INSTITUTIONS THAT FOSTER INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN BRAZIL: MAPPING AND CONNECTIONS

ABSTRACTThis paper contemplates the deepening of a research conducted by the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (SEBRAE) during the 26th Anprotec Conference held in Fortaleza, state of Ceará, in the year of 2016. The research included a method to map out the needs of the Brazilian Innovation Ecosystem and covered ten institutions such as Accelerators, represented by ABRAII (Brazilian Association of Innovation and Investment Accelerators), Co-working spaces - represented by the Impact Hub. a Development Bank, FINEP (Studies and Projects Funding Agency), Anjos do Brasil; Venture Capital Investment Funds - represented by ABVCAP (Brazilian Association of Private Equity & Venture Capital), Incubators - represented by SUPERA Incubator, SEBRAE (Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service), Businesses - represented by Samsung Brazil and Technology Innovation Nuclei, part of Universities, represented by FORTEC (National Forum of Managers of Innovation and Technology Transfer). For this mapping, a matrix that considers the business development stage model was used to identify key actions and gaps in innovative entrepreneurship fostering in Brazil, also taking five critical business development variables into consideration - technology, talent, finance, location, and evolution. The results point to recurrences and lack of support and contribute with proposals for the Brazilian innovation ecosystem.Keywords: Innovative entrepreneurship. Innovation ecosystem. Network of institutions.RESUMOEste artigo contempla o aprofundamento de uma pesquisa realizada pelo Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas (SEBRAE) durante a 26ª Conferência Anprotec, realizada em Fortaleza, Ceará, no ano de 2016. A pesquisa incluiu um método para mapear as necessidades do Ecossistema Brasileiro de Inovação e cobriu dez instituições tais como Aceleradoras, representadas pela ABRAII (Associação Brasileira de Aceleradoras de Inovação e Investimento), Espaços de Co-working, representadas pelo Impact Hub, um Banco de Desenvolvimento, FINEP (Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos), Anjos do Brasil; Fundos de Investimento em Venture Capital, representada pela ABVCAP (Associação Brasileira de Private Equity & Venture Capital), Incubadoras, - representada pela SUPERA Incubadora, SEBRAE (Serviço Brasileiro de apoio às Micro e Pequenas empresas), Empresas - representadas pela Samsung Brazil e o NIT (Núcleo de Inovação e Tecnologia das Universidades), representado pela FORTEC (Forum Nacional de gerentes de Inovação e Transferência de Tecnologia). Para esse mapeamento, uma matriz que considera o modelo de estágio de desenvolvimento de negócios foi utilizada para identificar as principais ações e lacunas no fomento ao empreendedorismo inovador no Brasil, levando em consideração cinco variáveis críticas de desenvolvimento de negócios - tecnologia, talentos, finanças, localização e evolução. Os resultados apontam para recorrências e falta de apoio e contribuem com propostas para o ecossistema brasileiro de inovação.Palavras-chave: Empreendedorismo Inovador. Ecossistema de inovação. Rede de Instituições

Papel do barorreflexo na progressão da doença renal crônica

A variabilidade da pressão arterial (VPA) surge como um novo fator de risco associado ao desenvolvimento, severidade e progressão da doença renal crônica (DRC), no entanto, poucos estudos se destinaram a avaliar um possível efeito da VPA sobre o funcionamento renal, bem como para a progressão da DRC. Desta forma, o objetivo da presente investigação foi avaliar a influência da desnervaçãosinoaórtica (DSA), um modelo de VPA, sobre a função renal e seu papel na progressão da DRC em ratos submetidos à nefrectomia de 5/6. Foram utilizados ratos Wistar machos (200 250 g) divididos em 4 grupos experimentais: controle (Sham), desnervados (SAD), nefrectomizados (NX) e desnervados + nefrectomizados (SAD+NX). Após 6 semanas, foram verificados variáveis hemodinâmicas e parâmetros de função renal. A associação entre DSA e nefrectomia foi capaz de produzir alterações em praticamente todos os parâmetros analisados quando comparada aos demais grupos. Somente os grupos NX e SAD+NX apresentaram hipertensão arterial, sendo esta maior no último grupo. O índice de sensibilidade do barorreflexo encontrou-se reduzido nos grupos SAD e NX, sendo a associação entre a DSA e a nefrectomia capaz de induzir a valores ainda menores no grupo SAD+NX. Adicionalmente, a VPA se mostrou elevada nos grupos SAD, NX e SAD+NX, sendo maior neste último. Somente os animais submetidos à nefrectomia apresentaram hiperuremia, cujo valor no grupo SAD+NX foi de quase 1,5 vezes maior que no grupo NX. Somente nos grupos NX e SAD+NX apresentaram redução na taxa de filtração glomerular e o fluxo plasmático renal (FPR) vs. Sham, sendo o FPR menor em SAD+NX vs NX. Houve redução do fluxo sanguíneo renal (FSR) no grupo SAD vs. Sham. Nos animais nefrectomizados esta redução foi de aproximadamente 92% nos ratos NX vs. Sham, e de 96% nos animais SAD+NX, nos quais o valor do FSR foi metade do valor observado em NX. Todos os grupos apresentaram aumento da resistência vascular renal vs. Sham, bem como quando comparados entre si. Estes resultados nos mostram que o prejuízo do barorreflexo está associado a uma piora na progressão da DRC.Recently, blood pressure variability (BPV) has emerged as a new risk factor related with the development, progression and severity of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Despite this fact, few investigations have performed in order to access the renal function under a BPV condition and to better clarify how would this scenario contribute to the CKD progression. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of BPV, induced by sinoaortic denervation, over the renal function and the progression of CKD in nephrectomized rats. Male Wistar rats (200 – 250 g) were divided in 4 experimental groups: Sham, sinoaortic denervated (SAD), nephrectomized (NX) and denervated + nephrectomized (SAD+NX). At the end of 6 weeks, hemodynamic variables and the renal function were analyzed. Almost all analyzed parameters were worsened by the association between SAD and 5/6 nephrectomy. Only NX and SAD+NX groups became hypertensive, with the highest level in SAD+NX rats. The baroreflex sensitivity was reduced in both SAD and NX but was additionally reduced in SAD+NX rats. The SAD, NX and SAD+NX rats exhibited rise in BPV, with the highest level observed in SAD+NX rats. Only nephrectomized rats presented hyperuremia which was 1.5 fold higher in SAD+NX. No difference was observed in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal plasma flow (RPF) between SAD and Sham. Both nephrectomized rats showed reduction in GFR and RPF but RPF was additionally reduced in SAD+NX. There was also a reduction at renal blood flow (RBF) in all groups vs. Sham. At both nephrectomized groups this reduction reached about 92% of the Sham value in NX rats and 96% reduction in SAD+NX rats, in which the RBF value were half the value of NX rats. All groups exhibited increased in renal vascular resistance as compared to Sham as between groups. Thus, our results showed that an impairment in baroreflex function is associated with a worsening of CKD progression.CAPE

A Cure for HIV Infection: "Not in My Lifetime" or "Just Around the Corner"?

With the advent and stunning success of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) to prolong and improve quality of life for persons with HIV infection, HIV research has been afforded the opportunity to pivot towards studies aimed at finding "a cure." The mere idea that cure of HIV might be possible has energized researchers and the community towards achieving this goal. Funding agencies, both governmental and private, have targeted HIV cure as a high priority; many in the field have responded to these initiatives and the cure research agenda is robust. In this "salon" two editors of Pathogens and Immunity, Michael Lederman and Daniel Douek ask whether curing HIV is a realistic, scalable objective. We start with an overview perspective and have asked a number of prominent HIV researchers to add to the discussion

Associations among Race/Ethnicity, ApoC-III Genotypes, and Lipids in HIV-1-Infected Individuals on Antiretroviral Therapy

BACKGROUND: Protease inhibitors (PIs) are associated with hypertriglyceridemia and atherogenic dyslipidemia. Identifying HIV-1-infected individuals who are at increased risk of PI-related dyslipidemia will facilitate therapeutic choices that maintain viral suppression while reducing risk of atherosclerotic diseases. Apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III) gene variants, which vary by race/ethnicity, have been associated with a lipid profile that resembles PI-induced dyslipidemia. However, the association of race/ethnicity, or candidate gene effects across race/ethnicity, with plasma lipid levels in HIV-1-infected individuals, has not been reported. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A cross-sectional analysis of race/ethnicity, apoC-III/apoA-I genotypes, and PI exposure on plasma lipids was performed in AIDS Clinical Trial Group studies (n = 626). Race/ethnicity was a highly significant predictor of plasma lipids in fully adjusted models. Furthermore, in stratified analyses, the effect of PI exposure appeared to differ across race/ethnicity. Black/non-Hispanic, compared with White/non-Hispanics and Hispanics, had lower plasma triglyceride (TG) levels overall, but the greatest increase in TG levels when exposed to PIs. In Hispanics, current PI antiretroviral therapy (ART) exposure was associated with a significantly smaller increase in TGs among patients with variant alleles at apoC-III-482, −455, and Intron 1, or at a composite apoC-III genotype, compared with patients with the wild-type genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: In the first pharmacogenetic study of its kind in HIV-1 disease, we found race/ethnic-specific differences in plasma lipid levels on ART, as well as differences in the influence of the apoC-III gene on the development of PI-related hypertriglyceridemia. Given the multi-ethnic distribution of HIV-1 infection, our findings underscore the need for future studies of metabolic and cardiovascular complications of ART that specifically account for racial/ethnic heterogeneity, particularly when assessing candidate gene effects

Metabolic effects of darunavir/ritonavir versus atazanavir/ritonavir in treatment-naive, HIV Type 1-infected subjects over 48 weeks

We assessed metabolic changes for darunavir/ritonavir (DRV/r) once daily (qd) versus atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r) qd with fixed-dose tenofovir/emtricitabine. This was a phase 4, multicenter, open-label, randomized exploratory study. Treatment-naive, HIV-1-infected adults received DRV/r 800/100 mg qd or ATV/r 300/100 mg qd, both with emtricitabine/tenofovir 200/300 mg qd. Primary end point: change in triglyceride levels from baseline to week 12. Secondary end points: week 12 and week 48 changes in lipid parameters, insulin sensitivity, inflammatory/coagulation/bacterial translocation biomarkers, viral load, CD4(+) cell count, and week 48 changes in adipose tissue distribution and subjects' perceptions of body changes. In the DRV/r arm, 32/34 and 29/34 subjects completed weeks 12 and 48, respectively; in the ATV/r arm, 30/31 and 25/31 subjects completed weeks 12 and 48, respectively. Small changes in lipid parameters from baseline to weeks 12 and 48 were observed in both arms. Differences were noted between arms in mean changes in total cholesterol (DRV/r, 20.3 mg/dl; ATV/r, 4.6 mg/dl) and apolipoprotein A1 (DRV/r, 10.7 mg/dl; ATV/r, –0.7 mg/dl) at week 12. At week 48, no clinically relevant differences between arms were noted for changes in any lipid parameter, fasting glucose, or insulin sensitivity. Biomarkers generally decreased and efficacy parameters improved in both arms over 48 weeks. Changes in adipose tissue were small and comparable between arms. Subjects' perceptions of body changes generally improved in both study arms. This first pilot comparison in HIV-1-infected subjects suggests that DRV/r has a metabolic profile similar to ATV/r over 48 weeks of treatment. Further randomized studies are warranted

Avaliação do Uso de Anabolizantes em Academias de Gurupi, Tocantins

Introdução: Anabolizantes são substâncias sintéticas á base de testosterona. Estes são dirigidos em atletas exatamente com o intuito de ganhar massa muscular e, portanto, garantir melhora no desempenho.  Nos dias de hoje os anabolizantes são vistos como, as drogas que permitem conquistar rapidamente o corpo ideal. Objetivos: Avaliação do conhecimento e perfil do uso de anabolizantes em usuários de academia de Gurupi, Tocantins. Metodologia: Foram entrevistados 100 usuários de três academias de ambos os sexos, de todas as etnias, classe social, aparentemente saudável e com idade entre 14 a 60 anos. Resultados: Quando questionados se conheciam alguem que já usou ou usa anabolizantes, 70% dos entrevistados afirmaram conhecer. A maioria dos entrevistados 42%, possuíam o superior incompleto. Quando indagados se já fizeram ou faz uso de algum anabolizante, 14% responderem que sim. Dos 14% dos entrevistados que deram resposta positiva ao uso de anabolizantes, 57% afirmaram ter sentido alguma reação adversa. Os principais problemas relacionados ao uso de anabolizantes relatados pelos pesquisados que sentiram efeitos colaterais foram: raiva com 45,5% e pressão alta com aproximadamente 36%. Discussão e conclusões: Os dados corroboram com a literatura em diversos trabalhos e documentam a existência do uso indevido de anabolizantes nas academias de Gurupi e os danos à saúde causados por uso dos anabolizantes estiveram presentes em mais da metade dos entrevistados que usam esteróides anabolizantes

Moving towards a cure in genetics : what is needed to bring somatic gene therapy to the clinic?

Clinical trials using somatic gene editing (e.g., CRISPR-Cas9) have started in Europe and the United States and may provide safe and effective treatment and cure, not only for cancers but also for some monogenic conditions. In a workshop at the 2018 European Human Genetics Conference, the challenges of bringing somatic gene editing therapies to the clinic were discussed. The regulatory process needs to be considered early in the clinical development pathway to produce the data necessary to support the approval by the European Medicines Agency. The roles and responsibilities for geneticists may include counselling to explain the treatment possibilities and safety interpretation.Peer reviewe