Tobin Tax: Reducing the negative effects of capital controls and short-term capital movements

The phenomenon liberalization, with the influence of the Bretton Woods system that collapsed subsequent to the Oil Shock in 1970, first began with the efforts to discover markets to value the investments of these countries in the developed countries. In order to provide the desired capital figures, in the 1980s the developed countries, squeezed under the debt load together with insufficient capital accumulation and low saving rates, needed the foreign resources and, at this point, the liberalization process of capital gained importance. Realizing the growth and developmental targets of countries' economies, their integration in the liberalization gained great importance. The developing countries' integration in the system without the necessary arrangement in their financial structures had an effect in terms of disturbing the stability of the economies, particularly in short-term capital inflows. As much as the problem created by the speculative capital inflow, the immediate outflow of this capital, disturbing the balance of economies, also caused crisis. To minimize the negative influence of short-term capital, capital controls are emphasized. Just as these controls can have various application ways, the most emphasized and discussed application was Tobin tax. Even though there are various disagreements in terms of whether or not Tobin tax affected the capital inflows, the examples of Malaysia and Chile represent successful results. In the first section of this study, the development of the liberalization process will be examined. In the second section, the effects created by the capital movements, and particularly short-term capital movements, on the countries' economies will be emphasized. In the third section, the capital controls and Tobin tax, suggested for reducing the negative effects of the short-term capital movements will be considered and the applicability and limitations of Tobin tax will be examined

Tobin Tax - reducing the negative effects of capital controls and short-term capital movements

The phenomenon liberalization, with the influence of the Bretton Woods system that collapsed subsequent to the Oil Shock in 1970, first began with the efforts to discover markets to value the investments of these countries in the developed countries. In order to provide the desired capital figures, in the 1980s the developed countries, squeezed under the debt load together with insufficient capital accumulation and low saving rates, needed the foreign resources and, at this point, the liberalization process of capital gained importance. Realizing the growth and developmental targets of countries’ economies, their integration in the liberalization gained great importance. The developing countries’ integration in the system without the necessary arrangement in their financial structures had an effect in terms of disturbing the stability of the economies, particularly in short-term capital inflows. As much as the problem created by the speculative capital inflow, the immediate outflow of this capital, disturbing the balance of economies, also caused crisis. To minimize the negative influence of short-term capital, capital controls are emphasized. Just as these controls can have various application ways, the most emphasized and discussed application was Tobin tax. Even though there are various disagreements in terms of whether or not Tobin tax affected the capital inflows, the examples of Malaysia and Chile represent successful results. In the first section of this study, the development of the liberalization process will be examined. In the second section, the effects created by the capital movements, and particularly short-term capital movements, on the countries’ economies will be emphasized. In the third section, the capital controls and Tobin tax, suggested for reducing the negative effects of the short-term capital movements will be considered and the applicability and limitations of Tobin tax will be examined

Alleviation of Aluminum-Induced Oxidative Stress, Trace Element, and Mineral Levels in Rat Tissues Protective Role of Pomegranate Juice (Punica Granatum L.)

The present investigation examined the impact of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) juice on trace elements, minerals, and oxidative stress in relation to the potential harm inflicted by aluminum chloride (AlCl3) in rats. Rats were split into four groups at random for this purpose: control (C), pomegranate juice (PJ), aluminum chloride (A), and PJ + A. For 30 days, PJ was orally administered by gavage at a rate of 4 mL/kg every other day, whereas AlCl3 was administered intraperitoneally at 8.3 mg/kg. Spectrophotometric analysis was used to measure the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) enzyme activity in various tissues. In addition, high-resolution continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS FAAS) was used to determine the amounts of the elements Al, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ca, and Mg in the tissues. It was discovered that when PJ therapy was applied to all tissues, the antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT activity increased, the GSH level rose, and the MDA level, a sign of lipid peroxidation, decreased. Al and Ca levels increased in the A group relative to the C group in all tissues, whereas they decreased in the A + PJ group relative to the A group. Group A exhibited a proportionate increase in Fe levels in the liver and renal tissues compared with group C. Furthermore, the A group’s brain tissue had a higher Fe level than the C group’s. The A + PJ group’s brain tissue had a lower Fe level than the A group’s. Our findings demonstrate that PJ therapy greatly decreased Al buildup and oxidative stress in tissues while controlling variations in trace element levels. In addition, it is concluded that PJ might have value as a strong chelating agent to prevent Al poisoning. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Validation of a Novel, Sensitive, and Specific Urine-Based Test for Recurrence Surveillance of Patients With Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer in a Comprehensive Multicenter Study

Bladder cancer (BC), the most frequent malignancy of the urinary system, is ranked the sixth most prevalent cancer worldwide. Of all newly diagnosed patients with BC, 70–75% will present disease confined to the mucosa or submucosa, the non-muscle-invasive BC (NMIBC) subtype. Of those, approximately 70% will recur after transurethral resection (TUR). Due to high rate of recurrence, patients are submitted to an intensive follow-up program maintained throughout many years, or even throughout life, resulting in an expensive follow-up, with cystoscopy being the most cost-effective procedure for NMIBC screening. Currently, the gold standard procedure for detection and follow-up of NMIBC is based on the association of cystoscopy and urine cytology. As cystoscopy is a very invasive approach, over the years, many different noninvasive assays (both based in serum and urine samples) have been developed in order to search genetic and protein alterations related to the development, progression, and recurrence of BC. TERT promoter mutations and FGFR3 hotspot mutations are the most frequent somatic alterations in BC and constitute the most reliable biomarkers for BC. Based on these, we developed an ultra-sensitive, urine-based assay called Uromonitor®, capable of detecting trace amounts of TERT promoter (c.1-124C > T and c.1-146C > T) and FGFR3 (p.R248C and p.S249C) hotspot mutations, in tumor cells exfoliated to urine samples. Cells present in urine were concentrated by the filtration of urine through filters where tumor cells are trapped and stored until analysis, presenting long-term stability. Detection of the alterations was achieved through a custom-made, robust, and highly sensitive multiplex competitive allele-specific discrimination PCR allowing clear interpretation of results. In this study, we validate a test for NMIBC recurrence detection, using for technical validation a total of 331 urine samples and 41 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of the primary tumor and recurrence lesions from a large cluster of urology centers. In the clinical validation, we used 185 samples to assess sensitivity/specificity in the detection of NMIBC recurrence vs. cystoscopy/cytology and in a smaller cohort its potential as a primary diagnostic tool for NMIBC. Our results show this test to be highly sensitive (73.5%) and specific (93.2%) in detecting recurrence of BC in patients under surveillance of NMIBC.This study was supported by FCT (“Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology”) through a PhD grant to RB (SFRH/ BD/111321/2015). Further funding was obtained from the project “Advancing cancer research: from basic knowledge to application” NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000029: “Projetos Estruturados de I & D & I,” funded by Norte 2020—Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. This article is a result of the project PTDC/MED-ONC/31438/2017 (The Other Faces of Telomerase: Looking beyond Tumor Immortalization), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), COMPETE 2020—Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI) and by Portuguese funds through FCT. Further funding by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation— COMPETE 2020, and Portuguese national funds via FCT, under project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016390:CANCEL STEM

Intraperitoneal drain placement and outcomes after elective colorectal surgery: international matched, prospective, cohort study

Despite current guidelines, intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery remains widespread. Drains were not associated with earlier detection of intraperitoneal collections, but were associated with prolonged hospital stay and increased risk of surgical-site infections.Background Many surgeons routinely place intraperitoneal drains after elective colorectal surgery. However, enhanced recovery after surgery guidelines recommend against their routine use owing to a lack of clear clinical benefit. This study aimed to describe international variation in intraperitoneal drain placement and the safety of this practice. Methods COMPASS (COMPlicAted intra-abdominal collectionS after colorectal Surgery) was a prospective, international, cohort study which enrolled consecutive adults undergoing elective colorectal surgery (February to March 2020). The primary outcome was the rate of intraperitoneal drain placement. Secondary outcomes included: rate and time to diagnosis of postoperative intraperitoneal collections; rate of surgical site infections (SSIs); time to discharge; and 30-day major postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grade at least III). After propensity score matching, multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to estimate the independent association of the secondary outcomes with drain placement. Results Overall, 1805 patients from 22 countries were included (798 women, 44.2 per cent; median age 67.0 years). The drain insertion rate was 51.9 per cent (937 patients). After matching, drains were not associated with reduced rates (odds ratio (OR) 1.33, 95 per cent c.i. 0.79 to 2.23; P = 0.287) or earlier detection (hazard ratio (HR) 0.87, 0.33 to 2.31; P = 0.780) of collections. Although not associated with worse major postoperative complications (OR 1.09, 0.68 to 1.75; P = 0.709), drains were associated with delayed hospital discharge (HR 0.58, 0.52 to 0.66; P < 0.001) and an increased risk of SSIs (OR 2.47, 1.50 to 4.05; P < 0.001). Conclusion Intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery is not associated with earlier detection of postoperative collections, but prolongs hospital stay and increases SSI risk

Data from an International Multi-Centre Study of Statistics and Mathematics Anxieties and Related Variables in University Students (the SMARVUS Dataset)

This large, international dataset contains survey responses from N = 12,570 students from 100 universities in 35 countries, collected in 21 languages. We measured anxieties (statistics, mathematics, test, trait, social interaction, performance, creativity, intolerance of uncertainty, and fear of negative evaluation), self-efficacy, persistence, and the cognitive reflection test, and collected demographics, previous mathematics grades, self-reported and official statistics grades, and statistics module details. Data reuse potential is broad, including testing links between anxieties and statistics/mathematics education factors, and examining instruments’ psychometric properties across different languages and contexts

Symptoms experiences and attitudes towards menstruation among adolescent girls

The study aimed to analyse the factors affecting menstrual symptoms and attitudes among adolescent girls and the relationship between them. The sample of the cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical research was composed of 604 adolescent girls studying at a university. Individual Information Form, Menstruation Symptom Questionnaire (MSQ) and Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire (MAQ) were used as data collection tool in the research. Average age of the students was 21.22 ± 1.71, and average menstrual cycle length was 29.3 ± 7.85 days. MSQ mean score was 69.84 ± 15.48 and MAQ mean score was 103.10 ± 9.84. These results are important for showing that students perceive menstruation as a natural phenomenon, despite significant menstrual symptoms.Impact statement What is already known on this subject? The intensity of menstrual symptoms is associated with negative menstrual attitudes. But, there have been few studies on the relationship between menstruation symptoms and attitudes and their impact on menstrual problems in Turkish adolescents. What the results of this study add? Adolescents’ menstrual complaints are common, but their attitudes towards menstruation are positive. The lack of a significant relationship between menstrual symptoms and attitudes were more likely to be explained by the fact that young girls perceive menstruation as a natural phenomenon even though they have so many symptoms. What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Further study should be extended to various cultures and destinations to understand the effect of culture on menstruation that rural areas may be surrounded by taboos and myths which might affect the negative attitude

Congestive heart failure in three dogs

Ok M, Öztürk AS, Er C. Üç köpekte konjestif kalp yetmezliği. Eurasian J Vet Sci, 2010, 26, 1, 57-62 Bu vaka raporunda, konjestif kalp yetmezliği olan 3 köpekte klinik, hematolojik, kan gazları, bazı biyokimyasal, elektrokardiografik (EKG), radyografik, ultrasonografik ve otopsi bulguları sunulmuştur. Bütün köpeklerde plazma kardiak troponin I (kTnI) ve kreatinin kinaz izoenzim MB (CK-MB) enzim düzeylerinde önemli oranda artış belirlendi. Elektrokardiografik muayenede bir köpekte atrial fibrilasyon, diğer iki köpekte ise ventriküler taşikardi saptandı. Radyografik ve ultrasonografik muayenede bütün köpeklerde sağ ve sol kalpte dilatasyon gözlenmiştir.Ok M, Ozturk AS, Er C. Congestive heart failure in three dogs. Eurasian J Vet Sci, 2010, 26, 1, 57-62 In this case report the clinical, hematological, blood gases, some biochemical, ultrasonographic, electrocardiographic (ECG), radiographic and necropsy findings were presented in three dog with congestive heart failure. Plasma cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and creatinin kinase isoenzyme MB (CKMB) concentrations of all dogs were significantly increased. In the electrocardiagraphic examination, one dog had atrial fibrillation and two dogs had ventricular tachycardia. Radiographic and ultrasonograhpic examination, left and right heart dilatation was observed in all cases

Triple-negative breast cancer: immunohistochemical correlation with basaloid markers and prognostic value of survivin

Objective Among the subgroups of breast cancer, basaloid type has the shortest disease-free survival. Survivin is an apoptosis inhibitor and its prognostic and predictive value in breast cancer is under investigation. In this study, we examined the basaloid markers CK5/6, CK14, CK17, and EGFR in triplet-negative patients and evaluated the impact of survivin on survival. Materials and methods Thirty patients with breast cancer in triplet-negative form admitted to Erciyes University Medical Oncology Department between 2001 and 2005 were included in the study. Median follow up and age were 45 months (range 5-76 months) and 47 years (range 2376), respectively. Eighteen patients (60%) were premenopausal and 12 (40%) were postmenopausal. In total, 2, 12, and 14 patients had stage I, II, and III disease, respectively. When cytokeratines and survivin were analyzed independently, association between CK5/6 positivity and lymph node involvement was statistically significant (P = 0.014). In 70% of patients, CK5/6 or EGFR was found positive, and positive results were only had statistically significant correlation with age and menopausal status (P = 0.049 and 0.049, respectively). Ten patients (33.3%) totally and nine patients (42.8%) in the basaloid subgroup had positive staining for survivin. Survivin was not correlated with any of the clinical or histopathological features. While correlation between the number of involved lymph nodes, lymphovascular invasion, histopathological grade, and disease-free survival was statistically significant (P = 0.036, 0.002, and 0.035, respectively), this is not valid for CK5/6, EGFR, and survivin. Conclusion CK5/6 or EGFR was accepted as determinants of basaloid breast cancer. The correlation between basaloid form and other histopathological markers did not reveal any significant difference with respect to prognostic and clinical parameters. We were unable to demonstrate the prognostic impact of survivin in patients with basaloid form or triplet-negative breast cancer