EurekAlert Public release date: 29-May-2003 Contact: Jerry Barach jerryb@savion.huji.ac.il 972-2-588-2904 Hebrew University of Jerusalem

A new approach to providing medication for adult diabetics (type 2 diabetes) that is not dependent on insulin has been developed by a doctoral student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. For his work, which he did for his Ph.D. thesis in pharmacology, Arie Gruzman was awarded one of this year's Kaye Innovation Awards at the Hebrew University.

Unlike other conventional drugs that require active insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and that often fail to overcome a companion problem of insulin resistance, the novel compounds developed by Gruzman and his supervisor, Prof. Shlomo Sasson, in collaboration with Prof. Yehoshua Katzhendler and Prof. Erol Cerasi of the Hebrew University School of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Medicine, are unique in that they can reduce hyperglycemia (above-normal levels of glucose in the blood) by increasing the rate of glucose disposal in the blood in a non-insulin-dependent manner.

The new drugs, when fully developed, may provide a treatment to diabetic patients who have especially serious problems of insufficient natural insulin production and/or resistance to insulin.

A patent for these new compounds – which, perhaps surprisingly, are based on D-Xylose, a sugar found in fruits -- has been obtained through the Hebrew University's Yissum Research Development Company. The laboratory work was supported financially by the Deutsch Foundation of Venezuela and the Nophar Program of the Israel Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Gruzman, 32, was born in Russia and studied at a medical institute in his home town of Nizhny Novogrod. He immigrated to Israel 12 years ago and earned a B.Sc.degree in pharmaceutical chemistry at Bar-Ilan University, after which he began his graduate studies at the Hebrew University. He is married to another immigrant from the former U.S.S.R., who is a graduate student at the Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, and they are the parents of two daughters.

The Kaye Innovation Awards at the Hebrew University have been awarded annually since 1994. Isaac Kaye of England, a prominent industrialist in the pharmaceutical industry, established the awards to encourage faculty, staff, and students of the university to develop innovative methods and inventions with good commercial potential which have benefited or will benefit the university and society. The Kaye Innovation Awards at the Hebrew University were awarded on May 27, during the 66th meeting of the University Board of Governors.

BBCNews UK By Tom Gibb BBC correspondent in Sao Paulo

US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick has ended a two-day visit to Brazil in which he heaped praise on the economic policies of the new left-wing government.

But Mr Zoellick failed to win progress on the issue of free trade, the purpose of his visit.

He hoped to push forward the agenda for creating a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) by 2005.

Brazil's new left-wing leader, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has inherited an agreement between 34 North and South American nations to form a free trade area by 2005.

But while the project is a priority in Washington, there is far less enthusiasm in Brasilia.

Protecting farmers

During his visit, US trade representative Robert Zoellick insisted that everything would be on the negotiating table.

But the present US proposals do not envisage ending subsidies to US farmers.

As South America's main exports are agricultural, there's a general perception that Washington is offering a bad deal.

Brazil's president is busy trying to form a joint negotiating position with other South American nations to confront the US proposals.

A growing list of countries, including Argentina, Venezuela and Ecuador, appear to be in agreement on the need to stick together.

Deadline slips

After meetings with Mr Zoellick, Brazilian ministers said Brazil did not regard the 2005 deadline as binding.

For his part, Mr Zoellick said the US was willing to discuss agricultural subsidies, but only in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Many analysts believe there is no way Washington will reduce subsidies unless the European Union (EU) does the same, a prospect that remains a long way off.

The issue is likely to be the main item on the agenda when the Brazilian president goes to Washington next month to meet President Bush.

Mr Zoellick ended his visit by describing Brazil as a vital partner in the region, saying that despite the difficulties, he was convinced further conversations would bring advances.

Reuters, 05.29.03, 9:13 AM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela, May 28 (Reuters) - Venezuelan unemployment climbed to 19.8 percent in March compared with 15.1 percent a year earlier as a two-month strike drove the economy deeper into recession, the National Statistics Institute said on Thursday.

The jobless rate, down slightly from 20.7 percent in February, climbed as the economy of the world's No. 5 oil exporter contracted 29 percent in the first quarter of the year.

Thu May 29, 2003 07:25 AM ET

LONDON (<a href=reuters.com>Reuters) - World oil prices fell further on Thursday, rattled by the prospect of a swift return of Iraqi exports which overshadowed depleted oil stocks in the United States and OPEC signals of a fresh output cut.

International benchmark Brent crude oil fell 12 cents to $25.47 a barrel, having lost a hefty 74 cents on Wednesday.

U.S. crude futures fell 19 cents to $28.39, having touched a five-week high near $30 on Tuesday.

"Iraqi production does seem to have recovered to some extent and there is some nervousness ahead of OPEC's meeting in Qatar on June 11 -- but I think they will take a pragmatic decision and accommodate higher Iraqi production," said Steve Turner of Commerzbank.

Iraqi oil officials expect exports to resume in two or three weeks after repairs to oilfields, refineries and pipelines damaged by looting and war.

The first barrels are expected to come from storage tanks, but a steady flow of freshly produced crude is expected to follow swiftly as output is rising fast.

Dealers were also awaiting fresh market direction from U.S. energy stock data later in the day.

Analysts polled by Reuters expect the data to show only very slender gains, with crude stocks rising a meager 140,000 barrels and gasoline by 175,000 barrels, which would still leave inventories considerably below year-ago levels.

Stock indications are crucial because in summer U.S. gasoline demand peaks, accounting for 12 percent of global energy consumption as holidaymakers hit the roads in their cars.

"The high builds in stock levels that were expected earlier in the year just haven't materialized, and the market could be fundamentally tighter than had been thought in the third quarter," said Turner.

OPEC member Venezuela said on Wednesday the group could slash up to a million barrels per day of output at the forthcoming meeting.

OPEC has already agreed last month to cut back on excess supplies pumped ahead of the war in Iraq, with cuts taking effect on June 1.

The International Energy Agency, the West's energy watchdog, said the cartel should resist calls for cuts at the June 11 meeting and help replenish lean industry stocks.

<a href=sify.com>sify.com Thursday, 29 May , 2003, 14:05

Panama City: The 72 most beautiful women in the world have descended on Panama City for the June 3 Miss Universe pageant, but so far have had to brave downpours, paparazzi, protesting students, money problems and even a fist fight.

The contestants have been preparing for a week to replace reigning Miss Panama -- who was crowned in September after Miss Russia relinquished the title amid a swirl of reports about a secret marriage and pregnancy.

The contestants' every move have been shadowed by the tabloids, one of which reported that Miss Spain (Eva Maria Gonzalez) and her roommate Miss Colombia (Diana Lucia Mantilla) got into a fistfight over Gonzalez's smoking habit.

The two girls were all smiles later when they publicly denied the report. Mantilla also drew some attention when she gave fellow contestants copies of her rendition of the song, "I am Colombian."

Despite the almost constant downpours since they arrived, the contestants' grueling daily schedule remains on track: banquets, fashion shows by local designers, charity auctions and a candelight vigil for AIDS victims.

And all of the "misses" are trailed by the paparazzi's erupting flashes wherever they go.

However, the beauty queens had to cancel some public event on Wednesday, when hundreds of angry students took to the streets to protest tax reforms and the Miss Universe pageant itself.

Armed with rocks and sticks, the students blocked some main streets for eight hours, disrupting traffic and occasionally clashing with police.

Coinciding with the pageant, several labour unions will hold street marches on Tuesday to protest the government's tax reform and proposal to privatise the social security system.

The Miss Universe pageant organisers got an unexpected shock early on when it was announced that money problems could force Miss Venezuela out of the competition.

Venezuela is to the beauty pageant circuit what Australia is to cricket: Venezuela has won the Miss Universe title four times since it was first held 44 years ago, and is routinely among the finalists.

Venezuela has also won five Miss World and three Miss International titles. Venezuela's pageant organisers announced they could not raise the 80,000 dollars needed to send Mariangel Ruiz to Panama because of strict currency controls imposed in February amid massive anti-government protests in Caracas.

The money problem was later resolved, but Ruiz's late arrival generated unwelcome media gossip, with some reports calling her delay a strategic manoeuvre to tip the scales in Venezuela's favor.

Meanwhile, the media has complained of what it said was "mistreatment" by the hundreds of security agents and police in charge of protecting the 72 contestants.

Their complaint drew a response from Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso, who requested that security controls be somewhat relaxed. "Protect them, but be good mannered about it," she told the guards.

Asked who her favourite was, Moscoso said she could not say "because all are pretty and deserve the crown."

The new Miss Universe will be crowned at the Figali Convention Center, in the Panama Canal Village at Amador, a former US military base at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.