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Drawing on a range of approaches from the social sciences and humanities, this handbook explores theoretical and empirical perspectives that address the articulation of law in society, and the social character of the rule of law. The vast field of socio-legal studies provides multiple lenses through which law can be considered. Rather than seeking to define the field of socio-legal studies, this book takes up the experiences of researchers within the field. First-hand accounts of socio-legal research projects allow the reader to engage with diverse theoretical and methodological approaches within this fluid interdisciplinary area. The book provides a rich resource for those interested in deepening their understanding of the variety of theories and methods available when law is studied in its broadest social context, as well as setting those within the history of the socio-legal movement. The chapters consider multiple disciplinary lenses - including feminism, anthropology and sociology - as well as a variety of methodologies, including: narrative, visual and spatial, psychological, economic and epidemiological approaches. Moreover, these are applied in a range of substantive contexts such as online hate speech, environmental law, biotechnology, research in post-conflict situations, race and LGBT+ lawyers. The handbook brings together younger contributors and some of the best-known names in the socio-legal field. It offers a fresh perspective on the past, present and future of socio-legal studies that will appeal to students and scholars with relevant interests in a range of subjects, including law, sociology and politics.

To assess the predictive values of various adiposity indices for metabolic syndrome (MetS) among adults using baseline data from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) cohort. In a cross-sectional study, BMI, waist circumference (WC), body composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and metabolic risk factors such as TAG, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting glucose and insulin, uric acid and C-reactive protein were measured. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Baltimore, Maryland. White and African-American US adults (n 1981), aged 30-64 years. In predicting risk of MetS using obesity-independent National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria, percentage total body fat mass (TtFM) assessed using DEXA measuring overall adiposity had no added value over WC. This was true among both men (area under the ROC curve (AUC) = 0.680 v. 0.733 for TtFM and WC, respectively; P < 0.05) and women (AUC = 0.581 v. 0.686). Percentage rib fat mass (RbFM) was superior to TtFM only in women for MetS (AUC = 0.701 and 0.581 for RbFM and TtFM, respectively; P < 0.05), particularly among African-American women. Elevated percentage leg fat mass (LgFM) was protective against MetS among African-American men. Among white men, BMI was inferior to WC in predicting MetS. Optimal WC cut-off points varied across ethnic-sex groups and differed from those recommended by the National Institutes of Health/North American Association for the Study of Obesity. The study provides evidence that WC is among the most powerful tools to predict MetS, and that optimal cut-off points for various indices including WC may differ by sex and race.

Analysing dietary data to capture how individuals typically consume foods is dependent on the coding variables used. Individual foods consumed simultaneously, like coffee with milk, are given codes to identify these combinations. Our literature review revealed a lack of discussion about using combination codes in analysis. The present study identified foods consumed at mealtimes and by race when combination codes were or were not utilized. Duplicate analysis methods were performed on separate data sets. The original data set consisted of all foods reported; each food was coded as if it was consumed individually. The revised data set was derived from the original data set by first isolating coded foods consumed as individual items from those foods consumed simultaneously and assigning a code to designate a combination. Foods assigned a combination code, like pancakes with syrup, were aggregated and associated with a food group, defined by the major food component (i.e. pancakes), and then appended to the isolated coded foods. Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study. African-American and White adults with two dietary recalls (n 2177). Differences existed in lists of foods most frequently consumed by mealtime and race when comparing results based on original and revised data sets. African Americans reported consumption of sausage/luncheon meat and poultry, while ready-to-eat cereals and cakes/doughnuts/pastries were reported by Whites on recalls. Use of combination codes provided more accurate representation of how foods were consumed by populations. This information is beneficial when creating interventions and exploring diet-health relationships.

Introduction The goal of this study was to evaluate how frequently rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy is instituted promptly and to describe the characteristics of patients who are not treated early upon diagnosis. Methods The percentage of patients who at the time of enrollment in the Corrona registry were not receiving any RA-directed therapy was evaluated and their characteristics were summarized. The time to subsequent initiation of any RA-directed therapy was also estimated. Results Among 35,485 patients enrolled in Corrona, 34,735 (97.9%) were on appropriate therapy for RA and 750 (2.1%) had no history of any RA-directed therapy at time of enrollment. Among patients without any history of RA-directed therapy, the overall disease duration was 5.5 ± 9.0 years, with only 50.7% of patients having early disease (duration ≤1 year). Patients with no history of directed RA therapy did not have lower disease activity at enrollment compared with those receiving therapy. Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) was 18.3 ± 15.0; 34% of patients had high and 27.6% moderate disease activity by CDAI. Patients were followed for a median (95% CI) time of 29.5 months (24.6–33.8). During the follow-up period, 372 out of 750 (49.6%) patients initiated RA-directed therapy. The median time to initiation of any RA-directed therapy was 12.1 months (95% CI 9.3–14.8). Conclusion In this registry analysis, approximately 98% of patients were on appropriate RA therapy for their RA. However, a minority of patients with RA did not have a history of receiving disease-modifying therapy within a mean of approximately 5 years of RA onset and approximately 50% of them did not initiate any therapy within 12 months of registry follow-up. This delay in therapy did not appear to be related to a better controlled, or lower, RA disease activity state at the time of enrollment in the registry. Funding Corrona, LLC.

ObjectivesThis analysis examined the association between psoriasis severity, assessed by body surface area (BSA) and the Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA; previously used only in clinical trials), and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in a real-world setting.DesignCross-sectional analysis within the Corrona Psoriasis Registry, an independent, prospective registry.Setting70 dermatology practices in the USA.Participants1529 adult patients with psoriasis being treated with biological or non-biological systemic psoriasis treatment by 31 May 2016.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPsoriasis severity was assessed by percentage of affected BSA (mild (0%–5%), moderate (>5%–10%), severe (>10%–15%), very severe (>15%)) and IGA scores (clear/almost clear (0–1), mild (2), moderate (3), severe (4)). PROs (pain, itch, fatigue; Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI]; EuroQoL Visual Analogue Scale [EQ-VAS]; Work Productivity and Activity Impairment [WPAI]) were compared across BSA and IGA levels using analysis of variance and X2 tests. The association between psoriasis severity and PROs was examined using multivariable regression models.ResultsThe mean age was 50.6 years and 47% of patients were female. Consistently with more severe psoriasis, symptoms worsened, DLQI scores increased (p<0.05 for each level of BSA and IGA), EQ-VAS decreased (p<0.05 for each level of BSA and IGA) and WPAI scores increased. By BSA score, moderate to very severe psoriasis was associated with poorer outcomes for the ‘impairment while working’ and ‘daily activities impaired’ WPAI domains (all p<0.05 vs mild psoriasis). Very severe psoriasis was associated with increased ‘work hours missed’ and ‘work hours affected’ (both p<0.05 vs mild psoriasis) Findings were similar by IGA. Results were confirmed by multivariable regression analyses.ConclusionsIn a real-world setting, more severe psoriasis, assessed by BSA and IGA, was consistently associated with worse PROs.

Retinal neurons extract changes in image intensity across space, time, and wavelength. Retinal signal is transmitted to the early visual cortex, where the processing of low-level visual information occurs. The fundamental nature of these early visual pathways means that they are often compromised by neurological disease. This thesis had two aims. First, it aimed to investigate changes in visual processing in response to Parkinson's disease (PD) by using electrophysiological recordings from animal models. Second, it aimed to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how low-level visual processes are represented in healthy human visual cortex, focusing on two pathways often compromised in disease; the magnocellular pathway and chromatic S-cone pathway. First, we identified a pathological mechanism of excitotoxicity in the visual system of Drosophila PD models. Next, we found that we could apply machine learning classifiers to multivariate visual response profiles recorded from the eye and brain of Drosophila and rodent PD models to accurately classify these animals into their correct class. Using fMRI and psychophysics, found that measurements of temporal contrast sensitivity differ as a function of visual space, with peripherally tuned voxels in early visual areas showing increased contrast sensitivity at a high temporal frequency. Finally, we used 7T fMRI to investigate systematic differences in achromatic and S-cone population receptive field (pRF) size estimates in the visual cortex of healthy humans. Unfortunately, we could not replicate the fundamental effect of pRF size increasing with eccentricity, indicating complications with our data and stimulus.

The present study examined the association of serum ferritin with CHD risk using the Framingham Heart Study's 10-year risk algorithm. Ordinal logistic regression modelling was used to interpret risk. Proportional odds modelling assessed four divisions of ranked CHD risk (4, high; 3, increased; 2, slight; 1, minimal), separately by sex. Baltimore, MD, USA. African-American and white participants (n 1823) from baseline of the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study, aged 30-64 years. For men, there was a 0·5 % increase in risk for every 10-unit rise in serum ferritin (pmol/l). Other significant predictors included increased BMI, white race, unemployment and C-reactive protein ≥9·5 mg/l. For women, there was a 1·5 % [corrected] increase in risk per 10-unit rise in serum ferritin (pmol/l). Other significant predictors included increased BMI, lower education, unemployment and C-reactive protein ≥9·5 mg/l. Serum ferritin is a significant predictor of 10-year hard CHD risk for HANDLS study participants, a low-income, urban population. Serum ferritin, independent of elevated C-reactive protein, was associated with increased 10-year CHD risk for HANDLS participants. To our knowledge, these data provide the first evidence of the role of serum ferritin as a risk factor for hard CHD in African-American and white postmenopausal women in the USA. Future research on cardiovascular events from this prospective study may confirm the association.

[...]serum ferritin was a significant predictor of 10-year CHD risk in low-income, urban men and women, showing a 0.5 % and 5.1 % increase with each 10-unit increase in serum ferritin (pmol/l),... it should read: [...]serum ferritin was a significant predictor of 10-year CHD risk in low-income, urban men and women, showing a 0.5 % and 1.5 % increase with each 10-unit increase in serum ferritin (pmol/l),...

This chapter is a critical engagement with the concept of objectivity born out of a project where I as the researcher shared characteristics with the participants in the research project, namely that we were all LGBTQI+ barristers. The chapter summarizes some of the findings of that research before going on to consider why distance or neutrality in research is not only an unrealistic expectation but is instrumental in maintaining problematic power dynamics. Through an exploration of feminist and queer thinking it goes on to explore strategies and approaches that can be used to think in a more engaged and ethical way about quality and rigour in research.