Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Jun 2003
ReviewJuvenile sexual offenders: characteristics, interventions, and policy issues.
The incidence and prevalence of sexual offenses committed by juveniles are examined and current policies regarding juvenile sexual offenders are evaluated by considering the relevant psychological literature. Characteristics of juvenile sex offenders are reviewed, noting the heterogeneity of this population. Recent research on developmental pathways and typologies is presented, intervention strategies are reviewed, and recommendations for research and policy are made.
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Rickettsialpox, a spotted fever rickettsiosis, was first identified in New York City (NYC) in 1946. During the next five years, approximately 540 additional cases were identified in NYC. However, during the subsequent five decades, rickettsialpox received relatively little attention from clinicians and public health professionals, and reporting of the disease diminished markedly. ⋯ The 17-kDa protein gene sequence of R. akari was amplified from eschars of five patients. Four isolates of R. akari were obtained from cutaneous lesions. Possible factors responsible for the increase in clinical samples evaluated for rickettsialpox during this interval include renewed clinical interest in the disease, improved diagnostic methods, epizootiological influences, and factors associated with the recent specter of bioterrorism.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Jun 2003
Comparative StudyRickettsia honei: a spotted fever group Rickettsia on three continents.
Rickettsia honei (also known as strain TT-118) has been detected on three continents. Originally isolated in Thailand in 1962 (and confirmed in 2001), it has also been detected on Flinders Island (Australia) in 1993 and in Texas (USA) in 1998. On each continent it has been associated with a different species of tick. ⋯ However, this tick is known to bite humans. The strain from Flinders Island (Australia) described as R. honei, has been isolated from patients with "Flinders Island Spotted Fever" and from Aponomma hydrosauri ticks taken from blue-tongue lizards (Tiliqua nigrolutea), tiger snakes (Notechis ater humphreysi), and copperhead snakes (Austrelaps superbus) on Flinders Island. The ecology of R. honei in this location is unusual in that reptiles, rather than mammals, are the vertebrate hosts.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · May 2003
ReviewEstrogen as a neuroprotective agent in the treatment of spinal cord injury.
The following review is a brief discussion about spinal cord injury and the possibility of using estrogen as a neuroprotective agent. There are several pathways by which secondary cell death can occur following spinal cord injury, including infiltration of inflammatory cells, generation of reactive oxygen species, decreases in spinal cord blood flow, and increases in intracellular Ca(2+) levels. This secondary damage leads to apoptotic cell death, and the neuroprotective effects of pharmacologic agents have been investigated using experimentally induced spinal cord injury in animals. ⋯ Estrogen has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Estrogen levels are correlated with an increase in post-traumatic blood flow to injured tissue. Estrogen may also upregulate protein levels of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and may attenuate the post-traumatic influx of Ca(2+).