Aim: To critically evaluate data and arguments by Van Howe defending his stance opposing male circumcision (MC), in particular his meta-regression analyses evaluating the ability of MC to reduce HIV infection risk in ...Aim: To critically evaluate data and arguments by Van Howe defending his stance opposing male circumcision (MC), in particular his meta-regression analyses evaluating the ability of MC to reduce HIV infection risk in heterosexual populations within and outside Africa. Methods: We performed metaregression analysis of log odds of HIV infection between uncircumcised and circumcised men using a single covariate (MC prevalence) in the meta-regression model involving the metareg package in STATA 13 for 103 populations worldwide and for populations within Africa. The meta-regression of log odds and MC prevalence was fitted to a line, as were empirical Bayes estimates resulting from post-estimation. Results: Our critical evaluation of Van Howe’s arguments attempting to undermine the scientific evidence in support of the benefits of MC in protection of men against HIV during heterosexual intercourse, as well as other infections and conditions, together with his use of statistics to support his beliefs, revealed serious flaws, obfuscation and missing data. We therefore performed our own meta-regression analysis using a trivariate model. Doing so revealed that for MC prevalences of 50%, 75% and 100% for general populations within Africa, odds ratios for HIV risk in uncircumcised vs. circumcised men were 1.35, 1.58 and 1.85, respectively. Our meta-regression analysis of data for all countries yielded similar findings. For a general population outside Africa with 100% MC prevalence, OR was 1.5. Van Howe failed to acknowledge that since MC prevalence in US whites (91%) and blacks (76%) exceeds 75% his results support MC having a protective effect in those population groups. Conclusions: The protective effect of MC against HIV infection during heterosexual intercourse applies to populations both within and outside Africa. The debate engineered by MC opponents, and led by Van Howe, now appears to have run its course. The scientific evidence has prevailed.展开更多
The following article presents the results of a research-action and an online communication campaign on the prevention of radicalization of second-generation young Italian Muslims as a part of a project called“Oltre...The following article presents the results of a research-action and an online communication campaign on the prevention of radicalization of second-generation young Italian Muslims as a part of a project called“Oltre”(the Italian acronym means“Beyond”)financed by European Union.After a short presentation of the four steps of the prevention communication model PKIC,a deepening on the radicalization factors,and a focus on the research-action methodology,the results of the research on some fundamental issues like the relationship with family and the relation with media and social media of the young interviewees,are shown.Finally,in the last part of the article,the interventions carried out by the second-generation young moderators of the social media campaign carried on Facebook and Instagram,are presented in the framework of the online communication campaign born out of the research-action to discuss if and how a prevention process and consequent change with regard to the radicalization factors took place.展开更多
文摘Aim: To critically evaluate data and arguments by Van Howe defending his stance opposing male circumcision (MC), in particular his meta-regression analyses evaluating the ability of MC to reduce HIV infection risk in heterosexual populations within and outside Africa. Methods: We performed metaregression analysis of log odds of HIV infection between uncircumcised and circumcised men using a single covariate (MC prevalence) in the meta-regression model involving the metareg package in STATA 13 for 103 populations worldwide and for populations within Africa. The meta-regression of log odds and MC prevalence was fitted to a line, as were empirical Bayes estimates resulting from post-estimation. Results: Our critical evaluation of Van Howe’s arguments attempting to undermine the scientific evidence in support of the benefits of MC in protection of men against HIV during heterosexual intercourse, as well as other infections and conditions, together with his use of statistics to support his beliefs, revealed serious flaws, obfuscation and missing data. We therefore performed our own meta-regression analysis using a trivariate model. Doing so revealed that for MC prevalences of 50%, 75% and 100% for general populations within Africa, odds ratios for HIV risk in uncircumcised vs. circumcised men were 1.35, 1.58 and 1.85, respectively. Our meta-regression analysis of data for all countries yielded similar findings. For a general population outside Africa with 100% MC prevalence, OR was 1.5. Van Howe failed to acknowledge that since MC prevalence in US whites (91%) and blacks (76%) exceeds 75% his results support MC having a protective effect in those population groups. Conclusions: The protective effect of MC against HIV infection during heterosexual intercourse applies to populations both within and outside Africa. The debate engineered by MC opponents, and led by Van Howe, now appears to have run its course. The scientific evidence has prevailed.
文摘The following article presents the results of a research-action and an online communication campaign on the prevention of radicalization of second-generation young Italian Muslims as a part of a project called“Oltre”(the Italian acronym means“Beyond”)financed by European Union.After a short presentation of the four steps of the prevention communication model PKIC,a deepening on the radicalization factors,and a focus on the research-action methodology,the results of the research on some fundamental issues like the relationship with family and the relation with media and social media of the young interviewees,are shown.Finally,in the last part of the article,the interventions carried out by the second-generation young moderators of the social media campaign carried on Facebook and Instagram,are presented in the framework of the online communication campaign born out of the research-action to discuss if and how a prevention process and consequent change with regard to the radicalization factors took place.
