Academic literature on the topic 'Microinsults'

To best understand the possible negative health and social consequences associated with racial microaggression, in-depth understanding of how people judge these events is needed. People of Color (POC) and White participants (N = 64) were recruited for a mixed-methods study that incorporated quantitative attitude ratings and focus group interviews. Participants read and discussed their attitudes toward five vignettes that reflected microassault, microinsult, and microinvalidation scenarios. Semantic differential ratings showed that participants judged microassaults to be most unacceptable, followed by microinsults and then microinvalidations. Using a grounded theory approach, our qualitative analysis of interview data revealed five thematic categories. First, participants judged receivers’ psychological harm to be a critical consideration for their attitudes toward microaggression scenarios; they discussed factors associated with individual differences in appraisals, prior exposures to discrimination, and sensitivity to race. Second, participants were less consistent in their opinion about the role of the deliverers’ intent on their judgment of microaggressions; many considered microaggression events to be results of deliverers’ cultural ignorance and racial insensitivity. Third, our analysis revealed the central importance of contexts that shaped participants’ attitudes toward microaggression. Fourth, participants also discussed the notion that receivers of microaggression were racist for calling attention to race issues. Finally, POC participants tended to relate to the vignettes and use their lived experiences to contextualize their opinions about racial microaggression. The current results raise concerns regarding the conceptualization and utility of the word “microaggression,” especially within the broader contexts of racism and major discrimination. Other empirical and practical implications are discussed.

A portable optical-fiber spectrum analyzer operating in the visible and near-infrared range was used to measure in vivo the skin reflectance of lizards of the genus Podarcis. The investigations, which we performed in connection with a study of the biological problem of the microinsular melanism, are quite safe for the examined animals and can be easily extended to spectroscopic and/or energy input studies in other animals.

Abstract Context Multiple islet autoantibody positivity usually precedes clinical (stage 3) type 1 diabetes (T1D). Objective To test the hypothesis that individuals who develop stage 3 T1D with only a single autoantibody have unique metabolic differences. Design Cross-sectional analysis of participants in the T1D TrialNet study. Setting Autoantibody-positive relatives of individuals with stage 3 T1D. Participants Autoantibody-positive relatives who developed stage 3 T1D (at median age 12.4 years, range = 1.4–58.6) and had autoantibody data close to clinical diagnosis (n = 786, 47.4% male, 79.9% non-Hispanic white). Main Outcome Measures Logistic regression modeling was used to assess relationships between autoantibody status and demographic, clinical, and metabolic characteristics, adjusting for potential confounders and correcting for multiple comparisons. Results At diagnosis of stage 3 T1D, single autoantibody positivity, observed in 119 (15.1%) participants (72% GAD65, 13% microinsulin antibody assay, 11% insulinoma-associated antigen 2, 1% islet cell antibody, 3% autoantibodies to zinc transporter 8 [ZnT8]), was significantly associated with older age, higher C-peptide measures (fasting, area under the curve, 2-hour, and early response in oral glucose tolerance test), higher homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, and lower T1D Index60 (all P < 0.03). While with adjustment for age, 2-hour C-peptide remained statistically different, controlling for body mass index (BMI) attenuated the differences. Sex, race, ethnicity, human leukocyte antigen DR3-DQ2, and/or DR4-DQ8, BMI category, and glucose measures were not significantly associated with single autoantibody positivity. Conclusions Compared with multiple autoantibody positivity, single autoantibody at diagnosis of stage 3 T1D was associated with older age and insulin resistance possibly mediated by elevated BMI, suggesting heterogeneous disease pathogenesis. These differences are potentially relevant for T1D prevention and treatment.