Effectiveness and safety of first-generation protease inhibitors in real-world patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection in Brazil: a multicenter study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of first-generation protease inhibitors for the treatment of genotype 1 hepatitis C virus-infected patients at Brazilian reference centers. METHODS: This multicenter cross-sectional study included hepatitis C virus genotype 1 monoinfected patients treated with Peg-interferon, ribavirin, and either boceprevir (n=158) or telaprevir (n=557) between July 2013 and April 2014 at 15 reference centers in Brazil. Demographic, clinical, virological, and adverse events data were collected during treatment and follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 715 patients, 59% had cirrhosis and 67.1% were treatment-experienced. Based on intention-to-treat analysis, the overall sustained viral response was 56.6%, with similar effectiveness in both groups (51.9% for boceprevir and 58% for telaprevir, p=0.190). Serious adverse events occurred in 44.2% of patients, and six deaths (0.8%) were recorded. Cirrhotic patients had lower sustained viral response rates than non-cirrhotic patients (46.9% vs. 70.6%,

Lesão Pulmonar Associada Ao Uso De Cigarros Eletrônicos: Revisão De Literatura

E-cigarettes, a widely used emerging product, are facing growing popularity despite little research into their health risks. Electronic Cigarette Use Associated Lung Injury, or EVALI, has become a prominent concern in recent research, expanding the need to understand the health effects of vaping, given the diversity of technologies and liquids involved. An integrative review was carried out to analyze the relationship between electronic cigarettes and lung injuries, using the PubMed database. 664 articles were selected, with inclusion criteria based on human studies published between 2018 and 2023. The analysis, exclusion and selection process was carefully conducted by the authors. Electronic cigarettes, consisting of a battery, atomizer and liquid, stand out due to the uncertainty about their health effects, in contrast to traditional cigarettes. EVALI, predominantly associated with the vaporization of THC products, reveals serious symptoms and significant risks. The complex composition of e-liquids, especially when exposed to high temperatures, generates harmful substances, including carbonyl compounds, suspected of causing oxidative stress and inflammation in the airways. The integrative review highlights the lack of consensus on the safety of electronic cigarettes and the urgency in understanding the associated risks. EVALI, as a diagnosis of exclusion, highlights the need for immediate investigation in the event of respiratory symptoms. Treatment and monitoring of EVALI patients requires a careful approach, considering clinical and risk factors. Public education about potential dangers and cessation strategies becomes crucial, especially among young people.Los cigarrillos electrónicos, un producto emergente ampliamente utilizado, se enfrentan a una creciente popularidad a pesar de la poca investigación sobre sus riesgos para la salud. La lesión pulmonar asociada al uso de cigarrillos electrónicos, o EVALI, se ha convertido en una preocupación destacada en investigaciones recientes, ampliando la necesidad de comprender los efectos del vapeo en la salud, dada la diversidad de tecnologías y líquidos involucrados. Se realizó una revisión integradora para analizar la relación entre los cigarrillos electrónicos y las lesiones pulmonares, utilizando la base de datos PubMed. Se seleccionaron 664 artículos, con criterios de inclusión basados ​​en estudios en humanos publicados entre 2018 y 2023. El proceso de análisis, exclusión y selección fue cuidadosamente realizado por los autores. Los cigarrillos electrónicos, compuestos por batería, atomizador y líquido, destacan por la incertidumbre sobre sus efectos sobre la salud, a diferencia de los cigarrillos tradicionales. EVALI, predominantemente asociado con la vaporización de productos de THC, revela síntomas graves y riesgos importantes. La compleja composición de los e-líquidos, especialmente cuando se exponen a altas temperaturas, genera sustancias nocivas, incluidos compuestos carbonílicos, sospechosos de causar estrés oxidativo e inflamación en las vías respiratorias. La revisión integradora destaca la falta de consenso sobre la seguridad de los cigarrillos electrónicos y la urgencia de comprender los riesgos asociados. EVALI, como diagnóstico de exclusión, destaca la necesidad de investigación inmediata en caso de síntomas respiratorios. El tratamiento y seguimiento de los pacientes con EVALI requiere un enfoque cuidadoso, considerando los factores clínicos y de riesgo. La educación pública sobre los peligros potenciales y las estrategias para dejar de fumar se vuelve crucial, especialmente entre los jóvenes.Os cigarros eletrônicos, produto emergente amplamente utilizado, enfrentam crescente popularidade apesar da escassa investigação sobre seus riscos à saúde. A Lesão Pulmonar Associada ao Uso de Cigarro Eletrônico, ou EVALI, tornou-se uma preocupação destacada nas pesquisas recentes, ampliando a necessidade de compreender os efeitos da vaporização na saúde, dada a diversidade de tecnologias e líquidos envolvidos. Realizou-se uma revisão integrativa para analisar a relação entre cigarros eletrônicos e lesões pulmonares, utilizando a base de dados PubMed. Foram selecionados 664 artigos, com critérios de inclusão baseados em estudos humanos publicados entre 2018 e 2023. O processo de análise, exclusão e seleção foi conduzido de forma criteriosa pelos autores. Os cigarros eletrônicos, compostos por bateria, atomizador e líquido, destacam-se pela incerteza sobre seus efeitos à saúde, em contraste com os tradicionais. A EVALI, predominantemente associada à vaporização de produtos com THC, revela sintomas graves e riscos significativos. A composição complexa dos e-líquidos, especialmente quando expostos a altas temperaturas, gera substâncias nocivas, incluindo compostos carbonílicos, suspeitos de causar estresse oxidativo e inflamação nas vias aéreas. A revisão integrativa destaca a falta de consenso sobre a segurança dos cigarros eletrônicos e a urgência em compreender os riscos associados. A EVALI, como diagnóstico de exclusão, destaca a necessidade de investigação imediata diante de sintomas respiratórios. O tratamento e o acompanhamento de pacientes EVALI requerem abordagem cuidadosa, considerando fatores clínicos e de risco. A educação pública sobre os perigos potenciais e estratégias de cessação torna-se crucial, especialmente entre os jovens

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others