Mercantilism or Liberalism? Economic Autonomy and State-Building in Palestine

Can economic integration succeed between one rich and relatively powerful partner and one poor and relatively powerless partner in the context of security tensions between them? This paper evaluates the economic reality resulting from peace treaties conceived between Israel and Palestine, countries with intentions of integration and interdependence, but that has resulted in a de facto situationof de-development and a higher degree of economic dependence. The context of the study was evaluated based on the mercantilist and liberal theories of the 17th century. The actual conditions prevailing in Palestine-Israel relations are far from those of a liberal context. Neither are sovereign states at peace. Rather, Israel is a well-established sovereign state with an impressively developed economy and a strong army, while Palestine is an occupied nation with no formal state, fledgling institutions, a developing economy and no army. Moreover, the context of Palestine-Israel relations is not one of peace, but one of military occupation and war. Due to this power gap between the two parties and the context of occupation and war, the de facto regime and policies regulating and updating theeconomic relationship between them have been very different from what is established de jure under existing economic integration agreements. Therefore, the results in terms of economic development and institution building for Palestine have not been at all what one would expect from a process of economic integration between two free well-established states at peace with each other.¿Puede tener éxito la integración económica entre un socio rico y relativamente poderoso, y un socio pobre y relativamente impotente en el contexto de tensiones de seguridad entre ellos? Este documento evalúa la realidad económica resultante de los tratados de paz concebidos entre Israel y Palestina, países con intenciones de integración e interdependencia, pero que ha dado lugar a una situación de facto de desarraigo y mayor grado de dependencia económica. Se evaluó el contexto del estudio con base en las teorías mercantilistas y liberales del siglo XVII,. El estudio muestra que las condiciones reales que prevalecen en las relaciones entre Palestina e Israel están muy lejos de las de un contexto liberal. Palestina e Israel no son dos estados soberanos y en paz. Más bien, Israel es un estado soberano y bien establecido con una economía impresionantemente desarrollada, con un ejército fuerte, mientras que Palestina es una nación ocupada sin estado formal, instituciones incipientes, una economía en desarrollo y sin ejército. Además, el contexto de las relaciones palestino-israelíes no es de paz, sino de ocupación y guerra militares. Debido a esta brecha de poder entre las dos partes y el contexto de la ocupación y la guerra, el régimen de facto y las políticas que regulan y actualizan las relaciones econó- micas entre ellos han sido muy diferentes de lo que se establece de jure bajo los actuales acuerdos de integración económica. Por lo tanto, los resultados en términos de desarrollo económico y construcción de instituciones para Palestina no han sido en absoluto lo que se esperaría de un proceso de integración económica entre dos estados libres y bien establecidos en paz unos con otros

The palestinian economy theoretical and practicla challenges

le sfide dell'economia palestinese oggi, raccolta di saggi derivati da un progetto di ricerca comune fra università palestinesi ed italiane finanziato dal MIU

PD-L1 protein expression by Combined Positive Score (CPS) in patients with muscle invasive or advanced urothelial carcinoma: a single institution experience

Abstract Introduction Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment of patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC) in the frontline and relapsed settings. Lebanon has one of the highest incidence of UC worldwide, yet no data exists regarding the expression of PD-L1 by Combined Positive Score (CPS) in advanced disease. Methods We reviewed all patients treated at our institution for high grade UC, stage pT2 and above, between January 2017 and March 2021. We assessed the expression of PD-L1 by immunohistochemistry using 22C3 clone, and analyzed the association between PD-L1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics. PD-L1 positivity was defined as CPS score ≥ 10. Results A total of 101 patients with advanced UC were included, with a median age of 71 years (range, 38 to 96 years); 78% were ever-smokers. Ninety-three of 101 patients (92%) had conventional UC and 43 patients (43%) had positive PD-L1 expression, with 12 patients having CPS of 100. The analysis by molecular subtype showed that patients with maximal CPS of 100 were enriched in “basal” molecular subtype. However, no association was found between PD-L1 expression (positive versus negative) and clinicopathological characteristics. Conclusion The positivity of PD-L1 expression as assessed by CPS using the 22C3 clone in our population was almost comparable to the results reported in the occidental literature. Therefore, PD-L1 expression, as a potential predictor of response to immunotherapy, concerns the same percentage of the Lebanese UC patients

Pseudo-Guillain–Barré syndrome masking acute myeloid leukemia relapse: Brief report and review

Central nervous system (CNS) relapse is not a rare presentation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as its incidence ranges between 2% and 9%. It manifests with meningeal leukemia, cranial nerve palsies or cerebral mesenchymal myeloid sarcoma. We herein report the case of a 69 year-old female that presented a pseudo-Guillain–Barré syndrome masking an AML CNS relapse. Her symptoms completely resolved upon administration of a tailored treatment. This case suggests that puzzling neurological manifestations in patients with a history of AML should be considered as a CNS recurrence and investigated accordingly even in the context of normal imaging findings

Pancreatic small cell cancer

Small cell carcinoma (SCC) is most commonly associated with lung cancer. Extra-pulmonary SCC can originate in virtually any organ system, with the gastrointestinal tract being the most common site of involvement. We review the clinical presentation, pathogenesis, histology, imaging modalities and optimal therapeutic management of PSCC in light of available evidence.SCOPUS: sh.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe