Stabilisation strategies in primary commodity exporting countries: A case study of Chile

A number of recent studies have shown that the short term level of economic activity and employment in primary commodity exporting countries is particularly vulnerable to price fluctuations in world commodity markets. The authorities in such countries, in seeking to maintain output and employment stability, must invoke compensatory macroeconomic adjustment strategies to accommodate both favourable and unfavourable movements in the foreign terms of trade. Chile provides a case in point. Chile has traditionally been heavily reliant on raw materials exports, particularly copper, for its foreign exchange earnings. Copper exports averaged around 70 per cent of total export earnings for the period 1960-19 76. They currently represent about one half of total foreign exchange earnings.

Seasonal changes in energy expenditure, body temperature and activity patterns in llamas (Lama glama)

The authors thank Knut Salzmann und Arne Oppermann for technical help and for taking care of the animals and Anna Stölzl for help with the administering of the ruminal unit of the telemetry system. The study was supported by a grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG) to A.R. (RI 1796/3-1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Retrospective Study on Ganglionic and Nerve Block Series as Therapeutic Option for Chronic Pain Patients with Refractory Neuropathic Pain

Objective. Current recommendations controversially discuss local infiltration techniques as specific treatment for refractory pain syndromes. Evidence of effectiveness remains inconclusive and local infiltration series are discussed as a therapeutic option in patients not responding to standard therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of infiltration series with techniques such as sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block and ganglionic local opioid analgesia (GLOA) for the treatment of neuropathic pain in the head and neck area in a selected patient group. Methods. In a retrospective clinical study, 4960 cases presenting to our university hospital outpatient pain clinic between 2009 and 2016 were screened. Altogether, 83 patients with neuropathic pain syndromes receiving local infiltration series were included. Numeric rating scale (NRS) scores before, during, and after infiltration series, comorbidity, and psychological assessment were evaluated. Results. Maximum NRS before infiltration series was median 9 (IQR 8–10). During infiltration series, maximum NRS was reduced by mean 3.2 points (SD 3.3, p < 0.001) equaling a pain reduction of 41.0% (SD 40.4%). With infiltration series, mean pain reduction of at least 30% or 50% NRS was achieved in 54.2% or 44.6% of cases, respectively. In six percent of patients, increased pain intensity was noted. Initial improvement after the first infiltration was strongly associated with overall improvement throughout the series. Conclusion. This study suggests a beneficial effect of local infiltration series as a treatment option for refractory neuropathic pain syndromes in the context of a multimodal approach. This effect is both significant and clinically relevant and therefore highlights the need for further randomized controlled trials

Challenges of temperature measurement during the friction stir welding process

The exact determination of the process zone temperature can be considered as an increasingly important role in the control and monitoring of the friction stir welding process (FSW). At present, temperature measurement is carried out with the aid of a temperature sensor integrated into the tool (usually thermocouples). Since these cannot be attached directly to the joining area, heat dissipation within the tool and to the environment cause measurement deviations as well as a time delay in the temperature measurement. The article describes a process and the challenges that arise in this process, how a direct temperature measurement during the process can be achieved by exploiting the thermoelectric effect between tool and workpiece, without changing the tool by introducing additional temperature sensors

Energy expenditure and body temperature variations in llamas living in the High Andes of Peru

The authors thank Emma Quina and Yurguen Peña for organising the field trips and for technical help and two anonymous reviewers for their help improving the manuscript. The study was supported by a research grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG) to A.R. (RI 1796/3-1). The data analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Reboxetine for acute treatment of major depression: systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished placebo and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor controlled trials

Objectives To assess the benefits and harms of reboxetine versus placebo or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the acute treatment of depression, and to measure the impact of potential publication bias in trials of reboxetine

Structural and mechanistic insights into the catalytic-domain-mediated short-range glycosylation preferences of GalNAc-T4

17 pags, 4 figs, 2 tabsMucin-type O-glycosylation is initiated by a family of polypeptide GalNAc-transferases (GalNAc-Ts) which are type-II transmembrane proteins that contain Golgi luminal catalytic and lectin domains that are connected by a flexible linker. Several GalNAc-Ts, including GalNAc-T4, show both long-range and short-range prior glycosylation specificity, governed by their lectin and catalytic domains, respectively. While the mechanism of the lectin-domain-dependent glycosylation is well-known, the molecular basis for the catalytic-domain-dependent glycosylation of glycopeptides is unclear. Herein, we report the crystal structure of GalNAc-T4 bound to the diglycopeptide GAT GAGAGAGT TPGPG (containing two α-GalNAc glycosylated Thr (T ), the PXP motif and a "naked" Thr acceptor site) that describes its catalytic domain glycopeptide GalNAc binding site. Kinetic studies of wild-type and GalNAc binding site mutant enzymes show the lectin domain GalNAc binding activity dominates over the catalytic domain GalNAc binding activity and that these activities can be independently eliminated. Surprisingly, a flexible loop protruding from the lectin domain was found essential for the optimal activity of the catalytic domain. This work provides the first structural basis for the short-range glycosylation preferences of a GalNAc-T.We thank synchrotron radiation sources DLS (Oxford) and in particular beamline I03 (experiment number MX10121-15). We thank ARAID, MEC (CTQ2013-44367-C2-2-P, BFU2016-75633-P, CTQ2015-67727-R, CTQ2015-70524-R, and CTQ2017-85496-P), AGAUR (SGR2017-1189), the National Institutes of Health (R01-GM113534, and instrument Grant GM113534-01S to T. A. Gerken), the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF107), the FCT-Portugal [UID/Multi/04378/2013 cofinanced by the FEDER (POCI- 01-0145-FEDER-007728)], and the DGA (E34_R17) for financial support. I. Compañón thanks Universidad de La Rioja for the FPI grant. F. Marcelo thanks FCT-Portugal for IF Investigator grant (IF/00780/2015) and PTNMR supported by Project 022161. E. Lira-Navarrete acknowledges her postdoctoral EMBO fellowship ALTF 1553-2015 cofunded by the European Commission (LTFCOFUND2013, GA-2013-609409) and Marie Curie Actions. H. Coelho and J. Jiménez-Barbero thank EU for the TOLLerant project. The research leading to these results has also received funding from the FP7 (2007−2013) under BioStruct-X (Grant agreement 283570 and BIOSTRUCTX_5186). We would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Juwan Lee in obtaining the GalNAc-T4 random peptide motif

Predictive preoperative clinical score for patients with liver-only oligometastatic colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: Resection of liver metastases from colorectal cancer (CRC) in the oligometastatic stage improves survival and is a potentially curative treatment. Thus, predictive scores that reliably identify those patients who especially benefit from surgery are essential. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this multicenter analysis, 512 patients had undergone surgery for liver metastases from CRC. We investigated distinct cancer-specific risk factors that are routinely available in clinical practice and developed a predictive preoperative score using a training cohort (TC), which was thereafter tested in a validation cohort (VC). RESULTS: Inflammatory response to the tumor, a right-sided primary tumor, multiple liver metastases, and node-positive primary tumor were significant adverse variables for overall survival (OS). Patients were stratified in five groups according to the cumulative score given by the presence of these risk factors. Median OS for patients without risk factors was 133.8 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 81.2-not reached (nr)] in the TC and was not reached in the VC. OS decreased significantly for each subsequent group with increasing number of risk factors. Median OS was significantly shorter (P < 0.0001) for patients presenting all four risk factors: 14.3 months (95% CI 10.5 months-nr) in the TC and 16.6 months (95% CI 14.6 months-nr) in the VC. CONCLUSIONS: Including easily obtainable variables, this preoperative score identifies oligometastatic CRC patients with prolonged survival rates that may be cured, and harbors potential to be implemented in daily clinical practice