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

CORRELATION BETWEEN NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE FEATURES AND LEVELS OF ADIPOKINES AND INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES AMONG MORBIDLY OBESE INDIVIDUALS

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the commonest hepatopathy worldwide. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlations between NAFLD histopathological features and the levels of adipokines (adiponectin, leptin, and resistin) and circulating inflammatory markers (interleukin-6 [IL-6], interleukin-8 [IL-8], tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], and C-reactive protein [CRP]). METHODS: This is an exploratory cross-sectional study, which enrolled 19 women with obesity who underwent bariatric surgery. Biochemical characteristics evaluated included the levels of adiponectin, leptin, resistin, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and CRP. NAFLD was assessed through histological examination of liver biopsies carried out during the surgical procedures. RESULTS: The mean age of the study group was 37.3±8.2 years old; mean BMI was 36.2±2.5 kg/m2. Among individuals with liver fibrosis, the levels of IL-8 were significantly higher (24.4 ± 9.7 versus 12.7 ± 6.6; P=0.016726). The intensity of fibrosis presented a significant negative correlation with the levels of adiponectin (R= -0.49379; P=0.03166); i.e. the higher the levels of adiponectin, the lower the intensity of fibrosis. The intensity of steatohepatitis presented a significant negative correlation with the levels of adiponectin (R= -0.562321; P=0.01221); this means that the higher the levels of adiponectin, the lower the intensity of steatohepatitis. CONCLUSION: Adiponectin levels were inversely correlated with the severity of fibrosis and steatohepatitis, whereas IL-8 levels were higher in individuals with liver fibrosis among individuals with obesity and NAFLD undergoing bariatric surgery. The use of these markers to assess NAFLD may bring significant information within similar populations

DRAIN AMYLASE LEVELS MAY INDICATE GASTROJEJUNOSTOMY LEAKS AFTER ROUX-EN-Y GASTRIC BYPASS

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Although the incidence of leaks after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) significantly decreased over time, their detection still remains challenging. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the usefulness of drain amylase levels to detect leaks after RYGB. METHODS: This is a population-based study which enrolled 170 individuals who underwent RYGB. Drain amylase levels were determined on the first and fourth postoperative days. Two thresholds were evaluated: three times higher than the serum levels (parameter I) and higher than 250 IU/L (parameter II). The main outcomes evaluated were perioperative morbidity, the occurrence of leaks, 30-day readmissions and reoperations, hospital stay, and mortality. RESULTS: Considering the parameter I, high drain amylase levels were significantly associated with leaks (12.5% vs 0; P<0.00001). Considering the parameter II, high drain amylase levels were significantly associated with longer hospital stay (8±5.7 vs 4.5±1.3 days; P=0.00032), 30-day reoperations (50% vs 3%; P=0.000285), and leaks (50% vs 0; P<0.00001). The parameter I presented a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 95.9%, whereas the parameter II presented a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 99.4%. CONCLUSION: The determination of drain amylase levels after RYGB was a significant indicator of leaks, hospital stay, and 30-day reoperations. This finding reinforces the importance of abdominal drainage in the RYGB within this context

Bariatric surgery as a treatment for pseudotumor cerebri: case study and narrative review of the literature

<div><p>ABSTRACT CONTEXT: Pseudotumor cerebri occurs when there is an increase in intracranial pressure without an underlying cause, usually leading to loss of vision. It is most commonly observed in obese women of child-bearing age. CASE REPORT: A 46-year-old woman presented at our service with idiopathic intracranial hypertension that had been diagnosed two years earlier, which had led to chronic refractory headache and an estimated 30% loss of visual acuity, associated with bilateral papilledema. She presented partial improvement of the headache with acetazolamide, but the visual loss persisted. Her intracranial pressure was 34 cmH2O. She presented a body mass index of 39.5 kg/m2, also associated with high blood pressure. Computed tomography of the cranium with endovenous contrast did not show any abnormalities. She underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass with uneventful postoperative evolution. One month following surgery, she presented a 24% excess weight loss. An ophthalmological examination revealed absence of visual loss and remission of the papilledema. There were no new episodes of headache following the surgery. There was also complete resolution of high blood pressure. The intracranial pressure decreased to 24 cmH2O, six months after the surgery. CONCLUSION: Although the condition is usually associated with obesity, there are few reports of bariatric surgery among individuals with pseudotumor cerebri. In cases studied previously, there was high prevalence of resolution or improvement of the disease following bariatric surgery. There is no consensus regarding which technique is preferable. Thus, further research is necessary in order to establish a specific algorithm.</p></div