Atherosclerosis in young Brazilians suffering violent deaths: a pathological study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke, which can cause sudden death in adulthood. In general, the clinical manifestations of cardiovascular diseases are caused by atherosclerosis, which is a process that starts during middle age. More recent studies indicate that the atherosclerotic process begins during childhood.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To evaluate the extent of atherosclerotic disease in young Brazilians, we conducted a study of the pathological alterations in the major arteries of victims of violent death. Samples of the right carotid artery, left coronary artery, and thoracic aorta of young victims of violent death were analyzed and graded in accordance with the histological atherosclerotic lesion types proposed by the American Heart Association. Samples were collected from 100 individuals who had died from external causes, aged from 12 to 33 years.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The majority of cases (83%) were male, and 66% of deaths were homicides caused by firearms. The median age was 20.0 years and mean body mass index was 20.9 kg/m². Of the right carotid artery specimens, 3% were normal, 55% had type I, 40% had type II, 1% had type III, and 1% had type IV atherosclerotic lesions. Of the left coronary artery specimens, 5% were normal, 48% had type I, 41% had type II, 3% had type III, and 3% had type IV lesions. Of the thoracic aorta specimens, none were normal, 13% had type I, 64% had type II, 22% had type III, and 1% had type IV lesions. Overall, 97.34% of arteries examined had some degree of atherosclerosis. The most common histological type was type II (foam cells). No thoracic aorta specimens were normal, and the coronary artery specimens had the most atherosclerosis.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results show a high prevalence of atherosclerotic lesions among young people in Brazil. Intervention should be undertaken to decrease the rate of sudden cardiac death in the adult population.</p

"Muro baixo, o povo pula": iniciativas institucionais de participação digital e seus desafios fundamentais

Resumo: O artigo investiga as dificuldades mais comuns enfrentadas pelos projetos governamentais voltados para incrementar a participação através do emprego dos media digitais. Após breve diagnóstico dos recursos participativos existentes nos Portais da Presidência da República e da Câmara dos Deputados, é verificado se os constrangimentos técnicos e políticos que a literatura aponta em relação à adoção das ferramentas de comunicação digital se refletem em tais experiências. À luz dos elementos fornecidos pela investigação dos casos empíricos, defende-se o argumento de que promover a participação requer mais do que a oferta de recursos de comunicação, uma vez que cultura cívica e outras peculiaridades de cada democracia são fatores determinantes a influenciarem os padrões de envolvimento político. Se a idéia dos autores mais eufóricos se refere ao argumento de que a Internet torna o "muro" que protege as instituições representativas mais fácil de pular, deve-se considerar que o jogo político tradicional conta, muitas vezes, com artifícios próprios a fim de evitar o emprego efetivo das capacidades da rede digital.Abstract: The article examines the difficulties faced by government projects aimed at fostering citizens' political participation by using the Internet. After presenting the participatory tools found on two institutional websites (the Brazilian Presidency and the House of Representatives), I examine how the constraints pointed out by a relevant part of the literature in e-participation are reflected on such initiatives. The discussion grounded on empirical evidences highlights the argument that promoting online participation needs more than providing communication resources, since civic culture and other issues are still key factors in influencing our patterns of political involvement. A participatory use of digital tools will then depend more on circumstances such as institutional willingness than on the technical mechanisms available