RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: EVIDENCE FROM THE TIMING OF MEXICAN SAINT DAY FESTIVALS.

Does variation in how religious festivals are celebrated have economic consequences? We study the economic impacts of the timing of Catholic patron saint day festivals in Mexico. For causal identification, we exploit cross-locality variation in festival dates and in the timing of agricultural seasons. We estimate the impact of "agriculturally-coinciding" festivals (those coinciding with peak planting or harvest months) on long-run economic development of localities. Agriculturally-coinciding festivals lead to lower household income and worse development outcomes overall. These negative effects are likely due to lower agricultural productivity, which inhibits structural transformation out of agriculture. Agriculturally-coinciding festivals may nonetheless persist because they also lead to higher religiosity and social capital.

Antiprotozoal Nitazoxanide Derivatives: Synthesis, Bioassays and QSAR Study Combined with Docking for Mechanistic Insight.

In view of the serious health problems concerning infectious diseases in heavily populated areas, we followed the strategy of lead compound diversification to evaluate the near-by chemical space for new organic compounds. To this end, twenty derivatives of nitazoxanide (NTZ) were synthesized and tested for activity against Entamoeba histolytica parasites. To ensure drug-likeliness and activity relatedness of the new compounds, the synthetic work was assisted by a quantitative structure-activity relationships study (QSAR). Many of the inherent downsides - well-known to QSAR practitioners - we circumvented thanks to workarounds which we proposed in prior QSAR publication. To gain further mechanistic insight on a molecular level, ligand-enzyme docking simulations were carried out since NTZ is known to inhibit the protozoal pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) enzyme as its biomolecular target.

Correlation between two physical activity programs in the gait of sedentary elderly subjects / Correlação entre dois programas de atividade física na marcha de idosos sedentários

Objectives: To assess the effect of exercise on gait using two different programs: a group of aerobic exercises (Group A, n = 18) and a group of flexibility and balance exercises (Group B, n = 19). Methods: A casualized controlled study, in which each sample controlled itself, was undertaken. The sample comprised 37 male and female subjects, aged from 60 to 90 years, from the outpatient clinic of the Geriatrics Unit of Hospital das Clínicas of Faculdade de Medicina of Universidade de São Paulo; the patients were sedentary and had not exercised regularly during the past six months. Results: Improvement of gait was seen mainly in the group that did specific exercises. Conclusion: The results of this study underline the importance of physical exercises in sedentary elderly subjects, but show the need for programming the exercises towards specific goals, which can optimize the results of this tool of health promotion for the elderly.

Objetivos: Avaliar o efeito dos exercícios na marcha por meio de dois diferentes programas: o grupo dos exercícios aeróbios (Grupo A, n = 18) e o grupo que realizou exercícios de flexibilidade e equilíbrio (Grupo B, n = 19). Métodos: Este foi um estudo casualizado, ensaio controlado, no qual cada amostra foi controle dela mesma. Foram sujeitos desta pesquisa 37 idosos, com idade entre 60-90 anos, de ambos os sexos, encaminhados dos ambulatórios do serviço de Geriatria do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, sedentários e que não tinham praticado atividade física por, pelo menos, seis meses. Resultados: Observou-se que a melhora do padrão da marcha dos idosos foi obtida, principalmente, no grupo que realizou exercícios específicos. Conclusão: Os resultados desta investigação reforçam a relevância da prática de exercícios físicos pelos idosos sedentários, mas demonstra a necessidade de dirigir a programação para objetivos definidos, o que pode otimizar os resultados deste instrumento de promoção de saúde do idoso.

Correlation between two physical activity programs in the gait of sedentary elderly subjects.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of exercise on gait using two different programs: a group of aerobic exercises (Group A, n = 18) and a group of flexibility and balance exercises (Group B, n = 19). METHODS: A casualized controlled study, in which each sample controlled itself, was undertaken. The sample comprised 37 male and female subjects, aged from 60 to 90 years, from the outpatient clinic of the Geriatrics Unit of Hospital das Clínicas of Faculdade de Medicina of Universidade de São Paulo; the patients were sedentary and had not exercised regularly during the past six months. RESULTS: Improvement of gait was seen mainly in the group that did specific exercises. CONCLUSION: The results of this study underline the importance of physical exercises in sedentary elderly subjects, but show the need for programming the exercises towards specific goals, which can optimize the results of this tool of health promotion for the elderly.

Anemia depranocítica: nifedipina y funcionalismo pulmonar / Drepanocytic Anemia: nifedipine and pulmonary function

Como es sabido, los pacientes depranocíticos suelen presentar complicaciones respiratorias frecuentes, caracterizadas por alteraciones de la función macánica pulmonar debido a los procesos vasooclusivos que acurren a nivel de la microcirculación, quedando comprometidas la capacidad vital y pulmonar de estos pacientes. Investigaciones realizadas también has reportado que la células depranocíticas se ven favorecidas en su formación por el aumento de calcio (CA++) citoplasmático y la disminución del potasio celular, aunque el mecanismo no ha sido bien dilucionado. basándonos en lo dicho anteriormente, se realizó un trabajo doble ciego y cruzado (nifedipina vs.placebo), en 10 pacientes depranocíticos homocigotos (6 hombres y 4 mujeres), en los cuales se evaluó funcionalismo pulmonar basal (FBP) antes y después de la administración sublingual de nifedipina (10 mg) y placebo a los 15 y 30 minutos de la administración de los mismos. Igualmente se evaluó FBP antes y dos (2) meses después de la administración de nifedipina (10 mg) y placebo, VO, dos veces al día (BID). Despues de anlizados los resultados se evidenció disminución de los fenómenos vasooclusivos y por ende disminución tanto en el número como la severidad de la crisis dolorosas. Igualmente podemos concluir que existe una mejoría significativa del FBP con el uso de nifedipina en los pacientes depranicíticos