Origin and outcome of multiple pregnancies in Bern, Switzerland, 1995-2006 and the current proposal of the Swiss parliament to revise the Swiss law of reproductive medicine: Switzerland quo vadis?

INTRODUCTION: Infertility treatments are a major source of the increase in multiple pregnancies (MPs). AIMS: The aims of the present study were (1.) to investigate the origin and maternal/neonatal outcomes of MP and (2.) to review the different measures that can be adopted to reduce these serious complications. METHODS: The study included all women with multiple births between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 2006 at the University Hospital of Bern, Switzerland. The outcomes associated with the various origins of MP (natural conception, ovarian stimulation [OS] ‒ in-vitro fertilisation [IVF-ICSI]) were analysed using a multinomial logistic regression model. An analysis of the Swiss law on reproductive medicine and its current proposed revision, as well as a literature review using Pubmed, was carried out. RESULTS: A total of 592 MP were registered, 91% (n = 537) resulted in live births. There was significantly more neonatal/maternal morbidity in MP after OS compared with natural conception and even with the IVF-ICSI group. With a policy of elective single embryo transfer (eSET), twin rates after IVF-ICSI can be reduced to <5% and triplets to <1%. CONCLUSIONS: After OS, more triplets are found and the outcome of MP is worse. MP is known to be associated with morbidity, mortality, and economic and social risks. To counteract these complications (1.) better training for physicians performing OS should be encouraged and (2.) the Swiss law on reproductive medicine needs to be changed, with the introduction of eSET policies. This would lead to a dramatic decrease in neonatal and maternal morbidity/mortality as well as significant cost reductions for the Swiss healthcare system.

The early Miocene rotation of the Corso-Sardinian block. New paleomagnetic constraints for the end of the motion

The paleomagnetic investigations carried out in the 70's on Oligo-Miocene volcanics of Sardinia have demonstrated that the island was turned by 35-30 degrees clockwise from 33 Ma up to 3-1-20.5 Ma and rotated counterclockwise in a few million years [De Jong et al., 1969, 1973; Bobier et Coulon, 1970; Coulon et al., 1974; Manzoni, 1974, 1975; Bellon rr nl.. 1977: Edel et Lortscher, 1977; Edel, 1979, 1980]. Since then, the end of the rotation fixed at 19 Ma by Montigny er al. [1981] was the subject of discussions and several studies associating paleomagnetism and radiometric dating were undertaken [Assorgia er al., 1994: Vigliotti et Langenheim, 1995: Deino et al., 1997; Gattacceca rt Deino, 1999]. This is a contribution to this debate that is hampered by thr important secular variation recorded in the volcanics. The only way to get our of this problem is to sample series of successive flows as completely as possible, and to reduce the effect of secular variation by the calculation of means. Sampling was performed north of Bonorva in 5 pyroclastic flows that belong to the upper ignimbritic series SI2 according to Coulon rr nl. [1974] or LBLS according to Assorgia et al. [1997] (fig. I). Ar-40/Ar-39 dating of biotites from the debris flow (MDF) has yielded an age or 18.35 +/- 0.03 Ma [Dubois, 2000]. Five of the investigated sites are located beneath the debris flow ITV, TVB, TVD, SPM85, SPM86), one site was cured in the matrix of the debris flow (MDF) and one in 4 metric blocks included in the flow (DFC). Another site was sampled in the upper ash flow (PDM) that marks the end of the pyroclastic activity, just before the marine transgression. According to micropaleontological and radiometric dating this transgression has occurred between 18.35 and 17.6 Ma [Dubois, 2000]. After removal of a soft viscous component, the thermal demagnetization generally shows a univectorial behaviour of the remanent magnetization (fig. 2a). The maximum unblocking temperatures of 580-620 degrees (tab. I) and a rapid saturation below 100 mT (fig. 3) indicate that the carrier of the characteristic magnetization is magnetite. The exception comes: from the upper site PDM in which were found two characteristic components, one with a normal polarity and low unblocking temperatures up to 350 degreesC and one with a reversed polarity and maximum unblocking temperatures at 580-600 degreesC of magnetite. After calculation of a mean direction for each flow, the mean << Al >> direction 4 degrees /57 degrees (alpha (95) = 13 degrees) computed with the mean directions for the 5 flows may be considered as weakly affected by secular variation. But the results require a more careful examination. The declinations are N to NNW beneath the debris flow. NNW in the debris flow. and NNE (or SSW) above the debris flow, The elongated distribution of the directions obtained at sites TVB and TVD. scattered from the mean direction of TV to the mean direction of MDF is interpreted as due to partial overprinting during the debris How volcanic episode, The low temperature component PDMa is likely related to the alteration seen on thin sections and is also viewed as an overprint. As NNE/SSW directions occur as well below (mean direction << B >> : 5 degrees /58 degrees) as above the debris flow (PDMb : 200 degrees/-58 degrees). the NNW directions (<< C >> : 337 degrees /64 degrees) associated with the debris flow volcanism may be interpreted as resulting from a magnetic field excursion. According to the polarity scale of Cande and Kent [1992, 1995] and the radiometric age of MDF, the directions with normal polarity (TV, TVB, TVD, SPM85. SPM86a. MDF. DFC) may represent the period 5En. while the directions with reversed polarity PDMb and SPM86b were likely acquired during the period 5Dr. Using the mean << Al >> direction, the mean << B >>, or the PDM direction (tab. I). the deviation in declination with the direction of stable Europe 6.4 degrees /58.7 degrees (alpha (95) = 8 degrees) for a selection of 4 middle Tertiary poles by Besse et Courtillot [1991] or 7 degrees /56 degrees (alpha (95) = 3 degrees) for 19 poles listed by Edel [1980] can be considered as negligible. Using the results from the uppermost ignimbritic layer of Anglona also emplaced around 18.3 Ma [Odin rt al.. 1994]. the mean direction << E >> (3 degrees /51.5 degrees) leads to the same conclusion. On the contrary, when taking into account all dated results available for the period 5En (mean direction << D >> 353 degrees /56 degrees for 45 sites) (tab. II). the deviation 13 degrees is much more significant. As the rotation of Sardinia started around 21-20.5 Ma. the assumption of a constant velocity of rotation and the deviations of the Sardinia directions with respect to the stable Europe direction locate the end of the motion between 18.3 and 17.2 or 16.7 Ma (fig. 4). During the interval 18.35-17.5 Ma, the marine transgression took place. At the same period a NE-SW shortening interpreted as resulting from the collision of Sardinia with Apulia affected different parts of the island [Letouzey et al., 1982]. Consequently, the new paleomagnetic results and the tectono-sedimentary evolution are in favour of an end of the rotation at 17.5-18 Ma.

Descripció quantitativa dels neologismes documentats durant l'any 1995 a la premsa en català

Descripció dels neologismes de l'Observatori de Neologia documentats a la premsa en català (Avui, Punt Diari, El Temps) de l'any 1995, a partir del recurs de creació que els ha generat: processos formals (derivació, composició, sintagmació, conversió sintàctica, truncació, etc.), processos semàntics i manlleus.

Traducción de un fragmento del libro NS-Offizier war ich nicht de Ute Althaus

El presente trabajo consiste en la traducción del alemán al español de un fragmento del libro NS-Offizzier war ich nicht (Ute Althaus), en el cual se aborda el tópico del nacionalsocialismo desde el ámbito familiar y bajo una perspectiva psico-social.

Executive Order Number Forty Two, July 1991

Invokes across-the-board budget reductions as determinded by the Governor.

Growth, Democracy, and Civil War

Does economic growth affect the likelihood of civil war? Answering this question requires dealing with reverse causation. Our approach exploits that international commodity prices have a significant effect on the income growth of Sub-Saharan African countries. We show that lower income growth makes civil war more likely in non-democracies. This effect is significantly weaker in democracies; as a result, we find no link between growth and civil war in these countries. Our reducedform results also indicate that lower international commodity price growth has no effect on civil war in democracies, but raises the likelihood of civil war incidence and onset in nondemocracies.

Executive Order Number Fifty Five, June 22, 1995

Appoints the Des Moines resident-in-charge for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Adminstration as a nonvoting ex-officio member of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council.

Executive Order Number Fifty Six, December 18, 1995

Replaces and rescinds Executive Order #37.

Executive Order Number Fifty Seven, June 28, 1995

Directs Department of Personnel to develop policy that will assist in continuing efforts to maintain a violence-free workplace.

Executive Order Number Fifty Eight, July 1, 1995

Delegates the authority and responsibility for the Job Training Partnership Act to the Workforce Development Department(WDD). Replaces and rescinds Executive Order #24.

Péritonites infectieuses en dialyse péritonéale: Facteurs prédictifs et complications. Etude rétrospective au CHUV de 1995 à 2010

Contexte : La dialyse péritonéale (DP) est une méthode d'épuration extra-rénale qui utilise les propriétés physiologiques du péritoine comme membrane de dialyse. Cette technique requiert la présence d'un cathéter placé chirurgicalement dans le cul-de-sac de Douglas pour permettre l'instillation d'une solution de dialyse : le dialysat. Une des complications redoutée de cette technique est la survenue de péritonites infectieuses qui nécessitent l'administration rapide d'une antibiothérapie adéquate. Les péritonites peuvent parfois entrainer le retrait du cathéter de dialyse avec un échec définitif de la technique, ou plus rarement entrainer le décès du patient. Cette étude s'intéresse aux facteurs prédictifs de cette complication. Elle recense les germes impliqués et leur sensibilité aux différents antibiotiques. Cette étude analyse également les conséquences des péritonites, telles que la durée moyenne des hospitalisations, les échecs de la technique nécessitant un transfert définitif en hémodialyse et la survenue de décès. Méthode : Il s'agit d'une étude rétrospective monocentrique portant sur le dossier des patients inclus dans le programme de dialyse péritonéale du CHUV entre le 1er janvier 1995 et le 31 décembre 2010. Résultats : Cette étude inclus 108 patients, dont 65 hommes et 43 femmes. L'âge moyen est de 52.5 ans ± 17.84 (22-87). On répertorie 113 épisodes de péritonite pour une durée cumulative de 2932.24 mois x patients. L'incidence globale de péritonite s'élève à 1 épisode / 25.95 (mois x patient). La médiane de survie globale sans péritonite est de 23.56 mois. Une variabilité intergroupe statistiquement significative en matière de survie sans péritonite est démontrée entre les patients autonomes et non- autonomes [Log Rank (Mantel-Cox) :0.04], entre les patients diabétiques et non diabétiques [Log Rank (Mantel-Cox) : 0.002] et entre les patients cumulant un score de Charlson supérieur à 5 et ceux cumulant un score inférieur ou égal à 5 (Log Rank (Mantel-Cox) : 0.002). Une différence statistiquement significative en matière de survie de la technique a également pu être démontrée entre les patients autonomes et 2 non-autonome [Log Rank (Mantel-Cox) < 0.001], et entre les patients cumulant un score de Charlson supérieur ou inférieur ou égal à 5 [Log Rank (Mantel-Cox) : 0.047]. Le staphylococcus epidermidis est le pathogène le plus fréquemment isolé lors des péritonites (23.9%). Ce germe présente une sensibilité de 40.74% à l'oxacilline. Aucun cas de péritonite à MRSA n'a été enregistré dans ce collectif de patients. Une péritonite a causé la mort d'un patient (<1%). Conclusion : L'incidence de péritonite calculée satisfait les recommandations de la Société Internationale de Dialyse Péritonéale (ISPD). Une variabilité intergroupe statistiquement significative en terme de survie sans péritonite est mis en évidence pour : l'autonomie, le statut métabolique et le score de comorbidité de Charlson. Une variabilité intergroupe statistiquement significative en terme de survie de la technique est également démontrée pour : l'autonomie et le score de comorbidité de Charlson. Les statistiques de sensibilité mettent en évidence une excellente couverture antibiotique sur les germes isolés par le traitement empirique en vigueur (vancomycine + ceftazidime). La mortalité relative aux péritonites est extrêmement basse dans ce collectif de patients.

The Three Horsemen of Growth: Plague, War and Urbanization in Early Modern Europe

How did Europe overtake China? We construct a simple Malthusian model with two sectors, and use it to explain how European per capita incomes and urbanization rates could surge ahead of Chinese ones. That living standards could exceed subsistence levels at all in a Malthusian setting should be surprising. Rising fertility and falling mortality ought to have reversed any gains. We show that productivity growth in Europe can only explain a small fraction of rising living standards. Population dynamics - changes of the birth and death schedules - were far more important drivers of the longrun Malthusian equilibrium. The Black Death raised wages substantially, creating important knock-on effects. Because of Engel's Law, demand for urban products increased, raising urban wages and attracting migrants from rural areas. European cities were unhealthy, especially compared to Far Eastern ones. Urbanization pushed up aggregate death rates. This effect was reinforced by more frequent wars (fed by city wealth) and disease spread by trade. Thus, higher wages themselves reduced population pressure. Without technological change, our model can account for the sharp rise in European urbanization as well as permanently higher per capita incomes. We complement our calibration exercise with a detailed analysis of intra-European growth in the early modern period. Using a panel of European states in the period 1300-1700, we show that war frequency can explain a good share of the divergent fortunes within Europe.

A formação de frases relativas de PP no português oral de Cabo Verde e de São Tomé

Os mecanismos de formação de frases relativas restritivas têm sido amplamente analisados na literatura sobre o português europeu (PE) e o português brasileiro (PB) (e.g. Tarallo 1985; Brito 1991; Kato 1993; Peres & Móia 1995; Kato et al. 1996; Alexandre 2000, Kenedy 2007), focando em particular se há ou não aplicação da operação Move. No entanto, os estudos sobre construções-Q, concretamente sobre relativas restritivas, em variedades (emergentes) do português em África são ainda escassos e restringem-se essencialmente ao português de Moçambique (PM), onde se observa um processo de mudança linguística que parece privilegiar a estratégia resumptiva (Chimbutane 1996; Gonçalves 1996; Gonçalves & Stroud 1998; Brito 2001), como em Nesta comunicação, alargaremos o estudo das frases relativas ao português falado em Cabo Verde e em S. Tomé e Príncipe, baseando-nos em corpora do Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa (CLUL) descritos na secção 3. O nosso objetivo é mostrar que, nestas variedades, a estratégia canónica de piedpiping (2) convive com diversas estratégias consideradas agramaticais à luz da norma, designadamente a estratégia cortadora (3), que é particularmente comum, e as estratégias resumptiva (4) e de cópia defetiva (5), que ocorrem com menor frequência. Esta última estratégia foi apenas encontrada nos dados do POST.4 (2) Não, houve uma ocasião em que havia muita cólera, ... (POST) (3) a. Esse jornalista Ø que estamos aqui a falar, isento, objectivo... (POCV) b. Depois cheguei um momento Ø que eu vi que era vazio... (POST) (4) Meu filho foi baptizado no católico e a mulher que eu vivo com ela também é católica. (POST) (5) A própria escola que eu estudei nele. (POST) Defenderemos que a preferência pela estratégia cortadora poderá estar relacionada com a reestruturação das grelhas argumentais dos verbos no POST (R. Gonçalves 2010) e que tal facto constitui um contraste com o POCV (assim como com o PE e o PB), variedade em que a presença de relativas cortadoras não está, tipicamente, relacionada com a alteração dessas propriedades nos verbos.