International Law association’s guidelines on intellectual property and private international law (“Kyoto guidelines”): jurisdiction

Coherent privaatrech

Modelling thirty-day mortality in the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in an adult ICU

Publisher's copy made available with the permission of the publisher © Australian Society of AnaesthetistsVariables predicting thirty-day outcome from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) were analysed using Cox regression structured for time-varying covariates. Over a three-year period, 1996-1998, consecutive patients with ARDS (bilateral chest X-ray opacities, PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio of <200 and an acute precipitating event) were identified using a prospective computerized data base in a university teaching hospital ICU. The cohort, 106 mechanically ventilated patients, was of mean (SD) age 63.5 (15.5) years and 37% were female. Primary lung injury occurred in 45% and 24% were postoperative. ICU-admission day APACHE II score was 25 (8); ARDS onset time from ICU admission was 1 day (median: range 0-16) and 30 day mortality was 41% (95% CI: 33%-51%). At ARDS onset, PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio was 92 (31), 81% had four-quadrant chest X-ray opacification and lung injury score was 2.75 (0.45). Average mechanical ventilator tidal volume was 10.3 ml/ predicted kg weight. Cox model mortality predictors (hazard ratio, 95% CI) were: APACHE II score, 1.15 (1.09-1.21); ARDS lag time (days), 0.72 (0.58-0.89); direct versus indirect injury, 2.89 (1.45-5.76); PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio, 0.98 (0.97-0.99); operative versus non-operative category, 0.24 (0.09-0.63). Time-varying effects were evident for PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio, operative versus non-operative category and ventilator tidal volume assessed as a categorical predictor with a cut-point of 8 ml/kg predicted weight (mean tidal volumes, 7.1 (1.9) vs 10.7 (1.6) ml/kg predicted weight). Thirty-day survival was improved for patients ventilated with lower tidal volumes. Survival predictors in ARDS were multifactorial and related to patient-injury-time interaction and level of mechanical ventilator tidal volume.J. L. Moran, P. J. Solomon, V. Fox, M. Salagaras, P. J. Williams, K. Quinlan, A. D. Berstenhttp://www.aaic.net.au/Article.asp?D=200332

History of clinical transplantation

How transplantation came to be a clinical discipline can be pieced together by perusing two volumes of reminiscences collected by Paul I. Terasaki in 1991-1992 from many of the persons who were directly involved. One volume was devoted to the discovery of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), with particular reference to the human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) that are widely used today for tissue matching.1 The other focused on milestones in the development of clinical transplantation.2 All the contributions described in both volumes can be traced back in one way or other to the demonstration in the mid-1940s by Peter Brian Medawar that the rejection of allografts is an immunological phenomenon.3,4 © 2008 Springer New York

Update in Molecular Biology for Teachers from Public Schools: a Knowledge Exchange Experience.

One  of the goals of the graduate Program in Molecular Biology from UNIFESP (PrMB -UNIFESP) is to contribute for continuing education of biology teachers from public high schools. A close relation between university and public schools is an important channel for dissemination of scientific knowledge. Thus, a 40h Molecular Biology updating course was offered to 20 high school teachers. The objective was to discuss genomic and proteomic advances and their application. The course was organized by graduate students  from PrMB -UNIFESP. Three groups ofstudents were formed, two being responsible for theorical and practical classes and one for global logistic including searching for financial support. The themes presented to the teachers were flow of genetic information,  recombinant DNA, gene cloning, transgenic plants and animals, mutation, super bacteria and stem cell. The teachers also had hands-on classes including DNA extraction, PCR, gene cloning and SDS-PAGE. The teachers received an assignment to go back to their s chools and do some activity with their students that would be related to the themes discussed. The students produced videos, discussions, posters, theater, experimental models and pratical classes related to the course themes. After 3 months the teachers r eturned to show their students’ work.  We conclude that information was transmitted to the teachers, updating them, and to high school students, that learned science in a entertaining way. Also, the graduate students had an experience on how to organize a c ourse including all its responsibilities

Information Content of Business Methods Patents

We examine the market reaction to business method patents granted to publicly traded firms. Our findings suggest that the "State Street" decision represents a turning point not only for the growth in the number of business method patent filings, but also in the market's awareness and perception of value creation for the filing firms. The granting of a business method patent evokes a positive average stock price reaction, especially in the post-"State Street" period. Cross-sectional differences in abnormal returns depend on the type of patent granted. The market reaction also differs based on industry classification. Copyright 2006, The Eastern Finance Association.