Norikazu Maeda
Sep 1, 2001; 50:2094-2099
Pathophysiology

The wet weather last Saturday (May 2) could not dampen the spirits of award-winning gospel artiste and ordained evangelist Kevin Downswell as he ventured into the St Catherine community of Central Village, where he spent some of his formative years...

It was only five years ago that the Cardinals won the National League Central with only 90 wins. Heck, it was only 12 years ago that the Cubs won it with 85, and 13 that the Cardinals won it with 83. Point is: There have been times in recent baseball history that the NL Central was not exactly the toughest gauntlet in the sport. But in 2019, it looks like the scariest division in baseball.

Reduced storage of dietary fatty acids (DFAs) in abdominal adipose tissues with enhanced cardiac partitioning has been shown in subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and prediabetes. We measured DFA metabolism and organ partitioning using positron emission tomography with oral and intravenous long-chain fatty acid and glucose tracers during a standard liquid meal in 12 obese subjects with T2D before and 8–12 days after bariatric surgery (sleeve gastrectomy or sleeve gastrectomy and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch). Bariatric surgery reduced cardiac DFA uptake from a median (standard uptake value [SUV]) 1.75 (interquartile range 1.39–2.57) before to 1.09 (1.04–1.53) after surgery (P = 0.01) and systemic DFA spillover from 56.7 mmol before to 24.7 mmol over 6 h after meal intake after surgery (P = 0.01), with a significant increase in intra-abdominal adipose tissue DFA uptake from 0.15 (0.04–0.31] before to 0.49 (0.20–0.59) SUV after surgery (P = 0.008). Hepatic insulin resistance was significantly reduced in close association with increased DFA storage in intra-abdominal adipose tissues (r = –0.79, P = 0.05) and reduced DFA spillover (r = 0.76, P = 0.01). We conclude that bariatric surgery in subjects with T2D rapidly reduces cardiac DFA partitioning and hepatic insulin resistance at least in part through increased intra-abdominal DFA storage and reduced spillover.

Intravenous access is difficult in some patients referred for ¹⁸F-FDG PET imaging. Extravasation at the injection site and accumulation in central catheters can lead to limited tumor ¹⁸F-FDG uptake, erroneous quantitation, and significant image artifacts. In this study, we compared the human biodistribution and dosimetry for ¹⁸F-FDG after oral and intravenous administrations sequentially in the same subjects to ascertain the dosimetry and potential suitability of orally administered ¹⁸F-FDG as an alternative to intravenous administration. We also compared our detailed intravenous ¹⁸F-FDG dosimetry with older dosimetry data. Methods: Nine healthy volunteers (6 male and 3 female; aged 19–32 y) underwent PET/CT imaging after oral and intravenous administration of ¹⁸F-FDG. Identical preparation and imaging protocols (except administration route) were used for oral and intravenous studies. During each imaging session, 9 whole-body PET scans were obtained at 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 120, and 240 min after ¹⁸F-FDG administration (370 ± 16 MBq). Source organ contours drawn using CT were overlaid onto registered PET images to extract time–activity curves. Time-integrated activity coefficients derived from time–activity curves were given as input to OLINDA/EXM for dose calculations. Results: Blood uptake after orally administered ¹⁸F-FDG peaked at 45–50 min after ingestion. The oral-to-intravenous ratios of ¹⁸F-FDG uptake for major organs at 45 min were 1.07 ± 0.24 for blood, 0.94 ± 0.39 for heart wall, 0.47 ± 0.12 for brain, 1.25 ± 0.18 for liver, and 0.84 ± 0.24 for kidneys. The highest organ-absorbed doses (μGy/MBq) after oral ¹⁸F-FDG administration were observed for urinary bladder (75.9 ± 17.2), stomach (48.4 ± 14.3), and brain (29.4 ± 5.1), and the effective dose was significantly higher (20%) than after intravenous administration (P = 0.002). Conclusion: ¹⁸F-FDG has excellent bioavailability after oral administration, but peak organ activities occur later than after intravenous injection. These data suggest PET at 2 h after oral ¹⁸F-FDG administration should yield images that are comparable in biodistribution to conventional clinical images acquired 1 h after injection. Oral ¹⁸F-FDG is a palatable alternative to intravenous ¹⁸F-FDG when venous access is problematic.

PET using radiolabeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is now being more widely adopted as a valuable tool to evaluate patients with prostate cancer (PC). Recently, 3 different criteria for interpretation of PSMA PET were published: the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) criteria, the Prostate Cancer Molecular Imaging Standardized Evaluation criteria, and the PSMA Reporting and Data System. We compared these 3 criteria in terms of interreader, intrareader, and intercriteria agreement. Methods: Data from 104 patients prospectively enrolled in research protocols at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. The cohort consisted of 2 groups: 47 patients (mean age, 64.2 y old) who underwent Glu-NH-CO-NH-Lys-(Ahx)-[⁶⁸Ga(HBED-CC)] (⁶⁸Ga-PSMA11) PET/MRI for initial staging of biopsy-proven intermediate- or high-risk PC, and 57 patients (mean age, 70.5 y old) who underwent ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA11 PET/CT because of biochemically recurrent PC. Three nuclear medicine physicians independently evaluated all ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA11 PET/MRI and PET/CT studies according to the 3 interpretation criteria. Two of them reevaluated all studies 6 mo later in the same manner and masked to the initial reading. The Gwet agreement coefficient was calculated to evaluate interreader, intrareader, and intercriteria agreement based on the following sites: local lesion (primary tumor or prostate bed after radical prostatectomy), lymph node metastases, and other metastases. Results: In the PET/MRI group, interreader, intrareader, and intercriteria agreement ranged from substantial to almost perfect for any site according to all 3 criteria. In the PET/CT group, interreader agreement ranged from substantial to almost perfect except for judgment of distant metastases based on the PSMA Reporting and Data System (Gwet agreement coefficient, 0.57; moderate agreement), in which the most frequent cause of disagreement was lung nodules. Intrareader agreement ranged from substantial to almost perfect for any site according to all 3 criteria. Intercriteria agreement for each site was also substantial to almost perfect. Conclusion: Although the 3 published criteria have good interreader and intrareader reproducibility in evaluating ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA11 PET, there are some factors causing interreader disagreement. Further work is needed to address this issue.

This fact sheet uses U.S. and Mexican apprehensions data to trace the evolving trends in unaccompanied child and family migration from Central America through Mexico and to the United States, and discusses the push factors and pull factors responsible for the increase in flows seen in recent years, as well as the growing role of smuggling organizations.

This report summarizes the economic and social development policy achievements of Central American countries over the past 20 years, as well as the notable obstacles to development that remain. The author identifies long-term challenges and outlines how they can be incorporated into a new development agenda.

This event with UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres includes a discussion on the state of citizen security in Central America and the resulting humanitarian impact, featuring findings from Children on the Run, a UNHCR report based on interviews with more than 400 unaccompanied children from the region.

Amid aging populations and the growth of chronic diseases, the demand for skilled health-care professionals is on the rise in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This report explores the policy implications, benefits, and challenges of harmonizing nursing qualifications in the region, suggesting that a more collaborative approach could result in greater supply and quality of nurses.

A webinar releasing a report examining deportations to Central America and reception and reintegration services in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

For a growing population of migrants deported from Mexico and the United States to Central America, the conditions upon return typically are worse than when they left, setting up a revolving-door cycle of migration, deportation, and remigration. This report provides a detailed profile of reception and reintegration services offered in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to deported migrants, examining their challenges and opportunities for improvement. 

A webinar releasing a report examining deportations to Central America and reception and reintegration services in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

As the Trump administration weighs the future of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Salvadorans, this teleconference focuses on the legal framework for TPS (particularly for Hondurans and Salvadorans) and profile of current TPS holders; the capacity of El Salvador and Honduras to receive and meaningfully reintegrate returnees; and the implications of TPS termination for broader U.S. policy goals in Central America.

Authors of a year-long study of reception and reintegration services in Mexico and the Northern Triangle discuss the findings of their fieldwork, including the differing reintegration needs of individual migrant groups, promising reception and reintegration programs, ongoing challenges for origin communities, and policy recommendations to improve reintegration strategies. 

As Greece's Aegean islands continue to grapple with migrants arriving on their shores, decisions regarding the needs of newcomers are negotiated in Brussels and Athens, far removed from the situation on the ground. Meanwhile, local communities have had successes in hosting migrants, as this article drawing on observations from the hospitality center and refugee camp on Lesvos explores.

Massimo Cigolini
Mar 1, 2006; 29:722-724
BR Cardiovascular and Metabolic Risk

Robert A. Ritzel
Mar 1, 2006; 29:717-718
BR Pathophysiology/Complications

Earl S. Ford
May 1, 2005; 28:1228-1230
BR Metabolic Syndrome/Insulin Resistance Syndrome/Pre-Diabetes

T A Welborn
Mar 1, 1979; 2:154-160
Proceedings of the Kroc Foundation International Conference on Epidemiology of Diabetes and its Macrovascular Complications

Boeing was awarded a $128.5 million modification to its Ground-based Midcourse Defense development and sustainment contract Thursday, according to the Pentagon.

Apr 1, 1994; 17:360-361
Syst[egrave]me International (SI) Units

Nov 1, 1995; 18:1524-1525
Syst[egrave]me International (SI) Units

Rob M. van Dam
Dec 1, 2004; 27:2990-2992
Brief Reports

Aug 1, 1995; 18:1223-1224
Syst[egrave]me International (SI) Units

While much attention has been paid to recent Central American arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border, nearly half of the approximately 3.5 million Central Americans resident in the United States in 2017 arrived before 2000. About one-third are naturalized U.S. citizens, and they tend to participate in the labor force at a higher rate than foreign- and U.S.-born adults. Discover more about this population in this data-rich article.

This MPI webinar focuses on reception and reintegration services for returning migrants, along with the heightened pressure policymakers in Mexico and Central America are facing to design systems and programs that support both returnees and the communities in which they settle. Authors of a year-long study of reception and reintegration services in Mexico and the Northern Triangle discuss the findings of their fieldwork.

Reception and reintegration programs for deported and other returning migrants represent a long-term investment for migrant-origin and destination countries, holding the potential to reduce re-migration and permit communities of origin to benefit from the skills migrants learn abroad. This report offers recommendations to make reintegration programs more effective in Mexico and Central America.

Textron was awarded a $20.7 million contract modification Friday for work on the Navy's Unmanned Influence Sweep System and Unmanned Surface Vehicle program.

Border closures and lockdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic have put a chill on intra-EU labor mobility, most immediately with the difficulty for European farmers to gain access to much-needed seasonal workers and for health-care institutions to get care workers. This article explores how these workers, who often face difficult situations, may be more vulnerable now. It also takes on implications for intra-EU labor mobility post-pandemic.

WASHINGTON — A new age of migration has been ushered in by large-scale spontaneous migration flows on both sides of the Atlantic, which have upended asylum adjudications systems and placed enormous stress on reception, housing and social services, particularly in Europe.

Addressing the deep-rooted integration challenges unearthed by large-scale migration and rapid social change will require a combination of strategies. Governments in Europe and North America must create a new social contract for increasingly diverse societies that are confronting cycles of disruption. This report sketches a blueprint for an adaptive process oriented by skill needs rather than national origins.

Aunque colombianos encontraron un refugio cálido en Ecuador después de ser desplazados de su país por una guerra civil que duro décadas, la vida se ha vuelto más difícil para ellos en los últimos años, en parte como resultado del flujo de venezolanos que buscan seguridad. Este artículo se basa en encuestas de migrantes en Quito, comparando y contrastando las experiencias de colombianos y venezolanos, y evaluando sus percepciones de discriminación, victimización y esperanzas para el futuro.

Utah education officials have abruptly canceled a $44 million contract with a Minnesota-based standardized-testing company amid a flurry of technological glitches that have created uncertainty about whether this year's test scores will be validated.

Students locked out of their school's computer systems. Educators unable to get access to some students' records. Parents receiving emails asking that they return their children's laptops.

Lester coached at Maryland from 1969-71. He was 96.

c.1941.

United Kingdom, c.193?

20th century

c.1941.

United Kingdom, c.193?

Berlin : Im Verlag von August Hirschwald, 1874.

Braunschweig : Druck und Verlag von Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn, 1898.

London : Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1890.

Paris : W. Remquet, 1854.