Although religion once played a central role in sociological inquiry, today it has fallen from prominence and now occupies a marginal space in the field. Sociologists of religion suggest that this neglect can be explained by the unusual irreligiosity of academia. However, some are hopeful that changes to graduate training and other institutional interventions can overcome this propensity and encourage more sociological engagement with religion, one of the most influential forces in contemporary society.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOver the last decade, the global population of refugees and other migrants in need of international protection (MNP) has more than doubled. Despite their rapid growth, panel data collection among MNP remains rare, leaving scholars with few data sources to draw on to understand dynamic changes in their social, economic, legal, or health circumstances. With that paucity in mind, we developed and piloted the Encuesta de Refugiados: Experiencias Sociales y Salud (ERESS), a weekly panel survey conducted with MNP living in Costa Rica.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFamily stress theories posit that individual family members are positioned to adapt to external stressors differently and that these differences can strain family systems. Analyzing in-depth interviews with a diverse sample of migrant mothers in Costa Rica, we investigate how families adjust to the stressors of international displacement. Three stages of family stress adjustment emerged from our analysis: (1) parents' prioritization of safety, (2) parents' and children's grappling with new legal, economic, and social circumstances, and (3) parents' protracted uncertainty in one or more of these realms concomitant with children's feeling resettled.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The global population of refugees and other migrants in need of protection (MNP) is swiftly growing. Prior scholarship highlights that MNP have poorer mental health than other migrant and non-migrant populations. However, most scholarship on MNP mental health is cross-sectional, leaving open questions about temporal variability in their mental health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this IMR Country Report, we draw attention to Costa Rica as a strategic location for expanding research and theory on migrants in need of protection (MNP), who have migrated abroad primarily to evade an imminent threat to their survival. MNP constitute an increasing share of all international migrants in Costa Rica and worldwide, yet research on these migrants and their migration dynamics remains comparatively underdeveloped relative to research on migrants who relocate abroad primarily in pursuit of material gains, social status, or family reunification. As we highlight, Costa Rica is an instrumental site to deepen understandings of MNP populations and migration dynamics because its large and rapidly growing MNP population is incredibly diverse with respect to national origins, demographic characteristics, and underlying motivations for migration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile Protestant and Evangelical groups started as small minorities in Latin America, they have recently experienced explosive growth and now make up a large proportion of the region's religious faithful. This unexpected shift led to a spate of scholarship speculating as to how the new Evangelical communities would impact society. Given the perennial concern over the health of democracy in Latin America, much of this work focused on how Evangelicals might differ from Catholics in terms of support for democratic values and civic participation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlast Reconstr Surg Glob Open
September 2015
Background: Peripheral vascular surgery may be complicated by wound infection and potential graft exposure in the groin area. Muscle flap coverage of the graft has been promoted to address these wound complications. The authors present their findings regarding graft salvage rates and patient outcomes using local muscle flaps to address vascular graft complications of the groin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarpal tunnel syndrome is a common compression neuropathy of the median nerve. Acute carpal tunnel syndrome (aCTS) is rare, associated with a variety of conditions. In this case report we present a patient who developed aCTS and volar forearm compartment syndrome after a radial artery line placement, while receiving intravenous heparin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Patients with postgastric bypass and diet-induced weight loss present to the plastic surgeon for various body contouring procedures. Gross differences in skin dermal elasticity may exist between these populations; however, studies evaluating histologic differences are lacking. This prospective study aims to evaluate histomorphologic differences in morbidly obese patients following surgical versus diet-induced (nonsurgical) weight loss.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys
November 2010
Purpose: A delayed full-thickness wound-healing model was developed and used for examining the capacity of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs), either alone or in platelet-rich fibrin gels, to promote healing.
Methods And Materials: Four pigs received electron beam radiation to the dorsal skin surface. Five weeks after radiation, subcutaneous fat was harvested from nonirradiated areas and processed to yield ASCs.
Background: The authors examined the efficacy of adipose stem cells, when supplied either alone or in platelet-rich fibrin gels, to improve wound healing.
Methods: A porcine full-thickness wound model was used to compare six topical treatments: platelet-poor plasma; platelet-rich plasma; autologous adipose stem cells plus platelet-poor plasma; autologous adipose stem cells plus platelet-rich plasma; allogeneic adipose stem cells containing green fluorescent protein plus platelet-poor plasma; and saline (control). One week after isolation, adipose stem cells were applied to full-thickness wounds on the paraspinal and thoracic regions of three pigs (44 wounds per pig; each treatment was applied to eight separate wounds).
Plast Reconstr Surg
November 2006
Healing of hard and soft tissue is mediated by a complex array of intracellular and extracellular events that are regulated by signaling proteins, a process that is, at present, incompletely understood. What is certain, however, is that platelets play a prominent if not deciding role. Controlled animal studies of soft and hard tissues have suggested that the application of autogenous platelet-rich plasma can enhance wound healing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBone healing is a complex and multifactorial process. As such, there are numerous steps in the process to which intervention can be directed. This has given rise to many bone graft technologies that have been used to regenerate bone, creating, perhaps, a bewildering array of options.
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