THE CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT OF ANTITRUST LAW – THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING AN ENFORCEMENT CULTURE AND HOW TO CREATE IT

There has been a proliferation of jurisdictions across the world seeking to use criminal sanctions to deter and punish cartels and many have enacted laws that criminalise this type of anticompetitive behaviour. However, other jurisdictions have failed to replicate the enviable success of the US. Reports to the OECD suggest that they have encountered difficulties ranging from procedural to legal, but also disincentives on the part of key players – like judges, the general public, prosecutors, and government – in the actual enforcement of such a regime. These experiences intimate that some of these jurisdictions – awestruck by the accomplishments of the US – have not developed the enforcement culture necessary to effectively implement and maintain a criminalised antitrust regime. This essay puts forward a rhetorical framework that other countries may draw upon when attempting to garner both public and political support in the criminalisation process. It will be argued that because of the global financial crisis leaving many countries in dire straits, regulators must seize this opportunity to leverage the universal concepts of inequality and financial hardship in demonstrating the pernicious nature of cartels and, as a result, highlight why the case for criminalisation is so strong

Experimental Evidence for the Effects of Calcium and Vitamin D on Bone: A Review

Animal models fed low calcium diets demonstrate a negative calcium balance and gross bone loss while the combination of calcium deficiency and oophorectomy enhances overall bone loss. Following oophorectomy the dietary calcium intake required to remain in balance increases some 5 fold, estimated to be approximately 1.3% dietary calcium. In the context of vitamin D and dietary calcium depletion, osteomalacia occurs only when low dietary calcium levels are combined with low vitamin D levels and osteoporosis occurs with either a low level of dietary calcium with adequate vitamin D status or when vitamin D status is low in the presence of adequate dietary calcium intake. Maximum bone architecture and strength is only achieved when an adequate vitamin D status is combined with sufficient dietary calcium to achieve a positive calcium balance. This anabolic effect occurs without a change to intestinal calcium absorption, suggesting dietary calcium and vitamin D have activities in addition to promoting a positive calcium balance. Each of the major bone cell types, osteoblasts, osteoclasts and osteocytes are capable of metabolizing 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25D) to 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D) to elicit biological activities including reduction of bone resorption by osteoclasts and to enhance maturation and mineralization by osteoblasts and osteocytes. Each of these activities is consistent with the actions of adequate circulating levels of 25D observed in vivo

Effect of Ibandronate on Bending Strength and Toughness on Rodent Cortical bone; possible implications for fracture prevention

OBJECTIVES: There remains conflicting evidence regarding cortical bone strength following bisphosphonate therapy. As part of a study to assess the effects of bisphosphonate treatment on the healing of rat tibial fractures, the mechanical properties and radiological density of the uninjured contralateral tibia was assessed. METHODS: Skeletally mature aged rats were used. A total of 14 rats received 1µg/kg ibandronate (iban) daily and 17 rats received 1 ml 0.9% sodium chloride (control) daily. Stress at failure and toughness of the tibial diaphysis were calculated following four-point bending tests. RESULTS: Uninjured cortical bone in the iban group had a significantly greater mean (standard deviation (sd)), p < 0.001, stress at failure of 219.2 MPa (sd 45.99) compared with the control group (169.46 MPa (sd 43.32)) following only nine weeks of therapy. Despite this, the cortical bone toughness and work to failure was similar. There was no significant difference in radiological density or physical dimensions of the cortical bone. CONCLUSIONS: Iban therapy increases the stress at failure of uninjured cortical bone. This has relevance when normalising the strength of repair in a limb when comparing it with the unfractured limb. However, the 20% increase in stress at failure with iban therapy needs to be interpreted with caution as there was no corresponding increase in toughness or work to failure. Further research is required in this area, especially with the increasing clinical burden of low-energy diaphyseal femoral fractures following prolonged use of bisphosphonates. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2015;4:99–10

Autologous circulating angiogenic cells treated with osteopontin and delivered via a collagen scaffold enhance wound healing in the alloxan-induced diabetic rabbit ear ulcer model

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulceration is the leading cause of amputation in people with diabetes mellitus. Peripheral vascular disease is present in the majority of patients with diabetic foot ulcers. Despite standard treatments there exists a high amputation rate. Circulating angiogenic cells previously known as early endothelial progenitor cells are derived from peripheral blood and support angiogenesis and vasculogenesis, providing a potential topical treatment for non-healing diabetic foot ulcers. Methods: A scaffold fabricated from Type 1 collagen facilitates topical cell delivery to a diabetic wound. Osteopontin is a matricellular protein involved in wound healing and increases the angiogenic potential of circulating angiogenic cells. A collagen scaffold seeded with circulating angiogenic cells was developed. Subsequently the effect of autologous circulating angiogenic cells that were seeded in a collagen scaffold and topically delivered to a hyperglycemic cutaneous wound was assessed. The alloxan-induced diabetic rabbit ear ulcer model was used to determine healing in response to the following treatments: collagen seeded with autologous circulating angiogenic cells exposed to osteopontin, collagen seeded with autologous circulating angiogenic cells, collagen alone and untreated wound. Stereology was used to assess angiogenesis in wounds. Results: The cells exposed to osteopontin and seeded on collagen increased percentage wound closure as compared to other groups. Increased angiogenesis was observed with the treatment of collagen and collagen seeded with circulating angiogenic cells. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that topical treatment of full thickness cutaneous ulcers with autologous circulating angiogenic cells increases wound healing. Cells exposed to the matricellular protein osteopontin result in superior wound healing. The wound healing benefit is associated with a more efficient vascular network. This topical therapy provides a potential novel therapy for the treatment of non-healing diabetic foot ulcers in humans

Autologous circulating angiogenic cells treated with osteopontin and delivered via a collagen scaffold enhance wound healing in the alloxan-induced diabetic rabbit ear ulcer model

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulceration is the leading cause of amputation in people with diabetes mellitus. Peripheral vascular disease is present in the majority of patients with diabetic foot ulcers. Despite standard treatments there exists a high amputation rate. Circulating angiogenic cells previously known as early endothelial progenitor cells are derived from peripheral blood and support angiogenesis and vasculogenesis, providing a potential topical treatment for non-healing diabetic foot ulcers. Methods: A scaffold fabricated from Type 1 collagen facilitates topical cell delivery to a diabetic wound. Osteopontin is a matricellular protein involved in wound healing and increases the angiogenic potential of circulating angiogenic cells. A collagen scaffold seeded with circulating angiogenic cells was developed. Subsequently the effect of autologous circulating angiogenic cells that were seeded in a collagen scaffold and topically delivered to a hyperglycemic cutaneous wound was assessed. The alloxan-induced diabetic rabbit ear ulcer model was used to determine healing in response to the following treatments: collagen seeded with autologous circulating angiogenic cells exposed to osteopontin, collagen seeded with autologous circulating angiogenic cells, collagen alone and untreated wound. Stereology was used to assess angiogenesis in wounds. Results: The cells exposed to osteopontin and seeded on collagen increased percentage wound closure as compared to other groups. Increased angiogenesis was observed with the treatment of collagen and collagen seeded with circulating angiogenic cells. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that topical treatment of full thickness cutaneous ulcers with autologous circulating angiogenic cells increases wound healing. Cells exposed to the matricellular protein osteopontin result in superior wound healing. The wound healing benefit is associated with a more efficient vascular network. This topical therapy provides a potential novel therapy for the treatment of non-healing diabetic foot ulcers in humans

Consort diagrams for the final analytical samples for incident storage, voiding LUTS, depression and anxiety in a community cohort of Australian men.

<p>Consort diagrams for the final analytical samples for incident storage, voiding LUTS, depression and anxiety in a community cohort of Australian men.</p