Trade Liberalisation, Market Deregulation and Agricultural Performance in Central America

One frequently encounters the argument that trade liberalisation and deregulation of domestic markets in developing countries result in increased incentives for agriculture. This proposition is considered for the Central American countries, all of which passed through fundamental policy change either in the 1980s or 1990s. After characterising the policy regimes in each country over various periods, the analysis moves to an inspection of agricultural trade performance. The evidence indicates that liberalisation of foreign trade and deregulation of domestic markets has not been associated with improved agricultural performance. It is suggested that the failure of agriculture to respond positively to policy changes can be in part explained by an unfavourable trend in world prices of the region's major tradable commodities.

Food insecurity in low-income countries Measurement, sources and some policy implications

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La contribution de l'agriculture au développement rural: quel rôle de l'action publique pour soutenir la production jointe de biens publics nécesaires au développement rural ?

Extrait de documentUsing selected case studies, representing the full diversity of French rural areas, this document indicates the degree to which agricultural and agri-food activities contribute to the development of rural areas, essentially in the environmental, but also in the social fields. More precisely, using regional-economy models, estimations of direct and indirect jobs created by rural activities (and of the upstream and downstream linkages) show the great diversity of the basic activities in French rural areas and consequently the integrated character of rural development. Whereas in certain areas, agricultural and agri-food activities remain the primary basic activities, in other more attractive areas, the sectors related to the residential and recreational functions play the central role. What is more, agriculture provides agricultural goods and, in the process, environmental and territorial services that are indispensable for the development of the other rural activities, particularly in the more attractive rural areas. After describing these services in a few areas, we show the strong interdependence between the agricultural and agri-food sectors on the one hand, and the tourism and residential sectors on the other, via the notion of a set (or basket) of territorialised goods and services. In fact, these French case studies tend to show that the consistency of agricultural and rural development policies is improved when public action encourages, first, the continued existence of public goods provided by agriculture (some of which are purely public goods and could by financed by public funds over the long term), and secondly, the emergence of coordinated networks of actors capable of enhancing the value, via the market, of some of the services provided, e.g. by developing baskets of territorialised goods and services in which each product is worth more than if sold separately. In this case, the financing intended to enhance local coordination can be temporary.A partir d'études de cas choisies représentatives de la diversité des espaces ruraux français, il sera explicité dans quelle mesure les activités agricoles et agroalimentaires contribuent au développement rural essentiellement dans les dimensions environnementales voire sociales. Plus précisément, à partir de modèles d'économie régionale des estimations des emplois directs, indirects et induits suscités par l'ensemble des activités rurales (et donc des linkages aval et amont) ont montré la très grande diversité des activités motrices des espaces ruraux français, soulignant ainsi le caractère intégré du développement rural. Alors que dans un certain nombre d'entre eux, les activités agricoles et agroalimentaires demeure les principales activités motrices, dans d'autres plus attractifs, les secteurs liés aux fonctions résidentielles et récréatives occupent une place centrale. Par ailleurs, l'agriculture est pourvoyeuse de biens agricoles dont la production est jointe à celle de services environnementaux et territoriaux indispensables au développement des autres activités rurales, surtout dans ce second type d'espace rural. Après avoir caractérisé la nature de ces services sur quelques zones, nous montrerons les interdépendances fortes entre les secteurs agricoles, agroalimentaires et ceux liés au tourisme et au résidentiel à travers la notion de panier de biens et de services territorialisés. En fait, ces études de cas françaises tendent à montrer que les politiques de développement agricole et rural gagnent en cohérence lorsque l'action publique favorise, d'une part, le maintien de biens publics fournis par l'agriculture (certains d'entre eux étant des biens publics purs pouvant donner lieu à des financements publics pérennes), d'autre part, l'émergence de réseaux d'acteurs coordonnés à même de valoriser par le marché une partie des services fournis (par exemple, en développant des paniers de biens et de services territorialisés valorisant chacun d'entre eux à des valeurs supérieures à ce qu'elles seraient en cas de consommation séparée). Dans cas, les financements destinés à accroître les coordinations locales peuvent être transitoires

Controversies in preoperative bowel preparation in gynecologic and gynecologic oncology surgery: a review of the literature

Purpose: The purpose of this review is to assess the impact of mechanical and oral antibiotics bowel preparation on surgical performance and to investigate their role before gynecologic surgical procedures regarding the infection rates. We also aim to study the updated evidence regarding the use of these different types of bowel preparation, as well as the current preoperative practice applied. Methods: An extensive search of the literature was conducted with Medline/PubMed, and the Cochrane Library Database of Systematic Reviews being used for our primary search. Results: To date, due to the conflicting guidelines by the scientific societies, surgeons do not use a specific pattern of bowel preparation regimen. There are no strong evidence supporting mechanical bowel preparation, but instead, in many cases, patients’ adverse effects, both physiological and psychological have been noted. On the other hand, the combined use of oral antibiotic and mechanical bowel preparation has been proven beneficial in colorectal surgery in reducing postoperative morbidities. Conclusion: Based on current literature, in gynecologic surgeries with minimal probability of intraluminal entry, a regimen without any bowel preparation should be applied. The combined administration of both mechanical and oral antibiotic bowel preparation, or even the use of the oral antibiotics alone, should be preserved for cases of increased complexity, where bowel involvement is highly anticipated, such as in gynecologic oncology, as stated in the ERAS protocols. Nonetheless, further research specific to gynecologic surgery is required. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Government expenditure on agriculture and agricultural performance in developing countries

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Exchange rate policy and agricultural exports performance in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Assessing the impact on food security of alternative compensatory financing schemes A simulation approach with an application to India

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Preoperative Bowel Preparation in Minimally Invasive and Vaginal Gynecologic Surgery

Bowel preparation traditionally refers to the removal of bowel contents via mechanical cleansing measures. Although it has been a common practice for more than 70 years, its use is based mostly on expert opinion rather than solid evidence. Mechanical bowel preparation in minimally invasive and vaginal gynecologic surgery is strongly debated, since many studies have not confirmed its effectiveness, neither in reducing postoperative infectious morbidity nor in improving surgeons' performance. A comprehensive search of Medline/PubMed and the Cochrane Library Database was conducted, for related articles up to June 2019, including terms such as "mechanical bowel preparation," "vaginal surgery," "minimally invasive," and "gynecology." We aimed to determine the best practice regarding bowel preparation before these surgical approaches. In previous studies, bowel preparation was evaluated only via mechanical measures. The identified randomized trials in laparoscopic approach and in vaginal surgery were 8 and 4, respectively. Most of them compare different types of preparation, with patients being separated into groups of oral laxatives, rectal measures (enema), low residue diet, and fasting. The outcomes of interest are the quality of the surgical field, postoperative infectious complications, length of hospital stay, and patients' comfort during the whole procedure. The results are almost identical regardless of the procedure's type. Routine administration of bowel preparation seems to offer no advantage to any of the objectives mentioned above. Taking into consideration the fact that in most gynecologic cases there is minimal probability of bowel intraluminal entry and, thus, low surgical site infection rates, most scientific societies have issued guidelines against the use of any bowel preparation regimen before laparoscopic or vaginal surgery. Nonetheless, surgeons still do not use a specific pattern and continue ordering them. However, according to recent evidence, preoperative bowel preparation of any type should be omitted prior to minimally invasive and vaginal gynecologic surgeries. © 2020 Michail Diakosavvas et al

Hysteroscopic treatment of Cesarean Scar Pregnancy: A systematic review

More than 30 regimens, medical and surgical, have been described for the treatment of Cesarean Scar Pregnancies (CSPs). This study aims to collect and analyze data in the published literature regarding the hysteroscopic management of CSPs focusing on efficacy and complications. Using a protocol registered with Prospero (#CRD42021242314), the electronic databases PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Clinical-Trials.gov and the Cochrane Library were comprehensively searched, from their inception to June 2020. Medical Subject Headings terms such as caesarean ectopic, hysteroscopy and endoscopy were used for the identification of the relevant records. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to design the present systematic review. Eligible articles assessing the role of hysteroscopy in CSP were considered the studies published in peer-reviewed journals. Any studies with less than 10 cases or articles that insufficiently detailed the treatment regimen, the outcomes, and the success rate, were excluded. Selected articles were assessed for the level of evidence, based on Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine guidelines. The methodologic quality, including the risk of bias, was evaluated with the employment of the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool. Ten out of 613 studies were included in the present review comprising 812 women with CSP treated by hysteroscopy. The treatment modalities were divided into three categories: (i) hysteroscopic resection of CSP, (ii) hysteroscopy after preoperative use of HIFU and (iii) preoperative use of UAE before hysteroscopic treatment. The overall success rate of hysteroscopic treatment on CSP cases was 91%, whereas the rate of hemorrhage or excessive vaginal bleeding (>500 mL) and the rate of hysterectomy were 1.66% and 0.28% respectively. According to the results of this systematic review, hysteroscopy appears to be a safe and effective procedure for CSP management. Current findings are primarily based on retrospective studies with poor methodological quality. Multicenter, well-designed studies are needed to draw definite conclusions. © 2022 Elsevier B.V

The relevance of notch signaling in cancer progression

The Notch signaling pathway controls normal embryonic development and tissue homeostasis of many cell types. It regulates cell proliferation, fate, differentiation, and cell death by short-range signaling between nearby cells that come in contact. The Notch pathway has also been critically involved in the pathobiology of a variety of malignancies, regulating cancer initiation and development, as well as early stages of cancer progression, by adjusting conserved cellular programs. Fibroblasts, an essential for tumor growth component of stroma, have also been affected by Notch regulation. Sequencing Notch gene mutations have been identified in a number of human tumors, revealing information on the progression of specific cancer types, such as ovarian cancer and melanoma, immune-associated tumors such as myeloid neoplasms, but especially in lymphocytic leukemia. Activation of the Notch can be either oncogenic or it may contain growth-suppressive functions, acting as a tumor suppressor in other hematopoietic cells, hepatocytes, skin, and pancreatic epithelium. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG