Hemoglobinopatias no Distrito Federal, Brasil

Em uma amostra de 3137 pessoas, residentes no Distrito Federal, foram detectadas as seguintes hemoglobinas: em 3009(95,92%) HbAA; em 91 (2,90%) HbAS; em 20(0,64%) HbAC; em 8 (0,26%) talassemia beta minor; em 5(0,16%) HbAJ alfa; em 3 (0,09%) HbAM e em 1 (0,03%) talassemia major associada com HbAS. A HbAS têm as seguintes freqüências, quanto ao grupo racial: branco - 1,84%; mulato claro 2,55%; mulato médio-3,68%; mulato escuro - 6,80%; negro -10,43% e mestiço de índio -3,85%.The hemoglobins of 3137 persons from the Federal District, Brazil was studied. The identified types of hemoglobins were: HbAA (3009 - 95,92%); HbAS (91 - 2,90%); HbAC (20 - 0,64%) beta thalassemia minor (8 - 0,26%); HbAJ alpha (5 - 0,16%); HbAM (3 - 0,09%) and beta thalassemia major/HbS (1 - 0,03%). The frequencies of sickle cell trait (HbAS) of each racial class were: white (1,84%); light mulatto (2,55%); medium mulatto (3,68%); dark mulatto(6,80%), negro (10,43%)and indian mestizo (3,85%)

First national assessment of wildlife mortality in Ecuador: an effort from citizens and academia to collect roadkill data at country scale

Ecuador has both high richness and high endemism, which are increasingly threatened by anthropic pressures, including roads. Research evaluating the effects of roads remains scarce, making it difficult to develop mitigation plans. Here, we present the first national assessment of wildlife mortality on roads that allow us to (1) estimate roadkill rates per species, (2) identify affected species and areas, and (3) reveal knowledge gaps. We bring together data from systematic surveys and citizen science efforts to present a dataset with 5010 wildlife roadkill records from 392 species, and we also provide 333 standardized corrected roadkill rates calculated on 242 species. Systematic surveys were reported by ten studies from five Ecuadorian provinces, revealing 242 species with corrected roadkill rates ranging from 0.03 to 171.72 ind./km/year. The highest rates were for the yellow warbler Setophaga petechia in Galapagos (171.72 ind./km/year), the cane toad Rhinella marina in Manabi (110.70 ind./km/year), and the Galapagos lava lizard Microlophus albemarlensis (47.17 ind./km/year). Citizen science and other nonsystematic monitoring provided 1705 roadkill records representing all 24 provinces in Ecuador and 262 identified species. The common opossum Didelphis marsupialis, the Andean white-eared opossum Didelphis pernigra, and the yellow warbler Setophaga petechia were more commonly reported (250, 104, and 81 individuals, respectively). Across all sources, we found 15 species listed as “Threatened” and six as “Data Deficient” by the IUCN. We recommend stronger research efforts in areas where the mortality of endemic or threatened species could be critical for populations, such as in Galapagos. This first country-wide assessment of wildlife mortality on Ecuadorian roads represents contributions from academia, members of the public, and government, underlining the value of wider engagement and collaboration. We hope these findings and the compiled dataset will guide sensible driving and sustainable planning of infrastructure in Ecuador and, ultimately, contribute to reduce wildlife mortality on roads

Peginterferon still has a place in the treatment of hepatitis C caused by genotype 3 virus

Despite recent advances in therapy for chronic hepatitis C (CHC), the disease caused by genotype 3 virus (GEN3) is still considered a treatment challenge in certain patient subgroups. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the peginterferon (Peg-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) combination treatment for GEN3/CHC patients, and to evaluate sustained virological response (SVR) indicators and early treatment interruption due to serious adverse events (SAE). This was a retrospective observational study of GEN3/CHC patients, co-infected or not by HIV and treated with Peg-IFN/RBV in nine Brazilian healthcare centers. The study sample included 184 GEN3/CHC patients; 70 (38%) were co-infected with HIV. The overall SVR rate was 57.1% (95% CI 50-64). Among co-infected and mono-infected patients, the SVR rate was 51.4% (36/70) and 60.5% (69/114), respectively (p=0.241). Thirty-four (18.5%) patients experienced SAE and interrupted treatment. SVR was negatively associated with the use of Peg-IFN alpha 2b (PR 0.75; 95% CI 0.58-0.99; p=0.045) and to early treatment interruption due to SAE (PR 0.36; 95% CI 0.20-0.68; p=0.001). Early treatment interruption due to SAE was associated with age (PR 1.06; 95% CI 1.02-1.10;

Depuranat project: sustainable management of wastewater in rural areas

The Urban Wastewater Directive is aiming to implement adequate treatments of collected wastewater before 31 December 2005 in small communities with a population until 2000 equivalentinhabitant. Within the framework of the DEPURANAT project, co-financed by the European Interregional Cooperation Programme (Interreg IIIB Atlantic Arc), several Natural Reclamation Systems (NRS) based upon no-conventional technologies of wastewater treatment, have been studied from different points of view in rural areas: their effectiveness for producing regenerated wastewater of acceptable quality for several reuse options and vegetal biomass for different purposes, their environmental integration or their potential of implementation. Most of these treatment plants achieved high mean removal efficiencies: TSS (73–96%); BOD5 (74–94%); COD (53–90%); E. coli (2–3 log units); Enterococci (1.5–4 log units). The environmental impact of the systems was determined using an adapted life cycle assessment methodology and the economic analysis of the systems was focused on analysing the financial indicators, empirical cost functions, and the potential market for these technologies. Furthermore, maps of potential implementation of these systems and a support tool for deciding upon the installation of conventional or NRS were designed with the aim of promoting them.Communitary Interreg III-B Atlantic Area of EuropeDEPURANAT consortiu

A Critical Review of Biomarkers Used for Monitoring Human Exposure to Lead: Advantages, Limitations, and Future Needs

Lead concentration in whole blood (BPb) is the primary biomarker used to monitor exposure to this metallic element. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization define a BPb of 10 μg/dL (0.48 μmol/L) as the threshold of concern in young children. However, recent studies have reported the possibility of adverse health effects, including intellectual impairment in young children, at BPb levels < 10 μg/dL, suggesting that there is no safe level of exposure. It appears impossible to differentiate between low-level chronic Pb exposure and a high-level short Pb exposure based on a single BPb measurement; therefore, serial BPb measurements offer a better estimation of possible health outcomes. The difficulty in assessing the exact nature of Pb exposure is dependent not so much on problems with current analytical methodologies, but rather on the complex toxicokinetics of Pb within various body compartments (i.e., cycling of Pb between bone, blood, and soft tissues). If we are to differentiate more effectively between Pb stored in the body for years and Pb from recent exposure, information on other biomarkers of exposure may be needed. None of the current biomarkers of internal Pb dose have yet been accepted by the scientific community as a reliable substitute for a BPb measurement. This review focuses on the limitations of biomarkers of Pb exposure and the need to improve the accuracy of their measurement. We present here only the traditional analytical protocols in current use, and we attempt to assess the influence of confounding variables on BPb levels. Finally, we discuss the interpretation of BPb data with respect to both external and endogenous Pb exposure, past or recent exposure, as well as the significance of Pb determinations in human specimens including hair, nails, saliva, bone, blood (plasma, whole blood), urine, feces, and exfoliated teeth

Trends in the epidemiology of catheter-related bloodstream infections; towards a paradigm shift, Spain, 2007 to 2019

Altres ajuts: Departament de Salut. Generalitat de Catalunya ("Pla estratègic de recerca i innovació en salut (PERIS) 2019-2021"); Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital; Red Española de Investigación en Patología Infecciosa (REIPI).Background: Catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) are frequent healthcare-associated infections and an important cause of death. Aim: To analyse changes in CRBSI epidemiology observed by the Infection Control Catalan Programme (VINCat). Methods: A cohort study including all hospital-acquired CRBSI episodes diagnosed at 55 hospitals (2007-2019) in Catalonia, Spain, was prospectively conducted. CRBSI incidence rates were adjusted per 1,000patientdays. To assess the CRBSI rate trend per year, negative binomial models were used, with the number of events as the dependent variable, and the year as the main independent variable. From each model, the annual rate of CRBSI diagnosed per 1,000patientdays and the incidence rate ratio (IRR) with its 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. Results: During the study, 9,290 CRBSI episodes were diagnosed (mean annual incidence rate:0.20episodes/1,000patientdays). Patients' median age was 64.1years; 36.6% (3,403/9,290) were female. In total, 73.7% (n=6,845) of CRBSI occurred in non-intensive care unit (ICU) wards, 62.7% (n=5,822) were related to central venous catheter (CVC), 24.1% (n=2,236) to peripheral venous catheters (PVC) and 13.3% (n=1,232) to peripherally-inserted central venous catheters (PICVC). Incidence rate fell over the study period (IRR:0.94;95%CI:0.93-0.96), especially in the ICU (IRR:0.88;95%CI:0.87-0.89). As a whole, while episodes of CVC CRBSI fell significantly (IRR:0.88;95%CI:0.87-0.91), peripherally-inserted catheter CRBSI (PVC and PICVC) rose, especially in medical wards (IRR PICVC:1.08;95%CI:1.05-1.11; IRR PVC: 1.03; 95% 1.00-1.05). Conclusions: Over the study, CRBSIs associated with CVC and diagnosed in ICUs decreased while episodes in conventional wards involving peripherally-inserted catheters increased. Hospitals should implement preventive measures in conventional wards

Una mirada a las diferentes perspectivas de los negocios internacionales: estrategias, principios y casos de internacionalización

Este libro consolida resultados de investigación que permiten mirar los negocios internacionales a partir de diferentes perspectivas, proporcionando un aporte sistémico para la academia y el mercado. A partir de discusiones del punto de vista de relaciones internacionales, comercio exterior, logística, estrategias de internacionalización y negociación, esta obra discute aspectos actuales aplicables y relacionados a la actuación de las empresas colombianas en el mercado internacional, sus oportunidades y potencialidades competitivas. A lo largo de sus siete capítulos e introducción, el libro “Una mirada a las diferentes perspectivas de los Negocios Internacionales: Estrategias, principios y casos de internacionalización” presenta diferentes metodologías, herramientas, fundamentos y casos de referencia que pueden apoyar profesionales en el estudio y en la práctica de los negocios internacionales

Identification of heavy-flavour jets with the CMS detector in pp collisions at 13 TeV

Many measurements and searches for physics beyond the standard model at the LHC rely on the efficient identification of heavy-flavour jets, i.e. jets originating from bottom or charm quarks. In this paper, the discriminating variables and the algorithms used for heavy-flavour jet identification during the first years of operation of the CMS experiment in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, are presented. Heavy-flavour jet identification algorithms have been improved compared to those used previously at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. For jets with transverse momenta in the range expected in simulated $\mathrm{t}\overline{\mathrm{t}}$ events, these new developments result in an efficiency of 68% for the correct identification of a b jet for a probability of 1% of misidentifying a light-flavour jet. The improvement in relative efficiency at this misidentification probability is about 15%, compared to previous CMS algorithms. In addition, for the first time algorithms have been developed to identify jets containing two b hadrons in Lorentz-boosted event topologies, as well as to tag c jets. The large data sample recorded in 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV has also allowed the development of new methods to measure the efficiency and misidentification probability of heavy-flavour jet identification algorithms. The heavy-flavour jet identification efficiency is measured with a precision of a few per cent at moderate jet transverse momenta (between 30 and 300 GeV) and about 5% at the highest jet transverse momenta (between 500 and 1000 GeV)

Particle-flow reconstruction and global event description with the CMS detector

The CMS apparatus was identified, a few years before the start of the LHC operation at CERN, to feature properties well suited to particle-flow (PF) reconstruction: a highly-segmented tracker, a fine-grained electromagnetic calorimeter, a hermetic hadron calorimeter, a strong magnetic field, and an excellent muon spectrometer. A fully-fledged PF reconstruction algorithm tuned to the CMS detector was therefore developed and has been consistently used in physics analyses for the first time at a hadron collider. For each collision, the comprehensive list of final-state particles identified and reconstructed by the algorithm provides a global event description that leads to unprecedented CMS performance for jet and hadronic tau decay reconstruction, missing transverse momentum determination, and electron and muon identification. This approach also allows particles from pileup interactions to be identified and enables efficient pileup mitigation methods. The data collected by CMS at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV show excellent agreement with the simulation and confirm the superior PF performance at least up to an average of 20 pileup interactions

Measurement of differential cross sections for top quark pair production using the lepton plus jets final state in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV

National Science Foundation (U.S.