The Rapid Rise of China���s Dairy Sector: Factors Behind the Growth in Demand and Supply, May 2005

With the rapid growth in China���s dairy industry, a number of recent papers have addressed either the supply or the demand trends for dairy products in China. None, however, presents a systematic explanation for the recent growth in both the supply and demand for dairy products. The goal of this paper is to sketch a more comprehensive picture of China���s dairy sector and to assess the nature of the sector���s development in the coming decades. Drawing upon several empirical studies, we examine the trends in dairy product consumption to create a composite picture of the factors underlying the recent growth. We also empirically investigate the sources of production gains in milk supply and assess the relative importance of expanding herd size, changes in the nature of production, technological change, and improvements in efficiency to the overall growth of milk production.

Oral Terbinafine and Itraconazole Treatments against Dermatophytes Appear Not to Favor the Establishment of Fusarium spp. in Nail.

Background: Fusarium onychomycoses are weakly responsive or unresponsive to standard onychomycosis treatments with oral terbinafine and itraconazole. Objective: To examine whether the use of terbinafine and itraconazole, which are highly effective in fighting Trichophyton onychomycoses, could be a cause of the high incidence of Fusarium nail infections. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction methods were used to detect both Fusarium spp. and Trichophyton spp. in nails of patients who had either received treatment previously or not. Results: No significant microbiological differences were found between treated and untreated patients. In 24 of 79 cases (30%), Fusarium spp. was detected in samples of patients having had no previous antifungal therapy and when Trichophyton spp. grew in culture. Conclusion: Oral terbinafine and itraconazole treatments do not appear to favor the establishment of Fusarium spp. in onychomycosis. �� 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Technology transfer of an oil-in-water vaccine-adjuvant for strengthening pandemic influenza preparedness in Indonesia.

With the current enzootic circulation of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, the ability to increase global pandemic influenza vaccine production capacity is of paramount importance. This has been highlighted by, and is one of the main pillars of, the WHO Global Action Plan for Influenza Vaccines (GAP). Such capacity expansion is especially relevant in developing countries. The Vaccine Formulation Laboratory at University of Lausanne is engaged in the technology transfer of an antigen-sparing oil-in-water adjuvant in order to empower developing countries vaccine manufacturers to increase pandemic influenza vaccine capacity. In a one-year project funded by United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Vaccine Formulation Laboratory transferred the process know-how and associated equipment for the pilot-scale manufacturing of an oil-in-water adjuvant to Bio Farma, Indonesia's state-owned vaccine manufacturer, for subsequent formulation with H5N1 pandemic influenza vaccines. This paper describes the experience acquired and lessons learnt from this technology transfer project.

The interface between oral and systemic health: the need for more collaboration.

The focus of this review is to highlight the need for improved communication between medical and dental professionals in order to deliver more effective care to patients. The need for communication is increasingly required to capitalise on recent advances in the biological sciences and in medicine for the management of patients with chronic diseases. Improvements in longevity have resulted in populations with increasing special oral-care needs, including those who have cancer of the head and neck, those who are immunocompromised due to HIV/AIDS, advanced age, residence in long-term care facilities or the presence of life-long conditions, and those who are receiving long-term prescription medications for chronic conditions (e.g., anti-hypertensives, anticoagulants, immunosuppressants, antidepressants). These medications can cause adverse reactions in the oral cavity, such as xerostomia and ulceration. Patients with xerostomia are at increased risk of tooth decay, periodontal disease and infection. The ideal management of such individuals should involve the collaborative efforts of physicians, nurses, dentists and dental hygienists, thus optimising treatment and minimising secondary complications deriving from the oral cavity.

Language acquisition during a stay abroad period following formal instruction: temporal effects on oral fluency development

This study investigates the development of fluency in 30 advanced L2 learners of English over a period of 15 months. In order to measure fluency, several temporal variables and hesitation phenomena are analyzed and compared. Oral competence is assessed by means of an oral interview carried out by the learners. Data collection takes place at three different times: before (T1) and after (T2) a six-month period of FI (80 hours) in the home university, and after a three-month SA term (T3). The data is analyzed quantitatively. Developmental gains in fluency are measured for the whole period, adopting a view of complementarity between the two learning contexts. From these results, a group of high fluency speakers is identified. Correlations between fluency gains and individual and contextual variables are executed and a more qualitative analysis is performed for high fluency speakers' performance and behavior. Results show an overall development of students' oral fluency during a period of 15 months favored by the combination of a period of FI at home followed by a 3-months SA.

Evaluaci��n del razonamiento cient��fico y comunicaci��n oral y escrita en el licenciado en enfermer��a

Estudio descriptivo, transversal, realizado en Santiago de Chile. Tuvo como objetivo evaluar el razonamiento cient��fico y comunicaci��n oral y escrita en el licenciado en enfermer��a. Muestra constituida por 37 estudiantes licenciados en la carrera de enfermer��a. La investigaci��n fue dise��ada en tres etapas: I) creaci��n y validaci��n del instrumento; II) capacitaci��n del equipo de docentes participantes para la aplicaci��n uniforme del instrumento; III) aplicaci��n del instrumento y an��lisis de datos. Los principales resultados muestran porcentajes diferentes de competencia obtenidos por los licenciados en enfermer��a, prevaleciendo el logro del razonamiento cient��fico (83,16%); seguido de la comunicaci��n oral y escrita (78,37%). Esta investigaci��n muestra la utilidad para las Escuelas de Enfermer��a de implementar un sistema para evaluar el perfil de egresados del grado de licenciado en enfermer��a que garantice la calidad de la formaci��n.

Intravaginal TLR agonists increase local vaccine-specific CD8 T cells and human papillomavirus-associated genital-tumor regression in mice.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV)-related cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Despite active development, HPV E6/E7 oncogene-specific therapeutic vaccines have had limited clinical efficacy to date. Here, we report that intravaginal (IVAG) instillation of CpG-ODN (TLR9 agonist) or poly-(I:C) (TLR3 agonist) after subcutaneous E7 vaccination increased ∼fivefold the number of vaccine-specific interferon-γ-secreting CD8 T cells in the genital mucosa (GM) of mice, without affecting the E7-specific systemic response. The IVAG treatment locally increased both E7-specific and total CD8 T cells, but not CD4 T cells. This previously unreported selective recruitment of CD8 T cells from the periphery by IVAG CpG-ODN or poly-(I:C) was mediated by TLR9 and TLR3/melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 signaling pathways, respectively. For CpG, this recruitment was associated with a higher proportion of GM-localized CD8 T cells expressing both CCR5 and CXCR3 chemokine receptors and E-selectin ligands. Most interestingly, IVAG CpG-ODN following vaccination led to complete regression of large genital HPV tumors in 75% of mice, instead of 20% with vaccination alone. These findings suggest that mucosal application of immunostimulatory molecules might substantially increase the effectiveness of parenterally administered vaccines.Mucosal Immunology advance online publication 12 September 2012; doi:10.1038/mi.2012.83.

Antigenicity and immunogenicity of a novel Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite derived synthetic vaccine construct.

BACKGROUND: The circumsporozoite (CS) protein is a major malaria sporozoite surface antigen currently being considered as vaccine candidate. Plasmodium vivax CS (PvCS) protein comprises a dimorphic central repeat fragment flanked by conserved regions that contain functional domains involved in parasite invasion of host cells. The protein amino (N-terminal) flank has a cleavage region (region I), essential for proteolytic processing prior to parasite invasion of liver cells. METHODS: We have developed a 131-mer long synthetic polypeptide (LSP) named PvNR1R2 that includes the N-terminal flank and the two natural repeat variant regions known as VK210 and VK247. We studied the natural immune response to this region in human sera from different malaria-endemic areas and its immunogenicity in mice. RESULTS: PvNR1R2 was more frequently recognized by sera from Papua New Guinea (PNG) (83%) than by samples from Colombia (24%) when tested by ELISA. The polypeptide formulated in Montanide ISA51 adjuvant elicited strong antibody responses in both C3H and CB6F1 mice strains. Antibodies from immunized mice as well as affinity-purified human IgG reacted with native protein by IFA test. Moreover, mouse immune sera induced strong (90%) in vitro inhibition of sporozoite invasion (ISI) of hepatoma cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: These results encourage further studies in non-human primates to confirm the elicitation of sporozoite invasion blocking antibodies, to assess cell mediated immune responses and the protective efficacy of this polypeptide.

Os Manuais de L��ngua Portuguesa e o Desenvolvimento da Express��o Oral no Ensino Secund��rio de Cabo Verde

Na elabora����o do presente trabalho, que tem como tema ���Os manuais de l��ngua portuguesa e o desenvolvimento da express��o oral no ensino secund��rio de Cabo Verde���, procurou-se investigar, a partir da perspectiva dos manuais de L��ngua Portuguesa, at�� que ponto os mesmos podem servir ou n��o para o desenvolvimento da compet��ncia comunicativa dos alunos do ensino secund��rio, na modalidade de express��o oral. Para isso foi adoptada uma metodologia situada no campo da investiga����o educacional, sem p��r de lado os m��todos da pesquisa qualitativa e quantitativa, o que permitiu abordar as quest��es relacionadas com as constantes situa����es de insucesso na aprendizagem da L��ngua Portuguesa, cujas causas t��m sido atribu��das, quase sempre, aos factores como as metodol��gicas, aos problemas lingu��sticos, decorrentes da forte presen��a da l��ngua materna no quotidiano dos aprendentes e ao uso de materiais desajustados da realidade nacional. Assim, para o cumprimento dos objectivos propostos, foi poss��vel trabalhar sobre dois corpora; por um lado analisaram-se os manuais do ensino secund��rio, por outro, foi examinado o inqu��rito aplicado tanto aos professores como aos alunos, e cujo tratamento dos dados permitiu confirmar a aceita����o entusi��stica dos manuais escolares no contexto pedag��gico, apesar da descren��a na potencialidade dos exerc��cios propostos em desenvolver a capacidade de express��o oral dos alunos. Outro aspecto digno de registo foi o desejo manifestado pelos informantes em ter outros materiais capazes de melhorar o ensino do Portugu��s como l��ngua segunda. Em termos do ensino da citada disciplina, foram apresentadas algumas sugest��es para que a sua melhoria reverta a favor do sucesso de aprendizagem de todos os alunos.