La acción de wrongful life en la reciente jurisprudencia del tribunal supremo: dudas y cuestiones abiertas

On the 16th of June 2010 the Spanish Supreme Court decided on a patrimonial liability claim put in by a woman -together with her husband- who, after an amniocentesis test, received a wrong information concerning the health of the baby she was expecting. Due to an exchange of results with those of another woman, Mrs. Soledad received the mistaken information that her baby was in health, despite he was actually suffering from Down syndrome. This recent case, together with some interesting jurisprudential precedents, all of them belonging to the wrongful birth cases, raises interesting questions concerning the identity of the protected juridical good, the moral and patrimonial damages, the active legitimation, the possibility of admitting wrongful abortion and avoidable abortion actions. One of the most interesting issues, which is also the guideline of the entire analysis, is the possibility of considering some of these cases belonging to wrongful life actions due to aspects related to the identification of the damage, the type of compensation granted, the recipients of the compensation or other particularities. The influence of the new law of abortion on future wrongful birth actions is also discussed.El 16 de junio de 2010 el Tribunal Supremo resolvió la demanda de responsabilidad planteada por una mujer -junto con su marido- que, tras someterse a una prueba de amniocentesis, recibió una información equivocada sobre el estado de salud del niño que portaba a consecuencia de un intercambio de resultados de análisis con los de otra mujer. Doña Soledad recibió la información de que su hijo estaba sano, cuando en realidad se encontraba afectado por el síndrome de Down. Este caso reciente, junto con algunos destacados antecedentes jurisprudenciales, enmarcados todos ellos dentro de la problemática general de las acciones de wrongful birth, suscita interesantes cuestiones sobre la identidad del bien jurídico protegido, el elemento del daño moral y del daño patrimonial, el problema de la legitimación activa y la admisibilidad de acciones de wrongful abortion y de avoidable abortion. Una de las perspectivas más notables, que también constituye el hilo conductor del entero análisis, se refiere al acercamiento de muchos de estos casos a supuestos de wrongful life actions, por su tratamiento de la identificación del daño, del tipo de indemnización concedida, de los destinatarios de la indemnización o por otras particularidades. También es objeto de debate la influencia de la nueva ley del aborto sobre las futuras acciones de wrongful birth

Impact of ART Use on Labour Force Participation among PLWHA Using ART in Southern Highlands HIV/AIDS Program in Tanzania

This is the retrospective cohort study which was conducted to analyse the impact of ART on labour force participation by 2829 PLWHA using ART at in Tanzania from 2005 to 2011. Quantitative method of research was applied and review of patients’ record was used to collect data. The results revealed that 92.4% of PLWHA registered on ART belong to working age group i.e. 15 – 65 years old (t-statistical value = 4.9 and p - value = 0.0002). There were 92.0% PLWHA who were able to work before ART, but labour force increased to 99.5% after PLWHA initiated on ART (correlation coefficient, r = 0.999, p-value < 0.001). The researcher concluded that majority of PLWHA using ART belongs to the working age group, and ART increases PLWHA labour force participation .The researcher therefore recommended that ART is worth continuing on with the universal population coverage. The study has some limitations as it assessed only one benefits of ART that is labour force participation of PLWHA. Key words: PLWHA, Antiretroviral therapy, labour force participation, resource limited settin

Identification of subgroups of early breast cancer patients at high risk of nonadherence to adjuvant hormone therapy: results of an italian survey.

The aim of this study was the identification of subgroups of patients at higher risk of nonadherence to adjuvant hormone therapy for breast cancer. Using recursive partitioning and amalgamation (RECPAM) analysis, the highest risk was observed in the group of unmarried, employed women, or housewives. This result might be functional in designing tailored intervention studies aimed at improvement of adherence. Background: Adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy (HT) is suboptimal among breast cancer patients. A high rate of nonadherence might explain differences in survival between clinical trial and clinical practice. Tailored interventions aimed at improving adherence can only be implemented if subgroups of patients at higher risk of poor adherence are identified. Because no data are available for Italy, we undertook a large survey on adherence among women taking adjuvant HT for breast cancer. Patients and Methods: Patients were recruited from 10 cancer clinics in central Italy. All patients taking HT for at least 1 year were invited, during one of their follow-up visit, to fill a confidential questionnaire. The association of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of participants with adherence was assessed using logistic regression. The RECPAM method was used to evaluate interactions among variables and to identify subgroups of patients at different risk of nonadherence. Results: A total of 939 patients joined the study and 18.6% of them were classified as nonadherers. Among possible predictors, only age, working status, and switching from tamoxifen to an aromatase inhibitor were predictive of nonadherence in multivariate analysis. RECPAM analysis led to the identification of 4 classes of patients with a different likelihood of nonadherence to therapy, the lowest being observed in retired women with a low level of education, the highest in the group of unmarried, employed women, or housewives. Conclusion: The identification of these subgroups of “real life” patients with a high prevalence of nonadherers might be functional in designing intervention studies aimed at improving adherenc

O fotolivro no ambiente tecnoimagético: considerações sobre a dimensão crítica da fotografia a partir de The Americans, de Robert Frank

Considering the recent boom of photobooks in the editorial field, this paper aims to discuss their relevance to photography’s circulation, especially when we live under a technoimagetic ambience dominated by the digital image and the screens. In order to do that, we analyse the editorial trajectory of The Americans, a photobook by Robert Frank, since its first edition (1958) until its most recent one (2008). As Frank’s work maintains itself as an important reference for the photographic field, we suggest that photobooks play a decisive role not only in terms of circulation and propagation of ideas, but also in expanding the critical potential of photography.Com a crescente retomada dos fotolivros no campo editorial, este artigo tem por objetivo discutir a relevância desses objetos para a circulação da fotografia, sobretudo num momento em que o cenário comunicacional se baseia numa ambiência tecnoimagética de onipresença da imagem digital e da tela como suporte. Tem-se, como estratégia de análise, a abordagem do percurso editorial do livro The Americans, de Robert Frank, desde sua primeira edição, em 1958, até a versão mais recente, de 2008. Sugere-se que a insistência dessa obra como uma importante referência evidencia que o livro, além de ser um relevante espaço para a circulação e divulgação, é decisivo para a expansão do potencial crítico da fotografia

Overview of the molecular determinants contributing to the expression of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis phenotypes

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are multifactorial chronic disorders whose etiopathogenesis essentially derives from the alteration of several signalling pathways and the co-occurrence of genetic, epigenetic and non-genetic susceptibility factors that altogether affect the functional and structural property of the skin. Although shared and differential susceptibility genes and molecular pathways are known to contribute to the onset of pathological phenotypes, further research is needed to dissect the molecular causes of psoriatic disease and its progression towards Psoriatic Arthritis. This review will therefore be addressed to explore differences and similarities in the etiopathogenesis and progression of both disorders, with a particular focus on genes involved in the maintenance of the skin structure and integrity (keratins and collagens), modulation of patterns of recognition (through Toll-like receptors and dectin-1) and immuno-inflammatory response (by NLRP3-dependent inflammasome) to microbial pathogens. In addition, special emphasis will be given to the contribution of epigenetic elements (methylation pattern, non-coding RNAs, chromatin modifiers and 3D genome organization) to the etiopathogenesis and progression of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The evidence discussed in this review highlights how the knowledge of patients' clinical and (epi)genomic make-up could be helpful for improving the available therapeutic strategies for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis treatment

A Frequency Tripler Using a Subharmonic Mixer and Fundamental Cancellation

A new odd-order frequency multiplier topology is demonstrated in this work that uses a subharmonic mixer to realize a frequency tripler. A feedforward circuit is used for fundamental cancellation at the output and eliminates the need for filtering structures. For demonstrative purposes, and to validate the concept, a 1-3-GHz proof-of-concept frequency tripler circuit was fabricated. The tripler circuit achieved a measured output fundamental suppression of up to 30 dB below the third harmonic and a conversion gain of up to 3 dB. The circuit was implemented in CMOS 0.18-mu m technology and the chip area was 0.8 mm(2) including bonding pads

INFN What Next: Ultra-relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions

This document was prepared by the community that is active in Italy, within INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare), in the field of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The experimental study of the phase diagram of strongly-interacting matter and of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) deconfined state will proceed, in the next 10-15 years, along two directions: the high-energy regime at RHIC and at the LHC, and the low-energy regime at FAIR, NICA, SPS and RHIC. The Italian community is strongly involved in the present and future programme of the ALICE experiment, the upgrade of which will open, in the 2020s, a new phase of high-precision characterisation of the QGP properties at the LHC. As a complement of this main activity, there is a growing interest in a possible future experiment at the SPS, which would target the search for the onset of deconfinement using dimuon measurements. On a longer timescale, the community looks with interest at the ongoing studies and discussions on a possible fixed-target programme using the LHC ion beams and on the Future Circular Collider.Comment: 99 pages, 56 figure

Angioside: The role of Angiogenesis and Hypoxia in Lung Neuroendocrine Tumours According to Primary Tumour Location in Left or Right Parenchyma

Well-differentiated lung neuroendocrine tumours (Lu-NETs), classified as typical (TC) and atypical (AC) carcinoids, represent 30% of NETs. Angiogenesis plays an essential role in NET development and progression. A higher vascular network is a marker of differentiation, with positive prognostic implications. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated microvessel density (MVD) by CD34 immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and hypoxia by IHC staining for Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), comparing right- and left-lung parenchyma in 53 lung NETs. Results: The median age was 66 years (39–81), 56.6% males, 24.5% AC, 40.5% left-sided tumours and 69.8% TNM stage I. The mitotic count was <2/10 per 10 HPF in 79.2%, and the absence of necrosis in 81.1%, 39.6% with Ki67, was ≤2%. The MVD, the number of vessels and the average vessel area median values were significantly higher in the right than the left parenchyma (p: 0.025, p: 0.019, p: 0.016, respectively). Hypoxia resulted present in 14/19 (73.6%) left tumours and in 10/20 (50%) right tumours in the parenchyma (p: 0.129). Conclusions: This study suggests a biological rationale for a different angiogenesis and hypoxia according to the Lu-NETs’ location. In our study, left primary tumours were less vascularized and most likely to present hypoxia than right primary tumours. This finding could have potentially useful prognostic and predictive implications for Lu-NETs