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

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

Clinical, histological, immunohistochemical and lysosomal function study in inclusion body myositis

A miosite por corpos de inclusão (inclusion body myositis - IBM), na sua forma esporádica, é considerada a miopatia adquirida mais comum após os 50 anos de idade. Embora seja incluída no grupo das miopatias inflamatórias, estudos recentes mostram um processo particular de degeneração muscular caracterizado por deposição anormal de agregados de proteínas nas fibras musculares e funcionamento anormal dos principais sistemas de degradação proteica. O objetivo deste estudo foi o de avaliar os aspectos clínicos, histológicos e imunoistoquímicos de pacientes com IBM. Avaliamos 18 casos com diagnóstico de IBM de dois dos principais centros de doenças neuromusculares do Brasil (25 biópsias musculares). Na tentativa de diferenciar os casos de IBM das outras miopatias inflamatórias, determinamos o padrão de expressão tecidual da p-tau (p62), alfa-sinucleína e TDP-43. Também foi avaliada a função lisossomal através da reação da fosfatase ácida (marcação da atividade lisossomal global) e determinação da marcação para LC3B (marcador de autofagia). Foi observado que a IBM predominou no sexo masculino (61% dos casos), da cor branca, com início das manifestações clínicas ao redor dos 59 anos de idade e os sintomas mais frequentes foram fraqueza muscular, instabilidade postural com quedas da própria altura, disfagia e perda ponderal, podendo ainda apresentar dispneia. O diagnóstico demorou em média 7,4 anos após o início dos sintomas e frequentemente esteve associada às seguintes comorbidades: hipertensão arterial sistêmica, diabetes mellitus tipo 2, osteopenia / osteoporose, dislipidemia e hiperuricemia / gota. O padrão de comprometimento muscular na IBM foi caracterizado por tetraparesia de predomínio proximal em membros inferiores e distal em membros superiores. Os valores séricos da creatinofosfoquinase em pelo menos uma das medições foram elevados em todos os pacientes, porém sem ultrapassar 10 vezes o limite superior da normalidade. O uso de imunossupressão não se mostrou eficaz nos pacientes com IBM. Os achados histológicos na IBM incluíram alterações distróficas variáveis com a presença de inflamação endomisial, assim como a ocorrência de vacúolos marginados, além da elevada frequência de alterações mitocondriais. Outros achados histológicos musculares característicos na IBM foram o aumento da atividade lisossomal (aumento global da marcação para fosfatase ácida), a presença de marcação positiva para beta-amilóide (marcação intra-vacuolar pelo vermelho-Congo), o aumento na degradação muscular (relacionada com ativação de LC3B, p-tau, e p62/SQSTM1) e a degeneração muscular (marcação para anti-phospo TDP-43 e para ?-sinucleína). Tais alterações apresentaram alta sensibilidade e especificidade. Sugerimos que a redução do critério de idade do início dos sintomas de mais de 45 anos para mais de 35 anos aumentaria a sensibilidade diagnóstica para os casos com IBM deste estudo de 83% para 100%. Com este estudo, foi possível caracterizar clínica e histológicamente pacientes com IBM em nosso meio, e fornecer indícios do benefício do uso de marcadores de degeneração e autofagia para o diagnóstico e para a determinação de vias ou sistemas celulares envolvidos na patogênese da doençaSporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is considered the most common acquired myopathy affecting adults aged over 50 years. Although included in the group of inflammatory myopathies, recent studies show a particular process of muscle degeneration characterized by abnormal deposit of protein aggregates in muscle fibers and abnormal operation of the main protein degradation systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical, histological and immunohistochemical patients with IBM. We evaluated 18 cases with IBM diagnostic of two of the main centers of neuromuscular diseases in Brazil (25 muscle biopsies). In an attempt to differentiate the IBM cases of other inflammatory myopathies, we determined the pattern of tissue expression of p-tau (p62), alfa-synuclein and TDP-43. Also evaluated the lysosomal function by acid phosphatase reaction (marking global lysosomal activity) and determining the markup for LC3B (autophagy marker). It was observed that IBM was predominant in males (61% of cases), white colored, with onset of clinical manifestations around 59 years old and the most common symptoms are muscle weakness, postural instability with high falls, dysphagia and weight loss, and may also present dyspnea. The diagnosis took an average of 7.4 years after the onset of symptoms and was often associated with the following comorbidities: hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, osteopenia / osteoporosis, dyslipidemia and hyperuricemia / gout. The muscular damage pattern at IBM was characterized by tetraparesis predominantly proximal lower limbs and distal upper limbs. Serum creatine kinase levels in at least one of the measurements were elevated in all patients, but not exceeding 10 times normal. Immunosuppression was not effective in patients with IBM. The IBM histological findings included diversify dystrophic changes, endomysial inflammation, as well as the occurrence of rimmed vacuoles, in addition to high frequency of mitochondrial changes. Other characteristic muscle histological findings in IBM were increased lysosomal activity (overall increase in labeling for acid phosphatase), the presence of positive staining for beta-amyloid (intra-vacuolar by Congo red marking), increased muscle degradation (related to activation of LC3B, p-tau and p62 / SQSTM1) and muscle degeneration (marking for anti-phospo TDP-43 and ?-synuclein). Such changes have a high sensitivity and specificity. which makes these important complementary analyzes for accurate pathological diagnosis. We suggest that lowering the age of the onset of symptoms of greater than 45 years to older than 35 years would increase the diagnostic sensitivity for cases with IBM this study from 83% to 100%. With this study, it was possible to characterize clinically and histologically the patients with IBM in our centers, and provide evidence of the benefit of using degeneration and autophagy markers for diagnosis and for determining pathways or cellular systems involved in the pathogenesis of the diseas

Clinical, Histological, and Immunohistochemical Findings in Inclusion Body Myositis

Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is considered the most common acquired myopathy aged over 50 years. The disease is characterized by a particular process of muscle degeneration characterized by abnormal deposit of protein aggregates in association with inflammation. The aim of this study was to present clinical and muscle histopathological findings, including immunostaining for LC3B, p62, α-synuclein, and TDP-43, in 18 patients with sIBM. The disease predominated in males (61%) and European descendants, with onset of clinical manifestations around 59 years old. The most common symptoms were muscle weakness, falls, dysphagia, and weight loss. Hypertension was the main comorbidity. Most of the cases presented with paresis predominantly proximal in lower limbs and distal in upper limbs. Immunosuppressive treatment showed to be not effective. Muscle histological findings included dystrophic changes, endomysial inflammation, increased lysosomal activity, and presence of rimmed vacuoles and of beta-amyloid accumulation, in addition to high frequency of mitochondrial changes. There was increased expression of LC3B, p62, α-synuclein, and TDP-43 in muscle biopsies. The sIBM has characteristic clinical and histological findings, and the use of degeneration and autophagic markers can be useful for the diagnosis

Rare variants in SQSTM1 and VCP genes and risk of sporadic inclusion body myositis

Genetic factors have been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM). Sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) and valosin-containing protein (VCP) are 2 key genes associated with several neurodegenerative disorders but have yet to be thoroughly investigated in sIBM. A candidate gene analysis was conducted using whole-exome sequencing data from 181 sIBM patients, and whole-transcriptome expression analysis was performed in patients with genetic variants of interest. We identified 6 rare missense variants in the SQSTM1 and VCP in 7 sIBM patients (4.0%). Two variants, the SQSTM1 p.G194R and the VCP p.R159C, were significantly overrepresented in this sIBM cohort compared with controls. Five of these variants had been previously reported in patients with degenerative diseases. The messenger RNA levels of major histocompatibility complex genes were upregulated, this elevation being more pronounced in SQSTM1 patient group. We report for the first time potentially pathogenic SQSTM1 variants and expand the spectrum of VCP variants in sIBM. These data suggest that defects in neurodegenerative pathways may confer genetic susceptibility to sIBM and reinforce the mechanistic overlap in these neurodegenerative disorders

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