Efficient Yield Curve Estimation and Forecasting in Brazil

Term Structure of the Interest Rate, Yield Curve, State-Space Model, Kalman Filter.

PROP1 overexpression in corticotrophinomas: evidence for the role of PROP1 in the maintenance of cells committed to corticotrophic differentiation

OBJECTIVE: The expression of transcription factors involved in early pituitary development, such as PROP1 and POU1F1, has been detected in pituitary adenoma tissues. In this study, we sought to characterize the transcriptional profiles of PROP1, POU1F1, and TBX19 in functioning and nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas in an attempt to identify their roles in tumorigenesis and hormone hypersecretion. METHODS: RT-qPCR analyses were performed to assess the transcriptional pattern of PROP1, POU1F1, TBX19, and hormone-producing genes in tissue samples of corticotrophinomas (n = 10), somatotrophinomas (n = 8), and nonfunctioning adenomas (n = 6). RESULTS: Compared with normal pituitary tissue, POU1F1 was overexpressed in somatotrophinomas by 3-fold. PROP1 expression was 18-fold higher in corticotrophinomas, 10-fold higher in somatotrophinomas, and 3-fold higher in nonfunctioning adenomas. TBX19 expression was 27-fold higher in corticotrophinomas. Additionally, the level of TBX19 mRNA positively correlated with that of pro-opiomelanocortin (r = 0.49, p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that PROP1 is overexpressed in pituitary adenomas, mainly in corticotrophinomas. Together with previously published data showing that patients who harbor PROP1 loss-of-function mutations present a progressive decline in corticotrope function, our results support a role for PROP1 in pituitary tumor development and in the maintenance of cell lineages committed to corticotrophic differentiation

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on cardiometabolic patients without SARS CoV-2 infection in Latin America

A cross-sectional survey including 38 questions about demography, clinical condition, changes in health habits, and medical treatments for cardiometabolic patients in outpatient follow-up was conducted. From June 15 to July 15, 2020, a total of 13 Latin-American countries participated in enrolling patients. These countries were divided into 3 geographic regions: Region 1 including North, Central, and Caribbean Regions (NCCR), Region 2 including the Andean Region (AR), and Region 3 including the Southern Cone Region (SCR). 4.216 patients were analyzed, resulting in a coefficient of 33.82%, 32.23%, and 33.94% for NCCR, AR, and SCR, respectively. Significant differences were found between the AR, SCR, and NCCR regions. The analysis of habitual medication usage showed that discontinued use of medication was more present in AR, reaching almost 30% (p < 0.001). The main finding of this study was the negative impact that restrictive measures have on adherence to medications and physical activity: Rs = 0.84 (p = 0.0003) and Rs = 0.61 (p = 0.0032), respectively. AR was the most vulnerable region. Restrictive quarantine measures imposed by the different countries showed a positive correlation with medication discontinuation and a negative correlation with physical activity levels in patients analyzed. These findings characterize the impact of the consequences left by this pandemic. Undoubtedly, restrictive measures have been and will continue to have reverberating negative effects in most Latin-American countries.Fil: Camiletti, Jorge. Hospital Italiano de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Renna, Nicolas Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Fisiología Patológica; Argentina. Hospital Español de Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: López Santi, Ricardo. Hospital Italiano de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Erriest, Juan. Hospital Italiano de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: García-Bello, Eliomar. Centro de Diagnóstico Medicina Avanzada y Telemedicina; República DominicanaFil: Araujo, John. Centro Cardiovascular Somer Incare; ColombiaFil: Varleta-Olivares, Paola. Hospital Dipreca; ChileFil: Gómez-Díaz, Eduardo. Hospital Metropolitano del Norte; VenezuelaFil: Ramírez, Gisselle. Medicina Cardiovascular Asociada; República DominicanaFil: Berni Betancourt, Ana. Sociedad interamericana de Cardiología; México. Consejo Interamericano de Electrocardiográfica y Arritmias; México. Hospital Ángeles Pedregal; MéxicoFil: Escalada Lesme, Gustavo. Centro Médico Nacional-Hospital Nacional Itaguá; ParaguayFil: Campos Alcántara, Lourdes V.. Consultorio de Lourdes Victoria Campos Alcántara; PerúFil: Moya Loor, Leonardo. Hospital Santa Margarita; EcuadorFil: Rey Benavente, Claudio. Hospital Arroyabe Pichanal; ArgentinaFil: Almonte, Claudia. Medicina Cardiovascular Asociada; República DominicanaFil: Cortez Sandoval, Maicol. Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliti Martins; PerúFil: Alvarado Cuadros, María. Department of Cardiology, Institution; EcuadorFil: Rosario, Monica I.. Centro de Diagnóstico Medicina Avanzada y Telemedicina; República DominicanaFil: Gupta, Shyla. Queen’s University; CanadáFil: Ibarrola, Martin. Cardiovascular Center BV; ArgentinaFil: Baranchuk, Adrián. Kingston Health Sciences Centre; Canad

Early epilepsy in children with Zika-related microcephaly in a cohort in Recife, Brazil: Characteristics, electroencephalographic findings, and treatment response.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incidence of epilepsy in children with Zika-related microcephaly in the first 24 months of life; to characterize the associated clinical and electrographic findings; and to summarize the treatment responses. METHODS: We followed a cohort of children, born during the 2015-2016 Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic in Brazil, with congenital microcephaly and evidence of congenital ZIKV infection on neuroimaging and/or laboratory testing. Neurological assessments were performed at ≤3, 6, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 months of life. Serial electroencephalograms were performed over the first 24 months. RESULTS: We evaluated 91 children, of whom 48 were female. In this study sample, the cumulative incidence of epilepsy was 71.4% in the first 24 months, and the main type of seizure was infantile spasms (83.1%). The highest incidence of seizures occurred between 3 and 9 months of age, and the risk remained high until 15 months of age. The incidence of infantile spasms peaked between 4 and 7 months and was followed by an increased incidence of focal epilepsy cases after 12 months of age. Neuroimaging results were available for all children, and 100% were abnormal. Cortical abnormalities were identified in 78.4% of the 74 children evaluated by computed tomography and 100% of the 53 children evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging. Overall, only 46.1% of the 65 children with epilepsy responded to treatment. The most commonly used medication was sodium valproate with or without benzodiazepines, levetiracetam, phenobarbital, and vigabatrin. SIGNIFICANCE: Zika-related microcephaly was associated with high risk of early epilepsy. Seizures typically began after the third month of life, usually as infantile spasms, with atypical electroencephalographic abnormalities. The seizure control rate was low. The onset of seizures in the second year was less frequent and, when it occurred, presented as focal epilepsy

Applying genomic approaches to delineate conservation strategies using the freshwater mussel Margaritifera margaritifera in the Iberian Peninsula as a model

Effective conservation actions to counteract the current decline of populations and species require a deep knowledge on their genetic structure. We used Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) to infer the population structure of the highly threatened freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera in the Iberian Peninsula. A total of 130 individuals were collected from 26 locations belonging to 16 basins. We obtained 31,692 SNPs through Genotyping by Sequencing (GBS) and used this dataset to infer population structure. Genetic diversity given as observed heterozygosity was low. Pairwise FST comparisons revealed low levels of genetic differentiation among geographically close populations. Up to 3 major genetic lineages were determined: Atlantic, Cantabrian and Douro. This structure suggests a close co-evolutionary process with brown trout (Salmo trutta), the primordial fish host of this mussel in the studied area. Some sub-basins showed some genetic structuring, whereas in others no intrapopulation differentiation was found. Our results confirm that genetic conservation units do not match individual basins, and that knowledge about the genetic structure is necessary before planning recovery plans that may involve relocation or restocking. The same reasoning should be applied to strictly freshwater species that are sessile or have restricted dispersal abilities and are currently imperiled worldwide.This work was supported by national funds of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the project MUSSELFLOW (contract PTDC/BIA- EVL/29199/2017) and under the strategic project LA/P/0069/2020 granted to the Associate Laboratory ARNET; and the grant awarded to C.S. Lima (MARE-ISPA/BI/004/2015).Peer reviewe

An extensive reef system at the Amazon River mouth

Large rivers create major gaps in reef distribution along tropical shelves. The Amazon River represents 20% of the global riverine discharge to the ocean, generating up to a 1.3 x 10(6)-km(2) plume, and extensive muddy bottoms in the equatorial margin of South America. As a result, a wide area of the tropical North Atlantic is heavily affected in terms of salinity, pH, light penetration, and sedimentation. Such unfavorable conditions were thought to imprint a major gap in Western Atlantic reefs. We present an extensive carbonate system off the Amazon mouth, underneath the river plume. Significant carbonate sedimentation occurred during lowstand sea level, and still occurs in the outer shelf, resulting in complex hard-bottom topography. A permanent near-bottom wedge of ocean water, together with the seasonal nature of the plume's eastward retroflection, conditions the existence of this extensive (similar to 9500 km(2)) hard-bottom mosaic. The Amazon reefs transition from accretive to erosional structures and encompass extensive rhodolith beds. Carbonate structures function as a connectivity corridor for wide depth-ranging reef-associated species, being heavily colonized by large sponges and other structure-forming filter feeders that dwell under low light and high levels of particulates. The oxycline between the plume and subplume is associated with chemoautotrophic and anaerobic microbial metabolisms. The system described here provides several insights about the responses of tropical reefs to suboptimal and marginal reef-building conditions, which are accelerating worldwide due to global changes.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)Coordenadoria de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)Fundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERS)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)BrasoilMCTIBrazilian NavyU.S. NSFGordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF)Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro UFRJ, Inst Biol, BR-21941599 Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, COPPE, Inst Alberto Luiz Coimbra Posgrad & Pesquisa Engn, Lab Sistemas Avancados Gestao Prod, BR-21941972 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilInst Pesquisas Jardim Bot Rio de Janeiro, BR-22460030 Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Inst Oceanog, BR-05508120 Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Espirito Santo, Dept Oceanog, BR-29199970 Vitoria, ES, BrazilUniv Estadual Norte Fluminense, Lab Ciencias Ambientais, Ctr Biociencias & Biotecnol, BR-28013602 Campos Dos Goytacazes, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Fluminense, Inst Geociencias, BR-24210346 Niteroi, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Fluminense, Inst Biol, BR-24210130 Niteroi, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Museo Nacl, BR-20940040 Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilFed Univ Para, Inst Estudos Costeiros, BR-68600000 Braganca, PA, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Ciencias Mar, BR-11070100 Santos, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Pernambuco, Dept Oceanog, BR-50670901 Recife, PE, BrazilUniv Georgia, Dept Marine Sci, Athens, GA 30602 USAUniv Fed Paraiba, BR-58297000 Rio Tinto, PB, BrazilUniv Estadual Santa Cruz, Dept Ciencias Biol, BR-45650000 Ilheus, BA, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Ciencias Mar, BR-11070100 Santos, SP, BrazilU.S. NSF: OCE-0934095GBMF: 2293GBMF: 2928Web of Scienc

Biodegradação de matéria orgânica em lama sedimentada - definição de parâmetros na lagoa de piratininga, RJ: Biodegradation of organic matter in the sedimented mud - parameters definition at the piratininga lagoon, RJ

Entre março e julho/22, duas tecnologias complementares, EM® e Pulmão™, foram testadas para estudar a biorremediação na camada de lama da Lagoa de Piratininga, Niterói, RJ. Dados ortométricos, matéria orgânica, carbono orgânico, nitrogênio Kjeldahl total, fósforo e biopolímeros foram quantificados na superfície do sedimento. As concentrações crescentes de nitrogênio Kjeldahl indicaram aportes de esgoto doméstico ao sistema. O fósforo orgânico predominou sobre o total, pois foi consumido no processo de biorremediação. Ocorreram mudanças quali- quantitativas na composição da matéria orgânica lábil, com consumo de lipídio, molécula recalcitrante, e produção de proteínas e carboidratos. Os dados altimétricos indicaram maior tendência de consumo da lama na área que reuniu as tecnologias EM1®+Pulmão™, onde o aporte sedimentar foi praticamente anulado. Houve uma diminuição da espessura da lama, refletindo no aumento sutil de profundidade superficial da camada sedimentar. Estas modificações nas áreas experimentais indicam que o processo de restauração ambiental está ocorrendo

Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8  TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum