Voluntary Private Investments Role in Pension System in Latvia

Pension systems have become one of the main priorities for the national governments. Developed countries population is getting older by putting the pressure on the state budgets and work age people tax load. The current pension system in Latvia performs according to regulation of state compulsory unfunded pension scheme since 1996 and regulation of the state funded or accumulated pension scheme since 2001. The third pension system pillar is private voluntary pension schemes realized in form of people contributions into pension funds and life insurance policies. Aim of the research – deeper analyses of voluntary private investments as the pension system part and its development challenges in Latvia. Research methods: scientific publications and previous conducted research analysis; analysis of time series on private pension fund developments in Latvia and comparisons with the situation in other OECD countries. The authors were looking for answer on the question – can voluntary private investments cover the gap between pre-retirement and after-retirement income of population in Latvia and what are the pre-conditions for it.The research was supported by the NATIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAMME “LATVIAN HERITAGE AND FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE STATE” project “CHALLENGES FOR THE LATVIAN STATE AND SOCIETY AND THE SOLUTIONS IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT" (INTERFRAME-LV, Project No.VPP-IZM-2018/1-0005

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Long-term benzodiazepine use: Factors of importance and the development of individual use patterns over time--A 13-year follow-up in a Swedish community

Using data from a research registry of prescriptions, we studied benzodiazepine use in a Swedish community with a general population of 20,000. A sample of benzodiazepine users in 1976 (n = 561) aged 15 years and older was identified and followed for 13 years with respect to continued benzodiazepine use. A strong tendency towards continued use was observed. A majority of the cohort, 65%, continued benzodiazepine use during the first follow-up year, and 55% used benzodiazepines during the second. One-quarter of the sample continued using benzodiazepines during all years of the 13-year follow-up. One of the aims was to analyze factors predicting long-term benzodiazepine use. The multivariate analyses, using Cox regression analysis, showed that frequent/daily use and age were important factors. Gender and type of generic benzodiazepine were of little importance. Further, patients who were prescribed benzodiazepines by doctors working at hospitals and those who obtained prescriptions from both primary and hospital care physicians continued to use benzodiazepines to a greater extent than those patients who obtained prescriptions only from private practitioners or health center doctors. Another aim was to analyze to what extent long-term were using these drugs on an infrequent, occasional, frequent, or daily basis and to what extent this use changed over time. Of those with benzodiazepine use persisting for eight or more years (n = 119), between one-half and two-thirds were frequent or daily users in each of those years. Because repeated measurements for the same individuals were analyzed, the generalized estimating equations (GEE) method was chosen for the multivariate analyses. Among long-term users, age, a combined use of tranquilizers and hypnotics, and prescriptions from more than one of the prescriber categories studied (i.e. doctors working at health centers, hospital doctors, and private doctors) were significant factors in frequent or daily use. The study also showed that frequent/daily use increased among the identified long-term users during the time period analyzed.benzodiazepines longitudinal study long-term use occasional use daily use

Use of analgesics in Sweden--The importance of sociodemographic factors, physical fitness, health and health-related factors, and working conditions

In this study, factors related to analgesic use--independent of their association with pain--were studied in the general Swedish population. These included sociodemographics, health and health-related factors, physical fitness and working conditions. Data from the Swedish Survey of Living Conditions for the two-year period 1988/89 were used. In this survey a random sample (n = 13,295, response rate 79.4%) of the Swedish population aged 16 years and older was interviewed about health, medication use and related matters, among other things. In all, 35% of the population used analgesics at least once during a two-week period, and analgesic use was more than 50% higher among women than men. Analgesic use was less common among those aged 45-64 years and 65-74 years than those 18-44, after controlling for all other variables. The study showed that self-perceived poor health and pain explain much analgesic use. Analgesic use is further explained by lifestyle, sleeping problems, and health care utilization. Marital status, educational level, socioeconomic status, social network and working conditions were found to be of minor importance.epidemiology general population analgesics pain sociodemographic factors health health care

Short-Term Cost and Health Consequences of Duodenal Levodopa Infusion in Advanced Parkinson's Disease in Sweden: An Exploratory Study

Background: Levodopa is the cornerstone treatment for Parkinson's disease, but the short half-life of levodopa limits its usefulness in late stages of the disease. Duodenal levodopa infusion (DLI) allows more stable plasma levels and better motor symptom control. Objective: To explore the costs and health benefits of replacing conventional oral polypharmacy with DLI in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease, from a Swedish healthcare payer perspective. Methods: Based on a clinical, randomized, crossover study with 24 patients (DIREQT), a decision analytic model predicted 2-year drug costs and QALYs for conventional oral therapy and for DLI. Health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) was recorded using a 15-dimensional (15D) utility instrument at baseline and during the two 3-week trial periods, and then at eight follow-up visits during the subsequent 6 months. Use of medication was based on data from DIREQT and previous studies. Unit costs were based on market prices (drugs) and customary charges in Sweden. All costs were expressed in Swedish kronor (SEK), year 2004 values (&U20AC;1.00 ≈ SEK9.17, $US1.00 - SEK7.47). Future costs and outcomes were discounted at 3%. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. Results: The mean utility scores were 0.77 for DLI and 0.72 for conventional therapy (p - 0.02). A considerable variation in the scores was observed during the study. The expected per-patient 2-year cost of DLI was SEK562 000 while it was SEK172 000 for conventional therapy. The mean number of QALYs was 1.48 and 1.42, respectively, representing an incremental cost of SEK6.1 million per QALY for DLI (all values discounted at 3%). Using other assumptions in sensitivity analyses, the cost per QALY could be as low as SEK456 000. Conclusion: This analysis can be considered exploratory only; it is based on very limited data. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that DLI results in a significant improvement in HR-QOL. However, the cost per QALY is likely to be higher than customary cost-effectiveness thresholds. Whether these benefits justify the additional costs depends on how the health benefits are measured and how these benefits are valued by society.

Psychotropic drug use in a Swedish community-- The importance of demographic and socioeconomic factors

In this study the importance of demographic and socioeconomic factors for the use of psychotropic drugs in the general population of a Swedish community was studied using data from a research registry on prescriptions. The study showed that age, gender, marital status, socioeconomic status and distance to the health center had independent and significant effects on the use of psychotropic drugs. Age was of very great importance; the proportion of users was more than ten times greater among individuals aged 75-84 years than among those aged 18-34 years. Furthermore it was approximately twice as common with those drugs among women as compared to men. Differences with regard to marital and socioeconomic status were also present but these were generally small except in certain groups such as men aged 35-44 who were not employed, divorced men aged 45-54 and 55-64 years and single women aged 35-44 years.pharmacoepidemiology psychotropic drugs general population demographic factors socioeconomic factors

Self-Reported Depression and Prescription of Antidepressants; does Gender Matter?

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Self-reported Lifetime Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis and Co-morbidity with Asthma and Eczema in Adulthood : A Population-based Cross-sectional Survey

Atopic dermatitis and its co-morbidity with asthma and allergy is well described in younger age groups. However, population-based studies on adults with atopic dermatitis in childhood are sparse. The aims of this study were to determine: (i) the prevalence of self-reported childhood atopic dermatitis in the population; and (ii) its association with present self-reported hand eczema, eczema, allergy, urticaria and asthma. A questionnaire was sent to a cross-sectional random sample of the Swedish population (n = 7,985), age range 18-84 years (response rate 61.1%). The questionnaire included the question "Have you had childhood eczema?" and questions on 5 other medical problems (hand eczema, other eczema, asthma, urticaria and allergy). Persons reporting eczema in childhood reported increased odds ratios (OR) for hand eczema (4.01), other eczema (3.88), urticaria (2.50), allergy (2.98), and asthma (2.06) as adults. The combination of eczema, allergy and asthma had an OR of 14.10 (95% confidence interval 8.44-23.54). Adults in the age range 18-84 years reporting childhood atopic dermatitis still have high co-morbidity with eczema, asthma, urticaria and allergy

Psychotropic drug use in a Swedish community--Patterns of individual use during 2 years

Psychotropic drug use in a Swedish community with a general population of about 20,000 was studied using data from a research registry on prescriptions. Patterns of individual psychotropic drug use during 2 years, 1980 and 1981, were analyzed. Use during the second year was studied in relation to use during the first year, and individuals with continued and new use were identified. About two thirds of those who obtained psychotropics during the first year continued using such drugs during the following year. Among those with no use during the first year, 6% obtained psychotropic drugs during the second year. Both continued and new use increased with age. Psychotropic drug use was nearly twice as common among women as compared to men among new users, whereas practically no sex difference was observed in continued use among previous users of psychotropics. Despite the finding that male psychotropic drug users were almost as likely as females to continue using these drugs, the overall proportion of continuous users in the population remained considerably higher among women as compared to men. The results from this study suggest that the greater use of psychotropics among women can be explained by a greater extent of occasional use as well as continuous use among women as compared to men.pharmacoepidemiology psychotropic drugs general population longitudinal study

Are men under-treated and women over-treated with antidepressants? : Findings from a cross-sectional survey in Sweden

Aims and method: To examine gender differences in self-reported depression and prescribed antidepressants (ADs). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to assess depression, and information on prescribed ADs was obtained from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. Results: Depression was reported by 11.7% of the participants (12.3% men and 11.2% women). ADs were prescribed for 7.6% of the participants (5.3% men, 9.8% women). Among men, 1.8% reported depression and used ADs, 10.5% reported depression but did not use ADs, and 3.6% used ADs but did not report depression. The corresponding figures for women were 2.6%, 8.6% and 7.2%. Clinical implications: Men report depression to a greater extent than women but are prescribed ADs to a lesser extent, possibly a sign of under-treatment. Women are prescribed ADs without reporting depression more often than men, possibly a sign of over-treatment. Although the causes remain unclear, diagnostic and treatment guidelines should benefit from considering gender differences in these respects