A importância da relação entre o diagnóstico molecular e o rastreamento da infecção por HPV associado aos métodos convencionais / The importance of the relationship between diagnosis molecular and the tracking of HPV infection associated with conventional methods

O vírus HPV, ao modificar os mecanismos do ciclo celular, induz a proliferação do tecido infectado, podendo, posteriormente desenvolver lesões. Tais alterações podem tanto não ser visíveis quanto não ocorrer, situações observadas na maioria da população. Nesses casos, o diagnóstico de infecção pelo HPV torna-se um desafio, uma vez que os métodos convencionais como o teste Papanicolau apenas identificam lesões visíveis clinicamente, o que impossibilita a  identificação de infecções latentes e lesões pré-neoplásicas. Por meio de revisão bibliográfica de artigos e a utilização de dados disponibilizados em plataformas governamentais, analisa-se da utilização do diagnóstico molecular na identificação de infecções pelo HPV frente aos métodos convencionais. Ademais evidencia-se a eficácia das técnicas de biologia molecular na triagem do vírus. A partir disso, o uso e o desenvolvimento das técnicas de diagnóstico molecular são ressaltados, devido à sua importância tanto para a identificação precoce da infecção quanto para a prevenção do desenvolvimento de lesões graves nos tecidos infectados.

Clinical-epidemiological profile of the canine population in a shelter, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2019-2020

The aim of this study was to analyze the demographic, clinical, and hematological aspects of the population in a dog shelter located in the municipality of Lavras, Brazil. All animals were microchipped and evaluated by veterinarians. Whole blood samples were obtained from 329 dogs in the months of July–August 2019 and from 310 dogs in the months of January–February 2020. Most of the dogs were of mixed breed, received anti-rabies and polyvalent vaccines (100%), were dewormed (100%), and were spayed/neutered (98.59%), with a predominance of adult (86.51%), short-hair (67.51%), normal body condition (65.57%), medium-size (62.57%), and female (62.36%). The main clinical alterations detected were enlarged lymph nodes (38.69%), skin lesions (31.50%), overweight (23.32%), obesity (6.07%), elevated temperature (17.05%), and ear secretion (15.72%). Regarding hematological alterations, thrombocytopenia (36.31%), leukopenia (15.92%), anemia with decreased hemoglobin values (10.60%), hematocrit (9.70%), and red blood cells (5.14%) were observed. Most of the shelter dogs were apparently healthy, but specific measures for nutritional, dermatological, otological and disease management should be implemented once the health changes are verified, as they impact the general state of the population and adoptions.</p

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