Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Viability of probiotic Lactobacillus casei in yoghurt: defining the best processing step to its addition

Probiotics are live microorganisms capable of producing beneficial effects on its host when consumed in adequate amounts. To exert these effects, foods must contain probiotic microorganisms in populations above 106 CFU / g or mL throughout its shelf life. One of the strategies to ensure high population of probiotics in fermented milk is to add them during or after the fermentation process separately from the starter cultures. The objective of this study was to investigate the behavior of the probiotic microorganism Lactobacillus casei added to yoghurt in different stages of production. Yoghurts with L. casei were produced at different stages: before addition of starter (Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus), added together with this culture and at the end of fermentation. Yoghurt without probiotic added was produced as a control. The products were stored at 4 °C and analyzed after 1, 7, 14 and 21 days of storage. In these periods, the populations of probiotic and starter cultures were enumerated and the parameters pH and acidity were analyzed. The results were evaluated using analysis of variance and Tukey's test, both at 5% significance level. L. casei remained viable in populations of more than 108 CFU / g during 21 days of storage, which is suitable to define the formulations as probiotics. When the different stages of the addition of probiotics in yoghurts were evaluated there was no statistical difference between the formulations (p<0.05) for populations of L. casei except for the first day of storage.Probióticos são microrganismos capazes de produzir efeitos benéficos sobre seu hospedeiro, quando consumidos vivos e em quantidades adequadas. Para que exerçam esses efeitos, os alimentos probióticos devem conter tais microrganismos em populações acima de 106 UFC/g ou mL, durante toda sua validade. Uma das estratégias para garantir a alta população dos probióticos em leites fermentados é adicioná-los durante ou após o processo de fermentação separadamente das culturas starter. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar o comportamento do microrganismo probiótico Lactobacillus casei adicionado em iogurte natural, em diferentes etapas do processo de produção. Foram produzidos iogurtes com adição de L. casei em diferentes etapas: antes da suplementação com o starter (Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus e Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus), juntamente com essa cultura e após o término da fermentação. Além disso, um iogurte controle (sem probiótico) foi produzido. Os produtos foram estocados a 4°C e analisados após 1, 7, 14 e 21 dias de armazenamento. Nesses períodos, foram enumeradas as populações das culturas probiótica e starter e avaliados os parâmetros físico-químicos (pH e acidez). Os resultados obtidos foram avaliados através de análise de variância e teste de Tukey, ambos ao nível de 5% de significância.L. casei mantevese viável e em populações superiores a 108 UFC/g durante os 21 dias de armazenamento, suficientes para que as formulações fossem definidas como probióticas. Quando as diferentes etapas de adição do probiótico aos iogurtes foram avaliadas, com exceção do 1º dia, não houve diferença estatística entre as formulações (p<0,05) para as populações de L. casei

Amamentação parcelada em função da ordem de parto de porcas

O objetivo foi avaliar os efeitos da amamentação parcelada nas primeiras seis horas após o nascimento, sobre o peso ao desmame, aos 60 dias de idade e a dosagem de imunoglobulinas G séricas em leitões de porcas de diversas ordens de parto. Trinta e três fêmeas suínas foram usadas em delineamento inteiramente casualizado e em esquema fatorial 2 × 3, composto de dois manejos de leitões pós-nascimento e três agrupamentos por ordem de parto. No manejo tradicional, os leitões disputavam as tetas e mamavam aleatoriamente, enquanto no manejo com alimentação parcelada foram distribuídos em dois grupos para mamar. A coleta de sangue dos leitões foi realizada seis horas após o término do parto para titulação de IgG. Aos 21 e 60 dias de idade, os leitões foram pesados. O manejo de alimentação parcelada não afetou o peso nem a dosagem de IgG sérica dos leitões, independentemente da ordem de parição das porcas, no entanto os leitões das porcas primíparas apresentaram menor peso ao desmame. O manejo de alimentação parcelada resultou em aumento da concentração de IgG sérica dos leitões de porcas primíparas. A amamentação parcelada deve ser utilizada em primíparas, mas não necessariamente em porcas de segunda parição em diante, pois os leitões de primíparas submetidos ao manejo de alimentação parcelada apresentam maiores concentrações de IgG sérica

Sociodemographic and clinical factors for microcephaly secondary to teratogenic infections in Brazil: an ecological study

Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências da Saúde. Unidade de Pesquisa Clínica e Experimental do Sistema Urogenital. Belém, PA, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências da Saúde. Unidade de Pesquisa Clínica e Experimental do Sistema Urogenital. Belém, PA, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências da Saúde. Unidade de Pesquisa Clínica e Experimental do Sistema Urogenital. Belém, PA, Brazil.Universidade do Estado do Pará. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais. Belém, PA, Brazil.Faculdade de Medicina. São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências da Saúde. Unidade de Pesquisa Clínica e Experimental do Sistema Urogenital. Belém, PA, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências da Saúde. Unidade de Pesquisa Clínica e Experimental do Sistema Urogenital. Belém, PA, Brazil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde e Ambiente. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Faculdade de Medicina Ceres. São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências da Saúde. Unidade de Pesquisa Clínica e Experimental do Sistema Urogenital. Belém, PA, Brazil.Microcephaly is a neurological condition characterized by anomalies in the growth of the cranial circumference. This study aims to examine the association between sociodemographic and clinical variables and the occurrence of secondary microcephaly in newborns in Brazil. It also aims to investigate the association between this congenital anomaly and teratogenic infections. This research adopts an observational approach with an ecological, descriptive, and analytical design. The sample includes infants aged ≤28 days and registered in the country’s Live Births Information System from January 2015 to December 2021. Newborns were categorized into G1, consisting of newborns with one of the three infections (Zika, toxoplasmosis, or syphilis), and G2, consisting of newborns with two of the three infections. A total of 1513 samples were analyzed and divided into two groups: one infection (syphilis n = 423; toxoplasmosis n = 295; or Zika n = 739) and two infections (n = 56). The northeastern region of Brazil has the highest prevalence of microcephaly. Regarding the population profile, the Zika virus infection is more common among white mothers, while the syphilis infection is more common among black mothers. Among newborns with microcephaly, boys have a lower prevalence of toxoplasmosis infection, while girls have a lower prevalence of Zika virus infection. This study provides pertinent information on each infection and contributes to the epidemiologic understanding of the association between teratogenic infections and microcephaly

Sociodemographic and Clinical Factors for Microcephaly Secondary to Teratogenic Infections in Brazil: An Ecological Study

Microcephaly is a neurological condition characterized by anomalies in the growth of the cranial circumference. This study aims to examine the association between sociodemographic and clinical variables and the occurrence of secondary microcephaly in newborns in Brazil. It also aims to investigate the association between this congenital anomaly and teratogenic infections. This research adopts an observational approach with an ecological, descriptive, and analytical design. The sample includes infants aged ≤28 days and registered in the country’s Live Births Information System from January 2015 to December 2021. Newborns were categorized into G1, consisting of newborns with one of the three infections (Zika, toxoplasmosis, or syphilis), and G2, consisting of newborns with two of the three infections. A total of 1513 samples were analyzed and divided into two groups: one infection (syphilis n = 423; toxoplasmosis n = 295; or Zika n = 739) and two infections (n = 56). The northeastern region of Brazil has the highest prevalence of microcephaly. Regarding the population profile, the Zika virus infection is more common among white mothers, while the syphilis infection is more common among black mothers. Among newborns with microcephaly, boys have a lower prevalence of toxoplasmosis infection, while girls have a lower prevalence of Zika virus infection. This study provides pertinent information on each infection and contributes to the epidemiologic understanding of the association between teratogenic infections and microcephaly

Impact of Early Pandemic SARS-CoV-2 Lineages Replacement with the Variant of Concern P.1 (Gamma) in Western Bahia, Brazil

Background: The correct understanding of the epidemiological dynamics of COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2, is essential for formulating public policies of disease containment. Methods: In this study, we constructed a picture of the epidemiological dynamics of COVID-19 in a Brazilian population of almost 17000 patients in 15 months. We specifically studied the fluctuations of COVID-19 cases and deaths due to COVID-19 over time according to host gender, age, viral load, and genetic variants. Results: As the main results, we observed that the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths due to COVID-19 fluctuated over time and that men were the most affected by deaths, as well as those of 60 or more years old. We also observed that individuals between 30- and 44-years old were the most affected by COVID-19 cases. In addition, the viral loads in the patients’ nasopharynx were higher in the early symptomatic period. We found that early pandemic SARS-CoV-2 lineages were replaced by the variant of concern (VOC) P.1 (Gamma) in the second half of the study period, which led to a significant increase in the number of deaths. Conclusions: The results presented in this study are helpful for future formulations of efficient public policies of COVID-19 containment