Reproduction of the original: Songs at the Start by Louise Imogen Guiney

This book covers all aspects of the specialized field of gerontorheumatology, providing a complete overview of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases and related conditions in the elderly. The emphasis is particularly on pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, including the latest advances in biological and pharmacological therapy and potential treatment side effects. The book will provide the reader with a keen awareness of the characteristic features, distinctive etiologies, and different courses of the various disorders of the musculoskeletal system in the geriatric population. Diagnostic and treatment considerations of special relevance in daily practice are highlighted, and the importance of comorbidities and their rheumatic consequences is also emphasized. The book will be of value for gerontologists, rheumatologists, internists, and rehabilitation physicians and will offer excellent guidance for general practitioners, who are typically the first to deal with disorders of the musculoskeletal system in elderly patients.

This paper analyzes the impact of the global crisis on six South-Eastern European countries. The main objective is to compare macro-financial conditions and policies in the run-up to the crisis as well as to compare the policy responses to it, so as to highlight, inter alia, possible country-specific constraints. While sharing a common pre-crisis pattern of strong capital inflows and robust growth, a key difference in the conduct of macroeconomicpolicies is that some countries adopted expansionary (and procyclical) fiscal policies. These moves exacerbated external vulnerabilities and compromised the ability to discretionarily use the fiscal instrument in acountercyclical fashion.