No. 234  July 2002

COHABITATION: NEW AND OLD/GOOD OR BAD In the 1990 Census of Population and Housing, Social and Economic Characteristics, (53 Reports, C 3.223/7:CP-2- (No. 1-53) gives a nationwide picture of National, State, County, and place data on unmarried couples as well as their social, economic, and geographic distribution data characteristics. The 2000 Census of Population and Housing provide four categories of cohabitation data which show current data for unmarried male/female cohabitation.   Recently, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has published its 1998 survey of women.   The NCHS surveyed nearly 11,000 women ages 15-44 and the data shows that by age 30, three quarters of the women in the United States have been married and about half have cohabited outside of marriage.  Analyzing the data of long-term marriages, divorce, and separation, this study complements the 1990 census data, and provides an examination of the individual and community factors and conditions associated with unmarried people living together. There is also new information about the impact of cohabitation on marriage and divorce. This NCHS survey goes “beyond the basic ‘bookends’ of marriage and divorce.” Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the United States is a 103 page statistical report issued in July 2002. The July 24, 2002 press release New Report Sheds Light on Trends and Patterns in Marriage, Divorce, and Cohabitation http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/02news/div_mar_cohab.htm provides a link to the pdf version (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_022.pdf) of this new NCHS study.

2000 CENSUS OF POPULATION SAME-SEX UNMARRIED PARTNER/MARRIAGE DATA NOT COUNTED In Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data found through the American Factfinder (http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet), within “Detailed Table PCT14 - UNMARRIED-PARTNER HOUSHEOLDS BY SEX OF PARTNERS [7] – Universe: Households” there is the latest unmarried partner data (National down to Census Tract level) for (1) Male householder and male partner, (2) Male householder and female partner, (3) Female householder and female partner, and (4) Female householder and male partner.  (1) and (3) reflect same-sex partner data and (2) and (4) reflect bisexual partner data.  The data found under (1) and (3) neither valid nor acceptable census data because they violate the 1996 Federal Defense of Marriage Act, Public Law 104 -199. Marriage is legally defined as a union between one man and one woman as husband and wife. Currently, same-sex couples are not legal and are not recognized by any Federal agency.  However, even though the Census Bureau still recognizes the 1990 data for same sex-unmarried couples, it does not allow a researcher to compare the 1990 data to the 2000 data for same-sex marriages.  To quote the Census Bureau,  “as a result of these changes in the processing routine [of the 2000 Census data], estimates of the same-sex unmarried partners are not comparable between the 1990 and 2000 Census. … It should be noted that estimates of opposite-sex unmarried partners, however were not affected by these editing procedures and changes and are comparable between the two censuses.”  These facts and other relevant details are found in Technical Note on Same-Sex Unmarried Data From the 1990 and 2000 Censuses found in the Census website at http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/samesex.html  

SUNGLASSES July 2002 was, in many cities, a month of bright sunny days. Any sunny day is a day when eye protection is needed.  Sunglasses protect ones eyes from the sun’s harmful Ultraviolet (UV) Rays.  UV rays cause sunburn of the cornea of the eyes which means a temporary loss of vision.  Extended exposure to UV radiation can contribute to cataracts.  Farmers, fishermen, beach-goers, and anyone who spends an extensive amount of time in the sun needs sunglasses which protect their eyes from the sun’s UV rays.  The best glasses for UV protection are those labeled as offering 99 to 100% UV protection.  UV sunglasses, classed as a medical device are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. FDA regulations require these sunglasses be resistant to a moderate impact. Sunglasses manufacturers must follow the truth-in-labeling guidelines and produce sunglasses, which actually filter out the UV rays. “What to Look for in a Pair of Sunglasses” by Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer V. 36, No. 4, July-August, 2002, page 27 (HE 20.4010:36/4) and http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2002/402_sun.html provides all the details for the FDA’s Guidance for Industry Document Guidance Document for Nonprescription Sunglasses (http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ode/90.html) which is available both in html and pdf formats.  The value of UV protection gives a new twist to the old advertising phrase “who’s behind those Foster-Grants?”  The new version should be “what’s in those Foster-Grants?”

 MICRO AND MACRO NUTRIENTS There are many commonly known Nutrients such as Vitamin C, D, and E. Everyone knows we need potassium, fiber, and iron to stay healthy.  People on diets learn about saturated fats, unsaturated fats, fructose, glucose, and oxalic acid.  Have you ever heard of selenium?  The current USDA Dietary Guidelines http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/dga/ present the standards as to what foods and the amount(s) thereof which are needed for (most) people to be healthy. If someone is healthy, and follows the Dietary Guidelines, he should stay healthy. But the Guidelines do not tell us what nutrients are being actually eaten by the American people.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has completed a survey of what nutrients were taken by the American public.   What is your caloric intake?, and from what sources? Do you take vitamins? Use food supplements? What do you know about the Macro and Micronutrients in the American diet? Dietary Intake of Macronutrients, Micronutrients, and Other Dietary Constitutients, United States, 1988-94 is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics July 2002 158 page report of nutrition survey estimates for persons two months old and older. There are a varied number of topics under seven sections, for 184 tables.  The topics include: Macronutrients (16 topics), Vitamins (8), Minerals and Fiber (9), Macronutrients and Other Dietary Components (12), Vitamins and Minerals (4), Sugars and Artificial Sweeteners (8), and Cartenoids, Individual Trans Fatty Acids, and Other Nutrients and Substances (17).  There are two tables of data for each topic; the first is “by sex, age, and race/ethnicity: United States, 1988-94.”  The second table is “by sex, age, and income level: United States, 1988-94.”  This volume is found in some Federal Depository Libraries under HE 20.6209:11/145 and also a pdf file at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_11/sr11_245.pdf.  Further information about the Macronutrients, Micronutrients, Vitamins, Minerals, or other compound nutrients is found in the “Dietary Terms and Calculation Procedures” Appendix on pages 156-158.

BOTOX TOXIC BEAUTY HABIT Botox, whose full name is Botulinum Toxic Type A (Botox Cosmetic) is a protein complex produced by the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum. This is the toxic bacterium, which when ingested, causes food poisoning. However, scientists have found that the use of small amounts of this sterilized toxin in a purified version injected into a person’s skin will make the skin relax and be smooth.  Botox blocks the release of the chemical acetylcholine by the nerve cells that signal muscle contraction.  The FDA first approved Botox in 1989 to treat two eye muscle disorders. It was successful but had a secondary effect. Botox smoothed skin wrinkles and removed the vertical frown lines on the forehead between the eyebrows. Botox has become a primary medication to remove wrinkles, and may require an injection every two months. Adverse effects can depend on dosage, location of the injection, and the expertise of the doctor.  But what do Botox users do about the rest of their “aged and wrinkled” body?  Do they present a “young face” and “old body”?  Will your clothing style allow the Botox habit? Carol Lewis “Botox Cosmetic: A Look at Looking Good”, V. 36, No. 4, July-August 2002, pages 11-13 (HE 20.4010:36/4 and at) http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2002/402_botox.html tells us about the Botox habit. 

GOLF CARTS/GOLF CARS  Once upon a time, shortly after motorized golf carts were invented, golf cart drivers moved out of the golf course and into the streets and highways.  As of 1998, twelve states permitted these vehicles on the public streets, and the latest Proposed Regulation cites the twenty-seven states that now permit these vehicles on their public roads.  Referred to in the 1990’s as “golf cars,” “golf carts,” or “neighborhood electric vehicles (NEV),” these electric-powered vehicles are a low-cost, efficient, and quiet mode of transportation. The use of these Low-Speed Vehicles (LSV) also resulted in many accidents, injuries, and fatalities due to their design, improper use, and inadequate safety features.  Not covered by the “big car” safety standards, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) created a legal definition and a set of safety standards for the LSVs.  “Definitions”, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 571.3 2001 (AE 2.106/3:49/P. 400-999/20001) and “Standard No. 500; Low Speed Vehicles” Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 571.500 (AE 2.106/3:49/P. 400-999/2001). The NHTSA is now proposing to amend these regulations to require the LSV to carry a safety hazard-warning label. “National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Title 49, Part 571, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Low Speed Vehicles; Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Federal Register, V. 67, No. 134, July 12, 2002, pages 46149-46163 (AE 2.106:67/134), when accepted, will result in safer vehicles and reduce accidents.  The 15 pages of this Proposed Regulation presents some of the latest information about LSVs, golf cars, and neighborhood electric vehicles, several cities where they are used, and the LSV laws in 27 states.

ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE: SUPERBUG ILLUSTRATED Bacteria are microorganisms which live all around us—in drinking water, food, soil, plants, animals, and man.  Most are harmless, some are helpful, as in food digestion, but some bacteria are capable of causing infections in animals and man.  Infections are stopped when antibiotics are successful in halting the growth and killing these infection-causing bacteria.  When bacteria are capable of resisting the effects of drugs, we have bacteria that are capable of antibiotic resistance, which is also known as antimicrobial resistance.  After penicillin became widely used for bacterial infections in the 1940s, penicillin-resistant infections appeared. Some bacteria, initially responsive to penicillin, underwent a structural mutation to have its new version (of an old bacterium) become resistant to penicillin.  Mutated bacteria vs. antibiotics is the topic of Linda Bren’s “The Battle of the Bugs: Fighting Antibiotic Resistance” FDA Consumer, V. 36, No 4. July-August 2002 pages 28-34 that explains how and why bacteria become Superbugs. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2002/402_bugs.html.    As a supplement to the discussion there is a colored illustration of a Superbug, which consists of a colored antibiotic resistant bacteria cell reacting to a drug (cell) which is supposed to be killing the bacteria. Only the paper edition (HE 20.4010:36/4) includes only one small color illustration:  “Superbug: How Resistance Occurs” with a text caption briefly explaining exactly the "what and why" of the Superbug bacteria cell interaction with the antibiotic drug cell.   This color illustration is NOT in the online version of this article on the FDA web site. This color illustration was taken from a larger version found on pages 48-49 of  Stuart B. Levy, "The Challenge of Antibiotic Resistance," Scientific American, V. 278  No. 3,   March, 1998, pages 46-53.

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