Tendência das formas de resolução da gravidez e sua influência sobre as taxas de mortalidade perinatal

OBJECTIVE: To determine changes in the incidence of vaginal deliveries, cesarean sections, and forceps deliveries and their potential association with fetal, early neonatal, and perinatal mortality rates over time. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out and the occurrence of deliveries supervised by university services between January 1991 and December 2000 was determined. Data regarding fetal, early neonatal, and perinatal deaths were assessed using obstetric and pediatric records and autopsy reports. RESULTS: Of a total of 33,360 deliveries, the incidence of vaginal deliveries, cesarean sections, and forceps deliveries was relatively steady (around 60, 30, and 10%, respectively) while, at the same time, there was a marked reduction in fetal mortality (from 33.3 to 13.0), early neonatal mortality (from 30.6 to 9.0), and perinatal mortality (from 56.4 to 19.3). CONCLUSIONS: The marked reduction in perinatal mortality rates seen during the study period without an increase in cesarean sections indicates that the decrease in perinatal mortality was not impacted by cesarean section rates. The plausible hypothesis seems to be that the reduction in perinatal mortality of deliveries performed under the supervision of university services was more likely to be associated with better neonatal care rather than the mode of delivery.OBJETIVO: Aferir as variações das taxas de parto normal, cesárea e parto fórceps, bem como das taxas de mortalidade fetal, neonatal precoce e perinatal ao longo do tempo e verificar as possíveis inter-relações entre elas. MÉTODOS: Estudo retrospectivo que avaliou as taxas dos partos realizados em hospitais localizados em Ribeirão Preto, SP, no período de janeiro de 1991 a dezembro de 2000. Os dados sobre mortalidade fetal, neonatal precoce e perinatal foram obtidos por meio de registros obstétricos, pediátricos e de necrópsias. RESULTADOS: Em um total de 33.360 partos realizados, houve relativa manutenção das taxas de parto normal, cesárea e fórceps (em torno de 60%, 30% e 10%, respectivamente), ao mesmo tempo em que houve nítida redução das taxas de mortalidade fetal (de 33,3 para 13,0), neonatal precoce (de 30,6 para 9,0) e perinatal (de 56,4 para 19,3). CONCLUSÕES: Verificou-se evidente redução das taxas de mortalidade perinatal, sem aumento das taxas de parto cesárea. Desse modo, pode-se afirmar que a redução temporal da mortalidade perinatal observada nessa casuística não sofreu influência da taxa de cesárea. Parece que a redução da taxa de mortalidade perinatal dos partos realizados e supervisionados seja mais uma relação direta da melhora do atendimento neonatal do que da via de parto

Consumer perception of Brazilian traced beef

The objective of this study was to determine consumers understanding of beef traceability, identifying how consumers value this meat and traceability elements to be presented on retail shelves. The method used in this study was a survey through the internet applying the Sphinx software. The sample consisted of 417 consumers, mostly living in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Consumers are aware of certified beef, consider it important, but this is not a demand. As to traced beef, most consumers (62.4%) are in favor of mandatory traceability of beef cattle in Brazil, but 86.6% disagree with the destination of traced beef only to the foreign market. The majority of people are willing to pay more for traced beef and consider traceability a market opportunity, used as a differentiating tool

LCA applied to perennial cropping systems: a review focused on the farm stage

International audienc

Indentation Hardness Measurements at Macro-, Micro-, and Nanoscale: A Critical Overview

The Brinell, Vickers, Meyer, Rockwell, Shore, IHRD, Knoop, Buchholz, and nanoindentation methods used to measure the indentation hardness of materials at different scales are compared, and main issues and misconceptions in the understanding of these methods are comprehensively reviewed and discussed. Basic equations and parameters employed to calculate hardness are clearly explained, and the different international standards for each method are summarized. The limits for each scale are explored, and the different forms to calculate hardness in each method are compared and established. The influence of elasticity and plasticity of the material in each measurement method is reviewed, and the impact of the surface deformation around the indenter on hardness values is examined. The difficulties for practical conversions of hardness values measured by different methods are explained. Finally, main issues in the hardness interpretation at different scales are carefully discussed, like the influence of grain size in polycrystalline materials, indentation size effects at micro-and nanoscale, and the effect of the substrate when calculating thin films hardness. The paper improves the understanding of what hardness means and what hardness measurements imply at different scales.Funding Agencies|Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University ((Faculty Grant SFO Mat LiU) [2009 00971]</p

Unconventional Low-Cost Fabrication and Patterning Techniques for Point of Care Diagnostics

The potential of rapid, quantitative, and sensitive diagnosis has led to many innovative ‘lab on chip’ technologies for point of care diagnostic applications. Because these chips must be designed within strict cost constraints to be widely deployable, recent research in this area has produced extremely novel non-conventional micro- and nano-fabrication innovations. These advances can be leveraged for other biological assays as well, including for custom assay development and academic prototyping. The technologies reviewed here leverage extremely low-cost substrates and easily adoptable ways to pattern both structural and biological materials at high resolution in unprecedented ways. These new approaches offer the promise of more rapid prototyping with less investment in capital equipment as well as greater flexibility in design. Though still in their infancy, these technologies hold potential to improve upon the resolution, sensitivity, flexibility, and cost-savings over more traditional approaches