Links Between Commodity Futures And Stock Market: Diversification Benefits, Financialization And Financial Crises

In this paper, we analyze time-varying correlations between commodity markets and S&P 500 index, employing a recent and novel technique: asymmetric dynamic conditional correlation (ADCC) model. Using weekly data from January 3, 1992 to December 27, 2013, we provide evidence of highly volatile correlations, which substantially increase after the 2007-2008 financial crisis. We also find that conditional correlations and variances are positively linked in overall, which implies deterioration in diversification benefits. Finally, we examine the impacts of financial crises on the conditional correlations and find that external shocks have different effects on the correlations. Our results have potential implications for investors, portfolio managers, commodity producers and policy makers

The Advocate - June 8, 1961

Original title (1951-1987)--The Advocate: official publication of the Archdiocese of Newark (N.J.)

Assessment of the requisites of microbiology based infectious disease training under the pressure of consultation needs

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Training of infectious disease (ID) specialists is structured on classical clinical microbiology training in Turkey and ID specialists work as clinical microbiologists at the same time. Hence, this study aimed to determine the clinical skills and knowledge required by clinical microbiologists.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was carried out between June 1, 2010 and September 15, 2010 in 32 ID departments in Turkey. Only patients hospitalized and followed up in the ID departments between January-June 2010 who required consultation with other disciplines were included.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 605 patients undergoing 1343 consultations were included, with pulmonology, neurology, cardiology, gastroenterology, nephrology, dermatology, haematology, and endocrinology being the most frequent consultation specialties. The consultation patterns were quite similar and were not affected by either the nature of infections or the critical clinical status of ID patients.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results of our study show that certain internal medicine subdisciplines such as pulmonology, neurology and dermatology appear to be the principal clinical requisites in the training of ID specialists, rather than internal medicine as a whole.</p

Tigecycline and Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Tigecycline is a prototype of a new antimicrobial class known as glycylcyclines. Tigecycline, a derivative of minocycline from the tetracycline group, provides a great advantage with its in vitro activity against gram-negative bacteria producing extended-spectrum betalactamase, Acinetobacter baumannii, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus causing infections. Moreover, tigecycline does not require dose adjustment in many patient groups due to its minimal organ toxicity, which is one of its important characteristics. Tigecycline was approved for indications of complex intra-abdominal infections and complex skin/soft tissue infections by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2005 (June) and by European Medicines Agency (EMEA) in 2006 (April); whereas, in Turkey, it was licensed and became clinically available in 2007 (February) for its use in the same indications. After the approval of tigecycline in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in adults, it was also approved for the same indication in our country in 2010 (March)

Antibiotic resistance surveillance over a 4-year period (2000-2003) in Turkey: results of the MYSTIC Program

WOS: 000251809600016PubMed ID: 17888609The Meropenem Yearly Susceptibility Test Information Collection (MYSTIC) Program is a global study that provides antimicrobial susceptibility data in centers prescribing meropenem. The activity of meropenem and 7 broad-spectrum antimicrobials have been examined against 5208 bacterial isolates from 9 Turkish centers between 2000 and 2003. Cumulative susceptibility rates against all species of Enterobacteriaceae combined were ranked as follows: meropenem (99.3%), imipenem (97.6%), cefepime (80.0%), piperacillin-tazobactam (73.6%), ceftazidime (70.3%), ciprofloxacin (70.1%), cefotaxime (66.9%), and tobramycin (67.2%). The production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) was detected in 48.7% of Klebsiella pneumoniae and in 19.5% of Escherichia coli isolates. Of ESBL producing K. pneumoniae isolates, 75.7% were resistant to tobramycin, 40.3% to ciprofloxacin, and 48.3% to piperacillin-tazobactam. Only piperacillin/ tazobactam and carbapenems were active against more than 50% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa at the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards-susceptible breakpoint, and the carbapenems were the most active compounds against Acinetobacter spp. These data confirm the continued potency of meropenem against Enterobacteriaceae in units where it is actively being prescribed. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved