Associations Between Sexual Abuse and Negative Health Consequences Among High-Risk Men Who Have Sex with Men

This study evaluated whether a history of sexual abuse could differentiate negative health consequences among men who have sex with men (MSM; N = 148) enrolled in a risk counseling program. More than half (51.4%) reported an experience of sexual abuse. A history of sexual abuse was associated with increased psychological distress, increased rates of alcohol (AOR = 2.91; p <.01) and/or drug abuse (AOR = 2; p <.01) treatment, increased risk of housing instability (AOR = 2.13; p <.05), and increased risk for suicidality (AOR = 4.3; p <.001). Findings demonstrate that screening for sexual abuse may be useful in determining the service needs of high-risk MSM.     

How slowing senescence translates into longer life expectancy

Mortality decline has historically been largely a result of reductions in the level of mortality at all ages. A number of leading researchers on ageing, however, suggest that the next revolution of longevity increase will be the result of slowing down the rate of ageing. In this paper, we show mathematically how varying the pace of senescence influences life expectancy. We provide a formula that holds for any baseline hazard function. Our result is analogous to Keyfitz's 'entropy' relationship for changing the level of mortality. Interestingly, the influence of the shape of the baseline schedule on the effect of senescence changes is the complement of that found for level changes. We also provide a generalized formulation that mixes level and slope effects. We illustrate the applicability of these models using recent mortality decline in Japan and the problem of period to cohort translation.     

Semiparametric Estimates of Monetary Policy Effects: String Theory Revisited

We develop flexible semiparametric time series methods for the estimation of the causal effect of monetary policy on macroeconomic aggregates. Our estimator captures the average causal response to discrete policy interventions in a macrodynamic setting, without the need for assumptions about the process generating macroeconomic outcomes. The proposed estimation strategy, based on propensity score weighting, easily accommodates asymmetric and nonlinear responses. Using this estimator, we show that monetary tightening has clear effects on the yield curve and on economic activity. Monetary accommodation, however, appears to generate less pronounced responses from both. Estimates for recent financial crisis years display a similarly dampened response to monetary accommodation.     

Nitric oxide and oxidative stress in cardiovascular aging

The long-standing free radical theory of aging, which attributes cellular pathology to the relentless accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), remains attractive but controversial. Emerging insights into the molecular interactions between ROS and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) such as nitric oxide suggest that, in biological systems, one effect of increased ROS is the disruption of protein S-nitrosylation, a ubiquitous posttranslational modification system. In this way, ROS may not only damage cells but also disrupt widespread signaling pathways. Here, we discuss this phenomenon in the context of the cardiovascular system and propose that ideas regarding oxidative stress and aging need to be reevaluated to take account of the balance between oxidative and nitrosative stress.     

Drug trafficking and addiction among low-income urban youths: An ecological perspective

Drug addiction and drug trafficking continue to be a major problem during adolescence and a primary cause of significant problems in adulthood. For low-income, urban, African American youths, these problems are compounded by environmental factors-such as communities that are depleted of resources, schools that are inadequately funded, family members who are unemployed-and other physical, legal, spiritual, social and psychological factors. These ecological factors have the potential to impinge significantly on the lives of those who become involved with drug use and sales. The problems resulting from these issues not only affect the individual but also family members, communities and the nation.

This paper examines the patterns of drug addiction and trafficking among African American youths in poverty, with an eye toward answering the following questions: What is drug trafficking? What is the youths perception of drug addiction? What role does drug trafficking play in subsequent drug use? What is the nature and role of ecological factors, such as poverty, in the interaction between drug addiction and drug trafficking? How do these issues reflect on developmental theories of addiction?     

Good for the Goose,Bad for the Gander: International Labor Standards and Comparative Development

The international labor rights movement, led by the International Labour Organization (ILO), asserts that developing countries are currently ready for more stringent labor standards. We investigate this claim by examining the timing of labor standard adoption in highly developed countries, which were all once as poor as today’s developing countries and made the trade-off between labor standards and income in the past. Their experience therefore suggests a safe income threshold for adopting similar labor standards in the developing world. We find that every ILO-proposed labor standard is highly premature for the developing countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. Countries there are between 100 and 300 years from reaching this threshold. Similarly, we find that so-called sweatshop-intensive developing countries are between 35 and 100 years from this threshold. ILO-proposed policy is exactly backward. A substantial relaxation of labor standards is the appropriate labor policy for the developing world.