American Medical Sociology and Health Problems in the Global South

COVID-19 has focused global attention on disease spread across borders. But how has research on infectious and noncommunicable disease figured into the sociological imagination historically, and to what degree has American medical sociology examined health problems beyond U.S. borders? Our 35-year content analysis of 2,588 presentations in the American Sociological Association’s (ASA) Section on Medical Sociology and 922 articles within the section’s official journal finds less than 15 percent of total research examined contexts outside the United States. Research on three infectious diseases in the top eight causes of death in low-income countries (diarrheal disease, malaria, and tuberculosis [TB]) and emerging diseases—Ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)—was nearly absent, as was research on major noncommunicable diseases. Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) received much more focus, although world regions hit hardest received scant attention. Interviews suggest a number of factors shape geographic foci of research, but this epistemic parochialism may ultimately impoverish sociological understanding of illness and disease.

The need for regulation in the practice of human assisted reproduction in Mexico. An overview of the regulations in the rest of the world

Background The emergence of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in humans has been an important tool for the treatment of infertility. The number of treatments performed in Latin America has been increasing, and Mexico is the third country with the most assisted reproduction cycles performed in the region. However, Mexico lacks a national regulation for assisted reproduction. Therefore, it is necessary to implement regulations that allow for a safe clinical practice based on ethics which can be available to any social group. Main body The aim of this review was to examine the existing legislation that regulates human assisted reproduction practices in Mexico, but also to examine the legal analysis of the policies, laws, and regulations in effect in some countries in Latin America, North America, and Europe. For this, seven databases were consulted, and 34 articles from 2004 to 2021 referring to the practice of ART within the legal framework and the anthropological analysis that this entails were analyzed. Eight documents were also consulted such as the Mexican General Health Law of the Official Journal of the Federation (February 7, 1984) with its last published reform (DOF 01-06-2021). And three official agency websites were also consulted. No specific legislation was found for human assisted reproduction practices in Mexico; however, assisted reproduction clinics are ruled under some agreements implemented by national organizations such as the Mexican Association of Reproductive Medicine and, at the Latin America level, the Latin America Network of Assisted Reproduction (abbreviated REDLARA in Spanish); in addition, the practice of ART is considered, although not explicitly, in the General Health Law. Conclusion In Mexico, there is no legal regulation in charge of assisted reproduction practices, which is why there is an urgent need to establish human assisted reproduction laws without incurring discriminatory and unconstitutional acts, and at the same time, be in accordance with scientific advances. This will allow a considerable reduction in the violation of human rights.

Directory of Scientific-Periodicals of Georgia

This publication is an English-language version of the Directory of Georgian Scientific Periodicals. The directory contains the bibliographies of 149 international scientific periodicals that have been assigned ISSN by the ISSN International Centre and the Georgian National Centre and which reflect to a certain extent their preparedness for entering international scientific literature databases. The publication details are taken from official journal websites, are publisher-checked and certified. The directory data served as a basis for the Georgian scholarly journals’ monitoring and identifying the international scientific literature database entry criteria: publications’ peer-review, periodicity, independent website, international editorial board membership, DOI (Digital Object Identifier) assignment, the state of indexing in academic databases, etc.

Constituent power, citizenship, and the European Union

<p>The European Union (EU) has undergone constant political and economic integration since its inception in 1952. It has developed from a community in the aftermath of World War Two, into a Union of diverse states with its own political and legal system. It is the best example of international integration and co-operation in the world. A number of treaties represent the primary law of the EU. The treaties represent the EU’s commitment to promote human rights, freedom, democracy, equality, and the rule of law. The Treaty of Lisbon¹ was introduced and adopted by the Member States to increase participatory democracy within the EU. Originally called the Reform Treaty, it amended the existing EU and EC treaties, providing the EU with the legal framework to meet the future challenges and to respond to the increasing demands of the citizens’ for a more transparent and open institution. The European Parliament is the only directly elected institution of the EU, and traditionally had the least amount of power of the EU institutions. The Lisbon Treaty attempted to address the so-called democratic deficit through a range of institutional reforms that recognised the importance of European citizen involvement in the EU. Citizen involvement in the EU has also been increased through the implementation of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI). The ECI represents a further step towards the EU becoming a true participatory democracy. This purpose of this paper is to critically assess the democratic involvement of European citizens in the operation of the EU, and how the constitutional foundation of the EU provides for this involvement. The paper will seek to answer to what extent European Citizens’ have the ability to affect real and meaningful change upon the EU, a power that currently sits with the governments of Member States. Democracy is often associated with the power of the citizens to affect change in the institutions that govern them. The theory of constituent power goes one step further and argues that it gives citizens the ability to alter not only the governing institutions, but the also the power that those institutions exercise. This begins with an introduction of the main institutions of the EU, before moving to discuss the theory of constituent power, before assessing what factors would be necessary for constitutent power to be successful in the EU. ¹ Official Journal of the European Union 2007 No C 306/1 (herein after referred to as the Treaty of Lisbon). Adopted 2008, entered into force 1 December 2009.</p>

Constituent power, citizenship, and the European Union

<p>The European Union (EU) has undergone constant political and economic integration since its inception in 1952. It has developed from a community in the aftermath of World War Two, into a Union of diverse states with its own political and legal system. It is the best example of international integration and co-operation in the world. A number of treaties represent the primary law of the EU. The treaties represent the EU’s commitment to promote human rights, freedom, democracy, equality, and the rule of law. The Treaty of Lisbon¹ was introduced and adopted by the Member States to increase participatory democracy within the EU. Originally called the Reform Treaty, it amended the existing EU and EC treaties, providing the EU with the legal framework to meet the future challenges and to respond to the increasing demands of the citizens’ for a more transparent and open institution. The European Parliament is the only directly elected institution of the EU, and traditionally had the least amount of power of the EU institutions. The Lisbon Treaty attempted to address the so-called democratic deficit through a range of institutional reforms that recognised the importance of European citizen involvement in the EU. Citizen involvement in the EU has also been increased through the implementation of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI). The ECI represents a further step towards the EU becoming a true participatory democracy. This purpose of this paper is to critically assess the democratic involvement of European citizens in the operation of the EU, and how the constitutional foundation of the EU provides for this involvement. The paper will seek to answer to what extent European Citizens’ have the ability to affect real and meaningful change upon the EU, a power that currently sits with the governments of Member States. Democracy is often associated with the power of the citizens to affect change in the institutions that govern them. The theory of constituent power goes one step further and argues that it gives citizens the ability to alter not only the governing institutions, but the also the power that those institutions exercise. This begins with an introduction of the main institutions of the EU, before moving to discuss the theory of constituent power, before assessing what factors would be necessary for constitutent power to be successful in the EU. ¹ Official Journal of the European Union 2007 No C 306/1 (herein after referred to as the Treaty of Lisbon). Adopted 2008, entered into force 1 December 2009.</p>

THE IMAGE OF CHINA IN THE CORRESPONDENCE OF CATHERINE II

In 1762, Catherine II (1729-1796), Catherine le Grand, as Voltaire called her, an extraordinary woman who was destined to undergo many reforms and establish Russia’s place in the world, ascended to the Russian throne. Her reign coincided with the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), one of the most enlightened monarchs in Chinese history; during his time, the empire achieved many military victories and brilliant achievements in the arts. By the time of Catherine’s accession to the throne, relations between the two countries were very strained. Meanwhile, the age of Enlightenment, the century of the ardour for the philosophy and art of China, began in Europe. On the one hand, Catherine was influenced by the ideas of the West; on the other hand, she constantly had to regulate conflicts on the Russian-Chinese border, the reason for which was most often the question of extraditing Mongols and Dzungars to the Chinese who were fleeing within Russia. The purpose of this article is to determine what image of China the Russian empress formed and how she spoke about this country in her correspondence with European correspondents since it is known that Catherine II wrote a lot. To do this, first, it is necessary to characterise the personality of the empress, to understand her interests and habits. To understand what issues she had to resolve, one also needs to know the state of Russian-Chinese relations in the second half of the 18th century. Finally, the article gives a general description of Catherine II’s correspondence with various high-ranking persons, among whom Jean d’Alembert, Diderot, Voltaire, Friedrich Melchior Grimm (Franco-German publicist, artist and literary critic), Swiss scientist and philosopher Johann Georg Ritter von Zimmermann, Madame Geoffrin and Madame Bielke can be named. The letters she received very often contained diplomatic news, dynastic problems, court gossip; her answers were, for the most part, semi-official journal notes. It is noteworthy that despite the extensive correspondence conducted by Catherine the Great, she practically did not touch upon the issues of China, except for letters to Voltaire, who, as you know, admired China and tried to learn more about it from the words of the empress.

Editorial – The Launch of a New Intellectual Journey in Spine Care

On behalf of the editorial board, I am pleased to announce the launch of the official journal of the Saudi Spine Society, the Journal of Spine Practice (JSP), an international peer-reviewed, open access, academic, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary journal that encompasses every aspect of spine care and research. Our goal is to see JSP grow into a space for multidisciplinary scholarly dialogue among spine practitioners to showcase their clinical research, basic science research, health services research, economic analysis, health professionals education, as well as evidence-based statements and guidelines. JSP aims to promote excellence in spine care and produce a significant academic contribution to the field. To read the full text, please download the PDF or view the article HTML.

Regulation of the Romanian Accountancy Profession – 100 Years Celebration. A History Lesson for Today’s Professionals

On July 15th 1921, the Official Journal of Romania witnessed the publication of the Law on the organization of the Body of Licensed and Expert Accountants. The longtime wish of higher school of business graduates thus became true, they established their first association in 1888. Since then, until the law was published, the regulation of the accountancy profession was the main topic of various discussions and attitudes, of several pleadings addressed to public authorities and debates held at the meetings of a multitude of institutes representing these graduates’ interests, grouped within the Union of Business Schools Graduates, subsequently the Body of Higher Schools of Business Graduates, which acquired legal personality in 1916. There were also other subjects, directly related to accountants’ activity, that drew the graduates’ attention, both before and after the law was published, such as: censors’ statute, accounting expertise, visas on trade registers; business education reform; the Body’s relations with authorities. A number of public figures linked their faith to asserting the accountancy profession, its regulation and the ongoing representation of its interests. We should mention here, among many other, Nicolae Butculescu, I. St. Rasidescu, Vasile M. Ioachim, Petru Drăgănescu-Brateş, Grigore Trancu-Iaşi, George Alesseanu, Spiridon Iacobescu, Alexandru Sorescu. An important activity of the Body was the organisation of congresses. They began taking place every two years, uninterruptedly, starting 1923 until 1939. The activity of the Body of Expert and Licensed Accountants was influenced by the political and social events of its time, especially since 1935. Beginning with 1940, its activity saw a significant decrease.

New drug pricing criteria in Italy: considerations and proposals to support value and innovation

The definition of criteria and processes for the submission of price and reimbursement requests (P&R) of a drug in Italy cannot be separated from the definition of an overall “Pharmaceutical Policy” that includes, in an organic vision: (i) the governance related to the research, marketing and monitoring of drugs in the Italian market; (ii) the availability of drugs on the national territory as an element included in the essential levels of care (LEA) and the related conditions in terms of timing and equity of access between different regions, as well as towards other European countries; (iii) the assessment criteria used. The decree published in the Italian Official Journal in the summer of 2020, which defines the new criteria for the regulation of P&R of medicines in Italy, focuses on the final part of the process, i.e. the price negotiation. It would be necessary to frame this last step within a broader and more organic structure of drug policies aimed at: 1. optimising healthcare funding by encouraging competition between healthcare technologies; 2. reducing assessment time by simplifying processes; 3. improving early access to drugs for unmet need; 4. increasing the quality of P&R dossiers by improving interaction with the companies; 5. encouraging innovative agreements and complementary elements to the price; 6. encouraging the reproducibility of assessment methodologies in a value-based pricing system; 7. considering cost-benefit analyses as tools for the definition of price and conditions of reimbursability; 8. creating a place for discussion on drug policies.