Project Management Linked to Food Acquisition Program – Simultaneous Donation in Minas Gerais State

O Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos – Compra Direta com Doação Simultânea (PAA-DS) é uma política pública voltada para a agricultura familiar, na qual somente associações e cooperativas podem desenvolver projetos em tal modalidade. Este artigo mapeou as ferramentas gerenciais de tais organizações no Estado de Minas Gerais, o qual foi escolhido em razão da relevância de sua agricultura familiar no cenário nacional. Os resultados, obtidos por meio da aplicação on-line de 117 questionários a entrevistados com experiência na gestão do PAA-DS nas organizações proponentes, sobretudo associações, apontaram que a maioria delas não cumpria o projeto no prazo estabelecido. Os principais motivos disso foram: i) a inexistência, na maior parte dessas associações, de um Sistema de Informação Gerencial capaz de agregar, em um só programa, todas as etapas de gestão do PAA-DS; e ii) a falta de planejamento estratégico nas atividades das organizações proponentes e daquelas que, ao realizarem tal atividade, o fazem, sobretudo, no curto prazo. Entretanto, observaram-se pontos positivos na gestão de tais projetos, como a existência, na maior parte dos casos, de um responsável exclusivo pela condução do PAA-DS dentro da organização, assim como indícios de prática, nela, das funções administrativas Planejamento (notadamente no que tange à produção com os agricultores), Organização, Direção e Controle (PODC).El Programa de Adquisición de Alimentos – Compra Directa con Donación Simultánea (PAA-DS) es una política pública volcada a la agricultura familiar, en la cual solamente asociaciones y cooperativas pueden desarrollar proyectos en tal modalidad. Este artículo mapeó las herramientas gerenciales de tales organizaciones en el Estado de Minas Gerais, el cual fue escogido por motivo de la relevancia de su agricultura familiar en el escenario nacional. Los resultados, obtenidos mediante la aplicación on-line de 117 cuestionarios a entrevistados con experiencia en la gestión del PAA-DS en las organizaciones proponentes, sobretodo asociaciones, señalaron que la mayoría de ellas no cumplía el proyecto en el plazo establecido. Los principales motivos de eso fueron: i) la inexistencia, en la mayor parte de esas asociaciones, de un Sistema de Información Gerencial capaz de agregar, en un solo programa, todas las etapas de gestión del PAA-DS; y ii) la falta de planificación estratégica en las actividades de las organizaciones proponentes y de aquellas que, al realizar tal actividad, lo hacen, sobretodo, en corto plazo. Entretanto, se observaron puntos positivos en la gestión de tales proyectos, como la existencia, en la mayor parte de los casos, de un responsable exclusivo por la conducción del PAA-DS dentro de la organización, así como indicios de práctica, en ella, de las funciones administrativas Planificación (especialmente en lo que respecta a la producción con los agricultores), Organización, Dirección y Control (PODC).The Food Acquisition Program – Direct Purchase Modality with Simultaneous Donation (PAA-DS) is a public policy designed for family agriculture, in which only associations and cooperatives can access this mode. This paper mapped the managerial tools of such organizations in the State of Minas Gerais, which choice was due to the importance of its family agriculture in the Brazilian scenario. The results, collected through an online questionnaire with 117 respondents with experience in the management of PAA-DS in these bidder organizations – mainly associations – showed that most of the organizations did not finish the project on time. The main reasons for this were: i) the absence, in most of these associations, of a Management Information System able to aggregate, in a single program, every management step of PAADS; and ii) lack of strategic planning in the activities of the bidder organizations and of those that, in performing such activity, do it mainly in the short term. However, some positive points in the management of these projects were observed, such as the existence in most of cases of a person exclusively responsible for the conduction of PAA-DS within the organization, as well as evidence of administrative functions such as Planning (especially with respect to farmers’ production), Organization, Direction and Control (PODC)

Systemic chemotherapy induces microsatellite instability in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of breast cancer patients

INTRODUCTION: Systemic chemotherapy is an important part of treatment for breast cancer. We conducted the present study to evaluate whether systemic chemotherapy could produce microsatellite instability (MSI) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell fraction of breast cancer patients. METHODS: We studied 119 sequential blood samples from 30 previously untreated breast cancer patients before, during and after chemotherapy. For comparison, we also evaluated 20 women who had no relevant medical history (control group). RESULTS: In 27 out of 30 patients we observed MSI in at least one sample, and six patients had loss of heterozygosity. We found a significant correlation between the number of MSI events per sample and chemotherapy with alkylating agents (P < 0.0001). We also observed an inverse correlation between the percentage of cells positive for hMSH2 and the number of MSI events per sample (P = 0.00019) and use of alkylating agents (P = 0.019). CONCLUSION: We conclude that systemic chemotherapy may induce MSI and loss of heterozygosity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from breast cancer patients receiving alkylating agents, possibly mediated by a chemotherapy-induced decrease in the expression of hMSH2. These effects may be related to the generation of secondary leukaemia in some patients, and may also intensify the genetic instability of tumours and increase resistance to treatment

Hepcidin is regulated by promoter-associated histone acetylation and HDAC3.

Hepcidin regulates systemic iron homeostasis. Suppression of hepcidin expression occurs physiologically in iron deficiency and increased erythropoiesis but is pathologic in thalassemia and hemochromatosis. Here we show that epigenetic events govern hepcidin expression. Erythropoiesis and iron deficiency suppress hepcidin via erythroferrone-dependent and -independent mechanisms, respectively, in vivo, but both involve reversible loss of H3K9ac and H3K4me3 at the hepcidin locus. In vitro, pan-histone deacetylase inhibition elevates hepcidin expression, and in vivo maintains H3K9ac at hepcidin-associated chromatin and abrogates hepcidin suppression by erythropoietin, iron deficiency, thalassemia, and hemochromatosis. Histone deacetylase 3 and its cofactor NCOR1 regulate hepcidin; histone deacetylase 3 binds chromatin at the hepcidin locus, and histone deacetylase 3 knockdown counteracts hepcidin suppression induced either by erythroferrone or by inhibiting bone morphogenetic protein signaling. In iron deficient mice, the histone deacetylase 3 inhibitor RGFP966 increases hepcidin, and RNA sequencing confirms hepcidin is one of the genes most differentially regulated by this drug in vivo. We conclude that suppression of hepcidin expression involves epigenetic regulation by histone deacetylase 3.Hepcidin controls systemic iron levels by inhibiting intestinal iron absorption and iron recycling. Here, Pasricha et al. demonstrate that the hepcidin-chromatin locus displays HDAC3-mediated reversible epigenetic modifications during both erythropoiesis and iron deficiency

Integrando escalas y métodos LTER para comprender la dinámica global de un espacio protegido de montaña: el Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido.

Los espacios protegidos, por el hecho de albergar una gran geo-biodiversidad y asegurar una baja intervención humana, constituyen lugares muy adecuados para el seguimiento de organismos y procesos a escala ecológica, así como para la obtención de series temporales largas a escala geológica. En el marco de la red LTER-España, el Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido (PNOMP) y el Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología-CSIC están impulsando estudios para la detección de cambios a distintas escalas mediante variados métodos y aproximaciones. Destacamos aquí los más consolidados, entre los que se encuentran los análisis de registros de sedimentos en lagos, espeleotemas en cuevas, la dinámica de uno de los pocos glaciares activos de la Península ibérica, el análisis físico-químico de aguas corrientes e ibones de alta montaña, el registro del cambio climático actual en árboles longevos, la afección que éste ejerce sobre masas actuales de pinos en el límite superior del bosque y de abetales en zonas húmedas, la matorralización de algunos pastos y los procesos mecanicistas que subyacen, la reorganización de la diversidad florística en pastos tras el abandono paulatino o drástico de la ganadería, la biodiversidad de las comunidades alpinas y la dinámica poblacional de especies amenazadas o indicadoras de hábitats o de motores de cambio global. Los seguimientos ecológicos actuales muestran que tanto el cambio climático como el de usos del suelo están teniendo una considerable trascendencia en la fisionomía y la estructura de algunos de los ambientes más icónicos y frecuentes del parque (deterioro del glaciar, termofilización de la flora en cumbres alpinas, densificación del bosque en su límite superior, pérdida de productividad en algunos pastos supraforestales, etc.). También sugieren una importante variabilidad espacial en los procesos (por ej. en el PNOMP conviven pastos matorralizados y pastos muy estables), y evidencian que los cambios observados no siempre siguen los paradigmas establecidos (por ej., las especies amenazadas mantienen dinámicas poblacionales estables). La integración de resultados parciales proporcionados por cada aproximación relativiza la importancia de las percepciones que cada estudio destaca por separado, y permite medir los cambios actuales en el marco de referencia de los cambios a escala geológica.Predecir la resistencia y resiliencia de los ecosistemas o las poblaciones de seres vivos para enfrentarse a los futuros cambios ambientales es complicado, no sólo por la falta de conocimientos disponibles sino también porque las respuestas que observamos no siempre son tan rápidas o lineales como se espera. La modelización constituye una herramienta cada vez más utilizada, pero requiere de evidencias reales para validar sus pronósticos, por lo que la observación de los procesos que actúan en el PNOMP ha de incluir un esfuerzo continuado de monitorización multiescalar y multidisciplinar de los distintos componentes de la geo, hidro-, crio- y biosfera, sin olvidar el componente humano. Entender la complejidad supone conectar las interacciones que existen entre todos los sistemas y ponderar sus efectos según las escalas de trabajo

Could nutrition modulate COVID-19 susceptibility and severity of disease? A systematic review

ABSTRACTBackgroundMany nutrients have powerful immunomodulatory actions with the potential to alter susceptibility to COVID-19 infection, progression to symptoms, likelihood of severe disease and survival. The pandemic has fostered many nutrition-related theories, sometimes backed by a biased interpretation of evidence.ObjectivesTo provide a systematic review of the latest evidence on how malnutrition across all its forms (under- and over-nutrition and micronutrient status) may influence both susceptibility to, and progression and severity of, COVID-19.MethodsWe synthesised information on 13 nutrition-related components and their potential interactions with COVID-19: overweight, obesity and diabetes; protein-energy malnutrition; anaemia; vitamins A, C, D, and E; poly-unsaturated fatty acids; iron; selenium; zinc; anti-oxidants, and nutritional support. For each section we provide: a) a landscape review of pertinent material; b) a systematic search of the literature in PubMed and EMBASE databases, including a systematic search of a wide range of pre-print servers; and c) a screen of six clinical trial registries. Two reviewers were assigned per section for data extraction. All original research was considered, without restriction to study design, and included if it covered: 1) SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV or SARS-CoV viruses and 2) disease susceptibility or 3) disease progression, and 4) the nutritional component of interest. Searches took place between 16th May and 11th August, 2020. PROSPERO registration CRD42020186194.ResultsAcross the 13 searches, a total of 2732 articles from PubMed and EMBASE, 4164 articles from the pre-print servers, and 433 trials were returned. A total of 288 published articles and 278 pre-print articles were taken to full text screening. In the final narrative synthesis, we cover 22 published articles, 39 pre-print articles and 79 trials. The review highlights a range of mechanistic and observational evidence to highlight the role nutrition can play in susceptibility and progression of COVID-19. However, to date, there is limited evidence that high-dose supplements of micronutrients will either prevent severe disease or speed up recovery, although results of clinical trials are eagerly awaited.ConclusionsTo date there is no conclusive evidence supporting adoption of novel nutritional therapies. However, given the known impacts of all forms of malnutrition on the immune system, public health strategies to reduce micronutrient deficiencies and undernutrition remain of critical importance. There is strong evidence that prevention of obesity, and its consequent type-2 diabetes, will reduce the risk of serious COVID-19 outcomes.</jats:sec

The Role of Nutrition in COVID-19 Susceptibility and Severity of Disease: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Many nutrients have powerful immunomodulatory actions with the potential to alter susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, progression to symptoms, likelihood of severe disease, and survival. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to review the latest evidence on how malnutrition across all its forms (under- and overnutrition and micronutrient status) may influence both susceptibility to, and progression of, COVID-19. METHODS: We synthesized information on 13 nutrition-related components and their potential interactions with COVID-19: overweight, obesity, and diabetes; protein-energy malnutrition; anemia; vitamins A, C, D, and E; PUFAs; iron; selenium; zinc; antioxidants; and nutritional support. For each section we provide: 1) a landscape review of pertinent material; 2) a systematic search of the literature in PubMed and EMBASE databases, including a wide range of preprint servers; and 3) a screen of 6 clinical trial registries. All original research was considered, without restriction to study design, and included if it covered: 1) severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (CoV) 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Middle East respiratory syndrome CoV (MERS-CoV), or SARS-CoV viruses and 2) disease susceptibility or 3) disease progression, and 4) the nutritional component of interest. Searches took place between 16 May and 11 August 2020. RESULTS: Across the 13 searches, 2732 articles from PubMed and EMBASE, 4164 articles from the preprint servers, and 433 trials were returned. In the final narrative synthesis, we include 22 published articles, 38 preprint articles, and 79 trials. CONCLUSIONS: Currently there is limited evidence that high-dose supplements of micronutrients will either prevent severe disease or speed up recovery. However, results of clinical trials are eagerly awaited. Given the known impacts of all forms of malnutrition on the immune system, public health strategies to reduce micronutrient deficiencies and undernutrition remain of critical importance. Furthermore, there is strong evidence that prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes will reduce the risk of serious COVID-19 outcomes. This review is registered at PROSPERO as CRD42020186194

Currents issues in cardiorespiratory care of patients with post-polio syndrome

ABSTRACT Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that affects polio survivors years after recovery from an initial acute attack of the poliomyelitis virus. Most often, polio survivors experience a gradual new weakening in muscles that were previously affected by the polio infection. The actual incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in individuals suffering from PPS is not known. However, there is a reason to suspect that individuals with PPS might be at increased risk. Method A search for papers was made in the databases Bireme, Scielo and Pubmed with the following keywords: post polio syndrome, cardiorespiratory and rehabilitation in English, French and Spanish languages. Although we targeted only seek current studies on the topic in question, only the relevant (double-blind, randomized-controlled and consensus articles) were considered. Results and Discussion Certain features of PPS such as generalized fatigue, generalized and specific muscle weakness, joint and/or muscle pain may result in physical inactivity deconditioning obesity and dyslipidemia. Respiratory difficulties are common and may result in hypoxemia. Conclusion Only when evaluated and treated promptly, somE patients can obtain the full benefits of the use of respiratory muscles aids as far as quality of life is concerned