Tensões Externas e Internas Sobre os Preços dos Alimentos: Fatores Explicativos

This paper deals with an assured structural background - the inclusion of the primary sector into the external macroeconomic context of the Brazilian economy, which identifies a conjunctural pressure on the food prices (2007-2008). Conjunctural changes in the agricultural markets, similar to those occurred in 2009, do not alter the structural condition of strong reliance on the primary sector concerning the attainment of the external balance (Current Account Balance of Installments). Once retaken the worldwide economic cycle, pressures on commodity prices, as those indicated to 2007-2008 biennium, should be in force again.Keywords: Agricultural Markets; Food Prices; Economic Policy.Este artigo trata de uma situação estrutural determinada - a inserção do setor primário no arranjo macroeconômico externo da economia brasileira, a qual identifica uma pressão conjuntural dos preços dos alimentos (2007-2008). Mudanças conjunturais nos mercados agrícolas, como as ocorridas em 2009, não alteram a situação estrutural de forte dependência do setor primário para obtenção de equilíbrio externo (Conta Corrente do Balanço de Pagamentos). Uma vez retomado o ciclo de expansão da economia mundial, pressões sobre os preços das "commodities", como aquelas apontadas para o biênio 2007-2008, deverão reaparecer.

Pacientes hipertensos muestran una mayor respuesta de la frecuencia cardíaca durante el ejercicio progre-sivo en relación con pares adultos normotensos: Proyecto Vascu-Health

Existe información limitada respecto a la respuesta de la frecuencia cardiaca (FC) a partir de fórmulas predictivas y prueba de ejercicio real entre adultos con hipertensión arterial (HTA) y normotensos, así como sobre las similitudes o diferencias vasculares entre muestras de diferente control de la presión arterial. El objetivo de este estudio fue describir y comparar la frecuencia cardiaca durante el ejercicio entre adultos con HTN y normotensos, así como describir parámetros de función endotelial y vasculares. Se realizó un estudio clínico descriptivo con 64 adultos (hombres y mujeres) que fueron divididos en tres grupos: hipertensión arterial (HTN n=26), presión arterial elevada (Ele n=16), o normotensos control (CG n=22). Los participantes se sometieron a una prueba de ejercicio, en la que se midió la FC (variable principal) y parámetros vasculares secundarios (clasificación percentil de la velocidad de la onda del pulso (%ILEPWVba), grosor máximo de la íntima-media carotídea (cIMTmax) y edad arterial entre otras. En la etapa 2 del test (50-100 vatios), el grupo HTN mostró una FC significativamente mayor vs. el grupo GC (+14 latidos/min), y vs. el grupo Ele (+15 latidos/min), ambos p<0,05; y en la etapa 5 (125-250 vatios) vs. el grupo GC (+22 latidos/min; p<0,05). El grupo HTN mostró una clasificación mayor de rigidez arterial %ILEPWVba, y de edad arterial que el grupo NT. En conclusión, los sujetos con HTA presentan una mayor respuesta de la FC durante el ejercicio que los normotensos. Sin embargo, todos los grupos mostraron una mayor HRpredicted en relación con la HRpeak real. Estos resultados se muestran con una clasificación en percentiles superiores de rigidez arterial y una mayor estimación de la edad arterial con relación a adultos normotensos.There is limited information regarding heart rate (HR) response from predictive formulae and actual exercise tests between arterial hypertension (HTN) and normotensive adults, as well as about vascular similarities or differences between samples of different blood pressure control. This study aimed 1) to describe and compare the HR during exercise between HTN and normotensive adults and 2) to describe the endothelial function and related vascular parameters in both groups. A descriptive clinical study was conducted with 64 adults (men and women) who were divided into three groups: arterial hypertension (HTN n=26), elevated blood pressure (Ele n=16), or normotensive control (CG n=22). The participants underwent a incremental cycling exercise test of 5 stages, where HR (primary outcome) was measured, and secondary vascular outcomes (percentile classification of the pulse wave velocity (%ILEPWVba), maximum carotid intima-media thickness (cIMTmax), and arterial age among others were measured. In stage 2 of the test (50-100 watts), the HTN group showed significantly higher HR vs. CG (+14 beats/min; p<0.05) and vs. Ele group (+15 beats/min; p<0.05), and in stage 5 (125-250 watts), HTN group showed vs. CG (+22 beats/min; p<0.05). HTN group showed a higher arterial stiffness by %ILEPWVba classification and arterial age estimation than the CG group. In conclusion, HTN patients reported a higher HR response only in two out of five stages of the Astrand cycling exercise test than normotensive peers. Moreover, all groups showed a higher HRpredicted than real HRpeak obtained from the exercise test. These results are displayed with more altered vascular parameters in the HTN group.This research was funded by Direccion General de In-vestigación, Vicerrectoria de Investigación y Doctorado, Concurso de Ciencias Biomédicas y Clínicas, Universidad Andres Bello 2022 Código N° DI-01-CBC/22”. Also, the main author (C.A.) was funded by the Exercise and Reha-bilitation Sciences Institute, School of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, 7591538, Chile

A multicenter assessment of interreader reliability of LI-RADS version 2018 for MRI and CT

Background: Various limitations have impacted research evaluating reader agreement for Liver Imaging-Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS). Purpose: To assess reader agreement of LI-RADS in an international multi-center, multireader setting using scrollable images. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study used de-identified clinical multiphase CT and MRI examinations and reports with at least one untreated observation from six institutions and three countries; only qualifying examinations were submitted. Examination dates were October 2017 – August 2018 at the coordinating center. One untreated observation per examination was randomly selected using observation identifiers, and its clinically assigned features were extracted from the report. The corresponding LI-RADS v2018 category was computed as a re-scored clinical read. Each examination was randomly assigned to two of 43 research readers who independently scored the observation. Agreement for an ordinal modified four-category LI-RADS scale (LR-1/2, LR-3, LR-4, LR-5/M/tumor in vein) was computed using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC). Agreement was also computed for dichotomized malignancy (LR-4/LR5/LR-M/LR-tumor in vein), LR-5, and LR-M. Agreement was compared between researchversus-research reads and research-versus-clinical reads. Results: 484 patients (mean age, 62 years ±10 [SD]; 156 women; 93 CT, 391 MRI) were included. ICCs for ordinal LI-RADS, dichotomized malignancy, LR-5, and LR-M were 0.68 (95% CI: 0.62, 0.74), 0.63 (95% CI: 0.56, 0.71), 0.58 (95% CI: 0.50, 0.66), and 0.46 (95% CI: 0.31, 0.61) respectively. Research-versus-research reader agreement was higher than research-versus-clinical agreement for modified four-category LI-RADS (ICC, 0.68 vs. 0.62, P = .03) and for dichotomized malignancy (ICC, 0.63 vs. 0.53, P = .005), but not for LR-5 (P = .14) or LR-M (P = .94). Conclusion: There was moderate agreement for Liver Imaging-Reporting and Data System v2018 overall. For some comparisons, research-versus-research reader agreement was higher than research-versus-clinical reader agreement, indicating differences between the clinical and research environments that warrant further study

A list of land plants of Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Brazil, highlights the presence of sampling gaps within this protected area

Brazilian protected areas are essential for plant conservation in the Atlantic Forest domain, one of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots. A major challenge for improving conservation actions is to know the plant richness, protected by these areas. Online databases offer an accessible way to build plant species lists and to provide relevant information about biodiversity. A list of land plants of “Parque Nacional do Caparaó” (PNC) was previously built using online databases and published on the website "Catálogo de Plantas das Unidades de Conservação do Brasil." Here, we provide and discuss additional information about plant species richness, endemism and conservation in the PNC that could not be included in the List. We documented 1,791 species of land plants as occurring in PNC, of which 63 are cited as threatened (CR, EN or VU) by the Brazilian National Red List, seven as data deficient (DD) and five as priorities for conservation. Fifity-one species were possible new ocurrences for ES and MG states

The wide-field, multiplexed, spectroscopic facility WEAVE : survey design, overview, and simulated implementation

Funding for the WEAVE facility has been provided by UKRI STFC, the University of Oxford, NOVA, NWO, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), the Isaac Newton Group partners (STFC, NWO, and Spain, led by the IAC), INAF, CNRS-INSU, the Observatoire de Paris, Région Île-de-France, CONCYT through INAOE, Konkoly Observatory (CSFK), Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (MPIA Heidelberg), Lund University, the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), the Swedish Research Council, the European Commission, and the University of Pennsylvania.WEAVE, the new wide-field, massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey facility for the William Herschel Telescope, will see first light in late 2022. WEAVE comprises a new 2-degree field-of-view prime-focus corrector system, a nearly 1000-multiplex fibre positioner, 20 individually deployable 'mini' integral field units (IFUs), and a single large IFU. These fibre systems feed a dual-beam spectrograph covering the wavelength range 366-959 nm at R ∼ 5000, or two shorter ranges at R ∼ 20,000. After summarising the design and implementation of WEAVE and its data systems, we present the organisation, science drivers and design of a five- to seven-year programme of eight individual surveys to: (i) study our Galaxy's origins by completing Gaia's phase-space information, providing metallicities to its limiting magnitude for ∼ 3 million stars and detailed abundances for ∼ 1.5 million brighter field and open-cluster stars; (ii) survey ∼ 0.4 million Galactic-plane OBA stars, young stellar objects and nearby gas to understand the evolution of young stars and their environments; (iii) perform an extensive spectral survey of white dwarfs; (iv) survey  ∼ 400 neutral-hydrogen-selected galaxies with the IFUs; (v) study properties and kinematics of stellar populations and ionised gas in z 1 million spectra of LOFAR-selected radio sources; (viii) trace structures using intergalactic/circumgalactic gas at z > 2. Finally, we describe the WEAVE Operational Rehearsals using the WEAVE Simulator.PostprintPeer reviewe

The wide-field, multiplexed, spectroscopic facility WEAVE: Survey design, overview, and simulated implementation

WEAVE, the new wide-field, massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey facility for the William Herschel Telescope, will see first light in late 2022. WEAVE comprises a new 2-degree field-of-view prime-focus corrector system, a nearly 1000-multiplex fibre positioner, 20 individually deployable 'mini' integral field units (IFUs), and a single large IFU. These fibre systems feed a dual-beam spectrograph covering the wavelength range 366$-$959\,nm at $R\sim5000$, or two shorter ranges at $R\sim20\,000$. After summarising the design and implementation of WEAVE and its data systems, we present the organisation, science drivers and design of a five- to seven-year programme of eight individual surveys to: (i) study our Galaxy's origins by completing Gaia's phase-space information, providing metallicities to its limiting magnitude for $\sim$3 million stars and detailed abundances for $\sim1.5$ million brighter field and open-cluster stars; (ii) survey $\sim0.4$ million Galactic-plane OBA stars, young stellar objects and nearby gas to understand the evolution of young stars and their environments; (iii) perform an extensive spectral survey of white dwarfs; (iv) survey $\sim400$ neutral-hydrogen-selected galaxies with the IFUs; (v) study properties and kinematics of stellar populations and ionised gas in $z<0.5$ cluster galaxies; (vi) survey stellar populations and kinematics in $\sim25\,000$ field galaxies at $0.3\lesssim z \lesssim 0.7$; (vii) study the cosmic evolution of accretion and star formation using $>1$ million spectra of LOFAR-selected radio sources; (viii) trace structures using intergalactic/circumgalactic gas at $z>2$. Finally, we describe the WEAVE Operational Rehearsals using the WEAVE Simulator.Comment: 41 pages, 27 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level.

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4%) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 [84.7%]) were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 [62.8%]), followed by strabismus (n = 429 [10.2%]) and proptosis (n = 309 [7.4%]). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 [95% CI, 12.94-24.80], and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 [95% CI, 4.30-7.68]). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs