Evolução na utilização e nos gastos de uma operadora de saúde

Brazil’s aging population and the rising number of people reliant upon the country’s supplementary healthcare system have elicited the concern of public and private managers regarding the increase in healthcare costs. In this paper, the costs per gender, per type of medical expenses and per age group of a major Brazilian self-managed healthcare provider between 2007 and 2013 were analyzed. This healthcare provider is of interest because, besides portraying a single condition of revenue growth restricted to the existing contributors, it also replicates the demographic profile expected for Brazil in 2050, when approximately one-third of its population will be over 60 years of age. The analyses confirm the current literature as they show an increase in healthcare plan usage by the elderly and the difference between admission rates by gender. They also reveal an increase in average length of stay in hospital and the increase in medical costs far above inflation, especially for materials and medicines. It is hoped that this study will help scholars and others interested in comparisons of medical expense trends, especially by age and sex, and that it encourages further collaboration on the sustainability of health insurance providers in Brazil

Effects of composition and heat treatment on the mechanical behavior of Ti-Cu alloys

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Ti alloys are applied extensively in several fields, particularly in the aerospace, chemical, dental and medical industries, due to their outstanding properties. The mechanical behavior of Ti alloys depends on microstructural characteristics that are dictated by the amount and type of alloying elements and the processing routes employed. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of the cooling rate, composition and heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of Ti-Cu hypo-, hyper- and eutectoid alloys. To this end, samples of different compositions were prepared in an arc furnace with non-consumable tungsten electrode and a water-cooled copper crucible in a high purity argon atmosphere. The samples were then cast in an arc-melting centrifugal casting machine in an argon atmosphere and copper molds. To obtain a room-temperature microstructure with stable phases, some of the cast samples were then beta solution-treated at 900 degrees C for 2 h and furnace cooled. Microstructural and mechanical characterizations were performed by X-ray diffraction, Vickers hardness measurements, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, tensile test, differential scanning calorimetry and ultrasonic methods for the determination of Young's modulus. The microstructure of cast samples displays a martensitic structure and heat-treated samples a microstructure composed of alpha/alpha ' and Ti2Cu intermetallic phases formed during eutectoid transformation. The mechanical characterization of the cast samples show low ductility and high mechanical strength while the heat-treated samples display slightly higher ductility and low mechanical strength. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.5510061013Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Correlations between aging heat treatment, omega phase precipitation and mechanical properties of a cast Ti-Nb alloy

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Ti-Nb alloys were arc melted in a water-cooled copper hearth in an inert atmosphere. After preparation, the samples were centrifugally cast in copper molds, and rapidly cooled, resulting in a martensitic microstructure. They were then aged at different temperatures. The microstructural characterization of this material suggested that martensite decomposition occurred, leading to precipitation of alpha, beta and omega phases. Aging at higher temperatures led to to phase decay. Mechanical characterization indicated that the heat treatment enhanced the strength and ductility of the alloys. Correlations between heat treatment, omega precipitation and mechanical behavior are discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.32423872390Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

High prevalence of HTLV-1 and 2 viruses in pregnant women in São Luis, state of Maranhão, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is endemic in the Caribbean, Japan, South America and regions of Africa. HTLV-2 is present in Native American populations and associated with IV drug use in Europe and North America. In Brazil, it is estimated that 1.5 million people are infected with HTLV-1/2. The study objective was to determine HTLV-1/2 prevalence in pregnant women in the prenatal care from three public services in São Luis, State of Maranhão, Brazil, and to counsel seropositive women to reduce viral transmission. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to December 2008; women with age of 18 to 45 years, with low risk for sexually transmitted disease (STD) were invited to participate. Blood samples were collected in filter paper, and HTLV-1/2 immunoenzymatic test (ELISA) was performed as a screening test. Women with reactive results were submitted to peripheral venous blood collection for ELISA repetition, followed by Western blot (WB) and real-time PCR to confirm and discriminate the infection between virus types 1 and 2. RESULTS: Of the 2,044 women tested, seven (0.3%) were ELISA reactive and confirmed positive (four were HTLV-1, and three were HTLV-2). All positive women were oriented not to breastfeed their newborns. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the virus is present in high prevalence in that population. Further studies covering other segments of the population are necessary to better characterize the presence of HTLV-1/2 in Maranhão and to elicit measures to prevent its spread