Lower prevalence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in Portugal: possible impact of COVID-19 lockdown?

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most frequent cause of congenital infection all over the world. Its prevalence ranges from 0.2 to 2.2%. Transmission from children to their pregnant mothers is a well-known risk factor, particularly if they attend a childcare centre. This study aims to compare the prevalence of CMV congenital infection (CMV_CI) in Portugal (Lisbon) between two studies, performed respectively in 2019 and 2020. In the 2019 study, performed in two hospitals, we found a 0.67% CMV_CI prevalence, using a pool strategy previously tested with saliva samples. In the 2020 study, using the same pool approach in four hospitals (the previous and two additional), and based on 1277 samples, the prevalence was 0.078%.Conclusion: The close temporal coincidence with COVID-19 lockdown suggests that these measures may have had a significant impact on this reduction, although other explanations cannot be ruled-out. What is Known: • Cytomegalovirus is the leading cause of congenital infection. • Behavioural measures decrease cytomegalovirus seroconversion in pregnant women. What is New: • From 2019 to 2020 there was a significant reduction in the prevalence of congenital CMV infection.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Citizen science versus professional data collection: Comparison of approaches to mosquito monitoring in Germany

Due to the recent emergence of invasive mosquito species and the outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases in Europe, research on the ecology and diversity of the mosquito fauna has returned to scientific agendas. Through a nationwide surveillance programme in Germany, mosquitoes have been monitored actively by systematically operated traps since 2011, and passively by the 'Mückenatlas' (mosquito atlas) citizen science project launched in 2012. To assess the performance of both monitoring methods we compared the two respective datasets with regard to habitat coverage, species composition and the ability to detect invasive mosquitoes. The datasets include observations from the beginning of the project until the end of 2017. We found significant differences in species composition caused by land use types and the participants' recording activity. Active monitoring performed better in mapping mosquito diversity, whereas passive monitoring better detected invasive species, thereby using data from private premises scientists usually cannot access. Synthesis and applications. Active and passive monitoring is complementary. Combining them allows for the determination of mosquito diversity, efficient detection of emerging invasive species and the initiation of rapid-response actions against such invaders. The 'Mückenatlas' sets an example for the usefulness of citizen science when included in a national monitoring programme, an approach that may be worth copying for tackling the global spread of arthropod vectors of disease agents

A roupa nova do presidente: a politização da imagem pública de Jânio Quadros (1947-1961)

Jânio Quadros public image is often considered deprived of any political meaning either by historians or by collective memory. In most cases he is treated as a demagogue who promoted himself only through his personalism, which could be seen in his public appearances unkempt and with open-necked shirts. Such perspective is deeply related to the way his opponents and enemies represented him in the political debates, and its core has been successful in penetrating the historiography. However in this text I intend to suggest that Jânio's images conveyed an array of political senses during the 1950s and early 1960s, since the beginning of his career till when he disputed presidential elections and ruled Brazil as president. Through his gestures and clothes, among which his Indian slacks deserve more attention, he tried to express his project related to the Christian Democracy and the Independent Foreign Policy. To deal with such hypothesis, the main sources will be the magazines O Cruzeiro and Manchete and others photos and drawings that were considerably widespread at that time.A imagem pública de Jânio Quadros é frequentemente considerada como desprovida de quaisquer significados políticos, seja por historiadores ou pela memória coletiva. Na maioria dos casos, ele é tratado como um demagogo que se promovia apenas através de seu personalismo, exibindo-se em suas aparições públicas despenteado e com camisas abertas no colarinho. Tal perspectiva está profundamente relacionada com a forma pela qual seus oponentes e inimigos o representavam nos debates políticos, e em seu cerne foi bem-sucedida, tendo penetrado na historiografia. Neste texto, porém, pretendo sugerir que, perpassando a década de 1950 e o início da de 1960, desde o início de sua carreira até o momento em que disputou eleições presidenciais e foi o presidente do Brasil, as imagens de Jânio veiculavam um amplo leque de sentidos políticos. Por meio de gestos e roupas, destacando-se aí seus slacks indianos, ele procurou expressar seus projetos relacionados à Democracia Cristã e à Política Externa Independente. Para lidar com essa hipótese, as principais fontes fotográficas e textuais elencadas são as revistas O Cruzeiro e Manchete da época, e outras fotos e ilustrações que então foram bastante difundidas

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio