Che Guevara's Cuba and John Cowperthwaite's Hong Kong: a six-decade natural experiment

In 1960, Cuba and Hong Kong had a similar level of GDP per capita at around $4,500 in today's money[1]. By 2018 Cuba's GDP per capita had risen to around$9,000. By contrast, Hong Kong had reached $64,000 per capita, a similar level to the US and Switzerland. Over 60 years, Cuba had doubled its economic prosperity where Hong Kong had achieved a 14-fold increase

Adjusting Covid-19 expectations to the age profile of deaths

The impact of Covid-19 is likely to vary with a country’s demographics, and this understanding can inform policy choices, writes Neil Monner

How we count the number of covid-19 deaths matters

Adjusting for population size and agreeing on the definition of a 'Covid death' can have important policy implications, writes Neil Monner

Hong Kong’s postwar transformation shows how fewer data can sometimes boost growth

The absence of economic statistics may have avoided excessive government intervention, writes Neil Monner

Systematic investigation of alkyl sulfonate initiators for the cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-oxazolines revealing optimal combinations of monomers and initiators

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Conformational properties of biocompatible poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)s in phosphate buffered saline

Inspired by the increasing popularity of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) for biomedical applications, this study reports the complete and thorough solution analysis of the homologous series of biocompatible PEtOx samples in a very broad range of molecular weights ranging from 11.2 x 10(3) g mol(-1) up to 260 x 10(3) g mol(-1). The main focus of the research was on the determination of the conformational properties of PEtOx macromolecules at a temperature of 37 degrees C in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) simulating the parameters of physiological media. The polymers were studied in PBS solutions by analytical ultracentrifugation, dynamic light scattering (DLS), translational diffusion, and intrinsic viscosity measurements in a temperature range from 15 degrees C up to 72 degrees C. The complete set of Kuhn-Mark-Houwink-Sakurada scaling relationships revealed linear trends over the whole range of the studied molar masses, while the determined scaling indices at 37 degrees C correspond to the coil conformation in a thermodynamically good solvent ([eta] = 0.045 x M-0.62, s(0) = 0.010 x M-0.46 and D-0 = 1750 x M-0.54). Based on the intrinsic viscosity values (most sensitive characteristic to the size variations of polymer coils, [eta] similar to r(3)), it was demonstrated that PEtOx macromolecules in PBS solutions undergo a transition from swollen polymer coils with gradual deterioration of thermodynamic quality of solutions within the temperature range of 15-45 degrees C, reaching theta-conditions at 55 degrees C with further precipitation at 62-72 degrees C. Also, to the best of our knowledge, the conformational parameters (equilibrium rigidity/the Kuhn segment length and the diameter of the polymer chain) of PEtOx macromolecules were evaluated under physiological conditions for the first time and constitute A = 1.8 +/- 0.3 nm and d = 0.7 +/- 0.4 nm. These equilibrium rigidity values classify PEtOx as a flexible macromolecule with rigidity similar to that of poly(ethylene glycol). For the first time, we were able to demonstrate a direct influence of thermosensitivity on the rigidity of the biocompatible polymer: PEtOx. The Kuhn segment length is undoubtedly decreasing when approaching the LCST

Early determinants of food liking among 5y-old children: a longitudinal study from the EDEN mother-child cohort

International audienceAbstractBackgroundIdentifying the determinants of child’s liking for different foods may help to prevent future choices of unhealthy food.ObjectiveTo study early-life food-related characteristics associated with child’s liking for different foods at 5y with a longitudinal study.Design1142 5y- old children completed a liking test for “fruit and vegetables”, “meat, fish and eggs”, desserts and cheese. Data related to maternal food intake before pregnancy, infant feeding during the first year of life, maternal feeding practices at 2y, child’s food intake at 3y, and child’s food neophobia from 1 to 4y were collected prospectively from the mother. The associations between these factors and child‘s liking for each category of foods were analyzed using structural equation modelling.ResultsHigh food neophobia at 4 y was related to lower child’s liking for all food groups. Maternal feeding practices at 2y were associated with liking for dessert: negatively for the practices allowing child to control his/her own food intake, positively for restriction of child’s food intake for weight reasons. Moreover, child’s food intake at 3y was positively associated with child’s liking for “fruit and vegetables” as well as for cheese. Finally, adherence to the infant feeding pattern “long breastfeeding, later introduction of main meal components and use of home-made products” was positively associated with child’s liking for meat/fish/eggs.ConclusionsFor all food groups, food neophobia was a common determinant of child’s liking for food at 5y, whereas other factors were associated with food liking for specific food groups

Cancer centre supportive oncology service: health economic evaluation

Objectives: There have been many models of providing oncology and palliative care to hospitals. Many patients will use the hospital non-electively or semielectively, and a large proportion are likely to be in the last years of life. We describe our multidisciplinary service to treatable but not curable cancer patients at University Hospitals Sussex. The team was a mixture of clinical nurse specialists and a clinical fellow supported by dedicated palliative medicine consultant time and oncology expertise. / Methods: We identified patients with cancer who had identifiable supportive care needs and record activity with clinical coding. We used a baseline 2019/2020 dataset of national (secondary uses service) data with discharge code 79 (patients who died during that year) to compare a dataset of patients seen by the service between September 2020 and September 2021 in order to compare outcomes. While this was during COVID-19 this was when the funding was available. / Results: We demonstrated a reduction in length of stay by an average of 1.43 days per admission and a reduction of 0.95 episodes of readmission rates. However, the costs of those admissions were found to be marginally higher. Even with the costs of the service, there is a clear return on investment with a benefit cost ratio of 1.4. / Conclusions: A supportive oncology service alongside or allied to acute oncology but in conjunction with palliative care is feasible and cost-effective. This would support investment in such a service and should be nationally commissioned in conjunction with palliative care services seeing all conditions