“Aposentadorias e pensões” e desigualdade da renda: uma análise para o Brasil no período 1998-2003

Este trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar a contribuição do componente do rendimento domiciliar “aposentadorias e pensões” para a desigualdade da distribuição do rendimento domiciliar per capita no Brasil, nos meios rural e urbano, em 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 e 2003. Para isso, utilizaram-se estratos de rendimento domiciliar per capita e a metodologia de decomposição do índice de Gini dos seguintes componentes: rendimento do trabalho principal, rendimento de outros trabalhos, aposentadorias e pensões, doações, rendimentos de aluguel e outros rendimentos (juros, dividendos etc.). Destaca-se, nos resultados, a substancial contribuição das aposentadorias e pensões para a desigualdade da distribuição da renda no Brasil. A estratificação dos rendimentos domiciliares permitiu a constatação de que, no Brasil rural, o percentual de domicílios e pessoas na população e os rendimentos total e das aposentadorias e pensões estão localizados nos estratos inferiores da renda

The Long Pentraxin PTX3 Is an Endogenous Inhibitor of Hyperoxaluria-Related Nephrocalcinosis and Chronic Kidney Disease

The long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) exerts a variety of regulatory functions in acute and chronic tissue inflammation. In particular, PTX3 acts as an opsonin for a variety of pathogens and endogenous particles. We hypothesized that PTX3 would exhibit opsonin-like functions toward calcium oxalate crystals, too, and inhibit crystal growth. This process is fundamental in kidney stone disease as well as in hyperoxaluria-related nephrocalcinosis, the paradigmatic cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children with primary hyperoxaluria type I due to genetic defects in oxalate metabolism. Direct effects of PTX3 on calcium oxalate crystals were investigated in chemico by adding recombinant PTX3 to supersaturated calcium and oxalate solutions. PTX3, but not isomolar concentrations of albumin, dose-dependently inhibited crystal growth. In vivo, the PTX3 protein was undetectable in tubular epithelial cells and urine of wild-type mice under physiological conditions. However, its levels increased within 3 weeks of feeding an oxalate-rich diet, an exposure inducing hyperoxaluria-related nephrocalcinosis and CKD in selected mouse strains (male and female C57BL/6N and male Balb/c mice) but not in others (male and female 129SV and CD-1, male and female Balb/c mice). Genetic ablation of ptx3 in nephrocalcinosis un-susceptible B6;129 mice was sufficient to raise the oxalate nephropathy phenotype observed in susceptible strains. We conclude that PTX3 is an endogenous inhibitor of calcium oxalate crystal growth. This mechanism limits hyperoxaluria-related nephrocalcinosis, e.g., in primary or secondary hyperoxaluria, and potentially also in the more prevalent kidney stone disease

Medidas da transpiração em porta-enxertos de citros

Estudou-se a variação diurna da transpiração de quatro porta -enxertos de citros, durante 12 horas, em intervalos de 60 minutos, pelo método das pesagens. Verificou-se que não ocorreu diferenças estatísticas na marcha diária da transpiração, entre Poncirus trifoliata, Citrus aurantium (laranja Azeda), Citrus sinensis (laranja Caipira) e Citrus limonia (limão Cravo). O limoeiro Cravo mostrou, nas condições estudadas, área foliar superior à Poncirus, laranja Azeda e laranja Caipira. Observou-se ainda uma correlação positiva entre a área foliar e a transpiração dos quatro porta-enxertos de citros.Diurnal transpiration rates of four citrus rootstocks were measured during 12 hours separated by intervals of 60 minutes, through the weighing method. Plants of Poncirus trifoliata, Citrus aurantium, Citrus sinensis, and Citrus limonia do not present statistical differences in the daily march of transpiration. In the studied conditions C. limonia showed higher leaf area than P. trifoliata, C. aurantium, and C. sinensis. There was a positive correlation between leaf area and transpiration of the four citrus rootstodks

Chemical Linkage to Injected Tissues Is a Distinctive Property of Oxidized Avidin

We recently reported that the oxidized avidin, named AvidinOX®, resides for weeks within injected tissues as a consequence of the formation of Schiff's bases between its aldehyde groups and tissue protein amino groups. We also showed, in a mouse pre-clinical model, the usefulness of AvidinOX for the delivery of radiolabeled biotin to inoperable tumors. Taking into account that AvidinOX is the first oxidized glycoprotein known to chemically link to injected tissues, we tested in the mouse a panel of additional oxidized glycoproteins, with the aim of investigating the phenomenon. We produced oxidized ovalbumin and mannosylated streptavidin which share with avidin glycosylation pattern and tetrameric structure, respectively and found that neither of them linked significantly to cells in vitro nor to injected tissues in vivo, despite the presence of functional aldehyde groups. The study, extended to additional oxidized glycoproteins, showed that the in vivo chemical conjugation is a distinctive property of the oxidized avidin. Relevance of the high cationic charge of avidin into the stable linkage of AvidinOX to tissues is demonstrated as the oxidized acetylated avidin lost the property. Plasmon resonance on matrix proteins and cellular impedance analyses showed in vitro that avidin exhibits a peculiar interaction with proteins and cells that allows the formation of highly stable Schiff's bases, after oxidation