Genome sequencing reveals Zika virus diversity and spread in the Americas

Although the recent Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic in the Americas and its link to birth defects have attracted a great deal of attention, much remains unknown about ZIKV disease epidemiology and ZIKV evolution, in part owing to a lack of genomic data. Here we address this gap in knowledge by using multiple sequencing approaches to generate 110 ZIKV genomes from clinical and mosquito samples from 10 countries and territories, greatly expanding the observed viral genetic diversity from this outbreak. We analysed the timing and patterns of introductions into distinct geographic regions; our phylogenetic evidence suggests rapid expansion of the outbreak in Brazil and multiple introductions of outbreak strains into Puerto Rico, Honduras, Colombia, other Caribbean islands, and the continental United States. We find that ZIKV circulated undetected in multiple regions for many months before the first locally transmitted cases were confirmed, highlighting the importance of surveillance of viral infections. We identify mutations with possible functional implications for ZIKV biology and pathogenesis, as well as those that might be relevant to the effectiveness of diagnostic tests

Pseudoaneurisma de carótida comum secundário a trauma contuso: opção de tratamento por cirurgia a céu aberto Pseudoaneurysm of common carotid due to trauma: treatment option for open sky surgery

Relato de caso de paciente feminina, com 44 anos de idade, vítima de trauma cervical em acidente de trânsito, que apresentou massa cervical dolorosa, rouquidão e disfagia associados, três semanas após o trauma. Exames complementares identificaram pseudoaneurisma de carótida comum em zona II. Optou-se pelo tratamento por meio de cirurgia convencional a céu aberto com excelente resultado imediato. Foi realizado um exame de controle após sete meses do procedimento cirúrgico, e os resultados confirmaram o sucesso terapêutico.<br>Case report of a female patient, 44 years-old, victim of cervical trauma in a traffic accident, who had painful cervical mass, associated with hoarseness and dysphagia three weeks after trauma. Additional tests identified the pseudoaneurysm of common carotid artery in zone II. We opted for treatment through the open conventional surgery with excellent immediate result. Control examination was performed seven months after surgery, and the results confirmed the therapeutic success

DEA performance assessment of mutual funds

The objectives of this paper are manyfold. First we present a comprehensive review of the literature of DEA models for the performance assessment of mutual funds. Then we discuss the problem of the presence of negative returns in DEA modeling for mutual funds and we identify a DEA model that is financially justified and tackles the issue of negative returns in a natural way. Moreover, we present an empirical application on real market data, considering different risk measures.\ud We consider also different holding periods, which include both a period of financial crisis and one of financial recovery. Moreover, we compare the results of the DEA performance measure with those obtained with traditional financial indicators