Monetary policy during Brazil´s Real Plan: estimating the Central Bank´s reaction function

This paper uses a Threshold Autoregressive (TAR) model with exogenous variables to explain a change in regime in Brazilian nominal interest rates. By using an indicator of currency crises -which is chosen endogenously - the model tries to explain the difference in the dynamics of nominal interest rates during and out of a currency crises. The paper then compares the performance of the nonlinear model to a modified Taylor Rule adjusted to Brazilian interest rates, and shows that the former performs considerably better than the latter.

Immunohistochemistry Applied to Breast Cytological Material

© 2022 S. Karger AG, Basel.Fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs) of the breast are minimally invasive procedures enabling the diagnosis of suspicious breast lesions. Unfortunately, they are often perceived as inferior to core-needle biopsies, namely because they are supposedly unable to differentiate between high-grade ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive carcinoma or provide material for ancillary testing. Several studies have shown, however, that FNAB samples, when handled properly, are indeed capable of providing sufficient and adequate material for ancillary testing, namely immunocytochemistry (ICC). We reviewed the published literature regarding the use of ICC for both diagnostic and theranostic uses in the different types of cytological samples obtained from FNABs of the breast, including smears, liquid-based cytology samples, and cellblocks. We found that p63 and 34βE12 show promise in aiding in the differential diagnosis between in situ and invasive lesions and that most other diagnostic markers may be used as in tissue. Regarding theranostic ICC markers, results vary between publications, but with care, these can successfully be performed in cytological samples. Air-dried smears should be avoided, and cellblocks are overall more versatile than cytology slides, enabling the evaluation of not only hormonal receptors and HER2 by ICC, but also of Ki-67. Particular attention should be paid to fixation and antigen retrieval procedures in all cases. We recommend that laboratories without experience perform short validation runs before adopting these techniques into clinical practice.publishersversionpublishe

The extracellular small leucine-rich proteoglycan biglycan is a key player in gastric cancer aggressiveness

Biglycan (BGN gene), an extracellular proteoglycan, has been described to be associated with cancer aggressiveness. The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical value of biglycan as a biomarker in multiple independent GC cohorts and determine the in vitro and in vivo role of biglycan in GC malignant features. We found that BGN is commonly over-expressed in all analyzed cohorts, being associated with disease relapse and poor prognosis in patients with advanced stages of disease. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that biglycan knock-out GC cells display major phenotypic changes with a lower cell survival, migration, and angiogenic potential when compared with biglycan expressing cells. Biglycan KO GC cells present increased levels of PARP1 and caspase-3 cleavage and a decreased expression of mesenchymal markers. Importantly, biglycan deficient GC cells that were supplemented with exogenous biglycan were able to restore biological features, such as survival, clonogenic and migratory capacities. Our in vitro and in vivo findings were validated in human GC samples, where BGN expression was associated with several oncogenic gene signatures that were associated with apoptosis, cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. This study provided new insights on biglycan role in GC that should be taken in consideration as a key cellular regulator with major impact in tumor progression and patients’ clinical outcome.This work was funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors-COMPETE (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016585; POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029780; POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274; POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029780) and National Funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the projects: PTDC/BBB-EBI/0567/2014 (to C.A.R.), PTDC/MED-QUI/29780/2017 (to CG), and UID/BIM/04293 supported by Norte Portugal Regional Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). F.P. was funded by FCT cofinanced by Fundo Social Europeu-FSE with a grant with reference: SFRH/BPD/115730/2016

Analysis of the Cytisetea scopario-striati scrubs in the south-west-centre of the Iberian Peninsula

The statistical and phytosociological study of 255 relevés taken in the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula and made up of our own samples and previous publications reveals how close these relevés, previously ascribed to different syntaxa, really are. Our re-arrangement of the data leads us to propose for the territory the 15 associations already published and three new ones, namely: Genisto floridae-Adenocarpetum argyrophylli ass. nova hoc loco, Cytisetum bourgaei- eriocarpi nova, Lavandulo viridis-Cytisetum striati ass. nova hoc. loco. We also suggest a name correction, Adenocarpo anisochili-Cytisetum scoparii J.C. Costa et al. 2000 corr., and a status change, namely, Ulici latebracteati- Cytisetum striati (Costa et al. 2000) status novo

The Relationship between Carcass Condemnations and Tail Lesion in Swine Considering Different Production Systems and Tail Lengths

Tail biting has been recognised as an intractable problem in pig production. This study aims to evaluate tail lesion occurrence in slaughtered pigs and explore the relationship between carcass condemnations and tail lesion considering different production systems and tail lengths and to evaluate the importance of creating a detailed tail score classification that includes scarred lesions. Data on a total of 9189 pigs from 73 batches with different tail lengths (undocked; docked mid-length; fully docked) and from distinct production systems (conventional; conventional antibiotic-free and organic) were collected at a Spanish abattoir. Batches with higher tail lesion scores presented a significantly higher chance of total condemnation and total condemnation due to pyaemia, being even more associated with scarring score. The within-batches probability for local condemnations and local condemnation due to abscesses increased significantly with higher scarring scores. Regarding tail length, docked at mid-length and undocked carcasses presented significantly higher odds to be condemned due to abscess. Organic farms showed a higher probability of total condemnations. This research highlights the importance of tail lesions on carcass condemnations that may also be influenced by docking and type of production. Results suggest that scarring score should be included in the tail surveillance program

Impact of Truncated O-glycans in Gastric-Cancer-Associated CD44v9 Detection

CD44 variant isoforms are often upregulated in cancer and associated with increased aggressive tumor phenotypes. The CD44v9 is one of the major protein splice variant isoforms expressed in human gastrointestinal cancer cells. Immunodetection of CD44 isoforms like CD44v9 in tumor tissue is almost exclusively performed by using specific monoclonal antibodies. However, the structural variability conferred by both the alternative splicing and CD44 protein glycosylation is disregarded. In the present work, we have evaluated the role of O-glycosylation using glycoengineered gastric cancer models in the detection of CD44v9 by monoclonal antibodies. We demonstrated, using different technical approaches, that the presence of immature O-glycan structures, such as Tn and STn, enhance CD44v9 protein detection. These findings can have significant implications in clinical applications mainly at the detection and targeting of this cancer-related CD44v9 isoform and highlight the utmost importance of considering glycan structures in cancer biomarker detection and in therapy targeting.This work was funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors-COMPETE, grant numbers POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016585; POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274; OCI-01-0145-FEDER-031028; and national funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), grant numbers PTDC/BBB-EBI/0567/2014 (to CAR), UID/BIM/04293/2013, and PTDC/MED-QUI/29780/2017; and the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000029, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). F. Pinto received a fellowship from FCT (SFRH/BPD/115730/2016)

Bioclimatology, structure, and conservation perspectives of Quercus pyrenaica, Acer opalus subsp. Granatensis, and Corylus avellana deciduous forests on Mediterranean bioclimate in the South-Central part of the Iberian Peninsula

The plant variability in the southern Iberian Peninsula consists of around 3500 different taxa due to its high bioclimatic, geographic, and geological diversity. The deciduous forests in the southern Iberian Peninsula are located in regions with topographies and specific bioclimatic conditions that allow for the survival of taxa that are typical of cooler and wetter bioclimatic regions and therefore represent the relict evidence of colder and more humid paleoclimatic conditions. The floristic composition of 421 samples of deciduous forests in the south-central part of the Iberian Peninsula were analyzed. The ecological importance index (IVI) was calculated, where the most important tree species were Quercuspyrenaica, Aceropalus subsp. Granatensis, and Corylusavellana. These species are uncommon in the south-central part of the Iberian Peninsula, forming forests of little extension. An analysis of the vertical distribution of the species (stratum) shows that the majority of the species of stratum 3 (hemicriptophics, camephytes, geophites, and nanophanerophytes) are characteristic of deciduous forests, and their presence is positively correlated with high values of bioclimatic variables related to humidity and presence of water in the soil (nemoral environments), while they are negatively correlated with high values of bioclimatic variables related to high temperatures, evapotranspiration, and aridity. This work demonstrates that several characteristic deciduous forest taxa are more vulnerable to disappearance due to the loss of their nemoral conditions caused by gaps in the tree or shrub canopy. These gaps lead to an increase in evapotranspiration, excess insolation, and a consequent loss of water and humidity in the microclimatic conditions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Risk factors for Salmonella sp. in pig lymph nodes in Portuguese abattoirs

Salmonella is one of the major causes of food borne disease in the European Union (EU). Some of the human cases are related to pork products. An EU baseline survey to assess the Salmonella pork prevalence was performed. Mesenteric lymph nodes were cultured and Salmonella sp. isolates were serotyped. Data concerning the animal and the slaughterhouse was also collected. The aim of the present study was to search for potential risk factors to the presence of Salmonella sp. in pigs lymph nodes in Portugal and to search for differences in the risk profile between groups of serotypes. The data was analysed using a Bayesian approach to incorporate the hierarchical structure of the data (samples nested in slaughterhouses). Two models were analysed: a binomial (presence/absence of Salmonella sp.) and categorical model (absence of Salmonella sp., serotype Typhimurium or serotype 1,4,[5],12:i:-, other serotypes). A total number of 659 samples were tested, belonging to 36 slaughterhouses. Around 23.7% of the samples were positive for Salmonella sp.. In the binomial model a significant association was found for region of the slaughterhouse - Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region with lower risk compared to the Centre Region (OR=0.36). In the categorical model a significant association for category Typhimurium or 1,4,[5],12:i:- was found for the variable hour when the sample was taken - afternoon with lower risk compared to morning (OR=0.20). The association found for the slaughterhouse region should be a matter of furthers studies to evaluate the hygiene practices in the slaughterhouses of that region