The world haunted by Covid-19

In this time of confinement due to COVID-19 pandemic some reflections have been made e it has never been as clear as people can benefit from science. From the simple gesture of washing your hands like many others used during the quarantine, they have been identified by previous studies. In this way, we reinforce the need to maintain investments in the science.In this time of confinement due to COVID-19 pandemic some reflections have been made e it has never been as clear as people can benefit from science. From the simple gesture of washing your hands like many others used during the quarantine, they have been identified by previous studies. In this way, we reinforce the need to maintain investments in the science.In this time of confinement due to COVID-19 pandemic some reflections have been made e it has never been as clear as people can benefit from science. From the simple gesture of washing your hands like many others used during the quarantine, they have been identified by previous studies. In this way, we reinforce the need to maintain investments in the science

Kryptochroma: a new genus of bark-dwelling crab spiders (Araneae, Thomisidae)

A recent phylogenetic analysis has shown that the genus Stephanopis comprises several different lineages of bark-dweller crab spiders. The ones with South American distribution that presenta close relationship with other Neotropical genera like Epicadus, Onocolus, Rejanellus and Epicadinus were recovered in a single clade, with good support and stability. Here, we present a taxonomic review of Stephanopis species attributed to the ?pentacantha clade?, proposing the new genus KryptochromaMachado gen. nov. to accommodate them. New distribution records are provided and the following species are described for the first time: Kryptochroma gigas Machado & Viecelli gen. et sp. nov., Kryptochromahilaris Machado & Teixeira gen. et sp. nov., Kryptochroma quadrata Machado & Viecelli sp. nov. and Kryptochroma septata Machado & Teixeira sp. nov. The species Stephanopis borgmeyeri is considered a nomen dubium, Stephanopis aheneus is a junior synonym of Epicadus tuberculatus, Stephanopisquimiliensis is transferred to Ulocymus and Stephanopis stelloides is transferred to Epicadus, being Epicadus stelloides the senior synonym of Stephanopis salobrensis, Stephanopis trilobata and Epicadus caudatus.Fil: Machado, Miguel. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Viecelli, Rafaela. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Guzati, Catherine. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Grismado, Cristian José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; ArgentinaFil: Teixeira, Renato A.. Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasi

Host plant response to the application of nematocidal phytochemicals

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is one of the world’s most common agricultural crop for human consumption and considered an excellent source of essential nutrients and vitamins. The productivity of this crop is threatened by several plant-parasitic nematodes, among which the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus penetrans is already considered to have a significant impact. Over the years, due to an increasing need of food resources and absence of knowledge, synthetic nematicides were extremely applied on crop fields. However, new policies, supported by the Sustainable Development Goals, impose serious limits to the application of such products. Volatile organic compounds naturally produced by plants have long been recognized for their nematicidal effectiveness. In previous work, the nematicidal activity of several standards of naturally occurring phytochemicals was in vitro assessed on P. penetrans. Only 4 compounds caused more than 99% nematode mortality, namely benzaldehyde, carvacrol, octanol and thymol. The aim of this work was to determine the most suitable approach to apply the selected compounds in soil in order to maintain their nematicidal effectiveness without compromising host health. Two consecutive trials were performed using potato seed plants (cv. Agria), namely: (i) to evaluate the effect of three solvent agents - 10% (v/v) dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), 5 mg/mL TRITON-X, and 1% (v/v) acetone - in plant growth; and (ii) to evaluate the best solvent agent spiked with 2 mg/mL of each selected compound. For both trials, a control treatment with water was considered. Pots were maintained in growth chamber conditions, routinely watered and fertilized. Plant growth related parameters were assessed at collection time. In the 1st trial, potato plants were unable to grow in the presence of 10% DMSO solution or the 5 mg/mL TRITON-X. The potato seeds could germinate only in the presence of 1% acetone. In the 2nd trial, potato seeds could germinate in the presence of the 4 compounds dissolved in 1% acetone. No statistical differences (p>0.05) were recorded between the control treatment and the different compound applications in terms of growth parameters observed. Ongoing research is now accessing the nematicidal activity of each of the four compounds in the presence of the potato plant

Provenance in bioinformatics workflows

In this work, we used the PROV-DM model to manage data provenance in workflows of genome projects. This provenance model allows the storage of details of one workflow execution, e.g., raw and produced data and computational tools, their versions and parameters. Using this model, biologists can access details of one particular execution of a workflow, compare results produced by different executions, and plan new experiments more efficiently. In addition to this, a provenance simulator was created, which facilitates the inclusion of provenance data of one genome project workflow execution. Finally, we discuss one case study, which aims to identify genes involved in specific metabolic pathways of Bacillus cereus, as well as to compare this isolate with other phylogenetic related bacteria from the Bacillus group. B. cereus is an extremophilic bacteria, collectemd in warm water in the Midwestern Region of Brazil, its DNA samples having been sequenced with an NGS machine

Myocardial revascularization surgery in a patient with Situs Inversus Totalis: A case report

Dextrocardia with situs inversus totalis is a rare congenital abnormality. Most coronary artery bypass grafting surgeries in patients with dextrocardia were performed with anastomosis, using the right internal thoracic artery to revascularize the left anterior descending. It should be noted that in the literature there are few reports of coronary artery bypass grafting surgery, in a patient with this abnormality, its anatomical complexity constitutes a challenge in planning the surgical technique and the grafts to be used. We present an unusual case of a patient with situs inversus totalis and coronary artery disease who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery making it a more technically complex procedure for surgeons, in addition to the difficulty in choosing grafts.La dextrocardia con situs inversus totalis es una anomalía congénita poco frecuente. La mayoría de las cirugías de injerto de derivación de arteria coronaria en pacientes con dextrocardia se realizaron con anastomosis, utilizando la arteria torácica interna derecha para revascularizar la descendente anterior izquierda. Cabe señalar que en la literatura existen pocos reportes de cirugía de injerto de bypass coronario, en un paciente con esta anomalía. Su complejidad anatómica constituye un desafío en la planificación de la técnica quirúrgica y los injertos a utilizar. Presentamos un caso inusual de un paciente con situs inversus totalis y enfermedad arterial coronaria que se sometió a una cirugía de revascularización coronaria, lo que lo convierte en un procedimiento técnicamente más complejo para los cirujanos, además de la dificultad para elegir los injertos