A PERCEPÇÃO DO DIREITO HUMANO À ÁGUA NA ORDEM INTERNACIONAL

O trabalho faz uma síntese sobre a configuração do direito à água entendido como um direito fundamental na ordem internacional. A metodologia utilizada é a análise documental. Apesar da sua intima relação com os outros direitos fundamentais, a Carta de Direitos Humanos não o reconheceu expressamente. A partir da Observação Geral n° 15 do Comitê de Direitos Econômicos, Sociais e Culturais (ECOSOC), esse direito ganha relevância e se materializa, ainda que tal documento não possua efeitos jurídicos vinculantes, sua edição revela a necessidade de uma nova abordagem em relação a esse recurso

Judicialization of non-conventional fuels exploration: the case of shale gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing in the Paraná Geological Basin

O gás de folhelho, popularmente conhecido como gás de “xisto”, obtido por meio de fraturamento hidráulico, teve seu aproveitamento previsto na 12ª Rodada de Licitações da Agência Nacional do Petróleo – ANP (28/09/2013), que mencionou a possibilidade da exploração dos combustíveis não convencionais. Porém, essa inclusão na oferta dos blocos, sem qualquer discussão prévia de regulamentação específica quanto aos seus conhecidos riscos e impactos ambientais, deflagrou o ingresso de ações judiciais que suspenderam os efeitos do processo de licitação. O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar a judicialização do conflito decorrente da inclusão da exploração do gás de folhelho nos blocos oferecidos na região da Bacia Geológica do Paraná, situados nos estados do Paraná e São Paulo. Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa fundamentada na análise documental da literatura especializada e da jurisprudência dos Tribunais Regionais Federais (TRF) da quarta e terceira região. A judicialização desse conflito ocorreu por falhas no processo de governança ambiental do poder público. Criou-se um cenário favorável para essa judicialização devido ao atropelo de etapas legais. Ao se impor à sociedade, de forma unilateral, uma exploração controvertida sem um quadro regulatório ou embasamentos técnicos robustos, o judiciário surgiu como alternativa viável na busca de sua segurança ambiental.Shale gas, obtained through hydraulic fracking, have its exploration preview in the 12th Bidding Round from the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels – ANP (acronym in Portuguese), which mention the possibility of exploring non-conventional hydrocarbons (28/09/2013). Because of the lack of any prior discussion on specific regulations regarding the known environmental risks and impacts, the inclusion of non-conventional fuels in the blocs’ offer has motivated many lawsuits in courts which suspend the effects of the bidding round. The objective of the work is to analyze the judicialization of the conflict arising from the inclusion of shale gas exploration in the blocks offered in the region of the Paraná geological basin, located in the states of Paraná and São Paulo. It is a qualitative research based on the documental analysis of literature and the jurisprudence of the Federal Regional Courts (TRF) of the fourth and third region. The judicialization of this conflict occurred due to failures in the process of Public Administration environmental governance. A favorable scenario for judicialization was created due to legal steps and studies not being observed. Since the Government has unilaterally imposed on society a controversial exploitation without a regulatory framework or robust technical data, the judiciary emerged as a viable alternative in the pursuit of environmental security

Interdisciplinary research networks and science-policy-society interactions in the Uruguay River Basin

The Uruguay River Basin (URB) that extends along Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay has been the hub of increasing pressures caused by the expansion of industrial agriculture, forestry and infrastructure projects in hydroenergy and transportation. There are growing concerns that the fragmented institutional framework is inadequate to address the growing challenges. Interdisciplinary research networks can contribute to creating perspectives of the basin that are policy and governance relevant. In this paper, we set out to interrogate the potential scope of interdisciplinary research networks (IRNs) for the advancement of basin governance framework for the URB. We envision IRNs as knowledge actors that can open up opportunities to mediate and connect basin actors across different spaces - academic, policy, technical-administrative and social. We highlight a series of pathways to advance networks actions in creating opportunities to fill the gaps of transboundary basin governance, and acknowledge the challenges associated with doing this work in the URB and other basins around the world.Fil: Saguier, Marcelo. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Política y Gobierno; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gerlak, Andrea K.. University of Arizona; Estados UnidosFil: Villar, Pilar Carolina. Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Baigún, Claudio Rafael M.. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; ArgentinaFil: Venturini, Virginia. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Hídricas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lara, Albina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas; ArgentinaFil: Dos Santos, Marco Aurelio. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasi

First results of paleoseismic recurrence along the El Salvador Fault Zone

La Zona de Falla de El Salvador (ZFES), es una estructura de cizalla con una longitud de al menos 150 km y una dirección de aproximadamente N100ºE. Tanto los estudios morfotectónicos, que muestran desplazamientos en la red fluvial y morfologías típicas de desgarres, como los estudios paleosísmicos indican un movimiento de desgarre dextral con componente extensional para la ZFES. Esta falla afecta materiales volcánicos y aluviales de edad holocena y se encuentra constituida por tres segmentos estructurales principales. De acuerdo con los estudios sismotectónicos previos, el segmento más occidental (Ilopango-San Vicente) fue el responsable del evento sísmico destructivo de Mw 6.6 ocurrido en 2001. La excavación de dos trincheras en este segmento aporta los primeros datos paleosísmicos obtenidos hasta la fecha para esta falla. El estudio preliminar de la estructura de la zona de falla en las trincheras y de la evolución de la deformación paleosísmica mediante la datación de los sedimentos desplazados, nos indica la existencia de al menos tres eventos sísmicos con ruptura superficial en los últimos 1.500 años. La geometría de la fracturación estudiada en la trinchera aporta además valiosos datos para caracterizar la cinemática de la falla, como la dirección y el buzamiento de los planos en la zona de falla o la aparición de estrías, y apoya una tasa de movimiento mínima de 1,9 mm/a.The El Salvador Fault Zone (ESFZ) is a 150 km long, E-W oriented, strike-slip fault and has recently been identified as the source of the destructive Mw 6.6 El Salvador earthquake of 2001. The fault zone comprises three major segments from Lake Ilopango to Golfo de Fonseca. Along this sector the fault displaces recent volcanic and alluvial deposits. According to previous seimotectonic studies, the reactivation of the occidental segment (Ilopango - San Vicente) produced the 2001 damaging seismic event. Holocene activity of this fault segment deforms fluvial terraces and produces morphological features related to strike-slip movement. In this work we present the results of the first paleoseismic analysis carried out on this fault. Trenching studies on the Ilopango-San Vicente segment shows that surface rupture events have occurred at least twice along the fault during the past 1.5 ka. The geometry of faulting exposed in the trench provides valuable insights into the kinematics of the fault, and provides a preliminary minimum net slip rate of 1.9 mm/yr.Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUETECSALpu

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use in early acute respiratory distress syndrome : Insights from the LUNG SAFE study

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Concerns exist regarding the prevalence and impact of unnecessary oxygen use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We examined this issue in patients with ARDS enrolled in the Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE (LUNG SAFE) study. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE study, we wished to determine the prevalence and the outcomes associated with hyperoxemia on day 1, sustained hyperoxemia, and excessive oxygen use in patients with early ARDS. Patients who fulfilled criteria of ARDS on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure were categorized based on the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 100 mmHg) on day 1, sustained (i.e., present on day 1 and day 2) hyperoxemia, or excessive oxygen use (FIO2 ≥ 0.60 during hyperoxemia). Results: Of 2005 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 131 (6.5%) were hypoxemic (PaO2 < 55 mmHg), 607 (30%) had hyperoxemia on day 1, and 250 (12%) had sustained hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use occurred in 400 (66%) out of 607 patients with hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use decreased from day 1 to day 2 of ARDS, with most hyperoxemic patients on day 2 receiving relatively low FIO2. Multivariate analyses found no independent relationship between day 1 hyperoxemia, sustained hyperoxemia, or excess FIO2 use and adverse clinical outcomes. Mortality was 42% in patients with excess FIO2 use, compared to 39% in a propensity-matched sample of normoxemic (PaO2 55-100 mmHg) patients (P = 0.47). Conclusions: Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use are both prevalent in early ARDS but are most often non-sustained. No relationship was found between hyperoxemia or excessive oxygen use and patient outcome in this cohort. Trial registration: LUNG-SAFE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073publishersversionPeer reviewe

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Infected pancreatic necrosis: outcomes and clinical predictors of mortality. A post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study

: The identification of high-risk patients in the early stages of infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is critical, because it could help the clinicians to adopt more effective management strategies. We conducted a post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study to assess the association between clinical risk factors and mortality among adult patients with IPN. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify prognostic factors of mortality. We identified 247 consecutive patients with IPN hospitalised between January 2019 and December 2020. History of uncontrolled arterial hypertension (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.135-15.882; aOR 4.245), qSOFA (p = 0.005; 95% CI 1.359-5.879; aOR 2.828), renal failure (p = 0.022; 95% CI 1.138-5.442; aOR 2.489), and haemodynamic failure (p = 0.018; 95% CI 1.184-5.978; aOR 2.661), were identified as independent predictors of mortality in IPN patients. Cholangitis (p = 0.003; 95% CI 1.598-9.930; aOR 3.983), abdominal compartment syndrome (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.090-6.967; aOR 2.735), and gastrointestinal/intra-abdominal bleeding (p = 0.009; 95% CI 1.286-5.712; aOR 2.710) were independently associated with the risk of mortality. Upfront open surgical necrosectomy was strongly associated with the risk of mortality (p &lt; 0.001; 95% CI 1.912-7.442; aOR 3.772), whereas endoscopic drainage of pancreatic necrosis (p = 0.018; 95% CI 0.138-0.834; aOR 0.339) and enteral nutrition (p = 0.003; 95% CI 0.143-0.716; aOR 0.320) were found as protective factors. Organ failure, acute cholangitis, and upfront open surgical necrosectomy were the most significant predictors of mortality. Our study confirmed that, even in a subgroup of particularly ill patients such as those with IPN, upfront open surgery should be avoided as much as possible. Study protocol registered in ClinicalTrials.Gov (I.D. Number NCT04747990)