A radiodifusão como serviço público: consequências para a possibilidade jurídica de imposição de cotas de conteúdo nacional

Modern life is largely influenced by broadcast services in Brazil, with special attention to commercial television. Policy makers face a constant dilemma over how to rule this sector without damaging the right of speech. To deal with this issue it is necessary to study these services' juridical nature and the consequences of its definition. This essay gives a panoramic view of broadcast services' juridical nature as stated in the 1998 Constitution and also analyzes the limits between regulating these activities and restraining the liberty of speech. These concepts will be then applied to the Brazilian juridical framework with emphasis on the imposition of required percentages of national content at the distribution layer. The concept of public service and the limitation that it imposes upon electronic mass communication service providers, the normative tools of content control and the outcomes of new legislation pertaining content control and other regulatory issues are then analyzed. The conclusion is that the juridical principles related to the broadcast services have not being reflected into concrete benefits towards national content production, although some improvement can be achieved with the expected approval of the Proposition 29 (PL 29) by the Brazilian Congress in 2010.Modern life is largely influenced by broadcast services in Brazil, with special attention to commercial television. Policy makers face a constant dilemma over how to rule this sector without damaging the right of speech. To deal with this issue it is necessary to study these services' juridical nature and the consequences of its definition. This essay gives a panoramic view of broadcast services' juridical nature as stated in the 1998 Constitution and also analyzes the limits between regulating these activities and restraining the liberty of speech. These concepts will be then applied to the Brazilian juridical framework with emphasis on the imposition of required percentages of national content at the distribution layer. The concept of public service and the limitation that it imposes upon electronic mass communication service providers, the normative tools of content control and the outcomes of new legislation pertaining content control and other regulatory issues are then analyzed. The conclusion is that the juridical principles related to the broadcast services have not being reflected into concrete benefits towards national content production, although some improvement can be achieved with the expected approval of the Proposition 29 (PL 29) by the Brazilian Congress in 2010.O serviço de radiodifusão, principalmente no que se refere à televisão comercial, possui grande impacto no Brasil. Contudo, esse serviço enfrenta alguns dilemas no que concerne à atuação estatal no setor e ao respeito à liberdade de expressão. Para lidar com esses problemas, é necessária uma abordagem sobre a natureza jurídica do serviço e as consequências de sua definição. Este trabalho desvenda a natureza jurídica do serviço de radiodifusão tal como previsto na Constituição de 1988, bem como analisa as diferenças entre controle e limitação à liberdade de expressão, para, a partir disso, estudar a sua aplicação no arcabouço jurídico brasileiro, principalmente no que concerne à imposição de cotas de conteúdo nacional. Estuda-se o conceito de serviço público e as limitações que ele impõe ao prestador do serviço, o aparato normativo do controle de conteúdo, e, por fim, as experiências de novos projetos de lei que visam instituir limites e controle de conteúdo aos serviços de comunicação eletrônica de massa no Brasil. Conclui-se que os princípios jurídicos decorrentes da titularidade estatal dos serviços de radiodifusão não têm sido reforçados por medidas concretas de incentivo à produção nacional, embora as discussões atuais do Congresso Nacional no âmbito do Projeto de Lei 29 levantem um de seus aspectos: a exigência de reserva de programação para a produção nacional

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

A radiodifusão como serviço público: consequências para a possibilidade jurídica de imposição de cotas de conteúdo nacional

O serviço de radiodifusão, principalmente no que se refere à televisão comercial, possui grande impacto no Brasil. Contudo, esse serviço enfrenta alguns dilemas no que concerne à atuação estatal no setor e ao respeito à liberdade de expressão. Para lidar com esses problemas, é necessária uma abordagem sobre a natureza jurídica do serviço e as consequências de sua definição. Este trabalho desvenda a natureza jurídica do serviço de radiodifusão tal como previsto na Constituição de 1988, bem como analisa as diferenças entre controle e limitação à liberdade de expressão, para, a partir disso, estudar a sua aplicação no arcabouço jurídico brasileiro, principalmente no que concerne à imposição de cotas de conteúdo nacional. Estuda-se o conceito de serviço público e as limitações que ele impõe ao prestador do serviço, o aparato normativo do controle de conteúdo, e, por fim, as experiências de novos projetos de lei que visam instituir limites e controle de conteúdo aos serviços de comunicação eletrônica de massa no Brasil. Conclui-se que os princípios jurídicos decorrentes da titularidade estatal dos serviços de radiodifusão não têm sido reforçados por medidas concretas de incentivo à produção nacional, embora as discussões atuais do Congresso Nacional no âmbito do Projeto de Lei 29 levantem um de seus aspectos: a exigência de reserva de programação para a produção nacional

Oligosymptomatic long-term carriers of SARS-CoV-2 display impaired innate resistance but increased high-affinity anti-spike antibodies

Summary: The vast spectrum of clinical features of COVID-19 keeps challenging scientists and clinicians. Low resistance to infection might result in long-term viral persistence, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we studied the immune response of immunocompetent COVID-19 patients with prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infection by immunophenotyping, cytokine and serological analysis. Despite viral loads and symptoms comparable to regular mildly symptomatic patients, long-term carriers displayed weaker systemic IFN-I responses and fewer circulating pDCs and NK cells at disease onset. Type 1 cytokines remained low, while type-3 cytokines were in turn enhanced. Of interest, we observed no defects in antigen-specific cytotoxic T cell responses, and circulating antibodies displayed higher affinity against different variants of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein in these patients. The identification of distinct immune responses in long-term carriers adds up to our understanding of essential host protective mechanisms to ensure tissue damage control despite prolonged viral infection

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data

NEOTROPICAL XENARTHRANS: a data set of occurrence of xenarthran species in the Neotropics

Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across their full distribution ranges. The Neotropics harbor 21 species of armadillos, 10 anteaters, and 6 sloths. Our data set includes the families Chlamyphoridae (13), Dasypodidae (7), Myrmecophagidae (3), Bradypodidae (4), and Megalonychidae (2). We have no occurrence data on Dasypus pilosus (Dasypodidae). Regarding Cyclopedidae, until recently, only one species was recognized, but new genetic studies have revealed that the group is represented by seven species. In this data paper, we compiled a total of 42,528 records of 31 species, represented by occurrence and quantitative data, totaling 24,847 unique georeferenced records. The geographic range is from the southern United States, Mexico, and Caribbean countries at the northern portion of the Neotropics, to the austral distribution in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. Regarding anteaters, Myrmecophaga tridactyla has the most records (n = 5,941), and Cyclopes sp. have the fewest (n = 240). The armadillo species with the most data is Dasypus novemcinctus (n = 11,588), and the fewest data are recorded for Calyptophractus retusus (n = 33). With regard to sloth species, Bradypus variegatus has the most records (n = 962), and Bradypus pygmaeus has the fewest (n = 12). Our main objective with Neotropical Xenarthrans is to make occurrence and quantitative data available to facilitate more ecological research, particularly if we integrate the xenarthran data with other data sets of Neotropical Series that will become available very soon (i.e., Neotropical Carnivores, Neotropical Invasive Mammals, and Neotropical Hunters and Dogs). Therefore, studies on trophic cascades, hunting pressure, habitat loss, fragmentation effects, species invasion, and climate change effects will be possible with the Neotropical Xenarthrans data set. Please cite this data paper when using its data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using these data

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AimThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery.MethodsThis was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin.ResultsOverall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P ConclusionOne in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease