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Abstract: The Brazilian pharmaceutical industry is heavily dependent on external sources of inputs, capital, and technology. However, the emergence of technological opportunities and the development of biotechnology and the decline of the patent boom and resulting advances by generic drugs have opened windows of opportunities for the local industry. The article examines the Brazilian industry's innovative behavior vis-à-vis these opportunities, showing that although the industry as a whole invests little in innovation, a few large Brazilian companies have expanded their market share and stepped up their investments in research and development, supported by public policies for innovation.

E-commerce is growing rapidly in Brazil, led by information-intensive and transaction-intensive sectors such as finance, manufacturing, and retail/wholesale. However, Brazil's highly uneven income distribution is a major barrier for B2C diffusion. Government policies have emphasized promotional or enabling initiatives such as e-procurement, tax filings, and providing Internet access to social institutions. E-commerce legislation is just now being developed, and decisions on taxation are being negotiated in the context of international agreements. E-commerce raises issues for Brazil in terms of its relationship to the global economy. Although most online purchases involve imported goods, e-commerce also offers opportunities to participate in international value chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the early 1990s, Brazilian IT policy has changed substantially from greenhouse protectionism in selected segments of the market to a more liberal regime. This article analyses the impact of liberalization on IT equipment production, diffusion, employment, and foreign trade. There were both benefits and setbacks, depending on the aspect analyzed. Users benefited from greater access to imported equipment, which could eventually contribute to productivity growth in the overall economy.On the negative side, there was a loss of local linkages with internal sources of components, technology, and employment. The article concludes that the future of the Brazilian IT industry does not seem to be in commodity hardware production. Rather, it lies in design- and engineering-intensive applications. Such "production close to use" can spur domestic use as well as create business opportunities for domestically owned companies in markets not dominated by foreign multinationals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orbital Compartment Syndrome (OCS) represents a critical medical emergency characterized by heightened orbital pressure, jeopardizing blood flow and posing a risk to the optic nerve. Often stemming from surgical procedures such as craniotomies for arachnoid cyst resection, OCS necessitates swift diagnosis and intervention. We report the case of a 77-year-old female in São Paulo, Brazil, who underwent left pterional craniotomy for arachnoid cyst resection. Postoperatively, she manifested reduced visual acuity in the left eye, restricted ocular movement, and peripalpebral hematoma indicative of orbital compression syndrome. Computed tomography scans confirmed pneumocephalus and pneumo-orbital complications, prompting an immediate diagnosis of OCS. Immediate interventions, including lateral canthotomy and cantholysis, were employed, resulting in successful decompression and substantial symptom improvement within a 10-day period. This case underscores the significance of preoperative imaging, prompt diagnostic measures, and collaborative postoperative care in managing orbital complications following neurosurgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing uncertainties in international trade policies have raised concerns about the possible break of global supply chains. This paper reviews relevant studies shedding light on global supply chain resilience. We first summarise some key facts and current developments of globalisation. We then review mechanisms through which shocks are transmitted along the global supply chains. Finally, we discuss the production relocation or sale adjustment of firms in response to shocks for maintaining supply chain resilience, from which we obtain some hints on how the resilience can be improved. We also highlight some implications and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a newly collected dataset at the plant level from 2014 to 2018, we provide the first microscopic portrait of robotization in Germany and study the correlates of robot adoption. Our descriptive analysis uncovers five stylized facts: (1) Robot use is relatively rare. (2) The distribution of robots is highly skewed. (3) New robot adopters contribute substantially to the recent robotization. (4) Robot users are exceptional. (5) Heterogeneity in robot types matters. Our regression results further suggest plant size, high-skilled labor share, exporter status, and labor shortage to be strongly associated with the future probability of robot adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ceftazidime/avibactam-resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) is a topic of great interest for epidemiological, diagnostic, and therapeutical reasons. However, data on its prevalence and burden on mortality in patients with bloodstream infection (BSI) are lacking. This study was aimed at identifying risk factors for mortality in patients suffering from ceftazidime/avibactam-resistant KPC-Kp BSI. Methods: An observational retrospective study (January 2018–December 2022) was conducted at a tertiary hospital including all consecutive hospitalized adult patients with a ceftazidime/avibactam-resistant KPC-Kp BSI. Data on baseline clinical features, management, and admission outcomes were analyzed. Results: Over the study period, among all the KPC-Kp BSI events recorded, 38 (10.5%) were caused by ceftazidime/avibactam-resistant KPC-Kp strains, 37 events being finally included. The ceftazidime/avibactam-resistant KPC-Kp strains revealed susceptibility restoration to at least one carbapenem in more than 60% of cases. In-hospital and 30-day all-cause mortality rates were 22% and 16.2%, respectively. Non-survivors suffered from more baseline comorbidities and experienced a more severe ceftazidime/avibactam-resistant KPC-Kp BSI presentation (i.e., both the Pitt Bacteremia and INCREMENT-CPE scores were significantly higher). Presenting with a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index, chronic kidney disease—KDIGO stage 3A or worse—having recently gone through renal replacement therapy, having suffered from an acute kidney injury following the ceftazidime/avibactam-resistant KPC-Kp BSI, and being admitted for cardiac surgery were the strongest predictors of mortality. Conclusion: Ceftazidime/avibactam resistance in KPC-Kp BSI easily emerged in our highly KPC-Kp endemic area with remarkable mortality rates. Our findings might provide physicians possibly actionable information when managing patients with a ceftazidime/avibactam-resistant KPC-Kp BSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How did foreign assistance influence Brazil's path to attaining nuclear autonomy? To answer this question, a technopolitics hypothesis centred on the role played by national scientific and technological strategies will be discussed, focusing on two case studies: the history of the Thorium Group (1965-71) and the 1975 Brazil-West Germany nuclear agreement. In both instances, Brazilian policy-makers relied on imported technologies as shortcuts to implement nuclear projects without designing a coordinated plan that involved national scientific programmes and research centres. The Brazilian case highlights the limits of initiatives aimed at attaining nuclear autonomy that revolve only around foreign assistance without complementary investment in national scientific initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between superinfection by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and mortality among SARS-CoV-2 hospitalized patients is still unclear. Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales are among the most frequently isolated species when it comes to hospital-acquired superinfections among SARS-CoV-2 patients. Methods: Herein, a retrospective study was carried out using data from adult patients hospitalized for COVID-19. The interaction between in-hospital mortality and rectal carriage and superinfection by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales and/or carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii was assessed. Results: The incidence of KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and/or carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii rectal carriage was 30%. Bloodstream infection and/or pneumonia due to KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and/or carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii occurred in 20% of patients. A higher Charlson comorbidity index (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.24–1.59), being submitted to invasive mechanical ventilation/ECMO ≥ 96 h (OR 6.34, 95% CI 3.18–12.62), being treated with systemic corticosteroids (OR 4.67, 95% CI 2.43–9.05) and having lymphopenia at the time of admission (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.40–0.72) were the features most strongly associated with in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: Although KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and/or carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii rectal carriage, and/or bloodstream infection/pneumonia were diagnosed in a remarkable percentage of COVID-19 patients, their impact on in-hospital mortality was not significant. Further studies are needed to assess the burden of antimicrobial resistance as a legacy of COVID-19 in order to identify future prevention opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on Akerlof and Kranton (2005) In Journal of Economic Perspectives, 19(1), 9-32, who argue that group identity and social norms influence individual preferences towards work effort, a model is developed to understand why firms create good job conditions, taking into account the cost of implementing them and their impact on wages and productivity. Then, using individual-level data from the Gallup World Poll for 18 Latin American countries, the main predictions of the model are tested using propensity score matching. We find a positive link between good job conditions and wages when there are several simultaneous signals of a good work environment. We conclude that there is a positive payoff of investing in good job conditions for both workers and firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Ocular toxoplasmosis is common across all regions of the world. Understanding of the epidemiology and approach to diagnosis and treatment have evolved recently. In November 2020, an international group of uveitis-specialised ophthalmologists formed the International Ocular Toxoplasmosis Study Group to define current practice. Methods 192 Study Group members from 48 countries completed a 36-item survey on clinical features, use of investigations, indications for treatment, systemic and intravitreal treatment with antiparasitic drugs and corticosteroids, and approach to follow-up and preventive therapy. Results For 77.1% of members, unilateral retinochoroiditis adjacent to a pigmented scar accounted for over 60% of presentations, but diverse atypical presentations were also reported. Common complications included persistent vitreous opacities, epiretinal membrane, cataract, and ocular hypertension or glaucoma. Most members used clinical examination with (56.8%) or without (35.9%) serology to diagnose typical disease but relied on intraocular fluid testing—usually PCR—in atypical cases (68.8%). 66.1% of members treated all non-pregnant patients, while 33.9% treated selected patients. Oral trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole was first-line therapy for 66.7% of members, and 60.9% had experience using intravitreal clindamycin. Corticosteroid drugs were administered systemically by 97.4%; 24.7% also injected corticosteroid intravitreally, almost always in combination with an antimicrobial drug (72.3%). The majority of members followed up all (60.4%) or selected (35.9%) patients after resolution of acute disease, and prophylaxis against recurrence with trimethoprim– sulfamethoxazole was prescribed to selected patients by 69.8%. Conclusion Our report presents a current management approach for ocular toxoplasmosis, as practised by a large international group of uveitis-specialised ophthalmologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors investigate how the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) may affect China's global image. They find evidence that international opinions on China are diverse but not polarized. They also find that the BRI has curried favor for China in the related countries. On average, the BRI increases the net public approval rating of the Chinese leadership in these countries by 15 percentage points. Interestingly, the BRI arouses approving foreign opinions more than quietens disapproving voices. Furthermore, there is tentative evidence suggesting that the BRI impacts China's global reputation through trade, infrastructure, debt, and people-people interactions. Lastly, respondents who are older, better educated, with a higher income, and living in urban areas viewed China more favorably after the launch of the BRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orbital lymphomas are rare conditions, and most non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the orbit are extranodal lymphomas of B cells of the marginal zone of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type (MALT). In this report, we describe a case of MALT-type marginal zone B lymphoma in the orbital region. A female patient, 45 years old, searched for ophthalmological care, complaining, for 15 years, of low visual acuity (VA) associated with nonpulsatile bilateral proptosis, VA of 20/30 in the right eye and 20/40 in the left eye, without other changes. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and orbits showed solid expansive lesions in both orbital spaces, with biopsy and immunohistochemical study of the left orbit, showing lymphoproliferative syndrome, favoring B lymphoma of the MALT-type marginal zone. Thus, in view of the nonspecific initial presentation of MALT lymphoma, the use of imaging tests, as well as microsurgical biopsy, is essential for early diagnosis and surgical planning and constitutes the gold standard for adequate diagnostic elucidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, which can infect diverse hosts, including dogs. Although T. gondii infection in dogs is usually subclinical, they are susceptible to infection and develop a specific immune response to the parasite. In 2018, the largest outbreak of human toxoplasmosis in the world occurred in Santa Maria, in southern Brazil; however, the impact of this outbreak on other hosts was not investigated at the time. Considering that dogs often share the same environmental sources of infection as humans, mainly water sources, and that in Brazil, the detection rates of anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) in dogs is very high, this study investigated the frequency of anti-T. gondii IgG in dogs in Santa Maria before and after the outbreak. A total of 2.245 serum samples were analyzed, 1159 collected before the outbreak and 1086 collected after the outbreak. Serum samples were tested for anti-T. gondii antibodies using an indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT). The infection detection of T. gondii was 16% (185/1159) before the outbreak and 43% (466/1086) after the outbreak. These results showed the infection of dogs with T. gondii and the high frequency of anti-T. gondii antibodies in dogs after the outbreak in humans in 2018, reinforcing water as a possible source of infection and the importance of including toxoplasmosis in the differential diagnosis of dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine if and how deeper economic integration with high‐income nations impacts industrial performance. We exploit Poland's accession to the EU in 2004 as a source of variation in the degree of market integration with Germany. Using data on Polish manufacturing firms in the period 1995–2013, we find that EU accession was followed by significant within‐firm growth in output and productivity, notably in industries in which Germany was more specialized at the moment of accession. Increased flows of German investment to these sectors played an important role in shaping these effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses municipal‐level data from South Africa for the period 1996–2011 to estimate the medium to long‐run effects of trade liberalisation on local labour markets. It finds that local labour markets that were more exposed to tariff cuts tended to experience slower growth in employment and income per capita than less exposed regions. The longer‐term effects of trade liberalisation on regional earnings are stronger than the medium‐term effects and tend to be more pronounced among municipalities that included the former homelands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of epidemiological studies have shown that consumption of fruits, vegetables, and beverages rich in (poly)phenols promote numerous health benefits from cardiovascular to neurological diseases. Evidence on (poly)phenols has been applied mainly to flavonoids, yet the role of phenolic acids has been largely overlooked. Such phenolics present in food combine with those resulting from gut microbiota catabolism of flavonoids and chlorogenic acids and those produced by endogenous pathways, resulting in large concentrations of low molecular weight phenolic metabolites in human circulation. Independently of the origin, in human intervention studies using diets rich in (poly)phenols, a total of 137 low molecular weight phenolic metabolites have been detected and quantified in human circulation with largely unknown biological function. In this review, we will pinpoint two main aspects of the low molecular weight phenolic metabolites: (i) the microbiota responsible for their generation, and (ii) the analysis (quali‐ and quantitative) in human circulation and their respective pharmacokinetics. In doing so, we aim to drive scientific advances regarding the ubiquitous roles of low molecular weight phenolic metabolites using physiologically relevant concentrations and under (patho)physiologically relevant conditions in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we look at the state of Portuguese research in economics, with an emphasis on the 2000–2019 period. For this purpose we use three distinct data sets, namely on publications, citations, and the situation of economics researchers in Portuguese universities. Over the last 20 years, the number of publications in international journals that show affiliations to Portuguese institutions as well as publications by Portuguese authors with foreign affiliations increased considerably. However, after peaking in 2013, the number of publications has since decreased. This may be partly due to the 2010–2014 financial crisis that imposed several restrictions on Portuguese universities, but other factors may also have contributed to the decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a brief approach to the economic theory of the labor market is made. Those who are in the best position in the social system often do not question this ideology that praises them, but blame others for social problems (such as unemployment and income concentration). After a bibliographic review of several works by authors, it is important to expand the study of inequality generated by the "invisible hand" as well as the discussion of factors that are routinely forgotten, such as the social division of labor and the structure of the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the fastest growing neurodegenerative disease, but disease-modifying or preventive treatments are lacking. Physical activity is a modifiable factor that decreases the PD risk and improves motor symptoms in PD. Understanding which dimensions of gait performance correlate with physical activity in PD can have important pathophysiological and therapeutic implications. Clinical/demographic data together with physical activity levels were collected from thirty-nine PD patients. Gait analysis was performed wearing seven inertial measurement units on the lower body, reconstructing the subjects' lower body motion using 3D kinematic biomechanical models. Higher physical activity scores were significantly correlated with MDS-UPDRS part III scores (r = − 0.58, p value = 9.2 × 10−5), age (r = − 0.39, p value = 1.5 × 10−2) and quality-of-life (r = − 0.47, p value = 5.9 × 10−3). Physical activity was negatively associated with MDS-UPDRS part III scores after adjusting for age and disease duration (β = − 0.08530, p value = 0.0010). The effect of physical activity on quality-of-life was mediated by the MDS-UPDRS part III (62.10%, 95% CI = 0.0758–1.78, p value = 0.022). The level of physical activity was correlated primarily with spatiotemporal performance. While spatiotemporal performance displays the strongest association with physical activity, other quality-of-movement dimensions of clinical relevance (e.g., smoothness, rhythmicity) fail to do so. Interventions targeting these ought to be leveraged for performance enhancement in PD through neuroprotective and brain network connectivity strengthening. It remains to be ascertained to which extent these are amenable to modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Received wisdom suggests that most exporters sell most of their output domestically. We show, however, that the distribution of export intensity varies substantially across countries and is often bimodal, displaying "twin peaks"—that is, large shares of both low- and high-intensity exporters coexisting alongside each other within a country. We reconcile this new stylized fact with an otherwise standard model of trade in which firms face firm-destination-specific revenue shifters that follow a lognormal distribution with sufficiently high dispersion. We structurally estimate the model and show that differences in countries' size relative to the rest of the world can account for most of the observed cross-country variation in the distribution of export intensity in our data. While policies that incentivize firms to export a high share of their output account for a substantial share of the variation in the dispersion of firm-destination revenue shifters, they cannot fully account for the widespread prevalence of twin peaks around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nova Economia is the property of Nova Economia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We provide a rationale for the mixed relationship between product market competition and unionized wage, and more importantly, for a generally unexplained empirical evidence of a positive relationship between product market competition and unionized wage. We show that a higher product market competition decreases (increases) unionized wage if the external scale economies are weak (strong). However, a higher product market competition may decrease or increase the unionized wage if the external scale economies are moderate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces the articles featured in the April 2001 issue of the periodical 'The Information Society,' which are devoted to impacts of economic liberalization on information technology production and use. 'Liberalization and the Computer Industry,' by Kenneth Kraemer and Jason Dedrick; 'Brazil Meets the Global Challenge,' by Paulo Bastos Tigre and Antonio Jose Junqueira Botelho. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this article was to analyze how the presence of the elements that constitute organizational links are related to sensemaking in a cooperative system of medical work. Design/methodology/approach: A content analysis was conducted following interviews with the managers of the cooperative, which is a member of the Brazilian cooperative system and one of the largest in the world. This analysis enabled the systematization of the categories that were identified through the coding of responses, aided by Atlas.ti 8.0 software. Findings: After the analysis, it was possible to resize the constitutive elements identified in the specialized literature into three categories: identification, cooperation and recognition. The proposed resizing does not preclude the presence of the constitutive elements identified in the analysis, but it evidences the presence of these elements in a contextualized manner, suggesting a model of an organic organizational link that is dependent on the relationship between subject–object (organization), in which the different perceptions of meanings affect identification, and this can strengthen or weaken the link in a constant process of resignification. Originality/value: With regard to its theoretical relevance, the work helps to bring concepts related to organizational links and sensemaking closer together as a process in the realm of intersubjectivity. This provides evidence of the presence of constituent elements of ties in a contextualized manner, demonstrating that the interpretation of managers aids sensemaking in a process of circularity and resignification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past three decades, the price of machinery and equipment fell dramatically relative to other prices in advanced and emerging market and developing economies. Using cross-country and sectoral data, we show that the decline in the relative price of tangible tradable capital goods provided a significant impetus to the capital deepening that took place during the same time period. The broad-based decline in the relative price of machinery and equipment, in turn, was driven by the faster productivity growth in the capital goods producing sectors relative to the rest of the economy, and deeper trade integration, which induced domestic producers to lower prices and increase their efficiency. Our findings suggest an additional channel through which rising trade tensions and sluggish productivity could threaten real investment growth going forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors investigate the impact of exchange rate movements on wage determination in unionized labor markets. Using a simple model of international oligopoly, the authors show that organized labor has a rational incentive to accept lower wages in the face of a currency appreciation. They examine this proposition empirically using a matched worker-firm data set for Portugal and, though the impact varies considerably with worker characteristics, find results consistent with the predictions of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are various reasons for the dissolution of the productivist coalition and the formation of an antidevelopmentalist bourgeois united front during Dilma Rousseff's first term. With the intention of accelerating the pace of Lulism, Rousseff actively opposed neoliberalism, but state intervention alienated the industrialists even though, paradoxically, it aimed to favor them. On a small scale, Rousseff's developmentalist experiment may have followed in the footsteps that led to the 1964 military coup. Diferentes razões apontam para a dissolução da coalizão produtivista e a formação de uma frente única burguesa antidesenvolvimentista durante o primeiro mandato de Dilma Rousseff. Com a intenção de acelerar o passo do lulismo, Dilma se contrapôs ativamente ao neoliberalismo, mas a intervenção estatal alienou os industriais, apesar de, paradoxalmente, tentar favorecê-los. Em ponto pequeno, o ensaio desenvolvimentista de Dilma pode ter seguido as pegadas que resultou no golpe de 1964. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article identifies the effect of trade policy on market power through new data and a new identification strategy. We identify market power by observing how exporting firms price discriminate across markets following variations in bilateral exchange rates. Pricing‐to‐market is prevalent in all countries in our sample, even among small firms, although it is increasing in firm size. More importantly, we find that the effect of nontariff measures (NTMs) is not isomorphic to that of tariffs. Whereas tariffs reduce the market power of foreign firms through rent‐shifting effects, NTMs reinforce the market power of nonexiting firms, domestic and foreign alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Galician Journal of Economics / Revista Galega de Economía is the property of Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Servicio de Publicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Economics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The human gut barrier is the tissue exposed to the highest load of microorganisms, harbouring 100 trillion bacteria. In addition, the gut's renewal rate outruns that of any other human tissue. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are highly optimized defense molecules in the intestinal barrier optimized to maintain gastrointestinal homeostasis. Alterations in AMPs activity can lead to or result from human gastrointestinal diseases. In this review, unique, conserved, or otherwise regular alterations in the expression patterns of human AMPs across gastrointestinal inflammatory and infectious diseases were analyzed for pattern elucidation. Human gastrointestinal diseases are associated with alterations in gut AMPs' expression patterns in a peptide‐specific, disease‐specific, and pathogen‐specific way, modulating human gastrointestinal functioning. Across diseases, there is a (i) marked reduction in otherwise constitutively expressed AMPs, leading to increased disease susceptibility, and a (ii) significant increase in the expression of inducible AMPs, leading to tissue damage and disease severity. Infections and inflammatory conditions are associated with altered gene expression in the gut, whose patterns may favour cellular metaplasia, mucosal dysfunction, and disease states. Altered expression of AMPs can thus thrive disease severity and evolution since its early stages. Nevertheless, the modulation of AMP expression patterns unveils promising therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between the destination of exports and the input prices paid by firms, using detailed customs and firm-product-level data from Portugal. Both ordinary least squares regressions and an instrumental-variable strategy using exchange-rate movements (interacted with indicators for initial exports) as a source of variation in destinations indicate that exporting to richer countries leads firms to pay higher prices for inputs, other things equal. The results are supportive of what we call the income-based quality-choice channel: selling to richer destinations leads firms to raise the average quality of goods they produce and to purchase higher-quality inputs. (JEL D22, D24, F14, F31, L15) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]