75 research outputs found

    Impactos ambientais gerados pela construção e operação de rodovias

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    Shedding production is the dominant factor at the time of planning the construction of a highway. Transferring products from one corner to another is the goal of globalization that gives anyone a product regardless of where they are located in the world. However, it is not possible to carry out this transit by air or water in most cases. By the disposition of the continents and the high prices of the air cargo transport to send products by land is more attractive whenever possible. In this way, more roads means less cost, more practicality and speed in the delivery of goods. However, building and operating a highway requires a lot of care, especially with the environment and road quality. This paper presents the characteristics of the roads in Brazil, the expansion process and the challenges faced for the construction and operation of highways. An excerpt was selected in the state of Minas Gerais between the municipalities of Águas Formosas and Novo Oriente de Minas and raised the positive and negative social, environmental and structural impacts that occurred during the construction, paving and operation of the section called highway MG-409 e MG -105.El flujo de producción es el factor dominante en el momento de la planificación de la construcción de una carretera. Transferir productos de un canto a otro es el objetivo de la globalización que ofrece a cualquier persona un producto independientemente de donde esté ubicado en el mundo. Sin embargo, no es posible realizar este tránsito vía aérea o acuática la mayoría de las veces. Por la disposición de los continentes y los altos precios del transporte de cargas aéreas enviar productos por vía terrestre es más atractivo siempre que sea posible. De esta forma, más carreteras significa menor costo, más practicidad y rapidez en la entrega de mercancías. Sin embargo, construir y operar una carretera requiere muchos cuidados, principalmente con el medio ambiente y calidad de las vías. Este trabajo presenta las características de las vías de Brasil, el proceso de expansión y los desafíos enfrentados para la construcción y operación de las carreteras. Se eligió un trecho en el estado de Minas Gerais entre los municipios de Aguas Formosas y Nuevo Oriente de Minas y levantado cuáles los impactos positivos y negativos sociales, ambientales y estructurales ocurridos durante la construcción, pavimentación y operación del tramo denominado carretera MG-409 y MG -105.Escoar produção é o fator dominante no momento de planejamento da construção de uma rodovia. Transferir produtos de um canto a outro é o objetivo da globalização que disponibiliza a qualquer pessoa um produto independentemente de onde esteja localizado no mundo. Entretanto não é possível realizar esse trânsito via aérea ou aquática na maioria das vezes. Pela disposição geográfica dos continentes e dos altos preços do transporte de cargas aéreas, enviar produtos por via terrestre, sempre que possível, é mais atrativo. Dessa forma, mais estradas significa menor custo, mais praticidade e rapidez na entrega de mercadorias. Entretanto construir e operar uma rodovia requer muitos cuidados, principalmente com o meio ambiente e qualidade das vias. Esse trabalho apresenta as características das vias do Brasil, o processo de expansão e os desafios enfrentados para construção e operação das rodovias. Foi escolhido um trecho no estado de Minas Gerais entre os municípios de Águas Formosas e Novo Oriente de Minas e levantado quais os impactos positivos e negativos sociais, ambientais e estruturais ocorridos durante a construção, pavimentação e operação do trecho denominado rodovia MG-409 e MG -105

    Genomics and proteomics approaches to the study of cancer-stroma interactions

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The development and progression of cancer depend on its genetic characteristics as well as on the interactions with its microenvironment. Understanding these interactions may contribute to diagnostic and prognostic evaluations and to the development of new cancer therapies. Aiming to investigate potential mechanisms by which the tumor microenvironment might contribute to a cancer phenotype, we evaluated soluble paracrine factors produced by stromal and neoplastic cells which may influence proliferation and gene and protein expression.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was carried out on the epithelial cancer cell line (Hep-2) and fibroblasts isolated from a primary oral cancer. We combined a conditioned-medium technique with subtraction hybridization approach, quantitative PCR and proteomics, in order to evaluate gene and protein expression influenced by soluble paracrine factors produced by stromal and neoplastic cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed that conditioned medium from fibroblast cultures (FCM) inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in Hep-2 cells. In neoplastic cells, 41 genes and 5 proteins exhibited changes in expression levels in response to FCM and, in fibroblasts, 17 genes and 2 proteins showed down-regulation in response to conditioned medium from Hep-2 cells (HCM). Nine genes were selected and the expression results of 6 down-regulated genes (<it>ARID4A</it>, <it>CALR</it>, <it>GNB2L1</it>, <it>RNF10</it>, <it>SQSTM1</it>, <it>USP9X</it>) were validated by real time PCR.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A significant and common denominator in the results was the potential induction of signaling changes associated with immune or inflammatory response in the absence of a specific protein.</p

    Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

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    Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

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    Diretriz da Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia sobre Diagnóstico e Tratamento de Pacientes com Cardiomiopatia da Doença de Chagas

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    This guideline aimed to update the concepts and formulate the standards of conduct and scientific evidence that support them, regarding the diagnosis and treatment of the Cardiomyopathy of Chagas disease, with special emphasis on the rationality base that supported it.&nbsp; Chagas disease in the 21st century maintains an epidemiological pattern of endemicity in 21 Latin American countries. Researchers and managers from endemic and non-endemic countries point to the need to adopt comprehensive public health policies to effectively control the interhuman transmission of T. cruzi infection, and to obtain an optimized level of care for already infected individuals, focusing on diagnostic and therapeutic opportunistic opportunities. &nbsp; Pathogenic and pathophysiological mechanisms of the Cardiomyopathy of Chagas disease were revisited after in-depth updating and the notion that necrosis and fibrosis are stimulated by tissue parasitic persistence and adverse immune reaction, as fundamental mechanisms, assisted by autonomic and microvascular disorders, was well established. Some of them have recently formed potential targets of therapies.&nbsp; The natural history of the acute and chronic phases was reviewed, with enhancement for oral transmission, indeterminate form and chronic syndromes. Recent meta-analyses of observational studies have estimated the risk of evolution from acute and indeterminate forms and mortality after chronic cardiomyopathy. Therapeutic approaches applicable to individuals with Indeterminate form of Chagas disease were specifically addressed. All methods to detect structural and/or functional alterations with various cardiac imaging techniques were also reviewed, with recommendations for use in various clinical scenarios. Mortality risk stratification based on the Rassi score, with recent studies of its application, was complemented by methods that detect myocardial fibrosis.&nbsp; The current methodology for etiological diagnosis and the consequent implications of trypanonomic treatment deserved a comprehensive and in-depth approach. Also the treatment of patients at risk or with heart failure, arrhythmias and thromboembolic events, based on pharmacological and complementary resources, received special attention. Additional chapters supported the conducts applicable to several special contexts, including t. cruzi/HIV co-infection, risk during surgeries, in pregnant women, in the reactivation of infection after heart transplantation, and others.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Finally, two chapters of great social significance, addressing the structuring of specialized services to care for individuals with the Cardiomyopathy of Chagas disease, and reviewing the concepts of severe heart disease and its medical-labor implications completed this guideline.Esta diretriz teve como objetivo principal atualizar os conceitos e formular as normas de conduta e evidências científicas que as suportam, quanto ao diagnóstico e tratamento da CDC, com especial ênfase na base de racionalidade que a embasou. A DC no século XXI mantém padrão epidemiológico de endemicidade em 21 países da América Latina. Investigadores e gestores de países endêmicos e não endêmicos indigitam a necessidade de se adotarem políticas abrangentes, de saúde pública, para controle eficaz da transmissão inter-humanos da infecção pelo T. cruzi, e obter-se nível otimizado de atendimento aos indivíduos já infectados, com foco em oportunização diagnóstica e terapêutica. Mecanismos patogênicos e fisiopatológicos da CDC foram revisitados após atualização aprofundada e ficou bem consolidada a noção de que necrose e fibrose sejam estimuladas pela persistência parasitária tissular e reação imune adversa, como mecanismos fundamentais, coadjuvados por distúrbios autonômicos e microvasculares. Alguns deles recentemente constituíram alvos potenciais de terapêuticas. A história natural das fases aguda e crônica foi revista, com realce para a transmissão oral, a forma indeterminada e as síndromes crônicas. Metanálises recentes de estudos observacionais estimaram o risco de evolução a partir das formas aguda e indeterminada e de mortalidade após instalação da cardiomiopatia crônica. Condutas terapêuticas aplicáveis aos indivíduos com a FIDC foram abordadas especificamente. Todos os métodos para detectar alterações estruturais e/ou funcionais com variadas técnicas de imageamento cardíaco também foram revisados, com recomendações de uso nos vários cenários clínicos. Estratificação de risco de mortalidade fundamentada no escore de Rassi, com estudos recentes de sua aplicação, foi complementada por métodos que detectam fibrose miocárdica. A metodologia atual para diagnóstico etiológico e as consequentes implicações do tratamento tripanossomicida mereceram enfoque abrangente e aprofundado. Também o tratamento de pacientes em risco ou com insuficiência cardíaca, arritmias e eventos tromboembólicos, baseado em recursos farmacológicos e complementares, recebeu especial atenção. Capítulos suplementares subsidiaram as condutas aplicáveis a diversos contextos especiais, entre eles o da co-infecção por T. cruzi/HIV, risco durante cirurgias, em grávidas, na reativação da infecção após transplante cardíacos, e outros.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Por fim, dois capítulos de grande significado social, abordando a estruturação de serviços especializados para atendimento aos indivíduos com a CDC, e revisando os conceitos de cardiopatia grave e suas implicações médico-trabalhistas completaram esta diretriz.&nbsp
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