Ciclos de crecimiento en Argentina: comportamiento reciente

This article presents a characterization of Argentina’s gross domestic product (GDP) cycles of the last four decades. The extraction strategy follows two well-known approaches: the classic and the growth cycle. Both approaches show related results in terms of the number of cycles; cycles’ duration; the prevalence of expansions to contractions’ duration; cycles’ dating; and, the intensity of the different phases. The selection criteria used in the literature allowed the Christiano and Fitzgerald (CF) filter to stand out with desirable characteristics for Argentina’s GDP series over the rest of the alternatives considered in the growth cycle analysis.Este artículo presenta una caracterización de los ciclos de crecimiento de Argentina de las últimas cuatro décadas. La estrategia de extracción reposó en dos métodos ampliamente conocidos: el enfoque clásico y el enfoque del ciclo de crecimiento. Ambos enfoques muestran resultados similares en términos de: el número de ciclos, la duración de los mismos, la prevalencia de duración de las expansiones por sobre las contracciones, la datación de los ciclos, y la intensidad de las diferentes fases. En el enfoque del ciclo de crecimiento, el filtro de Christiano y Fitzgerald (CF), en su aplicación empírica sobre el producto interno bruto (PIB) de Argentina, exhibió ciertas características deseables en comparación con otros filtros también contemplados en el análisis.Facultad de Ciencias Económica

China and Latin America and the Caribbean: Exports competition in the United States market

This paper uses an augmented gravity trade model to examine the impact of Chinese exports to the United States on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) exports to the same market over the last two decades. The analysis relies on a sample of 33 LAC countries and trade data disaggregated to the 10- digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) level. The results show that the impact of Chinese exports on US imports from LAC is negative and statistically significant across model specifications and levels of aggregation in the trade data. In addition, the model suggests that after accounting for such export competition, Free Trade Agreements with the United States, on average, increased imports from LAC countries by up to 1.5 percent. That is, countries with a trade agreement with the US have an advantage over those without, particularly in the manufacturing sector.Abstract. -- Introduction. I. Export competition between China and Latin America and the Caribbean .-- II. Similarity of Latin American and Chinese export structures. -- III. Gravity models of trade. -- IV. Augmented gravity models and export competition. -- V. Estimation approach. -- VI. Data .-- VII. Results. A. Baseline gravity model. B. Specification tests. C. Instrumental variable results. D. Industry results .-- VIII. Conclusions

A novel splicing variant of col2a1 in a fetus with achondrogenesis type ii: Interpretation of pathogenicity of in-frame deletions

Achondrogenesis type II (ACG2) is a lethal skeletal dysplasia caused by dominant pathogenic variants in COL2A1. Most of the variants found in patients with ACG2 affect the glycine residue included in the Gly-X-Y tripeptide repeat that characterizes the type II collagen helix. In this study, we reported a case of a novel splicing variant of COL2A1 in a fetus with ACG2. An NGS analysis of fetal DNA revealed a heterozygous variant c.1267-2_1269del located in intron 20/exon 21. The variant occurred de novo since it was not detected in DNA from the blood samples of parents. We generated an appropriate minigene construct to study the effect of the variant detected. The minigene expression resulted in the synthesis of a COL2A1 messenger RNA lacking exon 21, which generated a predicted in-frame deleted protein. Usually, in-frame deletion variants of COL2A1 cause a phenotype such as Kniest dysplasia, which is milder than ACG2. Therefore, we propose that the size and position of an in-frame deletion in COL2A1 may be relevant in determining the phenotype of skeletal dysplasia

Desarrollo económico y desempeño logístico : un enfoque probabilístico

There is not a consensus about a complete set of explanatory variables that could ultimately explain the linkages behind achieving economic development. In spite of this, determinants of economic development and especially the linkages between economic development and logistics performance are topics of growing interest within the recent literature, both in economic growth theory and maritime studies. In this paper our attention is focused on the importance of logistics performance as one of the explanatory variables for economic development. To this end, we have estimated different econometric models in an attempt to explain the probability of a country being economically developed, based on a number of traditional explanatory variables (including natural endowments, economic openness, and institutional framework, among others) along with logistics performance as the major theoretical innovation. The applied methodology follows the binary choice framework described in probit models. In the next step the research is concentrated on the determination of possible endogenous causalities of the economic development. In the last section we estimate the logistics gap, measured as a probability of reaching economic development that varies due to differences in the levels of logistics performance. Our main finding shows that logistics performance is closely related to the probability of a country being developed. Specifically, the probability of being a developed country increases when logistics performance is improved.En la literatura económica, no existe un pleno consenso acerca del conjunto de variables explicativas que inciden sobre el desarrollo económico. Por otra parte, la vinculación entre el crecimiento y desarrollo económico y el desempeño logístico son tópicos de creciente interés en la literatura especializada. En este documento prestamos especial atención al papel del desempeño logístico como una de las variables explicativas del desarrollo económico. Para este fin, hemos estimado diferentes modelos econométricos que buscan explicar cómo se afecta la probabilidad de un país de ser desarrollado al considerar algunas variables explicativas tradicionales (la dotación de recursos naturales, la apertura económica, y variables institucionales, entre otras), junto con el desempeño logístico. La metodología aplicada se basó en la utilización de modelos probit. El principal hallazgo del trabajo ha sido el de encontrar una incidencia positiva entre el desempeño logístico y la probabilidad de un país de ser desarrollado. Particularmente, la probabilidad de un país de ser desarrollado se incrementa cuando mejora el desempeño logístico

A novel ABCC6 variant causative of pseudoxanthoma elasticum

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum is an autosomal recessive heritable disorder caused by mutations in ABCC6. We describetwo siblings showing typical skin lesions and a clinical diagnosis of pseudoxanthoma elasticum. Genetic analysis ofABCC6 revealed a novel homozygous c.4041G > A variant located in the last position of exon 28 that compromises thesplicing donor site, resulting in a shorter messenger RNA. The deletion impairs the nucleotide-binding fold region,which is crucial for ABCC6 function

Patient-Reported Outcomes and Quality of Life Assessment. New Targets for New Targeted Therapy?

No abstract availabl

ReSETting PP2A tumour suppressor activity in blast crisis and imatinib-resistant chronic myelogenous leukaemia

The deregulated kinase activity of p210-BCR/ABL oncoproteins, hallmark of chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML), induces and sustains the leukaemic phenotype, and contributes to disease progression. Imatinib mesylate, a BCR/ABL kinase inhibitor, is effective in most of chronic phase CML patients. However, a significant percentage of CML patients develop resistance to imatinib and/or still progresses to blast crisis, a disease stage that is often refractory to imatinib therapy. Furthermore, there is compelling evidence indicating that the CML leukaemia stem cell is also resistant to imatinib. Thus, there is still a need for new drugs that, if combined with imatinib, will decrease the rate of relapse, fully overcome imatinib resistance and prevent blastic transformation of CML. We recently reported that the activity of the tumour suppressor protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is markedly inhibited in blast crisis CML patient cells and that molecular or pharmacologic re-activation of PP2A phosphatase led to growth suppression, enhanced apoptosis, impaired clonogenic potential and decreased in vivo leukaemogenesis of imatinib-sensitive and -resistant (T315I included) CML-BC patient cells and/or BCR/ABL+ myeloid progenitor cell lines. Thus, the combination of PP2A phosphatase-activating and BCR/ABL kinase-inhibiting drugs may represent a powerful therapeutic strategy for blast crisis CML patients

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cell Biology

Leukemia progression and relapse is fueled by leukemia stem cells (LSC) that are resistant to current treatments. In the progression of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), blast crisis progenitors are capable of adopting more primitive but deregulated stem cell features with acquired resistance to targeted therapies. This in turn promotes LSC behavior characterized by aberrant self-renewal, differentiation, and survival capacity. Multiple reports suggest that cell cycle alterations, activation of critical signaling pathways, aberrant microenvironmental cues from the hematopoietic niche, and aberrant epigenetic events and deregulation of RNA processing may facilitate the enhanced survival and malignant transformation of CML progenitors. Here we review the molecular evolution of CML LSC that promotes CML progression and relapse. Recent advances in these areas have identified novel targets that represent important avenues for future therapeutic approaches aimed at selectively eradicating the LSC population while sparing normal hematopoietic progenitors in patients suffering from chronic myeloid malignancies

Solid variant of aneurysmal bone cyst of the heel: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>An aneurysmal bone cyst is a benign but often rapidly expanding osteolytic multi-cystic osseous lesion that occurs as a primary, secondary, intra-osseous, extra-osseous, solid or conventional lesion. It frequently coexists with other benign and malignant bone tumors. Although it is considered to be reactive in nature, there is evidence that some aneurysmal bone cysts are true neoplasms. The solid variant of aneurysmal bone cyst is a rare subtype of aneurysmal bone cyst with a preponderance of solid to cystic elements. Such a case affecting the heel, an unusual site, is reported.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 26-year-old Caucasian man presented with pain and swelling in his left lower extremity. A plain radiograph demonstrated an intra-osseous, solitary, eccentric mass in the front portion of the left heel. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans showed that the lesion appeared to be sub-cortical, solid with a small cystic portion without the characteristic fluid-fluid level detection but with distinct internal septation. Bone images containing fluid-fluid levels are usually produced by aneurysmal bone cysts. The fluid-fluid level due to bleeding within the tumor followed by layering of the blood components based density differences, but it was not seen in our case. An intra-lesional excision was performed. Microscopic examination revealed fibrous septa with spindle cell fibroblastic proliferation, capillaries and extensive areas of mature osteoid and reactive woven bone formation rimmed by osteoblasts. The spindle cells had low mitotic activity, and atypical forms were absent. The histological features of the lesion were consistent with the solid variant of an aneurysmal bone cyst.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Solid aneurysmal bone cysts have been of great interest to pathologists because they may be mistaken for malignant tumors, mainly in cases of giant cell tumors or osteosarcomas, because of cellularity and variable mitotic activity. It is rather obvious that the correlation of clinical, radiological and histological findings is necessary for the differential diagnosis. The eventual diagnosis is based on microscopic evidence and is made when a predominance of solid to cystic elements is found. The present case is of great interest because of the nature of the neoplasm and the extremely unusual location in which it developed. Pathologists must be alert for such a diagnosis.</p