Corruption in the Middle East and the Limits of Conventional Approaches

Die Unzufriedenheit mit der verbreiteten Korruption war 2011/2012 eine wesentliche Ursache für die arabischen Unruhen und weitere Aufstände weltweit. Der Fall Jordanien zeigt allerdings, dass konventionelle Ansätze zur Bekämpfung von Korruption nicht ausreichen. Eine angemessene Strategie gegen Korruption muss diese als ein Problem der Verteilungsgerechtigkeit und nicht des Strafrechts verstehen. Wie in allen anderen arabischen Staaten ist die Unzufriedenheit in der Bevölkerung über die offensichtliche Korruption auch in Jordanien beträchtlich. Allerdings wird im Allgemeinen nicht über Fälle von Bestechung und Erpressung geklagt, die weniger häufig vorkommen, sondern über lokale Praktiken politischer Patronage und Begünstigung, die unter dem Begriff "Wasta" zusammengefasst werden. "Wasta" wurde bislang als Form der Korruption und strafrechtliches Problem angesehen, weshalb Versuche zur Eindämmung überwiegend ineffizient blieben: "Wasta"-Praktiken werden in der Regel nicht mit Rechtsverstößen verbunden, sondern bewegen sich innerhalb formal legaler Verfahren. Konventionelle Ansätze zur Bekämpfung von Korruption, die sich an rechtsstaatlichen Grundsätzen und Transparenz orientieren, sind deshalb nicht zielführend. Demokratisierung allein ist ebenfalls ungeeignet, das Problem „Wasta” zu lösen. In der parlamentarischen Praxis macht "Wasta" den Großteil der Aktivitäten aller Parlamentsmitglieder aus. Diese werden deshalb als persönliche Dienstleister für ihre Wahlbezirke und nicht als Mitglieder einer gesetzgebenden Körperschaft wahrgenommen. Gleichzeitig hält die Bevölkerung das Parlament für eine zutiefst korrupte Institution. "Wasta" wird problematisch, wenn diese Praxis zu einem ungleichen Zugang der Bürger zu öffentlichen Ressourcen führt. Statt sich nur auf politische und administrative Reformen zu konzentrieren, muss der Fokus der Bekämpfung auf den (Wieder-)Aufbau wohlfahrtsstaatlicher Strukturen gelegt werden, zu denen alle Bürger gleichermaßen Zugang haben

Elevated CRP levels are associated with increased carotid atherosclerosis independent of visceral obesity

Visceral obesity (VO) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are associated with VO and cardiovascular disease. After exploring the relation between CRP and VO, we aimed to evaluate the VO independent relation between CRP and carotid atherosclerosis. The prevalence of inflammation was evaluated in 439 male subjects with VO without type 2 diabetes and manifest cardiovascular disease. Waist circumference significantly correlated with CRP (r: 0.20, p 118 cm had low CRP levels. From the 439 subjects, 40 subjects were prospectively selected for MRI assessment of carotid atherosclerosis and visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue distribution in a case-control setting matching for age and waist circumference. Twenty male subjects with age >50 years with CRP levels >2.5mg/L (CRP+) were compared to 20 controls with CRP levels <1.8 mg/L (CRP-). Maximum vessel wall thickness in CRP+ was significantly higher both in the common carotid artery (15%, p <0.01) and the bulb region (18%, p <0.01). The distribution of fat in visceral and subcutaneous deposits was not significantly different between CRP+ and CRP-. Elevated CRP levels are associated with significantly increased maximum vessel wall thickness independent of VO and of MRI measured adipose tissue distribution, both in the common carotid artery and the carotid bul

Human exposure to aerosol from indoor gas stove cooking and the resulting nervous system responses

Our knowledge of the effects of exposure to indoor ultrafine particles (sub-100 nm, #/cm3) on human brain activity is very limited. The effects of cooking ultrafine particles (UFP) on healthy adults were assessed using an electroencephalograph (EEGs) for brain response. Peak ultrafine particle concentrations were approximately 3 × 105 particle/cm3, and the average level was 1.64 × 105 particle/cm3. The average particle number emission rate (S) and the average number decay rate (a+k) for chicken frying in brain experiments were calculated to be 2.82 × 1012 (SD = 1.83 × 1012, R2 = 0.91, p = 0.0013) particles/min, 0.47 (SD = 0.30, R2 = 0.90, p < 0.0001) min−1, respectively. EEGs were recorded before and during cooking (14 min) and 30 min after the cooking sessions. The brain fast-wave band (beta) decreased during exposure, similar to people with neurodegenerative diseases. It subsequently increased to its pre-exposure condition for 70% of the study participants after 30 min. The brain slow-wave band to fast-wave band ratio (theta/beta ratio) increased during and after exposure, similar to observed behavior in early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. The brain then tended to return to its normal condition within 30 min following the exposure. This study suggests that chronically exposed people to high concentrations of cooking aerosol might progress toward AD

Human exposure to aerosol from indoor gas stove cooking and the resulting nervous system responses

Our knowledge of the effects of exposure to indoor ultrafine particles (sub-100 nm, #/cm3) on human brain activity is very limited. The effects of cooking ultrafine particles (UFP) on healthy adults were assessed using an electroencephalograph (EEGs) for brain response. Peak ultrafine particle concentrations were approximately 3 × 105 particle/cm3, and the average level was 1.64 × 105 particle/cm3. The average particle number emission rate (S) and the average number decay rate (a+k) for chicken frying in brain experiments were calculated to be 2.82 × 1012 (SD = 1.83 × 1012, R2 = 0.91, p = 0.0013) particles/min, 0.47 (SD = 0.30, R2 = 0.90, p < 0.0001) min−1, respectively. EEGs were recorded before and during cooking (14 min) and 30 min after the cooking sessions. The brain fast-wave band (beta) decreased during exposure, similar to people with neurodegenerative diseases. It subsequently increased to its pre-exposure condition for 70% of the study participants after 30 min. The brain slow-wave band to fast-wave band ratio (theta/beta ratio) increased during and after exposure, similar to observed behavior in early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. The brain then tended to return to its normal condition within 30 min following the exposure. This study suggests that chronically exposed people to high concentrations of cooking aerosol might progress toward AD

Human exposure to aerosol from indoor gas stove cooking and the resulting nervous system responses.

Our knowledge of the effects of exposure to indoor ultrafine particles (sub-100 nm, #/cm3 ) on human brain activity is very limited. The effects of cooking ultrafine particles (UFP) on healthy adults were assessed using an electroencephalograph (EEGs) for brain response. Peak ultrafine particle concentrations were approximately 3 × 105 particle/cm3, and the average level was 1.64 × 105 particle/cm3 . The average particle number emission rate (S) and the average number decay rate (a+k) for chicken frying in brain experiments were calculated to be 2.82 × 1012 (SD = 1.83 × 1012 , R2  = 0.91, p = 0.0013) particles/min, 0.47 (SD = 0.30, R2  = 0.90, p < 0.0001) min-1 , respectively. EEGs were recorded before and during cooking (14 min) and 30 min after the cooking sessions. The brain fast-wave band (beta) decreased during exposure, similar to people with neurodegenerative diseases. It subsequently increased to its pre-exposure condition for 70% of the study participants after 30 min. The brain slow-wave band to fast-wave band ratio (theta/beta ratio) increased during and after exposure, similar to observed behavior in early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. The brain then tended to return to its normal condition within 30 min following the exposure. This study suggests that chronically exposed people to high concentrations of cooking aerosol might progress toward AD

An initial exploration of subtraction electrocardiography to detect myocardial ischemia in the prehospital setting

Background: In the prehospital triage of patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of acute myocardial ischemia, reliable myocardial ischemia detection in the electrocardiogram (ECG) is pivotal. Due to large interindividual variability and overlap between ischemic and nonischemic ECG-patterns, incorporation of a previous elective (reference) ECG may improve accuracy. The aim of the current study was to explore the potential value of serial ECG analysis using subtraction electrocardiography. Methods: SUBTRACT is a multicenter retrospective observational study, including patients who were prehospitally evaluated for acute myocardial ischemia. For each patient, an elective previously recorded reference ECG was subtracted from the ambulance ECG. Patients were classified as myocardial ischemia cases or controls, based on the in-hospital diagnosis. The diagnostic performance of subtraction electrocardiography was tested using logistic regression of 28 variables describing the differences between the reference and ambulance ECGs. The Uni-G ECG Analysis Program was used for state-of-the-art single-ECG interpretation of the ambulance ECG. Results: In 1,229 patients, the mean area-under-the-curve of subtraction electrocardiography was 0.80 (95%CI: 0.77–0.82). The performance of our new method was comparable to single-ECG analysis using the Uni-G algorithm: sensitivities were 66% versus 67% (p-value >.05), respectively; specificities were 80% versus 81% (p-value >.05), respectively. Conclusions: In our initial exploration, the diagnostic performance of subtraction electrocardiography for the detection of acute myocardial ischemia proved equal to that of state-of-the-art automated single-ECG analysis by the Uni-G algorithm. Possibly, refinement of both algorithms, or even integration of the two, could surpass current electrocardiographic myocardial ischemia detection