Trade Preferences: Economic Issues and Policy Options

[Excerpt] Since 1974, Congress has created multiple trade preference programs designed to foster economic growth, reform, and development in less developed countries. These programs give temporary, non-reciprocal, duty-free U.S. market access to select exports of eligible countries. Congress conducts regular oversight of these programs, repeatedly revising and extending them. Two major issues face the 111th Congress: (1) the expiration of two preference programs by December 31, 2010; and (2) possible legislative action on broader reform of the preference programs based on comprehensive reviews in hearings held in both the House and the Senate earlier in this Congress. This report discusses the major U.S. trade preference programs, their possible economic effects, stakeholder interests, and legislative options

Oroantral communications : a retrospective analysis

Objetive. To analyze characteristics, clinical evolution and surgical techniques of oroantral communication (OAC). Study Design. We included all patients operated at the University Central Hospital (Oviedo, Spain) between 1996 and 2007. The variables assessed were age, sex, medical history, OAC size, sinus disease, surgical technique, duration of hospitalization and post-surgical evolution. Results. We analyzed 12 patients (7 men and 5 women) with an average age of 47.5 years. The most frequent cause of oroantral communication was the extraction of the first upper molar. The average size of fistula was 0.9 cm. Buccal flap repair was used in 7 patients, palatal rotation-advancement flap in 4 patients and buccal fat pad in only one patient. Suture dehiscence was observed in one patient treated with a palatal flap, but no additional surgery was required. Three OAC recurred; all of them following a buccal flap procedure. All recurrences spontaneously closed between one and four months following the procedure. Conclusion. OACs are rare complications and treatment should be individualized to avoid further complication

A novel immunofluorescence flow cytometry technique detects the expansion of brown tides caused by Aureoumbra lagunensis to the Caribbean Sea

Author Posting. © American Society for Microbiology, 2014. This article is posted here by permission of American Society for Microbiology for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology 80 (2014): 4947-4957, doi:10.1128/AEM.00888-14.During the past 3 decades, brown tides caused by the pelagophytes Aureococcus anophagefferens and Aureoumbra lagunensis have caused ecological and economic damage to coastal ecosystems across the globe. While blooms of A. lagunensis had previously been confined to Texas, in 2012, an expansive brown tide occurred on Florida's East Coast, causing widespread disruption within the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoons and generating renewed interest in this organism. A major impediment to detailed investigations of A. lagunensis in an ecosystem setting has been the absence of a rapid and reliable method for cell quantification. The combination of their small size (3 to 5 μm) and nondescript extracellular features makes identification and enumeration of these cells with conventional methods a challenge. Here we report the development of an immunological-based flow cytometry method that uses a fluorescently labeled antibody developed against A. lagunensis. This method is species specific, sensitive (detection limit of 1.5 × 103 cells ml−1), precise (1% relative standard deviation of replicated samples), and accurate (108% ± 8% recovery of spiked samples) over a wide range of cell concentrations. Furthermore, this method effectively quantifies A. lagunensis in both glutaraldehyde- and formalin-preserved samples, yields a high throughput of samples (∼35 samples h−1), and is cost-effective, making it an ideal tool for managers and scientists. This method successfully documented the recurrence of a brown tide bloom in Florida in 2013. Bloom densities were highest in June (>2.0 × 106 cells ml−1) and spanned >60 km from the Ponce de Leon inlet in the northern Mosquito Lagoon south to Titusville in the Indian River Lagoon. Low levels of A. lagunensis cells were found >250 km south of this region. This method also quickly and accurately identified A. lagunensis as the causative agent of a 2013 brown tide bloom in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and thus should prove useful for both quantifying the dynamics of ongoing blooms of A. lagunensis as well as documenting new outbreaks of this harmful alga.This research was funded as part of an NOAA ECOHAB Event Response grant to C.J.G. Support for D.M.A. was provided by the Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health, a National Science Foundation grant (OCE-1314642), and a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant (1-P01-ES021923-01)

Characteristics and monetary compensation of caregivers for patients with rheumatic conditions

Musculoskeletal disorders (MD) are highly prevalent conditions that affect quality of life. MD cause physical and psychological dependence. Usually, the care of a patient with MD is assumed by a caregiver. The aim of this study was to describe the sociodemographic characteristics and the monetary remuneration associated to the care of a patient with MD. A cross sectional study was carried out in order to estimate the monetary remuneration related to the health care of patients with MD. A survey was applied to caregivers of patients with MD. Demographic data was collected. We asked about the relationship with the patient, the time as a caregiver and all data related to the monetary compensation. Descriptive epidemiology was done. We reported monetary data in American Dollars (USD) using the average exchange rate for 2018. We surveyed 132 caregivers. Mean age was 52 years [standard deviation 19], 72% were women, 78% were taking care of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis, 12% osteoarthrosis 2% lupus, and 2% osteoporosis. The remaining 6% were caregivers of patients with ankylosing spondylitis, fibromyalgia and Sjogren syndrome. Regarding the time as a caregiver, 48% had less than a year, 16% between two and three years, 18% more than three years, 13% more than four years, and 5% were temporarily caregivers. In our study, 85% of caregivers were a family member, while 15% a nurse or a non-related person. Regarding the compensation, 97% did not receive any salary or payment for being caregiver, the remaining 3% received between 265 and 530 USD per month. Our study demonstrated that the care for patients with MD is mainly assumed by family members. Our results agree with other studies in chronic conditions where only a small proportion of caregivers is paid. Caregivers should be considered for the health system

Long-term moderate calorie restriction inhibits inflammation without impairing cell-mediated immunity: A randomized controlled trial in non-obese humans

Calorie restriction (CR) inhibits inflammation and slows aging in many animal species, but in rodents housed in pathogen-free facilities, CR impairs immunity against certain pathogens. However, little is known about the effects of long-term moderate CR on immune function in humans. In this multi-center, randomized clinical trial to determine CR's effect on inflammation and cell-mediated immunity, 218 healthy non-obese adults (20-50 y), were assigned 25% CR (n=143) or an ad-libitum (AL) diet (n=75), and outcomes tested at baseline, 12, and 24 months of CR. CR induced a 10.4% weight loss over the 2-y period. Relative to AL group, CR reduced circulating inflammatory markers, including total WBC and lymphocyte counts, ICAM-1 and leptin. Serum CRP and TNF-α concentrations were about 40% and 50% lower in CR group, respectively. CR had no effect on the delayed-type hypersensitivity skin response or antibody response to vaccines, nor did it cause difference in clinically significant infections. In conclusion, long-term moderate CR without malnutrition induces a significant and persistent inhibition of inflammation without impairing key in vivo indicators of cell-mediated immunity. Given the established role of these pro-inflammatory molecules in the pathogenesis of multiple chronic diseases, these CR-induced adaptations suggest a shift toward a healthy phenotype

A critical reappraisal of paleomagnetic evidence for Philippine Sea Plate rotation

The kinematic history of the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP) is crucial for interpreting its geological record related to subduction initiation processes and the paleogeography of the junction between the Paleo-Pacific and Tethyan oceanic realms. However, reconstructing PSP's kinematic history is difficult because the plate has been surrounded by subduction zones for most of its history. In absence of marine magnetic anomalies to constrain PSP's motion relative to its neighboring plates, paleomagnetic data may be used as quantitative constraints on its motion. Previous paleomagnetic studies interpreted easterly deflected declinations to infer clockwise rotations of up to 90° since the Eocene. However, rotations inferred from these datasets may also reflect local block rotations related to plate margin deformation. We here re-evaluate to what extent paleomagnetic data from the PSP unequivocally demonstrate plate motion rather than local rotation. To this end, we provide new data from Guam, in the Mariana forearc, and reassess published paleomagnetic data. Our new data from Guam come from two localities in the Eocene, two in the Oligocene, and two in the Miocene. Our compilation assesses data quality against recently defined criteria. Our new results demonstrate that in Guam, declination differences of up to 35° exist in rocks of Eocene age, indicating local rotations. Our compilation identifies both clockwise and counterclockwise rotations from the plate margins, with little confidence which of these would reflect plate-wide rotation. We compiled paleolatitude data from igneous rocks, which we correct for microplate rotation constrained by intra-PSP marine magnetic anomalies and show a northward drift of the PSP of ∼15° since the Eocene, but without a paleomagnetic necessity for major vertical axis rotation. Hence, with the currently available data, rotations of the PSP may be permitted, but are not required. Plate motion is currently better reconstructed from geological constraints contained in circum-PSP orogenic belts

Nitrogen fixation and transfer in open ocean diatom–cyanobacterial symbioses

Many diatoms that inhabit low-nutrient waters of the open ocean live in close association with cyanobacteria. Some of these associations are believed to be mutualistic, where N2-fixing cyanobacterial symbionts provide N for the diatoms. Rates of N2 fixation by symbiotic cyanobacteria and the N transfer to their diatom partners were measured using a high-resolution nanometer scale secondary ion mass spectrometry approach in natural populations. Cell-specific rates of N2 fixation (1.15–71.5 fmol N per cell h−1) were similar amongst the symbioses and rapid transfer (within 30 min) of fixed N was also measured. Similar growth rates for the diatoms and their symbionts were determined and the symbiotic growth rates were higher than those estimated for free-living cells. The N2 fixation rates estimated for Richelia and Calothrix symbionts were 171–420 times higher when the cells were symbiotic compared with the rates estimated for the cells living freely. When combined, the latter two results suggest that the diatom partners influence the growth and metabolism of their cyanobacterial symbionts. We estimated that Richelia fix 81–744% more N than needed for their own growth and up to 97.3% of the fixed N is transferred to the diatom partners. This study provides new information on the mechanisms controlling N input into the open ocean by symbiotic microorganisms, which are widespread and important for oceanic primary production. Further, this is the first demonstration of N transfer from an N2 fixer to a unicellular partner. These symbioses are important models for molecular regulation and nutrient exchange in symbiotic systems

Bmf upregulation through the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway may protect the brain from seizure-induced cell death.

Prolonged seizures (status epilepticus, SE) can cause neuronal death within brain regions such as the hippocampus. This may contribute to impairments in cognitive functioning and trigger or exacerbate epilepsy. Seizure-induced neuronal death is mediated, at least in part, by apoptosis-associated signaling pathways. Indeed, mice lacking certain members of the potently proapoptotic BH3-only subfamily of Bcl-2 proteins are protected against hippocampal damage caused by status epilepticus. The recently identified BH3-only protein Bcl-2-modifying factor (Bmf) normally interacts with the cytoskeleton, but upon certain cellular stresses, such as loss of extracellular matrix adhesion or energy crisis, Bmf relocalizes to mitochondria, where it can promote Bax activation and mitochondrial dysfunction. Although Bmf has been widely reported in the hematopoietic system to exert a proapoptotic effect, no studies have been undertaken in models of neurological disorders. To examine whether Bmf is important for seizure-induced neuronal death, we studied Bmf induction after prolonged seizures induced by intra-amygdala kainic acid (KA) in mice, and examined the effect of Bmf-deficiency on seizures and damage caused by SE. Seizures triggered an early (1-8 h) transcriptional activation and accumulation of Bax in the cell death-susceptible hippocampal CA3 subfield. Bmf mRNA was biphasically upregulated beginning at 1 h after SE and returning to normal by 8 h, while again being found elevated in the hippocampus of epileptic mice. Bmf upregulation was prevented by Compound C, an inhibitor of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, indicating Bmf expression may be induced in response to bioenergetic stress. Bmf-deficient mice showed normal sensitivity to the convulsant effects of KA, but, surprisingly, displayed significantly more neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 subfields after SE. These are the first studies investigating Bmf in a model of neurologic injury, and suggest that Bmf may protect neurons against seizure-induced neuronal death in vivo