Background NICE (UK) recommends 1 that all health care professionals take the opportunity to refe... more Background NICE (UK) recommends 1 that all health care professionals take the opportunity to refer smokers to a smoking cessation service (SCS) and this is a UK health priority. Our district general hospital has a smoking cessation in-reach service. The objectives of this study were to evaluate referral rates to this service among patients admitted to hospital via the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) with a view to improving the referral rates. Method We undertook a 2-week prospective review during winter of all admissions via the MAU to the respiratory ward, of smoking referral patterns. Results 73 patient records were reviewed. Mean age 71 (SD 13) years; 52% male, 40% current smokers. Of these only 36% received documented smoking cessation advice from a health care professional on admission and 41% of these smokers were referred to SCS services, of which 30% received a review within 24 hours and 86% within 72 hours; following this 24% continued to smoke whilst an in-patient. Conclusion Id...
This case reports a 54-year-old lady with a chest X-ray showing a lung mass that was later identi... more This case reports a 54-year-old lady with a chest X-ray showing a lung mass that was later identified to be eventration or abnormal elevation of a part of the diaphragm. This article discusses eventration of the right diaphragm and liver herniation, that although relatively rare, has characteristic radiological appearances.
Resumen: Las reformas economicas hacia la ‘normalizacion’ de las relaciones con los Estados Unido... more Resumen: Las reformas economicas hacia la ‘normalizacion’ de las relaciones con los Estados Unidos ha suscitado la esperanza de un aumento de los propietarios de autos en Cuba. Sin embargo, la experiencia internacional ofrece vasta evidencia del gran costo de esta dependencia en las ciudades. Siguiendo las ensenanzas de las tendencias globales, La Habana puede evitar errores y crecer a partir de sus unicas fortalezas. Una vision politica clara basada en el ‘acceso y habitabilidad’ podria convertir a La Habana en lider mundial en terminos de sostenibilidad y movilidad urbana socialmente equitativa. [English, translation] Economic reforms and moves towards ‘normalization’ of relations with the US have raised hopes for increasing car ownership in Cuba. But international experience provides plenty of evidence of the huge costs of private car dependency in cities. By learning from global trends in urban mobility, Havana can avoid mistakes and build on its unique strengths. A clear policy...
Cuba's dual exchange rate system not only creates a wide gulf in incomes between Cubans, but ... more Cuba's dual exchange rate system not only creates a wide gulf in incomes between Cubans, but also severely damages productivity, competitiveness and dynamism. Further market reforms will fail to boost economic growth without exchange rate unification, but the process will be difficult, creating winners and losers and risking disruption during the change. This article discusses the requirements for unification, and prospects.
Background Dietary fish oil (DFO) has been identified as a micronutrient supplement with the pote... more Background Dietary fish oil (DFO) has been identified as a micronutrient supplement with the potential to improve musculoskeletal health in old age. Few data are available for effects of DFO on muscle contractility, despite the significant negative impact of muscle weakness on age-related health outcomes. Accordingly, the effects of a DFO intervention on the contractile function and proteomic profile of adult and aged in an animal model of aging were investigated. Methods This preliminary study evaluated 14 adult (8 months) and 12 aged (22 months) male, Sprague-Dawley rats consuming a DFO-supplemented diet or a control diet for 8 weeks (7 adult and 6 aged/dietary group). Animal weight, food intake and grip strength were assessed at the start and end of the FO intervention. In situ force and contractile properties were measured in the medial gastrocnemius muscle following the intervention and muscles were processed for 2-D gel electrophoresis and proteomic analysis via liquid chromat...
There were good reasons why in 1990 Cuba’s economy was expected to collapse along with the Soviet... more There were good reasons why in 1990 Cuba’s economy was expected to collapse along with the Soviet economic bloc. Economic dependency on Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) trade and finance was extreme: in 1989, the Cuban economy was an open one, with an imports-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio of 35 percent, and the COMECON trade bloc accounted for around 80 percent of all trade. The bloc also provided the external financing to cover a large current account deficit, amounting to more than 10 percent of GDP.1 Of total exports, sugar accounted for 80 percent, and the COMECON preferential sugar price was around three times the world market price, a benefit worth around 12 percent of GDP. The extent of Cuban dependence on COMECON thus meant that when the trading bloc collapsed around one quarter of GDP was immediately wiped off Cuba’s national income, even before the effects of economic dislocation were added, as import capacity fell by 70 percent between 1990 and 1993 (see figure 3.1).
... University of North London J. Lat. Amer. Stud. ( DOI: .SX Rafael E. ... more ... University of North London J. Lat. Amer. Stud. ( DOI: .SX Rafael E. Tarrago! ... This aspect of the task falls to the preface and introduction by, respectively, Jose! Manuel Herna!ndez and Rafael E. Tarrago!. ...
In 2019, Cuba approved a new political constitution that calls for deepening citizen participatio... more In 2019, Cuba approved a new political constitution that calls for deepening citizen participation to strengthen local governance. The emerging decentralization processes and the role of new actors in urban development open new possibilities for inclusive planning. While citizen participation is widely documented in the global South and under Western liberal democracy regimes, participatory urban planning in the context of Southern socialist cities such as Havana has been less scrutinized. This paper aims at mapping the framings, trajectories and legacies of such participatory planning initiatives. Based on mapping workshops and desktop research, we find that participatory initiatives within Havana are spatially dispersed, sporadic, lacking at the city level, and occurring in isolation at the neighbourhood level. We argue that establishing sustained participatory urban planning practices in Havana requires decision makers to scale outwards and upwards the lessons learned from existi...
In 2019, Cuba approved a new political constitution that calls for deepening citizen participatio... more In 2019, Cuba approved a new political constitution that calls for deepening citizen participation to strengthen local governance. The emerging decentralization processes and the role of new actors in urban development open new possibilities for inclusive planning. While citizen participation is widely documented in the global South and under Western liberal democracy regimes, participatory urban planning in the context of Southern socialist cities such as Havana has been less scrutinized. This paper aims at mapping the framings, trajectories and legacies of such participatory planning initiatives. Based on mapping workshops and desktop research, we find that participatory initiatives within Havana are spatially dispersed, sporadic, lacking at the city level, and occurring in isolation at the neighbourhood level. We argue that establishing sustained participatory urban planning practices in Havana requires decision makers to scale outwards and upwards the lessons learned from existi...
This article attempts to analyse the nature of Cuban policymaking during the period of economic ‘... more This article attempts to analyse the nature of Cuban policymaking during the period of economic ‘adjustment’ since the collapse of the Soviet bloc by focusing on one aspect: the opening to foreign capital. It outlines the widely-accepted characterisation of policy as a cyclical process and identifies the assumptions about the policy-making process that underlie it. Citing data on the changes in economic conditions and the sequencing of policy towards foreign capital in the post-1990 period, it suggests that policy-making can be better understood as an evolutionary process. This conclusion has implications for the way in which we understand the renewed wave of reforms launched in March 2008.
Background NICE (UK) recommends 1 that all health care professionals take the opportunity to refe... more Background NICE (UK) recommends 1 that all health care professionals take the opportunity to refer smokers to a smoking cessation service (SCS) and this is a UK health priority. Our district general hospital has a smoking cessation in-reach service. The objectives of this study were to evaluate referral rates to this service among patients admitted to hospital via the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) with a view to improving the referral rates. Method We undertook a 2-week prospective review during winter of all admissions via the MAU to the respiratory ward, of smoking referral patterns. Results 73 patient records were reviewed. Mean age 71 (SD 13) years; 52% male, 40% current smokers. Of these only 36% received documented smoking cessation advice from a health care professional on admission and 41% of these smokers were referred to SCS services, of which 30% received a review within 24 hours and 86% within 72 hours; following this 24% continued to smoke whilst an in-patient. Conclusion Id...
This case reports a 54-year-old lady with a chest X-ray showing a lung mass that was later identi... more This case reports a 54-year-old lady with a chest X-ray showing a lung mass that was later identified to be eventration or abnormal elevation of a part of the diaphragm. This article discusses eventration of the right diaphragm and liver herniation, that although relatively rare, has characteristic radiological appearances.
Resumen: Las reformas economicas hacia la ‘normalizacion’ de las relaciones con los Estados Unido... more Resumen: Las reformas economicas hacia la ‘normalizacion’ de las relaciones con los Estados Unidos ha suscitado la esperanza de un aumento de los propietarios de autos en Cuba. Sin embargo, la experiencia internacional ofrece vasta evidencia del gran costo de esta dependencia en las ciudades. Siguiendo las ensenanzas de las tendencias globales, La Habana puede evitar errores y crecer a partir de sus unicas fortalezas. Una vision politica clara basada en el ‘acceso y habitabilidad’ podria convertir a La Habana en lider mundial en terminos de sostenibilidad y movilidad urbana socialmente equitativa. [English, translation] Economic reforms and moves towards ‘normalization’ of relations with the US have raised hopes for increasing car ownership in Cuba. But international experience provides plenty of evidence of the huge costs of private car dependency in cities. By learning from global trends in urban mobility, Havana can avoid mistakes and build on its unique strengths. A clear policy...
Cuba's dual exchange rate system not only creates a wide gulf in incomes between Cubans, but ... more Cuba's dual exchange rate system not only creates a wide gulf in incomes between Cubans, but also severely damages productivity, competitiveness and dynamism. Further market reforms will fail to boost economic growth without exchange rate unification, but the process will be difficult, creating winners and losers and risking disruption during the change. This article discusses the requirements for unification, and prospects.
Background Dietary fish oil (DFO) has been identified as a micronutrient supplement with the pote... more Background Dietary fish oil (DFO) has been identified as a micronutrient supplement with the potential to improve musculoskeletal health in old age. Few data are available for effects of DFO on muscle contractility, despite the significant negative impact of muscle weakness on age-related health outcomes. Accordingly, the effects of a DFO intervention on the contractile function and proteomic profile of adult and aged in an animal model of aging were investigated. Methods This preliminary study evaluated 14 adult (8 months) and 12 aged (22 months) male, Sprague-Dawley rats consuming a DFO-supplemented diet or a control diet for 8 weeks (7 adult and 6 aged/dietary group). Animal weight, food intake and grip strength were assessed at the start and end of the FO intervention. In situ force and contractile properties were measured in the medial gastrocnemius muscle following the intervention and muscles were processed for 2-D gel electrophoresis and proteomic analysis via liquid chromat...
There were good reasons why in 1990 Cuba’s economy was expected to collapse along with the Soviet... more There were good reasons why in 1990 Cuba’s economy was expected to collapse along with the Soviet economic bloc. Economic dependency on Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) trade and finance was extreme: in 1989, the Cuban economy was an open one, with an imports-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio of 35 percent, and the COMECON trade bloc accounted for around 80 percent of all trade. The bloc also provided the external financing to cover a large current account deficit, amounting to more than 10 percent of GDP.1 Of total exports, sugar accounted for 80 percent, and the COMECON preferential sugar price was around three times the world market price, a benefit worth around 12 percent of GDP. The extent of Cuban dependence on COMECON thus meant that when the trading bloc collapsed around one quarter of GDP was immediately wiped off Cuba’s national income, even before the effects of economic dislocation were added, as import capacity fell by 70 percent between 1990 and 1993 (see figure 3.1).
... University of North London J. Lat. Amer. Stud. ( DOI: .SX Rafael E. ... more ... University of North London J. Lat. Amer. Stud. ( DOI: .SX Rafael E. Tarrago! ... This aspect of the task falls to the preface and introduction by, respectively, Jose! Manuel Herna!ndez and Rafael E. Tarrago!. ...
In 2019, Cuba approved a new political constitution that calls for deepening citizen participatio... more In 2019, Cuba approved a new political constitution that calls for deepening citizen participation to strengthen local governance. The emerging decentralization processes and the role of new actors in urban development open new possibilities for inclusive planning. While citizen participation is widely documented in the global South and under Western liberal democracy regimes, participatory urban planning in the context of Southern socialist cities such as Havana has been less scrutinized. This paper aims at mapping the framings, trajectories and legacies of such participatory planning initiatives. Based on mapping workshops and desktop research, we find that participatory initiatives within Havana are spatially dispersed, sporadic, lacking at the city level, and occurring in isolation at the neighbourhood level. We argue that establishing sustained participatory urban planning practices in Havana requires decision makers to scale outwards and upwards the lessons learned from existi...
In 2019, Cuba approved a new political constitution that calls for deepening citizen participatio... more In 2019, Cuba approved a new political constitution that calls for deepening citizen participation to strengthen local governance. The emerging decentralization processes and the role of new actors in urban development open new possibilities for inclusive planning. While citizen participation is widely documented in the global South and under Western liberal democracy regimes, participatory urban planning in the context of Southern socialist cities such as Havana has been less scrutinized. This paper aims at mapping the framings, trajectories and legacies of such participatory planning initiatives. Based on mapping workshops and desktop research, we find that participatory initiatives within Havana are spatially dispersed, sporadic, lacking at the city level, and occurring in isolation at the neighbourhood level. We argue that establishing sustained participatory urban planning practices in Havana requires decision makers to scale outwards and upwards the lessons learned from existi...
This article attempts to analyse the nature of Cuban policymaking during the period of economic ‘... more This article attempts to analyse the nature of Cuban policymaking during the period of economic ‘adjustment’ since the collapse of the Soviet bloc by focusing on one aspect: the opening to foreign capital. It outlines the widely-accepted characterisation of policy as a cyclical process and identifies the assumptions about the policy-making process that underlie it. Citing data on the changes in economic conditions and the sequencing of policy towards foreign capital in the post-1990 period, it suggests that policy-making can be better understood as an evolutionary process. This conclusion has implications for the way in which we understand the renewed wave of reforms launched in March 2008.
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