No abstract

Consumption of industrially produced trans-fat acids (TFA) is a public health concern. Therefore, it is important that information on TFA in packaged foods be clearly informed to consumers. This study aimed to assess the evolution of TFA information presented in packaged foods sold in Brazil in 2010 and 2013, before and after the introduction of stricter regulatory requirements for TFA-free claims on food labels. A repeated cross-sectional study was performed through food label censuses of all packaged foods available for sale in two stores from the same supermarket chain, totaling 2,327 foods products in 2010 and 3,176 in 2013. TFA-free claims and information indicating TFA in the ingredients list and nutrition facts label were analyzed by descriptive statistics and Pearson’s chi-square test. There was a 14% decrease in the use of ingredients containing or potentially containing industrially produced TFA (i-TFA), according to analysis of the ingredients list. However, when analyzing foods by groups, it was found that this decrease was significant only for group A (bakery goods, bread, cereals, and related products; from 59 to 35%, p < 0.001). By contrast, food group F (gravies, sauces, ready-made seasonings, broths, soups, and ready-to-eat dishes) showed a 5% increase in i-TFA. The use of specific terms for i-TFA decreased between 2010 and 2013, but there was an increase in the use of alternative terms, such as vegetable fat and margarine, which do not allow consumers to reliably identify whether a food product is a possible source of i-TFA. There was an 18% decrease in the use of TFA-free claims in products containing or potentially containing i-TFA. However, almost one-third of foods sold in 2013 were false negatives, that is, foods reported to contain 0 g of TFA in the nutrition facts label or with TFA-free claims but displaying specific or alternative terms for i-TFA in the ingredients list. The results indicate that adoption of stricter requirements for TFA-free claims on food labels in Brazil helped reduce the prevalence of such claims but was not sufficient to decrease i-TFA in industrialized foods sold in supermarkets.

Background: Paracentral acute middle maculopathy is defined as ischemia of the deep retinal layers. We report an unusual case of paracentral acute middle maculopathy associated with hypoperfusion of the cilioretinal artery and impending central retinal vein occlusion in a young male with no previous comorbidities. Case Report: The patient was a 22-year-old male complaining about a sudden loss of vision in his right eye upon awakening. Fundus examination showed optic disk edema, and increased tortuosity of the retinal veins and a few retinal hemorrhages. Swept-source optical coherence tomography found a hyperreflective band that was more pronounced at the level of the inner nuclear layer of the retina. These findings led us to a diagnosis of paracentral acute middle maculopathy associated with hypoperfusion of the cilioretinal artery. Conclusion: The finding of paracentral acute middle maculopathy on optical coherence tomography demands a proper investigation of its cause, because it has an intimate association with vascular diseases and is not an isolated entity. In our case, we could not identify the etiology of the unilateral event in this young male, although dehydration due to alcohol consumption and subsequent hypotension might have played a role in this ischemic event.

Este artigo tem por objetivo discutir o processo de autonomização do judiciário na Itália, na França e no Brasil a fim de traçar considerações comparativas e compreender como este processo influi no aumento de poder dos juízes e sua relação com o campo político. Em face do contexto brasileiro, nos debruçaremos sobre a análise, de um ponto de vista sociológico, das condições que possibilitaram a diferenciação do campo jurídico e autonomia do judiciário. Analisaremos a diversificação na composição social da magistratura e a autonomia política frente ao executivo. Além disso, problematizaremos o fato de que a autonomia do judiciário foi desenvolvida em função mais da soberania em si do juiz singular do que em função de um sistema de justiça.

Este artigo objetiva discutir especificidades da implementação de políticas de democratização do acesso à justiça no Brasil, tendo como pano de fundo os paradigmas liberal e social de acesso e a construção do Estado de bem-estar social no contexto brasileiro. Além disso, procuraremos demonstrar que, como reflexo da problemática estruturação do Estado de bem-estar no Brasil, o judiciário assume o papel de “engenheiro” social e político nas funções jurisdicional e administrativa da justiça. O judiciário e o ministério público possuem o monopólio da condução de políticas que objetivam a ampliação do acesso à justiça, o que constitui em obstáculo a um controle social das mesmas.