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Tuesday 30 June 2015

Share your views on racial profiling The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) is developing a policy on preventing racial profiling

 <http://www.olip-plio.ca/> www.olip-plio.ca

Share your views on racial profiling

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) is developing a policy on preventing racial profiling – and we need your help.

Please consider filling out our  <https://fluidsurveys.com/s/ohrc_racial_profiling/> Human Rights and Racial Profiling survey (by September 30, 2015), and sharing it with your networks and peers. We want to hear from individuals and organizations what racial profiling means to them, how it is experienced in the community, its root causes, and challenges and success stories on preventing it.

For more about the context and development of an OHRC racial profiling policy, see  <http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/news_centre/towards-new-ohrc-policy-racial-profiling> Towards a new OHRC policy on racial profiling. We also encourage you to consider submitting a proposal for a paper on racial profiling in your area of expertise for potential publication and presentation at an OHRC policy dialogue on racial profiling in early 2016 (for more information, see the OHRC  <http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/call-papers-policy-dialogue-racial-profiling> Call for Papers).

Your feedback and responses to this survey will help us as we draft the policy.

Regards,



Ontario Human Rights Commission
 <http://www.ohrc.on.ca/> www.ohrc.on.ca        <http://www.facebook.com/the.ohrc>www.facebook.com/the.ohrc        <http://twitter.com/OntHumanRights> twitter.com/OntHumanRights        <http://www.cashra.ca/> www.cashra.ca/



Donnez votre avis sur le profilage racial

La Commission ontarienne des droits de la personne (CODP) est en train d’élaborer une politique visant à prévenir le profilage racial... et nous avons besoin de votre aide.

Nous vous invitons à remplir notre  <https://fluidsurveys.com/s/codp_profilage_racial/> sondage sur les droits de la personne et le profilage racial (par le 30 septembre 2015) et à le diffuser au sein de vos réseaux et auprès de vos pairs. Nous voulons savoir ce que le profilage racial signifie pour le grand public et les organismes et comment cette pratique est vécue au sein de la collectivité; nous voulons connaître ses causes profondes, les défis à relever et les mesures préventives dont l’efficacité a été démontrée.

Pour en savoir plus sur le contexte et l’action d’élaboration de politique concernant le profilage racial menée par la CODP, consultez le document  <http://www.ohrc.on.ca/fr/centre_des_nouvelles/vers-une-nouvelle-politique-de-la-codp-concernant-le-profilage-racial> Vers une nouvelle politique de la CODP concernant le profilage racial. Nous vous encourageons également à proposer un exposé sur le profilage racial dans votre domaine d’expertise. Ce dernier pourra faire l’objet d’une publication et d’une présentation lors d’un dialogue sur la politique de la CODP concernant le profilage racial prévu début 2016 (pour obtenir de plus amples renseignements, consultez la  <http://www.ohrc.on.ca/fr/demande-de-communications-dans-le-cadre-du-dialogue-sur-la-politique-concernant-le-profilage-racial> demande de communications de la CODP).

Votre rétroaction et votre participation à ce sondage viendront éclairer l’élaboration de cette politique.

Sincères salutations,



La Commission ontarienne des droits de la personne
 <http://www.ohrc.on.ca/> www.ohrc.on.ca        <http://www.facebook.com/the.ohrc>www.facebook.com/the.ohrc        <http://twitter.com/OntHumanRights> twitter.com/OntHumanRights        <http://www.cashra.ca/> www.cashra.ca/

___________

If you have any accommodation needs or require communication supports or alternate formats, please let me know.
Si vous avez des besoins en matière d’adaptation, ou si vous nécessitez des aides à la communication ou des médias substituts, veuillez me le faire savoir.

Rabble.ca Dreaming about a post-Harper Canada. It could be most patriotic thing to do

Which Canada will you celebrate on Canada Day?

| June 30, 2015

I'm not sure which Canada to celebrate this year. In the past I celebrated John Diefenbaker's Canada, the one that introduced the Canadian Bill of Rights, Pierre Elliot Trudeau's Canada, that birthed the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and Brian Mulroney's Canada that fought to end Apartheid. But in Stephen Harper's Canada, what is there to celebrate?
In Harper's Canada, libraries of scientific materials are destroyed while scientists are muzzled.
In Harper's Canada, veterans go begging for support for the wounds they sustained in wars they fight in defence of Canadian values.
In Harper's Canada, citizenship, now considered a privilege, has two tiers.
On June 11, 2015, Bill C-24, The Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, came into effect. Canadian citizens are now divided into two categories: one category having all the democratic rights of citizenship and the other not. The latter category are those citizens who became Canadian by choice and the former are those who are Canadian by the chance of birth.
Bill C-24 passing into law means that for the second time in my life, I am once again a second-class citizen. Deportable. Disposable.
The first time I was considered not worthy of full citizenship was when I was born in South Africa. At the time, my mother was legally bound to take me to a government office to have me racially classified. As a "coloured" person in apartheid South Africa, I was a person whose education was restricted by legal decree, a person without the right to vote, and without the right to protest government decisions.
Now, after 25 years of participating in the celebration of Canada's democracy, I find myself living once again on the margins of full citizenship.
When I started teaching about citizenship as part of the Social Studies 11 curriculum 18 years ago, the list of Responsibilities of Citizenship in government documents included the responsibility to eliminate injustice and racism. That responsibility no longer shows up on Citizenship Canada's website. The Harperized version of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship now includes the responsibility to take care of one's family, but, I assume, only the Harper version of what a family means. It's certainly not the "all my relations" version of who/what constitutes a family that our First Nations uphold.
When Nelson Mandela was released, the very first stop on his first international trip was Canada because it was this country, under the Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, that led the fight for international sanctions against apartheid even though that fight tested Canada's friendships with Margaret Thatcher's Britain and Ronald Reagan's United States. Canada's choice then was on the right side of history because the success of economic sanctions enabled the end of Apartheid.
More than 20 years after the end of Apartheid, Canada once again has an opportunity to choose to be on the right side of history as the world faces the consequences of climate change. But I doubt that it will be Harper's Canada that will choose to do so.
In an ever-warming world, Canada's choices regarding the environment are seen as such a threat to the world that Bill McKibben of the environmental organization 350.org has said that the world cannot afford for Canada to be a "wholly owned subsidiary of the fossil fuel industry." There is real concern that it will be given that Harper's choices have earned Canada the Fossil Award multiple times.
Every hour of every day the heavy haulers that move soil on the tar sands burn 150 litres to 240 litres of fuel.
Every day toxins from the tar sands pollute our land, our air, our water.
Every year cancer rates increase amongst our First Nations living near the tar sands.
I wonder what Mandela would think of this Canada. It's certainly not the one he was made an honourary citizen of in 2001. It's definitely not the Canada he visited in 1990, four months after being released from 27 years in prison for his fight against injustice.
That Canada was one of hope for a better future for all citizens of our global village.
This Canada is refusing to participate in the fight for climate justice, the fight that recognizes that it's poor countries who pay for the affluent lifestyles of citizens in rich countries.
What hope is there that Canada will join the fight for climate justice when environmentalists like Paul Watson have their passports revoked?
I now worry that the next time I show up at a protest against injustice or environmental degradation that I will be deported from a country that once was a beacon of hope for those living in countries where human rights are denied.
For that reason, I'll spend Canada Day 2015 dreaming about a post-Harper Canada. It could be most patriotic thing to do. And then, perhaps if I feel brave on Thursday, I'll join others in the work to restore the Canada I once knew.
Image: Flickr/pmwebphotos

How to make your own herb tincture or peppermint oil

http://www.latimes.com/home/la-he-healing-garden-recipes-20150627-story.html

Re: Topical Curcumin Treatment Improves Symptoms of Lactational Mastitis


  • Turmeric (Curcuma longa, Zingiberaceae)
  • Curcumin
  • Lactational Mastitis
Date: 06-30-2015HC# 121414-523
Re: Topical Curcumin Treatment Improves Symptoms of Lactational Mastitis
Afshariani R, Farhadi P, Ghaffarpasand F, Roozbeh J. Effectiveness of topical curcumin for treatment of mastitis in breastfeeding women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Oman Med J.2014;29(5):330-334.
Lactational mastitis is a painful inflammatory condition that affects up to 33% of women who are breastfeeding. The anti-inflammatory effects of oral curcumin, a bioactive constituent of turmeric (Curcuma longa, Zingiberaceae) rhizomes, are well established. The aim of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial was to determine the efficacy of topical curcumin treatment for reducing the symptoms of lactational mastitis in breastfeeding women.
This study was conducted at the Maternal Healthcare Center at Hafez hospital in affiliation with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, in Shiraz, Iran. Women between the ages of 21 and 35 years who were referred to the clinic with the impression of lactational mastitis were screened for eligibility. Patients were included if they had lactational mastitis (defined as the presence of at least 2 of the following symptoms: breast erythema, increased breast tension not relieved by breastfeeding, pain in the breast, flu-like symptoms, and lumps in the breast tissue) and a score of 8-14 on the lactational severity index. Patients were excluded if they had severe or recurrent lactational mastitis, a milk staphylococcal count ˃104 colony-forming units (CFU)/ml and a milk leukocyte count˃106 CFU/ml, conditions that can mimic clinical symptoms of mastitis such as breast abscess or engorgement, recent breast trauma or surgery, or consumed antibiotics in the last 2 months. To achieve 90% power to detect significant differences in efficacy, the statistical power calculation indicated that 28 patients were required in each study group (P˂0.05).
Out of the 64 patients eligible for the study, 32 patients were randomly assigned to apply 1 pump (200 mg) of a topical curcumin cream (Neurobiologix; Austin, Texas) every 8 hours for 3 days, and the other 32 patients were assigned to apply 1 pump of a topical moisturizing cream (placebo treatment) every 8 hours for 3 days. No other information regarding the composition of the curcumin cream was provided. A nurse assessed the inflammation severity index of the patients at baseline and 24, 48, and 72 hours after treatment was initiated. At baseline, there were no significant differences between the 2 study groups in terms of demographics or symptom severity.
In comparison to baseline, there were significant score reductions in the group treated with curcumin cream for breast tension after 24 hours of treatment (P<0.001), breast pain after 48 hours of treatment (P<0.001), and erythema after 72 hours of treatment (P=0.002). In the placebo group, the only significant reduction compared to baseline was in pain score after 72 hours of treatment (P=0.043).
In comparison to the placebo group, patients that were treated with curcumin cream had significantly lower scores for breast tension (P<0.001), pain (P<0.001), and erythema (P<0.001) after 72 hours of treatment. One patient in the placebo group was excluded from the analysis due to failed blinding. No adverse effects were reported.
The authors conclude that a topical preparation of curcumin significantly improved symptoms of lactational mastitis after 72 hours of treatment without adverse effects. However, they acknowledge that the study had several limitations which may be summarized as follows: (1) the efficacy of topical curcumin has not been compared to standard treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), (2) the efficacy of oral curcumin may be superior to topical curcumin, (3) although the study was sufficiently powered to detect significant differences in efficacy, the sample size was still relatively small, (4) enrollment was restricted to patients with moderate mastitis; those with more or less severe inflammation may respond differently, and (5) although lactational mastitis comprises a spectrum of conditions ranging from non-infectious to infectious inflammation, only patients with non-detectable infections were included in the study. Considering the favorable safety profile of curcumin observed in numerous clinical trials, the authors suggest that topical curcumin "could be safely administered to those suffering from lactational mastitis after excluding infectious etiologies." These results suggest that further studies evaluating the efficacy of topical curcumin in comparison to NSAIDs and oral curcumin are warranted. 

Laura M. Bystrom, PhD

Re: Green Tea Catechin Intake Does Not Reduce Prostate Cancer Diagnoses in At-risk Men


  • Green Tea (Camellia sinensis, Theaceae)
  • Polyphenon E®
  • Prostate Cancer
Date: 06-30-2015HC# 061531-523
Re: Green Tea Catechin Intake Does Not Reduce Prostate Cancer Diagnoses in At-risk Men
Kumar NB, Pow-Sang J, Egan KM, et al. Randomized, placebo-controlled trial of green tea catechins for prostate cancer prevention. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). April 14, 2015; [epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-14-0324.
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common noncutaneous cancer among American men. Green tea (Camellia sinensis, Theaceae) catechins (GTCs) have been shown to safely inhibit cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis of cancer cells. Among GTCs, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most potent modulator of molecular pathways thought to play a role in the development of PCa. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the effect of a high-potency EGCG green tea extract in men with high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), a premalignant lesion, and/or atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP), a strong predictive factor associated with PCa.
Polyphenon E® (PolyE; Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd.; Shizuoka, Japan) is a purified tea fraction containing 80-98% total catechins by weight, the main component of which is EGCG (50-75%), as well as small amounts of caffeine (<1.0%), theobromine (<1.0%), and gallic acid (<0.5%). In this study, a hard gelatin formulation containing 200 mg EGCG per capsule was used. Placebo capsules were hard gelatin capsules with no difference in appearance, taste, or smell.
Eligibility criteria included men between the ages of 30 and 80, diagnosed with HGPIN and/or ASAP within 3 months prior to the study, no history of cancer or hepatic or renal disease, not taking steroids or other supplements, and not consuming more than 6-12 cups of green tea daily. Subjects were recruited at the Moffitt Cancer Center and the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, Florida, and at the University of Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, from September 2008 to March 2013.
Potential subjects participated in a 10-day run-in period during which multivitamin/mineral supplements were provided and food intake and symptom logs were used to assure compliance with supplement intake. Subjects with a diagnosis confirmed by central pathology review, ≥85% compliance to instructions during the run-in period, and normal laboratory results were selected to participate in the study. Ninety-seven subjects were enrolled and randomly assigned into the PolyE (n=49) or placebo (n=48) group. Subjects consumed 1 tablet twice daily of PolyE, totaling 400 mg a day, or placebo for 12 months. Baseline blood and urine samples and tissue from diagnostic biopsy were also collected.
Quality of life and nutritional intake, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), plasma catechin levels, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were examined at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months. The subjects were evaluated monthly for toxicity, concomitant medications, and organ function. At 6 months, biopsies were repeated for those with a PSA level >0.75 ng/mL or with a prostate nodule detected on rectal examination. All subjects without a biopsy-confirmed diagnosis of PCa at 6 months underwent another biopsy at 12 months. At baseline, the 2 groups had similar potential predictive markers, including age, race, PSA levels, number of positive core samples, and body mass index.
Of the 97 men enrolled, 70 completed the 12-month study, and 74 underwent at least 1 biopsy at 6 months. Subjects that developed PCa or a serious adverse side effect discontinued participation in the study. The primary endpoint, a between-group comparison of the number of PCa diagnoses at the end of the study, was not met, as significant differences in PCa rates were not observed. Of the 14 subjects diagnosed with PCa, 5 (10.2%) were in the PolyE group and 9 (18.8%) were in the placebo group. For a pre-certified secondary endpoint, the authors compared the combined rate of PCa plus ASAP at the end of the study among subjects with HGPIN without ASAP at baseline. They found a significantly lower rate of PCa plus ASAP in the PolyE group (3 of 26) compared with the placebo group (10 of 25) (P<0.024).
Fewer subjects with HGPIN without ASAP at baseline were subsequently diagnosed with ASAP in the PolyE (0 of 26) group than in the placebo (5 of 25) group. No one with HGPIN without ASAP at baseline met the criteria for biopsy at 6 months in either group. Among the subjects with ASAP at baseline, 2 of 17 in the PolyE group and 4 of 14 in the placebo group were subsequently diagnosed with PCa during the study.
Another secondary endpoint was a between-group comparison of the effect of PolyE on PSA values. A decrease of 0.87 ng/mL in PSA levels was observed in the PolyE group; however, PSA values did not change significantly in the 14 subjects diagnosed with PCa during the study. Acknowledging that the mechanism responsible for the reductions in PSA in the PolyE group is unclear, the authors speculate "that the reduction in serum PSA with GTCs could be due to reduced inflammation." Plasma catechin EGCG concentrations increased significantly in the PolyE group at 6 months (P<0.0001) and 12 months (P=0.0002). EGCG concentrations were nondetectable in most subjects in the placebo group throughout the study.
LUTS can greatly affect quality of life with prostate conditions, but because the subjects were asymptomatic at baseline, the authors could not evaluate the effect of PolyE on these symptoms. No significant between-group differences were found in the subjects' quality of life from baseline to study's end.
While the authors feel the strength of their study is its randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, they also feel the rigorous design may have interfered with their ability to get accurate information, stating that U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-compliant eligibility criteria and frequent toxicity testing "adversely affected accrual and study completion rates." Additionally, the rate of PCa in the placebo group was less than expected and lead to the study being underpowered to detect small changes in PCa rates. The authors conclude that a standardized catechin mixture containing EGCG consumed daily for 1 year "accumulated in plasma and was well tolerated but did not reduce the likelihood of a subsequent PCa diagnosis in men with baseline HGPIN or ASAP." They suggest any "future PCa chemoprevention trials should ideally enroll larger cohorts of men at higher risk for this disease, perhaps with durations of interventions that continue beyond one year."
Shari Henson

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) is developing a policy on preventing racial profiling – and we need your help

 <http://www.olip-plio.ca/> www.olip-plio.ca

Share your views on racial profiling

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) is developing a policy on preventing racial profiling – and we need your help.

Please consider filling out our  <https://fluidsurveys.com/s/ohrc_racial_profiling/> Human Rights and Racial Profiling survey (by September 30, 2015), and sharing it with your networks and peers. We want to hear from individuals and organizations what racial profiling means to them, how it is experienced in the community, its root causes, and challenges and success stories on preventing it.

For more about the context and development of an OHRC racial profiling policy, see  <http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/news_centre/towards-new-ohrc-policy-racial-profiling> Towards a new OHRC policy on racial profiling. We also encourage you to consider submitting a proposal for a paper on racial profiling in your area of expertise for potential publication and presentation at an OHRC policy dialogue on racial profiling in early 2016 (for more information, see the OHRC  <http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/call-papers-policy-dialogue-racial-profiling> Call for Papers).

Your feedback and responses to this survey will help us as we draft the policy.

Regards,



Ontario Human Rights Commission
 <http://www.ohrc.on.ca/> www.ohrc.on.ca        <http://www.facebook.com/the.ohrc>www.facebook.com/the.ohrc        <http://twitter.com/OntHumanRights> twitter.com/OntHumanRights        <http://www.cashra.ca/> www.cashra.ca/



Donnez votre avis sur le profilage racial

La Commission ontarienne des droits de la personne (CODP) est en train d’élaborer une politique visant à prévenir le profilage racial... et nous avons besoin de votre aide.

Nous vous invitons à remplir notre  <https://fluidsurveys.com/s/codp_profilage_racial/> sondage sur les droits de la personne et le profilage racial (par le 30 septembre 2015) et à le diffuser au sein de vos réseaux et auprès de vos pairs. Nous voulons savoir ce que le profilage racial signifie pour le grand public et les organismes et comment cette pratique est vécue au sein de la collectivité; nous voulons connaître ses causes profondes, les défis à relever et les mesures préventives dont l’efficacité a été démontrée.

Pour en savoir plus sur le contexte et l’action d’élaboration de politique concernant le profilage racial menée par la CODP, consultez le document  <http://www.ohrc.on.ca/fr/centre_des_nouvelles/vers-une-nouvelle-politique-de-la-codp-concernant-le-profilage-racial> Vers une nouvelle politique de la CODP concernant le profilage racial. Nous vous encourageons également à proposer un exposé sur le profilage racial dans votre domaine d’expertise. Ce dernier pourra faire l’objet d’une publication et d’une présentation lors d’un dialogue sur la politique de la CODP concernant le profilage racial prévu début 2016 (pour obtenir de plus amples renseignements, consultez la  <http://www.ohrc.on.ca/fr/demande-de-communications-dans-le-cadre-du-dialogue-sur-la-politique-concernant-le-profilage-racial> demande de communications de la CODP).

Votre rétroaction et votre participation à ce sondage viendront éclairer l’élaboration de cette politique.

Sincères salutations,



La Commission ontarienne des droits de la personne
 <http://www.ohrc.on.ca/> www.ohrc.on.ca        <http://www.facebook.com/the.ohrc>www.facebook.com/the.ohrc        <http://twitter.com/OntHumanRights> twitter.com/OntHumanRights        <http://www.cashra.ca/> www.cashra.ca/

___________

If you have any accommodation needs or require communication supports or alternate formats, please let me know.
Si vous avez des besoins en matière d’adaptation, ou si vous nécessitez des aides à la communication ou des médias substituts, veuillez me le faire savoir.