Difficulties in the privatisation and reorganisation of the agricultural enterprises in Russia

Presently Russia is experiencing the complicated process of transforming the economic system of central planning into a socially oriented market economy. Of great importance for the success of this process is the institutional reshaping of the agricultural sector, particularly the privatisation of land and assets. In this paper the procedure and the problems of privatising Russian agriculture are extensively discussed against the background of the unfavourable development of the Russian agricultural sector. -- G E R M A N V E R S I O N: Gegenwärtig durchläuft Rußland einen komplizierten Prozeß der Transformation des zentral geplanten Wirtschaftssystems in eine soziale Marktwirtschaft. Von großer Bedeutung für den Erfolg dieses Prozesses ist der institutionelle Wandel des landwirtschaftlichen Sektors, insbesondere die Privatisierung von Land und sonstigem Vermögen. Vor dem Hintergrund der ungünstigen Entwicklung der russischen Landwirtschaft werden in dieser Arbeit die Vorgehensweise und die Probleme der russischen Landwirtschaft ausführlich diskutiert.

Robot-Assisted versus Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy: A Comparison of 250 Cases

Living kidney donation is the best treatment for end-stage renal disease, however, the best surgical approach for minimally-invasive donor nephrectomy (DN) is still a matter of debate. This bi-centric study aimed to retrospectively compare perioperative outcomes and postoperative kidney function after 257 transperitoneal DNs including 52 robot-assisted (RDN) and 205 laparoscopic DNs (LDN). As primary outcomes, the intraoperative (operating time, warm ischemia time (WIT), major complications) and postoperative (length of stay, complications) results were compared. As secondary outcomes, postoperative kidney and graft function were analyzed including delayed graft function (DGF) rates, and the impact of the surgical approach was assessed. Overall, the type of minimally-invasive donor nephrectomy (RDN vs. LDN) did not affect primary outcomes, especially not operating time and WIT; and major complication and DGF rates were low in both groups. A history of smoking and preoperative kidney function, but not the surgical approach, were predictive for postoperative serum creatinine of the donor and recipient. To conclude, RDN and LDN have equivalent perioperative results in experienced centers. For this reason, not the surgical approach, but rather the graft- (preoperative kidney function) and patient-specific (history of smoking) aspects impacted postoperative kidney function