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PubMed2000

Vaginal calculi in a young woman.

A case of a large vaginal stone in a 26-year-old woman is presented. Vaginal stones are relatively rare. Various causes can lead to vaginal stone formation. In our case, the calculi was due to vaginal outlet obstruction in childhood. The diagnosis is usually easy to be done. In our patient, X-ray films using frontal and lateral views of the urinary system permitted to establish the right diagnosis. Treatment can vary, depending on the cause of the stone formation and the consistency of the calculi. In this case, the treatment was surgical with simple evolution. It permitted a normal social and sexual life to this young patient.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Quality assurance: a literature review of a changing field.

The activities and interests of quality assurance programs have changed dramatically in recent years, in response to the government's, the public's, and the health care field's concerns with spiraling health care costs and diminishing health care funds. Using the recent literature on quality assurance in the mental health field, the author discusses how a changing political and social climate has affected the evolution of quality assurance programs--who runs them and who participates in them, what activities they encompass, their methodological challenges, how they have coped with their new responsibilities, and what lies ahead for them.

Community Mental Health Centers↗
PubMed2005

"Religion is the finding thing": an evolving spirituality in late life.

This paper discusses some important dimensions of faith and of the social contexts surrounding faith that are illustrative of continuity and growth in spirituality in the lives of older adults. Examples of an evolving spirituality emerge in the analysis of a recent qualitative research study that probed the nature of religious experience among thirty-one community-dwelling elders and fifteen elders residing in long-term care facilities. Face-to-face interviews with these forty-six older adults and with seven people who directed or assisted with formal and informal programs of faith comprise the empirical base for this paper. The seven people, I refer to them mnemonically as faithreps, worked in various ways in the long-term care settings to provide programs involving faith to older adults. The faithreps came from a range of educational and religious backgrounds and are not accurately or handily categorized. An evolving spirituality is shaped by the older person's links to the structural and the socio-relational contexts that have been created through interaction in the past as well as through interaction in the present. Moreover, the interaction of older adults and faithreps encourages spiritual growth because as social actors engaged with one another over a sustained period of time in an institutional setting, questions and dialogue about life and its meaning are regularly evoked. The social interactions that foster spiritual evolution may be an admixture of the secular and the sacred. Such socio-relational contexts were once part of the naturalistic settings of daily life among the old, but now must emerge through the efforts and planning of others. The salience of faith among present cohorts of older adults sensitizes us to the necessity of devoting more consideration to optimal ways of strengthening and building contexts that are conducive to the evolution of spirituality.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Gender differences in dominance and affiliation during a demanding interaction.

Evolution theory predicts that in social situations, men will show more behavioral dominance, whereas women will show more behavioral affiliation. To ensure maximum ecological validity, observation in a real-life situation that calls for uniform behavior is the strongest test. To reduce bias because of stereotyping within observers, the author used molecular behavioral observations, in which the verbal and nonverbal behavior of 10 men and 10 women was observed in an executive job selection assessment center where they were actual applicants. Men showed more dominance, especially head shaking, sitting in a closed posture, and using closed questions and directive remarks. Women showed more affiliation, especially in frequency of laughing, sitting in an open posture, and posing open questions.

Female↗
PubMed1999

The systems, holograms and theory of micro-acupuncture.

Although acupuncture has been practiced for more than 5,000 years, micro-acupuncture is a recent concept. In the mid-1950s, Nogier discovered that the ear may be utilized as a diagnostic and therapeutic system for the entire body. He explored the topology of acupoints on the ear, observing that it is reiterative of the anatomy. Micro-acupuncture extends these principles to other parts of the body, for example, the foot, hand, nose, and even the orbit of the eye. The development, systems, theory, clinical uses and holograms of micro-acupuncture are reviewed. It is suggested that the holographic paradigm may even have implications for the evolution of a new scientific, social and personal consciousness.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1979

[Intermittent claudication. Introduction to clinical diagnosis].

The history and the physical examination are still at the basis of the approach of the patient suffering from intermittent claudication. The history makes clear the specific symptom and its localization. The evolution of the disease, the social and professional handicap are defined. Other troubles and other localizations of the vascular disease are recognized and the nature of the risk factors etablished. The physical examination indicates the pattern and the distribution of the vascular lesions and orientates the pathogenic investigations. A rough assessment of the insufficiency of the cutaneous and muscular circulation is also possible.

Humans↗
PubMed1981

[Psychological effects of neuroleptics (author's transl)].

The short term activity of neuroleptics allows the possibility to distinguish between: 1 - their instictive-affective effects which can, according to the case, either diminish agitation, vigilance, aggressivity, anxiety and mood, or the disinhibitors in case of anti-autistic action; 2 - their effects reducing hallucinations and delusions. After 6 months, and more, in the case of schizophrenia or other psychotic evolution, the preventive effect on psychotic relapses appears as unquestionable to many psychiatrists even though there do exist discrepancies in controlled studies. A regularly administrated treatment reveals the possibility of a favorable evolution with a restitution of social and hedonic capacities. Indeed, although the patients behave in a neurotic or psychopathic way, there is no indication that they are to shift from their psychotic structure. We think it necessary to find new trends in the biological treatment of psychosis when unpredictable neurological or endocrinal side-effects occur, or when too numerous patients to remain neuroleptic-resistant.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1998

[Climatic changes and transmissible diseases].

Transmissible disease geography can be defined as the study of the spatial expression of pathogenic processes. The three main elements implicated in this study are environmental conditions affecting biophysical dynamics, political, economic, social, and cultural events, and evolution of pathogenic agents under the influence of the first two factors. A number of pathogenic areas or regions can be delimited in function of different combinations of these factors. These territories are subject to rapid change and variation. Meteorological changes and cycles are contributing factors. However the underlying mechanisms appear to be increasingly affected by human activity. Several disturbing signs have been attributed to man including desertification, drought, and global warming, but the cause-and-effect relationship is unsure. Much research is in progress but resulting data remains contradictory except insofar as to confirm the complexity of atmospheric phenomena. The natural geography of transmissible diseases is affected by these variations but it is mainly the expression of the dialogue between man and nature.

Climate↗
PubMed1976

Evolution-oriented ethology, kin selection, and altruistic parasites.

The genetic theory of social behaviour challenges ethology to incorporate the study of invertebrates and lower animals; to search for behaviour mechanisms that contribute to the maximization of "inclusive fitness" (rather than to the maintenance of the individual and the species); and to intensify the study of social consequences and interindividual differences in species-specific behaviour.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

The other "closest living relative". How bonobos (Pan paniscus) challenge traditional assumptions about females, dominance, intra- and intersexual interactions, and hominid evolution.

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) societies are typically characterized as physically aggressive, male-bonded and male-dominated. Their close relatives, the bonobos (Pan paniscus), differ in startling and significant ways. For instance, female bonobos bond with one another, form coalitions, and dominate males. A pattern of reluctance to consider, let alone acknowledge, female dominance in bonobos exists, however. Because both species are equally "man's" closest relative, the bonobo social system complicates models of human evolution that have historically been based upon referents that are male and chimpanzee-like. The bonobo evidence suggests that models of human evolution must be reformulated such that they also accommodate: real and meaningful female bonds; the possibility of systematic female dominance over males; female mating strategies which encompass extra-group paternities; hunting and meat distribution by females; the importance of the sharing of plant foods; affinitive inter-community interactions; males that do not stalk and attack and are not territorial; and flexible social relationships in which philopatry does not necessarily predict bonding pattern.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Markers of disease evolution: the case of tuberculosis.

Abrupt changes in environmental conditions--broadly understood to include demographic and social dynamics--can seriously impact the local or global disease dynamics of a population. These changes in the evolutionary landscape, which may occur over relatively short time-scales, are very likely to play a critical role in disease evolution. The potential impact of demographic, social and epidemiological shifts on the evolution of tuberculosis epidemics in the United States over the past century and a half is the main subject of this article. Evidence is provided to support the hypothesis that the observed substantial decreases in the incidence of active tuberculosis are the result of abrupt reductions in the rates of disease progression.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed1990

Brains of mole rats from Africa and North America.

The total brain size and quantitative brain composition have been analyzed in four bathyergids and two geomyids in comparison with those in two spalacids. These mole rats show encephalic features corresponding to their phyletic descent from the cricetids. Their diversity in brain organization suggests that, in spite of the seeming uniformity of their habitat the world over, they are narrowly adapted, a quantitative-to-qualitative relationship which only detailed eco-ethological information will be able to explain. The special case of the naked mole rat raises once again the problem of distinguishing evolution from specialization and relating brain development to social life.

Africa↗
PubMed2006

Sociality, age at first reproduction and senescence: comparative analyses of birds.

Evolutionary theories of senescence suggest that aging evolves as a consequence of early reproduction imposing later viability costs, or as a consequence of weak selection against mutations that act late in life. In addition, highly social species that live in sites that are protected from extrinsic mortality due to predation should senesce at a slower rate than solitary species. Therefore, species that start reproducing late in life should senesce at a slower rate than species that start reproducing early. In addition, social species should senesce more slowly than solitary species. Here I investigate the rate of senescence using an extensive data set on longevity records under natural field conditions to test predictions about the evolution of senescence among 271 species of birds. Longevity records increased with sampling effort and body mass, but once these confounding variables were controlled statistically, there was a strongly positive relationship between relative longevity and relative adult survival rate. Relative longevity after controlling statistically for sampling effort, body mass and adult survival rate, increased with age at first reproduction, but not with degree of breeding sociality. These findings suggest that the evolution of senescence is related to timing of first reproduction, but that the evolution of breeding sociality has played a negligible role in the evolution of senescence.

Aging↗
PubMed2002

Phylogenetic relationships, ecological correlates, and molecular evolution within the cavioidea (mammalia, rodentia).

A molecular phylogeny of the rodent superfamily Cavioidea was derived using two nuclear sequences (exon #10 of the growth hormone receptor gene and intron #1 of the transthyretin gene) and one mitochondrial gene (12S rRNA). A combined analysis produced a highly derived and well-supported phylogenetic hypothesis that differed from traditional taxonomy primarily in the placement of two taxa. Kerodon, traditionally included within the subfamily Caviinae with guinea pigs and its relatives, is placed sister to the family Hydrochaeridae and closely aligned with the subfamily Dolichotinae. Inclusion of Hydrochaeris within the Caviidae renders the familial classification paraphyletic. Our data further support the taxonomic separation of the families Agoutidae and Dasyproctidae. Both the molecular and traditional morphological interpretations are assessed in testing an ecological constraints hypothesis regarding social behaviors. Whereas traditional taxonomy is consistent with an environmental constraints explanation for social behavior, the molecular data suggest that phylogenetic effects may be a more important factor in the evolution of social behavior in this group. Although lineage-specific rate heterogeneity was identified in all three molecular data sets, no significant support was obtained for the metabolic rate hypothesis. However, both nuclear genes displayed patterns in accordance with the generation time hypothesis.

Adaptation, Biological↗
PubMed2003

A novel social polymorphism in a primitively eusocial bee.

Halictine sweat bees (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) are model organisms for the evolution of altruism, reproductive castes, and eusocial colony organization. Halictine social behavior is not only extremely variable, but also ecologically and evolutionarily labile. Among social species, colony social organization ranges from communal societies of egalitarian females to eusocial and semisocial ones with reproductive queens and more or less sterile workers. A striking aspect of halictine social variation is the mutual exclusivity of communal and eusocial types of colony social organization within the same species, these two types of social behavior being characteristic of different genera and subgenera. We report a recently discovered exception to this rule in a population of Halictus sexcinctus (Fabricius) at Daimonia-Pyla in southern Greece, that contained both communal and eusocial colonies. Moreover, communal and eusocial females exhibit morphological differences that imply a preimaginal developmental switch, which could also underlie the two types of social behavior. That the communal and eusocial forms are not merely cryptic sister species with different social behavior is indicated by the comparison of mitochondrial DNA sequences of two sections of cytochrome oxidase I, which indicate that Greek specimens of both social types are more similar than they are to conspecifics from elsewhere in Europe. The phylogenetic position of Halictus sexcinctus suggests that this unusual communal/eusocial polymorphism may represent an unstable intermediate step in an evolutionary reversal from eusocial to solitary behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

[Lemurs of Madagascar. Tests on evolution of primate communities].

The flora and fauna of Madagascar evolved rather independently from the African mainland. In contrast to other oceanic islands, Madagascar is large enough to house most major components of tropical ecosystems, allowing tests of evolutionary hypotheses on the level of complete communities. Taking lemurs, the primates of Madagascar, as an example, evolutionary hypotheses correctly predict the organization of their community structure with respect to ecological correlates. Lemur social systems and their morphological correlates, on the other hand, deviate largely from the typical mammalian pattern. Thus, the traditional hypotheses of behavioral ecology, based solely on resource distribution and predation pressure, are insufficient to explain the existing variability in lemur social systems. Other factors, such as activity patterns and avoidance of infanticide, may be equally important. Due to interspecific variation in these characters, lemurs offer the unique opportunity to determine the relative importance of these factors for the evolution of social systems.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

US National Park Buffer Zones: Historical, Scientific, Social, and Legal Aspects.

/ This review will trace the evolution of beyond boundary/buffer zone thinking and policy responses in the US National Park Service (NPS); address buffer zone science, benefits, and limitations; examine pertinent legal and social concerns; highlight some agency attempts to create buffer zone-like areas; and propose highlights of a protected area strategy, with buffer zones and corridors as one component. Some findings follow. The need to expand national parks to accommodate large ungulate movement began in the late 1800s, but the recognition that such land was also needed to thwart human impacts such as poaching surfaced in the 1930s. External park buffer zone recommendations by 1930s park scientists were not implemented, and other related adopted policy forgotten, supporting the belief that great insight can be discovered in forgotten institutional history. Buffer zones can remedy some impacts but not others, but their benefits are multiple and underappreciated. The science of buffer zones is very immature and deserves more attention. A present primary obstacle to creating park buffer zones and connecting corridors is a social climate opposing federal initiatives that may intrude on the rights of private landowners. Some proactive NPS bufferlike activity examples are reviewed, but there were none where permanent, complete, effective nonlegislated park buffer zones, derived from nonfederal property, circumscribed large natural area parks. The need for buffer zones and corridors may be a symptom of inadequate regional planning. Options to create buffer zones from private and federal land are outlined. A comprehensive, overall protected area strategy must include more than just buffer zones, with highlights provided. Because optimal regional planning for US national parks is now thwarted by land-use politics, American society must soon decide what is most crucial to future well-being. KEY WORDS: Buffer zone; Reserve; Boundary; Policy; Planning

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Pursuing quality improvement: a social work perspective.

The multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of patients with chronic renal failure has existed since the inception of the Medicare end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Program. Social workers as team members in the various renal outpatient treatment settings have contributed to the planning and assessment of patient needs with the goal of achieving the optimal quality of life available to each individual. Nephrology social workers have also participated in the evolution of quality management through their professional organization. The eight clinical indicators jointly developed by the Council of Nephrology Social Workers and the National Association of Social Workers provide a basis for the implementation of continuous quality improvement concepts. The Health Care Financing Administration, the administrative agency of the ESRD Program, has shifted its quality management approach from quality assurance to the broader concepts of continuous quality improvement. The Health Care Quality Improvement Program provides the structure for all professionals to develop a facility-based system for quality management. By using strategies of quality control and quality improvement, social workers will be able to demonstrate the positive benefit of social service intervention. Identification of useful psychological and functional assessment tools must be incorporated into social work practice to measure outcome. Social workers have the necessary expertise in conflict resolution and group dynamics, which are skills needed for team facilitators used within the conceptual framework of continuous quality improvement. The challenge is to learn these concepts and incorporate them into the daily operation of social work practice.

Humans↗