When Life Becomes a Burden at the Urban Margins of Buenos Aires

ABSTRACT

Based on ethnographic research carried out in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, in this article, I analyze the logic of the burden for workers of segregated populations who live on the urban margins under the neoliberal regime. Unlike other languages of afflictions, the language of the logic of the burden resists being subdued completely to psy technologies. In this article, I argue that this challenges how development programs in Buenos Aires metropolitan areas have caused afflictions to people who live in contexts of urban poverty and seek their well-being, led by promises to reach it through work.     

Unstable angina--prospective and randomized study of its evolution, with and without surgery

A prospective and randomized study of 142 patients was undertaken to evaluate medical or surgical treatment in patients with unstable angina. The condition of each patient was classified according to one of three categories: intermediate syndrome (44 patients); progressive angina with and wihout previous infarction (53 patients); and postinfarction angina (14 patients). Of the 142 patients, 31 were excluded on the basis of specific criteria. A detailed research protocol, which included early blind random choice of medical or surgical therapy, was followed. The results indicate the following: (1) It is possible to conduct a randomized study of patients with unstable angina, grouped in comparable categories; (2) these groups were statistically homogeneous in relation to the variables examined; (3) in spite of a mean follow-up time of only 8.3 months, the natural history of patients with an intermediate syndrome differed from that of patients with progressive angina, thus justifying the distinction; (4) patients with an Intermediate syndrome treated surgically appeared to have a significantly reduced mortality rate and those who have survived surgery are in better clinical condition than medically treated patients; and (5) no such differences were found in patients with progressive angina, but a longer follow-up period is warranted.     

Dissimilar atrial rhythms. A patient with triple right atrial rhythm

A patient with complete A-V block and atrial fibrillation was analyzed by multiple intra-atrial electrograms. Three areas were recorded in the right atrium, each of them with different electrophysiological properties: (1) persistent atrial standstill, (2) irregular atrial activity with a rate of 50/minute, and (3) fibrilloflutter waves with a rate of 450/minute. The latter were also registered in the left atrium.This case illustrates another form of dissimilar atrial rhythms, and provides additional evidence of the importance of recording multiple electrograms from each atrium in the evaluation of the atrial events in atypical atrial arrhythmias.