¿Si se vende más, se cumple menos? Brasil entre la reglamentación internacional y la expansión de su industria de defensa

El aumento de la atención internacional sobre las armas ligeras ha generado varias acciones que ponen de manifiesto esta preocupación. Organizaciones multilaterales y no-gubernamentales como la ONU y Caritas siguen registrando su uso en diversas zonas de conflicto del mundo. No obstante, su regulación en Derecho Internacional Humanitario es dispersa, lo que conviene, sobre todo, a los fabricantes de armas. La industria de Defensa ha sido incentivada indiscriminadamente en Brasil, dicho incentivo aparece en la Estrategia Nacional de Defesa de 2008. Según el Small Arms Trade Survey, Brasil figura en la cuarta posición mundial en venta de armas, y, según su Ministerio de Desarrollo, Industria y Comercio Exterior, se ha producido un crecimiento del 500% en el valor de las exportaciones de este sector, pasando de US$109,6 millones en 2005 a US$ 321,6 millones en 2010. Esta investigación, realizada desde un abordaje cualitativo y de acuerdo con el método inductivo con carácter prospectivo, en base al análisis de contenido jurídico-documental, presenta la siguiente hipótesis: que el desarrollo de la industria de Defensa ha sido un factor que ha obstaculizado la adopción de medidas jurídicas más enérgicas para tratar la regulación de las armas convencionales, aunque Brasil hay firmado algunos tratados sobre el tema

A sensitivity study of triboson production processes to dimension-6 EFT operators at the LHC

We present the first parton-level study of anomalous effects in triboson production in both fully and semi-leptonic channels in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The sensitivity to anomalies induced by a minimal set of bosonic dimension-6 operators from the Warsaw basis is evaluated with specific analyses for each final state. A likelihood-based strategy is employed to assess the most sensitive kinematic observables per channel, where the contribution of Effective Field Theory operators is parameterized at either the linear or quadratic level. The impact of the mutual interference terms of pairs of operators on the sensitivity is also examined. This benchmark study explores the complementarity and overlap in sensitivity between different triboson measurements and paves the way for future analyses at the LHC experiments. The statistical combination of the considered final states allows setting stringent bounds on five bosonic Wilson coefficients

Heavy metals in follicular fluid affect the ultrastructure of the human mature cumulus-oocyte complex

It is known that exposure to heavy metals such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) has several adverse effects, particularly on the human reproductive system. Pb and Cd have been associated with infertility in both men and women. In pregnant women, they have been associated with spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, and impairment of the development of the fetus. Since these heavy metals come from both natural and anthropogenic activities and their harmful effects have been observed even at low levels of exposure, exposure to them remains a public health issue, especially for the reproductive system. Given this, the present study aimed to investigate the potential reproductive effects of Pb and Cd levels in the follicular fluid (FF) of infertile women and non-smokers exposed to heavy metals for professional reasons or as a result of living in rural areas near landfills and waste disposal areas in order to correlate the intrafollicular presence of these metals with possible alterations in the ultrastructure of human cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs), which are probably responsible for infertility. Blood and FF metals were measured using atomic Citation: Miglietta, S.; Cristiano, L.; Battaglione, E.; Macchiarelli, G.; Nottola, S.A.; De Marco, M.P.; Costanzi, F.; Schimberni, M.; Colacurci, N.; Caserta, D.; Familiari, G. Heavy Metals in Follicular Fluid Affect the Ultrastructure of the Human Mature Cumulus-Oocyte Complex. Cells 2023, 12, 2577. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12212577 Academic Editor: Elena Llano Received: 11 October 2023 Revised: 30 October 2023 Accepted: 31 October 2023 Published: 5 November 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/license s/by/4.0/). Cells 2023, 12, 2577 2 of 24 absorption spectrometry. COCs corresponding to each FF analyzed were subjected to ultrastructural analyses using transmission electron microscopy. We demonstrated for the first time that intrafollicular levels of Pb (0.66 µg/dL–0.85 µg/dL) and Cd (0.26 µg/L–0.41 µg/L) could be associated with morphological alterations of both the oocyte and cumulus cells’ (CCs) ultrastructure. Since blood Cd levels (0.54 µg/L–1.87 µg/L) were above the current reference values established by the guidelines of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (0.4 µg/L), whereas blood Pb levels (1.28 µg/dL–3.98 µg/dL) were below the ATSDR reference values (≤5 µg/dL), we believe that these alterations could be due especially to Cd, even if we cannot exclude a possible additional effect of Pb. Our results highlighted that oocytes were affected in maturation and quality, whereas CCs showed scarcely active steroidogenic elements. Regressing CCs, with cytoplasmic alterations, were also numerous. According to Cd’s endocrine-disrupting activity, the poor steroidogenic activity of CCs might correlate with delayed oocyte cytoplasmic maturation. So, we conclude that levels of heavy metals in the blood and the FF might negatively affect fertilization, embryo development, and pregnancy, compromising oocyte competence in fertilization both directly and indirectly, impairing CC steroidogenic activity, and inducing CC apoptosis

Lack of evidence of Chikungunya virus infection among blood donors during the Chikungunya outbreak in Lazio Region, Italy, 2017

Background: The latest European Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) outbreak occurred in Italy in 2017, in the municipalities of Anzio and Rome (Lazio Region), with a secondary outbreak in the Calabrian Region. Most CHIKV infections are symptomatic but about 15% of people who acquire the infection may be asymptomatic. A retrospective study was conducted with the aim of assessing the prevalence of recent/ongoing CHIKV infections on the blood donor population in the Lazio Region, during the 2017 outbreak (including in the period before it was detected). Methods: The study was conducted on 4595 plasma samples from donors who donated in 14 different Blood Establishments in the Lazio Region, in the period June-November 2017. A total of 389 of these samples were collected in provinces not affected by the outbreak and were used as negative controls. All samples were tested for IgM detection by the use of an ELISA test, and positive samples were tested for confirmation through the use of a PRNT. Molecular tests were performed on sera that were found to be IgM-positive or borderline. Results: A total of 41 (0.89%) blood donors tested positive for IgM. None of these positive IgM ELISA results was confirmed either by PRNT or by molecular tests. Conclusions: Our study has shown no evidence of recent/ongoing CHIKV infection in blood donors of the affected area

Empreendedorismo em cenários complexos: uma visão da realidade atual e futura no Brasil a partir de análise comparativa

Administrar as complexidades de 2015 tem sido uma das principais preocupações das empresas, de seus profissionais e, especialmente, de seus principais representantes, os donos. Embora esta seja uma preocupação geral, são as micro, pequenas e médias empresas as mais fragilizadas em cenários de crise. No entanto, antagonicamente, a abertura de novas empresas representauma alternativa a muitos profissionais nestes períodos.Neste sentido, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo discutir possíveis perspectivas para o empreendedorismo no Brasila partir de 2015, considerando a análise de cenário de complexidades análogas no período da crise financeira de 2008.Os resultados encontrados apontam uma tendência ao aumento do empreendedorismo inicial em cenários de crise, sendo a escassez de emprego opotencial motivador. Constatou-se ainda uma aparente relação entre o empreendedorismo por oportunidade e a taxa de empreendedores estabelecidos. Assim, uma das principais complexidades a serem administradas no atual cenário brasileiro é a percepção das oportunidades, uma vez que os empreendedores por necessidade possuem maior propensão à descontinuidade da atividade.

EFEITO DO EXERCÍCIO DE FORÇA E FUNCIONAL NA AUTONOMIA DE IDOSOS DE UM GRUPO DE CONVIVÊNCIA – UM ESTUDO COMPARTIVO

Introduo: As capacidades funcionais sofrem uma reduo drstica e isto leva a um declnio fsico limitando o indivduo a executar determinadas tarefas, no entanto os exerccios de fora e funcionais so aplicados com o intuito de aprimorar as habilidades motoras de acordo com a necessidade do indivduo e consequentemente a melhor capacidade funcional. Objetivo: Comparar o efeito de 8 semanas de interveno fsico motora, na autonomia funcional de idosos. Metodologia: Participaram do estudo 12 idosos, 8 do sexo feminino e 4 do sexo masculino, pertencentes grupo de convivncia. Ambos fizeram o teste de GDLAM para quantificar a autonomia funcional antes e aps um perodo de 8 semanas de interveno. Os exerccios realizados foram de fora e funcionais, principalmente, durante sesses de 60 minutos, 2 vezes por semana. Resultados: Foram encontradas melhoras significativas no grupo feminino aps as 8 semanas nas variveis C10M, LPS, LCLC, VTC e IG (p0,05) e para o grupo masculino foram encontradas melhoras significativas nas variveis C10M, LPS, VTC e IG (p0,05). Concluso: Atravs deste estudo, pde-se verificar tambm que o treinamento de fora e funcional parecem ser eficazes para melhoria da capacidade funcional de idosos, independente da magnitude destas. Palavras-chave: Treinamento de resistncia, geronte, GDLAM

2-Pentadecyl-2-oxazoline ameliorates memory impairment and depression-like behaviour in neuropathic mice: possible role of adrenergic alpha2- and H3 histamine autoreceptors

Neuropathic pain (NP) remains an untreatable disease due to the complex pathophysiology that involves the whole pain neuraxis including the forebrain. Sensory dysfunctions such as allodynia and hyperalgesia are only part of the symptoms associated with neuropathic pain that extend to memory and affectivity deficits. The development of multi-target molecules might be a promising therapeutic strategy against the symptoms associated with NP. 2-pentadecyl-2-oxazoline (PEA-OXA) is a plant-derived agent, which has shown effectiveness against chronic pain and associated neuropsychiatric disorders. The molecular mechanisms by which PEA-OXA exerts its effects are, however, only partially known. In the current study, we show that PEA-OXA, besides being an alpha2 adrenergic receptor antagonist, also acts as a modulator at histamine H3 receptors, and report data on its effects on sensory, affective and cognitive symptoms associated with the spared nerve injury (SNI) model of neuropathic pain in mice. Treatment for 14 days with PEA-OXA after the onset of the symptoms associated with neuropathic pain resulted in the following effects: (i) allodynia was decreased; (ii) affective/cognitive impairment associated with SNI (depression, spatial, and working memories) was counteracted; (iii) long-term potentiation in vivo in the lateral entorhinal cortex-dentate gyrus (perforant pathway, LPP) was ameliorated, (iv) hippocampal glutamate, GABA, histamine, norepinephrine and dopamine level alterations after peripheral nerve injury were reversed, (v) expression level of the TH positive neurons in the Locus Coeruleus were normalized. Thus, a 16-day treatment with PEA-OXA alleviates the sensory, emotional, cognitive, electrophysiological and neurochemical alterations associated with SNI-induced neuropathic pain