Hispanic Americans of Caribbean origin are a fast-growing subset of the US population, but there are no studies on bone density, microstructure and biomechanical integrity in this minority group. In this study, we aim...Hispanic Americans of Caribbean origin are a fast-growing subset of the US population, but there are no studies on bone density, microstructure and biomechanical integrity in this minority group. In this study, we aimed to compare Caucasian and Caribbean Hispanic postmenopausal American women with respect to these characteristics. Thirty-three Caribbean Hispanics were age-matched to thirty-three Caucasian postmenopausal women. At the lumbar spine, the Hispanic women had significantly lower areal bone mineral density （aBMD）. At the radius by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography （HR-pQCT）, there were minimal differences between Hispanic and Caucasian women. At the tibia, Hispanic women had lower trabecular volumetric bone density and trabecular number, and higher trabecular separation. Individual trabecula segmentation （ITS） analyses indicated that at the tibia, Hispanic women not only had significantly lower bone volume fraction, but also had significantly lower rod bone volume fraction, plate trabecular number, rod trabecular number and lower plate-plate, plate-rod and rod-rod junction densities compared to Caucasian women. The differences in bone quantity and quality contributed to lower whole bone stiffness at the radius, and both whole bone and trabecular bone stiffness at the tibia in Hispanic women. In conclusion, Hispanic women had poorer bone mechanical and microarchitectural properties than Caucasian women, especially at the load-bearing distal tibia.展开更多
Breast cancer deaths are more common among Black American women than White women. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Black American women had a higher incidence rate (130.0) compared...Breast cancer deaths are more common among Black American women than White women. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Black American women had a higher incidence rate (130.0) compared to White women (128.9). But it is the double burden of incidence and low survival that is particularly alarming (American Cancer Society, 2011). While research is underway to better understand the role that genes play, such as those that are associated with the aggressive triple negative breast cancer which is more commonly diagnosed in Black American women, there is more to learn about the utilization of the screening mammography. At the time this study was conducted the age controversy to receive a baseline screening was just beginning. The American Medical Association, the American College of Radiology, and the American Cancer Society all supported baseline screenings at age 40 but, currently the United States Preventive Services Task Force guidelines recommend biennial screening for women aged 50 to 74 years who are at average risk for breast cancer. Furthermore, mammograms are not routinely recommended for women age 40 to 49 because they are more likely to have false biopsies. We do not yet know the long-term impact of implementing a longer timeline to screen for breast cancer. Although Black American women, have narrowed the gap, they still lag behind regarding mammography screening and are more likely to be diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. This paper investigates the predictors of mammography use among a small, low-income, U.S. community-based sample of Black African American women age 42 and older.展开更多
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and treatment includes various combinations of surgery, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy. The multimodal treatment of breast cancer improves survival outcomes, but ...Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and treatment includes various combinations of surgery, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy. The multimodal treatment of breast cancer improves survival outcomes, but it also contributes to a prolonged period of medical intervention with associated physical and emotional consequences. However, we know less about the specific clinical experiences of African American (AA) women during treatment for breast cancer and in survivorship. The studies that have addressed the issue of breast cancer in AA women have focused primarily on early detection and epidemiological variables such a screening, mortality and staging at diagnosis. In our study, in-depth semi-structured phone interviews were conducted to explore the clinical experiences, concerns and needs of AA women who had survived breast cancer. The AA women reported that their physicians did not provide adequate disease and treatment information;did not discuss clinical trials with them;and did not offer access to support services.展开更多
A common strategy for improving health behaviors is to emphasize the benefits and reduce the barriers to behavior change. This study investigated potential differences in perceived benefits and barriers related to par...A common strategy for improving health behaviors is to emphasize the benefits and reduce the barriers to behavior change. This study investigated potential differences in perceived benefits and barriers related to participation in physical activity (PA) between women in pre-maintenance versus the maintenance phase of PA behavior to determine if perceived benefits were greater and perceived barriers lower in women with more extensive and successful PA participation experience. Data were collected from a community-based sample (N = 113) of middle-aged African-American women. The sample was stratified into two groups according to how long they had been regularly engaging in PA (6 months or longer versus less than 6 months). Chi-square analyses were conducted to investigate possible differences between the two groups of women in regard to perceived benefits and barriers associated with PA. Descriptive data showed that nearly all of the benefits and barriers to PA were perceived as being important for a majority of the participants and chi-square and t-test results indicated few significant between-group differences (p < .05) in regard to these perceptions. Additional analyses indicated there was no significant between-group difference (p < .05) for Body Mass Index. The results suggest the benefits and barriers related to PA behavior are already valued and understood by many African-American women. Further, the results do not support the commonly held belief that effective health behavior improvement programming should emphasize the benefits and reduce the barriers related to the behavior. Practitioners should consider focusing on other evidenced based factors proven to promote PA behavior such as counseling regarding social support (e.g., buddy system) and increasing self-efficacy (e.g., goal setting) to initiate and sustain a physically active lifestyle.展开更多
During the year I lived in Shanghai (1998/99), both my daughter and mymother came to see me and to see China with me. My daughter, Leah, a 22-year-old college student, came in April with her friend Kathy. And my mothe...During the year I lived in Shanghai (1998/99), both my daughter and mymother came to see me and to see China with me. My daughter, Leah, a 22-year-old college student, came in April with her friend Kathy. And my mother, BobbieAdang, a 66-year-old retired teacher, came in June. Both visits combined展开更多
Afro- American Women were once a social minority and the weaker gender in American society. Through the endeavor of a group of Afro- American women writers,they have achieved a great success for the cultural identity ...Afro- American Women were once a social minority and the weaker gender in American society. Through the endeavor of a group of Afro- American women writers,they have achieved a great success for the cultural identity by concluding their own social experience into works in recent decades. This paper reviews the cultural identity built by Afro- American black women writers and introduces its historical reasons,works,and historical significance. By doing this,we stand to gain insights into the American women writers and find their great contributions to their cultural identity in American culture.展开更多
Analyzed from the viewpoint of women's equality,as key factors,equality of thought,equality of rights and equality of personal dignity are also the core directions pursued by American liberalistic literature. The ...Analyzed from the viewpoint of women's equality,as key factors,equality of thought,equality of rights and equality of personal dignity are also the core directions pursued by American liberalistic literature. The prominence of intrinsic meaning and value exerted by equality of thought and equality of personal dignity on free development goals of American society can ensure further enhancement of the equality of women's social rights and an increasingly rising new- level of social democratic development,expressing the features of the society and times embodied by American literalistic literary thought.展开更多
The Great Gatsby is a significant classic in American literature and Fitzgerald is also considered as a chronicler of the"Jazz Age".The women characters play an important role in revealing the theme of the n...The Great Gatsby is a significant classic in American literature and Fitzgerald is also considered as a chronicler of the"Jazz Age".The women characters play an important role in revealing the theme of the novel.The paper analyzes these women characters and points out their function juxtaposed against Gatsby.These women are all the victims of a society of wealth in American twenties.Compared to Fitzgerald's life,his attitude toward women and love is ambivalent.What happens to Gatsby is a warning to the rest of mankind.In the progress of realizing our own dream,we should be and can be soberer than those protagonists in the novel.展开更多
基金supported by NIH Grants R01 AR051376 (XEG), NIH R01 AR058004 (XEG, ES), NIH U01 AR055968 (ES)the Thomas L.Kempner and Katheryn C.Patterson Foundation
文摘Hispanic Americans of Caribbean origin are a fast-growing subset of the US population, but there are no studies on bone density, microstructure and biomechanical integrity in this minority group. In this study, we aimed to compare Caucasian and Caribbean Hispanic postmenopausal American women with respect to these characteristics. Thirty-three Caribbean Hispanics were age-matched to thirty-three Caucasian postmenopausal women. At the lumbar spine, the Hispanic women had significantly lower areal bone mineral density （aBMD）. At the radius by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography （HR-pQCT）, there were minimal differences between Hispanic and Caucasian women. At the tibia, Hispanic women had lower trabecular volumetric bone density and trabecular number, and higher trabecular separation. Individual trabecula segmentation （ITS） analyses indicated that at the tibia, Hispanic women not only had significantly lower bone volume fraction, but also had significantly lower rod bone volume fraction, plate trabecular number, rod trabecular number and lower plate-plate, plate-rod and rod-rod junction densities compared to Caucasian women. The differences in bone quantity and quality contributed to lower whole bone stiffness at the radius, and both whole bone and trabecular bone stiffness at the tibia in Hispanic women. In conclusion, Hispanic women had poorer bone mechanical and microarchitectural properties than Caucasian women, especially at the load-bearing distal tibia.
文摘Breast cancer deaths are more common among Black American women than White women. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Black American women had a higher incidence rate (130.0) compared to White women (128.9). But it is the double burden of incidence and low survival that is particularly alarming (American Cancer Society, 2011). While research is underway to better understand the role that genes play, such as those that are associated with the aggressive triple negative breast cancer which is more commonly diagnosed in Black American women, there is more to learn about the utilization of the screening mammography. At the time this study was conducted the age controversy to receive a baseline screening was just beginning. The American Medical Association, the American College of Radiology, and the American Cancer Society all supported baseline screenings at age 40 but, currently the United States Preventive Services Task Force guidelines recommend biennial screening for women aged 50 to 74 years who are at average risk for breast cancer. Furthermore, mammograms are not routinely recommended for women age 40 to 49 because they are more likely to have false biopsies. We do not yet know the long-term impact of implementing a longer timeline to screen for breast cancer. Although Black American women, have narrowed the gap, they still lag behind regarding mammography screening and are more likely to be diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. This paper investigates the predictors of mammography use among a small, low-income, U.S. community-based sample of Black African American women age 42 and older.
文摘Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and treatment includes various combinations of surgery, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy. The multimodal treatment of breast cancer improves survival outcomes, but it also contributes to a prolonged period of medical intervention with associated physical and emotional consequences. However, we know less about the specific clinical experiences of African American (AA) women during treatment for breast cancer and in survivorship. The studies that have addressed the issue of breast cancer in AA women have focused primarily on early detection and epidemiological variables such a screening, mortality and staging at diagnosis. In our study, in-depth semi-structured phone interviews were conducted to explore the clinical experiences, concerns and needs of AA women who had survived breast cancer. The AA women reported that their physicians did not provide adequate disease and treatment information;did not discuss clinical trials with them;and did not offer access to support services.
文摘A common strategy for improving health behaviors is to emphasize the benefits and reduce the barriers to behavior change. This study investigated potential differences in perceived benefits and barriers related to participation in physical activity (PA) between women in pre-maintenance versus the maintenance phase of PA behavior to determine if perceived benefits were greater and perceived barriers lower in women with more extensive and successful PA participation experience. Data were collected from a community-based sample (N = 113) of middle-aged African-American women. The sample was stratified into two groups according to how long they had been regularly engaging in PA (6 months or longer versus less than 6 months). Chi-square analyses were conducted to investigate possible differences between the two groups of women in regard to perceived benefits and barriers associated with PA. Descriptive data showed that nearly all of the benefits and barriers to PA were perceived as being important for a majority of the participants and chi-square and t-test results indicated few significant between-group differences (p < .05) in regard to these perceptions. Additional analyses indicated there was no significant between-group difference (p < .05) for Body Mass Index. The results suggest the benefits and barriers related to PA behavior are already valued and understood by many African-American women. Further, the results do not support the commonly held belief that effective health behavior improvement programming should emphasize the benefits and reduce the barriers related to the behavior. Practitioners should consider focusing on other evidenced based factors proven to promote PA behavior such as counseling regarding social support (e.g., buddy system) and increasing self-efficacy (e.g., goal setting) to initiate and sustain a physically active lifestyle.
文摘During the year I lived in Shanghai (1998/99), both my daughter and mymother came to see me and to see China with me. My daughter, Leah, a 22-year-old college student, came in April with her friend Kathy. And my mother, BobbieAdang, a 66-year-old retired teacher, came in June. Both visits combined
文摘Afro- American Women were once a social minority and the weaker gender in American society. Through the endeavor of a group of Afro- American women writers,they have achieved a great success for the cultural identity by concluding their own social experience into works in recent decades. This paper reviews the cultural identity built by Afro- American black women writers and introduces its historical reasons,works,and historical significance. By doing this,we stand to gain insights into the American women writers and find their great contributions to their cultural identity in American culture.
文摘Analyzed from the viewpoint of women's equality,as key factors,equality of thought,equality of rights and equality of personal dignity are also the core directions pursued by American liberalistic literature. The prominence of intrinsic meaning and value exerted by equality of thought and equality of personal dignity on free development goals of American society can ensure further enhancement of the equality of women's social rights and an increasingly rising new- level of social democratic development,expressing the features of the society and times embodied by American literalistic literary thought.
文摘The Great Gatsby is a significant classic in American literature and Fitzgerald is also considered as a chronicler of the"Jazz Age".The women characters play an important role in revealing the theme of the novel.The paper analyzes these women characters and points out their function juxtaposed against Gatsby.These women are all the victims of a society of wealth in American twenties.Compared to Fitzgerald's life,his attitude toward women and love is ambivalent.What happens to Gatsby is a warning to the rest of mankind.In the progress of realizing our own dream,we should be and can be soberer than those protagonists in the novel.
