Carbon conundrums: Geopolitical clashes and market mayhem in the race for sustainability.

This research presents an in-depth investigation into the dynamic correlation between geopolitical conflicts and carbon markets utilizing the Time-Varying Parameter Vector Autoregression (TVP-VAR) technique. The analysis focuses on the interconnectedness between the Geopolitical Risk Index Daily (GPRD) and vital carbon pricing instruments, specifically the Intercontinental Exchange Endex European Union Allowance (ECEFDC), KraneShares California Carbon Allowance Strat ETF (KCCAK), Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange China Emission Allowances Online Transactions (SAXCEA), and S&P Global Ex-Japan LargeMidCap Carbon Efficient Index (SPGJ). The daily fluctuations were traced from May 2021 to July 2023.

Raising capital amid economic policy uncertainty: an empirical investigation.

This paper investigates how economic policy uncertainty affects firms' frequency and their choice of financial instruments to raise capital. By applying a three-step sequential framework over a sample of 6834 publicly listed US non-financial firms, we find that during periods of high economic uncertainty, firms raise capital more frequently with a preference toward debt financing. The empirical findings suggest that firms prefer debt financing over equity financing to avoid ownership dilution and high equity premia.

COVID-19, services trade and greenfield investment in ASEAN+6.

Given the importance of services for economic activity in general and the salience of reducing service link costs for overcoming the economic and health challenges emanating from COVID-19, we examine the effect of the pandemic on services trade in the original group of ASEAN+6 countries that began negotiating the RCEP agreement. Stylised facts show that ASEAN+6 commercial services' exports and imports declined by 19.7% and 22.

Timely use of Covid-19 vaccines could have saved thousands of lives.

Earlier we, TJJ and DD, had written in IJME, that during the pandemic with high case-fatality in those above 65 and younger adults with chronic lung, heart or kidney diseases or diabetes, vaccination must be administered early as a life-saving procedure (1). It was pointed out that protection delayed may be protection denied to drive home the urgency of vaccination for saving lives. At that time, Phase III vaccine trials were in progress and we had adequate data on safety, but efficacy had yet to be measured.

Informal Caregiving in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): A High Caregiver Burden and Drastic Consequences on Caregivers' Lives.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive autonomy loss and need for care. This does not only affect patients themselves, but also the patients' informal caregivers (CGs) in their health, personal and professional lives. The big efforts of this multi-center study were not only to evaluate the caregivers' burden and to identify its predictors, but it also should provide a specific understanding of the needs of ALS patients' CGs and fill the gap of knowledge on their personal and work lives.

Anaesthesia for Awake Fiberoptic Intubation: Ultrasound-Guided Airway Nerve Block versus Ultrasonic Nebulisation with Lignocaine.

Background: In anticipated difficult airway, awake fiberoptic guided intubation should be the ideal plan of management. It requires sufficient upper airway anesthesia for patient's comfort and cooperation. We compared the efficacy of ultrasound guided airway nerve blocks and ultrasonic nebulisation with lignocaine for airway anesthesia before performing awake fibreoptic guided intubation.

Trade policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis: Evidence from a new data set.

This paper presents new high-frequency data on trade policy changes targeting medical and food products since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, documenting how countries used trade policy instruments in response to the health crisis on a week-by-week basis. The data set reveals a rapid increase in trade policy activism in February and March 2020 in tandem with the rise in COVID-19 cases but also uncovers extensive heterogeneity across countries in both their use of trade policy and the types of measures used. Some countries acted to restrict exports and facilitate imports, others targeted only one of these margins, and many did not use trade policy at all.

COVID-19, public procurement regimes and trade policy.

This paper analyses a prominent dimension of the initial policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic observed in many countries: the imposition of export restrictions and actions to facilitate imports. Using weekly data on the use of trade policy instruments during the first seven months of the COVID-19 pandemic (January-July, 2020), we assess the relationship between the use of trade policy instruments and attributes of pre-crisis public procurement regulation. Controlling for country size, government effectiveness and economic factors, we find that use of export restrictions targeting medical products is strongly positively correlated with the total number of steps and average time required to complete procurement processes in the pre-crisis period.

A Nation-Wide, Multi-Center Study on the Quality of Life of ALS Patients in Germany.

Improving quality of life (QoL) is central to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) treatment. This Germany-wide, multicenter cross-sectional study analyses the impact of different symptom-specific treatments and ALS variants on QoL. Health-related QoL (HRQoL) in 325 ALS patients was assessed using the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assessment Questionnaire 5 (ALSAQ-5) and EuroQol Five Dimension Five Level Scale (EQ-5D-5L), together with disease severity (captured by the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R)) and the current care and therapies used by our cohort.

Breast cancer management pathways during the COVID-19 pandemic: outcomes from the UK 'Alert Level 4' phase of the B-MaP-C study.

Background: The B-MaP-C study aimed to determine alterations to breast cancer (BC) management during the peak transmission period of the UK COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact of these treatment decisions.

Methods: This was a national cohort study of patients with early BC undergoing multidisciplinary team (MDT)-guided treatment recommendations during the pandemic, designated 'standard' or 'COVID-altered', in the preoperative, operative and post-operative setting.

Findings: Of 3776 patients (from 64 UK units) in the study, 2246 (59%) had 'COVID-altered' management.

Plants Used as Antihypertensive.

Hypertension is a critical health problem and worse other cardiovascular diseases. It is mainly of two types: Primary or essential hypertension and Secondary hypertension. Hypertension is the primary possibility feature for coronary heart disease, stroke and renal vascular disease.

Breaking barriers in deployment of renewable energy.

Several economic, institutional, technical and socio-cultural barriers hinder countries from moving from the high to the low emission pathway. The objective of this research is to find out the impacts of social, economic, technological and regulatory barriers in the deployment of renewable energy. Data were collected through an online questionnaire responded to by 223 professionals working in the energy sector all over the globe.

Labor Induction versus Expectant Management in Low-Risk Nulliparous Women.

Background: The perinatal and maternal consequences of induction of labor at 39 weeks among low-risk nulliparous women are uncertain.

Methods: In this multicenter trial, we randomly assigned low-risk nulliparous women who were at 38 weeks 0 days to 38 weeks 6 days of gestation to labor induction at 39 weeks 0 days to 39 weeks 4 days or to expectant management. The primary outcome was a composite of perinatal death or severe neonatal complications; the principal secondary outcome was cesarean delivery.

Implantable Defibrillator Therapy in Cardiac Arrest Survivors With a Reversible Cause.

Background: Current guidelines recommend implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy in survivors of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), except in those with completely reversible causes. We sought to examine the impact of ICD therapy on mortality in survivors of SCA associated with reversible causes.

Methods And Results: We evaluated the records of 1433 patients managed at our institution between 2000 and 2012 who were discharged alive after SCA.

Managing missed lower extremity compartment syndrome in the physiologically stable patient: A systematic review and lessons from a Level I trauma center.

Background: Decompressing an acute lower extremity compartment syndrome salvages muscle and nerve and preserves limb function. However, reperfusion of ischemic tissue causes a systemic insult that can be life threatening. Hence, the management of missed acute lower limb compartment syndrome remains controversial.