Eligibility to treatment and economic effect of the implementation of the new U.S. or European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology hypertension guidelines.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the population and economic impact of implementing the new Joint National Committee (JNC) or European Society of Hypertension (ESH)/European Society of Cardiology (ESC) hypertension guidelines in the Swiss population. METHODS: Cross-sectional, population-based sample (6708 participants) collected between 2003 and 2006 in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland. Blood pressure categories were defined according to both the JNC (JNC-7 and JNC-8) and the ESH/ESC (2007 and 2013) guidelines. RESULTS: The proportion of participants aged 35-60 years eligible for drug treatment was 25.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 24.4-26.9%] and 24.8% (95% CI 23.6-26.0%) for the JNC-7 and the JNC-8 guidelines, respectively; for participants aged 60-75 years, the values were 62.3% (95% CI 60.1-64.5%) and 46.8% (95% CI 44.5-49.0%), respectively. Shifting from the JNC-7 to the JNC-8 guidelines would lead to an annual saving of 163.6 million Swiss francs (187.7 million US dollars or 134.5 million European euro). The proportion of participants aged 35-75 years without chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus or reported history of cardiovascular disease and eligible for treatment was 30.2% (95% CI 29.0-31.4%) for the ESH/ESC 2007 and 2013 guidelines. For participants with chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus or reported history of cardiovascular disease, the values were 73.6% (95% CI 70.8-76.3%) and 55.6% (95% CI 52.5-58.8%), respectively. Shifting from the ESH/ESC 2007 to the ESH/ESC 2013 guidelines would lead to an annual saving of 86.9 million Swiss francs (99.5 million US dollars or 71.4 million European euro). CONCLUSION: In Switzerland, shifting from the JNC-7 to the JNC-8 guidelines or from the ESH/ESC 2007 to the ESH/ESC 2013 guidelines would decrease the prevalence of patients eligible for treatment and increase the percentage of treated patients within blood pressure goals. Both strategies lead to potential savings in antihypertensive drug treatment.

Social Support, Social and Temporal Comparisons Protect Well-Being and Health between 45 and 70 Years Old in Four Urban Communities

This study examined the impact of social support and of temporal and social comparisons on well-being and selfreported health in four capital cities: Paris, Berlin, Moscow and Beijing. Based on the lifespan control theory, an integrative model investigating the influence of these coping strategies, especially on the psychological regulation of health losses, was tested on 1141 respondents aged 45 to 70 years by using structural equation modelling with multigroup comparisons. Results indicated a good fit of the model to participants' responses. In all contexts, physical weaknesses favoured the use of social and temporal comparison strategies rather than social support. Moreover, across the cities, coping strategies were oriented more toward protecting self-evaluation of health than toward enhancement of well-being. Social comparison decreased the impact of physical weaknesses on health evaluation and on well-being in the four cities, but to a lesser extent in China. Results are discussed regarding the normative cross-cultural aspects that intervene during ageing in the four urban contexts.

��Pueden contribuir los m��todos visuales a avanzar hacia una investigaci��n inclusiva? Un estudio sobre inclusi��n sociolaboral con personas con Trastorno Mental Grave (TMG) = Can visual methods help to go forward inclusive research? A study about social and labor inclusion with people with Severe Mental Illness (SMI)

En este art��culo se pretende mostrar c��mo la utilizaci��n de m��todos visuales en la investigaci��n contribuye a potenciar la participaci��n activa de las personas con TMG. Se utiliza como ejemplo un estudio de caso de corte cualitativo que incorpora tres actividades de componente visual (el dibujo ���el r��o de la vida���, las fotograf��as y el dibujo de proyecci��n de futuro) para favorecer la reflexi��n narrada que, sobre sus experiencias y vivencias, desarrollan cinco personas con TMG. El uso de las fotograf��as y dibujos en este estudio permite afirmar que estas estrategias se han mostrado v��lidas para acceder, en la medida que los participantes han querido, a esferas de vida personales en trayectorias vitales determinadas por la enfermedad mental

Different Storing and Processing Conditions of Human Lymphocytes do not Alter P-Glycoprotein Rhodamine 123 Efflux.

P-glycoprotein (Pgp), a protein codified by Multi Drug Resistance (MDR1) gene, has a detoxifying function and might influence the toxicity and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs. Sampling strategies to improve Pgp studies could be useful to optimize the sensitivity and the reproducibility of efflux assays. This study aimed to compare Pgp expression and efflux activity by measuring Rhodamine123 (Rh123) retention in lymphocytes stored under different conditions, in order to evaluate the potential utility of any of the storing conditions in Pgp functionality. Our results show no change in protein expression of Pgp by confocal studies and Western blotting, nor changes at the mRNA level (qRT-PCR). No differences in Rh123 efflux by Pgp activity assays were found between fresh and frozen lymphocytes after 24 hours of blood extraction, using either of the two Pgp specific inhibitors (VP and PSC833). Different working conditions in the 24 hours post blood extraction do not affect Rh123 efflux. These results allow standardization of Pgp activity measurement in different individuals with different timing of blood sampling and in different geographic areas. _______________

Versatile methodology to hydrate alkynes, in the presence of a wide variety of functional groups, with Mercury(II) p-Toluensulfonamidate, under catalytic, mild and neutral conditions

A method to generate carbonylic compounds from alkynes under mild and neutral conditions, with excellent functional group compatibility and high yields, is described. Hydration takes place under catalytic conditions by using from 0.1 to 0.2 equivalents of the easily available and inexpensive mercury(II) p-toluensulfonamidate in a hydroalcoholic solution. After use the catalyst is iner tized and/or recycled ...

Appropriate IPRs, Human Capital Composition and Economic Growth

We generalize a standard technology diffusion model by allowing for IPRs regimes to be endogenously defined by the development level of each country. Also we insert differences in the composition of human capital between North (leader) and South (followers) which shape the relative costs of innovation and imitation. Results show how an optimal growth trajectory is found for the follower country which initially imitates and that, once a "threshold development stage" is reached, optimally switches to innovation by fully enforcing IPRs achieving a higher proximity with the technology frontier in the long-run. Other scenarios, such as a premature increase in the enforcement of IPRs or a switch from imitation to innovation at early stages of development of the followers are found to be sub-optimal.

Re-visiting the health care luxury good hypothesis: Aggregation, precision, and publication biases?

[cat] Mentre que una creixent literatura que ha examinat la relaci�� entre la renda i la despesa sanit��ria suggereix que els serveis sanitaris s��n un be de luxe (elasticitat renda superior a la unitat), aquesta conclusi�� es cont��nuament debatuda atesa l'heterogene��tat dels resultats. Aquest article testa la hip��tesis dels serveis sanitaris com bens de luxe fent server an��lisi de meta- regressi��, particularment analitzant l'exist��ncia de biaixos de selecci�� de publicaci��, precisi�� aix�� com biaixos d'agregaci��. Els resultats apunten l'exist��ncia d'un biaix de publicaci��, robust independentment dels controls analitzats. Els biaixos de precisi�� i agregaci�� semblen tenir un paper en la generaci�� de les estimacions de l'elasticitat renda. Els nostres resultat suggereixen que l'elasticitat renda dels serveis sanitaris un cop corregir pels biaixos esmentat varien entre 0.26 i 0.84, per�� no podem rebutjar que la elasticitat renda es igual a la unitat en algunes estimacions de l'elasticitat corregides.

Re-visiting the health care luxury good hypothesis: Aggregation, precision, and publication biases?

[cat] Mentre que una creixent literatura que ha examinat la relaci�� entre la renda i la despesa sanit��ria suggereix que els serveis sanitaris s��n un be de luxe (elasticitat renda superior a la unitat), aquesta conclusi�� es cont��nuament debatuda atesa l'heterogene��tat dels resultats. Aquest article testa la hip��tesis dels serveis sanitaris com bens de luxe fent server an��lisi de meta- regressi��, particularment analitzant l'exist��ncia de biaixos de selecci�� de publicaci��, precisi�� aix�� com biaixos d'agregaci��. Els resultats apunten l'exist��ncia d'un biaix de publicaci��, robust independentment dels controls analitzats. Els biaixos de precisi�� i agregaci�� semblen tenir un paper en la generaci�� de les estimacions de l'elasticitat renda. Els nostres resultat suggereixen que l'elasticitat renda dels serveis sanitaris un cop corregir pels biaixos esmentat varien entre 0.26 i 0.84, per�� no podem rebutjar que la elasticitat renda es igual a la unitat en algunes estimacions de l'elasticitat corregides.

Fiscal policy and interest rates: the role of financial and economic integration

It is commonly believed that a fiscal expansion raises interest rates. However, these crowding out effects of deficits have been found to be small or non-existent. One explanation is that financial integration offsets interest rate differentials on globalised bond markets. This paper measures the degree of integration of government bond markets, using spatial modelling techniques to take this spillover on financial markets into account. Our main finding is that the crowding out effect on domestic interest rates is significant, but is reduced by spillover across borders. This spillover is important in major crises or in periods of coordinated policy actions. This result is generally robust to various measures of cross-country linkages. We find spillover to be much stronger among EU countries.

Managerial Careers in the IT Industry: Women in China and in Finland

This research focuses on the career experiences of women managers in the IT industry in China and Finland, two countries with different cultures, policies, size of population, and social and economic structures regarding work-life support and equal opportunities. The object of this research is to present a cross-cultural comparison of women���s career experiences and how women themselves understand and account for their careers. The study explores how the macro and the micro levels of cultural and social processes become manifested in the lives of individual women. The main argument in this thesis is that culture plays a crucial role in making sense of women���s career experiences, although its role should be understood through its interrelationship with other social processes, e.g., institutional relations, social policies, industrial structures and organizations, as well as globalization. The interrelationship of a series of cultural and social processes affects individuals��� attitudes to, and arrangement and organization of, their work and family lives. This thesis consists of two parts. The first part introduces the research topic and discusses the overall results. The second part comprises five research papers. The main research question of the study is: How do cultural and social processes affect the experiences of women managers? Quantitative and qualitative research methods, which include in-depth interviews, Q-methodology, interpretive analysis, and questionnaires, are used in the study. The main theoretical background is culturally sensitive career theory and the theory of individual differences. The results of this study are viewed through a feminist lens. The research methodology applied allows new explorations on how demographic factors, work experiences, lifestyle issues, and organizational cultures can jointly affect women���s managerial careers. The sample group used in the research is 42 women managers working in IT companies in China (21) and Finland (21). The results of the study illustrate the impact of history, tradition, culture, institutional relations, social politics, industry and organizations, and globalization on the careers of women managers. It is claimed that the role of culture ��� cultural norms within nations and organizations ��� is of great importance in the relationship of gender and work. Women���s managerial careers are affected by multiple factors (personal, social and cultural) reflecting national and inter-individual differences. The results of the study contribute to research on careers, adding particularly to the literature on gender, work and culture, and offering a complex and holistic perspective for a richer understanding of pluralism and global diversity. The results of the study indicate how old and new career perspectives are evidenced in women managers in the IT industry. The research further contributes to an understanding of women���s managerial careers from a cross-culture perspective. In addition, the study contributes to the literature on culture and extends understanding of Hofstede���s work. Further, most traditional career theories do not perceive the importance of culture in determining an individual���s career experience and this study richens understanding of women managers��� careers and has considerable implications for international human resource management. The results of this study emphasize the need, when discussing women managers��� careers, to understand the ways by which gendering is produced rather than merely examining gender differences. It is argued that the meaning of self-knowledge is critical. Further, the environment where the careers under study develop differs greatly; China and Finland are very different ��� culturally, historically and socially. The findings of this study should, therefore, be understood as a holistic, specific, and contextually-bound.

La Directiva 2004/38/CE y la jurisprudencia del TJCE sobre el disfrute de las prestaciones sociales: ��freno al avance en materia social o adecuaci��n a los intereses de los Estados?

El art��culo tiene como objetivo analizar el modelo social incorporado en la Directiva 2004/38/CE en el marco de la jurisprudencia del Tribunal de Justicia. El art��culo est�� dividido en dos partes. En la primera se describe la evoluci��n del modelo de coordinaci��n social de la Uni��n Europea y los avances propuestos por el TJCE a partir de la ciudadan��a europea sobre el acceso a las prestaciones sociales (Mart��nez Sala, Grzelczyk y Collins). La segunda parte del art��culo describe el modelo social incorporado en la Directiva 2004/38/ CE y los cambios que ��ste supuso para la jurisprudencia que ven��a dictando el TJCE. El art��culo concluye que la Directiva 2004/38/CE tuvo un papel de contenci��n frente los pasos dados por el Tribunal para incluir los derechos sociales en la ciudadan��a de la Uni��n; adem��s, la Directiva fragment�� la interpretaci��n del principio de no discriminaci��n para los ciudadanos no econ��micamente activos.

Sociodemographic Factors and Clinical Conditions Associated to Hospitalization in Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Virus Infected Patients in Spain, 2009-2010

The emergence and pandemic spread of a new strain of influenza A (H1N1) virus in 2009 resulted in a serious alarm in clinical and public health services all over the world. One distinguishing feature of this new influenza pandemic was the different profile of hospitalized patients compared to those from traditional seasonal influenza infections. Our goal was to analyze sociodemographic and clinical factors associated to hospitalization following infection by influenza A(H1N1) virus. We report the results of a Spanish nationwide study with laboratory confirmed infection by the new pandemic virus in a case-control design based on hospitalized patients. The main risk factors for hospitalization of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 were determined to be obesity (BMI���40, with an odds-ratio [OR] 14.27), hematological neoplasia (OR 10.71), chronic heart disease, COPD (OR 5.16) and neurological disease, among the clinical conditions, whereas low education level and some ethnic backgrounds (Gypsies and Amerinds) were the sociodemographic variables found associated to hospitalization. The presence of any clinical condition of moderate risk almost triples the risk of hospitalization (OR 2.88) and high risk conditions raise this value markedly (OR 6.43). The risk of hospitalization increased proportionally when for two (OR 2.08) or for three or more (OR 4.86) risk factors were simultaneously present in the same patient. These findings should be considered when a new influenza virus appears in the human population

The love marriage : challenging Victorian myths in Anne Bront�����s 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'

La tesina analitza com Anne Bront�� desafia el mite del casament rom��ntic a la novel��la The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Argumento que aquesta cr��tica es fa mostrant les conseq����ncies nefastes d���un matrimoni (entre l���Arthur i l���Helen) basat en l���atracci�� i en la idea que una dona pot salvar un home de mala vida. Malgrat que la novel��la acaba amb un altre casament (entre l���Helen i en Gilbert), si s���analitza en detall es pot veure que presenta elements subversius. Per exemple, la seva uni�� est�� basada en igualtat intel��lectual i compatibilitat de car��cters, enlloc d���igualtat econ��mica i social

KITCHIN, Rob (ed.). Mapping worlds: international perspectives on Social and Cultural Geographies

Rob Kitchin, ge��grafo muy activo y prol��fico, mantiene una intensa actividad editorial, puesto que dirige colecciones de temas geogr��ficos y forma parte de los comit��s asesores de varias revistas internacionales de primera l��nea, entre ellas, Social and Cultural Geography, que se publica bimensualmente desde el a��o 2000 y de la que es director. Precisamente, en esta revista dedicada a temas relacionados con la geograf��a cultural y social se halla el origen de este libro, uno de cuyos prop��sitos iniciales fue desafiar la hegemon��a anglosajona que domina el panorama geogr��fico internacional.

La gesti�� del regadiu a Catalunya: plans, actors i reptes de futur

Irrigation has traditionally constituted one of the most characteristic and emblematic agricultural mosaics of the Mediterranean as a key factor of socio-economic dynamism of the territorial matrix. In recent years there has been an important scientific, intellectual and social environment mobilization around water uses and, in particular, around the main socio-economic use of resource: irrigation, which is undergoing an intense and accelerated transformation process. Thus, in parallel with the decline of traditional irrigation systems, located in areas with natural availability of water, fertile soil and appropriate topographic conditions, the socio-economic changes in the last decade have stimulated the appearance of new irrigated areas with environmental, social and economic disparate characteristics. As a result, the irrigation management model has been conditioned to respond to the new parameters of water scarcity and resource efficiency. In addition, policies and actors have evolved over time as a consequence of disparate priorities ���and often conflicting��� in terms of irrigation, making necessary the gear of different discourses. In this context, the Model of social commitment of irrigation proposed by the Institutional and Social Innovations in Irrigation Mediterranean Management (ISIIMM) can become a starting example