Case of talidomida in Spain: aspects of private international law

RESUMEN: A finales de 1950 se comenzó a comercializar, primero en Europa y poco tiempo después por el resto del mundo, un medicamento fabricado por la farmacéutica alemana Grünenthal GmbH que contenía talidomida como principio activo. Este medicamento se dio a conocer como un sedante que calmaba las náuseas durante los primeros meses del embarazo. Como consecuencia de la ingesta de este fármaco durante los años cincuenta y sesenta se produjo un aumento del número de nacimientos de niños con malformaciones, que consistían en la falta de desarrollo en las extremidades. La llamada “generación de la talidomida” ha buscado soluciones en los juzgados de diversos países recibiendo respuestas positivas. Mientras Alemania, Reino Unido y Australia, entre otros, han indemnizado a las víctimas, e incluso han creado fundaciones a las que el gobierno realiza donaciones para los afectados, en España, los tribunales han adoptado una decisión opuesta. El trabajo se enfoca en el recorrido judicial en España de la talidomida y su estrecho vínculo con el Derecho Internacional Privado que parece que hasta ahora los tribunales no se han cuestionado.ABSTRACT: A drug produced by the German pharmaceutical company Grünenthal GmbH containing thalidomide as an active ingredient began to be marketed in Europe at the end of 1950, and shortly after that in the rest of the world. This medication was released as a sedative that calmed nausea during the first months of pregnancy. As a consequence of the ingestion of this drug during the fifties and sixties, the number of births of children with malformations increased. These malformations consisted in the lack of development in the extremities. The so-called "generation of thalidomide" has sought solutions in the courts of different countries, and apparently Spain is the only one that according to the route made by those affected in the courts has adopted a different position and, consequently, the decisions and repercussions were different. While Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia, among others, have compensated the victims, and even created foundations to which the government makes donations for those affected, Spain seems to have turned its back to them. The thesis focuses on the judicial route in Spain of thalidomide and its close link with International Law which seems that until now the courts have not been questioned.Grado en Derech

Análisis comparativo de las NIA con la legislación española

RESUMEN: El trabajo realizado en las siguientes páginas consiste en la comparación de la Normativa Internacional de Auditoría (NIA), que será de aplicación a partir del 2014, con la Normativa española, Normas Técnicas de Auditoría (NTA), vigente hasta dicho ejercicio. En concreto se centra en las NIA de la serie 200, 300, 400, 500 y 600. El motivo de la implantación de las NIA en España ha sido la sustitución de la normativa nacional de todos los países miembros de la Unión Europea (UE) para homogeneizar los procedimientos de trabajo de auditoría. El objetivo del proyecto es analizar cada NIA con su NTA correspondiente y destacar aquellos aspectos que han sido ampliados y otros muchos que se han suprimido. La metodología utilizada para cumplir dicho objetivo consiste en una comparación de las NIA con la NTA recogidas en una tabla con un breve resumen de las diferencias más relevantes. Hay que tener en cuenta que las NIA son una traducción literal del inglés, por lo que nos encontramos con términos anglosajones que hay que interpretar y “trasladar” algunas de sus connotaciones al ámbito local en España. Una de las conclusiones de este trabajo es que las NIA, a diferencia de las NTA, son más complejas y en algunos aspectos difíciles de interpretar; e incorporan y desarrollan adicionalmente nuevos enfoques, complementando algunos de los ya existentes.ABSTRACT: The Paper Degree that is exposed on the next few pages consists in the comparative relation of the NIA which will be applied since 2014, and the spanish regulation - NTA which was valid until this project was made. In particular it is focused on the NIA series 200, 300, 400, 500, 600. The reason this changes were introduced in the spanish system was the replacement of the national regulation in all the state members of the European Union in order to homogenize the procedures in the audit area. The aim of the project is to analyze each NTA with the NIA it is related to and emphasize the ¨parts¨ that were extended and many others that were eliminated. The method used to accomplish the purpose consists in contrasting and comparing the NTA and NIA compiled in a list completed with a short summary of the most important and relevant differences between them. It must be taken into account that the NIA are literally translated from english to spanish, that´s why there can be found expressions that may contain english terms. These must be explained, defined and brought to spanish field in order to mantain the fundamental essence and the connotation. One of the conclusion of this undergraduate Paper Degree is that the NIA are more complex and at some point not easy to interpret. At the same time they add and develop new aspects and complement some of the existing ones.Grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresa

Significant Association between Subclinical Left Cardiac Dysfunction and Liver Stiffness in Metabolic Syndrome Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background and Objectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is connected to both cardiovascular disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and is an important component of metabolic syndrome (MetS). NAFLD can be detected and quantified using the vibration controlled transient elastography (VCTE) and the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), whereas traditional and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) can reveal subclinical abnormalities in heart function. We sought to see if there was a link between left cardiac dysfunction and different levels of hepatic fibrosis in MetS patients with DM and NAFLD. Patients and Methods: We recruited successive adult subjects with MetS and a normal left ventricular ejection fraction, who were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of DM. The presence of NAFLD was established by CAP and VCTE, while conventional and 2D-STE were used to assess left heart’s systolic and diastolic function. The mean age of the MetS subjects was 62 ± 10 years, 82 (55%) were men. The distribution of liver steatosis severity was similar among diabetics and non-diabetics, while liver fibrosis grade 2 and 3 was significantly more frequent in diabetics (p = 0.02, respectively p = 0.001). LV diastolic dysfunction was found in 52% of diabetic and in 36% of non-diabetic MetS patients (p = 0.04). 2D-STE identified in the diabetic subjects increased LA stiffness (40% versus 24%, p = 0.03) and reduced global left ventricular longitudinal strain (47% versus 16%, p p Conclusions: The current investigation confirms the link between liver stiffness and subclinical cardiac dysfunction as detected by 2D-STE in MetS patients with DM. The novel parameters derived from LA and LV 2D-STE have demonstrated greater sensitivity compared to the older measurements, and a substantial connection with hepatic fibrosis