From hard-peg to hard landing?: recent experiences of Argentina and Ecuador

Includes bibliography

Caries experience associated to social and preventive factors in children of a pastoral community from Limeira-SP

Aim: To evaluate caries experience and prevalence associated to social and preventive factors in 3-6-year-old children of a Pastoral Community from Limeira, Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out through an epidemiologic research about the oral conditions of 110 children registered at the Children's Pastoral Community from the city of Limeira, SP, Brazil. Intraoral examination was performed by a trained dentist and the parents/caregivers filled out a questionnaire in order to outline the children's profile with respect to gender, parental education and oral health. Results: Differences related to gender were not detected (p= 0.3404). The most frequent periods of breastfeeding were 0 to 2 months (36.36%) and 2 to 6 months (35.45%), corresponding to 71.81% of the cases. The time bottle feeding pointed to two most frequent categories: 1) more than 12 months (35.45%) and 2) between 2 and 6 months (22.63%). Regarding parental education, the majority of the sample has not completed primary school (38.32%). It was observed a larger number of decayed teeth in male children (63.39%). Caries experience was significantly higher in children who were breastfed for only 2 months of life (41.96%). Children that did not use baby bottle or did not use a baby bottle for more than 1 year presented a smaller dmft, corresponding to 29.17% and 28.33%, respectively. Time of use of bottle and pacifier presented a significant association (p<0.05). Conclusions: The implementation of adequate strategies and actions is needed to reinforce oral health conditions in risk groups.

From infant industry to technology exports: the Argentine experience in the international sale of industrial plants and engineering works

Includes bibliography

The road to a fiscal covenant: a critical look at the Dominican experience

Includes bibliography

Problems related to international transfer of technology: the experience of Latin America and similarities to that of Western Pacific countries

Includes bibliography

Surveys on time use and unpaid work in Latin America and the Caribbean: Experience to date and challenges for the future

Incluye bibliografía.

The journey to sustainable universities: insights from a Brazilian experience

Universities play a key role in humanity’s search for sustainable development. This paper presents the results of preliminary studies on projects regarding campus sustainability, conducted at Universidade Estadual Paulista ‘Julio de Mesquita Filho’ – UNESP’s Bauru Campus, State of São Paulo. It recommends the constitution of a sustainability committee, with a public participation and social responsibility (PPSR) framework, and the implementation of a campus sustainability program. The study also describes how social responsibility and sustainability can bring UNESP/Bauru economic advantages.

A clinical experience of the supraclavicular flap used to reconstruct head and neck defects in late-stage cancer patients

The supraclavicular island flap has been widely used in head and neck reconstruction, providing an alternative to the traditional techniques like regional or free flaps, mainly because of its thin skin island tissue and reliable vascularity. Head and neck patients who require large reconstructions usually present poor clinical and healing conditions. An early experience using this flap for late-stage head and neck tumour treatment is reported. Forty-seven supraclavicular artery flaps were used to treat head and neck oncologic defects after cutaneous, intraoral and pharyngeal tumour resections. Dissection time, complications, donor and reconstructed area outcomes were assessed. The mean time for harvesting the flaps was 50 min by the senior author. All donor sites were closed primarily. Three cases of laryngopharyngectomy reconstruction developed a small controlled (salivary) leak that was resolved with conservative measures. Small or no strictures were detected on radiologic swallowing examinations and all patients regained normal swallowing function. Five patients developed donor site dehiscence. These wounds were treated with regular dressing until healing was complete. There were four distal flap necroses in this series. These necroses were debrided and closed primarily. The supraclavicular flap is pliable for head and neck oncologic reconstruction in late-stage patients. High-risk patients and modified radical neck dissection are not contraindications for its use. The absence of the need to isolate the pedicle offers quick and reliable harvesting. The arc of rotation on the base of the neck provides adequate length for pharyngeal, oral lining and to reconstruct the middle and superior third of the face. (C) 2012 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Science publication workshops as a strategy to improve the visibility of scholarly production: the experience of the University of Sao Paulo (USP) - Brazil

The objective of this work is to present the experience of workshops that have been developed at the University of Sao Paulo by the Integrated Library System in partnership with Research Commission. The poster presents the main results of workshops that were made in 2011, in two knowledge areas: life science and engineering, about science publication processes, and directed to graduates, pos-doctorates, researchers, professors and library staff. The realization of workshops made possible identifies gaps in different aspects of scholarly communication such as research planning, search information strategy, information organization, submission process, identification of journals with high impact, and so on, areas where professors and librarians can help. Besides, workshops reveal that the majority of participants believe in its importance. Despite the ubiquity of digital technology that transversely impacts all academic activities, it is imperative to promote efforts to find a convergence between information and media literacy in higher education and university research activities. This is particularly important when we talk about how science is produced, communicated and preserved for future use. In this scenario, libraries and librarians assume a new, more active and committed role.

Endocarditis due to Tropheryma whipplei: rapid detection, limited genetic diversity, and long-term clinical outcome in a local experience

The characteristic features of Whipple's disease include abdominal pain, diarrhoea, wasting, and arthralgias, with the causative agent, Tropheryma whipplei, being detected mainly in intestinal biopsies. PCR technology has led to the identification of T. whipplei in specimens from various other locations, including the central nervous system and the heart. T. whipplei is now recognized as one of the causes of culture-negative endocarditis, and endocarditis can be the only manifestation of the infection with T. whipplei. Although it is considered a rare disease, the true incidence of endocarditis due to T. whipplei is not clearly established. With the increasing use of molecular methods, it is likely that T. whipplei will be more frequently identified. Questions also remain about the genetic variability of T. whipplei strains, optimal diagnostic procedures and therapeutic options. In the present study, we provide clinical data on four new patients with documented endocarditis due to T. whipplei in the context of the available published literature. There was no clinical involvement of the gastrointestinal tract. Genetic analysis of the T. whipplei strains with DNA isolated from the excised heart valves revealed little to no genetic variability. In a selected case, we describe acridine orange staining for early detection of the disease, prompting early adaptation of the antibiotic therapy. We provide long-term follow-up data on the patients. In our hands, an initial 2-week course of intravenous antibiotics followed by cotrimoxazole for at least 1 year was a suitable treatment option for T. whipplei endocarditis.