Number Of Crises Research Articles

ROLE OF STATE REGULATION IN OVERCOMING THE ECONOMIC CRISIS


 
 
 The article examines the issues related to state regulation of the economy during the crisis, considered the problems of determining the feasibility and effects of state regulation in times of crisis, proved that the market economy, due to its inherent weaknesses, is prone to causing the crisis. This process is objective and cyclical. In the past decade, the number of crises, including the world, has increased significantly, which is associated with the growth of the financial sector. Permanent repetition of negative developments in the financial system and has a direct impact on the economy, which proves the need to strengthen state regulation in this sphere. The methods that can be used by different countries, in order to overcome the crisis in the economy was analyzed. It is proved that the administrative methods of crisis management, as a rule, are used in countries where market laws are not effective enough. In turn, in the economically more developed countries are used market-based instruments of crisis management. The features of state regulation of economy in some countries during the recent global economic crisis was investigated. It was found that, in spite of such a list of measures to counter the crisis in the developed countries, they have some differences, primarily related to the specific characteristics and structure of the economy. It was determined that in all the years of independence, the national economy has repeatedly been in crisis, at the same time, even though the experience gained so far has not created an effective mechanism to counter these negative phenomena.
 
 

Rituximab as induction therapy in refractory myasthenia gravis: 18month follow-up study.

Myasthenia gravis is an immune-mediated disorder characterized by easy fatigability and diurnal variation in skeletal muscle weakness. Aim of therapy is to prevent crisis and maintain remission. However, despite standard therapy, some remain refractory to treatment. To look for efficacy of rituximab in treating refractory myasthenia gravis (MG) in the form of MGFA-PIS score, number of crisis, and dose reduction in immunotherapies. A retrospective study was performed in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) from January 2012 to December 2017 with follow-up of at least 6 months. Eight refractory MG patients (six AchR positive and two Musk-positive) were identified on oral corticosteroids and azathioprine. After four cycles of rituximab, all patients showed a dose reduction of whom seven were completely tapered off prednisone and there was a 53.8% dose reduction in azathioprine. All patients were continued on AZA after RTX infusion unless contraindicated. Seven achieved minimal manifestation (MM)-2 status as per the MGFA-PIS scale. None of the patients had infusion associated reactions or cytopenia post-RTX infusion. In this small retrospective study, we used RTX as induction therapy and results suggest that repeated RTX infusions may not be necessary as it adds to cost of therapy, especially in LMIC like India.

Opportunities and obstacles to building legitimate legal legitimacy In the Arab political systems

Arab political regimes suffer from a number of crises that pose a challenge to the continuation and stability of their political systems. Arab political regimes have witnessed many multi-dimensional crises and angles such as economic, social and political crises. Main in the Arab political systems.
 The majority of researchers and scholars in this field are due to the weakness of the relationship between society and the existing political system, the latter and civil society, and the consequent tyranny of the Authority and its regime, and its penetration into the practice of oppression and violence in order to preserve its survival in government. Arab politics are traditional sources that do not reflect the reality of the democratic state, which is based on rational and legal foundations, and perhaps this ultimately led to the shaking or collapse of legitimacy in those regimes.

Efectos clínicos del tratamiento con hidroxiurea en pacientes de 3 a 17 años, con diagnóstico de anemia falciforme Hospital Infantil Dr. Robert Reid Cabral, período Septiembre 2009-2015 Santo Domingo, República Dominicana

Objetivo: Analizar los efectos clínicos de la hidroxiurea, demostrada como la única terapia modificadora de la anemia falciforme.
 Método: El presente estudio es de carácter observacional y descriptivo. Población: 210 pacientes con anemia falciforme bajo terapia con hidroxiurea. Muestra: muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia, constituida por los pacientes de la población que cumplían con los criterios de inclusión (92 pacientes).
 Resultados: De los pacientes estudiados (100%); el 87% fueron falcémicos HbSS, que empezaron su terapia entre los 3 y 9 años (60%), con un número promedio de cinco seguimientos en 1-2 años de terapia. Se observó una reducción importante (51%) (p<0.00001) en el número total de crisis posterior al tratamiento con hidroxiurea, y reducción de ingresos hospitalarios (57%) (p=0.000019) y número de transfusiones sanguíneas (84%) (p=0.000033). Más tiempo con la terapia se traduce en: aumento Hb y VCM, disminución de leucocitos y plaquetas, y una variación dentro de los límites de los perfiles hepático y renal.
 Discusión y conclusiones: La hidroxiurea es bien tolerada, segura y eficaz, demostrando reducción significativa en el número de crisis, transfusiones sanguíneas y hospitalizaciones, así como aumento de la hemoglobina y VCM. No se documentaron efectos secundarios importantes.

Time-varying rare disaster risks, oil returns and volatility

This paper provides a novel perspective to the predictive ability of rare disaster risks for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil market returns and volatility using a nonparametric quantile-based methodology over the monthly period of 1918:01–2013:12. We show that a nonlinear relationship and structural breaks exists between oil returns and various rare disaster risks; hence, linear Granger causality tests are misspecified and the linear model results of non-predictability are unreliable. However, the quantile-causality test shows that rare disaster-risks strongly affect both WTI returns and volatility, with stronger evidence of predictability observed at lower quantiles of the respective conditional distributions. Our results are robust to alternative specification of volatility (based on a GARCH model), and measure of rare disaster risks (based on the number of crises).

Effectiveness of Acupuncture as Auxiliary Treatment for Chronic Headache

ObjectivesTo assess the effectiveness of acupuncture as an auxiliary analgesic treatment for chronic headaches and the influence of this treatment on the quality of life, as the effectiveness of acupuncture in chronic headache is still controversial. MethodsThirty-four patients selected from a University Hospital Clinic on Chronic Pain were divided into two groups: True acupuncture (Group 1), in which the recommended points of the Traditional Chinese Medicine were used for each type of headache and sham acupuncture (Group 2), in which the needles were inserted into a device (the stick-on moxa), at the same points as Group 1. Both groups used the prescribed preventive medication for pain. The verbal numeric scale before (VNS0) and after (VNS1) treatment, the number of crisis, and the number of analgesics used during the first and second months of treatment were used for assessment. Quality of life was also assessed before and after treatment with the Brazilian version of the Quality of Life Questionnaire: SF-6D, 2002. ResultsThe true acupuncture group showed greater effectiveness in controlling pain in chronic headache, which was statistically significant in all domains compared to the sham acupuncture group, including quality of life. ConclusionsAcupuncture can be considered an auxiliary treatment for chronic headache, reducing the intensity of pain, the number of crisis, the quantity of analgesics used, and improving the quality of life in patients with this painful condition.

An Interpretation of Jane Austen’s Emma by Lacan’s Theory of Mirror Stage

Emma is honored as the most mature work by Jane Austen. It centers on Emma Woodhouse, the heroine, and reveals the complicated love relationships among Frank Churchill and Harriet Smith, Mr. Elton and Jane Fairfax, and Mr. Knightley and Harriet Smith. This thesis intends to probe into the inner world of Emma and uncover her intricate feeling of match-making for others to self love seeking from the perspective of Lacan’s Mirror Stage and Three-Order Theory. From the theory, a number of crises among Emma and her father, Miss Taylor, and her other friends arise, which all contribute to her loss of complete ego. The split Emma, like a new-born infant, returns to the front of the mirror and begins to see her split ego in it. The Imaginary is the first realm of Lacan’s three Orders. The illusions from Harriet’s obedience, Frank’s deliberate deceiving, and the subtle relationship between Harriet and Mr. Knightley all lead Emma to irresistible self-seeking. Emma seeks out her ego under the Law in the Symbolic Order. In the constraint of Phallus, Emma eventually realizes her true emotion to Mr. Knightley and abandons the thought of match-making for Harriet. She breaks through the obstacles of herself in the Symbolic at last. After undergoing this self recognition, Emma reaches the Real Order, the last realm of ego seeking. Everything before all helps her sublimation in the Real.

The unnoticed interictal disphoric disorder

IntroductionPsychiatric morbidity in refractory epilepsy is frequent and has a negative influence on quality of life. Treatment-refractory epileptic patients are at higher risk of developing psychiatric disturbances. The interictal dysphoric disorder (IDD) has been described as a pleomorphic pattern of symptoms claimed to be typical of patients with epilepsy. It is characterized by 3/8 symptoms: depressive mood, anergia, pain, insomnia, fear, anxiety, irritability, and euphoric mood.ObjectivesTo provide evidence that psychiatric morbidity is high in refractory epilepsy and to describe associations to IDD.AimsThe present study aims to show that there are typical psychiatric conditions in epilepsy that can be unnoticed.MethodsWe cross-sectional analyzed the psychopathologic outcomes of patients with refractory epilepsy. The assessments methods included SCID for DSM-IV and clinical interview for epileptic specific psychiatric conditions.ResultsThe sample consists of 153 patients, with a mean age of 37. A total of 42.5% were males. One or more Axis I diagnoses was seen in 38% of the patients. The most common condition was IDD (27.1%), followed by affective and anxiety disorders (22 and 15.3% respectively). Considering patients with IDD, we found differences in locus (P = 0.001) (present in 34.3% of non-stablished locus, 8.6% of extra-temporal locus and 57.1% of temporal locus) but not with hemisphere, sex, type of crises, treatment. We neither found correlation with age, number of crisis or number of treatments.ConclusionsPsychiatric comorbidities as IDD do not appear in the DSM-IV but are prevalent and could be related with temporal locus.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Anticonvulsant effects of iridoid glycosides fraction purified from Feretia apodanthera Del. (Rubiaceae) in experimental mice models of generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

BackgroundDespite the increasing number and variety of antiepileptic drugs, nearly 30 % of epileptic patients who receive appropriate medical attention have persisting seizures. Anticonvulsant activity has been demonstrated for different iridoid glycoside-rich plant extracts. This study was designed to investigate the anticonvulsant effects of iridoid glycosides purified from Feretia apodanthera and to explore the possible mechanisms involved in antiepileptic activity.MethodsThe anticonvulsant effects of iridoid glycosides extracts were investigated against 2.7 mg/kg bicuculline- and 70 mg/kg pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsions. The behavioural and electroencephalographic manifestations of 50 mg/kg pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures in mice as a model of generalized tonic-clonic seizures were also evaluated. Finally, the extracts were tested on the course of kindling development, kindled-seizures and oxidative stress markers in 30 mg/kg pentylenetetrazole-kindled mice. Their effects on brain GABA content were also determined.ResultsThe iridoid glycosides (30–90 mg/kg) protected mice against bicuculline-induced motor seizures in all pre-treated animals. Behavioural seizures- and mortality-induced by 70 mg/kg pentylenetetrazole were strongly antagonized by the extracts (60–90 mg/kg). The number of crisis (n/20 min), the cumulative duration of crisis (sec/20 min), and the mean duration of crisis (sec) recorded in 50 mg/kg pentylenetetrazole-treated mice were significantly decreased in all pre-treated mice with the extracts (60–90 mg/kg). Administration of the extracts (30–90 mg/kg) significantly increased the latency to myoclonic jerks, clonic seizures as well as generalized tonic-clonic seizures, improved the seizure mean stage and decreased the number of myoclonic jerks in 30 mg/kg pentylenetetrazole-kindled mice. Pentylenetetrazole kindling induced significant oxidative stress and brain GABA content alteration that was reversed by pretreatment with the extracts in a dose-dependent manner.ConclusionsThe results indicate that pretreatment with the iridoid glycosides extracts of Feretia apodenthera improves generalized tonic-clonic seizures-induced by chemo-convulsants, protects mice against kindling development and oxidative stress, and improves brain GABA content in pentylenetetrazole-kindled mice.

Return Comovement

We examine the intra-market comovement of returns within each of 33 economies' stock exchanges operating from 1995 through 2013, and we use a model-free comovement gauge to explore the differences across the countries. We find that the stability of international macroeconomic trilemma policies, the number of crises, and the extent of turnover overshadow the empirical relevance of many institutional variables previously thought to be important for intra-market comovement, including country risk, corruption, and investor protections.We also use a much longer, nearly-constant sample of U.S. firms to examine compositional explanations of the well-known U.S. comovement decline, and to decompose the comovement into trend and cycle. The longer sample findings challenge the compositional explanations of the downward trend; additionally, they suggest that the most recent uptick reflects shorter-term conditions, rather than a trend reversal.Together, these findings help to explain the dramatic changes in the relative rankings of countries' return comovement over the last several decades.

Análisis retrospectivo sobre el efecto del estimulador vagal implantado en pacientes pediátricos con epilepsia refractaria

The vagus nerve stimulator is a therapeutic alternative in patients with epilepsy which is refractory to treatment with antiepileptic drugs that are not candidates for surgical resection. To analyse the effectiveness of vagus nerve stimulator in the paediatric patients of our centre. Set of 13 patients implanted between 2008 y 2013. It was registered the frequency of crises prior to implantation, after a year and at the end of the monitoring period. As well, it was recorded the number of antiepileptic drugs used and in a qualitative way the behavioural improvement and the change in the intensity of the crises, besides the apparition of secondary effects and the removal or not of the device. After a year, two years and at the end of the monitoring period it has been a fall in the number of crises about of 61%, 66.7% y 69% respectively, finding one patient free of crises after two years. At the end of the monitoring period, the 23% of those who had reduced their crises had experimented a reduction over 90%. Independently the effect on the number of crises, 77% of the patients presented an improvement in the intensity and the length of the crises, the same average showed a behavioural improvement. The secondary effects appeared in a 30.7% of the patients, being of mild intensity. Despite the small size of our sample, our results shows that the vagus nerve stimulator has a relevant efficacy over the pediatric drug resistant population, as much in the frequency and intensity of the crises, as over the behaviour.

Główne przyczyny i przejawy kryzysów w Unii Europejskiej oraz ich implikacje dla dalszego procesu integracji europejskiej

The main objective of the present article is to outline issues related to the main reasons and symptoms of the crises that have emerged in the European Union (EU) in the second half of the 21st century and to indicate their direct implications to the realization of integration project in Europe. The European Union is currently facing a number of crises: the eurozone crisis, the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) crises, the migration crisis, the crisis related to the Great Britain’s referendum on the EU membership and the crisis related to the leadership of the EU accepted by all the member states. The enumerated crises led to increased disintegration tendencies in the EU, which entail: tendencies to different levels of integration in the EU, “renationalization” of EU member states’ policies and decrease in attractive– ness of the European integration model.

Lack of Association of CNS Lesion Number with Cognitive Performance and Cerebral Blood Flow in Sickle Cell Disease

Background: Neurocognitive studies demonstrate a deficit in performance for sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients as compared to age-matched peers. The underlying mechanism for this deficit is not yet understood, but possible contributors include CNS lesion load, perfusion deficits, oxygen deprivation and cerebrovascular autoregulatory impairment. We hypothesized that the number of white matter hyperintensities and the cerebral blood flow (CBF) might contribute to cerebral dysfunction in SCA patients. We sought to examine the relationship between cognition, laboratory parameters and brain perfusion in sickle cell patients as compared to non-sickle cell (AA) controls.Methods: SCA (HbSS/HbSβ0) and AA subjects, ages 18-55 years old, with no evidence of TIA/Stroke, no clotting/bleeding disorders, and not on anticoagulation were recruited. Hydroxyurea use was noted but was neither an inclusion nor exclusion criterion. Evaluation included a routine questionnaire for basic social, educational and health information. Steady state laboratory evaluation was obtained within one week of imaging. Neurocognitive performance was evaluated by the Cogstate battery at the time of the MRI. Cogstate analysis included tests of executive function, recall, social and emotional cognition and learning. Lesion number and CBF were determined using 3T MRI, which included T1w 3D, T2 FLAIR, pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling, diffusion tensor imaging, and blood oxygen level depending imaging before and during a brief period of hyperoxia. Oxygen saturation and blood pressure were monitored throughout the procedure at 5-minute intervals.Results: To date, we have recruited 15 SCA and 7 AA subjects who answered a tailored questionnaire and underwent 3T MRI, routine laboratory testing and neurocognitive testing. Of the 15 SCA subjects, 6 had no lesions on 3T MRI and 9 had multiple lesions with 8 persons having more than 5. Lesion number correlated only with age (p=0.02). Of the 7 AA patients, 3 had no lesions, 2 had 1, 1 had 4 and 1 patient had >20 lesions. SCA patients fared worse on only one of the cognitive tests, the Groton Maze Learning Test for executive function (GMLT), in which a higher GMLT demonstrates decreased ability (p=0.02). Amongst the SCA subjects, a worse score on GMLT correlated positively with age (p=0.03), ferritin (p=0.02), mean arterial pressure (p=.02) and %HbF (p=0.03) while GMLT correlated negatively with %S (p=0.007), indirect bilirubin (p=0.02) and absolute reticulocyte count (p=0.005). There did not appear to be a relationship of GMLT with LDH, Hb, MCV, MCHC, platelet count, white cell parameters, number of crisis, oxygen saturation, CBF or lesion load. Gray matter CBF in SCA patients was significantly greater than that in AA subjects (164 ml/100g/min vs 113 ml/100g/min in AA, p < 0.007) as was white matter CBF (93 ml/100g/min vs 71 ml/100g/min, p=0.03). Both gray matter and white matter CBF correlated negatively with Hb/Hct levels in SCA patients (p=0.004). SCA patients also had a significantly lower average DP and MAP than the AA patients (p-0.004 and 0.015 respectively).Discussion: This study was undertaken to assess the role of a variety of clinical parameters against neurocognitive performance in SCA patients who had not been diagnosed with prior CVA or stroke. None-the-less, with the use of more powerful 3T MRI technology, there is an increase in the measurement and prevalence of white matter lesions in both SCA and AA subjects and a significant proportion of subjects were found to have evidence of white matter lesions. While white matter hyperintensities have been associated with cognitive outcomes, better detection of these lesions questions these assumptions and the prevailing theory that white matter hyperintensities are a marker of cerebral health and predict cognitive performance. Lesion number did not demonstrate an association with CBF or the GMLT; CBF correlated only with Hb levels and did not correlate with GMLT. There was an association of age with both cognition, as measured by the GMLT, and with lesion number.Conclusion: We suggest that diffuse cerebral dysfunction, rather than discrete infarct quantity, may be the more important mechanism of decreased cognition. We are currently assessing the functional assessments by fMRI to better delineate the nature of this cerebral dysfunction. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Integrating electrodermal biofeedback into pharmacologic treatment of grand mal seizures.

Electrodermal activity (EDA) and electrodermal biofeedback, when integrated with pharmacologic treatments, indicate promising methods for the treatment of grand mal seizures. They can be used to monitor patient arousal and help patients learn new strategies to better cope with stress and anxiety. Our proposed method can possibly reduce the number of crises for patients who are dependent on pharmacologic therapy and can improve their quality of life. This article describes the scientific background of electrodermal monitoring and electrodermal biofeedback for patients affected by grand mal seizures. In this study, we have reported a clinical case study. The patient was treated for 2 years with electrodermal biofeedback to augment pharmacologic treatments. The trial has been designed in accordance with “n = 1 case study research”. Our results have shown that our methods could achieve a significant reduction in grand mal seizures and sympathetic arousal when applied. The patient under consideration was also relaxed and exhibited greater competency to cope with stress. Additionally, the patient’s sense of mastery and self-efficacy was enhanced.

Kryzysy finansowe a bezpieczeństwo działalności banków komercyjnych

Financial crises which cause stagnation and economic recession are an inevitable part of economic reality of the world. Along with the globalization of financial markets both the number of crises and their reach increased. The last of the greatest economic breakdowns was “Crisis of the Euro” and “Global Financial Crisis 2008” which started the United States of America. They were caused by too gentle monetary and fiscal policy, which resulted in low interest rates and a lack of the budget and fiscal discipline. The aim of this study was to estimate and the evaluate interdependencies between the negative influence of economic-financial crises and the safety of commercial banks functioning in the Polish banking sector. Undertaken examinations allowed to check whether there are any statistical relations between the solvency ratio (reflecting the level of the bank safety) and the participation of irregular amounts due in the volume of credit on one hand and the changes of GDP and changes of stock exchange indices on the other. The analysis was carried out on data concerning commercial banks functioning in Poland and quoted on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

The Importance of Stimulation Cycle in Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Drug-Resistant Epilepsies- Our Experience and Literature Review

The impact of stimulation cycle on the outcome of patients submitted to vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) has been only marginally investigated in the literature. Nonetheless this is an important factor in term of tolerability of side effects, duration of generator and costs of therapy. Here the role of this parameter was evaluated on 21 patients who underwent to VNS implant at our Institution from January 1994 to February 2011 and responded to VNS (they reported a stable decrease of seizure number at least of 50%). We studied 3 stimulation cycles: slow (30’’on-5’off), intermediate (30’’on-3’off), fast (7’’on-20’’off). Each cycle was 1 year in duration. The stimulation cycle was recorded at the latest available follow-up (FU) for each patient (mean FU was 80.42 ± 54.01 months). Our protocol was to start with the slow cycle, to switch to the fast cycle and then to the intermediate one. The mean seizure frequencies before VNS and at latest FU were 26.08 ± 29.73 and 7.54 ± 10.22, respectively (p<0.0001; Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test). At latest FU, 11 cases (52.38%) were using the slow cycle and 8 (38.09%) the intermediate one. Among patient with a FU longer than 3 years (n=16), 15 of them (93.75%) were using slow or intermediate cycles. When considering the subgroup of patients with a 75% of reduction of number of crisis (n=12) nobody was using the fast cycle. Our results indicate that in patients responding to VNS the slow and intermediate cycles maintain the benefit of stimulation. If there is no response with these two cycles the probability of become a responder with the fast cycle is low.

Association of XmnI (-158 γG) Polymorphism and Response to Hydroxyurea in Omani S/S and S/β Patients

Objective: To describe the effect of Hydroxyurea (HU) treatment in Omani Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) patients with different beta-globin gene cluster haplotypes. Materials and methods: A total of 52 cases treated with HU were enrolled in this study. Response to the drug was compared between patients with and without the XmnI polymorphism in the different betaglobin gene cluster haplotypes. We have classified our cohort into three categories: good responders to HU for those patients who had no crises and no hospitalization after 6 months of treatment; partial responders for those who had a reduction in the number of crises after the same period and non responders for those that remained clinically unchanged even after doubling the HU prescription. Results: Most patients homozygous or heterozygous for the Xmn I polymorphism (T/T or T/C) had higher levels of HbF prior treatment than those having the CC genotype and were classified under good or partial responders. Conclusions: Being the Xmn-I polymorphism associated with the haplotypes frequent in Oman and acting as enhancer of the already elevated HbF expression, HU treatment can be prospectively applied to predict responsiveness and treatment can be given to those with low HbF expression for beneficial lowering of cellular adhesion. HU treatment can ameliorate the clinical phenotype of the large majority of Omani patients with SCD.

Critical Success Factors for Crisis Recovery Management: A Case Study of Phuket Hotels

ABSTRACTTourism is a major export industry for Thailand. Phuket, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, has been negatively influenced in recent years by a number of crises, including the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). This has limited the travel budget not only for domestic tourists but also those from overseas. Hotel businesses have been particularly affected by the GFC. While hotel managers may not be able anticipate a crisis, it is crucial for them to understand the critical success factors contributing to effective crisis recovery in order to ensure their long-term survival.This research identifies critical success factors necessary for effective economic crisis management through qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with managers of Phuket hotels. The findings of these interviews provide a rich and meaningful understanding of pertinent factors emphasized by managers as important in crisis recovery.

Experiencia en el tratamiento con dieta cetogénica de la epilepsia refractaria en la edad pediátrica

Between 23% and 25% of epileptic children are refractory to antiepileptic drugs. In recent times there has been a renewed interest in the ketogenic diet as treatment in these patients who are not candidates for other therapeutic options. AIMS. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of treatment with the ketogenic diet in an important number of paediatric patients with refractory epilepsy in our centre and to determine whether the results obtained are consistent with others recently reported in the literature. A retrospective review was conducted of the medical records of 41 children with refractory epilepsy treated with the ketogenic diet, mostly the Radcliffe II-type diet, between 1998 and 2011. Their median age on starting the diet was 3.92 years old. At six months after beginning the diet, the number of crises was reduced by at least 50% in 36.84% of the sample (10.53% of the children reached a 90% reduction and 5.26% no longer suffered crises). Around 50% of those in the youngest age group responded positively. Some tolerable, transient side effects were experienced by 58.54% of the patients, consisting mainly in high levels of cholesterol and constipation; no variations in the anthropomorphic parameters were observed. The ketogenic diet is a good therapeutic alternative in cases of refractory epilepsy in the paediatric age. Moreover, the younger the child is on starting on the diet, the more likely he or she is to gain benefits from it. In general it is well tolerated. Regular check-ups with supervision of these patients' nutrition are of great importance.

Russia and the Global Financial Crisis

The present financial crisis is a further link in the chain of crises widely described in economics literature. As recently as in the 1990s the global economy was affected by a number of crises which had an impact on several whole groups of countries. In 1992-1993 several countries of the European Union (United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, Norway and Finland) suffered currency crises. In 1994-1995 a severe crisis which had started in Mexico expanded to other countries in Latin America. In 1997-1998 a global financial crisis began in the countries of Southeast Asia (Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines), and then spread to Eastern Europe (Russia and several countries of the former USSR) and Latin America (Brazil).