American Case Research Articles

A Refuge from Liberalism?

Abstract: Bryan Garsten claims that most treatments of liberalism today take the form either of "autopsy" or "demonology," and that defenses of liberalism are either "plaintive or desperate." While the former might be true, the latter description misses the mark. In the American case, "Refuge" as the basis of a political order is merely the progressive telling not just of what become hidden forms of "exodus," but a particular kind of exodus that has been bound up with liberalism's origin and history. In the current era, the state is seen forcing "refuges" such as churches, religious organizations, and other traditional communities to conform to progressivist ideology. Even as the progressive liberal state has insinuated itself into every facet of life, a different kind of exodus has predominated in contemporary U.S. society. That exodus—no longer inspired by a belief in "refuge"—takes the form of individual detachment from any community or membership. We are faced now with the prospect of having to live together, a nation of refugees who must cease an exodus into our interior deserts and instead learn the art of making a common home.

Trojan Horses Facing the Mirror

We examine the appropriations of stewardship ethics by religious anti-environmental movement organizations (RAEMOs). Based on a qualitative analysis of promotional materials, we highlight similar framing alignment processes carried out by two RAEMOs in different contexts: the US Cornwall Alliance and the Brazilian Institute Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira (IPCO). We found that, despite their different theological inspirations and target audiences, the RAEMOs use the same general master counter-framing to stimulate a sense of battle in which ‘genuine stewards’ must resist anti-Christian ideologies camouflaged as environmentalism, restricting themselves to a pasteurized care for creation, symbolized by the concept of gardening. As for the framing variations, we suggest that they are driven not so much by distinct religious beliefs as by political and economic coalitions, mainly linked to the fossil fuels sector in the North American case, and agribusiness, in the Brazilian case.

Abstract 5686: Identifying rare microRNA risk variants for hereditary breast cancer in African American individuals

Abstract Background: In the United States, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. However, African American women tend to have a higher incidence of triple negative breast cancer cases, and an earlier age of disease onset, which are hallmark characteristics of heredity disease. Even with current breakthroughs in breast cancer research, limited research participation from women of African descent has led to a gap in our knowledge of heredity factors that are involved in disease in this population. Furthermore, most breast cancer research has focused on protein coding genes being the culprit of tumorigenesis; however, within the last three decades, research efforts have begun to focus on noncoding RNAs, like microRNAs (miRNAs), as potential factors to promote carcinogenesis. miRNAs are short, noncoding RNA molecules that control gene expression at the post-translational level. miRNAs have several mechanisms to affect gene expression of cellular processes like cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and metastasis. However, the identification and functional role miRNA risk variants play in African American breast cancer is still not fully understood. Methods: 30X whole genome sequencing (WGS) was carried out on an Illumina platform on blood- or saliva-derived DNA from 120 African American breast cancer cases from the Alabama Hereditary Cancer Cohort. The WGS data was analyzed using our established bioinformatics pipeline, which has been adapted from the Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) Best Practice Pipeline. Focusing on miRNA variants as risk factors, a miRNA BED file was used to extract regions harboring miRNA genes. The resulting file was then filtered for rare miRNA variants (minor allele frequency <1%) in the African American population based on the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD) allele frequency. P-values for variants of interest were calculated using Fisher’s Exact tests. Results: Sequencing data have revealed three rare miRNA variants from our African American cohort that can be potentially associated with breast cancer risk. Upon statistical analysis comparing allele frequencies between the African American general population and the Alabama Hereditary Cancer Cohort, miR7850, miR3145, and miR8074 had p-values 5.21E-05, 3.58E-05, and 2.19E-04, respectively. Conclusions: We have identified three rare miRNA variants that were not previously known to be associated with breast cancer risk. Interestingly, both miR7850 and miR8074 target TP53 and miR3145 targets GREM1 and PALB2, which these targets are known breast cancer susceptibility genes. Understanding the consequence of these variants is important to add to our knowledge of miRNAs that play critical roles in carcinogenesis leading to better treatment strategies. Citation Format: Sheniqua R. Glover, Troy LoBue, Nancy D. Merner. Identifying rare microRNA risk variants for hereditary breast cancer in African American individuals [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 5686.

Grado de satisfacción de pacientes tratados estéticamente con enzimas recombinantes; experiencia clínica

Introduction. The recombinant enzymes, produced through biotechnological processes, have different medical applications. Recently, though poorly documented, they have been applied in aesthetic medicine to improve certain conditions that significantly affect patients' appearance, image, and quality of life. Objective. To document the use of recombinant enzymes in cosmetic dermatology regarding indicators of patient satisfaction with the procedure. Material and Methods. In this article, a series of cases have been brought together to document the use of recombinant enzymes in managing flaccidity and fat accumulation in certain facial and body areas, including measuring satisfaction with the results. Results. Two hundred twenty-nine cases from a Latin American multicenter trial were documented from private clinical practice using a standardized data collection format and a guide for clinical photography. Discussion. Our findings in 229 Latin American cases show a high grade of satisfaction in the management of double chin, jowl, abdominal flaccidity, and flaccidity in the limbs, as well as a good aesthetic outcome with the use of the combination of collagenase, hyaluronic-lyas, and lipase. Conclusions. The use of recombinant enzymes in managing the indications studied in clinical practice in cosmetic dermatology and aesthetic medicine, based on their effects on tissues, both on the face and the body, is highly satisfactory, and their results are well evaluated.

Thyroid Cancer Survival in the Multiethnic Cohort Study.

The US 5-year survival rate after thyroid cancer (TC) diagnosis is over 95%. Our aim was to investigate survival differences by sex and race and ethnicity in a multiethnic US population. In the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) study, a total of 605 incident TC cases were identified by linkage to HI and CA statewide cancer registries. Cox models were performed to compare the risk of all-cause mortality among TC cases by sex and race and ethnicity, with adjustment for age, first course of treatment, baseline body mass index, smoking status, alcohol intake, and neighborhood socioeconomic status. Survival among cases was also compared to matched MEC controls with no thyroid cancer. After a mean follow-up of 10.1 years, 250 deaths occurred among TC cases, including 63 deaths attributed to thyroid cancer. The median survival was 14.7 years, and the 5-year age-adjusted overall survival was 84.4% for female cases and 68.7% for male cases (p < 0.0001, HR 2.28 (95% CI: 1.72, 3.01)). Age-adjusted survival was lower among African American, Native Hawaiian, and Filipino cases, compared to Japanese American cases, with Whites and Latinos being intermediate. Men and Filipinos were found to have excess mortality due to thyroid cancer compared to controls (adjusted HR 1.39, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.74; HR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.53, respectively). Sex and racial and ethnic disparities in survival among TC cases were similar to those found in the general population. However, cases with TC had an excess risk of death among males and for Filipinos.

The Study of Human Genomic Diversity in Latin America: Nation and Population

Genomic science values the genetic diversity revealed by advances in genetic sequencing that allow the detailed mapping of diversity at the level of the individual as well as the population group. This has reinforced the idea that humans share the vast majority of their DNA and that the diversity that does exist cannot be parceled into biological categories that align with older categories of race, which are deeply implicated in the practices and structures of racism. However, the practice of genomic science and medical genetics continues to make use of collective categories and populations. This paper argues that practices in genomic science in Latin America change but also reproduce and even reinforce (by biologizing) familiar and enduring categories of race at different levels in society—among scientists and among nonscientists. The Latin American cases are particular in showing that race is often parsed through ideas about the nation, seen as emerging from the mixture of three ancestral populations. Biologization effects can reinforce the racism (and nationalism) that depend on racialized categories. The paper ends by arguing that these effects are a result of the basic concept of population that has in the past organized and continues today to organize genetic diversity in science practice, despite the ability of genomic technologies to handle genetic diversity at the level of the individual. The grounding role of the population concept is accentuated by Latin American national identities being based on ideas of mixture, which entails a corresponding idea of original purities.

Decentering the American Empire

It must have been eight years ago when I read Paul Kramer's article for the first time. Back then, I had just finished my PhD and was developing a new research project thematically located at the intersection of medical, imperial, and global history. One of the particularities of the German academic path when compared to the Anglo-American context is the expectation to embark on a completely different line of inquiry after defending your doctoral dissertation. Postdoctoral researchers venture into an entirely new topic, often take on a new century, and, for good measure, turn to another region of the world. At a time when I was surfacing from a thesis on German post-1945 international history, reading “Power and Connection” was tremendously helpful and instructive in guiding my first steps into the vast terrain of nineteenth-century imperial and colonial history. While its insights into the imperial dimension of U.S. history were fascinating, it was more so its framing of the American case, as a modern empire among others, that led me to the article. Ultimately, this interest evolved into my current project on the policies on epidemics in the nineteenth-century British and American empires. This framing provides the angle for my re-reading of “Power and Connection.” From an imperial historian's perspective, particularly of British imperial history and comparative empire studies, I explore here some of the links between the broader discipline and Kramer's essay up to 2011 when it was published and thereafter.

Changes in South-American Fiscal Rules in a Post-Pandemic Scenario: A Case-By-Case Analysis

Abstract Public finances have been extensively affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures enacted to mitigate them. In South America, have these effects been permanent, or were fiscal rules solid enough to allow for flexibility and a later return to normality? The hypothesis in this paper is that Covid had a significant impact on the fiscal institutions of countries with previous difficulties in using norms as stabilization tools for public finance, but had only temporary effects for countries with a stronger tradition of implementing fiscal rules more effectively. The text is structured as follows: in the first part, a general panorama of the creation of fiscal rules in South America is presented to offer comparison patterns with their post-pandemic evolution. Secondly, a description of the possible structures of fiscal rules is analyzed, and these categories will be applied to the South American case. In the third and last part, the types of fiscal rules are classified according to each country, as well as the transformations observed after the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the paper will offer a consolidated approach to changes in fiscal rules in the region.

Parkinson Disease Genetics Extended to African and Hispanic Ancestries in the VA Million Veteran Program.

Nearly all genetic analyses of Parkinson disease (PD) have been in populations of European ancestry. We sought to test the ability of a machine learning method to extract accurate PD diagnoses from an electronic medical record (EMR) system, to see whether genetic variants identified in European populations generalize to individuals of African and Hispanic ancestries, and to compare the rates of PD across ancestries. A machine learning method using natural language processing was applied to EMRs of US veterans participating in the VA Million Veteran Program (MVP) to identify individuals with PD. These putative cases were vetted via blind chart review by a movement disorder specialist. A polygenic risk score (PRS) of 90 established genetic variants whose genotypes were imputed from a customized Axiom Biobank Array was evaluated in different case groups. The EMR prediction scores had a distinct trimodal distribution, with 97% of the high group and only 30% of the middle group having a credible diagnosis of PD. Using the 3,542 cases from the high group matched 4:1 to controls, the PRS was highly predictive in individuals of European ancestry (n = 3,137 cases; OR = 1.82; p = 8.01E-48), and nearly identical effect sizes were seen in individuals of African (n = 184; OR = 2.07; p = 3.4E-4) and Hispanic ancestries (n = 221; OR = 2.13; p = 3.9E-6). The PRS was much less predictive for the 2,757 European ancestry cases who had an ICD code for PD but for whom the machine learning method had a lower confidence in their diagnosis. No novel ancestry-specific genetic variants were identified. Individuals with African ancestry had one-quarter the rate of PD compared with European or Hispanic ancestries aged 60-70 years and one half the rate in the 70-80 years age range. African American cases had a higher proportion of their DNA originating in Europe compared with African American controls. Machine learning can reliably classify PD using data from a large EMR. Larger studies of non-European populations are required to confirm the generalizability of PD risk variants identified in populations of European ancestry and the increased risk coming from a higher proportion of European DNA in African Americans.

Beyond Media Systems: Corporate-Consensus and Confrontational Media Regimes in Three Latin American Cases

The term captured-liberal has been proposed as an approach to Latin American media systems. Here, we contend these systems result from the region’s particular democratization path (i.e., competitive and open access to power but a flawed exercise of power). We also contend that since media systems operate at structural levels, the concept does not seem flexible enough to explain conjunctural variations and particular dynamics in the media landscape. We propose that these aspects are better explained by looking at regimes (roles) rather than systems (structures). Thus, we advance the concept of media regimes, which, by responding to the political orientation of the government in office, incarnates into two forms in some Latin American cases: a corporate-consensus or a confrontational media regime.

Ultra-rare genetic variation in relapsing polychondritis: a whole-exome sequencing study

ObjectiveRelapsing polychondritis (RP) is a systemic inflammatory disease of unknown aetiology. The objective of this study was to examine the contribution of rare genetic variations to RP.MethodsWe performed a case–control...

Organizing Democracy: How International Organizations Assist New Democracies (by Paul Poast and Johannes Urpelainen)

Organizing Democracy: How International Organizations Assist New Democracies (by Paul Poast and Johannes Urpelainen)

Beyond Empathy: Familial Incarceration, Stress Proliferation, and Depressive Symptoms Among African Americans

Abstract Women tend to be more vulnerable to the adverse psychological effects of “network events” (stressors that occur to loved ones). The cost-of-caring hypothesis is regarded as the primary mechanism for this vulnerability and posits that women’s relatively high level of emotional involvement in the lives of network members causes women to experience greater empathetic reactions when loved ones encounter stressors. Drawing on the stress process model, gender theory, and research on the collateral consequences of incarceration, we theorize stress proliferation, the process by which an initial stressor induces secondary stressors, as an additional mechanism and empirically test our theoretical propositions using the case of African Americans with an incarcerated family member. Using data from the National Survey of American Life, we ask: are African American women more vulnerable to the depressive effects of familial incarceration compared to African American men? If so, to what extent might African American women’s heightened vulnerability be explained by their greater susceptibility to stress proliferation? Results suggest that familial incarceration is associated with greater chronic strains, financial strain, and family conflict only among African American women. Further, the magnitude of the association between familial incarceration and depressive symptoms is significantly larger among African American women; however, after adjusting for stress proliferation variables, the gender difference in vulnerability attenuates and becomes statistically nonsignificant. We conclude that the emotional cost of caring may be compounded by social and economic costs of caregiving, heightening women’s vulnerability to depression following disruptive network events.

Eugenic Continuities: Youth, Sex, Disability, and the Rise of Liberal Eugenics in the Late Twentieth Century

Abstract: This article places the landmark 1986 Supreme Court of Canada decision E. (Mrs.) v. Eve within its avowedly anti-eugenic context. Then it compares the trial record and appellate documents of Eve to the notorious 1927 American case Buck v. Bell . It outlines the legal reasoning of the Eve decision, its reception, and the different trajectories of law in the US, the UK, and Australia. These multiple points of historical comparison expose a series of unresolved eugenic continuities in the politics of youth, sex, and disability. The interpretation challenges more conventional definitions, periodization, and understandings of eugenics, drawing attention to the formation of "liberal" eugenics in the late twentieth century.

Israel – In Search of Constitutional Common Sense

The Israeli radical judicial overhaul program, aiming to seriously weaken the judiciary, has led the country to the brink of chaos and violence, with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in the streets, society tearing itself apart and numerous sectors of society, such as medical service or reservists of IDF, announcing a suspension of their service to a nation they fear will no longer be a democracy. Despite the strong social protest, Knesset – representing an extremely right-wing coalition – adopted on the July 24, 2023 the amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary to bar the judiciary from striking down decisions of the government and its ministers on the grounds of such decisions being unreasonable. The measure known as the reasonableness clause (standard) is rooted in English and American case law and it is frequently used in Israel to control administrative activity. It allows the courts to strike down governmental and administrative decisions and their regulations seen as having not taken into account all the relevant considerations of a particular issue, or not given the correct weight to those considerations – even if they do not violate any particular law or administrative rulings. The current right-wing coalition, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, argues that the clause as it stands gives too much power to the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court sitting as a High Court of Justice, to interfere with the actions of the executive, and that the powers of judges, who are not elected by the public, remain out of control in this procedure. Opponents of the government’s amendment argue that this standard is crucial in helping to protect civil rights that are not fully defined in Israeli law. Eliminating the standard of reasonableness will be another step towards giving the government unlimited power. It violates not only the separation of powers principle and the rule of law but it also harms the right to good administration. Irrespective of the Supreme Court’s decision on the constitutionality of the government’s amendment, the struggle to maintain the democratic principles of the Israeli system will continue. Despite the strong social protest, Knesset – representing extremely right-wing coalition –adopted on the 24th of July 2023 the amendment to Basic Law: Judiciary to bar the judiciary from striking down decisions of the government and its ministers on the basis of being unreasonable. The measure known as the reasonableness clause (standard) is rooted in English and American case law bless and it is frequently used in Israel to control the administrative activity. It allows the courts to strike down governmental and administrative decisions and their regulations seen as having not taken into account all the relevant considerations of a particular issue, or not given the correct weight to those considerations – even if they do not violate and particular law or administrative rulings. The current right-wing coalition, led by Beniamin Netanyahu, argues that the clause as it stands gives too much scope to the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court sitting as a High Court of Justice, to interfere with the actions of the executive, and that the powers of judges, who are not elected by the public, remain out of control in this procedure. Opponents to the government’s amendment argue that this standard is crucial in helping to protect civil rights that are not fully defined in Israeli law. Eliminating the standard of reasonableness will be another step towards giving the government unlimited power. It violates not only the separation of powers principle and rule of law but it also harms the right to good administration. Irrespectively of the Supreme Court's decision on the constitutionality of the government's amendment, the struggle to maintain the democratic principles of the Israeli system will continue.

Genus Orthotospovirus in Costa Rica: A Central American case

The Orthotospovirus genus encompasses a range of economically significant and emerging plant viruses that affect a variety of crops globally. While the prevalence and characteristics of these phytopathogenic viruses are extensively documented in North and South America, their presence in Central America remains comparatively underexplored. This study focuses on Costa Rica, strategically positioned at the nexus of North and South America, to enhance our understanding of orthotospovirus in this region. We analyzed 295 plant samples using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to test for the presence of INSV, IYSV, TSWV, and the GRSV/TCSV serogroup. Additionally, a subset (20 samples) underwent further scrutiny through reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) employing both universal and species-specific primers. Our ELISA results indicated the absence of TSWV and the GRSV/TCSV serogroup. However, the presence of INSV in Costa Rica was substantiated through ELISA, RT-PCR, and partial sequencing, revealing its prevalence in both open-field and greenhouse environments. Despite previous diagnostic reports suggesting the presence of TSWV in Costa Rica, our study did not detect this virus. RT-PCR analysis with degenerate primers also found no evidence of other orthotospovirus species in our samples. The identification of a dominant INSV haplotype, along with three additional variants, suggests the likelihood of at least two independent virus introductions into the region. These findings underscore the necessity for more comprehensive surveys and research on orthotospoviruses in Central America to better understand their epidemiology and impact on agriculture.

Effective Care Transitions: Reducing Readmissions to Improve Patient Care and Outcomes.

Care transitions from one setting to another are vulnerable spaces where patients are susceptible to complications. Health systems, accountable care organizations, and payers recognize that care transition interventions are necessary to reduce unnecessary cost and utilization and improve patient outcomes following a hospitalization. Multiple care transition models exist, with varying degrees of intensity and success. This article describes a quality improvement project for a care transition model that incorporates key elements from the American Case Management Association's Transitions of Care Standards and the Transitional Care Management services as outlined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. A collaboratively developed care transition model was implemented between a health system population health management office and a primary care organization. An effective care transitions model is stronger with collaboration among core members of a patient's care team, including a nurse care manager and a primary care provider. Ongoing quality improvement is necessary to gain efficiencies and effectiveness of such a model. Care managers are integral in coordinating effective transitions. Care management practice includes transition of care standards that are associated with improved outcomes for patients at high risk for readmission. Interventions inclusive of medication reconciliation, identification and addressing of health-related social needs, review of discharge instructions, and coordinated follow-up are important factors that impact patient outcomes. Patients and their health system care teams benefit from the role of a care manager when there is a collaborative, coordinated, and timely approach to hospital follow-up.

America before 1787: A Review Article

Abstract America before 1787: The Unraveling of a Colonial Regime, is the second volume in Jon Elster's trilogy analyzing the processes leading up to the American (1787) and French constitutions (1791). This article explores the toolbox the book provides for social scientists. Based on a study of the American case, the book examines the mental tendencies, mechanisms, and strategies useful for investigating other cases, such as interstate relations within federations or collective mobilization. Among the book's many themes, this article focuses on the tension between freedom of choice, fear, and constraint and the mechanisms by which such tension can be analyzed. Generally speaking, the book reflects a desire to unite history and psychology and is characterized by an original epistemology in the field of contemporary social sciences that cautions social scientists against the temptation to see intentions and strategies where there are none and to formulate predictions despite the indeterminate nature of social behavior. Additionally, in line with Elster's earlier work, the book emphasizes the role of emotions in beliefs and choices and offers tools for examining emotions.

A Microcosm of American Exceptionalism: Eigth-Rocks in Ruby as Chosen People in Toni Morrison’s Paradise

American exceptionalism, which has been supposed to have a divine historiography, accentuates and represents various aspects of Americanness that manifest destiny and strong challenges. Its sense of independence and moral superiority stems from the mythos that prioritizes its uniqueness and responsibility as part of its formation process. This ideology, in particular, suggests that the prior history of these people is pointed toward the “New World” in order to build and glamorize their distinctive future. This study offers an overview of the connection between the ideology of American exceptionalism and the 8-rock families, as chosen people, in Toni Morrison’s novel Paradise. Morrison, in Paradise, portrays a black immigration movement that demands a long-term imperial settlement modeled by white American society. Facing the failure of Reconstruction, her characters strive to maintain their freedom and independence through self-imposed, forceful segregation. The assumption that grounds the study, therefore, is that the 8-rock families, the founders of Ruby Town, pattern the ideological formation of American exceptionalism, despite their coal-black skin color and inferior status in cultural paradigms, by adopting a policy of racial segregation. The solidification, as in the American case, implies that self-proclaimed New Founders are responsible for building an independent and superior community that embraces the doctrines of disenfranchisement and racism in America. In addressing this reciprocity and its outcomes, Morrison has confirmed that just like good things, discrimination and ideas of superiority are learned, and Ruby residents have learned to use their skin color as a tool of domination.

Chinese Diplomacy in the 1950s: A Study of Dag Hammarskjlds Visit to China

After the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953, the direct war between the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and United States was temporarily halted. But the subsequent issues relating to the prisons of war, China students studied at US and the collusion between US and Taiwan, made the tensions between the PRC and US government. In order to resolve the American spy case, the United States manipulated the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to pass a resolution which Dag Hammarskjld, Secretary-General of the United Nations(UNSG), was mandated to visit China to solve this issue. This incident offered the PRC government a rare opportunity to engage with the UN and participate in global affairs. Zhou Enlai, the Chinese Foreign Minister, successfully defended Chinas sovereignty. This engagement helped to highlight the newly established PRCs position in the international affairs during Cold War while alleviate the tense atmosphere between China and the United States. This event also provided crucial groundwork for the resolution of issues concerning Chinese-American immigrants.