Invasive Trichosporon Infection: a Systematic Review on a Re-emerging Fungal Pathogen

Objectives: This review aimed to better depict the clinical features and address the issue of therapeutic management of Trichosporon deep-seated infections. Methods: We comprehensively reviewed the cases of invasive Trichosporon infection reported in the literature from 1994 (date of taxonomic modification) to 2015. Data from antifungal susceptibility testing (AST) studies were also analyzed. Results: Two hundred and three cases were retained and split into four groups: homeopathy (n = 79), other immunodeficiency conditions (n = 41), miscellaneous (n = 58) and newborns (n = 25). Trichosporon asahii was the main causative species (46.7%) and may exhibit cross-resistance to different antifungal classes. The unfavorable outcome rate was at 44.3%. By multivariate analysis, breakthrough infection (OR 2.45) was associated with unfavorable outcome, whilst the use of an azole-based therapy improved the prognosis (OR 0.16). Voriconazole-based treatment was associated with favorable outcome in hematological patients (73.6 vs. 41.8%; p = 0.016). Compiled data from AST demonstrated that (i) T. asahii exhibits the highest MICs to amphotericin B and (ii) voriconazole has the best in vitro efficacy against clinical isolates of Trichosporon spp. Conclusions: Trichosporon infection is not only restricted to hematological patients. Analysis of compiled data from AST and clinical outcome support the use of voriconazole as first line therapy

IMMERSION FOR MOBILIZATION: USE OF 360-DEGREE VIDEOS AND VIRTUAL REALITY IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Purpose of the study: The article presents ongoing research that experiments the use of technological innovations in public administration. The hypothesis is that technologies can promote mobilization through immersion in virtual reality. Methodology: The technologies chosen were the videos produced in 360-degree cameras and virtual reality glasses, to bring public policymakers closer to the realities that such policies will address. Main Findings: This paper presents the theoretical basis, techniques and methodologies used to achieve the objectives and the current state of research, allowing new suggestions from academic and scientific peers to contribute to the improvement of this work. Implications: This study was based on UN (United Nations) experiences in trying to raise funds for Syrian refugee camps in Jordan

Characteristics of accreditation and evaluation policies in columbian higher education: interfaces with Brazil

Apresentamos, neste artigo, algumas características das políticas de acreditação e de avaliação da educação superior da Colômbia e as suas interfaces com o Brasil. Nosso intuito geral é o de contribuir para o debate referente à reflexão sobre o papel dessas políticas no desenvolvimento dos sistemas de educação superior na região. Especificamente, nos propomos a levantar, comparando com a realidade brasileira, alguns pontos relevantes da Colômbia em relação às múltiplas complexidades nas quais estão inscritos, na atualidade, os temas da acreditação e da avaliação. De modo geral, segundo os estudos parcialmente construídos aqui, os mecanismos de acreditação e avaliação estão na lista de prioridades da agenda governamental e acadêmica tanto na Colômbia quanto no Brasil. Nesse quadro, eles representam o esforço de cooperação internacional na região, porém com dupla finalidade e não isento de contradições: de um lado, para defender os interesses nacionais, dando ênfase na educação superior como bem público sujeito às ações e estratégias do Estado e não do mercado e, de outro, para ampliar a mobilidade estudantil e docente num quadro crescente de mudanças sociais, econômicas e culturais, garantindo e assegurando a qualidade da formação educacional e científica das pessoas.We present in this article some characteristics of accreditation and evaluation policies for higher education in Colombia and their interfaces with Brazil. Our overall aim is to contribute to the debate on the role of policies in the development of higher education systems in the region. Specifically, we propose to raise, in comparison with the Brazilian reality, some relevant points of Colombia relative to the multiple complexities in which the issues of accreditation and evaluation are presently registered. In general, based on the studies partially constructed here, the mechanisms of accreditation and evaluation are in the list of priorities of the governmental and academic agenda, both in Colombia and in Brazil. In this framework, they represent the effort of international cooperation in the region, but with dual purpose and not without contradictions: on one hand to defend national interests, with emphasis on education as a public subject to the actions and strategies of the state and not the market, and on the other hand, to increase student and teacher mobility in a growing number of social, economic and cultural changes, guaranteeing and ensuring the quality of education

Biodiesel and its strategic role in the Brazilian energy matrix: A literature review

This article aims to introduce biodiesel as a possible solution, describing its evolution in the Brazilian energy matrix. Ultimate conclusions claim that the use of biodiesel has several advantages, such as significant reductions in emission rates of greenhouse gases and a wide range of job creations and social inclusion in the poorest regions of the country. Furthermore, this article shows that, in a national scenario of growing imports of diesel oil and rising oil prices, biodiesel has become an interesting alternative of reducing imports of diesel and its derivates, thus enabling the development of other industrial chains