Saudi Arabia : economic indicators and trade with EU

The EU is Saudi Arabia's first trading partner in goods, with 16.3 % of Saudi Arabia’s global trade, followed by China with 14.1 % and the US with 11.8 %. Saudi Arabia is the EU's 15th trading partner in goods, with an EU market share of 1.5 %. The trade balance is positive for the EU, as this infographic illustrates. Trade between the EU and Saudi Arabia takes place within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The GCC countries formed their own customs union on 1 January 2015. The EU exports a wide range of goods and services to the region; however, around 50 % of the EU's exported goods to the GCC are machinery, including power generation plants, railway locomotives, aircrafts, electrical machinery and mechanical appliances. Meanwhile, approximately 70 % of all EU imports from the GCC consist of fuels and their derivatives. Following a reliance on oil revenues for about 90% of its budget in recent years, Saudi Arabia has embarked on an ambitious plan to restructure its oil-dependent economy, known as Vision 2030, involving diversification, privatisation, tax increases and subsidy cuts. Saudi Arabia has significant defence relationships with a rising number of EU Member States, primarily driven by the trade in arms (and often also related contracts for training and maintenance)

Labor exploitation in the Italian agricultural sector: the case of vulnerable migrants in Tuscany

Labor exploitation of agricultural migrant workers is a well-documented phenomenon by investigations and field research in several Italian regions, both in the North and the South. Despite the agri-food excellencies of the “Made in Italy” brand being a source of pride for Italian entrepreneurship, including the viticulture sector, evidence shows that many of these products are the result of different levels of illegal recruitment and labor exploitation. In this article, the authors analyze the impact of recent waves of vulnerable migrants entering the Italian labor market and present the results of a qualitative field research, conducted in Tuscany between 2021 and 2022. Through 60 interviews with exploited migrant workers and 40 interviews with relevant stakeholders, the authors focus on the recruitment process of vulnerable migrants into the agriculture sector and the labor conditions granted to them regardless of their particular migratory status. The article concludes with the analysis of the peculiarities of the Tuscan case study, characterized by the presence of a legal system of labor exploitation

Urinary capillariosis in six dogs from Italy

Canine urinary capillariosis is caused by the nematode Pearsonema plica. P. plica infection is seldomly detected in clinical practice mainly due to diagnostic limitations. This report describes six cases of urinary capillariosis in dogs from Italy. Recurrent cystitis was observed in one dog, whereas another patient was affected by glomerular amyloidosis. In the remaining animals, the infection was considered an incidental finding. Immature eggs of the parasite were observed with urine sediment examination in 3/6 patients. Increased awareness of the potential pathogenic role of P. plica and clinical disease presentation could help identify infected animals

SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT OF ACUTE BABESIOSIS IN A DOG

Canine babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by Babesia spp. Dogs with uncomplicated babesiosis typically show pale mucous membranes, fever, anorexia, depression, water-hammer pulse, and splenomegaly. The complicated form can include acute renal failure, cerebral babesiosis, coagulopathy, icterus and hep- atopathy, immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), hemo- concentration. This case report describes the presentation, diagnosis, and management of acute systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in a dog affected by Babesia canis. A Border Collie, intact male, 8-years-old, was presented in emergency setting showing weakness, anorexia and ’pigmenturia’ started 2 days before. The dog was used as cattle dog in Piedmont region and recently moved to Tuscany. Dog showed fever (38.

Assisted feeding through an oesophagostomy tube in patients with chronic kidney disease and uraemic syndrome: impact on body condition score, renal function and survival

La dietoterapia rappresenta il primo strumento terapeutico nel paziente in presenza di danno renale acuto e malattia renale cronica. Tuttavia la maggior parte di tali pazienti non è in grado di alimentarsi volontariamente e nel quantitativo adeguato ai propri fabbisogni. Obiettivo del presente studio è di valutare BCS, parametri di funzionalità renale e sopravvivenza in pazienti in crisi uremica sottoposti o meno ad alimentazione assistita. Lo studio è stato condotto su quattordici cani con pregressa CKD e in fase di riacutizzazione o scompenso. Sette pazienti sono stati gestiti mediante impiego di feeding tube (FT), 7 mediante terapia medica tradizionale (GC). Per ciascuno dei due gruppi, BCS, creatinina, urea, e fosforo sierici e sopravvivenza, sono stati valutati a T0 e ad uno (T1) e due mesi (T2). I dati sono stati elaborati statisticamente. Il GC presentava una differenza significativa di BCS (p=0,04), creatinina (p=0,001), urea (p=0,005) e fosforo (p=0,04) a diversi controlli. Il FT presentava una differenza significativa di BCS (p=0,03), valori sierici di creatinina (p=0,006), urea (p=0,0001) e fosforo (p=0,02) ai diversi controlli. Il FT mostrava una sopravvivenza alla crisi uremica maggiore (p=0,01) del GC. Le evidenze del presente studio riportano un significativo miglioramento di BCS, parametri di funzionalità renale e sopravvivenza nei pazienti gestiti con feeding rispetto agli altri. Il feeding tube sembra rappresentare un ausilio terapeutico estremamente utile nella gestione medica del paziente in crisi uremica.Introduction – A renal diet is a fundamental part of the medical management of patients with acute and chronic kidney disease. Unfortunately, most patients are not able to eat a sufficient amount of a renal diet to achieve an adequate calorie intake. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Body Condition Score (BCS), renal function and survival rate in a group of uraemic patients managed with a feeding tube and compare the findings with those in a comparable group managed without a feeding tube. Materials and Methods – Fourteen dogs with acute-on-chronic kidney disease formed the study population. Seven dogs were managed with the use of a feeding tube (FT group) and seven were managed without a feeding tube (control group). BCS, serum creatinine, urea and phosphate concentrations and survival rate were evaluated in both groups at time 0 (T0), after 1 month (T1) and after 2 months (T2). Data were analysed statistically. Results – There were significant differences in BCS (p=0.04), creatinine (p=0.001), urea (p=0,005) phosphate (p=0.04) at the different time points in the control group. The FT group also had significant difference in BCS (p=0.03), creatinine (p=0.006), urea (p=0.0001) and phosphate (p=0.02) at the different time points. The survival rate was higher in the FT group than in the control group (p=0.01). Discussion – The results of the present study show significant improvements in BCS, renal function and survival in patients managed with a feeding tube, compared to those in which a feeding tube was not used. A feeding tube seems to be a very useful therapeutic instrument for the management of patients with uraemic syndrome

Evaluation of urinary γ-glutamyl transferase and serum creatinine in non-azotaemic hospitalised dogs

Urinary and blood biomarkers for diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalised dogs were evalueted. This prospective study included 97 dogs, classified according to the International Renal Interest Society classification into no AKI and AKI grade 1 (48-hour increase in serum creatinine≥0.3 mg/dl and/or urinary production <1 ml/kg/hour for at least six hours). A total of 62 of 97 dogs (64 per cent) were classified as AKI 1. A statistically significant difference was found between no AKI and AKI 1 in urine protein to creatinine ratio, urinary γ-glutamyl transferase (uGGT) and uGGT/cu (P<0.0001). Thirteen of 97 dogs (13.4 per cent) that developed increased creatinine and change in AKI grade showed high mortality (n=9/13; 69.2 per cent). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of uGGT/cu index as a marker for AKI grade 1 had an area under the ROC curve of 0.78; optimal cut-off point was 57.50 u/g, with sensitivity and specificity of 75.4 per cent and 75.6 per cent, respectively. Overall intensive care unit mortality was 23.7 per cent (23/97), 13.4 per cent (13/97) of which died during hospitalisation and 10.3 per cent (10/97) within 28 days after discharge. uGGT is an acceptable marker for distinguishing between AKI 1 and no AKI

Living in the EU : demography

Important effects of the ageing of its population will influence the future of the European Union (EU). The population is dramatically ageing, driven both by significant increases in life expectancy and by lower fertility rates than in the past. Population growth is therefore slowing down, along with an increasing old-age dependency ratio. Free movement within the EU, in particular east-west movement of EU citizens, has increased, reducing the population of some Member States, while increasing that of others. These changes have serious implications across a range of areas, including the economy, labour market, healthcare and pensions. Hence, they deserve in-depth analysis

Living in the EU : climate change and energy

The European Union (EU) has been protecting the environment since the early 1970s, considering economic prosperity and environmental protection interdependent. As energy policies are a competence shared between the EU and its Member States (MS) joint strategic planning is strongly developed. Human activities can have adverse impacts on the environment, and subsequently on our well-being. Therefore, it is vital to monitor how MS perform in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy supply, considering that alongside the energy model, human behaviour of EU citizens represents the key element to prevent climate change