Chronic Kidney Disease in a Large National Human Immunodeficiency Virus Treatment Program

Introduction: Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is associated with a risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially when used with protease inhibitors or in Asian populations. Data from the Thai national health insurance system were used to assess the incidence of CKD in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in real-world practice. Materials and methods We analyzed data from patients who initiated one of the following first-line ART regimens: (i) zidovudine+lamivudine+nevirapine (AZT+3TC+NVP); (ii) zidovudine+lamivudine+efavirenz (AZT+3TC+EFV); (iii) tenofovir+lamivudine+nevirapine (TDF+3TC+NVP); (iv) tenofovir+lamivudine/emtricitabine+efavirenz (TDF+3TC/FTC+EFV); and (v) tenofovir+lamivudine+lopinavir/ritonavir (TDF+3TC+LPV/r). CKD was defined as glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 for >3 months, or a confirmed 2010 WHO diagnosis (ICD-10 code N183, N184, or N185). Death competing risks survival regression models were used for the analysis. Results Among 27,313 participants, median age 36.8 years, body mass index 20.4 kg/m2, and absolute CD4 cell count 146 cells/mm3, followed for a median 2.3 years, 245 patients (0.9%) were diagnosed CKD (incidence 3.2 per 1,000 patient-years of follow-up; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.8-3.6). Compared with patients receiving AZT+3TC+NVP, the risk of CKD measured by adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratio (aSHR) was higher in patients on TDF+3TC+LPV/r (6.5, 95% CI 3.9-11.1), on TDF+3TC+NVP (3.8, 95% CI 2.3-6.0) and on TDF+3TC/FTC+EFV (1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.3). Among patients receiving TDF, compared with those receiving TDF+3TC/FTC+EFV, the risk was higher on TDF+3TC+LPV/r (4.0, 95%CI 2.3-6.8) on TDF+3TC+NVP (2.3, 95%CI 1.4-3.6) . Conclusions This real-world study suggest that the role of TDF in increasing the risk of CKD, especially when combined with LPV/r or NVP.

Happy Cultures? A Multilevel Model of Well-Being with Individual and Contextual Human Values

Despite the abundant literature in Happiness Science, no paper to date has studied the joint effects of human values on subjective well-being at individual and contextual level. Using European Social Survey data for life satisfaction and Salomon H. Schwartz’s scale for human values with four and ten dimensions, this paper presents novel evidence on the direct effects of individual, regional, and national human values, utilizing two different ways of building cultural indicators of human values. We show that regional factors explain approximately 2% of the dispersion of individual life satisfaction, whereas national factors explain around 12%. The results on the effects of individual human values support Sortheix and Schwartz’s hypothesis, with a significant difference: Individual Conformity has a positive impact on well-being, not the negative sign Sortheix and Schwartz predict for Conservation values. We also find positive direct cultural effects for Benevolence and Conformity and negative effects for Tradition. Additionally, we propose a research agenda for human values and contextual effects on well-being studies.

Strengthening the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh through a Legislative Amendment to Fulfill its Commitments Under Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

not available Dhaka University Law Journal, Vol. 31, 2020 P.143-174

National Human Rights Institutions and Access to Justice for National Minorities in Europe

This article focuses on the role that National Human Rights Institutions play in guaranteeing access to justice for national minorities. Based on the osce hcnm Graz Recommendations on Access to Justice and National Minorities, this study aims at identifying commons issues and good practices by comparing rules and practices concerning minority representation in nhris, nhris’ focus on national minority issues, and nhris’ role in providing access to justice for national minorities. Separate subsections cover collective-groups’ complaints and the relevance of groups during investigations; regional offices; and websites, languages, and online complaints. The conclusion highlights that protecting access to justice for national minorities entails both more ‘focus’ and ‘access’. More focus should be guaranteed by relevant legislation and nhris’ annual reports through separate chapters or sections on minorities. More access includes minority representation in nhris, regional offices, groups’ complaints, multilingual and easy-to-access websites, as well as online tools for complaints.

Dismissal of KPK Employees from Legal Positivism and Alternative Solutions

Studying the philosophy of law means studying various schools of law. Amongst the variety of legal theories, there are adherents of legal positivism or the positive legal theory postulated by John Austin (a philosopher whose thoughts on law are outlined in a work entitled The Province of Jurisprudence Determined 1832). Are Austin's thoughts still relevant for the practice of law inthe modern era, considering that law is made for the public interest? Is it appropriate for the law to be made by authorities (superior) to bind subordinates (inferior), whereas the people are only in a position to obey the law? In a functioning democracy public participation is important in decision-making by the elected legislators. Presumably, law is not made arbitrarily or unilaterally, but it is supposed to take into account the interest of the public or the interest of the groups it is designed to address. A prominent example currently in the public spotlight isthe dismissal of 57 Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) employees due to their stated ineligibility following their failure to pass the National Insight Test Assessment. For this matter, a judicial review (JR) has been requested from the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court who in the meantime have published their decisions. In addition, there have been recommendations from the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) and the Indonesian Ombudsman regarding the occurrence of human rights violations and maladministration in the transfer of KPK employees to ASN. Where JR's decision by the two judicial institutions is different from what is recommended by Human Right Commission and the Indonesian Ombudsman. Here it can be seen that there are differences in the application of the law with the positive law that applies and is detrimental to the rights of KPK employees.

National human resource development in China: government–industry–university relations and roles

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore recent national human resource development (NHRD) practices in China through a literature review focusing on programs and activities that represent the roles and interactions among the government, industry and universities. Design/methodology/approach To effectively consolidate previous work and conceptualize the recent development of the NHRD practices in China, a semi-narrative literature review was used to explore and analyze NHRD-related functions and activities. Findings Findings from the literature review showed that although the central government still plays a predominant role in China, universities and corporations are increasingly playing a critical role in developing an innovative and skilled workforce. At the regional level, NHRD initiatives in China have been increasingly undertaken by universities, industry and government–industry–university collaborations. The authors also found a disparity between developed and underdeveloped regions in terms of NHRD in China. Research limitations/implications This study used the triple helix model as a framework that provides an insightful lens for researchers to examine how various social entities interact with each other and jointly contribute to NHRD. Further case studies are needed to generate evidence-based knowledge to the NHRD literature. Practical implications A more systematic NHRD leadership structure at both the national and local level is desired to unleash the potential of bottom-up development and active government–industry–university collaboration. To counter regional divergence in NHRD in China, intra- and cross-regional collaborations are helpful in improving resources distribution and workforce development. Originality/value Based on open system theory, this study focused on programs and activities that represent the roles and interactions among the government, industry and university in Chinese NHRD through the lens of the triple helix model. In addition, this study offers a conceptual model of Chinese NHRD to help scholars and practitioners understand the transitional efforts in NHRD.

Human Rights Education and Social Cohesion in South Asia in times of COVID-19

Globalisations, economic, cultural and social change over the last four decades have affected the nature of the discourse in human rights education. The chapter explores human rights education research and the problematic relationship between human rights education and the state, against the background of globalisation, and economic, political, social and cultural factors. This article aims to link human rights international standards and institutions to grass-roots human rights culture and its impact on social cohesion in South Asia. It begins with an analysis of the nexus between human rights and social cohesion and draws attention to some ideas that complement both. It then analyses how international human rights standards and associated implementation machinery can be used to advance social cohesion around the world. The article critiques current social cohesion trends globally - with some references to Australia and South Asia and focuses on the role of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in advancing human rights culture.