Projeto “Desbravando o corpo humano através da anatomia”: Reflexões, adaptações e experiências no enfrentamento da pandemia de Covid-19

The university outreach project “Discovering the human body through anatomy” has been part of the Open University for Seniors program (UNATI) from UNIFAL-MG since 2019. However, from an exclusive physical classroom attendance approach to its continuity in a remote perspective, profound changes have occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article aims to report the current scenery of the project, highlighting the reflections, adaptations and experiences in facing the pandemic period. A Whatsapp® group was created with approximately 80 seniors, teachers and students from UNATI and varied contents about anatomy were sent weekly. According to the participants’ reports, the proposed activities helped them to face the feelings of insecurity, fear and fragility linked to the pandemic. The experience of this outreach project led us to the conclusion that the study of human anatomy becomes relevant for elderly individuals, since it better enables them to look after their own bodies and health.O projeto de extensão “Desbravando o corpo humano através da anatomia” é integrante do programa Universidade Aberta à Terceira Idade (UNATI), da UNIFAL-MG, desde 2019. Entretanto, de uma abordagem exclusivamente presencial para sua continuidade em uma perspectiva remota, profundas mudanças ocorreram devido à pandemia de COVID-19. Este artigo objetiva relatar o atual panorama do projeto, destacando as reflexões, adaptações e experiências no enfrentamento do período pandêmico. Para tanto, foi criado um grupo na plataforma Whatsapp® com aproximadamente 80 idosos, docentes e discentes da UNATI e, semanalmente, eram enviados conteúdos variados sobre anatomia. Segundo relatos dos próprios participantes, as atividades propostas auxiliavam a enfrentar os sentimentos de insegurança, medo e fragilidade atrelados à pandemia. A partir da experiência vivenciada neste projeto de extensão, concluiu-se que o estudo da anatomia humana se torna relevante para os idosos, uma vez que os capacita a zelarem ainda mais pelos próprios corpos e saúde

Validity assessment of a portable anthropometer to measure length in 24-month children from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort

Objective:This study aimed to assess the validity of a portable anthropometer against the gold standard among 2-year-old infants from the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort.Design:Birth cohort study.Setting:A fixed Harpendeninfant anthropometer was considered as the gold standard for measuring infant length due to its greater precision and stability. The portable SANNY(model ES2000) anthropometer was the instrument to be validated. The acceptable mean difference in length between the anthropometers was 0·5 cm. In order to compare length estimates, the interviewers carried out two length measures for each of the anthropometers (fixed and portable) and for each child. The mean of the two lengths was calculated for each anthropometer, and their difference was calculated.Participants:A subsample of 252 24-month-old members of the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort study.Results:Children's mean age was 23·5 months. According to Bland-Altman plot, there were no differences in overall lengths between the portable and the fixed anthropometers, or in lengths according to sex. There was a high overall concordance between the length estimates of the fixed and portable anthropometers (ρ = 0·94; 95 % CI 0·92, 0·95).Conclusions:The portable anthropometer proved to be accurate to measure the length of 24-month-old infants, being applicable to studies using the same standardised protocol used in the present study

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