate CLA+ T cells.

Expression of the cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen in circulating T cells in drug-allergic reactions.

BACKGROUND: Mechanisms underlying the production of delayed cutaneous reactions to drugs are poorly characterized. The cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA) is a skin-homing T cell receptor that defines T lymphocytes associated with the cutaneous immune response. We studied the percentage and activation phenotype of circulating CLA+ T cells in drug allergic patients and healthy controls. METHODS: PBMCs were isolated from heparinized venous blood by Ficoll density gradient. Lymphocytes were stained for flow cytometry with anti-CLA, anti-CD3 and anti-HLA-DR mAbs. Five-parameter analysis was performed on an Ortho Cytoron Absolute flow cytometer. RESULTS: We found increased percentages of circulating CLA+ T cells in drug-allergic patients compared to controls. Moreover, CLA+ T cells from drug-allergic individuals expressed a higher percentage of the T cell activation marker HLA-DR. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that CLA+ T cells may play a role in the pathology of delayed cutaneous reactions to drugs. Further studies are in progress to elucidate the role of skin-homing T cells in allergic reactions to drugs.

AIDS and suicide issues in Spain.

Current suicidality and other characteristics were assessed in 442 HIV-infected patients, independent of clinical stage, who had been referred to the Consultation Liaison Psychiatrist from an Infectious Disease Unit of a General Hospital in Spain. The referrals were made over a period of 7 years (1988-1994). Suicidality was categorized as suicidal thoughts (5 patients), suicidal equivalents (5 patients) and suicidal attempts (17 cases). Of a total of 27 cases, two died as a result of suicide. The number of known suicide deaths was lower than expected. However, these results may show an underestimate due to the difficulty of differentiating between accidental overdose and actual suicidal attempt in intravenous drug-using patients. Health care professionals must be aware of the potential for suicidal thoughts and suicidal behaviours in HIV-positive patients to enable them to provide the necessary support.

Empirical findings on socioeconomic determinants of fertility differentials in Costa Rica.

"This paper seeks to (1) identify socioeconomic variables that are expected to generate fertility differentials; (2) hypothesize the direction and magnitude of the effect of each variable by reference to a demand-for-children model; and (3) test empirically the model using evidence from Costa Rica. The estimates are obtained from a ten-percent systematic random sample of all Costa Rican individual-family households. There are 15,924 families in the sample...." The authors specifically seek "to capture the effects of changing relative prices and available income and time constraints on parental preferences for children. Least-squares estimates show statistically significant relationships between household fertility and opportunity cost of time, parental education, occurrence of an extended family, medical care, household sanitation, economic sector of employment, and household stock of nonhuman capital."