The Role of Law and the Function of the Lawyer in the Developing Countries

In the majority of contemporary democratic societies, the role of the lawyer is important, in some cases (such as the United States) predominant. This is so partly because a democratic constitution and legal order--for all the differences between the various types of democracy--are based on a delicate and precarious balance of functions and powers, which makes the role of the lawyer, as a trained balancer, important. But it is also connected with the fact that in the formative era of modern democracies, especially throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the predominant economic philosophy of democracy was that of laissez faire, with private enterprise as the chief instrument and promoter of economic activity and development. The function of the State remained restricted to defense, foreign affairs, and certain limited administrative and police activities, while the main stream of economic and social life proceeded through private channels. Hence the predominant training and function of the lawyer was in the field of private law, as counsel and advocate, as judge litigating between private parties, and as legal scholar analyzing the legal order and concepts of this type of society

Comparison of 1.0 M gadobutrol and 0.5 M gadopentate dimeglumine-enhanced MRI in 471 patients with known or suspected renal lesions: Results of a multicenter, single-blind, interindividual, randomized clinical phase III trial

The purpose of this phase III clinical trial was to compare two different extracellular contrast agents, 1.0 M gadobutrol and 0.5 M gadopentate dimeglumine, for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with known or suspected focal renal lesions. Using a multicenter, single-blind, interindividual, randomized study design, both contrast agents were compared in a total of 471 patients regarding their diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity to correctly classify focal lesions of the kidney. To test for noninferiority the diagnostic accuracy rates for both contrast agents were compared with CT results based on a blinded reading. The average diagnostic accuracy across the three blinded readers ('average reader') was 83.7% for gadobutrol and 87.3% for gadopentate dimeglumine. The increase in accuracy from precontrast to combined precontrast and postcontrast MRI was 8.0% for gadobutrol and 6.9% for gadopentate dimeglumine. Sensitivity of the average reader was 85.2% for gadobutrol and 88.7% for gadopentate dimeglumine. Specificity of the average reader was 82.1% for gadobutrol and 86.1% for gadopentate dimeglumine. In conclusion, this study documents evidence for the noninferiority of a single i.v. bolus injection of 1.0 M gadobutrol compared with 0.5 M gadopentate dimeglumine in the diagnostic assessment of renal lesions with CE-MRI