Brown Men Research Articles

Unveiling inflammatory biomarkers in multibacillary leprosy: the role of lymphocyte-platelet ratio in predicting leprosy reactions.

Leprosy is a neglected contagious disease that causes physical disability and episodes of inflammation, called leprosy reactions. There are currently no consolidated laboratory markers that can predict or confirm the diagnosis of leprosy reactions, negatively impacting the progression of the disease. The aim of this study was to analyze the behavior of inflammatory biomarkers in a population of patients with multibacillary leprosy. This prospective study in a northeastern capital involved 67 new cases of multibacillary leprosy, assessing inflammatory biomarkers at diagnosis. Histopathology, qPCR, slit skin smear microscopy, and laboratory tests, including CRP-albumin, neutrophil-lymphocyte, lymphocyte-monocyte, platelet-lymphocyte ratios, and systemic immune-inflammation index, were conducted. Statistical analysis utilized Stata version 16.0®, employing Chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis, and Poisson regression (5% significance). The population, mainly young brown men with low socioeconomic status, borderline leprosy, and and degree of physical disability one, saw 19.4% experiencing leprosy reactions. Standard multibacillary multidrug therapy was administered to all. Ratios and index values exceeding medians were prevalent (46.3-47.8%). Assessing biological markers against leprosy reactions revealed a positive relation between reactions and lymphocyte-platelet ratio (p = 0.05) and a positive trend with the systemic immune-inflammation index (p = 0.06). Patients with reactions were 1.3 times more likely to exhibit an elevated lymphocyte-platelet ratio. The lymphocyte-platelet ratio emerged as a potential indicator for recognizing leprosy reactions. Further research is essential to validate these findings, aiming for earlier detection of leprosy reactions.

Clinical and epidemiological aspects of patients injured by stingrays in the state of Pará, Brazil

The objective of this study was to outline the clinical-epidemiological profile of patients injured by stingrays from 2007 to 2021. A descriptive study was carried out through an epidemiological retrospective of ichthyism in 20 municipalities in Pará belonging to the Amazon Basin. Notified cases were obtained from the Notifiable Diseases Information System, where the following variables were investigated: socioeconomic profile, affected anatomical region, local and systemic clinical symptomatology. Treatment evolution regarding death and cure was also evaluated. Data were statistically evaluated using the chi-square test, at 5% significance level. A total of 737 cases of accidents caused by stingrays were reported during the period. Of these, 438 forms were not completed with the education data of the patients treated, followed by 158 forms not completed for the race item. Accidents caused by stingrays tend to happen to brown men, aged over 20 years, with incomplete secondary education, living in urban areas, with accidents occurring mainly on the region's beaches. The foot and leg were the most affected regions (p<0.05). Patients sought care in the first hours after the accident or only 24 hours (p<0.05) later. They presented local symptoms, such as pain and swelling. Some cases had systemic complications, mainly myolytic and neurological. This study reinforces the need to adopt strategies related to health and environmental education for people who visit risky areas to mitigate the occurrence of accidents caused by stingrays.

Anos Potenciais de Vida Perdidos devido à COVID-19, segundo a raça/cor e gênero, no Brasil, entre 2020 e 2021

Abstract Mortality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted indicators of Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) worldwide. This study aimed to estimate the YPLL due to mortality caused by COVID-19, according to sex, age group, and race/color in Brazil, from March 2020 to December 2021. Deaths caused by COVID-19 were characterized, in which the rates and ratios of standardized YPLL rates, the average number of years of potential life lost (ANYPLL), and the average age at death (AAD) were estimated and compared. Overall, 13,776,969.50 potential years of life were lost, which resulted in an average loss of 22.5 potential years not lived. A greater loss of potential years of life was identified in men (58.12%) and in the age groups from 0 to 59 years in the black (58.92%) and indigenous (63.35%) populations, while in the age groups of 60 years and over, a greater loss of YPLL was observed in the white (45.89%) and yellow (53.22%) populations. Women recorded the highest ADD, with the exception of indigenous women. White men (1.63), brown men (1.59), and black men (1.61) had the highest rates when compared to white women. Although COVID-19 has a greater impact on the elderly, it was the black and indigenous populations under the age of 60 who had the greatest loss of potential years of life.

Years of Potential Life Lost due to COVID-19 according to race/color and gender in Brazil between 2020 and 2021.

Mortality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted indicators of Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) worldwide. This study aimed to estimate the YPLL due to mortality caused by COVID-19, according to sex, age group, and race/color in Brazil, from March 2020 to December 2021. Deaths caused by COVID-19 were characterized, in which the rates and ratios of standardized YPLL rates, the average number of years of potential life lost (ANYPLL), and the average age at death (AAD) were estimated and compared. Overall, 13,776,969.50 potential years of life were lost, which resulted in an average loss of 22.5 potential years not lived. A greater loss of potential years of life was identified in men (58.12%) and in the age groups from 0 to 59 years in the black (58.92%) and indigenous (63.35%) populations, while in the age groups of 60 years and over, a greater loss of YPLL was observed in the white (45.89%) and yellow (53.22%) populations. Women recorded the highest ADD, with the exception of indigenous women. White men (1.63), brown men (1.59), and black men (1.61) had the highest rates when compared to white women. Although COVID-19 has a greater impact on the elderly, it was the black and indigenous populations under the age of 60 who had the greatest loss of potential years of life.

Older adults deprived of liberty: "their pain hurts more".

This essay reflects on the incarceration of older adults in the United States (USA) and Brazil and mainly aims to observe how the situation is consistent and differs in the two countries. The bibliography on the subject is much more affluent and consolidated in the USA. Several discrepancies are noted among scholars between data and authors' views. However, they all agree regarding (1) the increased number of incarcerated older adults, (2) the inadequacy of prisons to house them, (3) the accelerated aging due to lack of healthcare, (4) the experiences of physical, musculoskeletal, and mental comorbidities, and (5) the high costs of treating them adequately. Most senior prisoners are poor Black and brown men and people with some specific social fragility. A positive factor underscored by Brazilian and North American researchers is the cultivation of spirituality, which helps older adults in prison keep some well-being. However, incarcerated older adults require much other care, and few initiatives consider the specific needs of this social group. The time has come for Brazil to face this issue, whether out of social responsibility or human solidarity.

Idosos privados de liberdade: “a dor deles dói mais”

Abstract This essay reflects on the incarceration of older adults in the United States (USA) and Brazil and mainly aims to observe how the situation is consistent and differs in the two countries. The bibliography on the subject is much more affluent and consolidated in the USA. Several discrepancies are noted among scholars between data and authors’ views. However, they all agree regarding (1) the increased number of incarcerated older adults, (2) the inadequacy of prisons to house them, (3) the accelerated aging due to lack of healthcare, (4) the experiences of physical, musculoskeletal, and mental comorbidities, and (5) the high costs of treating them adequately. Most senior prisoners are poor Black and brown men and people with some specific social fragility. A positive factor underscored by Brazilian and North American researchers is the cultivation of spirituality, which helps older adults in prison keep some well-being. However, incarcerated older adults require much other care, and few initiatives consider the specific needs of this social group. The time has come for Brazil to face this issue, whether out of social responsibility or human solidarity.

“Young Brown Men Being Brutish”: How Police Ten 7 Portrays Māori and Pacifica People as Violent and Criminal in Aotearoa New Zealand.

In 2021, the New Zealand reality-TV show Police Ten 7 was publicly criticized for feeding racial stereotypes by showing “young brown men being brutish”. While several overseas studies verify that reality-TV crime shows tend to portray non-white minorities as intrinsically criminal, such research is scarce in New Zealand. Our study sought to determine whether Police Ten 7 represents Māori and Pasifika (i.e., “brown”) people fairly in light of official police statistics; and, particularly, if any distorted representation suggests that Māori and Pasifika people are more violent. We analysed 12 episodes of Police Ten 7, aired in late 2020, quantitatively and compared our data with official police statistics. We found that, on Police Ten 7, Māori and Pasifika people are underrepresented as police officers and overrepresented as suspects, and overrepresented in violent offence categories. Also, most of the TV airtime dedicated to suspects is spent on Māori and Pasifika. We argue that these distortions are intensified through contrasting juxtapositions with white suspects who are underrepresented both as suspects and violent offenders, and overrepresented as harmless drunks and bad drivers. We conclude that together these distortions and contrasting juxtapositions serve to promote the image of Māori and Pasifika as the violent criminal other.

The Long Crisis: New York City and the Path to Neoliberalism

The Long Crisis: New York City and the Path to Neoliberalism

Intersectional Audiard: Masculinity and Race in Dheepan and The Sisters Brothers

This article follows the lead of Richard Dyer and Devon Carbado in naming whiteness as a racial identity and uses intersectional analysis to explore Jacques Audiard’s depiction of race and gender in Dheepan and The Sisters Brothers. Both movies depart from the gender norms of earlier Audiard films by doing away with female saviors, so making male protagonists responsible for controlling their own violence. Both films also reflect Audiard’s determination to foreground Black and Brown characters in ways that better reflect the racial and cultural heterogeneity of France and the world. And yet, unorthodox casting choices and visual framing distance these same characters of color from responsibility for violence. Such an approach might be interpreted as a challenge to film makers’ historical tendency to cast Black and Brown men as especially violent. However, Audiard’s films commonly elicit sympathy for white men who exercise violence. Accordingly, Audiard’s denial of authority for violence to Black and Brown characters intimates than they can only be sympathetic if seen to be more upright than his white protagonists.

Brown men, Black women, White anxiety

Les mariages mixtes entre migrants indiens et femmes autochtones en Afrique orientale britannique n’ont jamais fait l’objet d’une étude historique. À partir d’archives coloniales et de sources indiennes, cet article explore ce sujet peu étudié et met en évidence la disparité existante entre les préoccupations raciales de l’administration coloniale et l’expérience vécue des premiers pionniers indiens (d’anciens « engagés », des marchands et des fonctionnaires). Aux yeux des administrateurs coloniaux, soucieux de réguler la migration indienne au sein de l’Empire, les enfants nés de ces mariages mixtes remettaient en question la classification raciale sur laquelle les politiques coloniales et le contrôle des terres étaient fondés, tout en étant la preuve de l’installation permanente des Indiens dans la région. Par contraste, l’analyse d’histoires de familles indo-kenyanes suggère que des facteurs culturels tels que l’appartenance religieuse jouaient un rôle plus important que l’identité raciale dans l’acceptation de ces unions. Il apparaît aussi que les familles mixtes pouvaient, dans certains cas, mettre à mal les catégories raciales établies et contourner les mesures ségrégationnistes à leur avantage.

Orientalizing Arab Migrant Women: Faten and Reema as Sexual Fantasies in Laila Lalami’s Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits and Susan Muaddi Darraj’s The Inheritance of Exile

The orientalist discourse is characterized by the discursive conceptualization of an uncivilized and sexualized east. Eastern women are portrayed as sexual objects and fantasies whose purpose is the satisfaction and obedience of the brown men. This discursive representation has affected the Westerner’s perception of migrant women as the novels suggest. This article probes the sexualizing and objectifying of Arab migrant women as a result of their ideological representation by the orientalists in the context of diaspora. Faten in Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits as a Moroccan female migrant in Spain and Reema in The Inheritance of Exile as an American of Arab descent are perceived by the Spanish customer and American boyfriend respectively as harem and sexual objects who can fulfill their fantasies. The agency Lalami and Darraj associate with their female protagonists does however dismantle the fixed representation of orientalism as Faten and Reema are given voice to rewrite the discursive narratives and to present alternative representations of Arab female migrants as being heterogeneous and independent individuals with freedom and control over their choices and decisions. The two studied novels as postcolonial diasporic literature disrupts and debunks the discursive orientalist discourse on Arab women.

Saving Brown Women from Brown Men? “Refugee Women”, Gender and the Racialised Politics of Protection

Abstract White feminist scholarship in the Global North has drawn attention to the challenges facing women seeking protection under international refugee law (IRL). Whilst these efforts have improved outcomes for some women, they have largely failed to reconfigure the ways in which gendered experiences of persecution are conceptualised and represented. Drawing on postcolonial feminist scholarship, this article suggests that white feminist scholars have been largely complicit in a script that essentialises the experiences of women originating from the Global South. Where gender is taken into account, women from the Global South are typically understood and represented through a neo-imperial frame as disempowered, helpless “victims”, or as “Exotic Others” who need to be rescued from their “backward” cultures. The framing of “Refugee Women” as a homogenous and undifferentiated category ignores the complex intersections of race and gender shaping both women’s experiences and the racialised politics of protection. Moreover, because white feminist approaches have a colonial “blind spot”, they ignore the ways in which the international refugee regime is deeply entangled with the history of colonialism. In so doing, they replicate and reinforce racialised representations of Black and Muslim men as perpetrators of violence against women.

Gender, race/skin colour and incidence of hypertension in ELSA-Brasil: an intersectional approach

ABSTRACT Objective Race and gender inequities in the incidence of hypertension (HTN) are well documented; however, few empirical investigations looked into these associations, considering the synergies and heterogeneous experiences of intersectional gender and race/skin colour groups. This study investigated the association of intersectional identities defined by gender and race/skin colour with HTN incidence, and verified whether they are affected by educational level in adulthood. Design We used the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) data to estimate the incidence of HTN between visits 1 (2008–2010) and 2 (2012–2014), in 8528 participants without hypertension at visit 1. HTN was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg, or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, or use of antihypertensive drugs. Generalized linear models with Poisson distribution and log link function were used to assess the associations. Results The incidence of HTN was 43.4/1000 person-years, ranging from 30.5/1000 in White women to 59.4/1000 in Black men. After adjusting by age and family history of HTN, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) was higher in Black men (2.25; 95%CI: 1.65–3.08), Brown (Pardo) men (1.89; 95%CI: 1.59–2.25), Black women (1.85; 95%CI: 1.50–2.30), Brown (Parda) women (1.47; 95%CI: 1.31–1.67) and White men (1.76; 95%CI: 1.49–2.08), compared to White women. These associations were maintained even after considering socioeconomic, behavioural and health mediators in the model. No interaction was found between education level and intersectional identities in the IRRs observed. Conclusion By using an intersectional approach, we showed the complex relations between race/skin colour and gender inequities in the incidence of HTN, pointing not only that Black men have the highest risk of developing HTN, but also that the risk of HTN is greater in Black women than in White men, when compared to White women.

Toward a History of Sexual Violence behind Bars

Toward a History of Sexual Violence behind Bars

Abstract 11257: Intersection Between Race and Gender in the Incidence and Control of Hypertension in ELSA Brasil

Background: Few investigations examined the associations of race and gender with the incidence and control of hypertension (HTN) considering the synergies and heterogeneous experiences of intersectional groups. Hypothesis: HTN incidence and inadequate blood pressure (BP) control is higher in black men and women, brown men, and women, compared to their white counterparts. Inequalities are more pronounced in higher education vis-a-vis lower education group. Methods: Using data from the ELSA-Brasil, 6 intersectional groups of race/gender were identified: white, brown, and black men and women. We calculated by intersectional category: the HTN incidence between baseline (2008-2010) and visit 2 (2012-2014) in 8,528 individuals free of HTN or cardiovascular disease at baseline; and inadequate BP control prevalence in 4,571 individuals with drug treated HTN at visit 2. Generalized linear models with Poisson distribution and logarithmic link function were used. Results: After age and HTN family history adjustment, the HTN risk was higher in black men (IDR:2.25; 95%CI:1.65-3.08), brown men (IDR:1.89; 95%CI:1.59-2.25), black women (IDR:1.85; 95%CI:1.50-2.30), brown women (IDR:1.47; 95%CI:1.31-1.67), and white men (IDR:1.76; 95%CI:1.49-2.08) compared to white women. All associations remained significant in fully-adjusted models for sociodemographic, behavioral and health conditions The association between intersectional categories and inadequate BP control varied according to education level in fully-adjusted models: 1) in lower education participants, white men (PR:1.70; 95%CI:1.42-2.04), brown men (PR:1.67; 95%CI:1.43-1.94), black men (PR:1.60; 95%CI:1.37-1.87), and black women (PR:1.28; 95%CI:1.00-1.64) had worse BP control than white women; 2) in higher education participants, only black men (PR:1.55; 95%CI:1.08-2.22) and women (PR:1.49; 95%CI:1.05-2.13) showed worse control than white women. Conclusion: Our findings reinforce previous studies regarding the higher risk of HTN and worse BP control in black men, but also reveal that the intersectional approach accentuates the heterogeneity in the incidence and control of HTN, evidencing specific experiences of socially marginalized groups, especially that of black women.

Enhancing Engineering Identity Among Boys of Color

Black and Brown men continue to be underrepresented in engineering. One explanation for the dearth of Black and Latino men in engineering is that engineering (and STEM) identity often is not inclusive of People of Color. As a result, Black and Brown boys may be less likely to become interested in STEM subjects. The purpose of this study, then, was to investigate how the components of one afterschool engineering program tap into engineering identity formation among fourth- and fifth-grade Black and Brown boys. Leveraging research on the STEM and engineering identity, we argue that the program and its key components play both constructive and protective roles. This study comprises a case study of an afterschool engineering program completing its third year of implementation at three elementary schools. Over four semesters, we recruited approximately 60 students from the three schools and 21 mentors to participate in the study. We collected data via one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and observations. We found that engineering design activities are constructive, offering the young Black and Brown boys opportunities to engage with the work of engineers. The mentors played constructive roles by recognizing the students’ engineering work. The mentors also played a protective role, buffering against identity interference and cultivating a sense of belonging. We conclude by discussing how the findings contribute to existing research on engineering identity and making recommendations for practice.

Gender and racial inequalities in the access to and the use of Brazilian health services.

This paper aims to evaluate gender and racial inequalities in the access and use of health services in Brazil Based on the 2019 National Health Survey (PNS). Its main objective is to understand how white, black, or brown men and women seek medical care in Primary Health Care, the gateway to the Brazilian health system. Analyses from a gender perspective show that cultural and social patterns affect individual actions and choices and mainly access to and use of health services. The results also show that men and women reproduce the expected gender behavior, socially and culturally constructed, which impacts their self-assessment of health status, care, and their exposure to the risk of disease and death. The intersectional analysis reveals that racial inequalities are aligned with those observed between men and women, exponentiating vulnerabilities for self-identified black or brown people, reflecting the structural socioeconomic inequalities of Brazilian society. In this context, the universality and integrality recommended in the Unified Health System contribute as a public policy to the guarantee of rights, equalization of opportunities, and adequate access to equal care.

Intelligent Souls? Feminist Orientalism in Eighteenth-Century English Literature

Intelligent Souls? Feminist Orientalism in Eighteenth-Century English Literature

The intersection race/skin color and gender, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption: cross sectional analysis of the Brazilian National Health Survey, 2013.

This study aims to investigate whether the intersectional identities defined by race/skin color and gender are associated with smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol in a representative sample of Brazilian adults. This is a cross-sectional study with 48,234 participants in the Brazilian National Health Survey (PNS) - 2013. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were used to estimate the associations of intersectional categories of race/skin color and gender (white woman, brown woman, black woman, white man, brown man, black man) with smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol, based on the combination of weekly "days" and "servings". The prevalence of smoking varied from 10.6% for white women to 23.1% for black men, while the prevalence of elevated consumption of alcohol ranged from 3.3% to 14%, respectively. In comparison to white women, only white, brown, and black men presented greater chances of smoking, reaching the OR of 2.04 (95%CI: 1.66-2.51) in black men. As to excessive consumption of alcohol, all intersectional categories showed greater chances of consumption than white women, with the greatest magnitude in black men (OR = 4.78; 95%CI: 3.66-6.23). These associations maintained statistical significance after adjustments made for sociodemographic, behavioral, and health characteristics. Results demonstrated differences in smoking habit and excessive consumption of alcohol when the intersectional categories were compared to traditional analyses. These findings reinforce the significance of including intersectionality of race/skin color and gender in epidemiological studies.

Wealth and Retirement: Pondering the Fate of Formerly Incarcerated Men During the Golden Years

This article extends the existing literature about the consequences that having a prison record has on formerly incarcerated men’s labor market outcomes by projecting forward to think about what the diminished labor market prospects may mean for men when they reach retirement age. We find that formerly incarcerated men have little wealth accumulated by their late 40s and 50s, that they have limited access to on-the-job pensions, and that some may not even be able to rely on Social Security when they are old. The article uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79) and focuses most of its attention on the plight of Black men and Latino men, as this is the subset of the population that was particularly affected by the nation’s mass incarceration policies of the late 20th century. The implications of the findings for Black and Brown men’s prospects during old age are discussed, as are the implications for the way that policy scholars think about race, aging, and public policy.