Academic literature on the topic 'Helsinki Watch'

Much more so than previous works in the field of U.S. foreign relations, this article explores the relationship between the Helsinki Accords and peace activism in the United States. The article explains how well-known groups such as U.S. Helsinki Watch and lesser-known ones such as Campaign for Peace and Democracy West/East used the Helsinki Final Act when they challenged U.S. peace activists to defend the rights of imprisoned anti-nuclear activists in the Soviet bloc and to link the causes of peace and human rights. The article also demonstrates how the exchanges between U.S. human rights and anti-nuclear activists fit into transnational debates about linkages between the issues of human rights, peace, détente, and the “Helsinki process.”

It has been said that the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 but the wall around Greece is still standing. It is ironic that, while the governments of Albania, Bulgaria and Rumania have, in recent years, taken measures to safeguard the rights of national minorities, the Greek government continues to stonewall on its own national minorities while fomenting rebellion among those in other countries. Nevertheless, the end of the Cold War has benefited the Macedonian minority in Greece. Greece has lost its paramount strategic importance for the western countries, which are now less likely to cast a blind eye on human rights abuses in that country. Conditions for the Macedonians in Greece have improved somewhat as individual members of the minority have become emboldened to demand their rights in public in recent years. They have attracted the attention of the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch/Helsinki Watch, all the more so due to the heavy-handed attempts by the Greek authorities to silence recalcitrant members of the minority, as described below. The U.S. Department of State (1995: Greece 12) notes that the Greek government “continues to harass and intimidate some of these people.”

Literature review and a case report of Joubert syndrome in a preschool child are presented. This syndrome is accompanied by chronic intrahepatic cholestasis, characteristic facial dysmorphia, congenital malformations of the urinary system, eyes pathology, confirmed by a molecular genetic test of TMEM67 gene mutations. Diagnostic aspects of this pathology have been reviewed. The clinical case description. Boy K was admitted to the pediatric hepatology department with respiratory and renal failure, decompensated acidosis. On admission, complaints included shortness of breath, severe itching, pale and dry skin, poor appetite and delayed physical development. On examination, dysembryogenic stigmas: large head circumference, elongated face, protruding forehead, high rounded eyebrows, deeply set eyes, hypertelorism, antimongoloid incision of the eyes, low auricles. The skin was pale, dry with the scratch marks on the arms and legs flexor surfaces. Ankles, wrists skin lichenification, bruising and hyperpigmentation was observed. Moderate palmar erythema, spider veins on the abdomen, watch-glass nails were present. The abdomen was enlarged due to hepatosplenomegaly. A clinical and paraclinical examination was conducted, the patient was consulted by related specialists. Based on the obtained data and molecular genetic examination, the diagnosis was made. Conclusion. Joubert's syndrome may have a clinical presentation similar to that in cholestatic liver disease with typical clinical and laboratory symptoms. The molecular genetic testing is an important workup component in children with liver pathology combined with damage to other organs and systems. Successful treatment is possible providing a multidisciplinary approach used. The study was conducted by the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The research protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the abovementioned institution. Informed consent of the child's parents was obtained for the research. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Keywords: Joubert syndrome, cholestasis, children.

IntroductionSputum smear microscopy is the cornerstone of tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) in India. Instructions on how to produce a good sputum sample are a part of RNTCP training manuals, but its assessment is not emphasised. Healthcare provider’s instruction to expectorate a good sputum sample has limitations. Presumptive TB patients often submit inadequate (in quantity and/or quality) sputum samples, which may result in false-negative results. Objectives of the study are, among the selected RNTCP designated microscopy centres inDakshina Kannadadistrict, Karnataka, India, (a) to assess the effectiveness of mobile phone instructional video demonstrating sputum expectoration on sputum quality and quantity and (b) to explore the mobile phone video implementation challenges as perceived by the healthcare providers.Methods and analysisThis is a pragmatic, prospective, non-randomised controlled trial in two pairs of RNTCP Designated Microscopy Centres (located at secondary and primary healthcare facilities) ofDakshina Kannadadistrict, India. Presumptive pulmonary TB patients aged ≥18 years will be included. We will exclude who are severely ill, blind, hearing impaired, patients who have already brought their sputum for examination, and transported sputum. In the intervention group, participants will watch a mobile phone instructional video demonstrating submission of an adequate sputum sample. The control group will follow the usual ongoing procedure for sputum submission. This study would require 406 participants for each group to achieve a power of 90% for detecting a difference of 15% between the two groups. The participant enrolment started in December 2019.Ethics and disseminationYenepoya University Ethics Committee, Mangaluru, India, has approved the study protocol (YEC-1/158/2019). It complies with the Declaration of Helsinki, local laws, and the International Council for Harmonization-good clinical practices. Investigators will present the results in scientific forums, publish in a scientific journal, and share with RNTCP officers.Trial registration numberClinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2019/06/019887).

Abstract Introduction: Patients with lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) share immune-deficiencies due to the biological features of these diseases per se and to their treatments. They are at risk to develop severe and/or prolonged forms of Covid-19. The efficacy of vaccination against COVID in lymphoma/CLL patients also raises specific concerns: Antibody response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was shown to be negatively affected by CLL stage and its treatments, especially in case of previous administration of anti-CD20 antibodies (Herishanu et al). Therefore, the addition of a third dose of vaccine in immunosuppressed patients is currently recommended in France. Methods: To analyse the determinants of the antibody response after anti-SARS-Cov2 mRNA vaccines (Pfizer or Moderna), we conducted a retrospective monocentric study among adults with a past or current lymphoma/CLL who underwent serology 2 weeks or more after 2 or 3 previous injections. The decision of a third dose was at the discretion of each physician. Data were extracted from the patients' medical charts on their demographics, lymphoma history and detailed treatments, vaccinations and biological parameters (immunoglobulin (Ig) G dosage, lymphocytic, B-cell and T-cell counts) and serology (Elecsys ® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S). Statistical tests were two-tailed and p-values < 0.05 were considered significant. Multivariable analysis was conducted using independent variables having univariate significance below 0.1. This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the ethics committee of our institution. Results: Ninety-one patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) (n=48), CLL (32) or Hodgkin's lymphoma (11) were enrolled. With a median interval since last dose of 47 days (range 15-125), 48 patients (53%) had a negative serology (Table). Gender and age were not associated with antibody response. The proportion of seronegativity was 57% among patients with B-cell NHL, and 41% among those with CLL. Among the biological variables reflecting immune deficiency, lymphocytopenia (<1.5G/L), low B-cell counts (<0.2G/L) and IgG levels (<6g/L) were significantly associated with a higher risk of seronegativity with odds-ratios (OR, [95% confidence interval]) of 5.1 [1.8-15.3], p<7x10 -4 , 15.0 [3.0-147.9], p<7x10 -5, and 15.3 [3.7-93.0], p<9x10 ⁻6 respectively). Patients under watch and wait attitude and those who did not have a lymphoma/CLL treatment since at least 12 months before vaccination had a much lower risk of negative serology (OR: 0.08 [<0.01 ; 0.4], p< 2.10 -4). Among lymphoma/CLL therapies, chemotherapy overall or targeted therapy with BTK inhibitors or Venetoclax were not significantly associated with a lower risk of negative serology. In contrast, the administration of anti-CD20 therapy during the year before first dose of vaccine was associated with a higher risk of negative serology (OR: 4.5 [1.7; 12.1], p<8.10 -4). Of note, this treatment was also significantly associated with both lymphocytopenia and low B-cell counts. There was no association between the number of vaccine doses and the risk of negative serology, 59% of the patients who received 3 doses remained seronegative.A multivariable analysis associating IgG level and treatment history showed that negative serology is significantly associated with a low level of IgG (OR: 25.74 [5.58; 201.14], p < 10 -3) and anti-CD20 treatment (OR: 28.70 [4.14, 382.60], p = 3x10 -3). Conclusion: Overall, previous anti-CD20 therapy and low IgG levels are the main independent factors associated with a lack of serological response after anti-SARS-Cov2 mRNA vaccine. Administration of a third vaccine does not overcome their pejorative impact. This should contribute to the elaboration of guidelines for the management of lymphoma/CLL patients during the Covid-19 era. In particular, in all non-critical clinical situation, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination should be proposed before the onset of lymphoma/CLL therapy. Meanwhile, individuals with CLL/lymphoma should receive the Covid-19 vaccine, be informed that they are unlikely to be protected and continue social distancing and adhere to other proven mitigation strategies. Systematic vaccination of their proxies and hospital workers should also benefit directly to patients. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Rigaudeau: Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

This thesis traces the influence that transnational networks had on the early advocacy campaigns of the U.S. Helsinki Watch Committee, from its founding in February 1979 through the Madrid follow-up Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which began in November 1980. An investigation of the organization’s early advocacy strategies reveals how contact between activists in the United States and the Soviet Union helped shape the U.S. Helsinki Watch Committee’s presentation of Soviet human rights abuses to American audiences. U.S. Helsinki Watch utilized nongovernmental contact across transnational networks to advocate for greater human rights protections using a strategy I refer to as “moral linkage.” This strategy reframed the Soviets’ failure to observe such rights as an obstacle to greater cultural, educational and scientific exchanges between states, calling upon private organizations and individuals involved in such exchanges to insist that future cooperation be contingent upon the recognition of these rights.

This chapter focuses on the Human Rights Watch as one of the two most important institutions for the protection of human rights worldwide in the late 1970s. It points out that the Human Rights Watch was established during the moment of burgeoning public concern on the cause of international human rights, particularly in the United States. It also highlights the radical political shift in the United States in 1981 from the Carter administration to the Reagan administration. The chapter describes the Human Rights Watch's development of reporting that entered into political combat with officials of the Reagan administration who were intent on co-opting the human rights cause for their own Cold War purposes. It discusses the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 and the emergence of Solidarity in Poland in August 1980 as part of the political developments that helped transform Helsinki Watch into Human Rights Watch.