Similarity between the in vitro activity and toxicity of two different fungizone™ / lipofundin™ admixtures

Amphotericin B (AmB), an antifungal agent that presents a broad spectrum of activity, remains the gold standard in the antifungal therapy. However, sometimes the high level of toxicity forbids its clinical use. The aim of this work was to evaluate and compare the efficacy and toxicity in vitro of Fungizon™ (AmB-D) and two new different AmB formulations. Methods: three products were studied: Fungizon™, and two Fungizon™ /Lipofundin™ admixtures, which were diluted through two methods: in the first one, Fungizon™ was previously diluted with water for injection and then, in Lipofundin™ (AmB-DAL); the second method consisted of a primary dilution of AmB-D as a powder in the referred emulsion (AmB-DL). For the in vitro assay, two cell models were used: Red Blood Cells (RBC) from human donors and Candida tropicallis (Ct). The in vitro evaluation (K+ leakage, hemoglobin leakage and cell survival rate-CSR) was performed at four AmB concentrations (from 50 to 0.05mg.L-1). Results: The results showed that the action of AmB was not only concentration dependent, but also cellular type and vehicle kind dependent. At AmB concentrations of 50 mg.L-1, although the hemoglobin leakage for AmB-D was almost complete (99.51), for AmB-DAL and AmB-DL this value tended to zero. The p = 0.000 showed that AmB-D was significantly more hemolytic. Conclusion: The Fungizon™- Lipofundin™ admixtures seem to be the more valuable AmB carrier systems due to their best therapeutic index presented

Responsabilidade social: visões e perspectivas de empresários do segmento industrial do Rio Grande do Norte

The theme Corporate Social Responsibility is relatively recent both in the academic field and in the business practice. Because of the lack of socialization of experiences and precision of concepts, there are gaps regarding the understanding of the subject and, also, how to conduct operations. This study just seeks to investigate such matter, focusing applications of social responsibility in business. It takes, as empirical field, winners of the PSQT - SESI Prize of Quality at Work in Rio Grande do Norte (2002-2007) in order to systematize the various approaches on the issue, aiming to reveal subjective visions and perspectives of the theme. It is characterized as a qualitative study, carried out by structured interview. The universe was composed by 15 companies. It was used analysis of content categorical as an axis for the interpretation of the information. Three approaches guided the analysis: Business Ethics, (normative); Business & Society (contractual); Social Issues Management (strategic). The findings are related in three ways: 1) reasons for the CSR practice; 2) the results obtained; 3) the means of CSR. It was found that the award participation occurs, mostly, linked to SESI invitations, so, as an articulated movement of industrial corporations in Brazil it occurs, also, because of the organizational commitment with the society and the possibility of internal and social growths and because of the importance attributed to the report as an instrument of consultancy. There are no indicators to check impacts of organizational interventions, in spite of the existence of planning for the actions. Social responsibility appears as a tool to reinforce the organizational image and to increase satisfaction of the employees. There is a tendency of large and medium firms to a contractual commitment while the small and the micros firms are on strategic or normative level. The analysis of the perspectives of social responsibility future revealed trends towards for strategic approach

Responsabilidade social empresarial: o caso de uma indústria alimentícia no estado do Pará

The theme of corporate social responsibility (CSR) provides discussion and analysis and relatively recent, particularly in the last twenty years, has grown into the world as well as in Brazil, the interest on the involvement of the business sector in social activities or projects facing combating poverty. However, a lack of socialization of successful experiences in the practice of CSR and clarity and consensus concepts generate deviations of understanding on the subject and the structuring of interventions. This research aimed to reveal how corporate social responsibility of the IMA Food was developed from Project Nursery Saci. The research took place under a qualitative approach of descriptive-explanatory, conducted through semi-structured interviews and non-participatory observation and interviewed 35 people in total. The interpretation and analysis of data occurred through a categorical content analysis, having as theoretical approach to socioeconomic CSR. The results showed that the major form of social responsibility of the Food IMA is based on a classical approach of CSR, focusing on philanthropy. The absence of a more systematic management of the project and reflect the fragility, instability and lack of commitment towards the community. The contributions generated by the project are substantial and important, but do not reach the development occasioned by the company. However, none of this invalidates the initiative of the organization's commitment to the community, however, requires a reassessment and restructuring of the proposal in a way that leverages the performance of the project and the company itself and it can more effectively contribute to society

Responsabilidade social empresarial: percepções e práticas do empresariado salineiro do Rio Grande do Norte.

The debate around the thematic of Corporate Social Responsibility - CSR involves economic, social, cultural and symbolic aspects in the relations established between company and society. In Brazilian reality, the CSR, understood as enterprise actions, external and/or internal, that contributes to social and ambient improvement, gains greater visibility in 1990 decade. Although the significant increase of theoretical productions about CSR pertinent elements, it is still scarce the studies that treats about the relation company/society in the northeastern reality, and singularly, in Rio Grande do Norte. It was in this perspective, that, in being the salt industry one of most important in the potiguar economic history formation , the present work investigated practicies and perceptions of salt entrepreneurship about CSR. Considering all the Rio Grande do Norte salt industry history phases, since the period of the Brazil s settling, as well as the characteristics of the study object, was opted to the qualitative research, objectified in interviews half-structuralized realized with the salt segment entrepreneurs, as well as professionals of ambient management and human resources working in potiguar salt segment. The research main results indicated a coexistence between the mechanisms of management seated on personal and paternalists relations, typical of traditional salt industry, and the emergency of innovative elements typical of the modern management, like the CSR. In this context, a tension between continuity and rupture with the traditional mechanisms of management in salt entrepreneurship actions

A influência da responsabilidade social empresarial na satisfação e fidelidade do cliente : um estudo com compradores de automóveis

This study presents an investigation of the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in customer s satisfaction and loyalty through a study with car s buyers, besides that, it aims to contribute to conceptual models of satisfaction and loyalty analysis by applying the model of Johnson et al. (2001), adapted for the introduction of variables of CSR and conscious consumption, in a car dealership in Natal / RN. The methodology has a descriptive quantitative approach and for the analysis results were applied statistical methods of simple and multiple linear regression analysis, descriptive analysis and exploratory analysis. The field research provided 90 valid forms. The results show that CSR affects the image of the company studied and is also one of the elements of the compound of satisfaction and loyalty. This study concludes that CSR should be considered in the strategic and marketing actions of firms

A pegada de carbono como um dos indicadores de sustentabilidade para medição da responsabilidade socioambiental empresarial: um estudo de caso na unidade sede da Petrobras em Natal-RN

As a contemporary tendency, it is been evidenced that the environmental changes theme, already admitted as a concernment to international economical and political reality, is also gaining repercussion on industrial and business sector. Firms are implementing actions on trial to minimize their own greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions impacts. However, the great majority of those actions of Corporative Social-Environmental Responsibility (CSR) are referred only to direct emissions of the main production systems. Direct emissions are those derived of an isolate process, without considering the upstream and downstream processes emissions, which respond for the majority of emissions originated because of respective firm‟s production system existence. Because the greenhouse effect occurs globally and the GHG emissions contribute to the environmental changes independently of their origin, it must be taken into account the whole productive life cycle of products and systems, since the energy invested on resources extraction and necessary materials to the final disposal. To do so, it must be investigated all relevant steps of a product/production system life cycle, tracking all activities which emit greenhouse gases, directly or indirectly. This amount of emissions consists in the firm‟s Carbon Footprint. This research purpose is to defend the Carbon Footprint relevance and its adoption viability to be used as an Environmental Indicator on measurement/assessment of CSR. It has been realized a study case on Petrobras‟s seat unity at Natal-Brazil, assessing part of its Carbon Footprint. It has been used the software GEMIS 4.6 to do the emissions quantifying. The items measured were the direct emissions of the own unity vehicles and indirect emissions of offset paper (A4), energy and disposable plastic cups consumed. To 2009, these emissions were 3.811,94 tCO2eq. We may conclude that Carbon Footprint quantification is indispensable to the knowledge of real emissions caused by a productive process existence, must serving as basis to CSR decisions about the environmental changes reversion challenge