Evidence of phoresy by leeches (Hirudinoidea) on Rhinella abei (Anura: Bufonidae) in the Atlantic Rainforest in the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil

In the Atlantic Rainforest of the Parque Estadual da Serra do Tabuleiro, state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, we found Rhinella abei (Bufonidae) infested by leeches (Hirudinoidea). We captured 27 toads on the margin of a lagoon both inside and outside water in a survey carried out during one night, and 13 of which had a total of 30 leeches (mean intensity of infestation = 2.3 ± 1.3). We did not observe wounds, scars and/or hemorrhages caused by the leeches on the toads examined, no hemorrhaging after the removal of the leeches, and the leeches removed from the toads were empty of blood. This evidence led us to theorize that the leeches were not parasitizing the toads but had a phoretic relationship. The leeches were found on both dorsal and ventral surfaces (13 on each) of the toads and were predominantly on the toads’ axils followed by back and thighs. The average snout-vent length of the toads was 69.2 ± 5.3 mm and their average body mass was 27.1 ± 6.9 g. The number of leeches found on a toad was not related to its snout-vent length or body mass. We are unaware of any previous records of leeches using anurans as dispersal agents, as suggested in the present study

Predação de Tropidurus hispidus (Squamata, Tropiduridae) por Siphlophis leucocephalus (Squamata, Dipsadidae)

The discovery of predator-prey relationships are relevant to improve the knowledge regarding ecological processes, such as trophic ecology, mortality sources, and paths of fluxes of matter and energy in ecosystems. Snakes of the genus Siphlophis feed on mammals, birds, frogs, lizards, lizard eggs, and snakes, whereas Tropidurus hispidus lizards are prey for both invertebrates and vertebrates. Here, we report a predator-prey relationship involving T. hispidus and Siphlophis leucocephalus. As a behavioural strategy to reduce the resistance promoted by appendages and body scales, thus diminishing the time and energy expended to swallow the prey, the individual of S. leucocephalus ingested the lizard headfirst. Tropidurus hispidus has mucronate scales that may be difficult to manipulate and swallow. Predators might die because of swallowing lizards with spiny and pointed dermic structures because of perforation of organs and of asphyxia. With this report, we added knowledge about the trophic ecology of S. leucocephalus and mortality sources for T. hispidus, besides reinforcing the idea of the importance of the consumption of lizards by snakes of the tribe Pseudoboini and of the genus Siphlophis.Keywords: diet, feeding habits, headfirst, Pseudoboini, saurophagy, Xenodontinae.A descoberta de relações predador-presa é relevante para aprimorar o conhecimento sobre processos ecológicos, tais como ecologia trófica, fontes de mortalidade e vias de fluxos de matéria e de energia em ecossistemas. Serpentes do gênero Siphlophis se alimentam de mamíferos, aves, anuros, lagartos, ovos de lagartos e serpentes, enquanto lagartos Tropidurus hispidus são presas para invertebrados e vertebrados. Neste estudo, nós relatamos uma relação predador-presa envolvendo T. hispidus e Siphlophis leucocephalus. Como uma estratégia comportamental para reduzir a resistência promovida por apêndices e escamas, portanto, diminuindo o tempo e a energia gastos para engolir a presa, o indivíduo S. leucocephalus ingeriu o lagarto iniciando pela cabeça. Tropidurus hispidus tem escamas mucronadas que podem ser difíceis de manipular e engolir. Predadores podem morrer ao engolir lagartos com estruturas dérmicas espinhosas e pontiagudas devido à perfuração de órgãos e asfixia. Neste relato, adicionamos informações sobre a ecologia trófica de S. leucocephalus e fontes de mortalidade para T. hispidus, além de reforçarmos a ideia da importância do consumo de lagartos para serpentes da tribo Pseudoboini e do gênero Siphlophis.Palavras-chave: dieta, hábitos alimentares, ingestão a partir da cabeça, Pseudoboini, saurofagia, Xenodontinae

Feeding habits of Enyalius perditus (Squamata: Leiosauridae) in an Atlantic Forest remnant in southeastern Brazil

Hábitos alimentares de Enyalius perditus (Squamata: Leiosauridae) em um fragmento de Mata Atlântica no sudeste do Brasil. O objetivo do presente estudo foi fornecer informações sobre hábitos alimentares e outros aspectos ecológicos do lagarto Enyalius perditus em um fragmento de Mata Atlântica no estado do Rio de Janeiro, sudeste do Brasil. No Rio de Janeiro, os indivíduos de E. perditus alimentaram-se predominantemente de artrópodes, como lagartas, isópodes e aranhas, como é típico de lagartos desse gênero. Não houve variação pronunciada nos principais tipos de presas consumidas entre essa e outras populações de E. perditus estudadas, apesar de haver diferenças potenciais nos suprimentos alimentares entre ambientes. Os indivíduos consumiram fragmentos de folhas mortas, ingeriram presas comumente encontradas na serapilheira (e.g., Isopoda e larvas de Coleoptera) e foram algumas vezes encontrados no chão ou capturados em armadilhas-de-queda durante os trabalhos de campo, o que sugere que esses lagartos utilizam a serapilheira do chão da floresta para o forrageio e outras atividades, embora também utilizem poleiros acima do nível do chão.Feeding habits of Enyalius perditus (Squamata: Leiosauridae) in an Atlantic Forest remnant in southeastern Brazil. In the present study, we aimed to provide information regarding feeding habits and other ecological aspects of Enyalius perditus in an Atlantic Forest remnant in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. Enyalius perditus individuals in Rio de Janeiro fed predominantly upon arthropods such as caterpillars, isopods, and spiders, as is typical of lizards in the genus. There were no pronounced variations in the main types of prey consumed between this and other populations of E. perditus studied in spite of potential differences in local food supplies between environments. The individuals consumed fragments of dead leaves, ingested prey commonly found in leaf litter (e.g., Isopoda and Coleoptera larvae), and were sometime

Death due to bicycle accidents in the northeast region of Brazil

Objective: To evaluate the death prevalence due to bicycle accidents in the northeast region of Brazil between 2001 and 2010. Methodology: This study was conducted with a descriptive quantitative and analytical approach through secondary data. The sample consisted of all Death Certificates (DC) registered over the Mortality Information System (MIS) of the Unified Health System Data Base that reported bicycle accidents between 2001 and 2010. Descriptive measures were determined to all variables. The sociodemographic variables were intersected with the basic cause of death to search a statistical correlation. Results: Over the considered period of time, 2763 Death Certificates were brought up, where the deaths that occurred over the northeast region of Brazil were due to bicycle accidents, being evidenced a higher frequency to men, between 25-39 and 40-59 years old, with brown skin color, single and with 1-3 scholarity years. The victims mean age was 38,49 (DP = 18,322). Conclusion: The increase in the numbers of fatal bicycle accidents show that a restructuration of the traffic infrastructure is needed, an increase on the cycling paths offer and effective legal changes to the reduction of this kind of accident.Objetivo: Evaluar la prevalencia de la mortalidad por accidentes de bicicletas en el Nordeste entre 2001 y 2010. Metodología: Este estudio se realizó en un enfoque cuantitativo descriptivo y analítico a través de datos secundarios. La muestra estuvo constituida por todas las declaraciones de la Muerte (DO) registrados en el Sistema de Informaciones sobre Mortalidad (SIM), Base de datos del Sistema Nacional de Salud (DATASUS), quienes reportaron accidentes de bicicleta entre 2001 y 2010. Medidas descriptivas fueron determinadas para todas las variables. Las variables sociodemográficas se cruzaron con la causa básica de defunción en busca de correlación estadística. Resultados: En el período que se examina se plantearon 2.763 declaraciones de muertes en las que ocurrieron en el noreste de Brasil se debieron a accidentes de bicicleta, lo que evidencia una mayor frecuencia en el sexo masculino, entre los 25-59 años, marrón, único y escolaridad 1-3 años. La edad promedio de las víctimas era 38,49 años (DE = 18.322). Conclusiones: El aumento en el número de accidentes mortales con señales bicicleta a la necesaria mejora de la infraestructura de transporte, el aumento de la oferta de ciclos de punto y los cambios legales eficaces para reducir este tipo de accidentes

High anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroconversion rates before the second wave in Manaus, Brazil, and the protective effect of social behaviour measures: results from the prospective DETECTCoV-19 cohort

Background: The city of Manaus, Brazil, has seen two collapses of the health system due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We report anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid IgG antibody seroconversion rates and associated risk factors in Manaus residents before the second wave of the epidemic in Brazil. Methods: A convenience sample of adult (aged ≥18 years) residents of Manaus was recruited through online and university website advertising into the DETECTCoV-19 study cohort. The current analysis of seroconversion included a subgroup of DETECTCoV-19 participants who had at least two serum sample collections separated by at least 4 weeks between Aug 19 and Oct 2, 2020 (visit 1), and Oct 19 and Nov 27, 2020 (visit 2). Those who reported (or had no data on) having a COVID-19 diagnosis before visit 1, and who were positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid IgG antibodies at visit 1 were excluded. Using an in-house ELISA, the reactivity index (RI; calculated as the optical density ratio of the sample to the negative control) for serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid IgG antibodies was measured at both visits. We calculated the incidence of seroconversion (defined as RI values ≤1·5 at visit 1 and ≥1·5 at visit 2, and a ratio >2 between the visit 2 and visit 1 RI values) during the study period, as well as incidence rate ratios (IRRs) through cluster-corrected and adjusted Poisson regression models to analyse associations between seroconversion and variables related to sociodemographic characteristics, health access, comorbidities, COVID-19 exposure, protective behaviours, and symptoms. Findings: 2496 DETECTCoV-19 cohort participants returned for a follow-up visit between Oct 19 and Nov 27, 2020, of whom 204 reported having COVID-19 before the first visit and 24 had no data regarding previous disease status. 559 participants were seropositive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid IgG antibodies at baseline. Of the remaining 1709 participants who were seronegative at baseline, 71 did not meet the criteria for seroconversion and were excluded from the analyses. Among the remaining 1638 participants who were seronegative at baseline, 214 showed seroconversion at visit 2. The seroconversion incidence was 13·06% (95% CI 11·52–14·79) overall and 6·78% (5·61–8·10) for symptomatic seroconversion, over a median follow-up period of 57 days (IQR 54–61). 48·1% of seroconversion events were estimated to be asymptomatic. The sample had higher proportions of affluent and higher-educated people than those reported for the Manaus city population. In the fully adjusted and corrected model, risk factors for seroconversion before visit 2 were having a COVID-19 case in the household (IRR 1·49 [95% CI 1·21–1·83]), not wearing a mask during contact with a person with COVID-19 (1·25 [1·09–1·45]), relaxation of physical distancing (1·31 [1·05–1·64]), and having flu-like symptoms (1·79 [1·23–2·59]) or a COVID-19 diagnosis (3·57 [2·27–5·63]) between the first and second visits, whereas working remotely was associated with lower incidence (0·74 [0·56–0·97]). Interpretation: An intense infection transmission period preceded the second wave of COVID-19 in Manaus. Several modifiable behaviours increased the risk of seroconversion, including non-compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions measures such as not wearing a mask during contact, relaxation of protective measures, and non-remote working. Increased testing in high-transmission areas is needed to provide timely information about ongoing transmission and aid appropriate implementation of transmission mitigation measures. Funding: Ministry of Education, Brazil; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas; Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/WHO.World Health OrganizationRevisión por pare

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

Rationale, study design, and analysis plan of the Alveolar Recruitment for ARDS Trial (ART): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is associated with high in-hospital mortality. Alveolar recruitment followed by ventilation at optimal titrated PEEP may reduce ventilator-induced lung injury and improve oxygenation in patients with ARDS, but the effects on mortality and other clinical outcomes remain unknown. This article reports the rationale, study design, and analysis plan of the Alveolar Recruitment for ARDS Trial (ART). Methods/Design: ART is a pragmatic, multicenter, randomized (concealed), controlled trial, which aims to determine if maximum stepwise alveolar recruitment associated with PEEP titration is able to increase 28-day survival in patients with ARDS compared to conventional treatment (ARDSNet strategy). We will enroll adult patients with ARDS of less than 72 h duration. The intervention group will receive an alveolar recruitment maneuver, with stepwise increases of PEEP achieving 45 cmH(2)O and peak pressure of 60 cmH2O, followed by ventilation with optimal PEEP titrated according to the static compliance of the respiratory system. In the control group, mechanical ventilation will follow a conventional protocol (ARDSNet). In both groups, we will use controlled volume mode with low tidal volumes (4 to 6 mL/kg of predicted body weight) and targeting plateau pressure <= 30 cmH2O. The primary outcome is 28-day survival, and the secondary outcomes are: length of ICU stay; length of hospital stay; pneumothorax requiring chest tube during first 7 days; barotrauma during first 7 days; mechanical ventilation-free days from days 1 to 28; ICU, in-hospital, and 6-month survival. ART is an event-guided trial planned to last until 520 events (deaths within 28 days) are observed. These events allow detection of a hazard ratio of 0.75, with 90% power and two-tailed type I error of 5%. All analysis will follow the intention-to-treat principle. Discussion: If the ART strategy with maximum recruitment and PEEP titration improves 28-day survival, this will represent a notable advance to the care of ARDS patients. Conversely, if the ART strategy is similar or inferior to the current evidence-based strategy (ARDSNet), this should also change current practice as many institutions routinely employ recruitment maneuvers and set PEEP levels according to some titration method.Hospital do Coracao (HCor) as part of the Program 'Hospitais de Excelencia a Servico do SUS (PROADI-SUS)'Brazilian Ministry of Healt