Profile, cost and pattern of prescriptions for polymedicated patients in Catalonia (Spain).

OBJECTIVES: Polypharmacy is one of the main management issues in public health policies because of its financial impact and the increasing number of people involved. The polymedicated population according to their demographic and therapeutic profile and the cost for the public healthcare system were characterised. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Primary healthcare in Barcelona Health Region, Catalonia, Spain (5 105 551 inhabitants registered). PARTICIPANTS: All insured polymedicated patients. Polymedicated patients were those with a consumption of ≥16 drugs/month. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: The study variables were related to age, gender and medication intake obtained from the 2008 census and records of prescriptions dispensed in pharmacies and charged to the public health system. RESULTS: There were 36 880 polymedicated patients (women: 64.2%; average age: 74.5±10.9 years). The total number of prescriptions billed in 2008 was 2 266 830 (2 272 920 total package units). The most polymedicated group (up to 40% of the total prescriptions) was patients between 75 and 84 years old. The average number of prescriptions billed monthly per patient was 32±2, with an average cost of 452.7±27.5. The total cost of those prescriptions corresponded to 2% of the drug expenditure in Catalonia. The groups N, C, A, R and M represented 71.4% of the total number of drug package units dispensed to polymedicated patients. Great variability was found between the medication profiles of men and women, and between age groups; greater discrepancies were found in paediatric patients (5-14 years) and the elderly (≥65 years). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides essential information to take steps towards rational drug use and a structured approach in the polymedicated population in primary healthcare.

Prevalence of smoking among dentists in Catalonia - Spain (2006). Literature review of smoking cessation practices in the dental office

Objective: The objective of this study was to collect data on the prevalence of smokers among Catalonian dentists (by age and sex) and compare them with existing data on the general population, doctors, registered nurses and pharmacists. The overall prevalence of smokers in Catalonia (2006) was 34.5% of men and 24.3% of women. Data available on the prevalence of smoking among doctors (26.3% men and 22.1% women), pharmacists (19.8% men and 20.6% women) and registered nurses (34.1% men and 35.3% women) relates to the year 2002. Study design: In September 2006, Catalonian dentists (n=3,799) were asked about their habits in relation to tobacco in a self-administered questionnaire, on use and opinions with respect to dental amalgam. Five hundred and seventynine questionnaires were received, of which 538 answered the question on smoking (14.2% of the sample universe). Results: The prevalence of smokers among dentists is lower (24.9% of men and 18.4% of women) than in the general population and other healthcare professionals. In dentists in the age group between 25 and 34 years, the prevalence was 26.1% in men and 14.9% in women, while the prevalence in this age group in the general population was 43.6% and 37.1%, respectively. Conclusion: Catalonian dentists have a much lower prevalence of tobacco use than the general population and lower even than other healthcare professionals. Given that non-smoking healthcare professionals have better awareness for providing recommendations for smoking prevention and cessation, Catalonian dentists may be a valid group for performing this task for which there is scientific evidence.

Profile, cost and pattern of prescriptions for polymedicated patients in Catalonia, Spain

OBJECTIVES: Polypharmacy is one of the main management issues in public health policies because of its financial impact and the increasing number of people involved. The polymedicated population according to their demographic and therapeutic profile and the cost for the public healthcare system were characterised. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Primary healthcare in Barcelona Health Region, Catalonia, Spain (5 105 551 inhabitants registered). PARTICIPANTS: All insured polymedicated patients. Polymedicated patients were those with a consumption of ≥16 drugs/month. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: The study variables were related to age, gender and medication intake obtained from the 2008 census and records of prescriptions dispensed in pharmacies and charged to the public health system. RESULTS: There were 36 880 polymedicated patients (women: 64.2%; average age: 74.5±10.9 years). The total number of prescriptions billed in 2008 was 2 266 830 (2 272 920 total package units). The most polymedicated group (up to 40% of the total prescriptions) was patients between 75 and 84 years old. The average number of prescriptions billed monthly per patient was 32±2, with an average cost of 452.7±27.5. The total cost of those prescriptions corresponded to 2% of the drug expenditure in Catalonia. The groups N, C, A, R and M represented 71.4% of the total number of drug package units dispensed to polymedicated patients. Great variability was found between the medication profiles of men and women, and between age groups; greater discrepancies were found in paediatric patients (5-14 years) and the elderly (≥65 years). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides essential information to take steps towards rational drug use and a structured approach in the polymedicated population in primary healthcare.

Silk and ink. What were silk wallets, and what can they, together with Jacobina Charlotta Munterhjelm’s diary, tell us about the gentry women’s lives in the 18th and 19th century?

The subject of this thesis is the elaborate silk wallets and what can they tell about the gentry women’s lives in the 18th and 19th century Finland together Jacobina Charlotta Munsterhjelm’s diary. Silk wallets were made of silk and decorated by embroidering, they were used to preserve memorabilia and letters. Making these lavish items took time, skills and materials, and the decorations usually contained symbols and messages. As main source there are silk wallets from the collections of the National Museum of Finland and Satakunta Museum, as well as the diary of Jacobina Munsterhjelm from 1799 to 1801. By interpreting these items we can build a picture of gentry women’s lives. The culture of silk wallets is European, the silk wallet phenomenon studied is Swedish-Finnish, and the research is limited mainly in Finland by its sources. This research has been carried out by constructing a cultural context to the silk wallets with the help of Ginzburg’s methods from his work Juusto ja madot - 1500-luvun myllärin maailmankuva. Silk wallets represent the gentry as well as the communication culture in the 18th and 19th centuries, but have remained unstudied. The thesis consists of two parts, the first focuses on the silk wallets, from where were they developed, how they were made, and to their decorations. The silk wallet culture developed among the gentry handicrafts during the 18th century and faded during the early 20th century. The making of the silk wallets demanded time, skills and materials. The decorations contain messages and symbols – they contain the possible affections the makers might have toward the receiver, and reflect the status and qualities of the receiver. The second part examines the makers, the gentry women, and the handicraft culture which played a big role in their lives, through silk wallets and the diary of Jacobina Munstehjelm. From there it continues to the affections and meanings which can be found from the silk wallets.

La pelota no se mancha: Un estudio histórico sobre el desarrollo y la política en FIFA

Esta investigación se centra en la Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) como organización política. Intenta responder dos interrogantes primordiales: 1) ¿cómo la FIFA ha constituido el poder que tiene actualmente y, así, hacerse del monopolio indiscutido del fútbol? Y 2) ¿cómo ha cambiado en el tiempo la política interna de FIFA y su vínculo con la política internacional? Para lograr esto, se realiza un estudio histórico, basado principalmente en documentos, que intenta caracterizar y analizar los cambios de la organización en el tiempo. Se enfatizan las últimas dos presidencias de FIFA, de João Havelange y Joseph Blatter, como casos de estudio.

Specific matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) haplotype affect the circulating MMP-9 levels in women with migraine

We investigated whether three relevant polymorphisms (C-1562T, microsatellite - 90(CA)(14-24), and Q279R) in the MMP-9 gene, or MMP-9 haplotypes, are associated with migraine and affect MMP-9 and tissue inhibitor of MMPs (TIMP)-1 levels in patients with migraine. We studied 102 healthy women (controls) and 187 women with migraine (141 without aura - MWA, and 46 with aura - MA). Patients with MWA had higher plasma MMP-9 concentrations than patients with MA. Patients with MA had the highest TIMP-1 and lowest MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratios. The MMP-9 "C L Q" haplotype was associated with higher plasma MMP-9 concentrations in migraine patients. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of plasmatic MMP-8, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and MPO levels in obese and lean women

Objectives: To compare the plasma concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP)-1, MMP-8, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) for obese and lean women. Design and methods: We recruited 30 lean and 36 obese women without comorbidities. The MMP-9, TIMP-1, and MMP-8 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). MPO activity was assessed by a colorimetric assay. Results: Obese women had higher MMP-9 levels and MMP-9:TIMP-1 ratios than lean women. Conversely, the MMP-8 levels and MMP-8:TIMP-1 ratios in the obese women were significantly lower than those in the lean women despite neutrophil activation, which was assessed by MPO activity., Conclusion: We observed that MMP-9 and MMP-8 had distinct profiles, which suggested that these 2 enzymes play different roles in obesity. (C) 2012 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Women's Rights in the Aftermath of Egypt's Revolution. Arab Citizenship Review No. 9, 26 August 2015 [also EUSpring Working Paper No. 5]

Addressing the issue of “women’s rights” in Egypt may seem like an easy topic from a purely legal standpoint, but the most enlightening way to do so is to adopt a holistic approach by understanding the political, social, cultural and class effects of this issue. Since 1952, people in Egypt have looked at “women’s rights” as a purely state matter, one characterised mainly by legal reforms. Until 2011, women’s rights were manipulated via a top-down approach by making changes in some policies and laws. Since 2011, with the emergence of the question of social movements, tackling women’s rights has been transformed via the use of certain tools and different perspectives. This is clearly manifested in the vast mobilisation that took place in governorates outside Cairo, which featured the use of artistic tools such as graffiti, story-telling performances, the production of feminist songs, open-microphone sessions, etc., in addition to the extensive use of social media and online campaigning to mainstream feminist ideologies and highlight violations experienced by women. Before 2011, the public space in Egypt was limited to citizens, political groups and civil society for employing legal approaches such as litigations and policy changes by direct pressure on authorities. The 2011 revolution opened the public space to the use of new tools that are not limited to protests and sit-ins, but also new media windows and new political forces who carried the question of certain rights in their agendas as well as the accessibility of different governmental actors. This paper will highlight different topics around women’s rights and gender issues in Egypt after 2011. This paper will review different gender issues after 2011, including the targeting of women in public spaces, women’s representation in decision-making bodies, legal reform, economic and social rights, and sexual and reproductive rights. It will also investigate how the feminist movement has changed and evolved since 2011, and to what degree women's issues and feminism can be analysed in a multidisciplinary way.