The Challenges to Make Decent Work a Reality for Domestic Workers in Brazil

The present paper deals with the problematic of labor and social security rights of domestic workers in Brazil and around the world highlighting the importance of more inclusive and fair public policies and private actions for this category of workers The research analyzed official documents and statistics as well as bibliographic research from authors who discuss the subjec

Phenotyping Superagers Using Resting-State fMRI

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Superagers are defined as older adults with episodic memory performance similar or superior to that in middle-aged adults. This study aimed to investigate the key differences in discriminative networks and their main nodes between superagers and cognitively average elderly controls. In addition, we sought to explore differences in sensitivity in detecting these functional activities across the networks at 3T and 7T MR imaging fields. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-five subjects 80 years of age or older were screened using a detailed neuropsychological protocol, and 31 participants, comprising 14 superagers and 17 cognitively average elderly controls, were included for analysis. Participants underwent resting-state-fMRI at 3T and 7T MR imaging. A prediction classification algorithm using a penalized regression model on the measurements of the network was used to calculate the probabilities of a healthy older adult being a superager. Additionally, ORs quantified the influence of each node across preselected networks. RESULTS: The key networks that differentiated superagers and elderly controls were the default mode, salience, and language networks. The most discriminative nodes (ORs > 1) in superagers encompassed areas in the precuneus posterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction, temporal pole, extrastriate superior cortex, and insula. The prediction classification model for being a superager showed better performance using the 7T compared with 3T resting-state-fMRI data set. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the functional connectivity in the default mode, salience, and language networks can provide potential imaging biomarkers for predicting superagers. The 7T field holds promise for the most appropriate study setting to accurately detect the functional connectivity patterns in superagers

Public Access to Genome-Wide Data: Five Views on Balancing Research with Privacy and Protection

Introductory paragraph: Just over twelve months ago, PLoS Genetics published a paper [1] demonstrating that, given genome-wide genotype data from an individual, it is, in principle, possible to ascertain whether that individual is a member of a larger group defined solely by aggregate genotype frequencies, such as a forensic sample or a cohort of participants in a genome-wide association study (GWAS). As a consequence, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Wellcome Trust agreed to shut down public access not just to individual genotype data but even to aggregate genotype frequency data from each study published using their funding. Reactions to this decision span the full breadth of opinion, from ‘‘too little, too late—the public trust has been breached’’ to ‘‘a heavy-handed bureaucratic response to a practically minimal risk that will unnecessarily inhibit scientific research.’’ Scientific concerns have also been raised over the conditions under which individual identity can truly be accurately determined from GWAS data. These concerns are addressed in two papers published in this month’s issue of PLoS Genetics [2,3]. We received several submissions on this topic and decided to assemble these viewpoints as a contribution to the debate and ask readers to contribute their thoughts through the PLoS online commentary features. Five viewpoints are included. The Public Population Project in Genomics (P3G) is calling for a universal researcher ID with an access permit mechanism for bona fide researchers. The contribution by Catherine Heeney, Naomi Hawkins, Jantina de Vries, Paula Boddington, and Jane Kaye of the University of Oxford Ethox Centre outlines some of the concerns over possible misuse of individual identification in conjunction with medical and family history data, and points out that if geneticists mishandle public trust, it will backfire on their ability to conduct further research. George Church posits that actions directed toward restricting data access are likely to exclude researchers who might provide the most novel insights into the data and instead makes the argument that full disclosure and consent to the release of genomic information should be sought from study participants, rather than making difficult-to-guarantee promises of anonymity. Martin Bobrow weighs the risks and benefits and proposes four steps that represent a middle ground: Retain restricted access for now, make malicious de-identification practices illegal, increase public awareness of the issues, and encourage recognition that scientists have a special professional relationship of trust with study participants. Finally, Bruce Weir provides a commentary on the contribution of the two research articles from Braun et al. [2] and Visscher and Hill [3]

Search for CP violation in D+→ϕπ+ and D+s→K0Sπ+ decays

A search for CP violation in D + → ϕπ + decays is performed using data collected in 2011 by the LHCb experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1 at a centre of mass energy of 7 TeV. The CP -violating asymmetry is measured to be (−0.04 ± 0.14 ± 0.14)% for candidates with K − K + mass within 20 MeV/c 2 of the ϕ meson mass. A search for a CP -violating asymmetry that varies across the ϕ mass region of the D + → K − K + π + Dalitz plot is also performed, and no evidence for CP violation is found. In addition, the CP asymmetry in the D+s→K0Sπ+ decay is measured to be (0.61 ± 0.83 ± 0.14)%

Detection of ALK fusion transcripts in FFPE lung cancer samples by NanoString technology

Background: ALK-rearranged lung cancers exhibit specific pathologic and clinical features and are responsive to anti-ALK therapies. Therefore, the detection of ALK-rearrangement is fundamental for personalized lung cancer therapy. Recently, new molecular techniques, such as NanoString nCounter, have been developed to detect ALK fusions with more accuracy and sensitivity. Methods: In the present study, we intended to validate a NanoString nCounter ALK-fusion panel in routine biopsies of FFPE lung cancer patients. A total of 43 samples were analyzed, 13 ALK-positive and 30 ALK-negative, as previously detected by FISH and/or immunohistochemistry. Results: The NanoString panel detected the presence of the EML4-ALK, KIF5B-ALK and TFG-ALK fusion variants. We observed that all the 13 ALK-positive cases exhibited genetic aberrations by the NanoString methodology. Namely, six cases (46.15%) presented EML-ALK variant 1, two (15.38%) presented EML-ALK variant 2, two (15.38%) presented EML-ALK variant 3a, and three (23.07%) exhibited no variant but presented unbalanced expression between 5'/3' exons, similar to other positive samples. Importantly, for all these analyses, the initial input of RNA was 100 ng, and some cases displayed poor RNA quality measurements. Conclusions: In this study, we reported the great utility of NanoString technology in the assessment of ALK fusions in routine lung biopsies of FFPE specimens.This study was partially funded by FINEP (MCTI/FINEP/MS/SCTIE/DECIT), Brazil. BIOPLAT (1302/13).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ethical implications of the use of whole genome methods in medical research

The use of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in medical research and the increased ability to share data give a new twist to some of the perennial ethical issues associated with genomic research. GWAS create particular challenges because they produce fine, detailed, genotype information at high resolution, and the results of more focused studies can potentially be used to determine genetic variation for a wide range of conditions and traits. The information from a GWA scan is derived from DNA that is a powerful personal identifier, and can provide information not just on the individual, but also on the individual's relatives, related groups, and populations. Furthermore, it creates large amounts of individual-specific digital information that is easy to share across international borders. This paper provides an overview of some of the key ethical issues around GWAS: consent, feedback of results, privacy, and the governance of research. Many of the questions that lie ahead of us in terms of the next generation sequencing methods will have been foreshadowed by GWAS and the debates around ethical and policy issues that these have created