Autoimmunity does not contribute to the highly prevalent glucose metabolism disturbances in a Japanese Brazilian population

The Japanese Brazilian population has one of the highest prevalences of diabetes worldwide. Despite being non-obese according to standard definitions, their body fat distribution is typically central. We investigated whether a subset of these subjects had autoantibodies that would suggest a slowly progressive form of type 1 diabetes. A total of 721 Japanese Brazilians (386 men) in the 30- to 60-year age group underwent clinical examination and laboratory procedures, including a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test and determinations of serum autoantibodies. Antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADab) were determined by radioimmunoassay and to thyroglobulin (TGab) and thyroperoxidase (TPOab) by flow-cytometry assays. Mean body mass index was 25.2 ± 3.8 kg/m2, but waist circumference was elevated according to the Asian standards. Diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, and impaired fasting glycemia were found in 31%, 22%, and 22%, respectively, and 53% of the subjects had metabolic syndrome. Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADab) was positive in 4.72%, TGab in 9.6%, and TPOab in 10% of the whole sample. When participants were stratified according to the presence of thyroid antibodies, similar frequencies of GADab were found in positive and negative groups. The prevalence rates of glucose metabolism disturbances did not differ between GADab positive and negative groups. Our data did not support the view that autoimmune injury could contribute to the high prevalence of diabetes seen in Japanese Brazilians, and the presence of co-morbidities included in the spectrum of metabolic syndrome favors the classification as type 2 diabetes.

The contribution of biofuels to the sustainability of development in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Asymmetries and cooperation in the Free Trade Area of the Americas

Includes bibliography

Parameterization technique for the continuation power flow using the trivial and tangent predictor

This paper presents efficient geometric parameterization techniques using the tangent and the trivial predictors for the continuation power flow, developed from observation of the trajectories of the load flow solution. The parameterization technique eliminates the Jacobian matrix singularity of load flow, and therefore all the consequent problems of ill-conditioning, by the addition of the line equations which pass through the points in the plane determined by the variables loading factor and the real power generated by the slack bus, two parameters with clear physical meaning. This paper also provides an automatic step size control around the maximum loading point. Thus, the resulting method enables not only the calculation of the maximum loading point, but also the complete tracing of P-V curves of electric power systems. The technique combines robustness with ease of understanding. The results to the IEEE 300-bus system and of large real systems show the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2012 IEEE.

Interdisciplinary approach to the management of Ewing sarcoma: A case report

Ewing sarcoma is a common primary bone malignancy occurring in childhood and adolescence. This case report describes a 4-year-old female patient who had Ewing sarcoma in the left clavicular region. The patient underwent total excision of the left clavicle and subsequently developed periodontitis and multiple carious lesions after chemotherapy. Caries risk and salivary flow rate tests were performed, followed by periodontal treatment, topical fluoride application, restoration of caries, and oral hygiene instruction. The care of this patient demonstrates that an interdisciplinary approach is essential to eliminate all foci of infection, minimize morbidity, and improve the patient's general health before, during, and after oncological treatment. © 2012 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Caribbean countries and the Free Trade Area of the Americas

Includes bibliography

Ablation of the ability to control the right-to-left cardiac shunt does not affect oxygen uptake, specific dynamic action or growth in the rattlesnake Crotalus durissus

The morphologically undivided ventricle of the heart in non-crocodilian reptiles permits the mixing of oxygen-rich blood returning from the lungs and oxygen-poor blood from the systemic circulation. A possible functional significance for this intra-cardiac shunt has been debated for almost a century. Unilateral left vagotomy rendered the single effective pulmonary artery of the South American rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus, unable to adjust the magnitude of blood flow to the lung. The higher constant perfusion of the lung circulation and the incapability of adjusting the right-left shunt in left-denervated snakes persisted over time, providing a unique model for investigation of the long-term consequences of cardiac shunting in a squamate. Oxygen uptake recorded at rest and during spontaneous and forced activity was not affected by removing control of the cardiac shunt. Furthermore, metabolic rate and energetic balance during the post-prandial metabolic increment, plus the food conversion efficiency and growth rate, were all similarly unaffected. These results show that control of cardiac shunting is not associated with a clear functional advantage in adjusting metabolic rate, effectiveness of digestion or growth rates. © 2013. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Ultrasound evaluation of common carotid artery blood flow in the Labrador retriever

Background: Doppler ultrasound (DUS) examination provides quantitative and qualitative information concerning the blood flow in veins and arteries, enabling their morphological evaluation and the collection of hemodynamic data. Dogs and cats as well as humans may display neurological signs of brain hypoperfusion secondary to common carotid alterations. Hence, DUS examination might aid in the differential diagnosis of neurological disorders of ischemic origin, among other causes. The objective of this study was to register normal values for systolic peak velocity, minimum diastolic velocity, diameter and resistance index of both common carotid arteries of 12 healthy Labrador retriever dogs between 2 and 5 years of age. By gathering these values, we might be able to improve the sensitivity of hemodynamic studies in clinically important brain disorders. Results: There were no statistical differences between the values for the right and left vessels: the systolic peak velocity was 75.8 ± 16 cm/s, minimum diastolic velocity was 12.2 ± 4 cm/s, common carotid diameter was 0.545 ± 0.063 cm, and resistance index was 0.83 ± 0.07. Conclusions: The results of this study might be used to establish normal parameters for Labrador retriever dogs and thus help in the diagnosis of neurological disorders associated with alterations of the carotid arteries. Similar studies must be performed to evaluate the same parameters in other dog breeds of different sizes and skull conformations. © 2013 Svicero et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Issues, effects and implications of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Agreement for CARICOM economies

Includes bibliography

Conditional cash transfer programmes: the recent experience in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes Bibliography

Trade Facilitation as Part of Creating the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)

The content of this article is the natural continuation of both FAL Bulletin No. 167 and FAL Bulletin No. 171. FAL Bulletin No. 167 advanced conceptually in the definition of the term trade facilitation and a general explanation of how some international bodies and the FTAA process itself deal with this issue. This month's article expands on the information regarding trade facilitation within the FTAA, which brings together the sizeable number of 34 countries from the Western Hemisphere.Similarly, taking into account that FAL Bulletin No. 171 reported on some progress toward trade facilitation regulations within the framework of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), the current article takes a complementary approach, reporting on developments favourable to trade facilitation in another agreement for economic integration, which basically proposes the creation of a free trade area.

Plaque fluoride concentrations associated to the use of conventional and low-fluoride dentifrices

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Loss of the Ability to Control Right-to-Left Shunt Does Not Influence the Metabolic Responses to Temperature Change or Long-Term Fasting in the South American Rattlesnake Crotalus durissus

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Artificial immune networks Copt-aiNet and Opt-aiNet applied to the reconfiguration problem of radial electrical distribution systems

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)