Quantifying responses of dung beetles to fire disturbance in tropical forests:the importance of trapping method and seasonality

Understanding how biodiversity responds to environmental changes is essential to provide the evidence-base that underpins conservation initiatives. The present study provides a standardized comparison between unbaited flight intercept traps (FIT) and baited pitfall traps (BPT) for sampling dung beetles. We examine the effectiveness of the two to assess fire disturbance effects and how trap performance is affected by seasonality. The study was carried out in a transitional forest between Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna) and Amazon Forest. Dung beetles were collected during one wet and one dry sampling season. The two methods sampled different portions of the local beetle assemblage. Both FIT and BPT were sensitive to fire disturbance during the wet season, but only BPT detected community differences during the dry season. Both traps showed similar correlation with environmental factors. Our results indicate that seasonality had a stronger effect than trap type, with BPT more effective and robust under low population numbers, and FIT more sensitive to fine scale heterogeneity patterns. This study shows the strengths and weaknesses of two commonly used methodologies for sampling dung beetles in tropical forests, as well as highlighting the importance of seasonality in shaping the results obtained by both sampling strategies

Case Fatality Rate Related to Microcephaly Congenital Zika Syndrome and Associated Factors: A Nationwide Retrospective Study in Brazil †.

BACKGROUND: The clinical manifestations of microcephaly/congenital Zika syndrome (microcephaly/CZS) have harmful consequences on the child's health, increasing vulnerability to childhood morbidity and mortality. This study analyzes the case fatality rate and child-maternal characteristics of cases and deaths related to microcephaly/CZS in Brazil, 2015-2017. METHODS: Population-based study developed by linkage of three information systems. We estimate frequencies of cases, deaths, case fatality rate related to microcephaly/CZS according to child and maternal characteristics and causes of death. Multivariate logistic regression models were applied. RESULTS: The microcephaly/CZS case fatality rate was 10% (95% CI 9.2-10.7). Death related to microcephaly/CZS was associated to moderate (OR = 2.15; 95% CI 1.63-2.83), and very low birth weight (OR = 3.77; 95% CI 2.20-6.46); late preterm births (OR = 1.65; 95% CI 1.21-2.23), Apgar < 7 at 1st (OR = 5.98; 95% CI 4.46-8.02) and 5th minutes (OR = 4.13; 95% CI 2.78-6.13), among others. CONCLUSIONS: A high microcephaly/CZS case fatality rate and important factors associated with deaths related to this syndrome were observed. These results can alert health teams to these problems and increase awareness about the factors that may be associated with worse outcomes

Impacto dos inibidores de DPP-4 na progressão da doença renal em pacientes com Diabetes tipo 2

A doença renal crônica (DRC), caracterizada como uma diminuição progressiva e irreversível da capacidade filtradora dos rins, é uma das complicações do diabetes tipo 2 (DM2). Nesse viés, é fato que os inibidores de dipeptidil peptidase-4 (DPP-4) têm surgido como uma opção terapêutica relevante no cuidado do DM2 em pacientes com DRC. O objetivo do presente estudo está relacionado à avaliação da eficácia desses medicamentos na desaceleração da progressão da DRC e melhoria da função renal. Para tanto, foi realizada uma revisão de literatura recente sobre o impacto dos inibidores de DPP-4 na progressão da doença renal em pacientes com diabetes tipo 2. Nesse contexto, nota-se que os inibidores de DPP-4 vêm apresentando efeitos benéficos na proteção da função renal em pacientes com DM2: esses medicamentos não só atuam na melhora do controle glicêmico, mas também têm demostrado impacto positivo na função renal, reduzindo a progressão da DRC e o risco de complicações associadas. Em suma, os inibidores de DPP-4 representam uma opção terapêutica oportuna para o manejo do DM2 em pacientes com DRC, promovendo não somente benefícios no que tange ao controle glicêmico, mas também na preservação da função dos rins, ampliando, assim, as opções de tratamento disponíveis

Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial

Background Recent open-label trials show that psychedelics, such as ayahuasca, hold promise as fast-onset antidepressants in treatment-resistant depression. Methods To test the antidepressant effects of ayahuasca, we conducted a parallel-arm, double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial in 29 patients with treatment-resistant depression. Patients received a single dose of either ayahuasca or placebo. We assessed changes in depression severity with the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating scale at baseline, and at 1 (D1), 2 (D2), and 7 (D7) days after dosing. Results We observed significant antidepressant effects of ayahuasca when compared with placebo at all-time points. MADRS scores were significantly lower in the ayahuasca group compared with placebo at D1 and D2 (p = 0.04), and at D7 (p < 0.0001). Between-group effect sizes increased from D1 to D7 (D1: Cohen's d = 0.84; D2: Cohen's d = 0.84; D7: Cohen's d = 1.49). Response rates were high for both groups at D1 and D2, and significantly higher in the ayahuasca group at D7 (64% v. 27%; p = 0.04). Remission rate showed a trend toward significance at D7 (36% v. 7%, p = 0.054). Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first controlled trial to test a psychedelic substance in treatment-resistant depression. Overall, this study brings new evidence supporting the safety and therapeutic value of ayahuasca, dosed within an appropriate setting, to help treat depression. This study is registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02914769)

Where are we now with European forest multi-taxon biodiversity and where can we head to?

The European biodiversity and forest strategies rely on forest sustainable management (SFM) to conserve forest biodiversity. However, current sustainability assessments hardly account for direct biodiversity indicators. We focused on forest multi-taxon biodiversity to: i) gather and map the existing information; ii) identify knowledge and research gaps; iii) discuss its research potential. We established a research network to fit data on species, standing trees, lying deadwood and sampling unit description from 34 local datasets across 3591 sampling units. A total of 8724 species were represented, with the share of common and rare species varying across taxonomic classes: some included many species with several rare ones (e.g., Insecta); others (e.g., Bryopsida) were represented by few common species. Tree-related structural attributes were sampled in a subset of sampling units (2889; 2356; 2309 and 1388 respectively for diameter, height, deadwood and microhabitats). Overall, multitaxon studies are biased towards mature forests and may underrepresent the species related to other developmental phases. European forest compositional categories were all represented, but beech forests were overrepresented as compared to thermophilous and boreal forests. Most sampling units (94%) were referred to a habitat type of conservation concern. Existing information may support European conservation and SFM strategies in: (i) methodological harmonization and coordinated monitoring; (ii) definition and testing of SFM indicators and thresholds; (iii) data-driven assessment of the effects of environmental and management drivers on multi-taxon forest biological and functional diversity, (iv) multi-scale forest monitoring integrating in-situ and remotely sensed information. Forest biodiversity Multi-taxon Sustainable management Biodiversity conservation Forest stand structurepublishedVersio

Whole-genome sequencing of 1,171 elderly admixed individuals from Brazil

As whole-genome sequencing (WGS) becomes the gold standard tool for studying population genomics and medical applications, data on diverse non-European and admixed individuals are still scarce. Here, we present a high-coverage WGS dataset of 1,171 highly admixed elderly Brazilians from a census-based cohort, providing over 76 million variants, of which ~2 million are absent from large public databases. WGS enables identification of ~2,000 previously undescribed mobile element insertions without previous description, nearly 5 Mb of genomic segments absent from the human genome reference, and over 140 alleles from HLA genes absent from public resources. We reclassify and curate pathogenicity assertions for nearly four hundred variants in genes associated with dominantly-inherited Mendelian disorders and calculate the incidence for selected recessive disorders, demonstrating the clinical usefulness of the present study. Finally, we observe that whole-genome and HLA imputation could be significantly improved compared to available datasets since rare variation represents the largest proportion of input from WGS. These results demonstrate that even smaller sample sizes of underrepresented populations bring relevant data for genomic studies, especially when exploring analyses allowed only by WGS

Author Correction: Whole-genome sequencing of 1,171 elderly admixed individuals from Brazil (vol 13, 1004, 2022)

The original version of this Article contained an error in the title, which was previously incorrectly given as ‘Whole-genome sequencing of 1,171 elderly admixed individuals from São Paulo, Brazil’. The correct version removes the word “São Paulo”. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center University of São Paulo, SPDepartment of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology Biosciences Institute University of São Paulo, SPHospital Israelita Albert Einstein, SPInstituto da Criança Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, SPOrthopedic Research Labs Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Genetics Harvard Medical SchoolLaboratório DASALaboratory of Genome Structure and Ageing European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing University Medical Center GroningenSão Paulo State University (UNESP) Molecular Genetics and Bioinformatics Laboratory School of Medicine, State of São PauloSão Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Pathology School of Medicine, State of São PauloDepartamento de Química Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto Universidade de São Paulo, São PauloCentro de Oncologia Molecular Hospital Sirio-LibanesDepartment of Biochemistry Institute of Chemistry University of São Paulo São PauloBioinformatics Graduate program University of São PauloDepartamento de Genética Ecologia e Evolução Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, MGNúcleo de Ensino e Pesquisa Instituto Mário Penna, MGLaboratorio de Biotecnologia y Biologia Molecular Instituto Nacional de SaludUniversidad de HuánucoDivision of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics National Cancer InstituteInstituto de Saúde Coletiva Universidade Federal da Bahia, BACenter for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health Institute Gonçalo Muniz Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, BAInstituto de Pesquisas René Rachou Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, MGPrograma De Pós-Graduação em Saúde Pública Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, MGPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia Universidade Federal de Pelotas, RSMosaico Translational Genomics Initiative Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, MGFacultad de Salud Pública y Administración Universidad Peruana Cayetano HerediaInstituto de Estudos Avançados Transdisciplinares Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, MGMedical-Surgical Nursing Department School of Nursing University of São Paulo, SPEpidemiology Department Public Health School University of São Paulo, SPSão Paulo State University (UNESP) Molecular Genetics and Bioinformatics Laboratory School of Medicine, State of São PauloSão Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Pathology School of Medicine, State of São Paul