What does Lula's election mean for Brazil?

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Los años del sindicalismo político: 1955-1976

En este fascículo abordamos los años transcurridos entre el derrocamiento de Perón en 1955 y el golpe militar del 24 de marzo de 1976. Son años de suma intensidad que dejaron su huella incluso en los alineamientos sindicales y políticos de nuestro presente. El sistema político, con el peronismo proscripto, vive en una situación pendular entre gobiernos cívicos y militares, quienes pretender ser árbitros de un juego que, por momentos, se torna imposible. El sindicalismo experimenta su faceta combativa en los años de la Resistencia, demostrando que el gobierno peronista no lo había transformado en un gigante pasivamente burocrático. Pero también, en medio de un proceso económico caracterizado el estrangulamiento del comercio exterior y las dificultades para avanzar en un modelo de industrialización que supere la etapa de sustitución de importaciones, parte de la dirigencia sindical prioriza la autonomía organizacional y pretende integrarse al sistema social y político, sacrificando incluso al líder del movimiento con el que se identificaban la mayoría de los trabajadores. Sin embargo, el vandorismo como fenómeno sindical y político tiene sus límites. Por un lado, los leales a Perón, radicalizados o tradicionales, se mantendrán fieles a la meta de hacer posible el regreso del ex-presidente al país. Por el otro, nuevamente motorizado por las bases, resurgirá un sindicalismo combativo, de base clasista pero fuertemente consustanciado con las posturas de la izquierda peronista. El sindicalismo y el peronismo estarán tensionados política y socialmente no ya entre la resistencia y la integración sino entre la revolución y la defensa burocratizada del statu quo. Y como siempre, Perón la única prenda de unidad entre estas dos tendencias antagónicas, y por ello, tras su muerte física, la confrontación será total. Y cuando ello suceda, los militares, ya sin deseo de ser árbitros, tomarán partido por un disciplinamiento total de la sociedad que no se conformará como en los años de la Revolución Argentina con la represión sistemática de cualquier manifestación de libertad social sino que instaurara el terrorismo de Estado haciendo del genocidio uno de sus instrumentos principales.Fil: Fuchs, Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Torcuato Di Tella; ArgentinaFil: Kogan, Marina. No especifíca;Fil: Rodriguez, Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Instituto de Investigaciones "Gino Germani"; Argentin

Microvolt T-Wave Alternans in Patients with a Biventricular Implantable Defibrillator

Background/Aim: Microvolt T-wave alternans (MTWA) has been found to be associated with cardiac electrical instability. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of biventricular pacing on MTWA in comparison with other pacing modalities.Methods: The study group consisted of 50 patients with dilated or ischemic cardiomyopathy with a cardiac resynchronization therapy device. MTWA was measured during several pacing modalities.Results: Overall, 181 MTWA studies were performed in 50 patients. Seventy-nine studies (44%) were negative, 81(45%) were positive and 21 (12%) were indeterminate. With right atrial (RA) pacing, 45% of the MTWA tests were negative. With right ventricular (RV) pacing, 30 % were negative, with left ventricular (LV) pacing 44 % were negative and with biventricular pacing 52% of the tests were negative (P=0.15). The results of TWA testing were concordant between RA pacing and biventricular pacing (K=0.46, P=0.007).Conclusion: MTWA during biventricular pacing correlates with MTWA during atrial pacing and left ventricular pacing

Endothelial cell colonization and angiogenic potential of combined nano- and micro-fibrous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Presently the majority of tissue engineering approaches aimed at regenerating bone relies only on postimplantation vascularization. Strategies that include seeding endothelial cells (ECs) on biomaterials and promoting their adhesion, migration and functionality might be a solution for the formation of vascularized bone. Nano/micro-fiber-combined scaffolds have an innovative structure, inspired by extracellular matrix (ECM) that combines a nano-network, aimed to promote cell adhesion, with a micro-fiber mesh that provides the mechanical support. In this work we addressed the influence of this nano-network on growth pattern, morphology, inflammatory expression profile, expression of structural proteins, homotypic interactions and angiogenic potential of human EC cultured on a scaffold made of a blend of starch and poly(caprolactone). The nano-network allowed cells to span between individual micro-fibers and influenced cell morphology. Furthermore, on nano-fibers as well as on micro-fibers ECs maintained the physiological expression pattern of the structural protein vimentin and PECAM-1 between adjacent cells. In addition, ECs growing on the nano/micro-fiber-combined scaffold were sensitive to pro-inflammatory stimulus. Under pro-angiogenic conditions in vitro, the ECM-like nano-network provided the structural and organizational stability for ECs’ migration and organization into capillary-like structures. The architecture of nano/micro-fiber-combined scaffolds elicited and guided the 3D distribution of ECs without compromising the structural requirements for bone regeneration.M.I. Santos would like to acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for her PhD scholarship (SFRH/BD/13428/2003). This work was partially supported by FCT through funds from POCTI and/or FEDER programs and by the European Union funded STREP Project HIPPOCRATES (NMP3-CT-2003-505758). This work was carried out under the scope of the European NoE EXPERTISSUES (NMP3-CT-2004-500283)

Task sharing in an interprofessional medication management program – a survey of general practitioners and community pharmacists

Background Pharmacist-led medication review and medication management programs (MMP) are well-known strategies to improve medication safety and effectiveness. If performed interprofessionally, outcomes might even improve. However, little is known about task sharing in interprofessional MMP, in which general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacists (CPs) collaboratively perform medication reviews and continuously follow-up on patients with designated medical and pharmaceutical tasks, respectively. In 2016, ARMIN (Arzneimittelinitiative Sachsen-Thüringen) an interprofessional MMP was launched in two German federal states, Saxony and Thuringia. The aim of this study was to understand how GPs and CPs share tasks in MMP when reviewing the patients’ medication. Methods This was a cross-sectional postal survey among GPs and CPs who participated in the MMP. Participants were asked who completed which MMP tasks, e.g., checking drug-drug interactions, dosing, and side effects. In total, 15 MMP tasks were surveyed using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from “I complete this task alone” to “GP/CP completes this task alone”. The study was conducted between 11/2020 and 04/2021. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results In total, 114/165 (69.1%) GPs and 166/243 (68.3%) CPs returned a questionnaire. The majority of GPs and CPs reported (i) checking clinical parameters and medication overuse and underuse to be completed by GPs, (ii) checking storage conditions of drugs and initial compilation of the patient’s medication including brown bag review being mostly performed by CPs, and (iii) checking side-effects, non-adherence, and continuous updating of the medication list were carried out jointly. The responses differed most for problems with self-medication and adding and removing over-the-counter medicines from the medication list. In addition, the responses revealed that some MMP tasks were not sufficiently performed by either GPs or CPs. Conclusions Both GPs’ and CPs’ expertise are needed to perform MMP as comprehensively as possible. Future studies should explore how GPs and CPs can complement each other in MMP most efficiently

THEORY AND PRACTICE OF INDIVIDUAL SNOW AVALANCHE RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE RUSSIAN ARCTIC

In recent years, the Government of the Russian Federation considerably increased attention to the exploitation of the Russian Arctic territories. Simultaneously, the evaluation of snow avalanches danger was enhanced with the aim to decrease fatalities and reduce economic losses. However, it turned out that solely reporting the degree of avalanche danger is not sufficient. Instead, quantitative information on probabilistic parameters of natural hazards, the characteristics of their effects on the environment and possibly resulting losses is increasingly needed. Such information allows for the estimation of risk, including risk related to snow avalanches. Here, snow avalanche risk is quantified for the Khibiny Mountains, one of the most industrialized parts of the Russian Arctic: Major parts of the territory have an acceptable degree of individual snow avalanche risk (<1×10-6). The territories with an admissible (10-4–10-6) or unacceptable (>1×10-4) degree of individual snow avalanche risk (0.5 and 2% of the total area) correspond to the Southeast of the Khibiny Mountains where settlements and mining industries are situated. Moreover, due to an increase in winter tourism, some traffic infrastructure is located in valleys with an admissible or unacceptable degree of individual snow avalanches risk

Recovery time between weigh-in and first match in State level judo competitions

Rapid weight loss is highly prevalent among combat sport athletes. After the weigh-in, there is a period in which athletes can refeed and rehydrate before the combats. The length of this recovery period is determinant for performance in the subsequent combats. No study, however, has determined the time patterns of such period. The purpose of this study was to determine the patterns of recovery time between the weigh-in and the first combats during judo competitions. One hundred and seventeen juvenile, junior and senior male athletes were analyzed during two São Paulo state competitions. The time at which each athlete has finished the weight-in and the time at which they have started the first combat were recorded and then the recovery period between weigh-in and combats was calculated. Average recovery time was approximately four hours. Most athletes had a 2.5 to 5-hour recovery time between the weigh-in and the first combat. Senior athletes had a significant longer recovery time compared to junior and juvenile (p < 0.001). Junior athletes also had a significant longer recovery time in comparison to juvenile athletes (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the patterns for recovery time presented in this study are likely to be a standard if competitions of similar size and organization are considered. Recovery period for the majority of athletes is enough to allow them to refeed and rehydrate, so the impact of weight loss on performance would be minimal. This can stimulate athletes to engage in potentially harmful rapid weight loss procedures.A perda rápida de peso é altamente prevalente entre atletas de luta. No judô, há um período entre a pesagem e o início da competição no qual atletas podem se recuperar da perda de peso. Apesar desse tempo ser determinante para o desempenho, nenhum estudo avaliou seu padrão de duração. Este estudo objetivou determinar o padrão de duração do tempo entre a pesagem e o início das lutas em competições oficiais de judô. Foram analisados 117 atletas do sexo masculino (classes juvenil, júnior e sênior) durante duas competições oficiais. Registraram-se o horário de término da pesagem e do início da primeira luta de cada atleta. O tempo médio de recuperação foi de aproximadamente quatro horas. A maior parte dos atletas teve aproximadamente 2,5 - 5 horas entre a pesagem e o início das lutas. O período para a classe sênior foi significantemente maior do que o das classes júnior e juvenil (p < 0,01) e o da classe júnior foi significantemente maior do que o da classe juvenil (p < 0,01). Conclui-se que os tempos de recuperação aqui registrados são provavelmente padrões para competições de mesmo porte e esquema organizacional, embora os tempos específicos para as classes etárias possam se modificar. O período que a maioria dos atletas teve para recuperar-se é suficiente para adequada ingestão de alimentos e líquidos, o que minimiza o impacto da perda de peso sobre o desempenho e estimula a pratica de métodos agressivos de perda rápida de peso