Everything you Always Wanted to Know about Inventors (but Never Asked): Evidence from the PatVal-EU Survey

By drawing information from a survey of inventors of 9,017 European patents (PatVal-EU), this paper provides novel and detailed data about the characteristics of the European inventors, the sources of their knowledge, the importance of formal and informal collaborations among researchers and institutions, the motivations to invent, and the actual use and economic value of the patents. This is important information as the unavailability of direct indicators has limited the scope and depth of the empirical studies on innovation.

Réviser la définition de la recherche-développement à la lumière des spécificités des services

International audienceLa Recherche-développement (R-D) est sous-estimée dans les services. On peut le vérifier de deux manières différentes, l'une analytique, l'autre empirique : 1) en confrontant les spécificités analytiques des services avec les principes fondamentaux de la définition de la R-D codifiée par le Manuel de Frascati de l'OCDE ; 2) en réalisant des investigations empiriques approfondies dans les firmes de service. Cette contribution croise ces deux approches déductives et inductives, pour tenter de proposer une révision de la définition de la R-D. Cependant, la révision suggérée ne modifie pas de manière fondamentale la structure de la définition actuelle. Elle n'oppose pas les biens et les services dont elle reconnaît un certain nombre de comportements convergents. Elle se contente d'amender de manière marginale la définition de l'OCDE en explicitant un certain nombre de caractéristiques implicites ou insuffisamment mises en valeur : en particulier l'importance des sciences humaines et sociales, de la conception-développement ou ingénierie organisationnelle, la nature composite des projets, etc. Il s'agit en effet d'atteindre un certain seuil " psychologique " qui marquerait notre émancipation vis-à-vis de l'inertie de conceptions industrialistes et technologistes, toujours dominantes

Revising the definition of research and development in the light of the specificities of services

International audienceResearch and Development (R&D) is underestimated in services. This article combines deductive and inductive approaches in order to formulate a new definition of R&D. However, the proposed revision does not fundamentally alter the structure of the current definition. The OECD definition is only marginally amended by making explicit certain implicit or insufficiently highlighted characteristics, in particular the importance of the social sciences and humanities and of design and development or organisational engineering, the composite nature of projects, etc. Our objective, indeed, is to attain a certain 'psychological' threshold that would mark our emancipation from the inertia of the still dominant industrialist and technologist approaches

Beta-blockers cause paracentesis-induced circulatory dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis and refractory ascites: a cross-over study

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Severe hyponatremia is a better predictor of mortality than MELDNa in patients with cirrhosis and refractory ascites.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The MELDNa score was developed to improve the prognostic value of the MELD score in cirrhosis and was built for serum sodium concentrations numerically capped between 125 and 140mmol/L. This model is not validated in a well-defined population of patients with cirrhosis and refractory ascites in whom severe hyponatremia (⩽125mmol/L) is frequent. This study assessed the prognostic value of severe hyponatremia and the MELDNa score in these patients. METHODS: A consecutive, single-centre, observational, prospective study was performed in patients with cirrhosis and refractory ascites defined according to the International Ascites Club criteria. The prevalence of low serum sodium was assessed in this population. Predictive factors of mortality were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-four patients were included. Sixty-six (37.9%) had low serum sodium (<130mmol/L). Sixty-one (35.1%) had diuretic-intractable ascites due to severe hyponatremia (⩽125mmol/L). The median MELDNa score was 23 (10-33). The 1-year cumulative incidence of death was 55% (95% CI: 55-56%). The best predictive factors of mortality were the following: severe hyponatremia (⩽125mmol/L) as an underlying cause of refractory ascites, a higher Child-Pugh score, beta-blocker therapy, and a high frequency of large-volume paracentesis. The Child-Pugh score had a higher area under receiver operating curve to predict mortality than MELDNa. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with cirrhosis and refractory ascites, severe hyponatremia and Child-Pugh score are better predictors of mortality than MELDNa.JOURNAL ARTICLESCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

The impact of preoperative hepatic hydrothorax on the outcome of adult liver transplantation

Introduction: Hepatic hydrothorax is an uncommon, but severe complication of cirrhosis. Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is the best option in case of end-stage liver disease. The impact of hepatic hydrothorax on pre-transplant and post-transplant courses has not been clearly investigated. Patients and methods: Eleven patients (group 1) with hepatic hydrothorax and end-stage liver disease out of 346 consecutive patients who underwent OLT between January 2002 and December 2006 were studied. First, pretransplant and posttransplant symptoms and management of hepatic hydrothorax were compared in this group. Second, postoperative complications and survival were compared with two control groups of 11 patients, matched for age, sex, year of transplant, and severity of cirrhosis. Group 2 included patients with tense ascites, but no hepatic hydrothorax. Group 3 included patients without ascites. Results: In group 1, 73% of patients needed thoracentesis in the pre-transplant course (55% more than once) and none of the patients needed thoracenthesis in the post-transplant course. Comparing the postoperative period between the three groups, no significant differences in the duration of mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit stay, and in-hospital stay were observed. There were no significant differences in terms of incidence of sepsis and early postoperative death. One-year survival was also similar. Conclusion: Liver transplantation is a good definitive therapeutic option for cirrhotic patients with hepatic hydrothorax and end-stage liver disease. The need of thoracentesis decreases in the posttransplant course, and the presence of preoperative hepatic hydrothorax did not have a significant negative influence on postoperative outcome. © 2010 Wolters Kluwer HealthSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Severe hyponatremia is the best predictor of mortality in cirrhosis and refractory ascites

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Plasma Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 Concentration Is Increased and Predicts Mortality in Patients on the Liver-Transplant Waiting List

<div><p>High plasma fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) concentration predicts the risk of death and poor outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease or chronic heart failure. We checked if FGF23 concentration could be modified in patients with end stage liver disease (ESLD) and predict mortality. We measured plasma FGF23 in 200 patients with ESLD registered on a liver transplant waiting list between January 2005 and October 2008. We found that median plasma FGF23 concentration was above normal values in 63% of the patients. Increased FGF23 concentration was not explained by its classical determinants: hyperphosphataemia, increased calcitriol concentration or decreased renal function. FGF23 concentration correlated with the MELD score, serum sodium concentration, and GFR. Forty-six patients died before being transplanted and 135 underwent liver transplantation. We analyzed the prognostic value of FGF23 levels. Mortality was significantly associated with FGF23 levels, the MELD score, serum sodium concentration and glomerular filtration rate. On multivariate analyses only FGF23 concentration was associated with mortality. FGF23 levels were independent of the cause of the liver disease. To determine if the damaged liver can produce FGF23 we measured plasma FGF23 concentration and liver FGF23 mRNA expression in control and diethyl-nitrosamine (DEN)-treated mice. FGF23 plasma levels increased with the apparition of liver lesions in DEN-treated mice and that FGF23 mRNA expression, which was undetectable in the liver of control mice, markedly increased with the development of liver lesions. The correlation between FGF23 plasma concentration and FGF23 mRNA expression in DEN-treated mice suggests that FGF23 production by the liver accounts for the increased plasma FGF23 concentration. In conclusion chronic liver lesions can induce expression of FGF23 mRNA leading to increased FGF23 concentration, which is associated with a higher mortality in patients on a liver-transplant waiting list. In these patients FGF23 concentration was the best predictor of mortality.</p></div

Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors on the waiting list.

<p>Analyses were performed with the use of a Cox proportional-hazard analysis considering transplant as a censor.</p>*<p>HR for an increase of one unit of the variable.</p><p>GFR: glomerular filtration rate.</p