Stock exchange in emerging markets: integrated latin america market (MILA) -an opportunity for investment

The paper is an overview about the Integrated Latin America Market (MILA) until December 2014, including the Mexico Stock Market in the analysis. The papers describes how the market has been developing during the last five years, showing some aspects about the market capitalization, the most traded shares and the S&P MILA Andean 40 index. Besides the paper shows the benefits about the MILA to investors and the relation between the stock exchange index and the exchange rate in those markets, using a correlation model

Los valles occidentales de Cantabria: el poblamiento de montaña durante la II Edad del Hierro y época romana

En el año 1994 se inicia, por parte del Area de Arqueología del Departamento de Ciencias Históricas de la Universi dad de Cantabria, una línea de investigación enfocada al estudio del poblamiento antiguo en el sector central de la Cordillera Cantábrica. Esta se tradujo en el desarrollo de una serie de proyectos, algunos de los cuales tomaron como marco geográfico los valles occidentales de Cantabria. Los motivos de esta elección territorial fueron diversos . La zona estaba siendo objeto de un estudio sobre la articulación del territorio durante la Prehistoria Reciente, por lo que resultaba interesante ampliar nuestro conocimiento sobre este tema desde entonces hasta época romana. Además, considerando la línea de investigación, que había tomado como marco la Edad del Hierro y época romana en el sector central de la Cordillera, se podía observar cómo las actuaciones arqueológicas habían afectado fundamentalmente a asentamientos del norte de la provincia de Palencia y del sur de Cantabria, sin establecer una diferenciación entre lo cántabro y lo cántabrorromano. La proliferación de "castros" en la vertiente meridional de la Cordillera Cantábrica, llevó a plantear la existencia de un vacío de poblamiento entre ésta y la costa4 sin considerar que aquél podía responder más a la carencia de actuaciones sistemáticas que a la existencia de un auténtico vacío arqueológico. Por otra parte, de la lectura de la bibliografía se desprendía igualmente la sensación de una predilección por el hábitat en cueva en la vertiente septentrional de la Cordillera y así se reflejaba en listados de cavidades cuya ocupación se atribuía a la Edad del Hierro o época romana. Por ello, la elección de los valles Occidentales permitía abarcar un amplio territorio , desde la alta montaña hasta la costa, incluyendo zonas muy dispares pero que alcanzaban cierta uniformidad al entenderlas como unidades morfológicas de carácter menor como son los valles, y comprobar hasta qué punto éstos influyeron en la configuración del territorio . Además, podía aportarnos datos para conocer qué criterios operaron en la elección de un lugar como asentamiento en esas épocas, hasta qué punto influyeron no sólo las condiciones propias de un ámbito de altura o de media montaña sino también la explotación de sus recursos y, posteriormente, la red viaria romana, como elementos operantes en la articulación del territorio.In 1994, the Area of Archeology ​the Department of Historical Sciences of the University of Cantabria began a research line focused on the study of ancient settlement in the central sector of the Cantabrian Mountains. This resulted in the development of a series of projects, some of which took as a geographical frame the western valleys of Cantabria. The reasons for this territorial election were diverse. The area was undergoing a study on the articulation of the territory during the Recent Prehistory, so it was interesting to expand our knowledge on this subject from then until Roman times. In addition, considering the line of research, which had taken as a frame the Iron Age and Roman times in the central sector of the Cordillera, how the archaeological actions had fundamentally affected settlements of the North of the province of Palencia and south of Cantabria, without establishing a differentiation between Cantabrian and Cantabrian could be easily observed. The proliferation of "castros" in the southern slope of the Cantabrian Mountain Range led to the existence of a vacuum of settlement between this and the coast without considering that it could respond more to the lack of systematic actions than to the existence of a genuine Archaeological void. On the other hand, the reading of the bibliography also showed the sensation of a predilection for cave habitat on the northern slope of the Cordillera and thus reflected in lists of cavities whose occupation was attributed to the Iron Age or Roman era . Therefore, the choice of the western valleys allowed to cover a wide territory, from the high mountain to the coast, including very disparate zones but that reached a certain uniformity to understand them as minor morphological units such as the valleys, and to verify to what extent these influenced the configuration of the territory. In addition, it could provide us data to know what criteria were used in the election of a place as settlement in those times, to what extent influenced not only the conditions of a high or medium mountain area but also the exploitation of its resources and, later, the Roman road network, as operative elements in the articulation of the territory

Bezlotoxumab for Prevention of Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection

BACKGROUND Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of infectious diarrhea in hospitalized patients. Recurrences are common after antibiotic therapy. Actoxumab and bezlotoxumab are human monoclonal antibodies against C. difficile toxins A and B, respectively. METHODS We conducted two double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trials, MODIFY I and MODIFY II, involving 2655 adults receiving oral standard-of-care antibiotics for primary or recurrent C. difficile infection. Participants received an infusion of bezlotoxumab (10 mg per kilogram of body weight), actoxumab plus bezlotoxumab (10 mg per kilogram each), or placebo; actoxumab alone (10 mg per kilogram) was given in MODIFY I but discontinued after a planned interim analysis. The primary end point was recurrent infection (new episode after initial clinical cure) within 12 weeks after infusion in the modified intention-to-treat population. RESULTS In both trials, the rate of recurrent C. difficile infection was significantly lower with bezlotoxumab alone than with placebo (MODIFY I: 17% [67 of 386] vs. 28% [109 of 395]; adjusted difference, −10.1 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], −15.9 to −4.3; P<0.001; MODIFY II: 16% [62 of 395] vs. 26% [97 of 378]; adjusted difference, −9.9 percentage points; 95% CI, −15.5 to −4.3; P<0.001) and was significantly lower with actoxumab plus bezlotoxumab than with placebo (MODIFY I: 16% [61 of 383] vs. 28% [109 of 395]; adjusted difference, −11.6 percentage points; 95% CI, −17.4 to −5.9; P<0.001; MODIFY II: 15% [58 of 390] vs. 26% [97 of 378]; adjusted difference, −10.7 percentage points; 95% CI, −16.4 to −5.1; P<0.001). In prespecified subgroup analyses (combined data set), rates of recurrent infection were lower in both groups that received bezlotoxumab than in the placebo group in subpopulations at high risk for recurrent infection or for an adverse outcome. The rates of initial clinical cure were 80% with bezlotoxumab alone, 73% with actoxumab plus bezlotoxumab, and 80% with placebo; the rates of sustained cure (initial clinical cure without recurrent infection in 12 weeks) were 64%, 58%, and 54%, respectively. The rates of adverse events were similar among these groups; the most common events were diarrhea and nausea. CONCLUSIONS Among participants receiving antibiotic treatment for primary or recurrent C. difficile infection, bezlotoxumab was associated with a substantially lower rate of recurrent infection than placebo and had a safety profile similar to that of placebo. The addition of actoxumab did not improve efficacy. (Funded by Merck; MODIFY I and MODIFY II ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT01241552 and NCT01513239.

Stock exchange in emerging markets: Integrated Latin America Market (MILA) - an opportunity for investment

The paper is an overview about the Integrated Latin America Market (MILA) until December 2014, including the Mexico Stock Market in the analysis. The papers describes how the market has been developing during the last five years, showing some aspects about the market capitalization, the most traded shares and the S&P MILA Andean 40 index. Besides the paper shows the benefits about the MILA to investors and the relation between the stock exchange index and the exchange rate in those markets, using a correlation model

<i>Vachellia farnesiana</i> Pods or a Polyphenolic Extract Derived from Them Exert Immunomodulatory, Metabolic, Renoprotective, and Prebiotic Effects in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

Obesity causes systemic inflammation, hepatic and renal damage, as well as gut microbiota dysbiosis. Alternative vegetable sources rich in polyphenols are known to prevent or delay the progression of metabolic abnormalities during obesity. Vachellia farnesiana (VF) is a potent source of polyphenols with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities with potential anti-obesity effects. We performed an in vivo preventive or an interventional experimental study in mice and in vitro experiments with different cell types. In the preventive study, male C57BL/6 mice were fed with a Control diet, a high-fat diet, or a high-fat diet containing either 0.1% methyl gallate, 10% powdered VFP, or 0.5%, 1%, or 2% of a polyphenolic extract (PE) derived from VFP (Vachellia farnesiana pods) for 14 weeks. In the intervention study, two groups of mice were fed for 14 weeks with a high-fat diet and then one switched to a high-fat diet with 10% powdered VFP for ten additional weeks. In the in vitro studies, we evaluated the effect of a VFPE (Vachellia farnesiana polyphenolic extract) on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in INS-1E cells or of naringenin or methyl gallate on mitochondrial activity in primary hepatocytes and C2C12 myotubes. VFP or a VFPE increased whole-body energy expenditure and mitochondrial activity in skeletal muscle; prevented insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, and kidney damage; exerted immunomodulatory effects; and reshaped fecal gut microbiota composition in mice fed a high-fat diet. VFPE decreased insulin secretion in INS-1E cells, and its isolated compounds naringenin and methyl gallate increased mitochondrial activity in primary hepatocytes and C2C12 myotubes. In conclusion VFP or a VFPE prevented systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and hepatic and renal damage in mice fed a high-fat diet associated with increased energy expenditure, improved mitochondrial function, and reduction in insulin secretion