Effect of different Bacillus thuringiensis strains on the longevity of Africanized honey bee

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of three strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) on the longevity of workers of Africanized honey bee. Solutions at a concentration of 3 × 108 spores.mL-1 (dosage) were prepared for each strain of Bt (IPS 82, BR 81, and BR 147). Three bioassays were performed as follows: spraying on the bees, contact with the sprayed surface, and candy paste incorporated with Bt. The bees of the Bt bioassay were submitted to histological analysis of the mesenteron. The longevity of workers was assessed from one to 120 hours using different ranges. It was found that the bees that were exposed to the strain of Bt IPS 82, in the spraying test, exhibited a reduced longevity. In the contact test, the BR 147 strain reduced the longevity of the bees. In the food test, in turn, the three studied strains reduced the longevity of the bees as follows: Bt IPS 82: 64.5 hours; Bt BR 81: 64.5 hours; and Bt BR 147: 60.0 hours. The Bt BR 81 strain was considered the most selective of the evaluated strains on Apis mellifera, reducing the longevity of this bee only when it came into contact by the method of ingestion

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

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

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

Pathogenicity of Bacillus thuringiensis for Alphitobius diaperinus Panzer 1797 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in conditions laboratory and semi-field

Alphitobius diaperinus is the main pest of cut aviaries worldwide and its control is carried out, predominantly with synthetic chemical insecticides, which are harmful to birds and the environment, in addition to the low control efficiency, being the only available one. Biological control with Bacillus thuringiensis may be a viable, toxicological and ecotoxicologically safer alternative for the control of A. diaperinus. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the pathogenicity of B. thuringiensis strains on larvae and adults of A. diaperinus under laboratory and semi-field conditions and to determine the genetic profile of B. thuringiensis strains. In the in vitro evaluation, the strains Br 12, Br 58, Br 67, Br 80, Br 137 and Br 138 were used at 3x108 UFC / mL-1 (treatments), in two bioassays (larvae and adults). To do this, 10 mL of each treatment were mixed in 20g of chicken feed and partitioned into eight 12-well plates (replicates), with each well receiving a fourth-instar larvae. In the adult bioassay the replicates consisted of Petri dishes with 12 insects each, totaling 96 insects per treatment in each bioassay. The plates were conditioned in an air-conditioned room and the number of dead insects quantified over 10 days. For the semi-field bioassay, the same strains were used, except Br 80 and Br 138. A mixture of poultry litter and chicken ration was prepared in plastic boxes - experimental units (UE), which received 40 insects (20 instar larvae and 20 adults) each and then sprayed 3 ml of each treatment on the bed. The EU was allocated in an air-conditioned environment and the evaluation took place on the 7th and 10th days, quantifying the dead insects. The strains were submitted to PCR and subsequent run of Electrophoresis in agarose gel to determine the genetic profile. In the in vitro tests the Br 12, Br 58, Br 67 and Br 137 lines caused accumulated mortality for A. diaperinus larvae, 65.6%, 66.6%, 66.6% and 69.7%, respectively, differing significantly from the control (26.0%). In the evaluation over time the mortality caused by the strains was significant only in the period of 96-144 hours, Br 67 (32.2%) and Br 80 (30.2%), and in the period of 168-216 hours the lineage Br 137 (31.2%). In the adult bioassay of A. diaperinus, only the Br 58 strain caused significant accumulated mortality (35, 4%), which was not verified in the evaluations over time in any of the treatments. In the semi-field bioassay none of the tested strains caused significant mortality for larvae or adults of A. diaperinus. Regarding the genetic profile, coding genes for the Cry4 and Cry10 toxins were found, characterizing the strains as subspecies israelensis. The strains of B. thuringiensis subspecies israelensis are pathogenic to larvae of A. diaperinus under laboratory conditions. For the use of B. thuringiensis in the field, studies are needed to develop strategies of insertion in the management of the populations of this species.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Alphitobius diaperinus é a principal praga de aviários de corte em todo o mundo e o seu controle é realizado, predominantemente com inseticidas químicos sintéticos, os quais são prejudiciais às aves e ao ambiente, além da baixa eficiência de controle sendo, entretanto, a única disponível. O controle biológico com Bacillus thuringiensis pode ser uma alternativa viável, toxicológica e ecotoxicológicamente mais segura para o controle de A. diaperinus. Dessa forma, o objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a patogenicidade de linhagens de B. thuringiensis sobre larvas e adultos de A. diaperinus, em condições de laboratório e semi-campo e determinar o perfil genético destas. Na avaliação in vitro foram utilizadas as linhagens Br 12, Br 58, Br 67, Br 80, Br 137 e Br 138 à 3x108 UFC/mL-1 (tratamentos), em dois bioensaios (larvas e adultos). Para tal, foram misturados 10 mL de cada tratamento em 20g de ração de frango e particionados em oito placas (repetições) de 12 poços, sendo que cada poço recebeu uma larva de quarto ínstar. No bioensaio com adultos as repetições constaram de placas de Petri com 12 insetos cada, totalizando 96 insetos por tratamento em cada bioensaio. As placas foram acondicionas em câmara climatizada e o número de insetos mortos quantificado ao longo de 10 dias. Para o bioensaio de semi-campo foram utilizadas as mesmas linhagens, exceto a Br 80 e Br 138. Para tal, foi preparada uma mistura de cama de aviário e ração de frango em caixas plásticas - unidades experimentais (UE), que recebeu 40 insetos (20 larvas de quarto instar e 20 adultos) cada e, então pulverizados 3 mL de cada tratamento sobre a cama. As UE foram alocadas em ambiente climatizado e a avaliação ocorreu ao 7° e 10°, dias, quantificando-se os insetos mortos. As linhagens foram submetidas a PCR e posterior corrida de Eletroforese em gel de agarose para determinar o perfil genético. Nos testes in vitro as linhagens Br 12, Br 58, Br 67 e Br 137 causaram mortalidade acumulada para larvas de A. diaperinus, respectivamente de 65,6%, 66,6%, 66,6%, e 69,7%, diferindo significativamente da testemunha (26,0%). Na avaliação ao longo do tempo a mortalidade causada pelas linhagens foi significativa somente no período de 96-144 horas, Br 67 (32,2%) e Br 80 (30,2%), e no período de 168-216 horas a linhagem Br 137 (31,2%). No bioensaio com adultos de A. diaperinus, somente a linhagem Br 58 causou mortalidade acumulada significativa (35, 4%), o que não foi verificado nas avaliações ao longo do tempo em nenhum dos tratamentos. No bioensaio de semicampo nenhuma das linhagens testadas causou mortalidade significativa para larvas ou adultos de A. diaperinus. Com relação ao perfil genético foram encontrados genes codificadores para as toxinas Cry4 e Cry10, caracterizando as linhagens como subespécie israelensis. As linhagens de B. thuringiensis subespécie israelensis são patogênicas para larvas de A. diaperinus em condições de laboratório. Para a utilização de B. thuringiensis em campo, são necessários estudos visando desenvolver estratégias de inserção no manejo das populações desta espécie

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

Safety of hospital discharge before return of bowel function after elective colorectal surgery

Background: Ileus is common after colorectal surgery and is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications. Identifying features of normal bowel recovery and the appropriateness for hospital discharge is challenging. This study explored the safety of hospital discharge before the return of bowel function. Methods: A prospective, multicentre cohort study was undertaken across an international collaborative network. Adult patients undergoing elective colorectal resection between January and April 2018 were included. The main outcome of interest was readmission to hospital within 30 days of surgery. The impact of discharge timing according to the return of bowel function was explored using multivariable regression analysis. Other outcomes were postoperative complications within 30 days of surgery, measured using the Clavien\u2013Dindo classification system. Results: A total of 3288 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 301 (9\ub72 per cent) were discharged before the return of bowel function. The median duration of hospital stay for patients discharged before and after return of bowel function was 5 (i.q.r. 4\u20137) and 7 (6\u20138) days respectively (P < 0\ub7001). There were no significant differences in rates of readmission between these groups (6\ub76 versus 8\ub70 per cent; P = 0\ub7499), and this remained the case after multivariable adjustment for baseline differences (odds ratio 0\ub790, 95 per cent c.i. 0\ub755 to 1\ub746; P = 0\ub7659). Rates of postoperative complications were also similar in those discharged before versus after return of bowel function (minor: 34\ub77 versus 39\ub75 per cent; major 3\ub73 versus 3\ub74 per cent; P = 0\ub7110). Conclusion: Discharge before return of bowel function after elective colorectal surgery appears to be safe in appropriately selected patients