Resultados do Projeto PRODETAB 030-01/99 de agricultura de precisão.

Precision agriculture techniques is being available in Brazil since 1997, and became an important tool to manage production systems according to site specific management concept. The application of this new technique leads to optimizing the use of inputs, trying to reduce impact of agricultural pratices to the environmental and to improve agriculture yields on the production systems, in qualitative and quantitative aspects. This project was motivated by the research´s demand on the development and technology transfer on this strategic theme for Brazilian agriculture, with the following objective: To establish technical basis and to produce information to use the instrumentation and methodologies in precision farming, to increase efficiency of agricultural production systems and use of inputs under no-tillage system. The project is being developed in two different stages: the first one is the establishment of a pilot area, in Embrapa Corn and Sorghum, located at Sete Lagoas city, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in order to develop and calibrate as well as to make adjustment of technology and models; and the second, in the Center West region, to transfer the experiences learned from the pilot areas to the commercial production system. It is a multidisciplinary work which involves teams from Embrapa Corn and Sorghum, Embrapa Instrumentation, Embrapa Software, UNICAMP/FEAGRI, UFV/DEA, AGCO from Brazil and Emater-MG. After 3 years of project implementation many results were found, but the most important are related to the acceptance and use of this new tool for agriculture by the technical researcher staff; undergraduate and graduate student involved in the program. Also during the on going research there was technology transfer by seminars, conferences and extension programs. The methodology developed to establish crop production trends is being adjusted to be used for monitoring commercial agriculture. The continuation of this project will allow substantial implementation to support the use of precision farming as a powerful tool to maximize use of inputs, and to practice the sustainability concept of commercial agriculture

Colheita e pós-colheita: colheita.

4. ed

KRAS early testing. Consensus initiative and cost-effectiveness evaluation for metastatic colorectal patients in an italian setting

KRAS testing is relevant for the choice of the most appropriate first-line therapy of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). Strategies for preventing unequal access to the test should be implemented, but their relevance in the practice is related to economic sustainability. The study adopted the Delphi technique to reach a consensus on several topics. Issues related to execution of KRAS testing were identified by an expert's board and proposed to 108 Italian oncologists and pathologists through two subsequent questionnaires. The emerging proposal was evaluated by decision analyses models employed by technology assessment agencies in order to assess cost-effectiveness. Alternative therapeutic strategies included most commonly used chemotherapy regimens alone or in combination with cetuximab or bevacizumab. The survey indicated that time interval for obtaining KRAS test should not exceed 15 days, 10 days being an optimal interval. To assure the access to proper treatment, a useful strategy should be to anticipate the test after radical resection in patients at high risk of relapse. Early KRAS testing in high risk CRC patients generates incremental cost-effectiveness ratios between 6,000 and 13,000 Euro per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained. In extensive sensitivity analyses ICER's were always below 15,000 Euro per QALY gained, far within the threshold of 60,000 Euro/QALY gained accepted by regulatory institutions in Italy. In metastatic CRC a time interval higher than 15 days for result of KRAS testing limits access to therapeutic choices. Anticipating KRAS testing before the onset of metastatic disease in patients at high risk does not affect the sustainability and cost-effectiveness profile of cetuximab in first-line mCRC. Early KRAS testing may prevent this inequality in high-risk patients, whether they develop metastases, and is a cost-effective strategy. Based on these results, present joined recommendations of Italian societies of Oncology and Pathology should be updated including early KRAS testing