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Thoracic aortic calcium (TAC) has been associated with a higher prevalence of coronary arterial calcium (CAC). The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between TAC with both incident CAC and CAC progression in a cohort from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). MESA is a prospective cohort study of 6,814 participants free of clinical cardiovascular disease at entry who underwent non-contrast cardiac computed tomography scanning at baseline examination and at a 2 year follow up. We investigated the independent association between TAC and incident CAC among those without CAC at baseline and between TAC and CAC progression among those with CAC at baseline. The final study population consisted of 5,755 (84%) individuals (62±10 years, 48% males) who had a follow up CAC score an average of 2.4 years later. Incident CAC was significantly higher among those with TAC versus without TAC at baseline (11 per 100 person years versus 6 per 100 person years). Similarly, TAC was associated with a higher CAC change (p<0.0001) in those with some CAC at baseline. In demographic & follow-up duration adjusted analysis, TAC was associated with both incident CAC (RR 1.72; P < 0.0001) as well as with a greater CAC change (RR for 1(st) and 4(th) quartiles and 95% CI: RR 2.89; −3.16, 8.95; RR 24.21; 18.25, 30.18. In conclusion, TAC is associated with incidence and progression of CAC. Detection of TAC may improve risk stratification efforts. Future clinical outcomes studies are needed to support such approach.

The synthesis of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) by the action of Aspergillus oryzae β-galactosidase free and immobilized on magnetic polysiloxane-polyvinyl alcohol (mPOS-PVA) was studied. A maximum GOS concentration of 26% (w/v) of total sugars was achieved at near 55% lactose conversion from 50%, w/v lactose solution at pH 4.5 and 40 °C. Trisaccharides accounted for more than 81% of the total GOS produced. GOS formation was not considerably affected by pH and temperature. The concentrations of glucose and galactose encountered near maximum GOS concentration greatly inhibited the reactions and reduced GOS yield. GOS formation was not affected by enzyme immobilization in the mPOS-PVA matrix, indicating the absence of diffusional limitations in the enzyme carrier. Furthermore, this water insoluble magnetic derivative was reutilized 10-times and retained about 84% of the initial activity. In addition, the kinetic parameters for various initial lactose concentrations were determined and compared for the free and immobilized enzyme. ; David F. M. Neri gratefully acknowledges support by the Programme Alpan, the European Union Programme of High Level Scholarships for Latin America (Scholarship No. E05D057787BR). Luiz B. Carvalho Jr. is recipient of a scholarship of the Brazilian National Research Council ...

16 pages, 11 figures. ; The active vitamin D metabolite 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1α,25(OH)2D3] has wide but not fully understood antitumor activity. A previous transcriptomic analysis of 1α,25(OH)2D3 action on human colon cancer cells revealed cystatin D (CST5), which encodes an inhibitor of several cysteine proteases of the cathepsin family, as a candidate target gene. Here we report that 1α,25(OH)2D3 induced vitamin D receptor (VDR) binding to, and activation of, the CST5 promoter and increased CST5 RNA and protein levels in human colon cancer cells. In cells lacking endogenous cystatin D, ectopic cystatin D expression inhibited both proliferation in vitro and xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, cystatin D inhibited migration and anchorage-independent growth, antagonized the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and repressed c-MYC expression. Cystatin D repressed expression of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition inducers SNAI1, SNAI2, ZEB1, and ZEB2 and, conversely, induced E-cadherin and other adhesion proteins. CST5 knockdown using shRNA abrogated the antiproliferative effect of 1α,25(OH)2D3, attenuated E-cadherin expression, and increased c-MYC expression. In human colorectal tumors, expression of cystatin D correlated with expression of VDR and E-cadherin, and loss of cystatin D correlated with poor tumor differentiation. Based on these data, we propose that CST5 has tumor suppressor activity that may contribute to the antitumoral action of 1α,25(OH)2D3 in colon cancer. ; This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (SAF2007-60341, SAF2006-00476, ISCIII-RETIC RD06/0020/0009, and RD06/0020/0020), Comunidad de Madrid (S-GEN-0266/2006), and the European Union (MRTN-CT-2005-019496, NucSys and Micoenvimet, FP7). The Instituto Universitario de Oncología and Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias tumor bank are supported by Obra Social Cajastur and Acción Transversal del Cáncer–RTICC. ; Peer reviewed

La France est actuellement au premier rang des productions européennes de poulets et d'œufs biologiques. Ces productions ne représentent toutefois au mieux que quelques pourcents de la production nationale. Elles sont en régression pour le poulet ou stable pour l'œuf et ne couvrent pas les besoins du marché intérieur. Dans un contexte à la fois de demande du citoyen, d'une volonté politique nationale affichée et d'évolution du règlement européen, l'aviculture biologique française pourrait reprendre sa croissance en saisissant ces opportunités pour se développer. Aussi nous proposons d'analyser les atouts et les verrous qui caractérisent ce mode de production. Les analyses multicritères de ces productions restent à conduire à l'échelle du territoire. Elles devront prendre en compte les différentes composantes biotechniques, depuis la gestion agronomique des sols jusqu'au produit terminal, en passant par la production territorialisée des matières premières végétales, de même que les composantes économiques, sociétales ou politiques. Au-delà des images positives que les produits biologiques véhiculent en termes de bien-être, de qualité des produits ou de bilan environnemental, certaines contraintes déjà identifiées sont autant d'obstacles à leurs développements. Il convient donc de les analyser finement et de les prendre en compte afin de définir de nouveaux itinéraires de production et de ommercialisation. Ceux-ci devront permettre de concilier un développement cohérent et durable, répondant à des attentes sociétales complexes, de produire des produits de qualité, respectueux de l'environnement, accessibles au plus grand nombre et favorisant l'emploi rural et le développement des territoires. Cette problématique complexe constitue l'objet de deux programmes de recherches pluriannuels complémentaires initiés en 2009, AlterAviBio et AviBio. ; France currently leads European organic chicken and egg production. Each production, however, represents only a small percentage of national production. Organic production has declined for chicken and remains stable for eggs, but each does not cover the respective domestic demand. The French organic poultry industry could resume growth by taking advantage of new opportunities for development within a context that includes consumer pressures, expressed political will, and evolution of European regulations. We analyse the advantages and bottlenecks characteristic of these types of production. Multicriteria analyses of these production systems must be done at the national scale. They should include the various biotechnical components, from agricultural soil management to the final product, via regional production of raw vegetable matter, along with economic, social, and political components. Despite the positive image that organic products have in terms of animal welfare, product quality, or environmental respect, some previously identified constraints are obstacles to their development. It is therefore necessary to take them into account and carefully analyse them to define new production and commercial paths. These paths should accommodate a consistent and sustainable development, meet society's complex expectations, produce products of quality that respect the environment and are available to many, and favour rural employment and regional development. This complex problem is the object of two complementary pluriannual research programmes beginning in 2009, AlterAviBio and AviBio.

Two multisite studies were conducted to assess the feasibility of using cell phone interviews (the Parent-Child Activities Interview) to learn more about the quality of daily parenting among high-risk mothers, including child neglect. In Study 1, 45 primiparous teenage mothers with 3- to 9-month-old infants were recruited and randomly assigned to two groups: one received frequent cell phone interviews and the other group less frequent interviews over their home telephone. Relationships among paper-and-pencil surveys of parenting (gathered in person) and a Parenting Essentials score (coded from the phone interviews) were significantly correlated. In Study 2, adolescent and adult mothers and their first-born children ( n = 544) completed 2 observations of parenting in their home as well as a series of 3 PCA calls at ages 4 and 8 months. Parenting Essentials coded from the interviews were significantly related to observed measures of parenting at both time points. The Parent-Child Activities Interview shows promise as a reliable and valid measure of parenting, capturing frequent and detailed information about daily parenting practices. Cell phones may prove useful in intervening with mothers at risk of suboptimal parenting and child neglect.

This paper presents the project "Development of Geographic Information Systems at the Acropolis of Athens", financed by the European Union and the Government of Greece. The Acropolis of Athens is one of the major archaeological sites world-wide included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. The project started in June 2007 and will finish at the end of 2008. The paper presents the motivation for the project and its aims, giving a description of the deliverables and the specifications, as well as the project difficulties. Furthermore, we present the techniques used, both photogrammetric and geodetic, for data acquisition and processing. The project is divided into three basic tasks: the geodetic one, involving field measurements for the generation of a polygonometric network and terrestrial laser scanning of the walls and Acropolis rock and also the Erechtheion monument, the photogrammetric one involving image acquisition, orientation, DSM generation and orthorectification, and finally the development of a GIS database and applications. This contribution underlines particularly the potential of combining different technologies (especially digital imaging and laser scanning) for an accurate 3D modeling of cultural heritage sites. Preliminary results are reported ; ISSN:1682-1750 ; ISSN:2194-9034 ; ISSN:1682-1777

Legislation aimed at controlling antimicrobial-resistant pathogens through the use of active surveillance cultures to screen hospitalized patients has been introduced in at least 2 US states. In response to the proposed legislation, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc., (APIC) have developed this joint position statement. Both organizations are dedicated to combating health care-associated infections with a wide array of methods, including the use of active surveillance cultures in appropriate circumstances. This position statement reviews the proposed legislation and the rationale for use of active surveillance cultures, examines the scientific evidence supporting the use of this strategy, and discusses a number of unresolved issues surrounding legislation mandating use of active surveillance cultures. The following 5 consensus points are offered. (1) Although reducing the burden of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), is of preeminent importance, the APIC and the SHEA do not support legislation to mandate use of active surveillance cultures to screen for MRSA, VRE, or other antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. (2) The SHEA and the APIC support the continued development, validation, and application of efficacious and cost-effective strategies for the prevention of infections caused by MRSA, VRE, and other antimicrobial-resistant and antimicrobial-susceptible pathogens. (3) The APIC and the SHEA welcome efforts by health care consumers, together with private, local, state, and federal policy makers, to focus attention on and formulate solutions for the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance and health care-associated infections. (4) The SHEA and the APIC support ongoing additional research to determine and optimize the appropriateness, utility, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of using active surveillance cultures to screen both lower-risk and high-risk populations. (5) The APIC and the SHEA support stronger collaboration between state and local public health authorities and institutional infection prevention and control experts. © 2007 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc, and The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved.

Assessing the world's progress against poverty calls for frequent and careful measurements, using household surveys and price data. Fortunately, the task of measuring poverty is becoming easier, and the results are probably getting more accurate over time. The best data for assessing progress against poverty come from surveys of the living standards of nationally representative samples of households. In the past 25 years there has been enormous progress in designing, implementing, and processing such surveys for developing countries, thanks in large part to the efforts of national statistics agencies throughout the world and the support of the donor community and international development agencies. These data provide key information about global and regional progress in alleviating poverty. ; Contents:; 1.The Changing Profile of Poverty in the World/Shaohua Chen and Martin Ravallion.; 2.Characteristics and Causes of Severe Poverty and Hunger/Akhter U. Ahmed, Ruth Vargas Hill, Lisa C. Smith, and Tim Frankenberger.; 3.The Poorest and Hungry: Looking Below the Line/Akhter U. Ahmed, Ruth Vargas Hill, and Doris M. Wiesmann.; 4.Mapping Where the Poor Live/Todd Benson, Michael Epprecht, and Nicholas Minot; 5.Child Malnutrition in India and China/Peter Svedberg.; 6.Poverty and the Globalization of the Food and Agriculture System/Joachim von Braun and Tewodaj Mengistu.; 7.Poverty Traps: Exploring the Complexity of Causation/Partha Dasgupta; 8.Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction: Do Poor Countries Need to Worry about Inequality?/Martin Ravallion.; 9.Determinants of Pro-Poor Growth/Stephan Klasen.; 10.Global Macroeconomic Development: The Implications for Poverty/Eugenio Díaz-Bonilla; 11. Fiscal Policy Instruments and the Political Economy of Designing Programs to Reach the Poorest/Ehtisham Ahmad; 12. The Macroeconomic Foundations of Inclusive Middle-Class Growth/Nancy Birdsall; 13.Economic Reform to Stimulate Growth and Reduce Poverty: The Latin American Experience/Alberto Valdés and William Foster.; 14. Poverty, Inequality, and Welfare in a Rapid-Growth Economy: The Chilean Experience/Dante Contreras; 15.International Migration: Can It Improve Living Standards among Poor and Vulnerable Populations?/Alan de Brauw.; 16.Growth-promoting Social Safety Nets/Harold Alderman and John Hoddinott.; 17.Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: A "Magic Bullet" for Reducing Poverty?/Michelle Adato and John Hoddinott.; 18. How Effective are Food-for-Education Programs?/Sarah Adelman, Daniel O. Gilligan, and Kim Lehrer; 19. Health Care for the World's Poorest: Is Voluntary (Private) Health Insurance an Option?/Jacques van der Gaag; 20. Designing Insurance For The Poor/Stefan Dercon; 21.Social Security: What Can Developing Countries Learn from Developed Countries?/Jean-Jacques Dethier.; 22. Building Capacity to Increase Agricultural Productivity and Incomes of Poor Small-scale Farmers/Kwadwo Asenso-Okyere.; 23.Property Rights for Poverty Reduction/Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Patricia Kameri-Mbote, and Helen Markelova.; 24.Developing and Connecting Markets for Poor Farmers/Nicholas Minot and Ruth Vargas Hill.; 25.Climate Change: Pro-Poor Adaptation, Risk Management, and Mitigation Strategies/Gary Yohe, Ian Burton, Saleemul Huq, and Mark W. Rosegrant.; 26.Strengthening Women's Assets and Status: Programs Improving Poor Women's Lives/John Ambler, Lauren Pandolfelli, Anna Kramer, and Ruth Meinzen-Dick; 27.Addressing Discrimination and Inequality Among Groups/Frances Stewart; 28.Including People with Disabilities in Actions to Reduce Poverty and Hunger/Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo; 29.Policies and Lessons for Reaching Indigenous Peoples in Development Programs/Lennart Bage; 30. Trade Liberalization and Children: Understanding and Coping with Children's Vulnerabilities/Javier Escobal; 31.Facing Up to Inequality and Exclusion to End Poverty and Hunger in Latin America/Marco Ferroni; 32. Economic Exclusion and Poverty in Asia: The Example of Castes in India/Sukhadeo Thorat; 33. Choosing Policy Instruments to Reduce Poverty and Hunger: Is It Possible to Overcome the Feasibility Dilemma?/Regina Birner; 34.Scaling Up: A Path to Effective Development/Arntraud Hartmann and Johannes F. Linn; 35. Improving Governance to Eradicate Hunger and Poverty/Regina Birner; 36.The Dynamics of Poverty: Why Don't "The Poor" Act Collectively?/Anirudh Krishna.; 37.Land Issues and Poverty Reduction: Requirements for Lasting Peace in Sudan and Afghanistan/Gunnar M. Sørbø and Arne Strand.; 38.Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Developing Capacity to Reduce Poverty and Hunger/Suresh Babu and Per Pinstrup-Andersen; 39.The Millennium Development Goals: How Realistic Are They?/Michiel Keyzer and Lia van Wesenbeeck.; 40.Investment Priorities for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction/Shenggen Fan, Joanna Brzeska, and Ghada Shields; 41.How to Mobilize Public Resources to Support Poverty Reduction/Shenggen Fan, Anuja Saurkar, and Ghada Shields ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; nobio; 2020 ; DSGD; EPTD; MTID; DGO; ISNAR