El ciclo de crecimiento de la tasa de interés en Estados Unidos y sus consecuencias para los mercados emergentes

(Disponible en idioma inglés únicamente) Para el momento en que se realizó este trabajo existía una inquietud generalizada sobre el buen estado de la economía estadounidense. Hay elementos de juicio concluyentes que indican que el ritmo del crecimiento se ha desacelerado, lo que ha llevado a la Reserva Federal a recortar las tasas de interés en dos oportunidades (para un total de 100 puntos base hasta ahora). Como ya es habitual, ante esta clase de viraje, analistas y diseñadores de políticas por igual se preguntan si Estados Unidos conseguirá un aterrizaje suave o si el desmejoramiento de la coyuntura será más grave y prolongado; en el peor escenario, la nueva debilidad puede anunciar el fin de la nueva economía. Además, las recientes sorpresas inflacionarias no han sido nada alentadoras, ya que cifras inflacionarias superiores a lo anticipado pueden entorpecer el deseo y la capacidad de la Reserva Federal de actuar de manera anticíclica.

Crecimiento y financiamiento externo en América Latina

(Disponible en idioma inglés únicamente) En este trabajo se trata el desempeño económico de América Latina durante la última década, y se le presta atención especial al crecimiento y al sector financiero. En particular, se muestra que factores externos tales como las tasas de interés en EE. UU. y el ciclo económico desempeñan un papel clave en los ingresos de capitales, la inversión y el crecimiento. Como consecuencia de ello, el crecimiento económico de la región tiende a ser frágil y exhibe un elevado grado de movimiento conjunto, es decir, una elevada correlación de la producción entre los países. Esta última característica exacerba la fragilidad, porque hay poco espacio para el aseguramiento mutuo dentro de América Latina, en caso de que un país sufra una sacudida grave, y el financiamiento durante los cambios desfavorables de la coyuntura debe provenir principalmente de fuera de la región.

Accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in navigation channels, harbors and industrial areas of the Bahia Blanca Estuary, Argentina

The usage and production of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was banned in Argentina in 2002, approximately twenty to thirty years later than in other countries. A total of 29 sediment samples (up to 14 m deep) were analyzed for a mix of seven individual PCBs in a time series for over more than one year in twelve selected locations, including harbors, recreational docks and several industrialized coastal locations in Bahia Blanca Estuary, Argentina, South America. The GC/ECD results showed the dominance of three chlorinated compounds: CB180, CB52 and CB101, which showed a strong reduction with distance from the urban area. The principal components analysis differentiates light and heavy congeners variation, settling several hypotheses and the classification of sampling sites to determine the PCB burden. Considering literature reports, the present results were evaluated in the international PCB context, diminishing the scarcity of PCB data from the Southern Hemisphere and prompting the need of future monitoring approaches.Fil: Arias, Andres Hugo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Bahia Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografia (i); Argentina;Fil: Vazquez-Botello, A.. Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México;Fil: Diaz, Gilberto. Universidad Tecnologica Nacional; Argentina;Fil: Marcovecchio, Jorge Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Bahia Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografia (i); Argentina

TAVI for Pure Native Aortic Regurgitation: Are We There Yet?

Treatment of degenerative aortic stenosis has been transformed by transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) over the past 10–15 years. The success of various technologies has led operators to attempt to broaden the indications, and many patients with native valve aortic regurgitation have been treated ‘off label’ with similar techniques. However, the alterations in the structure of the valve complex in pure native aortic regurgitation are distinct to those in degenerative aortic stenosis, and there are unique challenges to be overcome by percutaneous valves. Nevertheless some promise has been shown with both non-dedicated and dedicated devices. In this article, the authors explore some of these challenges and review the current evidence base for TAVI for aortic regurgitation

ISCHEMIA Trial and the Significance of MI

During the past decade, the treatment of choice for chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) has been a contentious issue. Whether revascularisation, either percutaneous or surgical, or optimal medical therapy, offers better prognosis in terms of mortality, MI, and symptom relief, has yet to be confirmed. The long-awaited and recently published International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches (ISCHEMIA) trial randomised more than 5,000 patients into a revascularisation plus optimal medical therapy group and an optimal medical therapy alone group. The authors analyse the trial, with particular emphasis on the incidence of MI. They propose a patient-centred approach to incorporate the results of the ISCHEMIA trial into daily practice and determine the best treatment strategy for patients with CCS

Vasorelaxant Effect of a Baccharis trimera Infusion on Precontracted Rat Aortic Rings

Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC is a South American plant that in folk medicine is considered to produce reduction in blood pressure. One aspect of this putative effect is the vasorelaxation. The aim of this work was to evaluate the ability of a B. trimera extract to relax rat aortic rings precontracted with noradrenaline. As the infusion is the usual way of intake of this plant, an infusion of B. trimera was prepared using 100g of the plant (leaves) boiled in water, frozen and lyophilized. Working solutions were prepared using different concentrations of the dried extract diluted in Krebs Henseleit solution. It was proved that the infusion relaxed the aortic rings in a dose dependent manner 100 minutes after adding the extract to the bath. Considering as 100% the maximum contraction achieved with noradrenaline, a relaxation of 101.1±2.3% was observed with the highest dose of the infusion used in these experiments (0.32mg/mL). While in control rings relaxation was 12.9±2.4%. In aortic rings denuded from endothelium the percentage of vasoralaxation did not show statistically significant differences when compared to intact rings. These data support the hypothesis of a vasorelaxant effect of this plant and constitutes the first approach to the scientific basis of a potential antihypertensive effect

Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy For Penetrating Cardiac Box Injury in Stable Patients

Introduction: In high-volume trauma centers, especially in developing countries, penetrating cardiac box injuries are frequent. Although many aspects of penetrating chest injuries have been well established, video-assisted thoracoscopy is still finding its place in cardiac box trauma and algorithmic approaches are still lacking. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a streamlined recommendation for penetrating cardiac box injury in stable patients. Methods: Literature review was carried out using PubMed/ MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases to identify articles describing the characteristics and concepts of penetrating cardiac box trauma, including the characteristics of tamponade, cardiac ultrasound, indications and techniques of pericardial windows and, especially, the role of video-assisted thoracoscopy in stable patients. Results: Penetrating cardiac box injuries, whether by stab or gunshot wounds, require rapid surgical consultation. Unstable patients require immediate open surgery, however, determining which stable patients should be taken to thoracoscopic surgery is still controversial. Here, the classification of penetrating cardiac box injury used in Colombia is detailed, as well as the algorithmic approach to these types of trauma. Conclusion: Although open surgery is mandatory in unstable patients with penetrating cardiac box injuries, a more conservative and minimally invasive approach may be undertaken in stable patients. As rapid decision-making is critical in the trauma bay, surgeons working in high-volume trauma centers should expose themselves to thoracoscopy and always consider this possibility in the setting of penetrating cardiac box injuries in stable patients, always in the context of an experienced trauma team