Diversity of biting midges Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), potential vectors of disease, in different environments in an Amazonian rural settlement, Brazil

The Culicoides transmit a variety of pathogens. Our aim was to survey the Culicoides species occurring in an Amazonian rural settlement, comparing abundance, richness, and diversity in different environments. METHODS: Culicoides were captured using CDC light traps. The Shannon-Wiener (H') and Rényi indices were used to compare species diversity and evenness between environments, the equitability (J') index was used to calculate the uniformity of distribution among species, and similarity was estimated using the Jaccard similarity index. A permutational multivariate analysis of variance was applied to assess the influence of environment on species composition. A non-metric dimensional scale was used to represent the diversity profiles of each environment in a multidimensional space. RESULTS: 6.078 Culicoides were captured, representing 84 species (45 valid species/39 morphotypes). H' values showed the following gradient: forest > capoeira > peridomicile > forest edge. The equitability J' was greater in capoeira and forests compared to peridomiciles and the forest edge. The population compositions of each environment differed statistically, but rarefaction estimates indicate that environments of the same type possessed similar levels of richness. Species of medical and veterinary importance were found primarily in peridomiciles: C. paraensis, vector of Oropouche virus; C. insignis and C. pusillus, vectors of Bluetongue virus; C. filariferus, C. flavivenula, C. foxi, and C. ignacioi, found carrying Leishmania DNA. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that diversity was higher in natural environments than in anthropized environments, while abundance and richness were highest in the most anthropized environment. These findings suggest that strictly wild Culicoides can adapt to anthropized environments

The importance of Cone-Beam computed tomography in diagnosis of associated mandibular osteonecrosis: case report / A importância da TCFC no diagnóstico e prognóstico da osteonecrose mandibular associada aos bisfosfonatos: relato de caso clínico

The Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is very useful in diagnosis and treatment planning, as well as in the prognosis of osteonecrosis of the jaws. This study reports a clinical case of Bisphosphonate-Associated Mandibular Osteonecrosis from the perspective of CBCT. The patient, female, 83 years old, presented painful symptoms in the posterior region of the right mandible and reported Bisphosphonate medication for more than five years to treat osteoporosis and osteopenia. Based on clinical and CBCT imaging characteristics, the patient was diagnosed with Bisphosphonate-Associated Mandibular Osteonecrosis. Initially, the treatment consisted of oral antibiotic therapy, pain control, hyperbaric oxygenation and oral hygiene (mouthwashes). After 11 months of clinical therapy, CBCT revealed bone reconstruction of the buccal cortex, but also a hypodense imaging in the lingual cortex compatible with bone lysis and bone sequestration. The patient was referred for bone debridement and sequestrectomy. The histopathological diagnosis consisted of osteonecrosis with secondary acute osteomyelitis. After 60 days of the surgical procedure and hyperbaric sessions/systemic antibiotic therapy, an oral healthy mucosa in the region of the right mandibular body was evidenced in the intraoral examination. Cortical bone regeneration was observed on CBCT. Concluded that the use of CBCT, in this case report, makes it possible to estimate the extent of the lesion and the post-treatment outcome, assessing bone density, the presence of bone sequestration and the involvement of the involved areas. In fact, early diagnosis is essential for the success of the therapeutic approach

AVALIAÇÃO DA ATIVIDADE CICATRIZANTE DE PREPARADOS À BASE DE JUCÁ (Caesalpinia ferrea Mart.)

A Cesalpinia ferrea, conhecida popularmente como jucá, possui diversas atividades farmacológicas comprovadas. Na região nordeste do Brasil esta planta é frequentemente usado no tratamento de feridas cutâneas, apresentando bons resultados, o que desperta grande interesse nos estudos biotecnológicos e farmacológicos dessa espécie. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a atividade cicatrizante da vagem de jucá (C. ferrea) isolada ou em associação com o açúcar, na cicatrização de feridas cutâneas de coelhos. Foram utilizados 40 coelhos (Oryctalagus cunicullus) adultos, divididos em cinco grupos: controle, pó das vagens in natura, pó das vagens in natura acrescido de açúcar (1:1), jucá em pomada com veículo glicerinado, e jucá acrescido de açúcar em pomada com veículo glicerinado, administrados três vezes ao dia. Após anestesia dissociativa foi realizada a confecção cirúrgica de feridas padronizadas, na dimensão de 2,5 cm2. Foram realizadas avaliações clínicas diárias, análises macroscópicas e histopatológicas das lesões nos dias três e dez após a confecção cirúrgica das feridas. Os resultados revelaram que não houve diferença significativa entre os grupos com relação ao tempo de cicatrização, porém o tratamento tópico com pomada formulada com o pó oriunda da vagem de jucá promoveu um aumento significativo da contração da área da lesão no terceiro e décimo dia.

Novas perspectivas no manejo da tuberculose multirresistente: avanços terapêuticos e desafios atuais

Este artigo apresenta uma análise profunda dos avanços recentes no tratamento da Tuberculose Multirresistente (TB-MDR), uma forma complexa de tuberculose que resiste aos medicamentos convencionais. A TB-MDR é uma preocupação crescente de saúde pública global, devido à sua difícil erradicação e às limitações dos tratamentos atuais. Exploramos os novos medicamentos emergentes, como bedaquilina e delamanida, que oferecem opções terapêuticas promissoras contra cepas resistentes de TB. Além disso, discutimos regimes de tratamento inovadores, menos tóxicos e de duração mais curta, que visam melhorar a adesão do paciente e reduzir os efeitos colaterais. Estratégias de gestão eficazes, incluindo terapia diretamente observada e abordagens de tratamento personalizadas, também são analisadas como meios essenciais para combater a TB-MDR

Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

Local hydrological conditions influence tree diversity and composition across the Amazon basin

Tree diversity and composition in Amazonia are known to be strongly determined by the water supplied by precipitation. Nevertheless, within the same climatic regime, water availability is modulated by local topography and soil characteristics (hereafter referred to as local hydrological conditions), varying from saturated and poorly drained to well-drained and potentially dry areas. While these conditions may be expected to influence species distribution, the impacts of local hydrological conditions on tree diversity and composition remain poorly understood at the whole Amazon basin scale. Using a dataset of 443 1-ha non-flooded forest plots distributed across the basin, we investigate how local hydrological conditions influence 1) tree alpha diversity, 2) the community-weighted wood density mean (CWM-wd) – a proxy for hydraulic resistance and 3) tree species composition. We find that the effect of local hydrological conditions on tree diversity depends on climate, being more evident in wetter forests, where diversity increases towards locations with well-drained soils. CWM-wd increased towards better drained soils in Southern and Western Amazonia. Tree species composition changed along local soil hydrological gradients in Central-Eastern, Western and Southern Amazonia, and those changes were correlated with changes in the mean wood density of plots. Our results suggest that local hydrological gradients filter species, influencing the diversity and composition of Amazonian forests. Overall, this study shows that the effect of local hydrological conditions is pervasive, extending over wide Amazonian regions, and reinforces the importance of accounting for local topography and hydrology to better understand the likely response and resilience of forests to increased frequency of extreme climate events and rising temperatures