A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report, part of GAO's performance and accountability series, discusses the major management challenges and program risks facing the Department of State. GAO found that the most critical infrastructure need for State is to enhance the protection of U.S. embassies and other overseas facilities in response to the rising threat of terrorism. Other significant challenges that State must address involve improving the management of drug control assistance to Colombia, providing expedited visa processing, and strengthening its strategic and performance goals."
Over the last several decades, globalisation and a growing concern over security issues, including transnational crime and terrorism, has shaped migration policies and the priorities of states. As migration rose to the top of many government agendas, a rapid tightening and regularisation of borders ensued in an attempt to keep undesirable, high-risk migrants out of potential destination countries. Concomitantly, transnational crimes, such as trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants, have been increasingly defined as border security problems. This article examines the extent to which border control is fundamental to anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling interventions, situating the debate within the wider nexus of globalisation and the securitisation of migration. Based upon their work with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Centre for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the authors take the standpoint that given it is the sovereign right of each state to control its border and regulate migration, the human rights of migrants must be considered within this realpolitik. Clearly, though, this claim is highly political and contentious. In the article, we explore some of the tensions and contradictions that have emerged in this debate, and then develop an argument to suggest that it is possible for states to combine managed migration and strict border controls with the protection of human rights in the current context of globalisation.
Osteomyelitis (OM) from multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter has emerged in >30% of combat-related injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan. While most of these strains are sensitive to colistin, the drug is not availible in bone void fillers for local high-dose delivery. To address this we developed a mouse model with MDR strains isolated from wounded military personnel. In contrast to S. aureus OM, which is osteolytic and characterized by biofilm in necrotic bone, A. baumannii OM results in blastic lesions that do not contain apparent biofilm. We also found that mice mount a specific IgG response against 3 proteins (40, 47 & 56KDa) regardless of the strain used, suggesting that these may be immunuo-dominant antigens. PCR for the A. baumannii specific parC gene confirmed a 100% infection rate with 75% of the MDR strains, and in vitro testing confirmed that all strains were sensitive to colistin. We also developed a real-time quantitative PCR (RTQ-PCR) assay that could detect as few as 10 copies of parC in a sample. To demonstrate the efficacy of colistin prophylaxis in this model, mice were treated with either parenteral colistin (0.2mg colistinmethate i.m. for 7 days), local colistin (PMMA bead impregnated with 1.0mg colistin sulfate), or an unloaded PMMA bead control. While the parenteral colistin failed to demonstrate any significant effects vs. the placebo, the colistin PMMA bead significantly reduced the infection rate such that only 29.2% of the mice had detectable levels of parC at 19 days (p<0.05 vs. i.m. colistin and placebo).
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are usually found on food products due to contamination from the fecal origin, as their main environmental reservoir is considered to be the gut of ruminants. While this pathogen is far from the incidence of other well-known foodborne bacteria, the severity of STEC infections in humans has triggered global concerns as far as its incidence and control are concerned. Major control strategies for foodborne pathogens in food-related settings usually involve traditional sterilization/disinfection techniques. However, there is an increasing need for the development of further strategies to enhance the antimicrobial outcome, either on food-contact surfaces or directly in food matrices. Phages are considered to be a good alternative to control foodborne pathogens, with some phage-based products already cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used in the food industry. In European countries, phage-based food decontaminants have already been used. Nevertheless, its broad use in the European Union is not yet possible due to the lack of specific guidelines for the approval of these products. Furthermore, some safety concerns remain to be addressed so that the regulatory requirements can be met. In this review, we present an overview of the main virulence factors of STEC and introduce phages as promising biocontrol agents for STEC control. We further present the regulatory constraints on the approval of phages for food applications and discuss safety concerns that are still impairing their use. ; The authors thank the Portuguese Foundation for Scienceand Technology (FCT) through the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019 unit, and the project PhageSTEC [PTDC/CVT-CVT/29628/2017], under the scope of COMPETE 2020 [POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029628]. The author GP acknowledges theFCT grant [SFRH/BD/117365/2016]. ...
Sociological and criminological theories illuminated to the role of the mass media in deviance amplification process in the middle of 20th century. British criminologist Stanley Cohen was among the first to draw attention how the mass media is manipulating public fear of illicit drugs users. Another British criminologist Jock Young has developed a theoretical model which theoretically explains the connection between the public reaction to deviance and deviance amplification. He called this explanation the deviance amplification spiral model. J. Young argued that the mass media creates public fear of illicit drugs which exerts pressure upon legislator, police and courts to take action against illicit drugs use. This study is based on S. Cohen's moral panic and J. Young's deviance amplification theories. It is grounded in the analysis of data collected in four sociological investigations: (1) Vilnius University students attitudes survey; (2) qualitative content analysis of the readers' comments in the news portal delfi.lt; (3) qualitative and quantitative content analysis of the Lithuanian Parliament's plenary meeting stenographs and (4) expert interviews. The main thesis: the drugs fear is one of the factors of psychoactive substances criminalization in present-day Lithuania. Vilnius University students attitudes survey results show that the most of the respondents are convinced that illicit drugs problem is very widespread in present-day Lithuania, and the most effective way of solving this problem are tough measures against drug users, dealers and traffickers. Qualitative content analysis of the comments by readers of news portal delfi.lt readers highlighted two symptoms of the moral panic: illicit drugs users were conceived as 'folk devils' and villains; the illicit drugs problem was presented as that of irresistibly spreading disease. According to findings of qualitative and quantitative content analysis of the Lithuanian Parliament's plenary meeting stenographs the parliamentary discussion was dominated by the 'control and punishment' rhetoric on drugs in the year 2007–2008. Expert interviews disclose new aspects of deviance amplification and confirm the impact of the fear of illicit drugs on the psychoactive substances criminalization in present-day Lithuania.
Sociological and criminological theories illuminated to the role of the mass media in deviance amplification process in the middle of 20th century. British criminologist Stanley Cohen was among the first to draw attention how the mass media is manipulating public fear of illicit drugs users. Another British criminologist Jock Young has developed a theoretical model which theoretically explains the connection between the public reaction to deviance and deviance amplification. He called this explanation the deviance amplification spiral model. J. Young argued that the mass media creates public fear of illicit drugs which exerts pressure upon legislator, police and courts to take action against illicit drugs use. This study is based on S. Cohen's moral panic and J. Young's deviance amplification theories. It is grounded in the analysis of data collected in four sociological investigations: (1) Vilnius University students attitudes survey; (2) qualitative content analysis of the readers' comments in the news portal delfi.lt; (3) qualitative and quantitative content analysis of the Lithuanian Parliament's plenary meeting stenographs and (4) expert interviews. The main thesis: the drugs fear is one of the factors of psychoactive substances criminalization in present-day Lithuania. Vilnius University students attitudes survey results show that the most of the respondents are convinced that illicit drugs problem is very widespread in present-day Lithuania, and the most effective way of solving this problem are tough measures against drug users, dealers and traffickers. Qualitative content analysis of the comments by readers of news portal delfi.lt readers highlighted two symptoms of the moral panic: illicit drugs users were conceived as 'folk devils' and villains; the illicit drugs problem was presented as that of irresistibly spreading disease. According to findings of qualitative and quantitative content analysis of the Lithuanian Parliament's plenary meeting stenographs the parliamentary discussion was dominated by the 'control and punishment' rhetoric on drugs in the year 2007–2008. Expert interviews disclose new aspects of deviance amplification and confirm the impact of the fear of illicit drugs on the psychoactive substances criminalization in present-day Lithuania.
SIMPLE SUMMARY: Abdominal pain, colic, is a common clinical sign in horses, sometimes reflecting life-threatening disease. One cause of colic is parasitic infection of the gut. Various drugs, anthelmintics, can be used to reduce or eliminate such parasites. However, frequent use has led to problems of drug resistance, whereby many countries now allow anthelmintics to be used on a prescription-only basis. In Sweden, this has led to a concern that parasitic-related colic in horses is increasing. This study aimed to investigate whether horses with colic differed in parasitological status compared to horses without colic. A secondary aim was to collect information regarding current parasite control measures used by horse owners. Exposure to S. vulgaris, a parasite with the potential to cause life-threatening disease, appeared high as determined by the presence of antibodies in the blood. Horses with inflammation in the abdominal cavity had higher antibody levels than other causes of colic. Despite new legislation, 29% of owners did not use fecal analyses for parasites and the use of extended methods to diagnose specific parasites was low. Also, owners rarely used alternative methods to reduce the pasture parasite burden. The study suggests a need for education in the use of both fecal analyses and pasture management. ABSTRACT: All grazing horses are exposed to intestinal parasites, which have the potential to cause gastrointestinal disease. In Sweden, there is a concern about an increase in parasite-related equine gastrointestinal disease, in particular Strongylus vulgaris, since the implementation of prescription-only anthelmintics approximately 10 years ago. In a prospective case–control study, parasitological status, using fecal analyses for strongyle egg counts, the presence of Anoplocephala perfoliata eggs and S. vulgaris Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as well as serology for S. vulgaris, were compared between horses presenting with or without gastrointestinal disease at a University hospital during a one-year ...
The use of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) in the so-called War on Drugs has considerable implications for the application of international humanitarian law and raises concern about the respect for human rights under anti drug assistance programs. This article will focus, in particular, on the ways in which the lack of state control over PMSC activities poses a major challenge for human rights protections in the short-term—by restricting the application of human rights law—as well as in the long-term—by further undermining state capacity and weakening the rule of law. Using the cases of Colombia and Mexico, this article will illustrate how PMSCs tend to add another dimension of complexity to complicated situations where the application of the rule of law is already uneven, increasing the risk of human rights violations and impunity.
Clubbing is an important part of the nighttime economy, and cocaine use is, for some young people, an essential part of this clubbing culture. However, the interaction rituals around the use of powder cocaine in this context remain understudied. This study is based on qualitative interviews with young adult recreational cocaine users ( n = 28) and explores how they use cocaine in club settings, in relation to rituals and drinking culture. The analysis identified three main explanations for using cocaine: (a) unity with friends because of shared transgression, (b) the high as a "collective effervescence," and (c) the possibility to control, extend, and intensify drinking to intoxication. These three explanations illustrate how cocaine rituals were deeply integrated in drinking-to-intoxication rituals, and how the illegality of cocaine use reinforced feelings of unity with friends. In the nighttime economy, cocaine use and its related rituals are used to intensify and control alcohol-fuelled partying.
Employment problems are common among low-income, substance abusing women. The present study links an empirically developed quantitative measure of gender-sensitive (GS) substance abuse treatment to employment outcomes among substance abusing women ( N = 5,109) treated in 13 mixed-gender intensive inpatient programs (IIPs) in the Washington State. Hierarchical linear models were used to test the relationship between GS treatment and subsequent employment. Propensity scores and receipt of public assistance were used to control for the preexisting differences among women. Men's employment outcomes were used to control for potential confounding at the program level. The study found that women treated in more (vs. less) GS treatment programs were more likely to be employed 12 months after treatment admission, though not for the hypothesized 24 months. Treatment completion did not affect the relationship between GS treatment and employment. Findings point to recent progress in tailoring generic substance abuse treatment to women's needs.
The present study used data from the 1991 and 1992 Drug Use Forecasting projects and the 1990 census data to test the hypothesis that certain "structural disadvantage factors" identified by social conflict theory (Goode, 1997, 1999) contribute to explaining arrestees' use of cocaine and/or opiates. Using hierarchical nonlinear modeling techniques, this study explored whether social-control factors and demographic factors were effective predictors of arrestees' drug use. It also questioned whether the effects of such factors on drug use varied with the degree of structural disadvantage of the arrestees' residential districts. Overall, the study resulted in support for a link between a group of hard-drug users and contextual factors of structural disadvantage.
AbstractAimTo study the dental and periodontal status of women with breast cancer (BCa) having tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors (AIs) treatment in comparison with control healthy women.MethodsFifty‐one women on tamoxifen therapy, 52 women on AIs therapy and 52 systemically healthy controls were included in the study. The total number of teeth, the number of teeth indicated for extraction, the number of decayed teeth, and the duration of medication were recorded. Periodontal status was evaluated with gingival index (GI); plaque index (PI); bleeding on probing (BOP); probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL).ResultsThe lowest number of teeth and decayed teeth was found in AIs users (P < .001 and P = .003 respectively). The highest CAL value was seen in AIs users (P = .042) whereas no significant difference was found between the groups in terms of PI, GI, and PD (P = .102, P = .233, and P = .306, respectively). Lower PI was observed in patients using AIs for less than 2 years (P = .048).ConclusionsWhile tamoxifen did not affect the dental and periodontal condition, AIs medication adversely affected the dental and periodontal condition by more tooth loss and higher CAL.
Abstract. Introduction: While alcohol treatment predominantly focuses on abstinence, drug treatment objectives include a variety of outcomes related to consumption and quality of life. Consequently harm reduction programs tackling psychoactive substances are well documented and accepted by practitioners, whereas harm reduction programs tackling alcohol are under-researched and met with resistance. Method: The paper is mainly based on key-person interviews with eight program providers conducted in Switzerland in 2009 and up-dated in 2015, and the analysis of reports and mission statements to establish an inventory and description of drinking under control programs (DUCPs). A recent twin program in Amsterdam and Essen was included to exemplify conditions impeding their implementation. Firstly, a typology based on the type of alcohol management, the provided support and admission criteria is developed, complemented by a detailed description of their functioning in practice. Secondly, the case studies are analyzed in terms of factors promoting and impeding the implementation of DUCPs and efforts of legitimize them and assess their success. Results: Residential and non-residential DUCPs show high diversity and pursue individualized approaches as the detailed case descriptions exemplify. Different modalities of proactively providing and including alcohol consumption are conceptualized in a wider framework of program objectives, including among others, quality of life and harm reduction. Typically DUCPs represent an effort to achieve public or institutional order. Their implementation and success are contingent upon their location, media response, type of alcohol management and the response of other substance-oriented stake holders in the treatment system. The legitimization of DUCPs is hampered by the lack of evaluation studies. DUCPs rely mostly – also because of limited resources – on rudimentary self-evaluations and attribute little importance to data collection exercises. Conclusions: Challenges for participants are underestimated and standard evaluation methodologies tend to be incompatible with the rationale and operational objectives of DUCPs. Program-sensitive multimethod approaches enabled by sufficient financing for monitoring and accompanying research is needed to improve the practice-oriented implementation of DUCPs. Barriers for these programs include assumptions that 'alcohol-assisted' help abandons hope for recovery and community response to DUCPs as locally unwanted institutions ('not in my backyard') fuelled by stigmatization.
