Pericelis cata Marcus and Marcus, 1968 (Platyhelminthes: Polycladida): first record from northeast of Brazil

The polyclad Pericelis cata has been reported in two distinct localities along the North Atlantic: Curaçao and the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Recently identified from the Southwestern Atlantic, the species was first described from the Cabo Frio region (23°S) (Rio de Janeiro State), a transitional zone between warm and cold water species located southeastern Brazil. The second location is in the northeastern coast in warm waters, in the entrance of the Todos-os-Santos Bay, a geographic area within the Brazilian Biotic Province, an important center of marine biodiversity of the Tropical Atlantic

Anatomia comparada do sistema nervoso de quatro espécies do gênero Okenia (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) e a descoberta de um novo par de gânglios

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) - Proc. 2013/08425-

Revalidação de Okenia polycerelloides (Mollusca: Nudibranchia): uma espécie criptogênica no Brasil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) - Proc. #2013/08425-

Anatomia de Okenia zoobotryon (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) procedente de São Sebastião, SP, Brasil

CAPESFAPESP, proc. #2013/08425-0FAPESP, proc. #2010/11253-

First record of Flabellina dana Millen and Hamann, 2006 (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) in the South Atlantic Ocean

The nudibranch Flabellina dana Millen and Hamann, 2006 is reported from two localities in the northeastern Brazilian coast. These are the first records of this species, previously recorded from localities in the Bahamas and the Caribbean Sea, in South Atlantic Ocean, extending its known geographic distribution more than 3500 km southward

A comprehensive systematic review of leishmaniasis in patients undergoing drug-induced immunosuppression for the treatment of dermatological, rheumatological and gastroenterological diseases

Immunosuppression is an important risk factor for leishmaniasis. We assessed the clinical profile, geographic distribution and prevalence of leishmaniasis in patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy for dermatological, rheumatological or gastroenterological autoimmune diseases. We identified relevant studies in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science and LILACS on July 3rd, 2018. We included articles that reported at least one case of leishmaniasis in patients undergoing immunosuppressive treatment for dermatological, rheumatological or gastroenterological diseases. Our protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42018103050). We assessed the quality of the included studies with the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool. After the removal of duplicates, 5,431 articles were collected and screened. We included 138 articles; the prevalence of leishmaniasis in six methodologically similar studies varied from three to 1,282 cases per 100,000 patients using anti-TNFα drugs, but the results were significantly heterogeneous . Leishmaniasis in patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs is a health problem mostly reported in European countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea; sporadic activities, such as travelling, seem not to be associated with a significant risk of leishmaniasis, although effective control measures must always be observed

Sex difference and intra-operative tidal volume: Insights from the LAS VEGAS study

BACKGROUND: One key element of lung-protective ventilation is the use of a low tidal volume (VT). A sex difference in use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) has been described in critically ill ICU patients.OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether a sex difference in use of LTVV also exists in operating room patients, and if present what factors drive this difference.DESIGN, PATIENTS AND SETTING: This is a posthoc analysis of LAS VEGAS, a 1-week worldwide observational study in adults requiring intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals in 29 countries.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women and men were compared with respect to use of LTVV, defined as VT of 8 ml kg-1 or less predicted bodyweight (PBW). A VT was deemed 'default' if the set VT was a round number. A mediation analysis assessed which factors may explain the sex difference in use of LTVV during intra-operative ventilation.RESULTS: This analysis includes 9864 patients, of whom 5425 (55%) were women. A default VT was often set, both in women and men; mode VT was 500 ml. Median [IQR] VT was higher in women than in men (8.6 [7.7 to 9.6] vs. 7.6 [6.8 to 8.4] ml kg-1 PBW, P < 0.001). Compared with men, women were twice as likely not to receive LTVV [68.8 vs. 36.0%; relative risk ratio 2.1 (95% CI 1.9 to 2.1), P < 0.001]. In the mediation analysis, patients' height and actual body weight (ABW) explained 81 and 18% of the sex difference in use of LTVV, respectively; it was not explained by the use of a default VT.CONCLUSION: In this worldwide cohort of patients receiving intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery, women received a higher VT than men during intra-operative ventilation. The risk for a female not to receive LTVV during surgery was double that of males. Height and ABW were the two mediators of the sex difference in use of LTVV.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01601223

The issues around Okenia zoobotryon Smallwood, 1910 (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia): redescriptions of similar species based on anatomy and morphology

O gênero Okenia possui cerca de 50 espécies distribuídas ao redor do mundo, o qual claramente necessita de uma profunda revisão taxonômica. No Brasil, até então, são reportadas apenas três espécies: Okenia impexa, O. evelinae -- ambas com localidade-tipo em São Paulo -- e O. zoobotryon que foi originalmente descrita para Bermudas. Entretanto os registros de O. zoobotryon em águas brasileiras são ainda questionáveis. Esta espécie tem sido considerada durante muitos anos uma das mais problemáticas dentro do gênero, com outras como O. evelinae e O. polycerelloides já tendo sido propostas como sinônimas de O. zoobotryon e revalidadas por diferentes autores. Adicionalmente, O. zoobotryon tem sido reportada em diferentes partes do mundo, supostamente apresentando uma distribuição praticamente cosmopolita. Nesse contexto, este estudo apresenta uma análise morfológica e molecular de espécimes previamente identificados como O. zoobotryon procedentes de Bermudas, Austrália e Brasil. Além disso, exemplares de O. evelinae também foram analisados, com o intuito de esclarecer a possível sinonímia entre estas espécies. A análise morfológica revelou que os exemplares da Austrália são de fato uma espécie diferente, recentemente descrita como Okenia harastii, enquanto os espécimes do Brasil pertencem à espécie O. polycerelloides, que é claramente diferente de O. zoobotryon proveniente das Bermudas. Os principais caracteres anatômicos que corroboram a distinção entre as espécies aqui estudadas estão presentes na rádula e nos sistemas reprodutor e nervoso. A coloração é muito diferente entre O. evelinae e O. zoobotryon, porém a morfologia não as separou claramente, o que foi conseguido através de estudos moleculares preliminares. Dessa forma, ao contrário do que se pensava, O. zoobotryon parece estar restrita ao Oceano Atlântico NorteThe genus Okenia has about 50 species distributed around the world, which clearly need a deep taxonomic revision. In Brazil only three species are reported: Okenia impexa, O. evelinae -- both with type locality in São Paulo, Brazil -- and O. zoobotryon. Originally described from Bermuda, the records of the latter on the Brazilian waters are still questionable. In fact this species has been one of the most problematic in the genus. Okenia evelinae and O. polycerelloides have already been considered as synonyms of O. zoobotryon and were revalidated by different authors. Additionally, O. zoobotryon has been reported in different parts of the world, with a supposed cosmopolitan distribution. Thus, this study presents a morphological and molecular analysis of specimens previously identified as O. zoobotryon from Bermuda, Australia, and Brazil. We also studied specimens of O. evelinae in order to clarify the possible synonymy of these species. The morphological analysis revealed that the specimens from Australia are indeed a different species, recently described as Okenia harastii, while the ones from Brazil belong to Okenia polycerelloides, which is clearly distinct from O. zoobotryon. The distinctive anatomical characteristics that justify the separation among the species studied here are present in the radula, and reproductive and nervous systems. The color is very different between O. evelinae and O. zoobotryon, but the morphology did not clearly separate these two taxa. However, preliminary molecular data reveal that they are two distinct species. Thus, contrary to what was thought O. zoobotryon seems to be restricted to the North Atlantic Ocean

Sexual selection in simultaneous hermaphrodites: sea slugs as model organisms

A seleção sexual atua significativamente na diversificação de atributos reprodutivos. Muitos hermafroditas possuem órgãos para armazenamento e digestão de espermatozoides, os quais estão potencialmente envolvidos em mecanismos pós-copulatórios de seleção sexual, como competição espermática e escolha críptica da \"fêmea\". Tais processos geralmente ocorrem no interior do sistema reprodutor feminino, portanto, o conhecimento sobre sua morfologia funcional é de extrema importância para compreensão de mecanismos pós-copulatórios. Lesmas marinhas são predominantemente hermafroditas e possuem sistema reprodutor complexo, incluindo órgãos para armazenamento e digestão de esperma. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar o comportamento de cópula e a morfologia funcional dos órgãos que contêm esperma no sistema reprodutor feminino do nudibrânquio Okenia polycerelloides (Ortea & Bouchet 1983), bem como o comportamento de cópula do nudibrânquio Phydiana lynceus Bergh 1867. Para o estudo morfológico, foram empregadas técnicas de microscopia óptica, confocal e eletrônica. Manipulações experimentais e análises histológicas foram combinadas para investigar o destino dos espermatozoides dentro do sistema reprodutor após uma e duas cópulas subsequentes, e se a ausência de alimento influencia a ocorrência de digestão de espermatozoides. Os resultados sugerem função de recepção e armazenamento de espermatozoides para o receptáculo seminal, e de digestão de espermatozoides para a bursa copulatória. Cópulas múltiplas podem levar à estratificação de espermatozoides no receptáculo seminal. Embora a ausência de alimento aparente intensificar a digestão de esperma, ela não determinou sua ocorrência. A digestão de espermatozoides ocorreu continuamente, e pelo menos parte dos espermatozoides recebidos em cada cópula foi direcionada para a bursa copulatória, corroborando a hipótese prévia de digestão de espermatozoides supérfluos. Entretanto, todo o aloesperma recebido pode também ser digerido, sugerindo a possibilidade de escolha críptica. Redução gradual dos conteúdos da bursa copulatória associada ao aumento do tempo pós-cópula sugere reabsorção do material digerido. Interações de cópula em O. polycerelloides incluem contato mútuo utilizando a região oral, alinhamento corporal, intromissão do pênis e transferência de esperma. Porém, as interações podem ser interrompidas em qualquer um desses estágios, e mesmo intromissão do pênis não implica em inseminação. P. lynceus exibe cópula traumática, na qual parceiros consomem cerata um do outro durante a cópula, um fenômeno inédito dentre as complexas estratégias reprodutivas de hermafroditasSexual selection is pervasive and shapes reproductive traits. Many hermaphrodites have organs for sperm storage and digestion, which are potentially involved in post-copulatory sexual selection mechanisms such as sperm competition and cryptic \"female\" choice. In animals with internal fertilization, these processes occur within the female reproductive tract, thus the knowledge of its functional morphology is of utmost importance for understanding post-copulatory mechanisms of sexual selection. Most sea slugs are hermaphrodites and have a complex reproductive system, with organs for sperm storage and digestion. In this context, the present study aimed to investigate the mating behavior and the functional morphology of the sperm-containing chambers of the reproductive tract of the nudibranch Okenia polycerelloides (Ortea & Bouchet 1983), and the mating behavior of the nudibranch Phydiana lynceus Bergh 1867. First, we have applied different microscopy techniques (light, confocal and transmission electron microscopy) to study the sperm-containing chambers of O. polycerelloides. Then, we have combined experimental manipulations and histological analyses to investigate the fate of sperm within the female reproductive tract after one and two subsequent matings, and if starvation influences the occurrence of sperm digestion. Sperm was received and stored by the seminal receptacle, while the bursa copulatrix had a digestive function. Multiple mating events could lead to sperm stratification in the seminal receptacle. Although starvation seemed to intensify sperm digestion in the bursa copualtrix, it did not determine its occurrence. Sperm digestion occurred continuously, and at least some amount of sperm received during each mating event was directed to the bursa copulatrix to be digested, corroborating a previous hypothesis of surplus sperm digestion. However, all received sperm could also be directed to the bursa copulatrix, suggesting the possibility of cryptic female choice. Gradual reduction of the contents of the bursa copulatrix with increasing post-copulation times suggests resorption of the digested gametes. Mating interactions in O. polycerelloides initiated by mutual contact using the oral region, followed by body alignment, penis intromission, and sperm transfer. However, interactions could end at any of these stages, and even penis intromission did not guarantee insemination. Phidiana lynceus exhibited traumatic mating, in which partners consume cerata from one another before sperm exchange, clearly adding to the complexity of mating strategies in hermaphrodite