Identification of Candida species in the clinical laboratory: A review of conventional, commercial, and molecular techniques

In healthy individuals, Candida species are considered commensal yeasts of the oral cavity. However, these microorganisms can also act as opportunist pathogens, particularly the so-called non-albicans Candida species that are increasingly recognized as important agents of human infection. Several surveys have documented increased rates of C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. guilliermondii, C. dubliniensis, C. parapsilosis, and C. krusei in local and systemic fungal infections. Some of these species are resistant to antifungal agents. Consequently, rapid and correct identification of species can play an important role in the management of candidiasis. Conventional methods for identification of Candida species are based on morphological and physiological attributes. However, accurate identification of all isolates from clinical samples is often complex and time-consuming. Hence, several manual and automated rapid commercial systems for identifying these organisms have been developed, some of which may have significant sensitivity issues. To overcome these limitations, newer molecular typing techniques have been developed that allow accurate and rapid identification of Candida species. This study reviewed the current state of identification methods for yeasts, particularly Candida species. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Informe del Seminario-Taller sobre el Análisis de la Contaminación de la Refinería Estatal Esmeraldas en los Ríos Esmeraldas y Teaone = Report of the Seminar-Workshop on the Analysis of the Pollution from the Esmeraldas State Refinery in the Esmeraldas and Teaone Rivers

Incluye Bibliografía

América Latina y los problemas actuales de la energía = Latin America and the current energy problems

Incluye Bibliografía

Hispanic poverty from the current population survey and poverty of other self-identified ethnic groups from census information

Includes bibliography

Cooperación técnica internacional en el marco de la actual crisis latinoamericana: posibles campos de acción = International technical co-operation and the current crisis in Latin America: possible spheres of action

Incluye Bibliografía

Informe del Octavo Período de Sesiones del Comité de Expertos Gubernamentales de Alto Nivel: evaluación de la instrumentación de la Estrategia Internacional del Desarrollo para América Latina y el Caribe teniendo en cuenta la crisis económica internacional = Report of the Eighth Session of the Committee of High-Level Government Experts: appraisal of the implementation of the International Development Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, taking into account the current international economic crisis

Presenta la organizacion de los trabajos y el resumen de los debates de la reunion que tuvo como objetivo evaluar la actual situacion economica y social de America Latina y el Caribe, y el cumplimiento de las politicas y medidas del programa de accion regional.

Report of the Latin American countries of the present state of the preparatory activities for the United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development

Extracto del informe de la Reunión Latinoamericana de Expertos Gubernamentales sobre Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo, 31 octubre-2 noviembre 1977

Survey of the present state of environment information in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1996: results, diagnostic analysis and plan of action for regional work on environment statistics

Includes bibliography

Adaptation to climate change in megacities of Latin America: Regional Learning Network of the research project ClimateAdaptationSantiago (CAS)

The main objective of this publication is to document the current state of urban climate change adaptation practice in Latin America. It is a summary of the three workshops of the Regional Learning Network that was set up under the ClimateAdaptationSantiago project (CAS), encompassing six large Latin American cities (Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Lima, Mexico City, São Paulo and Santiago). It aims to synthesize information on the manifestations and impacts of climate change in those Latin American cities that participated in the network, and above all, governance in the form of concrete actions. The publication is based on information obtained from the participants in the three workshops, but also includes additional scientific input and reflections by the editors. All of this information makes a major contribution to highlighting the different paths these six cities are pursuing in response to climate change. To that end, the publication discusses the various courses of action on climate change adaptation, with the aim of learning from these cases and highlighting practical examples.

Competition and complementarity between road and rail transport in the carriage of freight

A seminar on competition and complementarity between road and rail transport in the carriage of freight was conducted at ECLAC Headquarters on 6-7 November 2001. The seminar was attended by experts on transport matters from a range of countries, and their presentations covered the current state of integration of transport in countries like Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico. Also in attendance was an expert from Central America, who spoke about modal integration of freight transport in that region. Three round-table discussions were held with the participation of representatives of the trucking and rail sectors, drawn from both the private and public spheres.

Institutionality, logistics and international cooperation for the economic and social development: The case of the Plurinational State of Bolivia

Includes bibliography.

Information and communication technology for disaster risk management in the Caribbean: subregional solutions to the challenge of limited human resource capacity

This document was adapted from a paper originally presented to the 8th Annual Caribbean Conference of Comprehensive Disaster Management, held in Montego Bay, Jamaica in December, 2013. It summarizes several activities that ECLAC has undertaken to assess the current state of information and communications technology (ICT) in the field of disaster risk management (DRM) as practiced in the Caribbean. These activities included an in-depth study that encompassed a survey of disaster management organizations in the region, an Expert Group Meeting attended by the heads of several national disaster offices, and a training workshop for professionals working in DRM in the Caribbean. One of the notable conclusions of ECLAC’s investigation on this topic is that the lack of human capacity is the single largest constraint that is faced in the implementation of ICT projects for DRM in the Caribbean. In considering strategies to address the challenge of limited human capacity at a regional level, two separate issues are recognized – the need to increase the ICT capabilities of disaster management professionals, and the need to make ICT specialists available to disaster management organizations to advise and assist in the implementation of technology-focused projects. To that end, two models are proposed to engage with this issue at a regional level. The first entails the establishment of a network of ICT trainers in the Caribbean to help DRM staff develop a strategic understanding of how technology can be used to further their organizational goals. The second is the development of “Centres of Excellence” for ICT in the Caribbean, which would enable the deployment of specialized ICT expertise to national disaster management offices on a project-by-project basis.

The cost of hunger: Social and economic impact of child undernutrition in the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) jointly with the World Program of Food (WFP) and recognized experts of the region developed a methodology that, using secondary information, estimate the opportunity cost derived from undernutrition. This methodology has been successfully applied in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic, where the cost of undernutrition was estimated at 6.7 billion dollars in 2004. The present study covers four countries in South America: Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru. The results indicate that the cost of the malnutrition in these countries reached 4.3 billion dollars in 2005, which is equivalent to 3.3 per cent of the GDP of these countries. The results strongly point out that child undernutrition is not only a problem of health or an unacceptable situation ethically, but it is a national problem, given the enormous social costs and the loss of opportunities that it imposes on the national economy.