Impact of combination therapy 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARI) plus alpha-blockers (AB) on erectile dysfunction and decrease of libido in patients with LUTS/BPH: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic obstruction (BPO) represent one of the most common clinical complaints in adult men. Several drugs used for LUTS/BPO may strongly affect sexual function and bother. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the impact of combination therapy with alpha-blockers (AB), 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARI) on the risk of erectile dysfunction(ED) and libido alterations (LA) from randomized clinical trial (RCT). Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, five RCTs involving 6131 patients were included in the analysis. According to the analysis, the overall prevalence of ED and LA were significantly greater in the combination treatment group than in the AB group (7.93% versus 4.66%; OR 1.81; p?p?=?0.003, respectively). The combination therapy increased the risk of ED compared to monotherapy with 5-ARI (7.93% versus 6.47%; OR 1.25; p?=?0.04) but not the risk of LA (3.51% versus 3.37; OR 1.03; p?=?0.84). In our systematic meta-analysis, we demonstrated that combination therapy with ABs and 5-ARIs was associated with significantly higher risk of ED and LA compared with single monotherapy. Combination therapy showed similar risk of LA compared with 5-ARI monotherapy.     

Uncertainty about children's survival and fertility: A test using indian microdata

In this paper we present a non altruistic model of demand for children in the presence of uncertainty about children's survival. Children are seen as assets, as they provide help during old age. Theoretical predictions relating to the change in the mean and variance of the survival rate are derived. The empirical analysis is based on data from the Human Development of India (HDI) survey. Different models for count data variables, such as Poisson and hurdle models have been employed in the empirical analysis. The results highlight the importance of the uncertainty about children's survival in determining parental choices. This shows that realized or expected children's death is not the only link between fertility decision and children's mortality. The policy implications of such findings are briefly discussed. Received: 20 August 1998/Accepted: 19 July 1999     

Solving the crisis: When agency is the preferred leadership for implementing change

Glass-cliff research shows that female leaders are preferentially selected in a crisis to signal change and not for their leadership qualifications. In parallel, the management literature urges for agentic “masculine” leadership to turn around organizations in crisis. We hypothesized that, regardless of their gender, agentic leaders should be preferred to communal leaders if leadership qualifications and actual change potential motivate leader selection. Three experimental studies demonstrated that agentic (vs. communal) candidates were perceived to match poorly-performing (vs. strongly-performing) companies. This effect was accounted for by perceptions of agentic candidates' higher suitability, higher task-orientation (versus person-orientation), and higher change potential. We discuss that women face ambiguity as to why they become leaders in crisis contexts: because they are perceived as signaling change, stereotypically linked to their gender, or for their perceived agentic qualities as leaders. In contrast, men become crisis leaders due to their perceived agentic change potential.     

Measuring and Monitoring Poverty and Well-Being: A New Approach for the Synthesis of Multidimensionality

The aim of this paper is to introduce a new approach for the synthesis and analysis of multidimensional poverty and well-being indicators. Our general perspective is inspired by the theoretical foundations of the capability approach and sustainable human development paradigm. The new synthesis of indicators aims at monitoring outcomes of units of interest. Its defining features include: full sensitiveness, continuity, flexibility in substitution between dimensions, and the straightforward interpretation of the results. All these properties are obtained through a transparent and accountable process that is fully open to public scrutiny and reason (as suggested by Amartya Sen). The main contribution of this approach is that the degree of substitutability between dimensions can be directly linked to the general level of well-being of a person, which addresses the so-called “inescapable arbitrariness” issue discussed by Anand and Sen (Concepts of human development and poverty: a multidimensional perspective. Human Development Papers. UNDP, New York, 1997). The new synthesis proposed opens up new possibilities for different types of applications, including monitoring and evaluating development programmes.     

A characterization of utilitarianism without the transitivity axiom

We show that d'Aspremont and Gevers' (1977) characterization of utilitarianism can be strengthened by dropping the condition of transitivity of the social preference relation while slightly strengthening the Anonymity condition. The Anonymity condition we use is weaker, however, than the combination of transitivity and d'Aspremont and Gevers' Anonymity condition. Received: 24 January 1996/Accepted: 1 December 1997     

How do mobile,internet and ICT diffusion affect the banking industry? An empirical analysis

Based on the World Development Indicators data provided by the World Bank, we investigate the effect of information and communication technology (ICT) on the profits and risk of financial distress of the EU 28 banking industry. Specifically, we address the question of whether and how ICT diffusion, adoption and infrastructure (e.g., ATM penetration) affect banking profitability and stability over the period 1995–2015. Our results show that ICT exerts a positive role in improving these performance measures. In addition, we find that overall financial stability in the banking industry is enhanced with the intensive adoption of both IT and financial technologies, which increase the distance to default.     

Food Sustainability in a Large Scenario

Eating a good meal is not simply an issue to fill our stomachs, but also, it concerns a geopolitical issue. This is not an exaggeration, but a logic consequence...     

The Influence of Minority Stress,Gender, and Legalization of Civil Unions on Parenting Desire and Intention in Lesbian Women and Gay Men: Implications for Social Policy and Clinical Practice

Although the rate of lesbian and gay (LG) parents is increasing, lesbian and gay adults are less likely than heterosexual adults to be parents, as desire and intention to become a parent tend to be lower. This study aims at assessing 290 childless LG individuals (120 lesbian women and 170 gay men) to explore the influence of minority stress, gender differences, and legalization of civil unions in Italy on parenting desire and intention. The results indicated that the minority stressors associated with parenting dimensions included prejudice events, outness, and internalized homophobia for lesbian women, but only felt stigma among gay men. Support from family or significant others buffered the effects of minority stressors on parenting dimensions. Thus, the minority stress processes partly explain the intention and desire to become parents in LG childless individuals. Furthermore, lesbian women showed higher levels of parenting desire and intention than gay men and the levels of these parenting dimensions increased after the law on civil unions was enacted. The findings have important implications for both social policies and clinical practice.     

ON THE WINNER‐TAKE‐ALL PRINCIPLE IN INNOVATION RACES

What is the optimal allocation of prizes in an innovation race? Should the winner take all, or is it preferable that the original inventor shares the market with subsequent independent duplicators? Some recent papers in law and economics have argued that the latter, more permissive solution is socially preferable under mild conditions. We re‐examine that issue, arguing that a permissive regime may turn the innovation race into a waiting game, reducing the power of incentives, and may invite socially wasteful duplicative R&D expenditures. In a model that accounts for these effects, the winner‐take‐all system turns out to be preferable in a broad set of circumstances, especially in highly innovative industries. (JEL: K11, L1, O34)     

Mixed Consequences of Government Aid for New Venture Creation: Evidence from Italy

Most countries have designed programsto stimulate the birth and development of new firms.One of the most important issues in evaluating theimpact of public entrepreneurial policies is toanalyze their influence on the post-entry performanceof the new ventures. This paper examines how the mostimportant government program to encourageentrepreneurship in Italy (the Law 44 program) affectsseveral aspects of the early performance of new firms.A sample of new firms receiving government aid iscompared to a matched sample of new firms notreceiving public assistance, i.e., ``control' firms. The control firms were born in the same year, launchedtheir business in the same geographical area andoperate in the same industry classification. Resultsshow that the public program produces mixed effects.Government aid allows firms to have a higher level oftechnology. However, government funding gives rise toentrepreneurial start-ups, which are not fullyefficient. A discussion of these findings andsuggestions for future research are presented.