954 resultados para level of propositions
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Critical Issues in Environmental Taxation: International and Comparative Perspectives: Volume VI, 699-715
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A fourteen year schistosomiasis control program in Peri-Peri (Capim Branco, MG) reduced prevalence from 43.5 to 4.4%; incidence from 19.0 to 2.9%, the geometric mean of the number of eggs from 281 to 87 and the level of the hepatoesplenic form cases from 5.9 to 0.0%. In 1991, three years after the interruption of the program, the prevalence had risen to 19.6%. The district consists of Barbosa (a rural area) and Peri-Peri itself (an urban area). In 1991, the prevalence in the two areas was 28.4% and 16.0% respectively. A multivariate analysis of risk factors for schistosomiasis indicated the domestic agricultural activity with population attributive risk (PAR) of 29.82%, the distance (< 10 m) from home to water source (PAR = 25.93%) and weekly fishing (PAR = 17.21%) as being responsible for infections in the rural area. The recommended control measures for this area are non-manual irrigation and removal of homes to more than ten meters from irrigation ditches. In the urban area, it was observed that swimming at weekly intervals (PAR = 20.71%), daily domestic agricultural activity (PAR = 4.07%) and the absence of drinking water in the home (PAR=4.29%) were responsible for infections. Thus, in the urban area the recommended control measures are the substitution of manual irrigation with an irrigation method that avoids contact with water, the creation of leisure options of the population and the provision of a domestic water supply. The authors call attention to the need for the efficacy of multivariate analysis of risk factors to be evaluated for schistosomiasis prior to its large scale use as a indicator of the control measures to be implemented.
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Two sheep antisera, one of which raised against polysaccharide (Po) and other against protein (Pt) components of Schistosoma mansoni adult worms, were assessed by ELISA for their ability to detect circulating parasite antigens in patients with different clinical forms of chronic schistosomiasis mansoni. The former antiserum detected parasite antigens in liver granulomata and the latter in renal glomeruli from schistosomiasis patients and mice experimentally infected with S. mansoni. In general, the levels and/or positivity rate of circulating antigens and specific IgG antibodies were significantly higher in patients with hepatointestinal (HI) and hepatosplenic (HS) forms than in mild intestinal (I) forms. An association between Po antigens and clinical features of the disease was observed, as the level of these antigens was low (137 ng/ml) as well as the positivity rate (7.9%) in patients with I forms; values that were intermediate (593 ng/ml and 33.3%) in those with HI forms, and high (1.563 ng/ml and 50.0%) in more severe HS forms. The Pt antigens were detected in the studied clinical forms not differing statistically but, the positivity rate was significantly higher in HS forms comparatively to I forms. The antisera studied revealed distinct circulating antigen profiles, and the prognostic value of Po and Pt antigens was suggested.
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The possibility that some virus contaminants could be altering host response to Trypanosoma cruzi experimental infection was investigated. Data obtained showed that CBA/J mice infected with stocks of parasite maintained in mice (Y1UEC) presented higher level of parasitemia and shorter survival times than those infected with a stock (Y1TC) which was also maintained in mice but had been previously passaged in cell culture. Mouse antibody production tests, performed with the filtered plasma of mice infected with Y1UEC, indicated the presence of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) while no virus was detected when testing the plasma of Y1TC infected mice. Filtered plasma of Y1EUC infected mice was shown to contain a factor able to enhance the level of parasitemia and to reduce the mean survival time of mice challenged with 10(5) Y1TC. This factor, that could be serially passaged to nave mice was shown to be a coronavirus by neutralization tests.
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In these experiments the ratio of male to female S. mansoni larvae in D. glabrata from Belo Horizonte and Ribeiro das Neves Minas Gerais, Brazil, either reared in laboratoty or collected in the field, varied from 1:1 to 1:1.3 or 1.4:1. Cercariae of LE strain of Schistosoma mansoni, shed by 39 snails maintained at 25±0.5ºC were used to infect mice on a weekly basis. Subsequent perfusion resulted in 76.6% male and 23.4% female worms. The cercariac produced by 32 infected snails maintained at 27+0.5°C were inoculated into mice and produced 43.4% male and 56.6% female worms (p<0.05). Cercariae eliminated by snails collected in Barreiro and Ressaca, Belo Horizonte, during hot months, produced 45.7 to 47.7% male and 52.3 to 54.3% female worms. A lower number of cercariae shed by snails collected in Gorduras, Belo Horizonte, at 20+3.0°C, produced 51.6% male and 48.4% female worms. Thus, in this region the infection of vertebrate hosts with S. mansoni cercariae would be more severe in the summer due to the higher level of parasites and the number of eggs.
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To determine the rabies antibody level of twenty-four hyperimmune equine sera, Standard Mouse Neutralization (SMN) and Couterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) tests were carried out, both at the Instituto Butantan (IB) and Instituto Panamericano de Proteccin de Alimentos y Zoonosis (INPPAZ). Statistical analysis has shown a correlation (r) of 0.9317 between the SMN and CIE performed at the IB, while at the INPPAZ it scored 0.974. Comparison of CIE data of both laboratories yielded a correlation of 0.845. The CIE technique has shown to be as sensitive and efficient as the SMN in titrating antirabies hyperimmune equine sera. Based on CIE results, a simple, rapid and inexpensive technique, tilers of sera antibody can be reliably estimated in SMN test.
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This study aims to analyze which determinants predict frailty in general and each frailty domain (physical, psychological, and social), considering the integral conceptual model of frailty, and particularly to examine the contribution of medication in this prediction. A cross-sectional study was designed using a non-probabilistic sample of 252 community-dwelling elderly from three Portuguese cities. Frailty and determinants of frailty were assessed with the Tilburg Frailty Indicator. The amount and type of different daily-consumed medication were also examined. Hierarchical regression analysis were conducted. The mean age of the participants was 79.2 years (7.3), and most of them were women (75.8%), widowed (55.6%) and with a low educational level (04 years: 63.9%). In this study, determinants explained 46% of the variance of total frailty, and 39.8, 25.3, and 27.7% of physical, psychological, and social frailty respectively. Age, gender, income, death of a loved one in the past year, lifestyle, satisfaction with living environment and self-reported comorbidity predicted total frailty, while each frailty domain was associated with a different set of determinants. The number of daily-consumed drugs was independently associated with physical frailty, and the consumption of medication for the cardiovascular system and for the blood and blood-forming organs explained part of the variance of total and physical frailty. The adverse effects of polymedication and its direct link with the level of comorbidities could explain the independent contribution of the amount of prescribed drugs to frailty prediction. On the other hand, findings in regard to medication type provide further evidence of the association of frailty with cardiovascular risk. In the present study, a significant part of frailty was predicted, and the different contributions of each determinant to frailty domains highlight the relevance of the integral model of frailty. The added value of a simple assessment of medication was considerable, and it should be taken into account for effective identification of frailty.
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RESUMO: A tese de doutoramento visa demonstrar duas proposies: a comorbilidade de 4 situaes de doena prevalentes, hipertenso arterial (HTA), diabetes (DM), doena cardaca isqumica (DCI) e asma um assunto importante em Medicina Geral e Familiar e o seu estudo tem diversas implicaes na forma como os cuidados de sade so prestados, na sua organizao e no ensino-aprendizagem da disciplina. O documento encontra-se dividido em 4 partes: 1) justificao do interesse do tema e finalidades da dissertao; 2) reviso sistemtica de literatura publicada entre 1992 e 2002; 3) apresentao de dois trabalhos de investigao, descritivos e exploratrios que se debruam sobre a mesma populao de estudo, o primeiro intitulado Comorbilidade de quatro doenas crnicas e sua relao com factores scio demogrficos e o segundo, Diferenas entre doentes, por mdico e por sub-regio, na comorbilidade de 4 doenas crnicas; 4) concluses e implicaes dos resultados dos estudos na gesto da prtica clnica, nos servios, no ensino da disciplina da MGF e no desenvolvimento posterior de uma linha de investigao nesta rea. O primeiro estudo tem como objectivos: descrever a prevalncia da comorbilidade entre as 4 doenas-ndice; verificar se existe relao entre o tempo da primeira doena e o tempo decorrido at ao aparecimento da 2 e da 3 doena, nas 4 doenas; determinar a comorbilidade associada s 4 doenas; identificar eventuais agrupamentos de doenas e verificar se existe relao entre comorbilidade e factores sociais e demogrficos. O segundo estudo pretende verificar se existem diferenas na comorbilidade a nvel local, por mdico, e por Sub-Regio de Sade. O trabalho emprico descritivo e exploratrio. A populao constituda pelos doentes, com pelo menos uma das 4 doenas crnicas ndice, das listas de utentes de 12 Mdicos de Famlia a trabalharem em Centros de Sade urbanos, suburbanos e rurais dos distritos de Lisboa e Beja. Os dados foram colhidos durante um ano atravs dos registos mdicos. As variveis scio demogrficas estudadas so: sexo, idade, etnia/raa, escolaridade, situao profissional, estado civil, tipo de famlia, funcionalidade familiar, condies de habitao. A comorbilidade definida pela presena de duas ou mais doenas e estudada pelo nmero de doenas coexistentes. O tempo de durao da doena definido como o nmero de anos decorridos entre o ano de diagnstico e 2003. Os problemas de sade crnicos so classificados pela ICPC2. Nas comparaes efectuadas aplicaram-se os testes de Mann-Whitney e de Friedman, de homogeneidade e de anlise de resduos. A Anlise Classificatria Hierrquica foi utilizada para determinar o agrupamento de doenas e a Anlise de Regresso Categrica e Anlise de Correspondncias na relao entre as caractersticas scio demogrficas e a comorbilidade. Identificaram-se 3998 doentes. A idade mdia de 64,3 anos (DP=15,70). H uma correlao positiva significativa (r =0,350 r=0) entre anos com a primeira doenae idade dos doentes em todos os indivduos (homens r=0,129 mulheres r=0,231). A comorbilidade entre as quatro doenas crnicas ndice est presente em 1/3 da populao. As associaes mais prevalentes so HTA+DM (14,3%) e HTA+DCI (6,25%). Existe correlao positiva, expressiva, entre a durao da primeira doena, quando esta a HTA ou a DM, e o intervalo de tempo at ao aparecimento da 2 e da 3 doenas. Identificaram-se 18 655 problemas crnicos de sade que se traduziram em 244 cdigos da ICPC2. O nmero mdio de problemas foi de 5,94 (DP=3,04). A idade, a actividade profissional, a funcionalidade familiar e a escolaridade foram as variveis que mais contriburam para diferenciar os indivduos quanto comorbilidade. Foram encontradas diferenas significativas entre mdicos(c2=1165,368 r=0) e entre os agrupamentos de doentes por Sub-Regio de Sade (c2= 157,108 r=0) no respeitante comorbilidade. Na partio por Lisboa o nmero mdio de problemas de 6,45 e em Beja de 5,35. Deste trabalho ressaltam vrias consequncias para os profissionais, para os servios, para o ensino e para a procura de mais saber nesta rea. Os mdicos, numa gesto eficiente de cuidados so chamados a desempenhar um papel de gestores da complexidade e de coordenadores assim como a trabalhar num modelo organizativo apoiado numa colaborao em equipa. Por sua vez os servios de sade tm que desenvolver medidas de avaliao de cuidados que integrem a comorbilidade como medida de risco. O contexto social da cronicidade e da comorbilidade dever ser includo como rea de ensino. A concluir analisa-se o impacto do estudo nos colaboradores e o possvel desenvolvimento da investigao nesta rea.----------------------------------------ABSTRACT: The PhD Thesis has two propositions, co-morbidity of four chronic conditions (hypertension, asthma, diabetes, cardiac ischaemic disease) is a prevalent and complex issue and its study has several implications in the way care is provided and organised as well as in the learning and teaching of the discipline of General Practice. In the first part of the document arguments of different nature are given in order to sustain the dissertation aims; the second part describes a systematic study of literature review from 1992 to 2002; the third presents two research studies "Comorbidity of four chronic diseases and its relation with socio demographic factors and Differences between patients among GPs at local and regional level; implications of study results for practice management, teaching and research are presented in the last part. The prevalence of the four chronic diseases co-morbidity, the relation of the first disease duration with the time of diagnose of the next index condition, the burden of co-morbidity in the four chronic diseases, the clustering of those diseases, the relation between demographic and social characteristics and co-morbidity, are the objectives of the first study. The second intends to verify differences in comorbidity between patients at local and regional level of practice. Research studies were descriptive and exploratory. The population under study were patients enlisted in 12 GPs working in urban and rural health centres, in Lisbon and Beja districts, with at least one of the four mentioned diseases. Data were collected through medical records during one year (2003) and 3998 patients were identified. The social demographic variables were: sex, age, ethnicity/race, education, profession, marriage status, family status, family functionality, home living conditions. Co-morbidity is defined by the presence of two or more diseases, and studied by the number of co-existing diseases. The time duration of the disease is defined by the number of years between the diagnostic year and 2003. The chronic disease problems are classified in accord with ICPC2. The characterization of population is descriptive. The effected comparisons applied the Mann-Whitney, Friedman, homogeneity and analysis of residuals tests. The Classificatory Hierarchy Analysis was utilized to determine the grouping of diseases and the Regression Categorization and Correspondences Analysis was used to study the relation of socio-demographic and co-morbidity. The median age of the population under study is 64,3 (SD= 15,70). There is a significant positive correlation (r =0,350 r=0)between years with the first disease and patient age for all individuals (men r=0,129 women r=0,231). Co-morbidity of the four index diseases is present in 1/3 of the studied population. The most prevalent associations for the four diseases are HTA+DM (14,03%) and HTA+IHD (6,25%). Expressive positive correlation between the duration of the first disease and the second and the third index disease interval is found. For the 3988 patients, 18 655 chronic health problems, translated in 244 ICPC2 codes, were identified. The mean number of problems is 5,94 (SD=3,04). Age, professional activity, family functionality and education level are the socio demographic characteristics that most contribute to differentiate individuals concerning the overall co-morbidity. Significant differences in co-morbidity between GP patients at local (c2=1165,368 r=0) and regional level (c2= 157,108 r=0) are found. This study has several consequences for professionals, for services, for the teaching and learning of General Practice and for the pursuit of knowledge in this area. New competences and performances have to be implemented. General Practitioners, assuming a role of co-ordination, have to perform the role of complexity managers in patient's care, working in practices supported by a strong team in collaboration with other specialists. In order to assess provided care, services have to develop tools where co-morbidity is included as a risk measure. The social context of comorbidity and chronicity has to be included in the curricula of General Practice learning and teaching areas. The dissertation ends describing the added value to participant's performance for their participation in the research and an agenda for further research, in this area, based on a community of practice.--------RSUM:Cette thse de doctorat prtend dmontrer deux postulats : le premier, que la comorbidit de quatre maladies frquentes, hypertension artrielle (HTA), diabte (DM), maladie cardiaque ischmique (DCI) et asthme, est un thme important en Mdecine Gnrale et Familiale et que son tude a plusieurs implications au niveau de l'approche pour dispenser les soins, de leur organisation et de l'enseignement/apprentissage de la discipline. Le document comprend quatre parties distinctes : 1) justification de l'intrt du sujet et objectifs de la dissertation ; 2) tude systmatique de publications dites entre 1992 et 2002 ; 3) prsentation de deux travaux de recherche, descriptifs et exploratoires, un premier intitule Comorbidit de quatre maladies chroniques et leur relation avec des facteurs sociodmographiques et un deuxime Diffrences entre malades, selon le mdecin et la sous rgion, dans la comorbilit de quatre maladies chroniques ; 4) conclusions et consquences des rsultats des tudes dans la gestion de la pratique clinique, dans les services, dans l'enseignement de la discipline de MGF et dans le dveloppement postrieur de la recherche dans ce domaine. Les objectifs de la premire tude sont les suivants : dcrire la prvalence de la comorbidit entre les quatre maladies chroniques, vrifier s'il existe une relation entre temps de dure de la premire maladie et l'espace de temps jusqu' le diagnostic de la 2me ou 3me maladie; dterminer la comorbidit entre les 4 maladies ; identifier d'ventuelles groupements de maladies et vrifier s'il existe une relation entre comorbidit et facteurs sociodmographiques. La deuxime tude prtend vrifier s'il existe des diffrences de comorbidit entre mdecins et par groupement rgional. Le travail empirique est descriptif et exploratoire. La population est compose des malades ayant au moins une des quatre maladies chroniques parmi les listes de malades de douze Mdecins de Famille qui travaillent dans des Centres de Sant urbains, suburbains et ruraux (Districts de Lisbonne et Beja). Les donnes ont t extraites pendant l'anne 2003 des registres des mdecins. Les variables sociodmographiques tudies sont : le sexe, l'ge, l'ethnie/race, la scolarit, la situation professionnelle, l'tat civil, le type de famille, sa fonctionnalit, les conditions de logement. La comorbidit est dfinie lorsqu'il existe deux ou plusieurs maladies et est tudie d'aprs le nombre de maladies coexistantes. La dure de la maladie est tablie en comptant le nombre d'annes coules entre le diagnostique et 2003. Les problmes de sant chroniques sont classs par l'ICPC 2. Pour les comparaisons les tests de Mann-Whitney et Friedman, de homognit et analyse de rsidues ont t appliqus. L'Analyse de Classification Hirarchique a t utilise pour procder au regroupement des maladies et l'Analyse de Rgression Catgorique et l'Analyse de Correspondances pour tudier la relation entre les caractristiques sociodmographiques et la comorbilit. Les principaux rsultats sont les suivants : les 3998 malades identifis ont 64,3 ans d'ge moyen (DP=15,70). Il existe une corrlation positive significative (r =0,350 r=0) entre les annes avec la premire maladie et l'ge des malades , chez tous les individus (hommes r=0,129 femmes r=0,231). La comorbidit entre les quatre maladies chroniques est une ralit chez 1/3 des patients. Les associations les plus frquentes sont HTA+DM (14%) et HTA+DCI (6,25%). Il existe une corrlation positive significative entre la dure de la premire maladie, HTA ou DM, et l'cart jusqu' l'apparition de la deuxime et de la troisime maladie. Chez les malades, 18.655 problmes chroniques de sant ont t identifis et traduits en 244 codes de l'ICPC2. La moyenne des problmes a t de 5,94 (DP=3,04). L'ge, l'activit professionnelle, la fonctionnalit familiale et la scolarit sont les variables qui ont le plus contribu diffrencier les individus face la comorbilit. Des diffrences notoires ont t trouves entre mdecins (c2=1165,368 r=0) et entre les groupements rgionaux (c2=157,108 r=0) en ce qui concerne la comorbidit. Dans le groupe de patients de Lisbonne, le chiffre moyen de problmes est de 6,45 et Beja il est de 5,35. Cette tude met en vidence plusieurs consquences pour les professionnels, les services, l'enseignement et l'largissement du savoir dans ce domaine. Les mdecins, soucieux de grer efficacement les soins sont appels jouer un rle de gestionnaires de la complexit et de coordinateurs, de mme qu' travailler dans un modle d'organisation soutenus par un travail d'quipe. D'autre part, les services de sant doivent eux aussi dvelopper des mesures d'valuation des soins qui intgrent la comorbidit comme mesure de risque. Le contexte social de la chronicit et de la comorbidit devra tre inclus comme domaines tudier. La fin de cette thse dcrit l'impact de cette tude sur les collaborateurs et le dveloppement futur de la recherche dans ce domaine.
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The provision of reserves in power systems is of great importance in what concerns keeping an adequate and acceptable level of security and reliability. This need for reserves and the way they are defined and dispatched gain increasing importance in the present and future context of smart grids and electricity markets due to their inherent competitive environment. This paper concerns a methodology proposed by the authors, which aims to jointly and optimally dispatch both generation and demand response resources to provide the amounts of reserve required for the system operation. Virtual Power Players are especially important for the aggregation of small size demand response and generation resources. The proposed methodology has been implemented in MASCEM, a multi agent system also developed at the authors research center for the simulation of electricity markets.
