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There is a body of evidence that shows that early education improves cognitive and social development for children while they are still attending, but the longer-term impacts depend on the [...]

Little is known about the perspectives of health-care workers when it comes to prolonging their working lives. This exploratory paper focuses on physiotherapists and aims to offer new insights into the underlying processes that may influence perceptions of ageing and how they impact on motivation to work longer. Data gathering took the form of focus groups with 43 National Health Service physiotherapists. A thematic analysis was used to characterise and articulate key concepts and meanings. The analysis applied interpretive techniques. The six headline themes to emerge were: worry over physical capability and ability to cope; the need to maintain a professional image; work, retirement and exit norms; beliefs about ageing; extrinsic job demands; organisational support – line management; and organisational support – career progression. The key findings suggest that the current unchanging context of high job demands is very salient, consequently resulting in negative and pessimistic feelings about capabilities when it comes to being an older worker and having an extended working life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates on the desirability of workplace employee representation are rarely evidence based. We use a workplace survey covering 27 EU countries to show that its incidence is strongly and independently correlated with the degree of centralization in a country’s industrial relations regime and the extent of legislative support. Industry profits are important in explaining trade union presence but are unimportant in the case of works councils. We find support for the exit-voice model, traditionally associated with Anglophone regimes, whereby worker representation is associated with poorer perceptions of the employment relations climate and with lower voluntary quit rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Gingival inflammation is common in patients on anticonvulsant drugs and in bacterial and viral infections of the oral cavity. The prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) is reported to be higher in patients with periodontitis. The elevation in inflammatory markers and oxidative stress are the major causes predisposing an individual to CHD. No attempts were made earlier to evaluate the role of dyslipidemia and oxidative stress in patients with periodontal inflammation. Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) prevents the formation of lipid hydroperoxides and oxidized phospholipids by hydrolyzing them once they are formed, and its level is rarely studied in the disease of the oral cavity. Hence in the present study, an attempt is being made to evaluate the impact of drug-induced and bacterial gingivitis on lipid profile and oxidative stress which predisposes an individual to CHD. Materials and Methods: Lipid profile, malondialdehyde, glutathione, and PON1 were studied in serum of the 32 patients with drug-induced gingival enlargement, 12 patients with gingival inflammation due to Porphyromonas gingivalis infection and seven with P. gingivalis infection and nifedipine-induced gingival inflammation. The results were compared with sixteen age and sex matched controls using the one-way ANOVA test, and Pearson correlation. Results: Total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were found to be elevated whereas highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol and the PON1 was significantly decreased in the patients compared to controls. The gingival index was correlating well with all the parameters of lipid profile and PON1. Conclusion: The patients of periodontal disease are at a high risk of developing CHD compared to subjects with healthy periodontal tissues. Reducing the inflammation by replacing the drug, eliminating the bacterial infection, and by providing antioxidantrich diet are suggested as methods for reducing the risk of CHD in patients with periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the pace of global expansion with comparisons of countries' gross domestic product (GDP) from pre-recession peak in 2008 to the beginning of 2011 from which forecasts were made. Significant gains in output levels of China and India since 2008 compared to the decline in the advanced economies are explained. The second quarter of 2010 saw the moderation in global recovery with the growth of domestic demand which is estimated to continue through 2012. The appreciation of most currencies is reportedly due to the weak U.S. dollar.

Background: Inflammatory gingival enlargement is a common observation in routine dental practice. Drugs like nifedipine, used for hypertension and Porphyromonas gingivalis infection-induced gingival enlargement is of a major concern. The current study aims to identify the inflammatory response of the gingival enlargement by measuring the major inflammatory markers fibrinogen and C-reactive protein (CRP)., Materials and Methods: Thirty-two patients with nifedipine-induced gingival enlargement, twelve with P. gingivalis infection, and seven with both drug and bacterial infection formed the test group and 16 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects formed the control. Gingival status was assessed, and the gingival index is noted. Fibrinogen and CRP were measured in venous blood. Results of the test and controls were compared using t-test and Pearson correlation., Results: It was found that the changes in the inflammatory markers were statically significant in both fibrinogen levels and the CRP. The inflammation was more pronounced in subjects exposed to the drug and bacterial infection. The gingival index was found directly correlating with both the fibrinogen and the CRP levels., Conclusion: The quantitative estimation of both fibrinogen and CRP are good markers for the quantification of inflammation and hence evaluating the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Substituting the drug and reducing the bacterial load will help in improving the outcome of the treatment and thereby reducing the risk od CHD.