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Background GRAND PLAN is a prospective, open-label, phase 4 study. Based at a single center and with a single arm, GRAND PLAN evaluated the safety and efficacy of an 8-week course of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (G/P) among active drug users with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a population enriched for factors that may reduce treatment uptake and success, such as disengagement from health care and unstable housing. Methods Participants were ≥19 years old and actively using drugs and were confirmed viremic, noncirrhotic, and HCV treatment naive. All participants provided informed consent before any study procedures. They received G/P for 8 weeks within a multidisciplinary model of care, with daily, weekly, or monthly dispensing of medications to optimize adherence. Results We identified 117 eligible patients with a median age of 46 years (range, 22–75): 27% were female, 21.4% were Indigenous, 48.7% were unstably housed, and 95.7% were active drug users (94.9% fentanyl). One patient did not start treatment, and 4 underwent <1 week of treatment, leaving 112 completed treatments with 94.6% picking up medications weekly. HCV RNA was undetectable at the end of treatment in all 112 patients. One died of unknown causes shortly after treatment. A cure was demonstrated in 108 of 111 (97.3%) cases at the SVR12 time point (sustained virologic response at ≥12 weeks); the other 3 experienced virologic relapse. Considering the entire cohort, the intent-to-treat success rate was 92.3% (108/117). HCV reinfection was documented at SVR24 in 5 cases, 2 of which were successfully retreated. Conclusions GRAND PLAN demonstrates that administration of an 8-week course of G/P to inner-city residents with HCV infection leads to a cure >95%. With a short course of treatment, G/P is an attractive option for this population in helping us achieve the World Health Organization's HCV objectives by 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, post-socialist inner cities have been transforming through various processes of revitalisation and gentrification. The resulting physical and social contrasts of neighbouring localities lead to the spatial fragmentation of inner-city areas that may produce variegated effects on the everyday life of local residents. This paper examines how long-term residents of an inner-city neighbourhood in Prague undergoing residential and commercial gentrification have perceived and lived through its change. Specifically, it reveals how the ongoing changes influence residents' place attachment. The paper relies upon qualitative methodology using semi-structured in-depth interviews with long-term inhabitants (>20 years). Empirical findings point to a strong and stable place attachment, despite ambivalent attitudes towards recent changes related to gentrification. The effect of gentrification on place attachment appears to be relatively limited. Many residents acknowledge that gentrification has reversed the deterioration that characterised the neighbourhood in the past. Moreover, negatively perceived changes to the neighbourhood are often not attributed primarily to the gentrification process but understood as a natural part of residents' own ageing, wider societal changes, and historical development of the neighbourhood. The article highlights the need to investigate the personal, spatial and temporal contexts to comprehend the complex effects of gentrification on long-term residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article by Future Hackney and the Gillett Square Community in London creates a new space for urban documentary work through a participatory project and collaborative authorship. The co-authors of the project are the photographers and the people depicted in the photographs, who also speak through the captions, allowing a wider definition of the auteur. Traditionally documentary photography involves one auteur, often male and an outsider. Wayne and I (Don Travis) are the photographers and we live and grew up around the areas we document and are therefore a part of the community that we engage and collaborate with. Future Hackney has spent the last four years working alongside residents to create images and oral histories of the Caribbean and African communities. This resulted in 'Gillett Square Stories' as a space of radical history through the Black experience and a living archive of memories and experiences, connecting past and present. The images and captions presented here express the rich stories of one inner London area that help explain our city's post and present colonial history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inner areas of post-socialist cities are experiencing dynamic transformation. However, changes are often selective and differ between capital, large and provincial cities, and their neighbourhoods. This article aims to analyze variations in residential change in individual localities within Holešovice, Prague's inner-city district. The analysis is performed with reference to the concepts of contextual residential change and gentrification of neighbourhoods and uses quantitative data at the micro-level of census tracts to detect physical and social changes. Supplementary interviews with local stakeholders are used to understand the factors that affect the development of the neighbourhood. Gentrification influences Holešovice simultaneously with other types of residential change. The most common type of change is incumbent upgrading related to the privatization of the housing stock. At the same time, several stagnating areas were identified. The neighbourhood development indicates the concurrent presence of diversified neighbourhood trajectories with drivers at various spatial and temporal scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of mixed-income communities in public housing neighborhoods is a common revitalization strategy in metropolitan areas in North America. This study investigates student and teacher perspectives on safety in a Canadian inner city and marginalized neighborhood undergoing revitalization, alongside the redesign of a local school. The displacement of families and students, tied to housing relocation and student school mobility, resulted in increased concern around bullying, school safety, and displacement of place-based familiarity and social bonds. While most students felt safe at school, they were acutely aware of community level violence, criminal and gang activity in the neighborhood, and racial stereotyping. Students were also generally skeptical that revitalization would address the root causes of violence. The findings support the importance of including children's voices when planning, implementing, and evaluating policy initiatives that directly affect their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of urban change does not only occur on the outskirts of the city but also in the inner cities in the form of infilling and alterations to existing housing. An observed trend in most cities of the Global South is the concentration and development within the city centres. Using the Wa Municipality as case study, this study seeks to examine the dynamics of inner-city developments. The data was collected through a questionnaire survey and key informant interviews using questionnaires and interview guides, respectively. The findings indicate that inner-city congestion goes through a series of informal processes that lead to alterations of formal urban land plans without statutory approvals. The nature of expansion varies among buildings but largely takes the form of re-engineering of existing houses to create sanitary areas through self-help initiatives that have the potential of creating social and spatial injustices through encroachment in public spaces within the inner cities. A greater extent of this encroachment is led by the emerging upper- and middle-class households in this neighbourhood and subsequently create problems in the use of public spaces as the urban poor are deprived. As the New Urban Agenda has signified a profound opportunity for the planning profession, the results therefore suggest that there is the need for concerted efforts by city planners to prioritise inner cities in their quest to manage urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nasal allergen challenge (NAC) could be a means to assess indication and/or an outcome of allergen‐specific therapies, particularly for perennial allergens. NACs are not commonly conducted in children with asthma, and cockroach NACs are not well established. This study's objective was to identify a range of German cockroach extract doses that induce nasal symptoms and to assess the safety of cockroach NAC in children with asthma. Methods: Ten adults (18‐37 years) followed by 25 children (8‐14 years) with well‐controlled, persistent asthma and cockroach sensitization underwent NAC with diluent followed by up to 8 escalating doses of cockroach extract (0.00381‐11.9 µg/mL Bla g 1). NAC outcome was determined by Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS) and/or sneeze score. Cockroach allergen–induced T‐cell activation and IL‐5 production were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Results: 67% (6/9) of adults and 68% (17/25) of children had a positive NAC at a median response dose of 0.120 µg/mL [IQR 0.0380‐0.379 µg/mL] of Bla g 1. Additionally, three children responded to diluent alone and did not receive any cockroach extract. Overall, 32% (11/34) were positive with sneezes alone, 15% (5/34) with TNSS alone, and 21% (7/34) with both criteria. At baseline, NAC responders had higher cockroach‐specific IgE (P =.03), lower cockroach‐specific IgG/IgE ratios (children, P =.002), and increased cockroach‐specific IL‐5–producing T lymphocytes (P =.045). The NAC was well tolerated. Conclusion: We report the methodology of NAC development for children with persistent asthma and cockroach sensitization. This NAC could be considered a tool to confirm clinically relevant sensitization and to assess responses in therapeutic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Holy Angels, a high achieving, African American, urban, elementary school in Chicago, Illinois offers a model for successful education of ethnic minority children. Despite coming from predominantly welfare supported, single-mother homes, located in crime ridden inner-city Chicago, during the period bounded by this study, 1969 to 1979, Holy Angels' students produced test scores among the highest in the nation. The results of semistructured interviews of administrators, teachers, and former students and archival document analysis suggest that three major elements, namely, a high expectation–high help environment, emphasis on life preparation, and iconic leadership—uniquely interwoven, were distinguishing features of Holy Angels School. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Asthma is common among urban school-age children. Though teachers should be prepared to assist children during an asthma attack, studies show they lack self-efficacy in managing asthma. Objective: To assess feasibility of implementing an asthma workshop for elementary school teachers, describe themes of questions raised, and determine workshop's impact on teachers' comfort and self-efficacy in asthma management. Methods: We developed and implemented an asthma workshop for teachers from four Bronx elementary schools (2012–2014). Teachers completed a questionnaire evaluating their comfort and self-efficacy in asthma management before and after the workshop. Questions asked during the sessions were recorded and analyzed for themes. Paired t-test and McNemar tests compared before/after scores. Results: 65 out of 70 teachers (92.9%) participated in the educational sessions. Teachers asked questions about school policy for inhalers, medication administration guidelines, and physical activity and asthma. 64/65 (98.5%) teachers completed pre/post surveys (mean age 39.7 years; mean years at the school 8.0). Post-intervention, more teachers reported knowing how to manage an asthma attack (93.8% vs. 64.1%, p <.0001); and felt comfortable assessing (50.8% vs. 30.8%, p = 0.019) and handling an asthma attack (52.3% vs. 33.8%, p =.023). The overall mean self-efficacy score increased post-intervention (43.0 vs. 38.1, p <.0001), as did 8/12 individual self-efficacy items. Post-workshop, 95.3% of teachers agreed that teacher in-service asthma education should be done annually. Conclusions: An asthma workshop was successfully implemented in the school setting and improved teacher comfort and self-efficacy in managing asthma. Annual training may improve teachers' confidence in assisting students with asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite growing signs of urban shrinkage in countries such as Korea, Japan and China, few studies have examined the generalisable pattern of urban shrinkage and its relationship to the characteristics of housing abandonment in the East Asian context. This study explores five major paths that may explain the emergence of vacant houses in declining inner-city areas, based on empirical observations in the city of Incheon, South Korea. The paths are: (1) strong government-led new built-up area development plans (pull factor for population movement); (2) delay and cancellation of indiscriminate redevelopment projects (push factor for population movement); (3) initial poor development and concentration of substandard houses; (4) aging of the elderly population; and (5) the outflow of infrastructure and services. These paths, also found in Japan or China, are expected to be combined in a local context, leading to more serious housing abandonment. This study suggests that it is important to take appropriate countermeasures based on the identification of the paths causing vacant houses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The period from mid-twentieth century until the present in Latin America and the Caribbean has represented a historical stage which has unleashed great social and economic transformations, though with several missteps. One of these missteps has been the strengthening of drug trafficking as a structure for economic and social integration of marginal sectors and as a structure of social and moral value. In this article, I will analyze the structure of drug trafficking, defined by Rossana Reguillo as a "narcomáquina" (narcomachine), and how it affects the definition of space. Space is considered here as an imaginary and real instance defined by the mediation of elements of the political, economic, historical, and social systems. The space analyzed is the Tepito neighborhood, a community in Mexico City that has historically been configured by the state as a "problematic space." This article studies Tepito and how it is portrayed in the Netflix series Ingobernable (2017), a political drama starring the Mexican actress Kate del Castillo that revolves around the figure of the first lady of Mexico and the nation immersed in the middle of the war on drugs and other political conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the prices of homes and the reasons for those changes may be more accurately predicted from repeat sales of the same homes after controlling for their changed attributes and differences in time between their sales and resales. This paper analyzes 346 of 583 sold houses in the Glengarry neighbourhood in Windsor, Ontario, that were sold more than once between 1981 and mid‐2017, and a corresponding 414 of 737 sold houses in the city's Wellington‐Crawford neighbourhood, sold more than once between 1986 and mid‐2017. After comparing types of resold homes with once‐sold ones, a repeat sales model predicts a first period of increasing annual percentage changes in resale prices compared to sale prices during the 1980s, followed by a second period of stagnation and possible decreases until 2011, and then increases during a third period after that. In addition, changes in resold homes' attributes of the dwelling unit and neighbourhood are a second type of neighbourhood change in two inner‐city neighbourhoods during the past 30 or more years. Key Messages: Two types of neighbourhood change are inferred from changes in house prices in two inner‐city neighbourhoods in Windsor, Ontario, since the early‐ or mid‐1980s.Changes in house prices are more correlated with resold homes' times of sale and resale than with changes in their attributes between those times.Prices increased during the 1980s, then stagnated and possibly decreased until 2011, after which they increased to mid‐2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northeast China is generally experiencing a shrinkage phenomenon similar to that in other old industrial regions worldwide. Large-scale growth-oriented regeneration programs by the government over the long term have led to the decline of social infrastructure in inner cities, thereby causing a structural crisis at the social level, and exacerbating the negative effects of shrinkage. This study investigated Hegang as a typical shrinking city in northeastern China. Coupling analysis was conducted based on network indexes and two categories of social resilience indexes to identify the key social infrastructure that provides residents with resilience to help cope with shrinkage. Our results demonstrate the centralizing effect of large-scale retail sites, and large green spaces and squares on social resilience. We also found that these categories of social infrastructure had effects across different areas of the city, which then provided social resilience to a wider range of residents. Our results also provide evidence for inequalities in the ability of residents to cope with shrinkage. Based on these findings, we characterize China's urban shrinkage and future development trends, and discuss the limitations of the regeneration model that has long been adopted by local governments. We suggest that local governments should consider incorporating investment in resilience to shrinkage into regeneration policies. They should also consider regenerating social infrastructure and deploying funds to a holistic network to build "reservoirs" of social resilience in shrinking cities. In addition, we highlight our methodological contributions and argue that social resilience monitoring should be integrated into China's urban physical examination framework to enhance dynamic planning and the sustainable regeneration capacity of shrinking urban local governments. [Display omitted] • Relationships explored between inequalities in social resilience and the use of social infrastructure. • Resilience to shrinkage provided by small number of key social infrastructure types. • Investment in social resilience should be included in regeneration policies. • Building a "reservoir of social resilience" is effective for coping with shrinkage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem, research strategy, and findings: People older than 65 are the most rapidly growing segment of the U.S. population, yet our cities and transportation systems are not age friendly. Low-income, minority, older adults residing in inner-city neighborhoods are largely transit dependent, rely significantly on walking for transportation, and thus have particular mobility needs. We used a mixed-methods approach that drew information from the California Household Travel Survey but also from direct interaction (through focus groups, interviews, and neighborhood walking audits) with 81 low-income, inner city–living older adults to understand their travel patterns and mobility challenges and needs. We find that despite some positive mobility indicators in the inner city (mixed-use environment, frequent bus service, and short travel distances), these elders face significant mobility challenges because of a deteriorated built environment, heavy traffic, homelessness, and crime. A limitation of this research is that the small sample did not allow the study of possible gender or race/ethnicity differentiation in the travel patterns and needs of older adults. Takeaway for practice: Planners should not rely only on information from the census and other aggregate data sources to understand the mobility needs of older adults but should complement this information with direct interaction with the communities for which they are planning. Although some social problems limiting the mobility of older adults are difficult to tackle, environmental and streetscape improvements can significantly enhance their mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clustering of certain social and economic problems across significant tracts of Britain's post-industrial cities was inextricably linked to the concept of an 'inner city crisis'. The ambiguously defined 'inner city' was a locus of political and media attention and was held up as an ongoing index of an unravelling social order. This article examines the ways in which pockets of inner London were represented in the context of a rhetorical 'inner city' from the 1970s onwards. It shows how 'inner city' representations endorsed existing power structures and, in concert with a growing enterprise approach to the notional 'crisis', how they fed into unjust programmes of urban renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inner city revitalization efforts centered on fostering new business activity are controversial because they assume that the job creating capacity of new businesses is capable of impacting aggregate employment levels in inner city neighborhoods. Given this controversy, this article examines the link between new business activity and inner city employment growth in Phoenix, Arizona. Analytical results highlight job creation from new business activity but a net negative association between new business activity and employment growth stemming from the loss of jobs from large employers in inner city neighborhoods. This relationship highlights that encouraging new business activity is not necessarily a bad idea for local residents and customers, but should not be viewed as a panacea for all inner city problems. Instead, new business activity should be viewed as one component of multifaceted initiatives to revitalize inner city neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For this paper we apply the framework of resilience as an adaptive process to examine alternative practices that assist socially vulnerable populations into the urban fabrik. The recent direction of Osaka’s inner city rental housing market for public assistance recipients is used as case study. We look on systemic aspects such as changing tenant revenues and welfare policies, and analyze the innovative housing reuse practices of local landlords and real estate agents. Our results show that the resilience-producing systemic properties are co-produced by public assitance policies, the particular condition of Osaka’s inner city and individual stakeholders' actions. While these stakeholders have benefited immensely from the housing market’s resilient response, it is structured by uneven dependencies, which ultimately affects the housing opportunities and care services for current and future tenants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the influence of economic growth and socio-demographic change on long-term urbanization and suburbanization processes in a divided region of Southern Europe (Athens, Greece). A two-block Partial Least Squares (tPLS) analysis decomposed metropolitan growth into distinctive processes of local development in 'central' and 'peripheral' areas considering changes over time (1966–2008) in 14 indicators representative of multifaceted territorial dynamics in the Mediterranean space. By quantifying the bi-directional (spatio-temporal) propagation of socioeconomic impulses, the empirical results of tPLS have delineated substantial differences in the development path of inner cities and suburbs, fueling spatial divides in social conditions and increasingly heterogeneous processes of regional development. While inner cities experienced population growth and settlement densification, peripheral areas underwent rapid suburbanization with spatial concentration of economic functions and a generalized settlement dispersion. Providing further insights in the analysis of the differential mechanisms of metropolitan development in Western Europe, results of this study confirm the specificity of urbanization and suburbanization processes at the base of the increased polarization in central and peripheral areas typical of Mediterranean countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population loss and heterogeneous physical-spatial decline have created variability in the urban shrinkage process as well as socio-spatial differentiation. Social infrastructure and the social capital it generates are critical stock resources that determine residents' access to social support and their ability to cope with shrinkage. In this study, we investigated the heterogeneity of social capital in Hegang, a typical shrinking city in Northeast China, from a social infrastructure perspective. We collected social capital evaluation data using a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and difference analysis methods were used to explore the relationship between categories and attributes of social infrastructure, user groups and social capital. We further revealed the mechanisms associated with social capital heterogeneity. The results showed the following. (1) Significant associations were found between the categories and attributes of social infrastructure and social capital heterogeneity. Social capital was provided by a small number of social infrastructures. The level of social capital inside the community was generally lower than outside the community. (2) Compared with bridging social capital, bonding social capital was the dominant stock resource in shrinking cities. The middle class dominated the social structure and held more bonding social capital. This study provides beneficial evidence for research related to the inequality of shrinkage processes and socio-spatial differentiation. • Significant correlations between categories and attributes of social infrastructure and heterogeneity of social capital. • Bonding social capital may result in the solidification of class and social isolation. • Residents are more likely to obtain social capital from outside the community. • Middle class has become the relatively stable main class of social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of ongoing shrinkage processes affecting a number of cities and regions in Europe and around the world, the planning literature has suggested a need for new planning concepts and strategies, or even a new planning paradigm. This paper aims to contribute to the debate by investigating the adaptation of the process of urban regeneration to shrinkage. Urban regeneration is a common policy in cities facing population and economic decline. However, particularly for inner-city neighbourhoods, it has not been sufficiently documented how urban regeneration responds to challenges related to shrinkage. Looking first at the evolving national policy framework and then at two local case studies, this paper identifies conditions leading to the emergence of new practices of urban regeneration in inner-city neighbourhoods in Eastern Germany. These practices are characterized by the moderate usage of public subsidies combined with 'soft' measures like cooperation with individual property owners and potential investors as well as place marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the emergence of a new pattern of black urban insurgency emerging in major US metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia. I locate this pattern in the context of a new securitization regime that I call "antisocial security." This regime works by establishing a decentered system of high-tech forms of surveillance and monitory techniques. I highlight the dialectic between the extension of antisocial security apparatuses and techniques into new political and social domains on the one hand and the adoption of these same techniques by those contesting racialized exclusions from urban public space on the other. I end the article with a discussion of how we might adapt the commons concept to consider the centrality of race and racism to this new securitization regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the past 5 years, the island of Jamaica has aimed to address social issues through the development of a National Parenting Program. Schools too have taken on this task and have sought to bridge the gap between home and school by working with parents in meaningful and sustainable ways. This small-scale study highlights how two inner-city schools have worked to do this. The data for this study were collected over 4 years during visits to the school for the teaching practice in the final year for students in their teacher education bachelor's degree programs. Two research questions were used: (a) How has a partnership program between home and school benefited you and your students? And (b) What are the strategies that can be employed by the school to facilitate a smooth, successful reciprocal relationship? From the data collected, three dominant themes emerged from the findings: (a) home- school relations matter, (b) parent empowerment and teacher validation, and (c) understanding diverse cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity in children has been shown to play a role in its relationship to asthma, both in terms of prevalence and incidence. One measure of physical activity in children is sedentary behavior, which might be measured by the degree of engagement with media electronic screens. We found that children with asthma, as compared with children without asthma, engage in significantly more hours of screen time (median 35 vs 26 h/wk, P = .004). In this birth cohort, those who developed a diagnosis of asthma at 8 years of age were significantly more engaged in electronic screen time than their peers. No other clinical or lifestyle behaviors were significantly associated with a diagnosis of asthma. Further study will be needed to determine directionality of this finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slum tourism is becoming increasingly popular in cities throughout the global South. South Africa has long been a township/slum tourism destination due to the inequalities caused by apartheid. During the later apartheid years and after the fall of apartheid in 1994, the once upmarket financial centre of inner city Johannesburg took a major economic downturn and has since been considered by many a 'no-go zone'. Since 2012, a number of tour operators have begun to develop walking tours taking visitors into the inner city of Johannesburg. Some research has argued that tourism in Johannesburg's inner city is a form of slum tourism. However, we argue that the inner city of Johannesburg is diverse, vast and complex, and therefore these walking tours should not necessarily be grouped with the concept of slum tourism. The research to justify this argument is multifaceted. First, definitions of slum tourism are explored against the backdrop of the Johannesburg inner city. Second, in-depth interviews were conducted with five tour operators that run inner city walking tours. Finally, 100 tourists were surveyed to determine their perceptions of inner city Johannesburg and whether or not they consider it to be a slum. The results demonstrate that although some commonalities exist between slum tourism and inner city walking tours, particularly the goal of de-stigmatisation, walking tours in the Johannesburg inner city should, arguably, not be considered a form of slum tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Studies conducted in large metropolitan inner-city communities with high violent crime rates have demonstrated an association between exposure to violence and mental health problems; therefore the purpose of this study was to determine if similar trends exist in smaller inner-city communities with substantially lower violent crime rates. Methods: One hundred twenty-six children and young adults living in inner-city Omaha, Nebraska, were screened for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms and assessed for community violence exposure (CVE). Pearson's correlation and analysis of variance were used to determine the relationship between PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms and CVE. Results: A statistically significant relationship was found between CVE and PTSD and anxiety symptoms among participants despite their having lower rates of exposure to violent events in comparison with other studies. No association was found between violence and depression symptoms. Additionally, the presence of anxiety and depression, as well as increased age of participants, was associated with higher rates of PTSD symptoms. Conclusion: We recommend that health care providers in smaller cities, where the effects of violent crime may be underestimated or overlooked, be informed of the existence of this public health problem within their community and that they screen at-risk patients for mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a measure of the variation in the red blood cell volume that is usually recorded as a part of the standard complete blood cell count. Recent studies have demonstrated the prognostic value of RDW in many different clinical settings. The objective of this research study is to investigate the independent association of RDW with 30-day mortality in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients. Methods: One hundred and fifty-six patients admitted to the ICU of our hospital between July 2009 and June 2011 were included in our study. Out of 156 patients, 124 survived the hospital stay. The data on patient's demographics, interventions done in ICU, and their comorbidities were collected. Baseline variables and the RDW value were compared between survivors and nonsurvivors. The cutoff point for RDW used for the comparison was 15.75. Both univariable and multivariable analyses were done. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In the univariable analysis of the study between survivors and nonsurvivors, the median RDW was 17.20 for nonsurvivors, implying statistical significance (P = 0.007). In multivariable analysis, RDW remained significantly associated with inpatient mortality. The receiver operating characteristic is 0.656 (P = 0.007), with an optimal cutoff of 15.75 for RDW. At the cutoff of RDW, i.e., 15.75, the sensitivity and specificity for inpatient mortality was 71% and 89%, respectively. Conclusion: In critically ill ICU patients, RDW is an independent predictor of 30-day mortality. Taking into consideration the fact that RDW is routinely measured in complete blood count with no additional cost, this can serve as an "inexpensive prognostic marker" in critically ill patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) has not been well studied in urban adolescents with asthma in community settings. Nor has the association of SDB symptoms and asthma severity been studied. We characterized self-reported symptoms suggesting SDB and investigated the association of SDB symptoms, probable asthma, and asthma severity.Methods:9,565 adolescents from 21 inner-city high schools were screened for an asthma intervention study. Students reported on symptoms suggesting SDB using questions from the 2007 NHANES, if they were ever diagnosed with asthma, and on asthma symptoms. Using generalized linear mixed models with logit link with school as a random intercept and adjusting for age, gender, and race/ethnicity, we examined associations of SDB symptoms, and demographic characteristics, probable asthma, and asthma severity.Results:12% reported SDB symptoms. Older and bi-racial participants (compared to Caucasian) had higher odds of symptoms suggesting SDB (p<.001). Compared to those without probable asthma, adolescents with probable asthma had 2.63 greater odds of reporting SDB symptoms (p<.001). Among those with probable asthma, the odds of reporting SDB symptoms increased with asthma severity. When exploring daytime severity and severity due to night wakening separately, results were similar. All results remained significant when controlling for age, gender, and ethnicity.Conclusions:In a large urban community cohort of predominately ethnic minority adolescents, self-reported SDB symptoms were associated with probable asthma and increased asthma severity. This study highlights the importance of SDB as a modifiable co-morbidity of asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article considers the strengths and weaknesses of John Milbank's ecclesiology by examining encounters the author has had as a Church of England priest working in the inner city. The analysis is further sharped by setting Milbank's ecclesiology alongside Rowan Williams's ideas about the Church and priestly ministry. The article argues that, while there is more to Milbank's ecclesiology than some critics have allowed, his account can be usefully supplemented by close attention to the lived experience of the Church day by day. For a more rounded characterization of the Church as a distinctive human community, we need to look at the Church taken to its limits, sticking with situations of 'dis-ease and conflict', and not looking for 'quick and false solutions'. These points can all be found in Williams's ecclesiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban renewal and its impact on inner city areas globally has been the subject of sustained investigation. Yet, research into the process of urban renewal in the global South remains under-investigated. This paper attempts to address this paucity in research by looking at the inner city of Johannesburg. The Johannesburg inner city has undergone numerous changes throughout its history, from being built-up to the economic centre of Africa, decentralisation and ultimately undergoing sociodemographic changes during and after the fall of apartheid. Some would argue that the inner city has fallen into a deteriorated state and is a 'no-go' zone, especially for middle-class suburbanites. Going hand-in-hand with the meteoric rise of social media, urban renewal initiatives implemented by the private and public sphere in many cities in South Africa have now gained momentum. This is especially the case in the inner city of Johannesburg where mostly white suburban youth, often part of the creative class, now access the inner city regularly through InstaMeets. However, this process is a double-edged sword. It is argued that while there are tangible benefits to renewed access to the inner city, in some cases, it can be considered voyeuristic and lead to displacement of residents with vulnerable livelihoods if not managed correctly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gentrification, or the class-based restructuring of cities, is a process that has accrued a considerable historical depth and a wide geographical compass. But despite the existence of what is otherwise an increasingly rich literature, little has been written about connections between schools and the middle class makeover of inner city districts. This paper addresses that lacuna. It does so in the specific context of the search by well-off middle class parents for places for their children in leading state schools in the inner city of Nanjing, one of China’s largest urban centres, and it examines a process that we call here jiaoyufication. Jiaoyufication involves the purchase of an apartment in the catchment zone of a leading elementary school at an inflated price. Gentrifying parents generally spend nine years (covering the period of elementary and junior middle schooling) in their apartment before selling it on to a new gentrifying family at a virtually guaranteed good price without even any need for refurbishment. Jiaoyufication is made possible as a result of the commodification of housing alongside the increasingly strict application of a catchment zone policy for school enrolment. We show in this paper how jiaoyufication has led to the displacement of an earlier generation of mainly working class residents. We argue that the result has been a shift from an education system based on hierarchy and connections to one based on territory and wealth, but at the same time a strangely atypical sclerosis in the physical structure of inner city neighbourhoods. We see this as a variant form of gentrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities have been described as masculine, but simultaneously emancipatory for women giving them the possibility to experiment with new identities. Women have gained access to the masculine sphere through working-life and financial independence. The new interest among families to live in inner cities has been interpreted as a way particularly for mothers to combine work with family life. Drawing on an in-depth qualitative study, this paper investigates mothering and fathering practices on family leave in Helsinki, Finland. It explores how parenting is incorporated into the mothers’ and fathers’ urban self-identity, and argues that while parenting in the city traditional gender roles are blurred. The paper proposes the termdomesticficationto describe how urban middle class mothering and fathering is being inscribed in Nordic contemporary urban space. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT This paper explores neighbourhood trajectories in the inner cities in terms of social and demographic change in a comparative perspective, and analyses the role of in situ change and residential mobility in this change. The research is based on a quantitative census-based study of Prague (the Czech Republic) and Tallinn (Estonia) at a detailed neighbourhood level. The study shows that in spite of many political and historical similarities, the differences in local regulatory mechanisms and local contexts have led to different urban outcomes. Institutional rigidity and long-term resistance to adjusting physical structures to a new social system have restrained change in Prague. The inner city of Tallinn has experienced much more social restructuring, replacements and displacements. High home-ownership rates, early rent de-regulation and no major public involvement in housing all contribute to the market-led urban change in Tallinn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the importance of age in delineating urban space, the latter operationalised as high-density living. Many cities have experienced an increase in inner city living contributing to gentrification. Today, inner cities contain more amenities, public transit and housing options than in the past but there are also growing affordability concerns owing to rising prices. Especially young adults, sometimes dubbed Millennials, are making location decisions in a context of lower employment security, higher costs and continuing high-density re-development that now extends into suburban areas in some cases. The analysis in this paper shows evidence of a youthification process that results in an increasing association of high-density living with the young adult lifecycle stage. The higher density areas remain young over time as new young adults move into neighbourhoods where there are already young people living, and they move out if their household size increases. Youthified spaces have become characterised by small housing units that are not generally occupied by households with children. Additionally, some areas are exhibiting generational bifurcation as both older and younger adults live in some higher density areas. Youthification is driven by a combination of lifestyle, demographic, macro-economic and housing market changes that require further investigation. The youthification process is not replacing, but occurring alongside, gentrification and points to young age as a delineator of high-density living becoming more important over time. However, immigration, measures of social class and household size still remain the most important explanatory variables of high-density living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-profile cases of police violence—disproportionately experienced by black men—may present a serious threat to public safety if they lower citizen crime reporting. Using an interrupted time series design, this study analyzes how one of Milwaukee’s most publicized cases of police violence against an unarmed black man, the beating of Frank Jude, affected police-related 911 calls. Controlling for crime, prior call patterns, and several neighborhood characteristics, we find that residents of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods, especially residents of black neighborhoods, were far less likely to report crime after Jude’s beating was broadcast. The effect lasted for over a year and resulted in a total net loss of approximately 22,200 calls for service. Other local and national cases of police violence against unarmed black men also had a significant impact on citizen crime reporting in Milwaukee. Police misconduct can powerfully suppress one of the most basic forms of civic engagement: calling 911 for matters of personal and public safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity of people living in a city is often most visible on inner city streets. These streets are also the neighbourhood environment of children who live in the central city. In the past, the wellbeing and sensibilities of children have been marginalised in planning practices in western cities but this is beginning to change with child-friendly and inclusive city discourses now more common. In this paper we report on children's experiences confronting diversity in inner-city Auckland. In 2012, 40 inner-city children, 9–12 years, participated in walking interviews in their local streets and school-based focus group discussions. As the children talked about their lives, moving and playing around neighbourhood streets, many described distress and discomfort as they confronted homelessness, drunkenness, and signs of the sex industry. A few older children also described strategies for coping with these encounters, an emerging acceptance of difference and pride in becoming streetwise. New Zealand (NZ) has a history of progressive social policy. In 2003, it became the first country in the world to decriminalise all forms of prostitution. Securing the health and human rights of sex workers were the primary drivers of the reforms. Similar concerns for health and rights underpin broadly inclusive local policies towards homelessness. To promote the health and wellbeing of inner city children their presence on city streets, alongside those of other marginalised groups, needs to be at the forefront of planning concerns. However we conclude that there are inherent tensions in promoting a child-friendly city in which diversity and inclusiveness are also valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several initiatives have been embarked upon over the past decade to encourage breast cancer screening and follow-up among women who reside in urban communities. With these efforts, data revealed that many women do not receive the recommended breast cancer screening. Studies have been published in scientific literature that explored barriers faced by women relative to breast cancer screening. But, only a few reports have been published of efforts initiated to define the limits of characteristics of women who have and women who have not been screened. This cross-sectional exploratory study was designed to examine the breast cancer screening practices of women 40-74 years of age and older who reside in a densely populated metropolitan community of S.E. Wisconsin, and to identify and compare the characteristics of women who report breast cancer screening and with characteristics of women who report no breast cancer screening. The organizing framework for this study was derived from the United States Department of Health and Human Services Determinants of Health Model. An investigator-designed instrument was used to assess the influence of age, family history of breast cancer, insurance status, characteristics of residential neighborhood and local access to breast care on breast cancer screening. While the majority of the women surveyed reported breast cancer screening, less than half of the women reported screening that was consistent with recommended breast cancer screening guidelines (i. e. annual mammography and annual clinical breast examination). Deficits in breast cancer screening were noted most among women who were uninsured, with no known family history of breast cancer, who resided in low income neighborhoods, inner-city neighborhoods and neighborhoods without facilities for primary breast care. The results of this study demonstrate the need for clinicians, health care administrators and advocates committed to breast cancer detection and control within targeted communities. They must carefully assess the impact of individual, social and structural factors on breast cancer screening, and the need to design initiatives specifically targeted to women who have received less than optimal or no breast cancer screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformation of the inner city areas in parallel with their characteristic of collapse in today's metropolitan cities shows a global situation that might be observed in nearly all industrialized country samples. Collapsed inner city areas in Istanbul have been observed to become the areas where the poor and rural population seeking a solution for accommodation intensifies. Eminonu-Suleymaniye region in Istanbul sample stands out with its characteristic of being a neighbourhood that is constantly fed by low-income immigrant groups and an area where urban poverty is existed and reproduced. Yet this region is of the characteristic of being a settlement with bachelor rooms where (poor) immigrants, who have migrated to Istanbul to work in mostly seasonal jobs and to send money to their families, accommodate intensively. In this study settlement preferences, migration dynamics of immigrants, level of their poverty, qualities of accommodation and employment are dealt with on the sample of bachelor rooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering Vancouver and Montreal as case studies, this article demonstrates the increasing centralization of the young adult population since the early 1980s. Gentrification, which brings higher income earners to the inner city, is often explained as a class-based process associated with post-industrial, post-Fordist, and, more recently, neo-liberal restructuring. However, delays in child-bearing, increasing educational attainment, and the growing amenity and housing component in inner cities have also sharpened the division of space by demographic variables such as age and household size-variables that relate to life-cycle stage, consumption practices, and generational differences. This article contributes to the understanding of the factors delineating urban space by considering residential location patterns of two different generations of young adults in two metropolitan areas. The findings show that today's young adult residential ecology is increasingly defined by proximity to transit, high-density housing, and walkability to urban amenities. Due to the higher-priced housing market and land use planning policies emphasizing densification, the residential pattern is one of concentrated decentralization in Vancouver. In Montreal, centralization of young adults is mostly associated with changing household profiles. In both metropolitan areas, the inner city residential ecology is increasingly delineated by young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to identify the determinants of mobility from the suburbs to the inner city in the Montreal metropolitan area. Our analyses focus on all suburban municipalities and use data from the 2006 Census. Adopting a lifecycle perspective, a specific logistic regression model is developed. The results show that being young, single, having a low income, and attending school are the most significant factors of migrating to the inner city. The typical migrant leaving the suburbs to the inner city is a young adult leaving parental home. The inner city can then be seen as a place of transition for many people. The results also show that ethnocultural factors, such as the language spoken at home and the visible minority status, have no significant impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite new patterns of socio-spatial polarisation, cities are generally treated as homogenous places in analyses of alcohol consumption. To inform local alcohol policy, we compared alcohol measures for young people in inner-urban Melbourne and outer-urban growth areas using data from the 2009 Victorian Youth Alcohol and Drug Survey. Young people in inner Melbourne reported more liberal attitudes to drinking than their peers in growth areas. Regular strength beer was more usually consumed in inner Melbourne against premixed spirits in growth areas, and drinking at licensed venues was more usual in inner Melbourne. Respondents below the legal drinking age of 18 in inner Melbourne were more likely to have purchased alcohol and to have consumed alcohol in a licensed premise during the past year. As findings were only slightly altered by adjusting for age, sex and socio-economic status, it is likely that these differences relate to local drinking cultures, alcohol outlet density and the range of leisure activities available for young adults. Measures to reduce heavy episodic drinking through restricting alcohol availability are relevant to both inner and growth area settings. Enforcement of provisions banning alcohol sales to minors is particularly indicated in inner Melbourne. Growth area responses might focus on cautious outlet density planning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The practice of an experimental Christian café-centre in inner city Sheffield provokes reprise with Mark’s multi-faith and multicultural narratives. The dramatis personae, the street-level exposés, and the cultural clashes of Mark 5 evoke spontaneous but complicated reactions from Jesus. Contemporary disciples today find them “working out” for themselves and their attempts at Mission. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Direkt an der Hamburger Außenalster wurde für die Errichtung hochwertiger Büro- und Gewerbeflächen mit vier Untergeschossen eine ca. 13 m tiefe Trogbaugrube in Schlitzwandbauweise und mit natürlicher Dichtsohle erforderlich. Aufgrund von sensibler Nachbarbebauung waren nur geringe Baugrundverformungen verträglich. Dies konnte mittels einer innen liegenden Aussteifung als vorgespanntes Stahlfachwerk in der oberen Steifungslage und einem Stahlbetonteildeckel in der unteren Steifungslage sichergestellt werden. Im Rahmen eines umfangreichen Messprogramms wurden die im Entwurf berechneten Baugrundverformungen bestätigt. Deep excavation pit with partial concrete cover at Alsterufer in Hamburg Along with the development of an exclusive office- and business building with four underground parking levels an about 13 m deep excavation pit with diaphragm walls and natural bottom sealing was needed. Considering the sensitive neighbouring buildings only little deformation of the underground was acceptable. By using a pre-stressed inner framework as upper bracing and a partial concrete cover as lower bracing the requirements were fulfilled. Already during preliminary design calculated ground deformations could be approved by an extensive measuring program accompanying the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is associated with poor asthma outcomes; weight loss improves such outcomes. Inaccurate recognition of obesity may impede weight control. Purpose: We examined perception of weight by early adolescents with uncontrolled asthma and their caregivers, and tested the relationship between medical visit frequency and accuracy of perceived weight status. Methods: A total of 373 adolescents and their caregivers reported the adolescent's height/weight and weight perception; caregivers reported healthcare utilization. We measured height/weight. Logistic regression modeled accuracy of weight perception. Results: A total of 43.7 % of the overweight/obese adolescents and caregivers accurately perceived weight status. BMI percentile [odds ratio (OR) = 1.19, confidence interval (CI) = 1.10-1.28] and total medical visits (OR = 1.18, CI = 1.05-1.33) were associated with higher accuracy in caregivers. Total medical visits (OR = 0.84, CI = 0.74-0.96) was associated with lower accuracy in adolescents. Conclusions: Accurate perception of weight status was poor for overweight adolescents with uncontrolled asthma and their caregivers. Frequent medical visits were associated with improved caregivers' but not adolescents' perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Overweight, obesity, and asthma are more prevalent in minority children; yet, the association of overweight and obesity with spirometric values in asthmatic minorities is not well characterized. Objective. To study the relationship between weight, ethnicity, and spirometric values in children referred for asthma evaluation to a large inner-city hospital in Bronx, NY. Methods. Retrospective review of spirometry done at the first pulmonary clinic visit of 980 asthmatic children, aged 7-20 years, was conducted. Linear regression analysis was performed to elucidate the association of overweight and obesity with pulmonary function among Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics compared with their normal weight counterparts. Results. More African Americans (58%) and Hispanics (65.4%) were overweight and obese than Whites (51.2%) ( p < .05). Compared with their normal weight counterparts, percent forced expiratory volume in the 1st second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio was lower in both overweight and obese African Americans (2.99%, p < .05 and 3.56%, p < .01, respectively) and Hispanics (2.64%, p < .05 and 2.36%, p < .05, respectively); these differences were found in obese (3.73%, p < .05) but not in overweight (0.68%, p = .7) Whites. Conclusions. FEV1/FVC ratio was lower in both overweight and obese African American and Hispanic children, while this association was present only among obese Whites compared with their normal weight counterparts. These results suggest that spirometric measures of lower airway obstruction decrease with smaller weight increments in minority children when compared with White children. In the context of the higher prevalence of overweight and obesity among African Americans and Hispanics, our findings offer one potential explanation for increased asthma among minority children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Rates of preventive follow-up asthma care after an acute emergency department (ED) visit are low among inner-city children. We implemented a novel behavioral asthma intervention, Pediatric Asthma Alert (PAAL) intervention, to improve outpatient follow-up and preventive care for urban children with a recent ED visit for asthma. Objective. The objective of this article is to describe the PAAL intervention and examine factors associated with intervention completers and noncompleters. Methods. Children with persistent asthma and recurrent ED visits ( N = 300) were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of the PAAL intervention that included two home visits and a facilitated follow-up visit with the child's primary care provider (PCP). Children were categorized as intervention completers, that is, completed home and PCP visits compared with noncompleters, who completed at least one home visit but did not complete the PCP visit. Using chi-square test of independence, analysis of variance, and multiple logistic regression, the intervention completion status was examined by several sociodemographic, health, and caregiver psychological variables. Results. Children were African-American (95%), Medicaid insured (91%), and young (aged 3-5 years, 56%). Overall, 71% of children randomized to the intervention successfully completed all home and PCP visits (completers). Factors significantly associated with completing the intervention included younger age (age 3-5 years: completers, 65.4%; noncompleters, 34.1%; p < .001) and having an asthma action plan in the home at baseline (completers: 40%; noncompleters: 21%; p = .02). In a logistic regression model, younger child age, having an asthma action plan, and lower caregiver daily asthma stress were significantly associated with successful completion of the intervention. Conclusions. The majority of caregivers of high-risk children with asthma were successfully engaged in this home and PCP-based intervention. Caregivers of older children with asthma and those with high stress may need additional support for program completion. Further, the lack of an asthma action plan may be a marker of preexisting barriers to preventive care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: For decades inner cities in East Central Europe have been characterised by physical dilapidation, ageing in place and selective outmigration. Post-socialist transition added to these developments by further outmigration due to suburbanisation but also provided new opportunities of residential change. In Polish and Czech second-order cities there is selective in-migration by younger households which remains so far almost hidden to the official statistics. Among them a new type of inner-city dwellers can be identified, that is transitory urbanites. They take the inner city as a perfect residential place in their current phase of life and value its characteristics both in emotional and pragmatic terms. But they do not expect to stay there for good and might leave the inner city in the future for another urban area or suburbia. However, while being present now they bring about residential change in the inner city and pave the way for future in-migrants of similar social status and age. From our material and observations, we can formulate the hypothesis that their importance has increased decisively during the last decade. Our paper draws on empirical research from in Łódź and Brno from 2006 to 2009. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To cite this article: Permaul P, Hoffman E, Fu C, Sheehan W, Baxi S, Gaffin J, Lane J, Bailey A, King E, Chapman M, Gold D, Phipatanakul W. Allergens in urban schools and homes of children with asthma. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2012: 23: 543-549. Abstract Background: Most studies of indoor allergens have focused on the home environment. However, schools may be an important site of allergen exposure for children with asthma. We compared school allergen exposure to home exposure in a cohort of children with asthma. Correlations between settled dust and airborne allergen levels in classrooms were examined. Methods: Settled dust and airborne samples from 12 inner-city schools were analyzed for indoor allergens using multiplex array technology (MARIA). School samples were linked to students with asthma enrolled in the School Inner-City Asthma Study (SICAS). Settled dust samples from students' bedrooms were analyzed similarly. Results: From schools, 229 settled dust and 197 airborne samples were obtained. From homes, 118 settled dust samples were obtained. Linear mixed regression models of log-transformed variables showed significantly higher settled dust levels of mouse, cat and dog allergens in schools than homes (545% higher for Mus m 1, estimated absolute difference 0.55 μg/g, p < 0.0001; 198% higher for Fel d 1, estimated absolute difference 0.13 μg/g, p = 0.0033; and 144% higher for Can f 1, estimated absolute difference 0.05 μg/g, p = 0.0008). Airborne and settled dust Mus m 1 levels in classrooms were moderately correlated ( r = 0.48; p < 0.0001). There were undetectable to very low levels of cockroach and dust mite allergens in both homes and schools. Conclusion: Mouse allergen levels in schools were substantial. In general, cat and dog allergen levels were low, but detectable, and were higher in schools. Aerosolization of mouse allergen in classrooms may be a significant exposure for students. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of indoor allergen exposure in schools on asthma morbidity in students with asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the emergence of ‘outer-inner cities’ located on the periphery of London and New York. As traditional ‘zones in transitions’ and inner city districts of both cities have gentrified, these neighbourhoods no longer offer an affordable entry point to the low-waged immigrants whose work is necessary to keep the global city working. Moreover neoliberal practices of immigrant and working class dispersal in addition to the manipulation of fear regarding the ethnic and ‘racial’ other and the threat of deportation exert considerable centrifugal pressure making the central an increasingly hostile environment for immigrants. As such devalued sections of the periphery, such as suburbs suffering from disinvestment, are emerging as unlikely meeting points for new immigrants, those displaced from the central city and descendents of previous waves of suburbanisation. Common to both forms of inner city is the racialization of antagonistic community relations. Yet in contrast to the ‘inner city’ of the Fordist metropolis the outer-inner city is more fragmented, characterized by informal and flexible arrangements of labour and dwelling and most crucially lacks symbolic resonance on a government and policy level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Little is known about the resources used by urban caregivers of children with asthma to obtain health information. The authors analyzed data for 304 families of children with persistent asthma to describe (1) sources of health information, (2) access and use of Internet resources, and (3) the association between the caregiver’s health literacy (HL) and use of health information sources. Overall, 37% of caregivers had limited HL. Most families received health information from a health care professional (94%), written sources (51%), family/friends (42%), non–print media (34%), and the Internet (30%). Less than half of caregivers had access to the Internet at home, but 73% reported Internet use in the past year. Caregivers with adequate HL were more likely to obtain information from multiple sources and to use and have access to the Internet. The results suggest that HL is associated with where caregivers obtain health information from for their children and their use of the Internet. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Having concurrent sexual partners is a risk factor for STIs and HIV/AIDS, yet few studies have investigated the cultural meanings and functions of concurrency. A multi-method qualitative/quantitative study of sexual ideas, attitudes, and behaviors among inner-city Puerto Rican and African American emergent adults (age 18–25) in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, suggests that having concurrent partners is common in this population. Using data from 12 focus groups and 40 participants in systematic data collection techniques (e.g., pile sorts), the underlying cognitive structure of concurrency and cheating/infidelity are explored. Results suggest that participants are less tolerant of multiple partners in more committed relationships, but that very few relationships can be considered committed. Furthermore, participants see cheating as inevitable even in committed relationships. Sexual transgressions are considered the most severe form of cheating. Having an outside partner for emotional reasons or to have access to one's child were seen as more acceptable/forgivable than doing so for sexual satisfaction, social status or material goods. Multiple partnerships must be seen in the context of the inner city where resources and opportunities are scarce and young adults attempt to protect themselves from emotional injury. Documenting new and changing social constructions of infidelity is important for understanding the social context of sexual behavior in our global world and for designing culturally appropriate health interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]