The Introduction of DTT in Latin America: Politics and Policies

The switch to digital terrestrial television is now a global trend. In Latin America, where the terrestrial platform has a dominant role, the introduction of DTT raises important questions for economic and industrial development, as well as pluralism. This article focuses on the earliest experiences (Brazil, México and Argentina) and those of the newcomers (Chile, Colombia and Uruguay). The aim is to outline the differences between the various political decision processes and the way with which they have been turned into communication policies, so as to draw some conclusions that contribute to visualizing the future of television in the region.Publicad

Microbiological characteristics of clinical isolates of Cryptococcus spp. in Bahia, Brazil: molecular types and antifungal susceptibilities

To determine the profiles of susceptibility to antifungal and the genotypes of clinical isolates of Cryptococcus in Bahia, Brazil, 62 isolates were collected from cases of meningitis in the period from 2006 to 2010. Their susceptibilities to fluconazole, itraconazole, amphotericin B and 5-flucytosine were determined by the broth microdilution technique described by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute and genotyping of the URA5 gene was accomplished by restriction fragment length polymorphism. C. neoformans accounted for 79% of the identified yeast and C. gattii represented the remaining 21%. Evaluation of the genotypes determined that 100% of the C. gattii isolates belong to the VGII genotype, and 98% of the C. neoformans isolates belong to the VNI genotype. Determination of susceptibility revealed isolates resistant to fluconazole (4.8%), 5-flucytosine (1.6%) and amphotericin B (3.2%); the stratification of sensitivity results for each species showed significant differences in susceptibility to azoles. This study is the first to describe the susceptibility profiles of molecular and clinical isolates of Cryptococcus in Bahia, Brazil. The high percentage of C. gattii isolates belonging to the VGII genotype and its lower susceptibility to antifungal agents highlight the importance of knowing which species are involved in cryptococcal infections in northeastern Brazil

FP.34 Clinical outcome study of dysferlinopathy: correlation between MRI fat fraction in lower limbs and clinical outcome assessments over a 3-year period

The Jain Foundation COS of dysferlinopathy is an international study in genetically confirmed dysferlinopathy patients, with the aim to identify relevant outcome measures to facilitate trial readiness. Due to its wide range of clinical phenotypes and rates of disease progression, an objective marker to quantify disease progression would be ideal. We assessed the application of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a prognostic tool for these patients. Our aim is to establish whether there is a correlation between fat fraction (FF) in thigh and/or lower leg muscles and clinical outcome assessments (COA) when comparing baseline (BL) values and changes from BL to year 1 (Y1) and to year 3 (Y3). We selected 84 patients from COS1 who had a Dixon MRI of the lower limbs (LL) and at least one of the following COA: time to rise from floor (RFF), time to climb / descend 4 steps (4SC/4SD), time up and go (TUG), time to walk 10m (10MWT), 6 min walk test (6MWT) and North Star Assessment for limb girdle type muscular dystrophy (NSAD) score. Spearman correlation (rs) was performed using SPSS statistics, p value 0.05. We found a significant correlation at BL between LL FF values and all COA, with the highest rs between thigh FF and NSAD (-.675) and 6MWT (-.665). We didn't find any correlations between changes in FF between BL and Y1 and changes in COA during that same period, but we did observe a significant correlation with changes in TUG (.445) and 4SC (.41) between BL and Y3. We observed a significant correlation between changes in thigh FF between BL and Y3 and changes in TUG (.706), RFF (.607), 4SC (.545) and NSAD[HR1] (-.374). No correlations were found when analysing changes in lower legs FF and COA. Our results show that changes in FF of the thigh muscles over one year could predict functional changes at a later stage, in a three-year period, suggesting that MRI could be used to identify dysferlinopathy patients at risk of more severe disease progression in routine clinical care