Hodgkin lymphoma in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) risk is elevated among persons infected with HIV (PHIV) and has been suggested to have increased in the era of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). Among 14,606 PHIV followed more than 20 years in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS), determinants of HL were investigated using 2 different approaches, namely, a cohort and nested case-control study, estimating hazard ratios (HRs) and matched odds ratios, respectively. Forty-seven incident HL cases occurred during 84,611 person-years of SHCS follow-up. HL risk was significantly higher among men having sex with men (HR vs intravenous drug users = 2.44, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-5.24) but did not vary by calendar period (HR for 2002-2007 vs 1995 or earlier = 0.65, 95% CI, 0.29-1.44) or cART use (HR vs nonusers = 1.02, 95% CI, 0.53-1.94). HL risk tended to increase with declining CD4(+) cell counts, but these differences were not significant. A lower CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio at SHCS enrollment or 1 to 2 years before HL diagnosis, however, was significantly associated with increased HL risk. In conclusion, HL risk does not appear to be increasing in recent years or among PHIV using cART in Switzerland, and there was no evidence that HL risk should be increased in the setting of improved immunity.

Long-term trends of HIV type 1 drug resistance prevalence among antiretroviral treatment-experienced patients in Switzerland

BACKGROUND:Accurate quantification of the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) drug resistance in patients who are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) is difficult, and results from previous studies vary. We attempted to assess the prevalence and dynamics of resistance in a highly representative patient cohort from Switzerland. METHODS:On the basis of genotypic resistance test results and clinical data, we grouped patients according to their risk of harboring resistant viruses. Estimates of resistance prevalence were calculated on the basis of either the proportion of individuals with a virologic failure or confirmed drug resistance (lower estimate) or the frequency-weighted average of risk group-specific probabilities for the presence of drug resistance mutations (upper estimate). RESULTS:Lower and upper estimates of drug resistance prevalence in 8064 ART-exposed patients were 50% and 57% in 1999 and 37% and 45% in 2007, respectively. This decrease was driven by 2 mechanisms: loss to follow-up or death of high-risk patients exposed to mono- or dual-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor therapy (lower estimates range from 72% to 75%) and continued enrollment of low-risk patients who were taking combination ART containing boosted protease inhibitors or nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors as first-line therapy (lower estimates range from 7% to 12%). A subset of 4184 participants (52%) had >or= 1 study visit per year during 2002-2007. In this subset, lower and upper estimates increased from 45% to 49% and from 52% to 55%, respectively. Yearly increases in prevalence were becoming smaller in later years. CONCLUSIONS:Contrary to earlier predictions, in situations of free access to drugs, close monitoring, and rapid introduction of new potent therapies, the emergence of drug-resistant viruses can be minimized at the population level. Moreover, this study demonstrates the necessity of interpreting time trends in the context of evolving cohort populations.

Racial disparities in patient survival after liver transplantation in the United States

Background. Racial disparities in healthcare span such areas as access, outcomes after procedures, and patient satisfaction. Previous work suggested that minorities experience less healthcare and worse survival rates. In adult orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) mixed results have been reported, with some showing African-American recipients having poor survival compared to Caucasians, and others finding no such discrepancy. ^ Purpose. This study’s purpose was to analyze the most recent United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) data, both before and after the implementation of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)/Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease (PELD) scoring system, to determine if minority racial groups still experience poor outcomes after OLT. ^ Methods. The UNOS dataset for 1992-2001 (Era I) and 2002-2007 (Era II) was used. Patient survival rates for each Era and for adult and pediatric recipients were analyzed with adjustment. A separate multivariate analysis was performed on African-American adult patients in Era II in order to identify unique predictors for poor patient survival. ^ Results. The overall study included 66,118 OLT recipients. The majority were Caucasian (78%), followed by Hispanics (13%) and African-Americans (9%). Hispanic and African-American adults were more likely to be female, have Hepatitis C, to be in the intensive care unit (ICU) or ventilated at time of OLT, to have a MELD score ≥23, to have a lower education level, and to have public insurance when compared to Caucasian adults (all p-values < 0.05). Hispanic and African-American pediatric recipients were more likely have public insurance and less likely to receive a living donor OLT than were Caucasian pediatric OLT recipients (p <0.05). There was no difference in the likelihood of having a PELD score ≥21 among racial groups (p >0.40). African-American adults in Era I and Era II had worse patient survival rates than both Caucasians and Hispanic (pair-wise p-values <0.05). This same disparity was seen for pediatric recipients in Era I, but not in Era II. Multivariate analysis of African-American recipients revealed no unique predictors of patient death. ^ Conclusions. African-American race is still a predictor of poor outcome after adult OLT, even after adjustment for multiple clinical, demographic, and liver disease severity variables. Although African-American and Hispanic subgroups share many characteristics previously thought to increase risk of post-OLT death, only African-American patients have poor survival rates when compared to Caucasians. ^

Reestruturaçao universitária brasileira : Reuni e seus impactos na elaboraçao de politicas públicas ao ensino superior brasileiro

O artigo analisa as concepçoes políticas acerca da implementaçao do Programa de Apoio aos Planos de Reestruturaçao e Expansao das Universidades Federais (REUNI), no Brasil em 2007, compreendendo a bandeira da democratizaçao do ensino superior brasileiro, como proposiçoes e os anseios políticos de ordem mercadológica a esse nível de ensino. No período antecedente ao REUNI observa-se, no Brasil inúmeras medidas provisórias que ampliam o acesso ao ensino superior, sendo em instituiçoes públicas ou privadas, além das expansoes e criaçoes de novas instituiçoes públicas de ensino, valendo-se dos discursos de reparaçoes históricas tardias. Concomitante ao REUNI surge as Universidades Novas, no Brasil tais universidades expressam características pedagógicas peculiares, com Bacharéis Interdisciplinares, permitindo uma formaçao generalista, além disso, há similitudes as especificidades pedagógicas do Espaço Europeu de Ensino Superior, as Diretrizes Gerais dos Bacharéis Interdisciplinares. Nesse contexto o Brasil estaria deixando suas instituiçoes federais de ensino superior, em patamares internacionais, seja pela cooperaçao acadêmica e pela transnacionalizaçao do ensino por meio de acordos com instituiçoes de ensino superior ou com parcerias com as agencias financeiras internacionais. Uma vez que há a dicotomia entre a internacionalizaçao do ensino e a transnacionalizaçao do ensino superior, sendo o Brasil partícipe destes dois processos

Inflación, transferencias y distribución del ingreso en la Argentina post-convertibilidad : ¿Cómo se gestan y a quiénes benefician?

El trabajo analiza cómo se distribuyen las cargas y beneficios del modelo de acumulación post-convertibilidad, 2002-2007, entre las fracciones de clase. En este sentido exploramos la constitución de un sistema de transferencias de ingresos en el que convergen en un proceso dinámico la inflación, las políticas económicas y las estrategias de acumulación de los agentes económicos. Desde una perspectiva que amplía el modo de abordaje del debate sobre la distribución del ingreso, postulamos la conformación de un sistema de transferencias en base al análisis de dos núcleos vinculados: uno ligado a transferencias operadas a partir de la articulación de políticas económicas y transformaciones estructurales, y otro que es en sí mismo un mecanismo de transferencia de importante relevancia y alcance explicativo: la inflación. La evolución diferencial de los precios afecta la capacidad de apropiación, por los agentes económicos, del ingreso socialmente producido, expresando así cambios en las relaciones de fuerzas

Inflación, transferencias y distribución del ingreso en la Argentina post-convertibilidad : ¿Cómo se gestan y a quiénes benefician?

El trabajo analiza cómo se distribuyen las cargas y beneficios del modelo de acumulación post-convertibilidad, 2002-2007, entre las fracciones de clase. En este sentido exploramos la constitución de un sistema de transferencias de ingresos en el que convergen en un proceso dinámico la inflación, las políticas económicas y las estrategias de acumulación de los agentes económicos. Desde una perspectiva que amplía el modo de abordaje del debate sobre la distribución del ingreso, postulamos la conformación de un sistema de transferencias en base al análisis de dos núcleos vinculados: uno ligado a transferencias operadas a partir de la articulación de políticas económicas y transformaciones estructurales, y otro que es en sí mismo un mecanismo de transferencia de importante relevancia y alcance explicativo: la inflación. La evolución diferencial de los precios afecta la capacidad de apropiación, por los agentes económicos, del ingreso socialmente producido, expresando así cambios en las relaciones de fuerzas

Reestruturaçao universitária brasileira : Reuni e seus impactos na elaboraçao de politicas públicas ao ensino superior brasileiro

O artigo analisa as concepçoes políticas acerca da implementaçao do Programa de Apoio aos Planos de Reestruturaçao e Expansao das Universidades Federais (REUNI), no Brasil em 2007, compreendendo a bandeira da democratizaçao do ensino superior brasileiro, como proposiçoes e os anseios políticos de ordem mercadológica a esse nível de ensino. No período antecedente ao REUNI observa-se, no Brasil inúmeras medidas provisórias que ampliam o acesso ao ensino superior, sendo em instituiçoes públicas ou privadas, além das expansoes e criaçoes de novas instituiçoes públicas de ensino, valendo-se dos discursos de reparaçoes históricas tardias. Concomitante ao REUNI surge as Universidades Novas, no Brasil tais universidades expressam características pedagógicas peculiares, com Bacharéis Interdisciplinares, permitindo uma formaçao generalista, além disso, há similitudes as especificidades pedagógicas do Espaço Europeu de Ensino Superior, as Diretrizes Gerais dos Bacharéis Interdisciplinares. Nesse contexto o Brasil estaria deixando suas instituiçoes federais de ensino superior, em patamares internacionais, seja pela cooperaçao acadêmica e pela transnacionalizaçao do ensino por meio de acordos com instituiçoes de ensino superior ou com parcerias com as agencias financeiras internacionais. Uma vez que há a dicotomia entre a internacionalizaçao do ensino e a transnacionalizaçao do ensino superior, sendo o Brasil partícipe destes dois processos

Reestruturaçao universitária brasileira : Reuni e seus impactos na elaboraçao de politicas públicas ao ensino superior brasileiro

O artigo analisa as concepçoes políticas acerca da implementaçao do Programa de Apoio aos Planos de Reestruturaçao e Expansao das Universidades Federais (REUNI), no Brasil em 2007, compreendendo a bandeira da democratizaçao do ensino superior brasileiro, como proposiçoes e os anseios políticos de ordem mercadológica a esse nível de ensino. No período antecedente ao REUNI observa-se, no Brasil inúmeras medidas provisórias que ampliam o acesso ao ensino superior, sendo em instituiçoes públicas ou privadas, além das expansoes e criaçoes de novas instituiçoes públicas de ensino, valendo-se dos discursos de reparaçoes históricas tardias. Concomitante ao REUNI surge as Universidades Novas, no Brasil tais universidades expressam características pedagógicas peculiares, com Bacharéis Interdisciplinares, permitindo uma formaçao generalista, além disso, há similitudes as especificidades pedagógicas do Espaço Europeu de Ensino Superior, as Diretrizes Gerais dos Bacharéis Interdisciplinares. Nesse contexto o Brasil estaria deixando suas instituiçoes federais de ensino superior, em patamares internacionais, seja pela cooperaçao acadêmica e pela transnacionalizaçao do ensino por meio de acordos com instituiçoes de ensino superior ou com parcerias com as agencias financeiras internacionais. Uma vez que há a dicotomia entre a internacionalizaçao do ensino e a transnacionalizaçao do ensino superior, sendo o Brasil partícipe destes dois processos

Inflación, transferencias y distribución del ingreso en la Argentina post-convertibilidad : ¿Cómo se gestan y a quiénes benefician?

El trabajo analiza cómo se distribuyen las cargas y beneficios del modelo de acumulación post-convertibilidad, 2002-2007, entre las fracciones de clase. En este sentido exploramos la constitución de un sistema de transferencias de ingresos en el que convergen en un proceso dinámico la inflación, las políticas económicas y las estrategias de acumulación de los agentes económicos. Desde una perspectiva que amplía el modo de abordaje del debate sobre la distribución del ingreso, postulamos la conformación de un sistema de transferencias en base al análisis de dos núcleos vinculados: uno ligado a transferencias operadas a partir de la articulación de políticas económicas y transformaciones estructurales, y otro que es en sí mismo un mecanismo de transferencia de importante relevancia y alcance explicativo: la inflación. La evolución diferencial de los precios afecta la capacidad de apropiación, por los agentes económicos, del ingreso socialmente producido, expresando así cambios en las relaciones de fuerzas

El nuevo desarrollismo como superación dialéctica del neoliberalismo en Argentina

A fines de 2001 Argentina llegó al clímax de la crisis del proceso neoliberal iniciado en los setenta. La crisis y su salida produjo la transición hacia un nueva modalidad de desarrollo periférica. Transición que no fue ruptura sino más bien superación dialéctica: lo nuevo surge de lo viejo que no desaparece sino que constituye el fundamento de aquello que está naciendo. El nuevo o neodesarrollismo nace así de las entrañas del neoliberalismo y de sus consecuencias económicas y sociales. Por un lado, resultará de la consolidación de un capitalismo periférico, dependiente y transnacionalizado. Por otra parte, supone el reconocimiento del peso de los nuevos movimientos populares que articularon la resistencia al ajuste durante los años noventa. Todo esto da cuenta de la impronta del proceso de crecimiento acelerado iniciado en 2002-2003 y de los cambios y continuidades manifiestos en la forma del Estado y sus políticas. Este texto pretende aportar elementos para comprender la novedad y la permanencia, lo estructural y lo accesorio, los límites y barreras del nuevo proceso. Por último, buscamos dar cuenta de las posibilidades de superar esos límites en la construcción de una alternativa popular.

(Table 1) Mean temperatures in january and july, and total annual snowfall at Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake, Canada

The sensitivity of brightness temperature (T(B)) at 6.9, 10.7, and 18.7 GHz from Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) observations is investigated over five winter seasons (2002-2007) on Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada. The T(B) measurements are compared to ice thicknesses obtained with a previously validated thermodynamic lake ice model. Lake ice thickness is found to explain much of the increase of T(B) at 10.7 and 18.7 GHz. T(B) acquired at 18.7 GHz (V-pol) and 10.7 GHz (H-pol) shows the strongest relation with simulated lake ice thickness over the period of study (R**2 > 0.90). A comparison of the seasonal evolution of T(B) for a cold winter (2003-2004) and a warm winter (2005-2006) reveals that the relationship between T(B) and ice growth is stronger in the cold winter (2003-2004). Overall, this letter shows the high sensitivity of T(B) to ice growth and, thus, the potential of AMSR-E mid-frequency channels to estimate ice thickness on large northern lakes.

Trade of Heilongjiang Province (China) with Russia

Local trade between the Far East region of the USSR and the Northeast region of the People’s Republic of China started in 1957, arranged by the public trade organizations in the respective borderlands. Heilongjiang Province of China has been the main actor in trade with the Far East region of the USSR, and more recently, Russia. After 1957, Heilongjiang Province’s trade with the Russian Far East developed rapidly until 1993, except a period of interruption (1967-1982). Thereafter, the Heilongjiang Province’s trade with the Russian Far East underwent a stagnation period (1994-1998), a recovery period (1999-2001), a rapid development period (2002-2007) and a period of change of tendencies and radical decrease (2008-2009). Heilongjiang Province’s trade with the Russian Far East consists of three main forms: general trade, Chinese-style border trade (Bianjing Trade which includes Bianjing Small Trade and trade between private persons (Hushi Trade)) and Travel Trade. The rapid increase of Heilongjiang Province’s trade with the Russian Far East from 2002 to 2007 is mainly attributable to the increase in the export of ordinary consumer goods, especially textile clothing and footwear, and to Bianjing Small Trade.

The gap between recognition and the 'compensation business' : the claim against Britain for compensation by Kenya's former Mau Mau fighters

During the first Kibaki administration (2002-2007), a movement by the former Mau Mau fighters demanded recognition for the role that they had played in the achievement of independence. They began to demand, also, monetary compensation for past injustices. Why had it taken over 40 years (from independence in 1963) for the former Mau Mau fighters to initiate this movement? What can be observed as the outcome of their movement? To answer these questions, three different historical currents need to be taken into account. These were, respectively, changing trends in the government of Kenya, progress in historical research into the actual circumstances of colonial control, and a realization, based on mounting experience, that launching a legal action against Britain could turn out to be a lucrative initiative. This paper concludes that, regardless of the actual purpose of the legal case, neither of their objectives was certain to be achieved. Two inescapable realities remain: the doubts cast on the reputation of the government by its decision to lift the Mau Mau‟s outlaw status – a decision that was widely seen as a latter-day example of the „Kikuyu favouritism‟ policy followed by the first Kibaki administration – and the popular interpretation of the involvement of Leigh Day, well known in Kenya ever since the unexploded bombs case for its success in obtaining substantial compensation payments, as a vehicle for squeezing large amounts of money from the British government for the benefit of the Kikuyu people.

トルコにおける国家中心的公共圏認識の定着 -- 言説分析

トルコ社会において過去10年近くの間に，国家中心的な公共圏の認識が広まったのはなぜか。本稿はその主因を，2002～2007年に起きた「公共圏」論争が，イスラーム的スカーフの着用をめぐる論争に従属して展開したことに求め，新聞データベースを材料にした言説分析から，以下の答えを導く。第1に，2002年の論争開始にともない「公共圏」という表現が初めて広く一般の目に触れるようになったという点で，この論争による「公共圏」の宣伝効果は大きかった。しかしスカーフ着用問題が政治状況の変化により論争議題でなくなると，公共圏がどうあるべきかは，現状維持派の世俗派のみならず，挑戦者であるイスラーム派にとっても重要性がなくなったため，「公共圏」論争は失速した。第2に，現状維持派である世俗派エリートが用いた言説フレームは，国家が「公共圏」の中立性を守るためにスカーフ着用を禁止するというものだった。この支配的フレームに対し，イスラーム派は当初，ハーバマス的公共圏理論を援用してスカーフ着用を擁護する代替的対抗フレームを使っていた。しかし世俗派の強硬な抵抗に遭うと，国家的公共圏の抑圧性を強調する否定的対抗フレームをより頻繁に用いるようになった。これは世俗派批判としては妥当だったものの，イスラーム派が国家的公共圏定義を追認することにつながった。ちょうどその頃，「公共圏」論争は上述の理由で失速していた。そのため「公共圏」についてのトルコ社会のおおよその認識は，国家的定義が支配的なまま凍結されたのである。

Multimodal analysis of a sample of political posters in Ireland during and after the Celtic Tiger

The aim of this research paper is to analyse the key political posters made for the campaigns of Irish political party Fianna Fáil framed in the Celtic Tiger (1997-2008) and post-Celtic Tiger years (2009-2012). I will then focus on the four posters of the candidate in the elections that took place in 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2011 with the intention of observing first how the leader is represented, and later on pinpointing the similarities and possible differences between each. This is important in order to observe the main linguistic and visual strategies used to persuade the audience to vote that party and to highlight the power of the politician. Critical discourse analysis tools will be helpful to identify the main discursive strategies employed to persuade the Irish population to vote in a certain direction. Van Leeuwen’s (2008) social actor theory will facilitate the understanding of how participants are represented in the corpus under analysis. Finally, the main tools of Kress and van Leeuwen’s visual grammar (2006) will be applied for the analysis of the images. The study reveals that politicians are represented in a consistently positive way, with status and formal appearance so that people are persuaded to vote for the party they represent because they trust them as political leaders. The study, thus, points out that the poster is a powerful tool used in election campaigns to highlight the power of political parties.