The paper begins by noting that proposals involving significant developments in the regional tradearchitecture are being developed within regional processes that in some cases are simultaneouslypursuing other dimensions of regional economic integration: monetary and financial cooperation inthe case of ASEAN + 3, and the establishment of a common market in the case of ASEAN. At leastthree of the...

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variability was studied in a sample of 179 individuals representing the Czech population of Western Bohemia. Sequencing of two hypervariable segments, HVS I and HVS II, in combination with screening of coding-region haplogroup-specific RFLP markers revealed that most Czech mtDNAs belong to the common West Eurasian mitochondrial haplogroups (H, pre-V HV*, J, T, U, N1, W...

Do the words “East” and “West” mean more than just geographical orientations or areas? This seems to be a simple question, which cannot be answered easily.The difficulty in answering such a question seems to be rooted in questions that deal with universal concepts. Defining such universal concepts, which seems quite simple, is very difficult indeed - perhaps even impossible in some cases. “E...

BACKGROUND IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the commonest primary glomerulonephritis worldwide and a significant cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. It is widely accepted that genetic factors play a role in the pathogenesis of IgAN. However, the identity of these genetic factors remains uncertain. SUMMARY Critical to all genetic studies is a precise phenotypic definition of ...

BACKGROUND IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common type of primary glomerulonephritis worldwide. Highly variable data for disease prevalence and reports of familial clustering suggest the involvement of genetic factors in IgAN. As China is an area with a high prevalence of IgAN, Chinese scholars have made a considerable effort to reveal the underlying genetic architecture of IgAN. SUMMARY I...

BACKGROUND Maternal ethnicity is a recognized risk factor for stillbirth, such that South Asian women have higher rates than their Caucasian counterparts. However, whether maternal ethnicity is a risk factor for intrapartum outcomes is less clear. The aim of this study is to explore associations between maternal country of birth, operative vaginal delivery and emergency cesarean section, and to...

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) are widely distributed throughout the Old World. Most studies have focused on Europe and East Asia with the genetic diversity of West Asia being less well studied. In particular, the genetic variability and genetic structure of the Iranian populations are not yet known; gaps which prevent scientists from resolving the genetic relationships of the Eurasian wild boar. This ...

A recent discovery of Iron Age burials (Pazyryk culture) in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia may shed light on the mode and tempo of the generation of the current genetic east-west population admixture in Central Asia. Studies on ancient mitochondrial DNA of this region suggest that the Altai Mountains played the role of a geographical barrier between West and East Eurasian lineages until the be...

This book focuses on modern, highly developed East Asian societies and their social issues, particularly ones that are related to family and health. The examples are from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Myanmar, Singapore, and the Pacific Islands, while references are made to contrasting examples in other Asian societies, especially China, because of its regional and global importance as well as it...