Zika virus infection in pregnancy: a protocol for the joint analysis of the prospective cohort studies of the ZIKAlliance, ZikaPLAN and ZIKAction consortia

INTRODUCTION: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in pregnancy has been associated with microcephaly and severe neurological damage to the fetus. Our aim is to document the risks of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes and the prevalence of laboratory markers of congenital infection in deliveries to women experiencing ZIKV infection during pregnancy, using data from European Commission-funded prospective cohort studies in 20 centres in 11 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will carry out a centre-by-centre analysis of the risks of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, comparing women with confirmed and suspected ZIKV infection in pregnancy to those with no evidence of infection in pregnancy. We will document the proportion of deliveries in which laboratory markers of congenital infection were present. Finally, we will investigate the associations of trimester of maternal infection in pregnancy, presence or absence of maternal symptoms of acute ZIKV infection and previous flavivirus infections with adverse outcomes and with markers of congenital infection. Centre-specific estimates will be pooled using a two-stage approach. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was obtained at each centre. Findings will be presented at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed open access journals and discussed with local public health officials and representatives of the national Ministries of Health, Pan American Health Organization and WHO involved with ZIKV prevention and control activities

Mitochondrial Population Genomics Supports a Single Pre-Clovis Origin with a Coastal Route for the Peopling of the Americas

It is well accepted that the Americas were the last continents reached by modern humans, most likely through Beringia. However, the precise time and mode of the colonization of the New World remain hotly disputed issues. Native American populations exhibit almost exclusively five mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups (A–D and X). Haplogroups A–D are also frequent in Asia, suggesting a northeastern Asian origin of these lineages. However, the differential pattern of distribution and frequency of haplogroup X led some to suggest that it may represent an independent migration to the Americas. Here we show, by using 86 complete mitochondrial genomes, that all Native American haplogroups, including haplogroup X, were part of a single founding population, thereby refuting multiple-migration models. A detailed demographic history of the mtDNA sequences estimated with a Bayesian coalescent method indicates a complex model for the peopling of the Americas, in which the initial differentiation from Asian populations ended with a moderate bottleneck in Beringia during the last glacial maximum (LGM), around ∼23,000 to ∼19,000 years ago. Toward the end of the LGM, a strong population expansion started ∼18,000 and finished ∼15,000 years ago. These results support a pre-Clovis occupation of the New World, suggesting a rapid settlement of the continent along a Pacific coastal route

Aplicação em pré-colheita de cloreto de cálcio no controle do despencamento natural dos frutos de bananeira 'FHIA-18'

RESUMO: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da aplicação de CaCl2 em pré-colheita, em diferentes doses e épocas no controle do despencamento natural de frutos da bananeira 'FHIA-18'. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos casualizados, em esquema fatorial 3x3+1 testemunha, sendo testadas as doses de 2, 4 e 6% de CaCl2 aos 60, 90 e 120 dias após a emissão do cacho, com cinco repetições e uma planta por parcela. Observou-se redução linear da resistência ao despencamento e do tempo de maturação do fruto com o acréscimo das doses de CaCl2. Os frutos apresentaram maior firmeza com três aplicações de CaCl2. Os teores de cálcio da casca e da polpa não foram alterados significativamente com as doses e épocas de aplicações do CaCl2, indicando que o cálcio não é absorvido efetivamente pelo fruto. A aplicação de CaCl2 na pré-colheita não reduz o despencamento dos frutos da bananeira 'FHIA-18'