Quality of life in patients with stable coronary artery disease submitted to percutaneous, surgical, and medical therapies : a cohort study

Background: Clinical, surgical, and percutaneous strategies similarly prevent major cardiovascular events in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). The possibility that these strategies have differential effects on healthrelated quality of life (HRQoL) has been debated, particularly in patients treated outside clinical trials. Methods: We assigned 454 patients diagnosed with CAD during an elective diagnostic coronary angiography to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or optimal medical treatment (OMT), and followed them for an average of 5.2 ± 1.5 years. HRQoL was assessed using a validated Brazilian version of the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey questionnaire. The association between therapeutic strategies and quality of life scores was tested using variance analysis and adjusted for confounders in a general linear model. Results: There were no differences in the mental component summary scores in the follow-up evaluation by therapeutic strategies: 51.4, 53.7, and 52.3 for OMT, PCI, and CABG, respectively. Physical component summary scores were higher in the PCI group than the CABG and OMT groups (46.4 vs. 42.9 and 43.8, respectively); however, these differences were no longer different after adjustment for confounding variables. Conclusion: In a long-term follow-up of patients with stable CAD, HRQoL did not differ in patients treated by medical, percutaneous, or surgical treatments

Impact of Retirements and Pensions on the Social Welfare of the Households from Minas Gerais State

Um dos principais argumentos para a existência de sistemas públicos de previdência social está associado à possibilidade de sua utilização como mecanismo de distribuição de renda e de política de assistência social. Muitos estudos buscaram avaliar os impactos dos benefícios concedidos pela previdência social na pobreza e desigualdade da distribuição de renda. Não obstante, as evidências obtidas com as experiências brasileiras na avaliação da previdência social continuam inconclusivas. Além disso, ainda são escassos os trabalhos que avaliam os efeitos da previdência nos indicadores de bem-estar social. Nesse sentido, o objetivo principal deste artigo consiste na mensuração do impacto das aposentadorias e pensões emitidas pela previdência social no nível de bem-estar das famílias dos domicílios de Minas Gerais. A pesquisa adota um método quase experimental de avaliação de impacto, conhecido como pareamento baseado no escore de propensão (propensity score matching), utilizando os microdados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD) de 2009. Os resultados mostraram que os rendimentos provenientes das aposentadorias e pensões da previdência social brasileira representam uma importante parcela da renda domiciliar das famílias beneficiadas, especialmente entre aquelas com menor renda. Também se encontrou um efeito positivo da previdência social na renda, no acesso ao conhecimento e nas condições de moradia nos domicílios analisados. Constatou-se que, em geral, os impactos das aposentadorias e pensões tendem a ser mais expressivos nos domicílios com menor renda (faixas D e E), em comparação com os domicílios incluídos na faixa C.One of the main arguments for the existence of public social security systems relates to their potential use as income distribution and welfare policy tools. In this vein, several studies have sought to evaluate the effects of social security benefits on poverty and inequality. However, the evidence obtained from Brazilian studies regarding the effects of social security remains inconclusive, and studies evaluating the impact of social security on social welfare indices are scarce. The objective of this paper is to measure the impact of retirement and pensions provided by social security programs on the welfare level of households in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The methodological approach is based on propensity score matching, and microdata from the National Household Sample Survey (Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios - PNAD, 2009) are used. The results demonstrate that income from retirement and pensions represents an important portion of beneficiary households' income, especially lower-income beneficiary households. The results suggest that social security has a positive effect on the incomes, access to knowledge and living conditions of the households analyzed. The impact of retirement and pensions on households in low-income groups (Classes D and E) tends to be more significant relative to the impact on middle class households (Class C)

Effectiveness of clinical, surgical and percutaneous treatment to prevent cardiovascular events in patients referred for elective coronary angiography: an observational study

Purpose: To ascertain the most appropriate treatment for chronic, stable, coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients submitted to elective coronary angiography. Patients and Methods: A total of 814 patients included in the prospective cohort study were referred for elective coronary angiography and were followed up on average for 6±1.9 years. Main outcomes were all-cause death, cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke and late revascularization and their combinations as major adverse cardiac and cerebral events (MACCE): MACCE-1 included cardiovascular death, nonfatal MI, and stroke; MACCE-2 was MACCE-1 plus late revascularization. Survival curves and adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to explore the association between the type of treatment and outcomes. Results: All-cause death was lower in participants submitted to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (0.41, 0.16–1.03, P=0.057) compared to medical treatment (MT). Coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) had an overall trend for poorer outcomes: cardiovascular death 2.53 (0.42–15.10), combined cardiovascular death, nonfatal MI, and stroke 2.15 (0.73–6.31) and these events plus late revascularization (2.17, 0.86–5.49). The corresponding numbers for PCI were 0.27 (0.05–1.43) for cardiovascular death, 0.77 (0.32–1.84) for combined cardiovascular death, nonfatal MI, and stroke and 2.35 (1.16–4.77) with the addition of late revascularization. These trends were not influenced by baseline blood pressure, left ventricular ejection fraction and previous MI. Patients with diabetes mellitus had a significantly higher risk of recurrent revascularization when submitted to PCI than CABG. Conclusion: Patients with confirmed CAD in elective coronary angiography do not have a better prognosis when submitted to CABG comparatively to medical treatment. Patients treated with PCI had a trend for the lower incidence of combined cardiovascular events, at the expense of additional revascularization procedures. Patients without significant CAD had a similar prognosis than CAD patients treated with medical therapy

EFEITO DO PERÍODO PÓS-PARTO SOBRE A TAXA DE PRENHEZ DE VACAS DE CORTE SUBMETIDAS À IATF (INSEMINAÇÃO ARTICIAL EM TEMPO FIXO)

O trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a influência do período pós-parto: Precoce (28 a 44 dias) ou Tardio (45 a 90 dias) na taxa de prenhez de matrizes submetidas à IATF (inseminação artificial em tempo fixo). Foram utilizadas 678 vacas divididas em: Grupo Precoce (G-P, n=151) e Grupo Tardio (G-T, n=527). Os animais receberam CIDR® + 2 mL de benzoato de estradiol no dia zero (D0). Oito dias após (D8) o dispositivo foi retirado e ambos os grupos receberam 2,5 mL PGF2α e 1,5 mL eCG ou remoção temporária do bezerro (RTB). No dia seguinte (D9) os animais receberam 1 mL BE e 24 horas após realizou-se a IATF utilizando sêmen de touros da raça Nelore e os bezerros foram retornados. A taxa de prenhez não variou entre os grupos (p>0,05) sendo 40% (G-P) e 48% (G-T). Os resultados indicam que fêmeas com menos de 45 dias pós-parto estão aptas para início do protocolo hormonal para IATF

Families, generations and intergeracionality in net modernity

We are experiencing a period of accelerated socio-cultural, political and economic changes that are reflected in practically all social institutions, including the family. This is a secular social institution, which reflects the evolution of society. There is still resistance to “idealizing” the family as the “sphere of care and love”. However, it is known that the traditional family of the 19th century gave way to the nuclear family and that, at the same time, it gives way to families with different backgrounds. Also noteworthy are the transformations that occur in complex and liquid society, as highlighted by authors such as Morin and Bauman. In this sense, these transformations also occur in the social institutions that compose it, among them the family nuclei and other social spaces where different generations are inserted, especially with the increasing presence of elderly people. Therefore, with so many important social issues involved in these relationships (society-family-aging and intergenerationality), these reflections are considered to be extremely relevant

Metamorfoses de um discurso: carreiras sem fronteiras e o novo espírito do capitalismo

A crise capitalista dos anos 1970 introduziu uma série de transformações que modificaram as formas de organização do trabalho. Essas mudanças foram compreendidas, por Boltanski e Chiapello (2009), como promotoras de um novo espírito para o capitalismo. Em consonância com essas alterações, o conceito de carreiras sem fronteiras emerge a partir dos anos 1990, trazendo em seu bojo a ideia de mobilidade interorganizacional, associada ao sucesso profissional. Adotado de maneira ampla, o conceito de carreiras sem fronteiras propõe, como orientação geral, a necessidade de o trabalhador desenvolver uma série de competências com vistas a adequar-se ao novo paradigma produtivo. Objetivamos, neste ensaio, refletir sobre o construto carreiras sem fronteiras, à luz da caracterização que Boltanski e Chiapello (2009) fazem da fase atual do capitalismo. Defendemos que o conceito de carreiras sem fronteiras serve como instrumento de mobilização da força de trabalho, contribuindo para ressignificar, sob a forma de autonomia e liberdade de escolha, a precariedade do trabalho sob esse novo paradigma. Apesar de seus aspectos controversos, o referido conceito vem se tornando referência no debate atual acerca da inserção no mundo do trabalho, o que justifica a importância desta discussão

Simultaneous determination of B-Group vitamins in enriched cookies

The objective of this research was to determine the levels of enrichment of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and B3 in different types and brands of enriched cookies. The chromatographic separation was performed in a C18 column with gradient elution and UV detection at 254 and 287 nm. The results show that only 5 of the 24 brands evaluated are in accordance with the Brazilian legislation with respect to the vitamin content declared on the labels. However, consumption of approximately 100-150 g of most of the brands supplies the recommended dietary intake for children and adults of the vitamins evaluated

Simultaneous determination of B-Group vitamins in enriched cookies

The objective of this research was to determine the levels of enrichment of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and B3 in different types and brands of enriched cookies. The chromatographic separation was performed in a C18 column with gradient elution and UV detection at 254 and 287 nm. The results show that only 5 of the 24 brands evaluated are in accordance with the Brazilian legislation with respect to the vitamin content declared on the labels. However, consumption of approximately 100-150 g of most of the brands supplies the recommended dietary intake for children and adults of the vitamins evaluated.546550Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq