EDTA: the chelating agent under environmental scrutiny

The chelating agent EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is a compound of massive use world wide with household and industrial applications, being one of the anthropogenic compounds with highest concentrations in inland European waters. In this review, the applications of EDTA and its behavior once it has been released into the environment are described. At a laboratory scale, degradation of EDTA has been achieved; however, in natural environments studies detect poor biodegradability. It is concluded that EDTA behaves as a persistent substance in the environment and that its contribution to heavy metals bioavailability and remobilization processes in the environment is a major concern.

EU Commission participation in the Troika mission: is there a European Union price to pay?

The article is intended to debate two questions regarding the involvement of the Commission in the Troika's action: firstly, considering the nature of financial assistance programs, it aims to discuss the effect of the Commission's participation in Troika negotiations on the balance of power of the EU institutions; and secondly, the article raises the issue of the Commission's liability for the results achieved by the financial assistance program, taking into account the extent of the conditions imposed, as well as the intensity of scrutiny by the Troika.

Serological survey for Chagas' disease in school children in the Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

A serological survey for Chagas' disease was carried out in school children in the Rio de Janeiro State, a zone considered as non-endemic for the infection. A total of 168 schools in 20 municipalities have been visited and 13,254 blood samples were obtained. The blood eluates were screened by the indirect fluorescence test (IFT), and all positive samples were checked and confirmed in sera by the complement fixation test (CFT). AH serologically positive children were subject to a clinical scrutiny, and the houses where the children lived have been searched for triatomine bugs. Only in two municipalities, Magé and Araruama, there was a significant number of children found positive. The total number of reactive samples by IFT and CFT from 13,004 blood samples screened was 143 (1.00 per cent). No serious clinicai symptoms suggestive of Chagas' disease have been found in any of the positive children, and no triatomine bugs were discovered in the dwellings where the children lived. The overall small percentage of children with positive serology postulates that the infection is not a serious health problem in the area investigated. It is recommended, however, to carry out a more detailed study in Magé and Araruama to find the reason for the relatively high percentage of serologically positive children encountered in these two municipalities.

Publish what? A reply to Scarano

Fabio Scarano (2008) shows an attractive picture of the motivations leading to the final goal of the scientific enterprise, i.e. why scientists must publish their findings. Moreover, he proposes that scientists must aim for creativity and originality through question-driven papers, rather than unenlightening descriptive ones. I agree, but I will show that this view, albeit necessary, is incomplete. The most important flaw is that he does not show how that, in order to be creative and original one needs a deep understanding of a domain of knowledge. I will argue that these qualities cannot be reached in a theoretical vacuum. It must be remembered that the scientific enterprise is a complex cognitive process. One can only advance, learn and understand from the springboard of what one already knows. The improvement of established theories or the proposition of new ones can only be possible through a deep analysis, synthesis and integration of accepted scientific knowledge. This is only possible through the scrutiny of the concepts, propositions and predictions of accepted theories. Going deeper into Scarano's ideas, I propose that to further our comprehension of nature and to give a basis for the generation of knowledge, Brazilian ecologists should look for a specific set of question-driven papers. These are what I will call the 'why-question' papers. Only why-question driven papers can provide accounts which advance scientific knowledge and foster explanations of the mechanisms behind ecological processes.

Reporting on methods of subgroup analysis in clinical trials: a survey of four scientific journals

Results of subgroup analysis (SA) reported in randomized clinical trials (RCT) cannot be adequately interpreted without information about the methods used in the study design and the data analysis. Our aim was to show how often inaccurate or incomplete reports occur. First, we selected eight methodological aspects of SA on the basis of their importance to a reader in determining the confidence that should be placed in the author's conclusions regarding such analysis. Then, we reviewed the current practice of reporting these methodological aspects of SA in clinical trials in four leading journals, i.e., the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Lancet, and the American Journal of Public Health. Eight consecutive reports from each journal published after July 1, 1998 were included. Of the 32 trials surveyed, 17 (53%) had at least one SA. Overall, the proportion of RCT reporting a particular methodological aspect ranged from 23 to 94%. Information on whether the SA preceded/followed the analysis was reported in only 7 (41%) of the studies. Of the total possible number of items to be reported, NEJM, JAMA, Lancet and AJPH clearly mentioned 59, 67, 58 and 72%, respectively. We conclude that current reporting of SA in RCT is incomplete and inaccurate. The results of such SA may have harmful effects on treatment recommendations if accepted without judicious scrutiny. We recommend that editors improve the reporting of SA in RCT by giving authors a list of the important items to be reported.

Effect of the acupoints ST-36 (Zusanli) and SP-6 (Sanyinjiao) on intestinal myoelectric activity of Wistar rats

Despite its ancient use as a therapeutic tool to treat several ailments, acupuncture still faces the challenge of scrutiny by Western science both in terms of its efficacy and in terms of the characterization of its effects and mechanisms of actions underlying these effects. We investigated under well-controlled and carefully characterized conditions the influence of electrical stimulation of acupuncture points ST-36 (Zusanli) and SP-6 (Sanyinjiao) on the myoelectric activity of the small intestine of 38 adult male Wistar rats. Electrical recordings obtained by means of four electrodes chronically implanted in the small intestine were used to assess the effects of acupuncture (electroacupuncture stimulation set at 2 Hz, intermittent stimulation, 1 V, for 30 min). Immobilization of the animals was associated with a consistent decrease (-8 ± 7%) in the myoelectric activity of the small intestine as measured by means of the root mean square. Conversely, acupuncture was able to significantly increase (overshoot) this activity compared to baseline (+44 ± 7%). In contrast, immobilized animals subjected to sham acupuncture had only modest (nonsignificant) increases in myoelectric activity (+9 ± 6%). Using carefully controlled conditions we confirmed previous noncontrolled studies on the ability of acupuncture to alter intestinal motility. The characterization of the topographic and temporal profiles of the effects observed here represents a basis for future dissection of the physiological and pharmacological systems underlying these effects.

Existe uma ordem econômica internacional? A problematização de uma premissa

This article invites to a reflection on the ontological and axiological foundations of the concept 'international economic order'. We argue that the notion of 'order' implies, at first, identifying a sort of social arrangement or pattern. However, as we intend to demonstrate, this pattern is hardly present in contemporary international economic relations. Besides, the adjectives 'economic' and 'international' instill doubt not only in regard to the nature of the 'international', but also in what concerns the feasibility of spotting a working pattern in international economy nowadays. Thus, it seems, on heuristical terms, an appropriate methodological option to revisit some of the main canonical contributions to the theme of international (economic) order, and to submit it to academic scrutiny. Additionally, we seek to evaluate how plausible it is to think of a 'multilateral' economic international order.