Antioxidantes dietéticos para la prevención de la periodontitis crónica y su tratamiento. Una revisión de las evidencias actuales procedentes de estudios en animales y humanos

Objetivos. Dada la relación existente entre periodontitis crónica y altos niveles de estrés oxidativo, esta revisión pretende clarificar qué papel puede desempeñar la ingesta de los diferentes antioxidantes de la dieta en el mantenimiento de un periodonto saludable y en la reducción del riesgo de padecer periodontitis crónica, así como el posible uso de terapias dietéticas basadas en estos para el tratamiento de dicha enfermedad. Métodos. Se utilizó la base de datos de la National Library of Medicine, Washington, DC (MEDLINE: PubMed) y todos los estudios en animales y humanos tratando el tema de interés en escritos Inglés disponibles online desde la creación de la base de datos hasta Mayo de 2015 fueron recopilados. Resultados. Los antioxidantes analizados a este respecto incluyen a la vitamina C, la vitamina A, algunos carotenoides y polifenoles, y el coenzima Q; así como los minerales, hierro, cobre y zinc que forman parte de enzimas antioxidantes. Aun así hay una escasez generalizada de estudios con pocos estudios en humanos, la mayoría de tipo observacional. Entre los diferentes antioxidantes, la vitamina E y los polifenoles parecen ser los que más evidencias a favor de su efecto beneficioso suman, pero en general los estudios son insuficientes para descartar o establecer qué antioxidantes son útiles y cuáles no. Conclusiones. En general, los datos presentados indicarían que los antioxidantes de la dieta resultan beneficiosos para la salud periodontal, al menos bajo ciertas circunstancias. Sin embargo se necesitan más estudios para establecer la relación entre la periodontitis crónica y cada antioxidante concreto así como para diseñar intervenciones dietéticas útiles en la gestión de esta enfermedad.Objectives. Given the relationship between chronic periodontitis and high levels of oxidative stress, this review aims to clarify what role can played the dietary intake of different antioxidants in maintaining a healthy periodontium and in reducing chronic periodontitis risk, as well as possible use of dietary therapies based on them for this disease treatment. Methods. The database of the National Library of Medicine, Washington, DC (MEDLINE PubMed) was used and all the studies in animals and humans are on the subject of interest in English writing online available from inception of the database until May 2015 were collected. Results. Antioxidants analyzed in this regard include vitamin C, vitamin A, carotenoids and some polyphenols, and coenzyme Q; as well as minerals iron, copper and zinc that are constituents of antioxidant enzymes. Still, there is a paucity of studies with few human studies, mostly observational. Among the various antioxidants, vitamin E and polyphenols seem to have more evidence for its beneficial effect, but in general the studies are insufficient to rule out or establish what antioxidants are useful and which are not. Conclusions. Overall, the data presented indicate that dietary antioxidants are beneficial for periodontal health, at least under certain circumstances. However more studies are needed to establish the relationship between chronic periodontitis and each specific antioxidant and to design useful dietary interventions for this disease managemen

Who downsizes for longer? A longitudinal analysis

This contribution investigates why firms keep on downsizing once they have started to do so. From a theoretical standpoint, we develop economic and institutional explanations for explaining corporate downsizing duration. The empirical work is carried out applying event history techniques to a sample of manufacturing firms drawn from the Spanish Survey on Business Strategies from 1994 to 2005. Although results show support for persistence in downsizing over time, repeated personnel reductions is not a widespread tool in managing the workforce in this country. In addition, we find certain key corporate parameters such as profitability, temporality rate, size and employment termination costs (as well as market demand trends) to be important determinants of the continuation of on-going downsizing experiences. This is the first study on this issue using corporate-level data for Spain and multivariate methods.Downsizing duration, Spain, Organizational learning, Manufacturing firms, Temporary contracts, Employment termination costs

The gap between male and female pay in the Spanish tourism industry

This paper analyzes wage differentials between male and female workers in the Spanish tourism industry, using a large, administratively matched employer-employee data set obtained from a representative sample of companies. This allows us to control for unobserved firm-specific factors likely to affect the magnitude of the gender wage gap. Our findings indicate that male workers earn on average 6.7% higher monthly wages than their socially comparable female counterparts. In particular, the type of contract held, the qualifications required for the job and the specific sub-sector of employment are very important variables in explaining this gender wage difference. We also find that only around 12% of the mean wage difference in the tourism industry cannot be explained by differences in observable characteristics, which is well below the average for the rest of the industries in Spain (87%). Our interpretation is that minimum wage legislation provides a particularly effective protection to women in the tourism industry, which is characterized by a large number of low-wage earners.Spanish tourism industry, Wage discrimination, Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition, Censored models

Working career progress in the tourism industry: Temp-to-perm transitions in Spain

In this article, we analyze the dynamics of temporary workers’ transitions into permanent contracts for workers related to the tourism industry. For this purpose, we use an administrative retrospective dataset from Spanish Social security records. Results show that while individuals with a weaker attachment to the tourism industry achieve open-ended contracts sooner than in most other industries, on the contrary, it takes more time to those with a greater attachment to the tourism industry to exit from the temporary status. In addition, we find that for workers substantially engaged in the tourism industry, it takes more time to reach an open-ended contract when they have held between six and ten contracts in the past (as opposed to holding only one previous contract). On the contrary, for individuals with a weaker attachment to the tourism industry, holding between two and ten previous contracts implies a quicker exit from temporality.Temporary employment, Temporality trap, Spanish tourism industry

JOB MATCHING QUALITY EFFECTS OF EMPLOYMENT PROMOTION MEASURES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

In this article, we evaluate the influence that employment promotion measures designed for disabled people have on the latter’s job matching quality through the use of matching analysis. We focus on two aspects of quality: the type of contract held (either permanent or temporary) and whether or not the individual is searching for another job. We find that employment promotion measures do not improve the match’s job quality. Furthermore, the use of specialized labour market intermediation services by disabled individuals does not affect their job matching quality. As an additional contribution, our definition of disability eludes the self-justification bias.

BREAKS IN WOMEN'S CAREERS DUE TO FAMILY REASONS: A LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE

We analyse whether family-related quits present long-term effects upon women’s careers, which are summarized in three measures of occupational prestige. There is an association between intermittent attachment to the labour market and being engaged in occupations with lower prestige levels. In causal terms, we find that women choose jobs with lower occupational prestige anticipating future family-related quits. The database consists of the retrospective information of the British Household Panel Survey

Diagnóstico por el laboratorio de las enfermedades periodontales y periimplantarias. Diagnóstico de la periodontitis.

Desde el punto de vista epidemiológico la enfermedad periodontal tiene una enorme trascendencia. El diagnóstico del proceso es una necesidad para, con arreglo a él, realizar el tratamiento y la prevención mas apropiada. El enfoque del diagnóstico depende del concepto que sobre la patogenia se tiene en un momento dado. Desde esa perspectiva se hace un análisis de los distintos métodos de diagnóstico que existen. Se llega a la conclusión de que acutalmente el método clínico, mediante el sondaje periodontal, es el mas apropiado para conocer elestado de gravedad del proceso y enfocar el tratamiento. Tras la revisión de los distintos procesos que estudian: los patógenos responsables, los mediadores de la inflamación, los parámetros de destrucción osea y del conectivo, los factores genéticos y de riesgo ambiental y adquirido, se llega a la conclusión de que actualmente no existe ningún método capaz de identificar a la población de riesgo de padecer la enfermedad periodontal ni los períodos de actividad. Ello en gran medida se debe a que existen muchas incógnitas en la patogenia del proceso y que es preciso seguir la búsqueda de un parámetro eficaz que me ayude en la toma de decisiones a la hora de enfocar el tratamiento y la prevención del proceso.The periodontal disease is very important in the general health status of our patients. We need an adequate diagnosis of the process to treat and prevent successfully. The diagnosis depends on the concept about the illness is generally accepted nowadays. We revise all the diagnostic procedures we can use in the clinic. We coclude that the clinic diagnostic method with the periodontal probe is the best way to know the destructive bone process and treat it. The others methods that study the bacteria, inflammatory mediators, parameters of bone and collagen resorption, genetic tests cannot identify the high-risk patients and the period of activity. The reason could be the lack of a compltely knowledge of the pathogenic process involved in the periodontal disease. We have to work in this field in the future to improve the treatment and prevention of the priodontitis

Does downsizing improve organizational performance? An analysis of Spanish manufacturing firms

The objective of this study is to examine the effect of downsizing on corporate performance, considering a sample of manufacturing firms drawn from the Spanish Survey of Business Strategies during the 1993- 2005 period. No significant differences in post-downsizing performance arise between companies which downsize and those that do not. Likewise, we find that substantial workforce reductions through collective dismissals do not either lead to improved performance levels. Downsizing, therefore, may not be a way for managers to increase performance, particularly in a context like the Spanish one, where the labour market is characterized by a high protection of employees’ rights and substantial contract termination costs.Downsizing, Corporate performance, Spanish labour market

The sustainability of start-up firms among formerly wage workers

In this paper we analyse the survival of start-up firms among formerly wage workers in Spain. In particular, we address the question of how long do these workers remain self-employed before entering into unemployment or returning to a new paid-employment, using well-known duration model techniques. Results show that a higher survival rate in self-employment is associated to men, prime-age workers and individuals with higher previous labour turnover. Moreover, longer unemployment spells are found to speed up the rate of transition to non-employment and to reduce that to paid employment. Finally, the probability of exiting decreases with duration in self-employment.Self-employment, Duration analysis

Downsizing implementation and financial performance

In the present study we explore the relationship between downsizing decisions and corporate financial performance after top management has decided to downsize. Our focus is on the financial consequences arising from the amount of downsizing and the use of disengagement incentives. For this purpose, we use a sample of downsizing announcements in the Spanish press from 1995 up to 2001. Although the results show that the amount of downsizing is not significantly related to post-downsizing profitability, the evidence provided supports the finding that the use of disengagement incentives (which motivate workers to leave the organization) is negatively related to firm performance. Our analysis helps to understand the role that strategic downsizing decisions play in explaining observed variance in the performance of downsized firms. Thus, it advances scholarly organizational research by reinforcing the concept that corporate performance is not only contingent on strategies, but also influenced by the means through which these strategies are implemented.Downsizing, Disengagement incentives, Corporate performance, Spanish labour market