The Omicron lineages BA.1 and BA.2 (Betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2) have repeatedly entered Brazil through a single dispersal hub

Brazil currently ranks second in absolute deaths by COVID-19, even though most of its population has completed the vaccination protocol. With the introduction of Omicron in late 2021, the number of COVID-19 cases soared once again in the country. We investigated in this work how lineages BA.1 and BA.2 entered and spread in the country by sequencing 2173 new SARS-CoV-2 genomes collected between October 2021 and April 2022 and analyzing them in addition to more than 18,000 publicly available sequences with phylodynamic methods. We registered that Omicron was present in Brazil as early as 16 November 2021 and by January 2022 was already more than 99% of samples. More importantly, we detected that Omicron has been mostly imported through the state of São Paulo, which in turn dispersed the lineages to other states and regions of Brazil. This knowledge can be used to implement more efficient non-pharmaceutical interventions against the introduction of new SARS-CoV variants focused on surveillance of airports and ground transportation

Long-Lasting Efficacy of Radio Electric Asymmetric Conveyer Neuromodulation Treatment on Functional Dysmetria, an Adaptive Motor Behavior

BackgroundFluctuating asymmetry (FA) is widely defined as the deviation from perfect bilateral symmetry and is considered an epigenetic measure of environmental stress. Rinaldi and Fontani hypothesized that the FA morpho-functional changes originate from an adaptive motor behavior determined by functional alterations in the cerebellum and neural circuits, not caused by a lesion, but induced by environmental stress. They called this phenomenon functional dysmetria (FD). On this premise, they developed the radio electric asymmetric conveyer (REAC) technology, a neuromodulation technology aimed at optimizing the best neuro-psycho-motor strategies in relation to environmental interaction.AimsPrevious studies showed that specific REAC neuro postural optimization (NPO) treatment can induce stable FD recovery. This study aimed to verify the duration of the NPO effect in inducing the stable FD recovery over timeMaterials and methodsData were retrospectively collected from a population of 29,794 subjects who underwent a specific semiological FD assessment and received the NPO treatment, regardless of the pathology referred.ResultsThe analysis of the data collected by the various participants in the study led us to ascertain the disappearance of FD in 100% of the cases treated, with a stability of the result detected up to 18 years after the single administration of the REAC NPO treatment.ConclusionsThe REAC NPO neurobiological modulation treatment consisting of a single administration surprisingly maintains a very long efficacy in the correction of FD. This effect can be explained as the long-lasting capacity of the NPO treatment to induce greater functional efficiency of the brain dynamics as proven in previous studies

Estilos parentais e desenvolvimento das funções executivas: estudo com crianças de 3 a 6 anos

This study examined the relation between the parenting style of the parents and executive function in preschool children, because previous research suggests that family environment characteristics may influence the development of these functions. Participants were 30 3-6-year-old children and their parents. The parents answered the Parental Styles Inventory and children were assessed by Semantic Stroop Test, Cancellation Attention Test for and Trail Making Test for preschoolers. Low to moderate magnitude correlations showed in general that the more suitable parenting style of the parents, the better interference control of children. It was also observed that the greater the inconsistency in punishment, the greater the child’s reaction time in incongruous part of the Stroop Test and the more she/he is affected by the incongruity, however, pursuant to part B of the Trail Making Test, the greater her/his flexibility. Therefore there were observed relation between parenting style and executive functions of the sample investigated.Este estudo analisou a relação entre estilo parental dos responsáveis e funções executivas em pré-escolares, pois pesquisas prévias sugerem que características do ambiente familiar podem influenciar o desenvolvimento dessas funções. Participaram 30 crianças, de 3 a 6 anos, e seus responsáveis. Estes responderam o Inventário de Estilos Parentais e as crianças, Teste de Stroop Semântico, Teste de Atenção por Cancelamento e Teste de Trilhas para pré-escolares. Correlações de magnitude baixa a moderada evidenciaram, de modo geral, que quanto mais apropriado o estilo parental dos pais, melhor o controle de interferência dos filhos. Também observou-se que, quanto maior a inconsistência na punição, maior o tempo de reação da criança na parte incongruente do Teste de Stroop e mais ela é afetada pela incongruência, porém, conforme a parte B do Teste de Trilhas, maior a sua flexibilidade. Portanto observaram-se relações entre estilo parental e funções executivas na amostra avaliada.Este estudio examinó la relación entre estilos parentales de padres y funciones ejecutivas en niños preescolares, ya que investigaciones anteriores sugieren que las características del entorno familiar pueden influir en el desarrollo de estas funciones. Participaran del estudio 30 niños, entre 3 y 6 años de edad, y sus padres. Los padres respondieron el Inventario de Estilos Parentales y los niños, Test de Stroop Semántico, Test de Atención por Cancelación y Test de Trazados para preescolares. Correlaciones de baja a moderada magnitud mostraron, en general, que cuanto más adecuado el estilo parental de los padres mejor es el control de la interferencia de los niños. También se observó que cuanto mayor es la falta de coherencia en el castigo, mayor es el tiempo de reacción del niño en la parte incongruente del Test de Stroop y más él es afectado por la incongruencia, sin embargo, de conformidad con la parte B del Test de Trazados, mayor es su flexibilidad. Por lo tanto, se observaron relación entre estilo parental y funciones ejecutivas en la muestra investigada

Estilos parentais e desenvolvimento das funções executivas: estudo com crianças de 3 a 6 anos = Parenting styles and development of executive functions: study with 3-6-year-old children = Estilos parentales y desarrollo de funciones ejecutivas: estudio con niños de 3 y 6 años

Este estudo analisou a relação entre estilo parental dos responsáveis e funções executivas em pré-escolares, pois pesquisas prévias sugerem que características do ambiente familiar podem influenciar o desenvolvimento dessas funções. Participaram 30 crianças, de 3 a 6 anos, e seus responsáveis. Estes responderam o Inventário de Estilos Parentais e as crianças, Teste de Stroop Semântico, Teste de Atenção por Cancelamento e Teste de Trilhas para pré-escolares. Correlações de magnitude baixa a moderada evidenciaram, de modo geral, que quanto mais apropriado o estilo parental dos pais, melhor o controle de interferência dos filhos. Também observou-se que, quanto maior a inconsistência na punição, maior o tempo de reação da criança na parte incongruente do Teste de Stroop e mais ela é afetada pela incongruência, porém, conforme a parte B do Teste de Trilhas, maior a sua flexibilidade. Portanto observaram-se relações entre estilo parental e funções executivas na amostra avaliad

The Role of Lebanon in the COVID-19 Butterfly Effect: The B.1.398 Example

International audienceIn the present study, we provide a retrospective genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Lebanon; we newly sequence the viral genomes of 200 nasopharyngeal samples collected between July 2020 and February 2021 from patients in different regions of Lebanon and from travelers crossing the Lebanese–Syrian border, and we also analyze the Lebanese genomic dataset available at GISAID. Our results show that SARS-CoV-2 infections in Lebanon during this period were shaped by the turnovers of four dominant SARS-CoV-2 lineages, with B.1.398 being the first to thoroughly dominate. Lebanon acted as a dispersal center of B.1.398 to other countries, with intercontinental transmissions being more common than within-continent. Within the country, the district of Tripoli, which was the source of 43% of the total B.1.398 sequences in our study, was identified as being an important source of dispersal in the country. In conclusion, our findings exemplify the butterfly effect, by which a lineage that emerges in a small area can be spread around the world, and highlight the potential role of developing countries in the emergence of new variants

The Role of Lebanon in the COVID-19 Butterfly Effect: The B.1.398 Example

International audienceIn the present study, we provide a retrospective genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Lebanon; we newly sequence the viral genomes of 200 nasopharyngeal samples collected between July 2020 and February 2021 from patients in different regions of Lebanon and from travelers crossing the Lebanese–Syrian border, and we also analyze the Lebanese genomic dataset available at GISAID. Our results show that SARS-CoV-2 infections in Lebanon during this period were shaped by the turnovers of four dominant SARS-CoV-2 lineages, with B.1.398 being the first to thoroughly dominate. Lebanon acted as a dispersal center of B.1.398 to other countries, with intercontinental transmissions being more common than within-continent. Within the country, the district of Tripoli, which was the source of 43% of the total B.1.398 sequences in our study, was identified as being an important source of dispersal in the country. In conclusion, our findings exemplify the butterfly effect, by which a lineage that emerges in a small area can be spread around the world, and highlight the potential role of developing countries in the emergence of new variants

The Role of Lebanon in the COVID-19 Butterfly Effect: The B.1.398 Example

International audienceIn the present study, we provide a retrospective genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Lebanon; we newly sequence the viral genomes of 200 nasopharyngeal samples collected between July 2020 and February 2021 from patients in different regions of Lebanon and from travelers crossing the Lebanese–Syrian border, and we also analyze the Lebanese genomic dataset available at GISAID. Our results show that SARS-CoV-2 infections in Lebanon during this period were shaped by the turnovers of four dominant SARS-CoV-2 lineages, with B.1.398 being the first to thoroughly dominate. Lebanon acted as a dispersal center of B.1.398 to other countries, with intercontinental transmissions being more common than within-continent. Within the country, the district of Tripoli, which was the source of 43% of the total B.1.398 sequences in our study, was identified as being an important source of dispersal in the country. In conclusion, our findings exemplify the butterfly effect, by which a lineage that emerges in a small area can be spread around the world, and highlight the potential role of developing countries in the emergence of new variants

The Role of Lebanon in the COVID-19 Butterfly Effect: The B.1.398 Example

International audienceIn the present study, we provide a retrospective genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Lebanon; we newly sequence the viral genomes of 200 nasopharyngeal samples collected between July 2020 and February 2021 from patients in different regions of Lebanon and from travelers crossing the Lebanese–Syrian border, and we also analyze the Lebanese genomic dataset available at GISAID. Our results show that SARS-CoV-2 infections in Lebanon during this period were shaped by the turnovers of four dominant SARS-CoV-2 lineages, with B.1.398 being the first to thoroughly dominate. Lebanon acted as a dispersal center of B.1.398 to other countries, with intercontinental transmissions being more common than within-continent. Within the country, the district of Tripoli, which was the source of 43% of the total B.1.398 sequences in our study, was identified as being an important source of dispersal in the country. In conclusion, our findings exemplify the butterfly effect, by which a lineage that emerges in a small area can be spread around the world, and highlight the potential role of developing countries in the emergence of new variants