Aspectos teóricos y empíricos de la relación empresa bancos

Desde la perspectiva de la política coyuntural de la empresa, este artículo prueba, para el caso colombiano, lo que los autores han denominado la “hipótesis de Krugman”, según la cual el sector real incide en el desempeño del sector financiero. Con información disponible en la Superintendencia de Valores, para el período 1997-2001, y utilizando el método de la correlación canónica, que establece la correlación entre conjuntos de variables, los resultados permiten concluir que a través de los ingresos operacionales de las empresas y las provisiones del las firmas del sector financiero, el sector real influyó, de manera importante, en el desempeño del sector financiero.From the perspective of the enterprise business cycle policy, this article tests, for the Colombian case, what the authors named “the Krugman’s Hypothesis”, by which the real sector explains partially the performance of the financial sector. With the information available at Superintendencia de Valores, during the period 1997-2001, using the Canonical Analysis method, a method to quantify the correlation between two sets of variable, the results show, through the operational earnings of the businesses and the credit provision of the finance firm, the real sector had an impact on the financial sector

Avance en el diseño de un péptido bloqueador del receptor opioide kappa 2 humano

Se evaluó la posibilidad de predecir una probable estructura secundaria para el Receptor Opioide Kappa 2 humano tomando como base la secuencia de aminoácidos del Receptor Opioide Kappa 1 humano. La estructura predicha mostró ser compatible con los datos que se poseen acerca de este tipo de receptores. Con esta prueba inicial, el proyecto que tiene como objetivo principal diseñar un análogo proteico para el Receptor Opioide Kappa 2 humano, ha mostrado el nivel mínimo de viabilidad necesario para ser continuado

Evolving trends in the management of acute appendicitis during COVID-19 waves. The ACIE appy II study

Background: In 2020, ACIE Appy study showed that COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected the management of patients with acute appendicitis (AA) worldwide, with an increased rate of non-operative management (NOM) strategies and a trend toward open surgery due to concern of virus transmission by laparoscopy and controversial recommendations on this issue. The aim of this study was to survey again the same group of surgeons to assess if any difference in management attitudes of AA had occurred in the later stages of the outbreak. Methods: From August 15 to September 30, 2021, an online questionnaire was sent to all 709 participants of the ACIE Appy study. The questionnaire included questions on personal protective equipment (PPE), local policies and screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection, NOM, surgical approach and disease presentations in 2021. The results were compared with the results from the previous study. Results: A total of 476 answers were collected (response rate 67.1%). Screening policies were significatively improved with most patients screened regardless of symptoms (89.5% vs. 37.4%) with PCR and antigenic test as the preferred test (74.1% vs. 26.3%). More patients tested positive before surgery and commercial systems were the preferred ones to filter smoke plumes during laparoscopy. Laparoscopic appendicectomy was the first option in the treatment of AA, with a declined use of NOM. Conclusion: Management of AA has improved in the last waves of pandemic. Increased evidence regarding SARS-COV-2 infection along with a timely healthcare systems response has been translated into tailored attitudes and a better care for patients with AA worldwide

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Demonstration of Therapeutic Equivalence of Fluconazole Generic Products in the Neutropenic Mouse Model of Disseminated Candidiasis.

Some generics of antibacterials fail therapeutic equivalence despite being pharmaceutical equivalents of their innovators, but data are scarce with antifungals. We used the neutropenic mice model of disseminated candidiasis to challenge the therapeutic equivalence of three generic products of fluconazole compared with the innovator in terms of concentration of the active pharmaceutical ingredient, analytical chemistry (liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry), in vitro susceptibility testing, single-dose serum pharmacokinetics in infected mice, and in vivo pharmacodynamics. Neutropenic, five week-old, murine pathogen free male mice of the strain Udea:ICR(CD-2) were injected in the tail vein with Candida albicans GRP-0144 (MIC = 0.25 mg/L) or Candida albicans CIB-19177 (MIC = 4 mg/L). Subcutaneous therapy with fluconazole (generics or innovator) and sterile saline (untreated controls) started 2 h after infection and ended 24 h later, with doses ranging from no effect to maximal effect (1 to 128 mg/kg per day) divided every 3 or 6 hours. The Hill's model was fitted to the data by nonlinear regression, and results from each group compared by curve fitting analysis. All products were identical in terms of concentration, chromatographic and spectrographic profiles, MICs, mouse pharmacokinetics, and in vivo pharmacodynamic parameters. In conclusion, the generic products studied were pharmaceutically and therapeutically equivalent to the innovator of fluconazole

Antifungal pharmacodynamics: Latin America's perspective

The current increment of invasive fungal infections and the availability of new broad-spectrum antifungal agents has increased the use of these agents by non-expert practitioners, without an impact on mortality. To improve efficacy while minimizing prescription errors and to reduce the high monetary cost to the health systems, the principles of pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) are necessary. A systematic review of the PD of antifungals agents was performed aiming at the practicing physician without expertise in this field. The initial section of this review focuses on the general concepts of antimicrobial PD. In vitro studies, fungal susceptibility and antifungal serum concentrations are related with different doses and dosing schedules, determining the PD indices and the magnitude required to obtain a specific outcome. Herein the PD of the most used antifungal drug classes in Latin America (polyenes, azoles, and echinocandins) is discussed. Keywords: Antifungal agents, Pharmacology, Pharmacodynamics, Pharmacokinetics, Candidiasis, Aspergillosi

Pharmacodynamics of FLC generic products compared with the innovator against <i>C</i>. <i>albicans</i> GRP-0144.

<p>Data from three independent experiments were combined and analyzed by CFA. The innovator (Diflucan) and Claris products were included in all three experiments (54 animals per product), Fresenius in two (36 animals) and Vitalis in one (18 animals). A single curve (solid black line) described the data better than individual ones, indicating that the generics were therapeutically equivalent to the innovator. The horizontal dotted line indicates the fungal load at the beginning of therapy (0 h).</p

Pharmacodynamics of FLC generic products compared with the innovator against <i>C</i>. <i>albicans</i> CIB-19177.

<p>Data from two independent experiments were combined and analyzed by CFA. The innovator (Diflucan) was included in both experiments (42 animals), and Claris, Fresenius and Vitalis in one (21 animals per product). A single curve (solid black line) described the data better than individual ones, indicating that the generics were therapeutically equivalent to the innovator. The horizontal dotted line indicates the fungal load at the beginning of therapy (0 h).</p

Fluconazole products included in the study.

<p>* The price was estimated with the exchange rate at the time of the study (2012).</p><p>Fluconazole products included in the study.</p