UMA ANÁLISE DA ELASTICIDADE-RENDA DE PROTEÍNA ANIMAL NO BRASIL

O Brasil possui um mercado interno potencial para o consumo de alimentos, principalmente para as proteínas animais. A carne, o leite e ovo já fazem parte da alimentação dos brasileiros e sua demanda está ligada a vários fatores, como preços, qualidade, aspectos nutricionais, preferência, gosto e, principalmente, a restrição orçamentária, ou seja, a renda. Junta-se a isso a proteína pescado, que mesmo sendo um alimento muito saudável, não tem um hábito de consumo consolidado no país. A fim de determinar o quanto a renda impacta o consumo de proteína animal, buscou-se neste trabalho estimar as elasticidades-renda da demanda de proteína, no Brasil e suas regiões. As elasticidades foram obtidas por meio do ajustamento de uma poligonal com três segmentos. Os coeficientes de elasticidade-renda do dispêndio, calculados para as carnes de forma geral, foram sempre menores do que 1, sendo a carne bovina, responsável pelos valores extremos: a de primeira, próxima de 1 e a de segunda, próxima de zero. Para a carne suína, o coeficiente só foi menor que a bovina de primeira, e o coeficiente de pescado somente superior ao da bovina de segunda. Para o leite, ovos e frango, os coeficientes foram intermediários.---------------------------------------------Brazil has a potential domestic market for food consumption, mainly for the animal proteins. The meat, the milk and egg are already a part of the Brazilian eating habit and its demand is connected to several factors, like prices, quality, nutritional aspects, preferences, taste and, mainly, the budget restriction, that is, the income. For the protein fish, that same being a very healthy food, it doesn't have a consumption habit consolidated at the country. To determine how much the income impacts on the animal protein consumption, this work estimated the income-elasticities of protein demand in Brazil and their areas. The elasticities were obtained by fitting a three-segment polygonal curve. The income elasticities coefficients, calculated for meat, were always below 1, being beef responsible to extreme values: the beef of first quality is near 1 and the beef of second quality, near zero.For the pork meat, the coefficient was only smaller than the beef of first quality, and the fish coefficient only superior to the of the beef of second quality. For the milk, eggs and chicken, the coefficients were intermediate.Demanda, elasticidade-renda, proteína animal, Demand, Income-elasticity, animal protein, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries,

Comparative analyses of SARS-CoV-2 binding (IgG, IgM, IgA) and neutralizing antibodies from human serum samples

A newly identified coronavirus, named SARS-CoV-2, emerged in December 2019 in Hubei Province, China, and quickly spread throughout the world; so far, it has caused more than 49.7 million cases of disease and 1,2 million deaths. The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection is currently based on the detection of viral RNA in nasopharyngeal swabs by means of molecular-based assays, such as real-time RT-PCR. Furthermore, serological assays detecting different classes of antibodies constitute an excellent surveillance strategy for gathering information on the humoral immune response to infection and the spread of the virus through the population. In addition, it can contribute to evaluate the immunogenicity of novel future vaccines and medicines for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 disease.The aim of this study was to determine SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in human serum samples by means of different commercial and in-house ELISA kits, in order to evaluate and compare their results first with one another and then with those yielded by functional assays using wild-type virus. It is important to identify the level of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM, IgG and IgA antibodies in order to predict human population immunity, possible cross-reactivity with other coronaviruses and to identify potentially infectious subjects.In addition, in a small sub-group of samples, a subtyping IgG ELISA has been performed. Our findings showed a notable statistical correlation between the neutralization titers and the IgG, IgM and IgA ELISA responses against the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein. Thus confirming that antibodies against this portion of the virus spike protein are highly neutralizing and that the ELISA Receptor-Binding Domain-based assay can be used as a valid surrogate for the neutralization assay in laboratories that do not have biosecurity level-3 facilities

UMA ANÁLISE DA ELASTICIDADE-RENDA DE PROTEÍNA ANIMAL NO BRASIL

O Brasil possui um mercado interno potencial para o consumo de alimentos, principalmente para as proteínas animais. A carne, o leite e ovo já fazem parte da alimentação dos brasileiros e sua demanda está ligada a vários fatores, como preços, qualidade, aspectos nutricionais, preferência, gosto e, principalmente, a restrição orçamentária, ou seja, a renda. Junta-se a isso a proteína pescado, que mesmo sendo um alimento muito saudável, não tem um hábito de consumo consolidado no país. A fim de determinar o quanto a renda impacta o consumo de proteína animal, buscou-se neste trabalho estimar as elasticidades-renda da demanda de proteína, no Brasil e suas regiões. As elasticidades foram obtidas por meio do ajustamento de uma poligonal com três segmentos. Os coeficientes de elasticidade-renda do dispêndio, calculados para as carnes de forma geral, foram sempre menores do que 1, sendo a carne bovina, responsável pelos valores extremos: a de primeira, próxima de 1 e a de segunda, próxima de zero. Para a carne suína, o coeficiente só foi menor que a bovina de primeira, e o coeficiente de pescado somente superior ao da bovina de segunda. Para o leite, ovos e frango, os coeficientes foram intermediários.---------------------------------------------Brazil has a potential domestic market for food consumption, mainly for the animal proteins. The meat, the milk and egg are already a part of the Brazilian eating habit and its demand is connected to several factors, like prices, quality, nutritional aspects, preferences, taste and, mainly, the budget restriction, that is, the income. For the protein fish, that same being a very healthy food, it doesn't have a consumption habit consolidated at the country. To determine how much the income impacts on the animal protein consumption, this work estimated the income-elasticities of protein demand in Brazil and their areas. The elasticities were obtained by fitting a three-segment polygonal curve. The income elasticities coefficients, calculated for meat, were always below 1, being beef responsible to extreme values: the beef of first quality is near 1 and the beef of second quality, near zero.For the pork meat, the coefficient was only smaller than the beef of first quality, and the fish coefficient only superior to the of the beef of second quality. For the milk, eggs and chicken, the coefficients were intermediate

Functional analysis of a murine monoclonal antibody against the repetitive region of the fibronectin-binding adhesins fibronectin-binding protein A and fibronectin-binding protein B from Staphylococcus aureus

Fibronectin-binding proteins A and B are multifunctional LPXTG staphylococcal adhesins, comprising an N-terminal region that binds fibrinogen and elastin, and a C-terminal domain that interacts with fibronectin. The C-terminal domain of fibronectin-binding protein A is organized into 11 tandem repeats, six of which bind the ligand with high affinity; other sites bind more weakly. Fibronectin-binding protein B has been postulated to harbor 10 rather than 11 repeats, but it contains the same number of high-affinity fibronectin-binding sites as fibronectin-binding protein A. In this study, we confirm this prediction and show that six of 10 sites bind with dissociation constants in the nanomolar range. We also found that the full-length repetitive region of fibronectin-binding protein B stimulated the production of a mAb (15E11) that binds with high affinity to an epitope shared by repeats 9 and 10 from both adhesins. With the use of truncated fragments of repeat 9 of fibronectin-binding protein A, we mapped the antibody epitope to the N-terminal segment and the fibronectin-binding site to the C-terminal segment of the repeat. The distinct localization of the 15E11 epitope and the fibronectin-binding site suggests that the interfering effect of the antibody might result from steric hindrance or a conformational change in the structure that reduces the accessibility of fibronectin to its binding determinant. The epitope is well exposed on the surface of staphylococcal cells, as determined by genetic analyses, fluorescence microscopy, and flow cytometry. When incubated with cells of Staphylococcs aureus strains, 15E11 inhibits attachment of bacteria to surface-coated fibronectin by almost 70%

Ticagrelor in patients with diabetes and stable coronary artery disease with a history of previous percutaneous coronary intervention (THEMIS-PCI) : a phase 3, placebo-controlled, randomised trial

Background: Patients with stable coronary artery disease and diabetes with previous percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), particularly those with previous stenting, are at high risk of ischaemic events. These patients are generally treated with aspirin. In this trial, we aimed to investigate if these patients would benefit from treatment with aspirin plus ticagrelor. Methods: The Effect of Ticagrelor on Health Outcomes in diabEtes Mellitus patients Intervention Study (THEMIS) was a phase 3 randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, done in 1315 sites in 42 countries. Patients were eligible if 50 years or older, with type 2 diabetes, receiving anti-hyperglycaemic drugs for at least 6 months, with stable coronary artery disease, and one of three other mutually non-exclusive criteria: a history of previous PCI or of coronary artery bypass grafting, or documentation of angiographic stenosis of 50% or more in at least one coronary artery. Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to either ticagrelor or placebo, by use of an interactive voice-response or web-response system. The THEMIS-PCI trial comprised a prespecified subgroup of patients with previous PCI. The primary efficacy outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (measured in the intention-to-treat population). Findings: Between Feb 17, 2014, and May 24, 2016, 11 154 patients (58% of the overall THEMIS trial) with a history of previous PCI were enrolled in the THEMIS-PCI trial. Median follow-up was 3·3 years (IQR 2·8–3·8). In the previous PCI group, fewer patients receiving ticagrelor had a primary efficacy outcome event than in the placebo group (404 [7·3%] of 5558 vs 480 [8·6%] of 5596; HR 0·85 [95% CI 0·74–0·97], p=0·013). The same effect was not observed in patients without PCI (p=0·76, p interaction=0·16). The proportion of patients with cardiovascular death was similar in both treatment groups (174 [3·1%] with ticagrelor vs 183 (3·3%) with placebo; HR 0·96 [95% CI 0·78–1·18], p=0·68), as well as all-cause death (282 [5·1%] vs 323 [5·8%]; 0·88 [0·75–1·03], p=0·11). TIMI major bleeding occurred in 111 (2·0%) of 5536 patients receiving ticagrelor and 62 (1·1%) of 5564 patients receiving placebo (HR 2·03 [95% CI 1·48–2·76], p<0·0001), and fatal bleeding in 6 (0·1%) of 5536 patients with ticagrelor and 6 (0·1%) of 5564 with placebo (1·13 [0·36–3·50], p=0·83). Intracranial haemorrhage occurred in 33 (0·6%) and 31 (0·6%) patients (1·21 [0·74–1·97], p=0·45). Ticagrelor improved net clinical benefit: 519/5558 (9·3%) versus 617/5596 (11·0%), HR=0·85, 95% CI 0·75–0·95, p=0·005, in contrast to patients without PCI where it did not, p interaction=0·012. Benefit was present irrespective of time from most recent PCI. Interpretation: In patients with diabetes, stable coronary artery disease, and previous PCI, ticagrelor added to aspirin reduced cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke, although with increased major bleeding. In that large, easily identified population, ticagrelor provided a favourable net clinical benefit (more than in patients without history of PCI). This effect shows that long-term therapy with ticagrelor in addition to aspirin should be considered in patients with diabetes and a history of PCI who have tolerated antiplatelet therapy, have high ischaemic risk, and low bleeding risk