Répteis Squamata de remanescentes florestais do campus da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal-RN, Brasil

Inventários faunísticos são fundamentais para o conhecimento da biodiversidade e, conseqüentemente, para o planejamento e tomada de decisões sobre estratégias de conservação. Para conhecer a diversidade e composição dos répteis Squamata, assim como a distribuição das espécies por microhábitat em três fragmentos florestais na área do Campus da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), efetuaramse excursões quinzenais diurnas, de março a junho de 2008. As buscas ativas foram realizadas ao longo de transecções percorridas aleatoriamente, efetuando-se os registros das espécies, dos microhábitats e do horário de observação. Um total de 92 espécimes, correspondentes a 10 espécies, foi coletados nas três áreas estudadas. A consulta da Coleção Herpetológica da UFRN possibilitou adicionar outras oito espécies, totalizando 18 espécies para o Campus da UFRN. As espécies mais abundantes foram Mabuya heathi, Hemidactylus mabouia e Tropidurus hispidus. O coeficiente de similaridade faunística binário de Sorensen mostrou 59 % de similaridade com os Squamata do Parque Estadual das Dunas do Natal (PEDN), área de conservação contígua com a área estudada. Apesar do grande adensamento urbano, os fragmentos florestais do Campus Central da UFRN abrigam espécies de formações abertas e de áreas florestadas, com destaque para os primeiros registros de Coleodactylus natalensis e de Amphisbaena heathi nessa vegetação relictual, fatos que justificam a preservação desses fragmentos em prol da manutenção destas espécies endêmicas do Rio Grande do Norte.Fauna inventories are crucial for increasing knowledge of biodiversity as well as for planning and conservation strategies. To assess the taxonomic composition and microhabitat distribution of squamate reptiles in three forest fragments on the campus of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), field collections were carried out quarterly from March through July 2008. Active search for specimens was conducted randomly along transects. Both time of capture and microhabitat were recorded for each specimen. A total of 92 specimens belonging to 10 species were documented in the study area. Further examination of material deposited in the herpetological collection of UFRN uncovered eight additional species recorded for the area, totaling 18 species of squamate reptiles on the UFRN campus. The most abundant species recorded in the study area were Mabuya heathi, Hemidactylus mabouia and Tropidurus hispidus. According to the Sorensen Similarity index, squamate fauna from the UFRN campus showed 59% similarity with those recorded in the Natal Dune State Park (Parque Estadual das Dunas do Natal), a conservation area bordering the campus. In spite of heavy urban encroachment, the forest fragments on the UFRN campus harbor species typical of open and forested areas. The records of Coleodactylus natalensis and Amphisbaena heathi, both in relictual forest fragments, further justify efforts to preserve these fragments for the maintenance of these endemic species in the campus area.Asociación Herpetológica Argentina (AHA

<i>Tropidurus semitaeniatus</i> (Squamata: Tropiduridae) as seed disperser of the plant <i>Commiphora leptophloeos</i> (Burseraceae) in the Caatinga of Northeastern Brazil

Tropidurus semitaeniatus is broadly distributed in the rocky habitats of the caatingas of northeastern Brazil (Vanzolini et al., 1980). In the context of a behavioral ecology work, a T. semitaeniatus population was studied at the Estação Ecológica do Seridó (ESEC Seridó; 06.5767º S, 37.2558º W, datum: WGS84; elev. 192 m), Serra Negra do Norte municipality, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. One of the studied aspects included the foraging behavior of lizards recorded by focal animal samples that consisted of 10 continuous minutes of behavioral monitoring on different individuals, with one session from 0700-1000 h and other from 1400- 1700 h, during two consecutive days.Asociación Herpetológica Argentina (AHA

<i>Tropidurus semitaeniatus</i> (Squamata: Tropiduridae) as seed disperser of the plant <i>Commiphora leptophloeos</i> (Burseraceae) in the Caatinga of Northeastern Brazil

Tropidurus semitaeniatus is broadly distributed in the rocky habitats of the caatingas of northeastern Brazil (Vanzolini et al., 1980). In the context of a behavioral ecology work, a T. semitaeniatus population was studied at the Estação Ecológica do Seridó (ESEC Seridó; 06.5767º S, 37.2558º W, datum: WGS84; elev. 192 m), Serra Negra do Norte municipality, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. One of the studied aspects included the foraging behavior of lizards recorded by focal animal samples that consisted of 10 continuous minutes of behavioral monitoring on different individuals, with one session from 0700-1000 h and other from 1400- 1700 h, during two consecutive days.Asociación Herpetológica Argentina (AHA

Association of Country Income Level With the Characteristics and Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients Hospitalized With Acute Kidney Injury and COVID-19

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been identified as one of the most common and significant problems in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. However, studies examining the relationship between COVID-19 and AKI in low- and low-middle income countries (LLMIC) are lacking. Given that AKI is known to carry a higher mortality rate in these countries, it is important to understand differences in this population. Methods: This prospective, observational study examines the AKI incidence and characteristics of 32,210 patients with COVID-19 from 49 countries across all income levels who were admitted to an intensive care unit during their hospital stay. Results: Among patients with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit, AKI incidence was highest in patients in LLMIC, followed by patients in upper-middle income countries (UMIC) and high-income countries (HIC) (53%, 38%, and 30%, respectively), whereas dialysis rates were lowest among patients with AKI from LLMIC and highest among those from HIC (27% vs. 45%). Patients with AKI in LLMIC had the largest proportion of community-acquired AKI (CA-AKI) and highest rate of in-hospital death (79% vs. 54% in HIC and 66% in UMIC). The association between AKI, being from LLMIC and in-hospital death persisted even after adjusting for disease severity. Conclusions: AKI is a particularly devastating complication of COVID-19 among patients from poorer nations where the gaps in accessibility and quality of healthcare delivery have a major impact on patient outcomes