Use and traditional management of Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil

The use and management of "angico" (Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan) by a rural community in northeastern Brazil was examined. By employing different techniques of data collection and population structure analysis, it was determined that this species had multiple uses within the local community (especially as timber and for other wood products), and that local management of this species is based on simple maintenance and harvesting of individuals in agroforest homegardens. The study of the population structure of this tree species indicated that management and conservation strategies must include the participation of the local community

ETNOBOTÂNICA DA SERRA DO JATOBÁ: USOS LOCAIS E CONSERVAÇÃO

Resumo - A Serra do Jatobá forma um monólito localizado a 10 Km da cidade de Serra Branca que se destaca da paisagem aplainada do entorno formando um inselbergue com vegetação claramente diferenciada da vegetação do entorno. Nesse trabalho foi estudado foram levantadas as espécies de plantas conhecidas, os usos locais atribuídos a essas espécies e as formas de obtenção. Para tanto, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas envolvendo os chefes de famílias (11 homens e 9 mulheres), com a aplicação de formulários que tiveram questões sobre dados socioeconômicos e etnobotânicos. As pessoas entrevistadas tiveram idades entre 31 e 70 anos, com forte predomínio na faixa etária dos 51 a 70 anos (65% dos entrevistados). A maior parte das entrevistas realizadas com pessoas do sexo masculino, o que está em desacordo com a maioria dos levantamentos etnobotânicos realizados no semiárido da Paraíba. A maior parte dos entrevistados apresentou ensino fundamental incompleto, o que é incompatível com os níveis de desenvolvimento humano (IDH) atual do município, mas compatível com os IDHs da década de 1990 e a idade atual dos entrevistados. Nas entrevisas foram citadas 80 espécies pertencentes a 63 gêneros e 38 famílias, sendo as famílias Fabaceae e Euphorbiaceae as mais citadas, com 17 e 11 espécies, respectivamente, o que compatível com outros levantamentos realizados no semiárido da Paraíba. As espécies mais referidas foram Myracrodruon urunduva e Commiphora leptophloeos, ambas citadas 83 vezes, Aspidosperma pyrifolium, e Croton sonderianus, com 70 e 68 citações, respectivamente. Entre as 11 categorias de uso citadas pela comunidade, a categoria medicinal foi a mais amplamente citada, seguida pela categoria forragem, tecnologia e construção. Essas categorias de uso são amplamente referidas em outros levantamentos da caatinga e outras regiões do estado.  Palavras – chave: Inselberg, Usos etnobotânicos, Uso sustentável, Especiação, Caating

Structure and Floristics of Home Gardens in an Altitudinal Marsh in Northeastern Brazil

Home gardens are a traditional land use practice, which is very common in the tropics. The main goal of the home garden is to produce food for subsistence purposes. Therefore, they have been considered very important from an economic, cultural and ecological point of view. Despite their importance, there has been a lack in research of these environments in Northeastern Brazil. This research was carried out in a rural community belonging to Areia City (Paraíba, Brazil), and aimed to study the floristic diversity of home gardens and their contribution in the conservation of the local diversity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, also using the technique of guided tours with the home garden maintainer. At the same time, the yards were measured, as well as all shrubby arboreal individuals present with DGL (diameter at ground level) ≥ 3 cm. A total of 19 yards were analyzed. 177 species were recorded, of which 155 were identified, representing 63 families and 131 genera. Fabaceae (16 spp.), Euphorbiaceae (10 spp.) and Myrtaceae (7 spp.) were the most represented plant families. 94 of the identified species are considered exotic and 83 are native, considering the origin at regional level. Structurally, the home gardens from Vaca Brava community have shown themselves as complex and rich in diversity, as a result of the association of crops and fruit, as well as the presence of native woody plants for which no uses were reported

Schistosoma mansoni Venom Allergen Like Proteins Present Differential Allergic Responses in a Murine Model of Airway Inflammation

The Schistosoma mansoni Venom Allergen Like proteins (SmVALs) have been identified in the Transcriptome and Post-Genomic studies as targets for immune interventions. Two secreted members of the family were obtained as recombinant proteins in the native conformation. Antibodies produced against them showed that SmVAL4 was present mostly in cercarial secretions and SmVAL26 in egg secretions and that only the native SmVAL4 contained carbohydrate moieties. Due to concerns with potential allergic characteristics of this class of molecules, we have explored the mouse model of airway inflammation in order to investigate these properties in a more confined system. Sensitization and challenge with rSmVAL4, but not rSmVAL26, induced extensive migration of cells to the lungs, mostly eosinophils and macrophages; moreover, immunological parameters were also characteristic of an allergic inflammatory response. Our results showed that the allergic potential of this class of proteins can be variable and that the vaccine candidates should be characterized; the mouse model of airway inflammation can be useful to evaluate these properties

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK.

BACKGROUND: A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials. METHODS: This analysis includes data from four ongoing blinded, randomised, controlled trials done across the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned (1:1) to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or control (meningococcal group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccine or saline). Participants in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group received two doses containing 5 × 1010 viral particles (standard dose; SD/SD cohort); a subset in the UK trial received a half dose as their first dose (low dose) and a standard dose as their second dose (LD/SD cohort). The primary efficacy analysis included symptomatic COVID-19 in seronegative participants with a nucleic acid amplification test-positive swab more than 14 days after a second dose of vaccine. Participants were analysed according to treatment received, with data cutoff on Nov 4, 2020. Vaccine efficacy was calculated as 1 - relative risk derived from a robust Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Studies are registered at ISRCTN89951424 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04324606, NCT04400838, and NCT04444674. FINDINGS: Between April 23 and Nov 4, 2020, 23 848 participants were enrolled and 11 636 participants (7548 in the UK, 4088 in Brazil) were included in the interim primary efficacy analysis. In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62·1% (95% CI 41·0-75·7; 27 [0·6%] of 4440 in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group vs71 [1·6%] of 4455 in the control group) and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90·0% (67·4-97·0; three [0·2%] of 1367 vs 30 [2·2%] of 1374; pinteraction=0·010). Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70·4% (95·8% CI 54·8-80·6; 30 [0·5%] of 5807 vs 101 [1·7%] of 5829). From 21 days after the first dose, there were ten cases hospitalised for COVID-19, all in the control arm; two were classified as severe COVID-19, including one death. There were 74 341 person-months of safety follow-up (median 3·4 months, IQR 1·3-4·8): 175 severe adverse events occurred in 168 participants, 84 events in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and 91 in the control group. Three events were classified as possibly related to a vaccine: one in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group, one in the control group, and one in a participant who remains masked to group allocation. INTERPRETATION: ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has an acceptable safety profile and has been found to be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 in this interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials. FUNDING: UK Research and Innovation, National Institutes for Health Research (NIHR), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lemann Foundation, Rede D'Or, Brava and Telles Foundation, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Thames Valley and South Midland's NIHR Clinical Research Network, and AstraZeneca

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK

Background A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials. Methods This analysis includes data from four ongoing blinded, randomised, controlled trials done across the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned (1:1) to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or control (meningococcal group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccine or saline). Participants in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group received two doses containing 5 × 1010 viral particles (standard dose; SD/SD cohort); a subset in the UK trial received a half dose as their first dose (low dose) and a standard dose as their second dose (LD/SD cohort). The primary efficacy analysis included symptomatic COVID-19 in seronegative participants with a nucleic acid amplification test-positive swab more than 14 days after a second dose of vaccine. Participants were analysed according to treatment received, with data cutoff on Nov 4, 2020. Vaccine efficacy was calculated as 1 - relative risk derived from a robust Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Studies are registered at ISRCTN89951424 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04324606, NCT04400838, and NCT04444674. Findings Between April 23 and Nov 4, 2020, 23 848 participants were enrolled and 11 636 participants (7548 in the UK, 4088 in Brazil) were included in the interim primary efficacy analysis. In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62·1% (95% CI 41·0–75·7; 27 [0·6%] of 4440 in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group vs71 [1·6%] of 4455 in the control group) and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90·0% (67·4–97·0; three [0·2%] of 1367 vs 30 [2·2%] of 1374; pinteraction=0·010). Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70·4% (95·8% CI 54·8–80·6; 30 [0·5%] of 5807 vs 101 [1·7%] of 5829). From 21 days after the first dose, there were ten cases hospitalised for COVID-19, all in the control arm; two were classified as severe COVID-19, including one death. There were 74 341 person-months of safety follow-up (median 3·4 months, IQR 1·3–4·8): 175 severe adverse events occurred in 168 participants, 84 events in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and 91 in the control group. Three events were classified as possibly related to a vaccine: one in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group, one in the control group, and one in a participant who remains masked to group allocation. Interpretation ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has an acceptable safety profile and has been found to be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 in this interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials

Tolerância de cultivares de algodão, Gossypium hirsutum, à salinidade da água de irrigação

The cotton crop, although tolerant to salinity, may suffer substantial reductions in growth and yield when subjected to high salt stress. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the tolerance of cotton cultivars to salinity of irrigation water at different salinities of irrigation water. The study was conducted in a greenhouse at the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid, located in the city of Natal, RN. The experimental design was completely randomized, with 12 treatments, corresponding to two cotton cultivars (BRS BRS Topaz and Green) and 6 levels of salinity of irrigation water (EC w), 0.5, 1.5, 3.0 , 4.5, 6.0, 7.5 dS m-1) in 5 replicates. The variables taken were: plant height, root size, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf area and number of flower buds at 45 days after sowing, and at 116 days after sowing, was evaluated on fresh mass of leaves , leaf dry weight, root dry mass, dry mass of the stem, boll weight with seed, boll weight, seed weight and dry weight of the buds. The cotton cultivars BRS BRS Green and Topaz were tolerant to salinity of irrigation water, with no variation between them.A cultura do algodoeiro, apesar de tolerante à salinidade, pode sofrer reduções substanciais no crescimento e produção, quando submetida a elevado estresse salino. Deste modo, objetivou-se avaliar a tolerância de cultivares de algodão à salinidade da água de irrigação em diferentes salinidades da água de irrigação. O estudo foi realizado em ambiente protegido na Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, situado no município de Mossoró, RN. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente ao acaso, com 12 tratamentos, correspondente a duas cultivares de algodão (BRS Verde e BRS Topázio) e 6 níveis de salinidade da água de irrigação (CEa) ;0,5; 1,5; 3,0; 4,5; 6,0; 7,5 dS m-1 ) em 5 repetições. As variáveis tomadas foram: altura da planta, tamanho da raiz, diâmetro do caule, número de folhas, área foliar e número de botões florais aos 45 dias após o semeio; e aos 116 dias após o semeio, foi avaliada a massa fresca das folhas, massa seca das folhas, massa seca da raiz, massa seca do caule, peso do capulho com caroço, peso do capulho, peso da semente e massa seca dos botões florais. As cultivares de algodão BRS Verde e BRS Topázio mostraram-se tolerantes à salinidade da água de irrigação, não havendo variação entre elas

Ivermectin: an award-winning drug with expected antiviral activity against COVID-19

Ivermectin is an FDA-approved broad-spectrum antiparasitic agent with demonstrated antiviral activity against a number of DNA and RNA viruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Despite this promise, the antiviral activity of ivermectin has not been consistently proven in vivo. While ivermectin's activity against SARS-CoV-2 is currently under investigation in patients, insufficient emphasis has been placed on formulation challenges. Here, we discuss challenges surrounding the use of ivermectin in the context of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and how novel formulations employing micro- and nanotechnologies may address these concerns