Editorial: Change and Continuity

The short editorial introduces the new volume and provides information on the new composition of the board of editors. Starting from this issue, the main responsibility for editing the two journals "Moneta e Credito" and "PSL Quarterly Review" shifts from Alessandro Roncaglia to Carlo D’Ippoliti. Roncaglia, chairman of Economia Civile, which publishes both journals, remains on the board as co-editor. The present introduction explains the main reasons for this change, and shortly recalls the recent history of the Review

Introduction: Time for a New Debate on Europe

This short editorial note introduces the current issue of the Review with the aim of opening a debate on Europe after the Brexit. Even if many saw the euro as a step towards political integration, there is now confusion and uncertainty over the final aims and objectives of the EU. Increasing popular hostility against the EU makes the current set-up one with which we will have to live for a while, before Treaty changes will be possible again. Alas, the current set-up is a union made up of sovereign countries competing under common uniform rules, rather than cooperating under flexible arrangements. The debate on Europe must proceed in parallel with discussion on the other regions of the world, both for the impact that the latter have on the EU, and for the global consequences of the dire predicament of Europe, which is the largest economic area in the world. In the coming issues, the Review will continue to contribute to the global discussion on all areas of the world; as much as Eurobonds have been expunged from the dictionary, “decoupling” can hardly remain in it

Un cambiamento nella continuità

The short editorial introduces the new volume and provides information on the new composition of the board of editors. Starting from this issue, the main responsibility for editing the two journals Moneta e Credito and PSL Quarterly Review shifts from Alessandro Roncaglia to Carlo D’Ippoliti. Roncaglia, chairman of Economia Civile, which publishes both journals, remains on the board as co-editor. The present introduction explains the main reasons for this change, and shortly recalls the recent history of the review

Estimation of Short-Term Effects of Air Pollution on Stroke Hospital Admissions in Wuhan, China

Background and Objective:High concentrations of air pollutants have been linked to increased incidence of stroke in North America and Europe but not yet assessed in mainland China. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between stroke hospitalization and short-term elevation of air pollutants in Wuhan, China.Methods:Daily mean NO2, SO2 and PM10 levels, temperature and humidity were obtained from 2006 through 2008. Data on stroke hospitalizations (ICD 10: I60-I69) at four hospitals in Wuhan were obtained for the same period. A time-stratified case-crossover design was performed by season (April-September and October-March) to assess effects of pollutants on stroke hospital admissions.Results:Pollution levels were higher in October-March with averages of 136.1 μg/m3 for PM10, 63.6 μg/m3 for NO2 and 71.0 μg/m3 for SO2 than in April-September when averages were 102.0 μg/m3, 41.7 μg/m3 and 41.7 μg/m3, respectively (p<.001). During the cold season, every 10 μg/m3 increase in NO2 was associated with a 2.9% (95%C.I. 1.2%-4.6%) increase in stroke admissions on the same day. Every 10 ug/m3 increase in PM10 daily concentration was significantly associated with an approximate 1% (95% C.I. 0.1%-1.4%) increase in stroke hospitalization. A two-pollutant model indicated that NO2 was associated with stroke admissions when controlling for PM10. During the warm season, no significant associations were noted for any of the pollutants.Conclusions:Exposure to NO2 is significantly associated with stroke hospitalizations during the cold season in Wuhan, China when pollution levels are 50% greater than in the warm season. Larger and multi-center studies in Chinese cities are warranted to validate our findings. © 2013 Xiang et al