Hepatite C: avaliar a correlação da resposta virológica na 4ª semana de tratamento com a resposta virológica sustentada em um hospital terciário no Ceará

Introdução: a hepatite C acomete aproximadamente 1% da população brasileira, cronificando em até 80% dos casos. As novas drogas de ação antivirais diretas (DAAs) aumentaram significativamente a resposta virológica sustentada (RVS), ficando em torno de 90%, além de reduzirem os efeitos colaterais e a duração da terapia medicamentosa. Em alguns casos, a carga viral já se encontra negativada em torno da quarta semana de tratamento. Objetivo: avaliar a correlação entre a carga viral da 4ª semana e a da resposta virológica sustentada (RVS). Método: estudo retrospectivo com uma série de 462 pacientes portadores de hepatite C crônica submetidos ao tratamento com as novas drogas antivirais diretas (DAAs) em dois hospitais terciários da rede pública de saúde do estado do Ceará. Resultado: dos 462 pacientes analisados, 193 foram selecionados para o estudo. 148 pacientes avaliados (76,6%) apresentaram carga viral indetectável (<12 cópias/ml) na 4ª semana de tratamento, sendo que destes 97% obtiveram a RVS. 42 pacientes (21,7%) não negativaram a carga viral ao fim da 4ª semana de tratamento, mas apresentaram RVS, e apenas 7 pacientes (3,6%) foram considerados como resistentes ao tratamento com o uso das DAAs. Conclusão: a dosagem da carga viral após o primeiro mês do uso dos antivirais mostrou-se confiável na maioria dos casos. Novos estudos devem ser feitos a fim de aumentar a confiança dos resultados, para então utilizá-los como fonte segura de resposta terapêutica

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora

Growing knowledge: an overview of Seed Plant diversity in Brazil

Abstract An updated inventory of Brazilian seed plants is presented and offers important insights into the country's biodiversity. This work started in 2010, with the publication of the Plants and Fungi Catalogue, and has been updated since by more than 430 specialists working online. Brazil is home to 32,086 native Angiosperms and 23 native Gymnosperms, showing an increase of 3% in its species richness in relation to 2010. The Amazon Rainforest is the richest Brazilian biome for Gymnosperms, while the Atlantic Rainforest is the richest one for Angiosperms. There was a considerable increment in the number of species and endemism rates for biomes, except for the Amazon that showed a decrease of 2.5% of recorded endemics. However, well over half of Brazillian seed plant species (57.4%) is endemic to this territory. The proportion of life-forms varies among different biomes: trees are more expressive in the Amazon and Atlantic Rainforest biomes while herbs predominate in the Pampa, and lianas are more expressive in the Amazon, Atlantic Rainforest, and Pantanal. This compilation serves not only to quantify Brazilian biodiversity, but also to highlight areas where there information is lacking and to provide a framework for the challenge faced in conserving Brazil's unique and diverse flora