Factors associated with failed treatment : an analysis of 121,744 women embarking on their first IVF cycles

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Austerity-Driven Labour Market Reforms in Southern Europe: Eroding the Security of Labour Market Insiders

The sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone and increased pressures for ‘structural reform’ have led to a period of intensive change in labour market policy in Southern Europe. Examining the cases of Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy, this article focuses on the security of labour market insiders, a key group in labour markets that is highly segmented. Th e security of labour market insiders is conceptualised as consisting of security in employment (protection against dismissals) and security in unemployment (protection against drops in income provided by unemployment insurance and assistance). Using changes in national laws, the article charts and compares labour market change along these two dimensions across these four Southern European countries. Because labour market reform has not been restricted to Southern Europe, the article also compares these developments to broader changes in the countries of the Eurozone, using OECD and MISSOC data. Having demonstrated the degree to which the security of labour market insiders has diminished, the article concludes with an agenda for research on the policy dynamics of Southern European labour market reform in the wake of the fi nancial crisis

Am J Med Genet A

We report on a three-generation family affected with an osteochondrodysplasia transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait. The phenotype consists of short humerus, curved radius with accessory ossification centre at the proximal third of ulna, variable short stature and brachydactyly, and has not been reported to the best of our knowledge. The brachydactyly falls into the brachydactyly A1 category (especially short 2nd, 4th, and 5th middle phalanges). A unique feature in one family member is triphalangeal thumbs. Vertebrae are normal. Mental development is normal and deafness is seen in some of the family members. A mutation was excluded by sequencing the entire coding regions of the IHH gene encoding the Indian Hedgehog protein and the GDF5 gene. This condition is a novel chondrodyplasia phenotype or possibly one end of the spectrum of the brachydactyly A1

Quantification of left ventricular modifications in weightlessness conditions from the spatio-temporal analysis of 2D echocardiographic images

Two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) performed during flights with parabolic trajectory to simulate weightlessness provide a unique means to study left ventricular (LV) modifications in order to prevent post-flight orthostatic intolerance in astronauts. However, conventional analysis of 2DE is based on manual tracings, which depends on readers' experience. Accordingly, our aim was to objectively quantify from 2DE images the LV modifications relevant to different gravity levels, by applying a semi-automated level-set border detection technique. The algorithm validation was performed by comparing manual tracing results, obtained by two independent observers on twenty images, with the semi-automated measurements. To quantify LV modifications, three consecutive cardiac cycles were analyzed for each gravity phase (1Gz, 1.8Gz, 0Gz). The level-set procedure was applied frame-by-frame to detect the LV endocardial contours and obtain LV area versus time curves, from which end-diastolic (EDA) and end-systolic (ESA) areas were computed and averaged to compensate for respiratory variations. Linear regression (y=0.91x+1.47, r=0.99, SEE:0.80cm2) and Bland-Altman analysis (bias=–0.58cm2, 95% limits of agreement=±2.14cm2) showed excellent correlation between semi-automatic and manually traced values. Interobserver variability was 5.4%, while the inter-technique variability resulted in 4.1%. Modifications in LV dimensions during the parabola were found: compared to 1Gz values, EDA and ESA were significantly reduced at 1.8Gz of 8.8±5.5% and of 12.1±10.1% respectively, while during 0Gz EDA and ESA increased of 13.3±7.3% and of 11.6±5.1% respectively, due to abrupt changes in venous return. The proposed method resulted in fast and reliable estimations of LV dimensions, whose changes caused by different gravity conditions were objectively quantified

Non-ideal Weight Discrimination in EU Law

The contribution suggests a markedly broader concept of 'disability', based on the so-called 'social model', under EU law. It would move EU law from a narrow legalistic approach to equality towards an inclusive and dignity-focused approach to equality. At the same time, it should be remembered that the Member States are free to adopt non-discrimination law in areas not covered by EU law, and that the existing law provides for a minimum level of protection only. Accordingly, the Member States can provide a higher level of protection than that guaranteed by Directive 2000/78. In this framework there is room on the national level for the adoption of a fully social model of 'disability', consistent with the UN CRPD, even outside the scope of application of the present EU law