COVID-19, an incentive to tackle sugar in hospitals and at home

Obesity and metabolic disease are thwarting our efforts to recover from COVID-19. Chronic inflammation is a key feature of both COVID-19 and the metabolic syndrome. Sugar consumption in particular has been shown to affect COVID-19 mortality by contributing to the chronic inflammatory state. Restriction of free sugar intake has a measurable effect on disease-predicting physiological parameters in as little as nine days. The rapid reduction in inflammation following fructose restriction is key in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as COVID-19 exacerbates the same inflammatory pathways as those driven by the metabolic syndrome. Healthcare providers have a duty to implement international recommendations of reduced free sugar intake. By doing so, they could reduce the chronic inflammatory burden contributing to COVID-19 patients’ demise. Further, it would set a precedent for reducing the risk of severe disease in the uninfected, by maximising their potential metabolic health in the context of an infection predicated on its disruption.

Social Condition of Criminal Bankruptcy of Individuals in Russia

Introduction. The social conditionality of criminal bankruptcy is revealed through its historical analysis. The origin of the institution of economic insolvency is associated with the emergence and development of market and commodity-money relations. Under the influence of socio-economic conditions, this institution underwent various changes. Purpose. The purpose is consider the development of the institution of bankruptcy in Russia through the prism of political economic relations, to show that it is precisely such relations that determine the degree and extent of its criminality. Methodology. The author used historical and political economic analysis. Results. Three periods can be distinguished in the development of the institution of insolvency in Russia: nationally distinctive, enlightened absolutism, and post-Soviet. In the first period in Russia, there was an institution of enslaved servitude, which was incorrectly identified with bankruptcy. The tendency towards the enslavement of peasants and servants caused a host of undesirable consequences, including the ruin of taxpayers, flight from debts, and riots, which led to the policy of state restriction of the interests of creditors. The institution of bankruptcy comes to Russia from the West during the Petrine and postPeter era and finally takes shape during the period of enlightened absolutism. The attitude towards debtors clearly follows the political line determined by the autocracy. Opposition to the criminal bankruptcy of individuals was most fully embodied in the Criminal and Correctional Penal Code of 1845. It was determined in three directions: recipients who violate loan rules; to attorneys, certifying the obligation both to the bankruptcies and insolvent persons themselves, as well as to persons involved in bankruptcy. The post-Soviet period begins with the restoration of capitalism, and in artificial form. The natural course of development of capitalism spans more than one century. In Russia, it was recreated in three decades. As a result, an economic model is created that is far from the classical one. The differences are in the degree of its criminality and criminogenicity. The institution of bankruptcy plays a significant role in creating the modern Russian model of capitalism, and from this point of view, three periods can also be distinguished in its development, in each of which specific political goals are highlighted: 1) the destruction of the socialist economy; 2) the initial accumulation of capital; c) regulatory settlement. Conclusion. The bankruptcy institution is actively developing when economic relations are criminalized. In Soviet times, bankruptcy as an institution was not in demand, since socialist economic relations were not needed in it. This indicates that the economy under socialism was the least criminalized, since the institution of criminal bankruptcy is needed under capitalism, the nature of which was initially criminal. A planned economy excludes bankruptcy of the enterprise, and the main principle of socialism “All for the good of man!” makes it almost impossible for a person to fall into legal economic dependence.

7. Freedom of religion and expression

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter focuses on freedom of religion and freedom of expression, which are classified as qualified rights, and examines Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which explains the right to hold or not hold a belief as well as the right to manifest a belief. It also considers how the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) decides if there has been manifestation of belief, interpretation of Article 10 with respect to views that shock and disturb and some forms of hate speech, and state restriction of expression. The chapter concludes with a discussion of freedom of religion and expression in the UK.