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Paolo Beck-Peccoz,1 Charlotte Höybye,2 Suat Simsek,3 Günter Stalla,4 Robert D Murray,5 Altaher Esmael,6 Dragan Urosevic,7 Anca Boldea,6 Markus Zabransky6 1Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; 2Department of Endocrinology and Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; 3Department of Internal Medicine/Endocrinology, Northwest Clinics, Alkmaar and Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 4Medicover Neuroendocrinology and Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität, Munich, Germany; 5Leeds Centre for Diabetes & Endocrinology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK; 6HEXAL AG (a Sandoz company), Holzkirchen, Germany; 7Novartis Sandoz Biopharmaceutical AG, c/o HEXAL AG, Basel, SwitzerlandCorrespondence: Paolo Beck-Peccoz, Fondazione Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Pietro Custodi 1, Milan, 20136, Italy, Tel +39 3357073239, Email paolo.beckpeccoz@unimi.itPurpose: Long-term studies are needed to investigate the safety of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) for the treatment of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in routine practice. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of biosimilar rhGH (somatropin; Omnitrope®) in adults with GHD.Methods: PAtients TReated with Omnitrope (PATRO) Adults was a post-marketing surveillance study conducted across Europe. The primary objective was the safety of biosimilar rhGH in adults, particularly the occurrence of glucose intolerance or diabetes mellitus and malignancies. All adverse events (AEs) were recorded throughout treatment. Treatment effectiveness was a secondary objective.Results: By December 2021, 1527 patients (50.3% male) were enrolled from 84 centers in 10 European countries. Most patients had adult-onset GHD (n = 1243; 81.4%) and 771 (50.5%) were rhGH-naïve at study entry. Median (interquartile range) treatment duration was 4.4 (1.90– 7.30) years. Overall, 1181 patients (77.3%) reported 6667 AEs. Treatment-related AEs were reported in 143 patients (9.4%; 216 AEs); arthralgia was most common (n = 24). There were 49 confirmed diabetes mellitus events; 44 in newly diagnosed patients. Overall, 84 malignancies were reported. There were 46 treatment-related serious AEs in 39 patients (2.6%). The most frequently reported treatment-related serious AE was “metabolism and nutrition disorders” (n = 12). In rhGH-naïve patients, an increase in mean insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) standard deviation score (SDS) was observed from – 2.03 at baseline to +0.28 at 5 years. An increase in IGF-1 SDS was also observed in previously treated patients from – 0.71 to +0.35. Body mass index remained stable while blood lipid levels improved from baseline to 5 years.Conclusion: Final data from PATRO Adults confirm that biosimilar rhGH (Omnitrope) is not associated with any unexpected safety signals, with no evidence of increased diabetogenic or carcinogenic risk, and is effective in real-world clinical practice.Plain language summary: Why was the study done?– Growth hormone deficiency is a condition caused by insufficient amounts of growth hormone in the body, which can be treated with daily injections of a replacement growth hormone medicine.– It is important to monitor the safety of long-term treatment with growth hormone, especially regarding the risk of cancer and diabetes.What did the researchers do?– The PATRO Adults study included adult patients with growth hormone deficiency who were treated with a growth hormone medicine called Omnitrope.– The researchers main aim was to evaluate specific safety concerns, including any potential increased risk of cancer and diabetes.What did the researchers find?– A total of 1527 patients were enrolled in the study.– Overall, 143 patients had an adverse reaction that was considered to be related to growth hormone treatment, the most common of which was arthralgia, a type of joint ache, which occurred in 1.6% of patients.– Overall, 17 patients (1.1%) developed diabetes and four patients (0.3%) developed cancer that was suspected as being related to growth hormone treatment.– The risk of developing diabetes and cancer was low and comparable to what has been seen in previous studies in patients treated with growth hormone.What do the results mean?– The safety findings from this study were consistent with the well characterized safety profile of growth hormone treatment in adults with growth hormone deficiency. This supports previous studies showing no evidence of increased risk of cancer or diabetes with growth hormone treatment in adults.Keywords: somatropin, long-term, real-world, European, diabetes, malignancy

The integration of digital health technologies into diabetes management has shown the potential to improve patient outcomes by providing personalized dietary recommendations. This study aims to develop and evaluate the Diabetes-Focused Food Recommender System (DFRS), a system designed to assist individuals with diabetes in making informed food choices. Using a combination of advanced machine learning algorithms, nutrition science, and digital health technologies, DFRS generates personalized recommendations tailored to individual needs. The methodology involves data collection from diverse patient profiles and model development using Graph Neural Networks (GNN) and other machine learning techniques. Hyperparameter tuning and rigorous performance evaluation were conducted to optimize system accuracy. The results demonstrate that after optimization, GNN achieved an accuracy of 94 percent, significantly enhancing the precision of dietary recommendations. Clinical validation of the system showed a reduction in HbA1c levels, glycemic variability, and incidents of hyper- and hypoglycemia. Therefore, DFRS has proven to be an effective tool for improving dietary management in diabetes care, and its integration into clinical workflows offers the potential to enhance health outcomes and streamline healthcare delivery.

IntroductionNeural tube defects (NTDs) are serious congenital anomalies of the central nervous system caused by disruptions in early embryonic development. The prevalence is about twice as common in low- and middle-income countries and more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. Folic acid deficiency is a major risk factor and common during pregnancy. However, limited research on preconception folic acid supplementation in this region highlights the need for systematic reviews and targeted interventions to improve maternal and fetal health.MethodsWe conducted a systematic literature search in EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and Google for studies on the proportion of folic acid supplementation during the preconception period, covering publications up to January 2024. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Heterogeneity was evaluated with Cochrane Q and I2 statistics, and small study effects were tested with Egger's test at a 5% significance level. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled proportion of FA supplementation during the preconception period in sub-Saharan African countries.ResultThis systematic review included 28 studies with a total of 12,562 participants. The highest (45.2%) and lowest (1.9%) proportion of folic acid supplementation during preconception period were recorded in the southern and Amhara regions of Ethiopia, respectively. The estimated pooled proportion of folic acid supplementation among women in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) during preconception period was (14.10%; 95% CI: 11.22-16.98) with significant heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 97.71%, p = 0.001). In sub-group analysis based on corresponding countries the highest estimated folic acid supplementation proportion during preconception period was found in studies conducted in Kenya ((22%; 95% CI: 19%-25%), I2 = 97.7%), followed by studies conducted in Ghana (20%; 95% CI: 7%-33%), I2 = 96.9%). The majority of the studies included in the analysis are of high quality, with quality scores ranging from 7 to 8. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach, resulting in a low overall rating.ConclusionThe results of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that folic acid supplementation during preconception period is significantly low among mothers in sub-Saharan African countries, despite being one of the best approaches to improve birth outcomes. Therefore, healthcare organizations, governments, policymakers, and other stakeholders involved in folic acid supplementation must collaborate on developing strategies to improve its uptake during the preconception period.

Objective . To systematically review studies to provide the pooled estimate of undernutrition among children and adolescents with cancer living in sub-Saharan African countries. Methods . The review followed the recommendations outlined in the PRISMA statement. Online searches were performed on electronic databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Hinari; gray literature sources: such as Google, Google Scholar, and university repositories were also searched. A random effect model was used to drive the pooled prevalence, and was reported at a 95% Confidence Interval (CI). Heterogeneity was assessed using subgroup analysis and univariable meta-regression. The effect of each study on the overall prevalence was assessed using leave-one-out sensitivity analysis. In all the models, statistical significance was set at P -value

Este texto apresenta algumas vivências de dois professores-pesquisadores de Psicologia de uma Universidade Federal, em uma cidade do interior da região centro-oeste do Brasil. Sala de aula, gabinete de supervisão de estágio, eventos do controle social do campo da Saúde e orientações de pesquisas compõem os cenários vivenciados. A Narrativa Autobiográfica é o método escolhido, por permitir a inclusão da experiência dos autores na construção de saberes e críticas. Apontamos as transformações em nossos currículos, abordagens teóricas e práticas derivadas dessas vivências fronteiriças e também as resistências encontradas frente às estruturas acadêmicas, representantes das elites culturais eurocentradas e do sistema eurocêntrico.

Abstract Background Currently, iodine deficiency has become a significant burden globally; where 2 billion people and 29.8% of school-age children are iodine deficient. It is a leading cause of preventable brain damage among children, resulting in impaired cognitive and motor development. Even though salt iodization was started to be implemented to alleviate this burden in Ethiopia, primary studies assessing iodine deficiency in the country show highly variable findings, and no systematic review was conducted to determine the pooled prevalence of the problem which makes it difficult to assess the effect of the intervention as well as to design appropriate and timely measures. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of iodine deficiency and the common factors affecting its occurrence among school-age children in Ethiopia. Method To obtain the eligible studies, databases (EMBASE, Scopus, Hinari, and PubMed), websites (Google and Google Scholar), and references of the eligible studies were searched systematically. Data were extracted using an Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using the STATA 17 version. The I 2 test was used to assess heterogeneity between the studies. A DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence and pooled odds ratio. A funnel plot and Egger’s test were used to detect publication bias. Result A total of 15 eligible studies, representing 15,611 school-age children, were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of iodine deficiency among school-age children in Ethiopia was found to be 58% (95%CI 44.00–77.00), while the highest prevalence was recorded in the Oromia Region, which was 64% (95% CI 49–79). Goitrogenic food consumption (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.93, 95% CI 1.60–5.35) and being female (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.87, 95% CI 1.43–2.44) showed a significant association with the prevalence of iodine deficiency. Conclusion Iodine deficiency among school-age children in Ethiopia was noticeably high. Goitrogenic food consumption and the sex of the child were determinant factors for the occurrence of iodine deficiency among the children. Therefore, appropriate advice should be given to households to limit goitrogenic foods in the diet of their children by giving due attention to their female children.

Introduction The polio vaccine is the live-attenuated antigen that prevents poliomyelitis. According to a report by the WHO, about 1 million less than 5-year-old children missed the polio vaccination from 2018 to 2021. Even though Ethiopia is the most prioritised country for polio eradication, there is not enough evidence about the combined oral and inactivated vaccine in Ethiopia.Objective To assess the non-uptake of the dual protective polio vaccine and its determinants among children in Ethiopia using the Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) 2019.Methods The secondary data analysis of a community-based cross-sectional study was conducted using EDHS 2019 data among 3094 participants. Mixed-effects binary logistic regression was used for descriptive analysis and identifying the predictors using a p value of

Sandro Loche,1 Shankar Kanumakala,2 Philippe Backeljauw,3 Karl Otfried Schwab,4 Alfonso M Lechuga-Sancho,5– 7 Altaher Esmael,8 Dragan Urosevic,9 Anca Boldea,8 Markus Zabransky8 1Endocrinologia Pediatra e Centro, Screening Neonatale, Ospedale Pediatrico Microcitemico “A. Cao”, Cagliari, Italy; 2University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust, Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital, Brighton, UK; 3Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 4Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany; 5Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain; 6Departamento Materno Infantil y Radiología, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain; 7Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain; 8HEXAL AG (a Sandoz company), Holzkirchen, Germany; 9Novartis Sandoz Biopharmaceutical AG, c/o HEXAL AG, Basel, SwitzerlandCorrespondence: Sandro Loche, Endocrinologia Pediatra e Centro, Screening Neonatale, Ospedale Pediatrico Microcitemico “A. Cao”, Via Jenner, 09121 Cagliari, Italy, Email sandroloche@libero.itPurpose: Omnitrope® (somatropin) was approved as a biosimilar recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) in 2006. Here, we report final data from the PAtients TReated with Omnitrope® (PATRO) Children study, a post-marketing surveillance study designed to monitor the long-term safety and effectiveness of this treatment in pediatric patients.Methods: The study population included all pediatric patients treated with Omnitrope® (biosimilar rhGH), administered via daily injection, in routine clinical practice. The primary objective was to assess long-term safety, with effectiveness assessed as a secondary objective.Results: In total, 7359 patients were enrolled and treated in the PATRO Children study; 86.0% were treatment-naïve at baseline. Growth hormone deficiency was the most frequent indication (57.9%), followed by patients born small for gestational age (SGA; 26.6%). The mean (SD) duration of exposure to biosimilar rhGH was 3.66 years (2.39). A total of 16,628 adverse events (AEs) were reported in 3981 (54.1%) patients, most of which were mild/moderate. AEs suspected to be treatment related occurred in 8.3% of patients, most frequently headache (1.6%), injection-site pain (1.1%), or injection-site hematoma (1.1%). The incidence rate (IR) of type 2 diabetes mellitus was 0.11 per 1000 person-years (PY) across all patients, and 0.13 per 1000 PY in patients born SGA. The IR of newly diagnosed primary malignancies was 0.22 per 1000 PY across all patients. In the 6589 patients included in the effectiveness population, a sustained catch-up growth was observed across all indications. After 5 years of treatment, height SDS increased from baseline by a median (range) of +1.79 (– 3.7 to 6.2) in treatment-naïve patients and +0.73 (– 1.4 to 3.7) in pretreated patients.Conclusion: This final analysis of the PATRO Children study indicates that biosimilar rhGH is well tolerated and effective in real-world clinical practice. These data are consistent with the well-characterized safety profile of rhGH treatment in pediatric patients.Plain Language Summary: Why was the study done?Injections of growth hormone medicine can be used to increase height velocity in children with growth disorders.It is important to monitor the safety of long-term growth hormone treatment, especially regarding the risk of cancer and diabetes.What did the researchers do?PATRO Children was a study designed to look at the safety of using a growth hormone medicine for long periods of time.This study included children with several different growth disorders who were treated with a growth hormone medicine called Omnitrope®, which is administered via daily injections, and followed them throughout their treatment.The researchers aimed to evaluate the risk of specific safety concerns in these patients, including cancer and diabetes.What did the researchers find?A total of 7359 patients were enrolled from 304 sites around the world.Overall, 8.3% of patients had an adverse reaction that was considered to be related to growth hormone treatment.The most common adverse reaction considered related to growth hormone was headache, which occurred in 1.6% of patients.The risk of developing diabetes and cancer was low and comparable to what has been seen in previous studies in patients treated with growth hormone, and in the general population.What do the findings mean?The adverse reactions seen in this study were consistent with the well-characterized safety profile of growth hormone treatment in pediatric patients. This supports previous studies showing growth hormone treatment is not associated with an increased risk of cancer or diabetes in children.Keywords: Omnitrope, PATRO Children, growth hormone, pediatrics, growth hormone deficiency, small for gestational age

Objective The study aimed to assess the utilisation of growth monitoring and promotion services and the associated factors among mothers of children under 2 years old in Gondar Zuria District, northwest Ethiopia.Design Community-based, cross-sectional study.Setting The study was conducted in Gondar Zuria District, Central Gondar Zone. Data collection was conducted from 10 March to 5 April 2022.Participants 576 mother–child pairs, recruited via a multistage, stratified random sampling technique.Outcome measures and analysis Utilisation of growth monitoring and promotion services was the outcome of the study. Data were entered into Epi Info V.7 and exported to Statistical Package for the Social Sciences V.24.0 for further analysis. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with utilisation of growth monitoring services. A p value less than 0.05 was considered significant for the outcome variable.Results The utilisation of growth monitoring and promotion services among children aged 0–23 months was 26.6% (95% CI 22.9, 30.2). Health centre delivery (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.56; 95% CI 1.02, 2.68), postnatal care visits (AOR=3.13; 95% CI 1.99, 4.90), regular growth monitoring and promotion sessions (AOR=6.53; 95% CI 2.43, 9.34), and wealth status (AOR=5.98; 95% CI 3.09, 10.58) were significantly associated with utilisation of growth monitoring and promotion services.Conclusion Less than one in three children aged 0–23 months saw utilisation of growth monitoring and promotion services in the study setting. Birthplace, postnatal care follow-up, regular growth promotion and monitoring sessions, and wealth status were associated with utilisation of growth monitoring and promotion services. Enhancing skilled birth delivery, promoting postnatal care follow-up and expanding the availability of growth monitoring and promotion outreach sites could be useful to improve the utilisation of growth monitoring and promotion services.

BackgroundTimely vaccination is the practice of administering the vaccine within the first birthday of the child. Not vaccinating the child at the appropriate age is the cause of improper protection of diseases and can be a possible factor in death. The problem of not completing the vaccine in the scheduled period is a globally distributed problem, but especially in sub-Saharan African countries, it is a bottleneck to child health. Even if timely vaccination is crucial for reducing the impact of VPDs, there are no current national-level studies to generate conclusive and tangible evidence in Ethiopia.ObjectiveTo assess spatial variations and determinants of timely completion of vaccination in Ethiopia using further analysis of EDHS 2019 data.MethodThe secondary data analysis of a community-based cross-sectional study design was employed among 3094 participants. Stata-14 software was used for data cleaning, recording, and analysis. Arc GIS version 10.3 and Kuldorff SAT scan version 9.6 software are used for spatial and SAT scan statistics. A multilevel mixed-effect binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of timely vaccination. The clustering effect was also evaluated by Moran's I statistics and intra class correlation.ResultsThe timely completion of vaccination among Ethiopian women who had a child aged 12-35 months was 19.5% (95%CI: 18.2-20.8), and the spatial distribution of timely completion of vaccinations in Ethiopia was non-randomly distributed. A statistically significant high proportion of timely completion areas were clustered in the eastern part of Amhara, the south part of Afar, Addis Ababa, and Oromia. The primary cluster was located at a 13.11 km radius in Diredawa, which was 3.68 times higher than outside the window (RR = 3.68, LLR = 68.76, p-value < 0.001). History of antenatal care follow-up (AOR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.3-2.04), giving birth at health facilities (AOR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.25-2.13), age ≥ 35 years (AOR = 186, 95% CI: 1.35-2.63), age 25-34 years (AOR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.33-2.21), and being richest (AOR = 2.71, 95% CI: 1.86-3.94) were the factors contributing to the timely completion of vaccination.ConclusionThe prevalence of timely completion of vaccination was low in Ethiopia, and the spatial distribution of timely completion of vaccination in Ethiopia was non-randomly distributed across the regions. The factors associated with the timely completion of vaccinations were ANC follow-up, place of delivery, age of the participant, and wealth index. We recommend expanding facility delivery, antenatal care services, and empowering women to scale up timely vaccination in Ethiopia.

Education is crucial for a productive life and providing necessary resources. With the advent of technology like artificial intelligence, higher education institutions are incorporating technology into traditional teaching methods. Predicting academic success has gained interest in education as a strong academic record improves a university’s ranking and increases student employment opportunities. Modern learning institutions face challenges in analyzing performance, providing high-quality education, formulating strategies for evaluating students’ performance, and identifying future needs. E-learning is a rapidly growing and advanced form of education, where students enroll in online courses. Platforms like Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS), learning management systems (LMS), and massive open online courses (MOOC) use educational data mining (EDM) to develop automatic grading systems, recommenders, and adaptative systems. However, e-learning is still considered a challenging learning environment due to the lack of direct interaction between students and course instructors. Machine learning (ML) is used in developing adaptive intelligent systems that can perform complex tasks beyond human abilities. Some areas of applications of ML algorithms include cluster analysis, pattern recognition, image processing, natural language processing, and medical diagnostics. In this research work, K-means, a clustering data mining technique using Davies’ Bouldin method, obtains clusters to find important features affecting students’ performance. The study found that the SVM algorithm had the best prediction results after parameter adjustment, with a 96% accuracy rate. In this paper, the researchers have examined the functions of the Support Vector Machine, Decision Tree, naive Bayes, and KNN classifiers. The outcomes of parameter adjustment greatly increased the accuracy of the four prediction models. Naïve Bayes model’s prediction accuracy is the lowest when compared to other prediction methods, as it assumes a strong independent relationship between features.

Abstract Background The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-2 aims to eliminate child hunger or end all forms of child malnutrition by 2030. To achieve this goal the cost-effective method is the implementation of growth monitoring and promotion service with the contribution of Women Development Army (WDA) as community volunteers. However, According to the data, the program’s implementation varies throughout the country and lack of evidence on the practical contribution of the WDA to enhancing child nutritional care outcomes. Therefore this study aimed to determine practical contribution of WDA and associated factors on growth monitoring and promotion service in two rural districts of central Gondar zone, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods A community based mixed study was conducted from March 6 to April 7, 2022 among 615 Women Development Army. Multistage sampling technique was used to select study participants. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data and in-depth interview were used to generate qualitative information. Qualitative data were coded and grouped and discussed using identified themes. Binary logistic regression was fitted, odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was estimated to identify factors of practical contribution of WDA and qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results In this study practical contribution of WDA on growth monitoring was 31.4% (95% CI: 28.0-35.3%). Having GMP training (AOR = 4.2, 95%CI: 1.63, 10.58), regular community conversation (AOR = 6.0, 95%CI: 3.12, 11.54), good knowledge about GMP (AOR = 2.1, 95%CI: 1.17, 3.83) and not having regular schedule of GMP service in the area (AOR = 0.04, 95%CI: 0.02, 0.09), were statistically significantly associated with practical contribution of growth monitoring. During in-depth interview, lack of training, low motivation or commitment among WDA and low communication between WDA and health extension workers were mentioned among the problems faced during growth monitoring service. Conclusion In this study, practical contribution of growth monitoring among WDA was low. GMP training regular community conversation, knowledge about GMP and regular schedule of GMP service in the local area were significantly associated for practical contribution of growth monitoring service. Lack of training, low motivation or commitment among WDA and low communication between WDA and health extension workers were reasons for did not contribute effectively for GMP service. Therefore, giving training for WDA and improving community conversation at kebeles level are important to improve GM service. .

AbstractThis review paper attempted to assess the tax compliance behavior of taxpayers in Ethiopia. The objectives were specifically to identify determinants and challenges of tax compliance behavior of taxpayers in Ethiopia. Taxes are the most important sources of the government that make it possible to finance infrastructure, investment, and the provision of services for citizens. Tax compliance involves being aware and complying with tax laws and regulations set by the government and tax authorities. Tax non-compliance is an unwillingness in obeying tax laws and regulations. Tax non-compliance has been a challenge to the government and tax authorities in collecting as much tax as required for the nation. Failure to comply with tax prevents adequate revenue collection of the state. The major challenges of tax compliance in Ethiopia are the complexity of the tax system, inefficiency of tax authorities, lack of tax knowledge and awareness, negative perception of taxpayers, a negative act of tax assessors, absence of tax training, lack of transparency of tax system, arbitrary estimation of taxes, personal financial constraints, political instability and lack of timely tax audit.

Este texto apresenta algumas considerações sobre os efeitos necropolíticos da Covid-19 no Brasil contemporâneo, a partir da análise de quatro “discursos-cenas” amplamente divulgados na mídia brasileira acerca do cenário da pandemia no País ao longo de 2020 (ano que marca o início da pandemia no País) e 2021. A análise de discursos, proferidos pelo atual presidente da República, bem como por alguns de seus ministros e apoiadores, são reveladores de que a crise da pandemia e as estratégias para seu enfrentamento não se reduzem a uma dimensão epidemiológica. À luz do debate sobre marcadores sociais de diferença (gênero, sexualidade, classe, raça/cor, etnia, geração, entre outros), chama-se a atenção para a importância ético-política do exercício de desconfiança e desnaturalização dos regimes de verdade que sustentam os racismos de Estado contemporâneos. Apresenta-se ainda reflexões em torno da produção das diferenças no Brasil pós-pandemia da Covid-19 em termos de desigualdades históricas, além de apontar para a necessidade de enfrentamentos e resistências às hierarquizações sociais, especialmente em um contexto de ódio às diferenças.

Objectives To determine the prevalence of stunting and thinness and associated factors among adolescents attending public schools in Lideta subcity, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2021.Design Cross-sectional.Setting Public schools in Lideta subcity, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Eligibility Adolescents from grades 5–12 in public schools and students whose parents gave consent for participation.Data analysis Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between the independent variables and stunting and thinness. Using a 95% CI and adjusted OR (AOR), factors with a p value of less than 0.05 were determined to have a significant association.Outcome measures The prevalence of stunting and thinness, as well as the factors associated with stunting and thinness, were secondary outcomes.Results The overall prevalence of stunting and thinness was 7.2% (95% CI: 5.3% to 9.3%) and 9% (95% CI: 6.8% to 11.4%), respectively. Stunting was associated with a larger family size (AOR=3.76; 95% CI: 1.58 to 8.94), low dietary diversity (AOR=2.87; 95% CI: 1.44 to 5.74), food insecurity (AOR=2.81; 95% CI: 1.38 to 5.71) and a lower wealth index (AOR=3.34; 95% CI: 1.51 to 7.41). On the other hand, thinness was associated with maternal education in those who were unable to read and write (AOR=2.5; 95% CI: 1.97 to 8.11), inadequate dietary diversity (AOR=4.81; 95% CI: 2.55 to 9.07) and larger family size (AOR=2.46; 95% CI: 1.14 to 5.29).Conclusion Adolescent stunting and thinness were common in Addis Ababa’s public schools. Family size, dietary diversity and food security were the main factors associated with both thinness and stunting. Therefore, to solve the problem of adolescent stunting and thinness, the administration of Addis Ababa city should prioritise minimising food insecurity while boosting productivity to enhance adolescent nutritional diversity. Moreover, nutritional education should be strengthened by healthcare providers working at public schools as well as health extension workers.

The explosive growth in the amount of available digital information in higher education has created a potential challenge of information overload, which hampers timely access to items of interest. The recommender systems are applied in different domains such as recommendations film, tourist advising, webpages, news, songs, and products. But the recommender systems pay less attention to university library services. The most users of university library are students. These users have a lack of ability to search and select the appropriate materials from the large repository that meet for their needs. A lot of work has been done on recommender system, but there are technical gaps observed in existing works such as the problem of constant item list in using web usage mining, decision tree induction, and association rule mining. Besides, it is observed that there is cold start problem in case-based reasoning approach. Therefore, this research work presents matrix factorization collaborative filtering with some performance enhancement to overcome cold start problem. In addition, it presents a comparative study among memory-based and model-based approaches. In this study, researchers used design science research method. The study dataset, 5189 records and 76,888 ratings, was collected from the University of Gondar student information system and online catalogue system. To develop the proposed model, memory-based and model-based approaches have been tested. In memory-based approach, matrix factorization collaborative filtering with some performance enhancements has been implemented. In model-based approach, K-nearest neighbour (KNN) and singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithms are also assessed experimentally. The SVD model is trained on our dataset optimized with a scored RMSE 0.1623 compared to RMSE 0.1991 before the optimization. The RMSE for a KNN model trained using the same dataset was 1.0535. This indicates that the matrix factorization performs better than KNN models in building collaborative filtering recommenders. The proposed SVD-based model accuracy score is 85%. The accuracy score of KNN model is 53%. So, the comparative study indicates that matrix factorization technique, specifically SVD algorithm, outperforms over neighbourhood-based recommenders. Moreover, using hyperparameter tuning with SVD also has an improvement on model performance compared with the existing SVD algorithm.

The development of financial sectors is considered as one of vital determinants of the growth of Ethiopian economy, and for secure equitable distribution of the benefits to the society. However, financial distress has an effect on the sectors. This review was conducted to assess financial distress situation of financial sectors in Ethiopia. The objective is specifically to identify the determinants of financial distress, opportunities of financial sectors, and challenges and constraints of financial distress in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a developing country with majority of unbanked population. Liquidity, profitability, leverage, firm size, capital adequacy, management efficiency, earning ability, inflation and interest rate are major determinant of financial distress in Ethiopia. Moreover, Ethiopian financial sectors have an opportunity of trade openness, rapid economic growth, unexploited resource, population growth and encouragement of privatization.

Article highlights The mathematical model of the overhead crane was successfully developed using Lagrange’s Equation of motion. The Simulink model of the transfer function obtained from mathematical equations is done using MATLAB. The PID control parameters optimization uses well-known algorithms (GA and BA), and a Fuzzy Logic Controller is used to obtain a better control result.

Zinash Teferu Engida,1 Damtew Solomon Shiferaw,2 Musa Kumbi Ketaro,1 Ayele Mamo,3 Ahmednur Adem Aliyi,1 Abduljewad Hussein Mohamed,1 Mesud Mohammed Hassen,3 Abdulshakur Mohammed Abduletif,4 Abate Lette Wodera,1 Sintayehu Hailu Ayene,1 Jeylan Kasim Esamael,1 Habtamu Gezahegn,2 Adem Esmael4 1Public Health Department, Madda Walabu University Goba Referral Hospital, Bale-Goba, Ethiopia; 2Biomedical Department, Madda Walabu University Goba Referral Hospital, Bale-Goba, Ethiopia; 3Pharmacy Department, Madda Walabu University Goba Referral Hospital, Bale-Goba, Ethiopia; 4Nursing Department, Madda Walabu University Goba Referral Hospital, Bale-Goba, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Zinash Teferu Engida Email zinut2016@gmail.comBackground: The pandemic of coronavirus disease spreading is impacting mental health globally. Even though the pandemic is challenging for patients, the community, policymakers, as well as health organizations, and teams, the data on COVID-19 and its association with anxiety and coping mechanisms towards infection among community members are currently limited. Thus, the study is intended to assess COVID-19-related levels of anxiety and coping strategies among community members of Bale and East Bale Zones, Southeast Ethiopia.Methods: A community-based survey was carried out among 634 study participants of Bale and East Bale Zones from June 1 to 20, 2020. The level of anxiety was determined by using the 5-item Coronavirus Scale and the coping strategies were determined by using the 15-item Coping and Adaptation Processing Scale. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data. Bi-variable analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to estimate the relationship among the variables.Results: COVID-19-related dysfunctional level of anxiety was found 95 (16.58%). About 290 (50.6%) respondents were copied from anxiety that occurred as a result of COVID-19. Factors significantly associated with the dysfunctional level of anxiety related to COVID-19 were being an urban resident (AOR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.86), those who had no information from TV/radio (AOR=1.76, 95% CI: 1.09, 2.84), and walking a long distance more than 1 hour from the health institution (AOR=0.58, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.97).Conclusion: COVID-19-related dysfunctional levels of anxiety were 16.58% in the study community. Half of the community was coped with COVID-19-related anxiety. Being an urban resident and walking along distances more than 1 hour from the health facility were the factors that decreased the odds of having a dysfunctional anxiety, whereas respondents who had no information from TV/radio increased the odds of having a dysfunctional anxiety. Accordingly, focusing on these identified factors could improve a dysfunctional level of anxiety in the study community.Keywords: level of anxiety, coping strategies, COVID-19, Bale Zone, East Bale Zone Ethiopia

Writing is one of the four skills of language learning, especially, one of the skills of practical communication in a communicative approach. The purpose of this research is to evaluate and analyze writing activities of the writing sections of secondary high school English textbooks, grades 10th, 11th and 12th, so-called vision 1, 2, 3. The theoretical framework of this research, a descriptive-analytical and qualitative method, was based on Kern's (2007) and Harmer’s (2004) model and continuum of writing activities. The writing activities of these vision books were divided into three major categories of controlled, guided and free writing and fifteen more sub-categories. The exercises and activities of the writing section of these six-volume English textbooks, so-called vision 1,2,3 were counted on and the average and percentage of each category were calculated based on Kern’s (2002) and Harmer’s (2004) model and continuum of writing. The findings of this research indicate that the categories of controlled writing and copying, the first item of Kern’s continuum, are the dominant writing tasks in these books. Activities concerning the guided, and especially the free writing activities in these books are rarely seen or they have not been much carefully regarded. In the communicative approach, regarding the goods and the existing requirements, the teaching of writing is generally concerned with free writing tasks. Therefore, to enhance and promote practical communication skills as an aim of a communicative approach, free writing skills are inevitable. The findings of this research point out that English teachers can reinforce and enhance their students’ practical communication abilities in their classes by using freestyle exercises and hence, cover the shortcomings of the books.

No presente artigo, a partir de uma perspectiva transdisciplinar, objetivamos refletir sobre as dimensões político-sociais da pandemia de Covid-19 no Brasil a partir dos marcadores sociais de diferença e que atravessam o debate sobre educação e democracia. Por meio de nossas experiências pessoais enquanto docentes de instituições de ensino superior e de dados que mostram os efeitos sociais da crise, esperamos desvelar os dispositivos de violência e autoritarismo que perpassam as políticas de saúde no Brasil contemporâneo. Em nossa incursão, para além do diálogo com autores como Arendt (2013), Santos (2020), Agamben (2020), Mbembe (2016), será fundamental a noção de “efeito colateral”. Ela nos desafia a não perdermos de vista que as discussões sobre a pandemia não se reduzem a uma dimensão epidemiológica e/ou biomédica, antes, articuladas por relações de saber-poder, ressoam diretamente nas táticas necropolíticas de um “fazer viver, deixar morrer”.

Esse artigo emerge de minha participação na 8ª Conferência Municipal de Saúde, ocorrida em Dourados (MS) em 2019, uma das etapas que antecederam as conferências em nível estadual (em sua 9ª edição) e nacional (em sua 16ª edição). As conferências, em todas as suas instâncias, são importantes espaços de participação cidadã e, portanto, de controle social. À luz da perspectiva foucaultiana e do feminismo interseccional, tomo esse evento como disparador para pensar a importância do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) e alguns de seus dilemas em torno da noção de equidade, as políticas de saúde em relação à saúde da população LGBTQIA+ e, por fim, os desafios impostos pelo cenário pandêmico às minorias sexuais e de gênero e as implicações disso para a práxis da psicologia

Objective The study determined the comparative renal functions on patients with diabetes treated with ACE inhibitors (ACEIs) plus either thiazide diuretics or calcium channel blockers (CCBs) in Northwestern Ethiopia.Design Retrospective cohort study design was employed to collect the data from medical records of patients with diabetes followed for 1–5 years (N=404).Setting The medical records of patients in chronic diabetic follow-up clinics of the hospital.Participants All the patients with diabetes medical records in Northwestern Ethiopian specialised hospital.Main outcome measures Exposures were ACEIs plus thiazide diuretics or CCBs collected from March to June 2020. Outcomes were defined as declining in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) values by ≥30% from the baseline recorded from 2015 to 2019. Descriptive and analytical statistics were illustrated to compare the study groups. Kaplan-Meier with log- rank test was used to plot the survival analyses curve. Potential factors substantially associated to renal events were examined using cox proportional hazards model.Result About 20% of patients developed renal events and significant numbers were from hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) users. The mean eGFR levels were significantly higher in patients on CCBs users over the follow-up years compared with HCT-based users. The CCBs users had an 18.8 mL/min/1.73 m2 higher in eGFR levels at the end of the follow-up period than HCT users (p

Abstract Introduction Adequate dietary diversity is vital for the survival, growth and development of infants and children. Inadequate dietary diversity is the major cause of micronutrient deficiency in Sub-saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, where only less than one-fourth of the children aged 6–23 months obtain adequate diversified diet. Thus country implemented a strategy known as the Sustainable Undernutrtion Reduction (SUR) programs to alleviate the problem. However, empirical evidences are scarce on the impact of the program on children aged 6–23 months. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the level of dietary diversity among children aged 6–23 months in districts covered and not covered by SURE program in West Gojjam zone. Methods A community based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in three districts of West Gojjam zone, Ethiopia, from February 29 to April 20, 2019. A total of 832 mother and child pairs were selected by the simple random sampling technique. A pretested and structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. A binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with dietary diversity. Crude odds and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to assess the strength of associations and significance of the identified factors for dietary diversity score. Result The overall proportion of adequate dietary diversity among children aged 6–23 months was 29.9% (95% CI: 27.0–33.0), whereas in SURE covered and uncovered districts it was 33.4% (95%CI: 29.0–38.and 26.4%(95% CI: 22.0, 31.0), respectively. ANC (Antenatal care) (AOR = 1.7; 95% CI: 1.16, 2.55) and postnatal care services (AOR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.38, 3.28), participating in food preparation programs (AOR = 1.9; 95% CI: 1.19, 2.96), GMP (AOR = 2.74,95%CI:1.80, 4.18), vitamin A supplementation (AOR = 2.10,95%CI:1.22, 3.61) and household visits by health extension workers (AOR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.25, 3.21) were significantly associated with dietary diversity. Conclusion The proportion of adequate dietary diversity was higher among children in the program than those out of the program. ANC visits, PNC follow-ups, women’s participating in food preparation programs and household visits by health extension workers were significantly associated with dietary diversity. Therefore, and strengthening and scaling up the program to non covered districts and providing health and nutrition counseling on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) during ANC and PNC services are recommended for achieving the recommended dietary diversity.

Abstract Background Improving infant and young child feeding practices is critical to improved nutrition, health, and development of children. Ethiopia adopted the WHO recommendations of child feeding practices and developed the national guideline. In spite of this fact, only few children start and received appropriate complementary feeding based on the recommendation. Therefore, the study aimed to determine dietary diversity score and its associated factors among under five children at Dabat Health and Demographic Surveillance System site (HDSS), northwest Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional community based study was carried out from February to June 2016. All children aged 6–59 months old who lived in HDSS site were included in the survey. Odds ratio (OR) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to show the strength of association. Finally, variables with a P-value of

Abstract Background Growth monitoring is used to assess the growth rate of a child by periodic and frequent anthropometric measurements in comparison to a standard. However, since the practice has been poor in Ethiopia, this study aimed to assess it and its associated factors among health workers in North Gondar zone, northwest Ethiopia. Methods An institution-based mixed study was conducted from April 1 to May 7, 2017, among 500 health workers. The multistage sampling technique was used to select participants. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data, while non-participant observation and in-depth interviews were used to generate qualitative information. Qualitative data were coded, grouped, and discussed using the identified themes. A binary logistic regression was fitted, odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was estimated to identify the predictors of growth monitoring practice, and qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Growth monitoring practice among health workers was 50.4% (95% CI: 45, 55). Work experience (AOR = 4.27, 95%CI: 1.70, 10.72), availability of growth monitoring materials (AOR = 1.52, 95%CI: 1.05, 2.20), attitude (AOR = 0.68, 95%CI: 0.47, 0.98), midwifery occupation (AOR = 0.42, 95%CI: 0.19, 0.94), and diploma level qualification (AOR = 2.20, 95%CI: 1.09, 4.45) were statistically significantly associated with growth monitoring practice. Conclusion In this study, growth monitoring practice among health workers was lower than those of most studies. Jobs, educational status, work experience, attitude, and availability of materials were significantly associated with growth monitoring practices. Therefore, giving training to health extension and less experienced staff about growth monitoring, and providing growth monitoring equipment are important to improve health workers growth monitoring practices.

Ao sermos interpelados/as pelo atual cenário político-pandêmico e diante de um quadro tão incerto quanto o que vivemos, somos desafiados/as a refletir não apenas sobre os “limites”, mas também sobre as “possibilidades” inauguradas em tempos de crise. Assim, num movimento de disputa crítica e analítica frente aos inúmeros eventos do presente, buscamos, a partir de uma perspectiva transdisciplinar e em diálogo com autores e autoras que versam sobre as (bio)políticas contemporâneas, tecer breves considerações sobre os efeitos necropolíticos da crise da Covid-19 no Brasil. A partir de um levantamento bibliográfico e da análise de algumas notícias, concluímos que, se a pandemia é um problema de todos/as, a lógica necropolítica em curso no Brasil faz com que ela incida, principalmente, sobre sujeitos e coletivos atravessados por marcadores sociais de diferença, colocando-se como desafio para as ciências humanas e sociais que têm acionado toda uma expertise na área da saúde para refletir e contribuir diante desse contexto.

This paper examined the determinants of financial inclusion in Afar Region. To address the objectives of the study, two purposively selected woredas (Awash and Asaita) and one city administration (Samara-logia) were used. Three hundred and eighty-four sample households were selected for this study. Data collected from administered structured questionnaires were analyzed using the binary logistic regression model. The results show that age, use, financial literacy, and mobile banking are positively and significantly related to financial inclusion. On the other hand, barrier and income negatively and significantly affect financial inclusion. The study results reveal that 31.25% of households were included and 68.75% of households are excluded from formal financial services. Further results show that barriers to financial inclusion such as problem of access to credit, absence of collateral, interest rate, lack of literacy, lack of internet access, lack of trust for financial institutions, lack of money, problem of access to bank branches and ATMs are main obstacles of financial inclusion in Afar region. This study recommends that government and financial institutions should encourage financial service providers, offer fiscal incentives or request financial institutions and serve poor or low-income people. Financial institutions should adopt technologies that ensure financial services are more accessible such as mobile banking. Moreover, households should enhance the saving habits that are helpful to increase amount of income and the literacy level of their children for the best use of financial services.

Abstract Objective Anemia is the most common hematological complication of HIV infection that has a significant impact on the quality of life and clinical outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of anemia among adult HIV positive patients on Anti-retroviral therapy at Deber Tabor hospital, northwest Ethiopia. An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted on 365 HIV/AIDS patients on ART selected using the systematic random sampling technique. Blood samples were analyzed using the Cell-DYN 1800 automated hematology analyzer to measure hemoglobin. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyzes were employed to find the predictors at p-value

Abstract Objective In Ethiopia, iron folate tablets are prescribed for all pregnant mothers during their antenatal visits and given for free; however, only limited data are available on their adherence. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess adherence to iron folate supplementation and its associated factors among pregnant women in West Dembia district, northwest Ethiopia. An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted on 348 pregnant women that had at least one antenatal care visit. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were employed to identify the predictors at p-value

Através desse artigo, uma vez mais, o duo autoral produz espaço para a proliferação de diálogos afeitos e afetados pelos interesses antropológicos. Agora, as trocas tocam a importância de pensar temas caros ao campo antropológico, tais como corpo, gênero e saúde, à luz do cinema moçambicano. Para isso, tomamos como foco de nossa análise o curta Mãe dos Netos. O objetivo, a partir de uma escrita ensaística, foi o buscar perceber de que modo a narrativa cinematográfica moçambicana contemporânea significa a pandemia do HIV-Aids. Nossa hipótese principal foi a de que o cinema de Moçambique ao voltar-se para a temática de corpos atravessados pela experiência do HIV-Aids constrói uma dinâmica e complexa teia narrativa que acaba por subverter uma perspectiva meramente medicalizante. Em cena corpos, sujeitos, gêneros, dramas, agenciamentos que, apesar de atravessados pela doença, criam estratégias (est)éticas que buscam questionar as lógicas de docilização, medicalização e controle dos corpos e da vida.

Introduction. Nutritional status of lactating women is highly linked with the overall nutritional status of population. Undernutrition during lactation results in increased morbidity and mortality to the mother and her child. The literature is dearth regarding to nutrition status of lactating mothers in developing countries such as Ethiopia. Objective. The aim of this study was to assess undernutrition and associated factors among lactating mothers having child 6–23 months in Dega Damot Woreda, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 21 to April 19, 2018. Simple random sampling technique was employed to recruit a total of 733 participants. Data were collected by using an interview-administered questionnaire and entered into EpiData version 4.2 and transferred to SPSS version 20 for further analysis. Factors associated with undernutrition were identified using multivariable logistic regression at a p value of less than 0.05 at 95% confidence interval. The direction and strength of association was interpreted using adjusted odds ratio. Results. In this study, the magnitude of undernutrition among lactating women was 21.8%. Being unmarried (AOR: 2.65, 95% CI: 1.54, 4.53), their first pregnancy

Introduction. In Ethiopia, iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) is a major public health problem. The most visible effect of IDD is the appearance of goiters, and 28 million people are affected by goiter. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of goiter among high school adolescent girls at Tach Armachiho district, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October to November 2018. A total of 620 high school adolescent girls were selected using the simple random sampling technique, and structured questionnaires having observational check-list were used for data collection. The presence of goiter was estimated using criteria set by World Health Organization. Iodine content of the salt was estimated by using spot testing kits. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify associated factors. The degree of association between independent and dependent variables was assessed by using odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. Those variables having p value of less than 0.05 in the multivariable analysis were considered as significant factors for goiter. Results. A total of 614 adolescent girls gave a complete response. The prevalence of goiter among adolescent girls was 24.1%. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, age of adolescent girls (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.01–2.46), residence (AOR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.04–3.51), family history (AOR = 4.96, 95% CI: 3.19, 7.72), low dietary diversity (AOR = 8.39, 95% CI: 4.36–16.14), and medium dietary diversity (AOR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.36–3.77) were significantly associated with adolescent girls goiter. Conclusions. Goiter among high school adolescent girls in this study was high. Age of adolescent, residence, family history of goiter, and dietary diversity were statistically significant factors for goiter. Therefore, more emphasis will be given for late adolescent age, having family history of goiter, low dietary diversity, and rural residence to improve the burden of adolescent goiter.

Segundo Gilles Deleuze (1988), o trabalho de Foucault pode ser sintetizado a partir de três questões fundamentais: Que posso saber? Que posso fazer? Quem eu sou? Tais perguntas seriam correspondentes às três grandes “fases” pelas quais teria passado o pensamento foucaultiano. Essas indagações dariam conta de explicitar as principais preocupações de Michel Foucault da déc. de 60 (fase arqueológica), passando pela déc. de 70 (fase genealógica) e desembocando na déc. de 80 (est(ética) da existência). Para compor este dossiê temático interessa-nos, sobretudo, reflexões que tenham como foco ou pressuposto as elaborações da década de 70 em torno da biopolítica e/ou seus possíveis desdobramentos. O grande marco das reflexões biopolíticas é 1976, ano em que as obras de Michael Foucault apresentam uma nova abordagem para análise das relações de poder. O cerne da discussão é a obra “Em Defesa da Sociedade” de 1976 - a aula de 17 de março - , e também o final do livro História da Sexualidade (vol I): “A Vontade de Saber” - do mesmo ano. Em ambas as obras, fica explícito que Foucault reelabora suas investigações sobre o poder disciplinar cujo foco passa a ser o conceito de biopoder, pensado enquanto uma nova estratégia política. Para o autor, essa “nova” técnica de poder que se instaura na era clássica (segunda metade do século XVIII), visará, sobretudo, a população (natalidade, longevidade, mortalidade, doenças, sexualidade, raça, economia e etc). Inspirando-nos nos insights foucaultianos, convidamos autoras/es de diferentes campos disciplinares (antropologia, sociologia, filosofia, psicologia, saúde coletiva, comunicação, artes, direito, cinema, arquitetura, dentre outros) para participar do dossiê “Diálogos em torno da biopolítica foucaultiana: cruzando temas, problemas e perspectivas”. Contamos com colaborações que nos ajudem a pensar criticamente os desdobramentos teóricos em torno da biopolítica foucaultiana assim como problematizações que tenham como foco práticas, discursos e intervenções do/no contemporâneo cuja principal característica seja o governo da vida (individual e/ou coletiva), tais como: modelos de práticas e intervenções em corpo-saúde; mobilizações em torno de gênero, sexualidade e raça/etnia; políticas de produção e intervenção do/no espaço urbano/público; políticas oficiais de cuidado e assistência; lutas, mobilizações e estratégias em torno de direitos humanos; e etc. O intuito é deslindar as diferentes táticas biopolíticas que buscam a naturalização e justificação das assimetrias, das desigualdades, dos mecanismos e processos de exclusão e morte, sem perder de vista as diferentes estratégias de resistência.

A partir de uma perspectiva antropológica, o presente artigo pretende analisar a trajetória do cinema moçambicano à luz das reflexões benjaminianas. Ao tomar como base os conceitos de “guerra”, “destruição” e “ruína”, apresento o desafio de pensar a dimensão crítica das imagens cinematográficas em contextos sócio-históricos marcados por regimes políticos centralizadores. Afinal, pelos dilemas e contradições inerentes ao próprio contexto no qual emerge, seria o cinema de Moçambique uma imagem “sobrevivente”?

Conforme nos apontam diversos autores (BENJAMIN, 1987; BARTHES, 1964; DIDI-HUBERMAN, 2010) uma imagem possui sentidos que estão para além dela mesma. E mais do que isso, podem evocar sensibilidades – lampejos, “punctuns”, sobrevivências – que já não estão na ordem da objetividade daquilo que é mostrado, mas numa experiência subjetiva por parte do receptor (com sua própria construção de sentidos). Nesse aspecto, uma imagem está envolta em um jogo complexo de sentidos e agenciamentos. Ao longo deste artigo busco refl etir sobre os limites das ações de enfrentamento ao HIV/Aids em Moçambique, por meio de imagens e assim, evidenciar as contradições de um discurso que busca transmitir uma mensagem de “prevenção” numa política do controle e num discurso “catastrófi co”. Para isso utilizo-me de algumas imagens e discursos buscando pensar as diferentes lógicas de sentido que tecem as tessituras narrativas e simbólicas em torno do HIV/Aids. Poderia situar os cartazes de prevenção utilizadas pelo Ministério da Saúde de Moçambique (MISAU), como metáforas do HIV/Aids? Quais os dilemas inerentes a esta política de enfrentamento da epidemia? Que estratégias são utilizadas nesse “combate”? A utilização de imagens como técnica de conscientização se apresenta como uma possibilidade? Qual sua efi cácia? São aspectos que serão considerados ao longo deste artigo.

Este artigo é o resultado de pesquisas e de diálogos sobre educação e direitos humanos entre os autores a partir de suas incursões pelos estudos de gênero e sexualidade. Todos os movimentos aqui delineados (no sentido deleuziano/guattariano para rizoma ) foram e são produzidos na tentativa de desconstruir a categoria de gênero, presente na legislação brasileira sobre a violência contra as mulheres - conhecida como Maria da Penha - n.11.340 / 2006. Assim, inspirados nas inovações desta lei, os autores questionam as possibilidades de experiências menos precárias possíveis, em especial, para os agentes sociais que são considerados para o/e pelo Estado como algo desprezível, como abjetos.

Ao longo deste artigo busco refletir sobre os limites das ações de enfrentamento ao HIV/Aids em Moçambique, por meio de imagens e assim, evidenciar as contradições de um discurso que busca transmitir uma mensagem de “prevenção” por meio de uma política do controle e que se caracteriza por um discurso “catastrófico”. Para isso utilizo-me de algumas imagens e discursos buscando pensar as diferentes lógicas de sentido que tecem as tessituras narrativas e simbólicas em torno do HIV/Aids. Afinal, poderia situar os cartazes de prevenção utilizadas pelo Ministério da Saúde de Moçambique (MISAU), como uma política sobre a vida? Quais os dilemas e contradições inerentes às ações de enfrentamento da epidemia? Que estratégias são utilizadas nesse “combate”? De que modo a epidemia é mostrada? Quais as compreensões hegemônicas que são reiteradas? Tais estratégias seriam eficazes? Como os diferentes sujeitos se posicionam nessa teia de significados?

A adoção das normas internacionais de contabilidade tem demandado alterações no padrão contábil de diversos países. Dentre tais mudanças, no Brasil, tem-se a incorporação de uma prática de divulgação de resultados que exige a evidenciação de informações por segmentos. O segment reporting, como também é denominado, é uma exigência introduzida pela International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 8 que implica um ponto de tangência muito forte entre a contabilidade gerencial e a contabilidade com foco no usuário externo. Com base nessas alterações, a partir da análise das Notas Explicativas das 106 companhias listadas no Novo Mercado da Bolsa de Valores, Mercadorias e Futuros de São Paulo (BM&FBovespa), o estudo objetivou verificar como as companhias abertas brasileiras estruturaram o formato de evidenciação de informações por segmento. Em termos metodológicos, trata-se de uma pesquisa documental, de caráter descritivo, que conjuntou o emprego da técnica de análise de conteúdo e de testes não paramétricos de Mann-Whitney e Kruskal-Wallis para verificar o grau de intensidade da divulgação de informações por segmento, conforme metodologia utilizada por Guthrie et al. (1999). Os achados sinalizaram que a divulgação voluntária de informações por segmento ainda é incipiente no cenário brasileiro. Identificou-se que as companhias auditadas por uma das Big Four apresentaram menor grau de intensidade na divulgação dos impactos futuros da aplicação das orientações normativas sobre informações por segmento. Considerando o universo das 106 companhias analisadas, destaca-se que as informações segmentadas por área geográfica e ainda, por tipo de produtos ou serviços, mostraram-se mais recorrentes; informações por clientes foram escassas. Nenhuma empresa evidenciou o fluxo de caixa por segmento, e 39 companhias não mencionaram que o CPC 22 trará impacto às futuras Demonstrações Contábeis. Assim, os resultados sugerem que a Comissão de Valores Mobiliários e as empresas de auditoria devem ficar alertas às publicações contábeis em que a divulgação de informações por segmento é compulsória.