Crisis averted : navigating fiscal policy instruments in member states on the example of the Covid-19 pandemic

PURPOSE: The primary objective of this paper is to assest the impact of the applied anti-crisis fiscal policy instruments (on the example of the Covid 19 pandemic) on the budgetary policy of selected Member States.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A critical analysis of the literature and a quantitative method were used. Statistical data for the period 2012-2021 were used, affecting the adopted anti-crisis solutions on the tax policy of Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Germany, Slovakia, Italy and Poland.FINDINGS: It was shown that the applied tax intervention was ad hoc and did not affect the tax policy of the surveyed countries. The main objective of the introduced solutions was to defer tax burdens, which had no long-term impact on both the level of tax burdens and the economic structure of taxation (capital, labour, consumption). It has been proven that the taxes most suitable for the implementation of the anti-crisis tax policy are direct taxes.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The added value of the article are the conclusions that can be used by governments in developing more flexible and effective tax policies to minimize the negative effects of subsequent crises.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The article can also be a starting point for a discussion on different approaches to pandemic crisis management, help to understand different perspectives and develop solutions for the future.peer-reviewe

Peptidoglycan-Modifying Enzyme Pgp1 Is Required for Helical Cell Shape and Pathogenicity Traits in Campylobacter jejuni

The impact of bacterial morphology on virulence and transmission attributes of pathogens is poorly understood. The prevalent enteric pathogen Campylobacter jejuni displays a helical shape postulated as important for colonization and host interactions. However, this had not previously been demonstrated experimentally. C. jejuni is thus a good organism for exploring the role of factors modulating helical morphology on pathogenesis. We identified an uncharacterized gene, designated pgp1 (peptidoglycan peptidase 1), in a calcofluor white-based screen to explore cell envelope properties important for C. jejuni virulence and stress survival. Bioinformatics showed that Pgp1 is conserved primarily in curved and helical bacteria. Deletion of pgp1 resulted in a striking, rod-shaped morphology, making pgp1 the first C. jejuni gene shown to be involved in maintenance of C. jejuni cell shape. Pgp1 contributes to key pathogenic and cell envelope phenotypes. In comparison to wild type, the rod-shaped pgp1 mutant was deficient in chick colonization by over three orders of magnitude and elicited enhanced secretion of the chemokine IL-8 in epithelial cell infections. Both the pgp1 mutant and a pgp1 overexpressing strain – which similarly produced straight or kinked cells – exhibited biofilm and motility defects. Detailed peptidoglycan analyses via HPLC and mass spectrometry, as well as Pgp1 enzyme assays, confirmed Pgp1 as a novel peptidoglycan DL-carboxypeptidase cleaving monomeric tripeptides to dipeptides. Peptidoglycan from the pgp1 mutant activated the host cell receptor Nod1 to a greater extent than did that of wild type. This work provides the first link between a C. jejuni gene and morphology, peptidoglycan biosynthesis, and key host- and transmission-related characteristics

Familial enteropathy with villous edema and immunoglobulin G2 subclass deficiency

We describe a familial form of recurrent acute, life-threatening secretory diarrhea associated with distinctive jejunal histologic changes and IgG2 subclass deficiency. Symptoms begin abruptly with anorexia and vomiting, and progress within hours to massive secretory diarrhea and shock with profound neutropenia and hypoproteinemia, including hypoalbuminemia and hypogammaglobulinemia. Affected survivors recover quickly and thereafter grow and develop normally. Biopsy specimens obtained during remission from 3 adults and 11 children show club-shaped jejunal villi broadened by edema and histiocytes with imbibed fluid; the overlying intestinal epithelium and brush border appear normal, but the basement membrane is interrupted in some areas. No characteristic microorganisms have been identified in association with the syndrome. Clinical manifestations cease in the second decade, but the abnormal jejunal histologic pattern persists into adult life. Female and male patients are equally affected, although all fatal cases have been in female subjects. Inheritance appears dominant with variable penetrance: one family member without a history of diarrhea has characteristic biopsy findings and another appears to be an obligate carrier with normal biopsy findings. Affected individuals have a reduced serum concentration of IgG2. We believe that this familial enteropathy is a unique entity, not previously described. (J P EDIATR 1994;125:541-8