221,486 research outputs found
Regional integration in Central Asia: A firm-centered view
No full textRegional integration remains among the main topics of international discourse in Central Asia, though the progress of international cooperation is very limited. Our aim is to understand the connection between the organization of economic institutions in Central Asia and the regional integration. The existing literature has explored the state level of integration in great detail: varying from rational choice explanations of security dilemma to the studies of social construction of the region in Central Asia. This paper, however, provides a firm-centered perspective on the regional integration. Thus, it first considers how varieties of political economies of Central Asian countries influence the regionalization process in the region through economic networks established by private actors, and how institutions are shaped by regionalization. Second, it considers how political institutions determine the impact of informal networks on formal regional integration initiatives, and looks at the potential effect of formal regionalism on regionalization process in Central Asia.Regionalization, informal integration, transition
HOMA-IR and the Matsuda Index as predictors of progression to type 1 diabetes in autoantibody-positive relatives
No full textAim/hypothesis We assessed whether HOMA-IR and the Matsuda Index are associated with transitions through stages of type 1 diabetes.Methods Autoantibody (AAb)-positive relatives of individuals with type 1 diabetes (n=6256) from the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention were studied. Associations of indicators of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and insulin sensitivity (Matsuda Index) with BMI percentile (BMIp) and age were assessed with adjustments for measures of insulin secretion, Index60 and insulinogenic index (IGI). Cox regression was used to determine if tertiles of HOMA-IR and Matsuda Index predicted transitions from Not Staged (= 2 AAbs and normoglycaemia), from Stage 1 to Stage 2 (>= 2 AAbs with dysglycaemia), and progression to Stage 3 (diabetes as defined by WHO/ADA criteria).Results There were strong associations of HOMA-IR (positive) and Matsuda Index (inverse) with baseline age and BMIp (p<0.0001). After adjustments for Index60, transitioning from Stage 1 to Stage 2 was associated with higher HOMA-IR and lower Matsuda Index (HOMA-IR: HR=1.71, p<0.0001; Matsuda Index, HR=0.40, p<0.0001), as with progressing from Stages 1 or 2 to Stage 3 (HOMA-IR: HR=1.98, p<0.0001; Matsuda Index: HR=0.46, p<0.0001). Without adjustments, associations of progression to Stage 3 were inverse for HOMA-IR and positive for Matsuda Index, opposite in directionality with adjustments. When IGI was used in place of Index60, the findings were similar.Conclusions/interpretation Progression to Stages 2 and 3 of type 1 diabetes increases with HOMA-IR and decreases with the Matsuda Index after adjustments for insulin secretion. Indicators of insulin secretion appear helpful for interpreting associations of progression to type 1 diabetes with HOMA-IR or the Matsuda Index in AAb-positive relatives
Economic role of public administration in Central Asia: Decentralization and hybrid political regime
No full textThe aim of the paper is to understand how the organization of public administration in Central Asia shapes the results of economic development in the region. It discusses the main factors of bad quality of public administration in the region, paying particular attention to the link between political regimes and public administration. Moreover, it provides an overview of decentralization and devolution of power in Central Asian countries as one of the main channels of transformation of administration. The paper covers both formal decentralization and informal distribution of power between levels of government.Public administration, hybrid regimes, decentralization
Entrevista de historia oral con Ingrid P. Pietri y Osmarie M. Cruz Rosas, 15 de diciembre de 2021
No full textLas entrevistadas son Ingrid P. Pietri y Osmarie M. Cruz Rosas, quienes trabajan en el Hogar de Niños Portal de Amor, una entidad que brinda protección a menores de edad que han sido víctimas de maltrato. Ingrid y Osmarie hablan sobre la fundación de la organización y sobre distintos aspectos de la vida en el hogar, como el trabajo que se realiza, los retos que enfrentan y los vínculos de afecto que se crean entre las personas cuidadoras y los niños. También relatan las experiencias que se vivieron en el hogar durante el Huracán María, los terremotos ocurridos entre fines del año 2019 y el 2020 y la pandemia del COVID-19.The narrators are Ingrid P. Pietri and Osmarie M. Cruz Rosas, who work at Hogar de Niños Portal de Amor, a home that provides protection to minors who have been victims of abuse. Ingrid and Osmarie talk about how the organization was founded and about different aspects of life at the home, such as the work that is carried out, the challenges they face, and the emotional ties that form between the caretakers and the children. They also speak about people’s experiences at the home during Hurricane Maria, the earthquakes that occurred between late 2019 and 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic.This work was created as part of the project “Listening to Puerto Rico: The Promise of Oral History On-Campus and Beyond,” funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Award number ZDH-284106-22
Ingrid Winterbach: Novelist (Interview)
No full textWinner of the prestigious Hertzog Prize for Literature for Niggie (2002)Ingrid Winterbach is the author of eight novels, three of which have been translated into English and two into Dutch. The translation of her fourth novel, Karolina Ferreira (1993) as The Elusive Moth (2005), and subsequently, Niggie as To Hell with Cronjé (2007) and Die boek van toeval en toeverlaat (2006) as The Book of Happenstance (2008), have brought this author to the attention of a wider South African readership
Potential pathways for the future development and sustainability of the InGRID research infrastructure, Deliverable 7.9
No full textThis document lays out some potential pathways for the future development and sustainability of the InGRID research infrastructure. It is a summary and compilation of key documents prepared under the InGRID-2 project and its work plan, including three strategic notes on data, methods and policy
Un caso de endocarditis de Libman Sacks
No full textLibman y Sacks en 1924 evidenciaron lesiones en las válvulas cardiacas de pacientes con Lupus Eritematoso Sistémico, siendo las más afectadas la válvula mitral y la aórtica. Se trata de vegetaciones estériles, cuya prevalencia es del 53 al 74% y guarda relación con actividad lúpica y síndrome de anticuerpos antifosfolipídicos. El ecocardiograma es el estudio de elección para el diagnóstico y seguimiento de la enfermedad. La regurgitación es la afectación más frecuente, las lesiones valvulares pocas veces son severas, el tratamiento incluye profilaxis para endocarditis, manejo antiagregante y en algunos casos anticoagulante. El uso de corticoesteroides no previene la presentación de la enfermedad pero facilita la recuperación. En aquellos pacientes con disfunción valvular y repercusión hemodinámica se puede optar por manejo conservador. En casos seleccionados de afectación valvular severa se debe considerar el reemplazo valvular, así como individualizar el uso de válvula mecánica versus bioprotésica. En la actualidad la reparación valvular es una alternativa al reemplazo con mejores tasas de mortalidad y supervivencia
Libman-Sacks endocarditis in systemic lupus erythematosus: Prevalence, associations, and evolution
No full textPURPOSE: We evaluated the prevalence and progression of Libman-Sacks endocarditis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and any association between this valvulopathy and their clinical and laboratory characteristics. METHODS: Doppler echocardiography was performed in 342 consecutive patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (297 females and 45 males). The clinical and laboratory data were recorded. Patients were reevaluated after a follow-up period of 4 years. RESULTS: Libman-Sacks endocarditis was found in 38 patients (11%). In 24 of 38 patients, mitral valve involvement was found, resulting in regurgitation in all ( mild in 18, moderate in 4, and severe in 2), whereas stenosis co-occurred with regurgitation in 9 patients (mild in 6 and moderate in 3). Thirteen (34%) of 38 patients had aortic valve involvement; 11 had regurgitation (mild) and 8 had stenosis (mild), coexistent with regurgitation in 6 of them. One patient had mild tricuspid regurgitation. A significant association was found between Libman-Sacks endocarditis and disease duration and activity, thromboses, stroke, thrombocytopenia, anticardiolipin antibodies, and antiphospholipid syndrome. During the follow-up period, 252 of 342 patients were reevaluated echocardiographically. Among the 38 patients with Libman-Sacks vegetations, 5 with mild mitral regurgitation at the beginning developed moderate (n = 4) and severe mitral regurgitation (n = 1), 2 patients with mitral stenosis (mild in 1 and moderate in 1) developed severe mitral regurgitation, and 2 patients with mild aortic regurgitation developed moderate and severe mitral regurgitation, whereas a significant deterioration of aortic stenosis was found. Two patients who were candidates for surgery died. Among the 213 patients without vegetations at the beginning, 8 developed new Libman-Sacks lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Libman-Sacks vegetations can be found in approximately 1 of 10 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, and they are associated with lupus duration, disease activity, anticardiolipin antibodies, and antiphospholipid syndrome manifestations. A progression of valve lesions may occur during long-term follow-up. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
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