Background: Terra preta do indio or ‘dark earth’ soils formed as a result of a long-term addition of organic matter by indigenous peoples in Amazonia. Aims: Here we report on the first study of ...productivity, allocation and carbon cycling from a terra preta plot in eastern Amazonia (Caxiuanã, Pará, Brazil), and contrast its dynamics with a nearby plot on infertile soil (ferralsols). Methods: We determined total net primary production (NPP) for fine roots, wood, and canopy and total autotrophic respiration (rhizosphere, wood, and canopy respiration) from two 1-ha plots on contrasting soils. Results: Both gross primary productivity (GPP) (35.68 ± 3.65 vs. 32.08 ± 3.46 Mg C ha ⁻¹ year ⁻¹) and carbon use efficiency (CUE) (0.44 ± 0.06 vs. 0.42 ± 0.05) were slightly higher at the terra preta plot. Total NPP (15.77 ± 1.13 Mg C ha ⁻¹ year ⁻¹ vs. 13.57 ± 0.60 Mg C ha ⁻¹ year ⁻¹) and rates of fine root production (6.41 ± 1.08 vs. 3.68 ± 0.52 Mg C ha ⁻¹ year ⁻¹) were also greater at the terra preta plot vs. the tower plot. Conclusions: Forests on terra preta soil fix slightly more carbon and allocate slightly more of that carbon towards growth than forests on the infertile plot, which leads to greater total NPP, which was disproportionately allocated to fine roots. However, since increased fine root NPP was partially offset by increased heterotrophic soil respiration, the increased root growth was unlikely to greatly enhance soil carbon stocks in terra preta soils.
Abstract
Background
The Xpert MTB/RIF rapid molecular test provides a quantitative measure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) DNA in the form of cycle threshold (Ct) values. This information can be ...translated into mycobacterial load and used as a potential risk measure of bacterial spread for tuberculosis (TB) cases, which can impact infection control. However, the role of Ct values in assessing Mtb transmission to close contacts has not yet been demonstrated.
Methods
A prospective study was performed to investigate the association between Xpert MTB/RIF Ct values and Mtb transmission to close contacts of patients with culture-confirmed pulmonary TB in a multicenter Brazilian cohort. We evaluated clinical and laboratory data (age, sex, race, smoking habits, drug use, alcohol use, chest X-ray, Xpert MTB/RIF results) among pulmonary TB cases, and QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) results at baseline and after 6 months, for close contacts who had a negative result at baseline.
Results
A total of 1055 close contacts of 382 pulmonary TB cases were included in the study. The median Ct values from TB cases of QFT-Plus–positive (at baseline or 6 months) close contacts were lower compared with those who were QFT-Plus–negative. An adjusted logistic regression demonstrated that reduced Ct values from the index cases were independently associated with QFT-Plus conversion from negative to positive (odds ratio, 1.61; 95% confidence interval, 1.12–2.32) after adjusting for clinical characteristics.
Conclusions
Close contacts of pulmonary TB index cases who exhibit low Xpert MTB/RIF Ct values displayed higher rates of TB infection, reflecting Mtb transmission.
Building bridges between environmental and political agendas is essential nowadays in face of the increasing human pressure on natural environments, including wetlands. Wetlands provide critical ...ecosystem services for humanity and can generate a considerable direct or indirect income to the local communities. To meet many of the sustainable development goals, we need to move our trajectory from the current environmental destructive development to a wiser wetland use. The current article contain a proposed agenda for the Pantanal aiming the improvement of public policy for conservation in the Pantanal, one of the largest, most diverse, and continuous inland wetland in the world. We suggest and discuss a list of 11 essential interfaces between science, policy, and development in region linked to the proposed agenda. We believe that a functional science network can booster the collaborative capability to generate creative ideas and solutions to address the big challenges faced by the Pantanal wetland.
Background and Objectives
The primary treatment for locally advanced cases of cervical cancer is chemoradiation followed by high‐dose brachytherapy. When this treatment fails, pelvic exenteration ...(PE) is an option in some cases. This study aimed to develop recommendations for the best management of patients with cervical cancer undergoing salvage PE.
Methods
A questionnaire was administered to all members of the Brazilian Society of Surgical Oncology. Of them, 68 surgeons participated in the study and were divided into 10 working groups. A literature review of studies retrieved from the National Library of Medicine database was carried out on topics chosen by the participants. These topics were indications for curative and palliative PE, preoperative and intraoperative evaluation of tumor resectability, access routes and surgical techniques, PE classification, urinary, vaginal, intestinal, and pelvic floor reconstructions, and postoperative follow‐up. To define the level of evidence and strength of each recommendation, an adapted version of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Health Service rating system was used.
Results
Most conducts and management strategies reviewed were strongly recommended by the participants.
Conclusions
Guidelines outlining strategies for PE in the treatment of persistent or relapsed cervical cancer were developed and are based on the best evidence available in the literature.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic in Brazil was dominated by two lineages designated as B.1.1.28 and B.1.1.33. The two SARS-CoV-2 variants harboring mutations ...at the receptor-binding domain of the Spike (S) protein, designated as lineages P.1 and P.2, evolved from lineage B.1.1.28 and are rapidly spreading in Brazil. Lineage P.1 is considered a Variant of Concern (VOC) because of the presence of multiple mutations in the S protein (including K417T, E484K, N501Y), while lineage P.2 only harbors mutation S:E484K and is considered a Variant of Interest (VOI). On the other hand, epidemiologically relevant B.1.1.33 deriving lineages have not been described so far. Here we report the identification of a new SARS-CoV-2 VOI within lineage B.1.1.33 that also harbors mutation S:E484K and was detected in Brazil between November 2020 and February 2021. This VOI displayed four non-synonymous lineage-defining mutations (NSP3:A1711V, NSP6:F36L, S:E484K, and NS7b:E33A) and was designated as lineage N.9. The VOI N.9 probably emerged in August 2020 and has spread across different Brazilian states from the Southeast, South, North, and Northeast regions.
The etiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is unknown, but it is believed to be multifactorial. The hygiene hypothesis proposes that better hygiene conditions would lead to less infectious ...disease during childhood and favor the development of immune-mediated diseases.
To test the hygiene hypothesis in IBD by assessing the environmental risk factors associated with IBD development in different regions of Brazil with diverse socioeconomic development indices.
A multicenter case-control study was carried out with 548 Crohn's disease (CD) and 492 ulcerative colitis (UC) outpatients and 416 healthy controls, from six IBD centers within different Brazilian states at diverse socioeconomic development stages. A semi-structured questionnaire with 87 socioeconomic and environmental questions was applied. Logistic regression model was created to assess the odds ratio (OR) with
value and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
Predictive variables for both diseases (CD and UC) were women odd ratios (OR) = 1.31; OR = 1.69, low monthly family income (OR = 1.78; OR = 1.57), lower number of cohabitants (OR = 1.70; OR = 1.60), absence of vaccination (OR = 3.11; OR = 2.51), previous history of bowel infections (OR = 1.78; OR = 1.49), and family history of IBD (OR = 5.26; OR = 3.33). Associated risk factors for CD were age (18-39 years) (OR = 1.73), higher educational level (OR = 2.22), absence of infectious childhood diseases (OR = 1.99). The UC predictive variables were living in an urban area (OR = 1.62), inadequate living conditions (OR = 1.48) and former smokers (OR = 3.36). Appendectomy was a risk factor for CD (OR = 1.58) with inverse association with UC (OR = 4.79). Consumption of treated and untreated water was associated with risk of CD (OR = 1.38) and UC (OR = 1.53), respectively.
This is the first examining environmental exposures as risk factors for inflammatory bowel disease in Brazil. Most of the variables associated with disease risk support the role of the hygiene hypothesis in IBD development.
Brazil is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, with about 37,000 species of land plants. Part of this biodiversity is within protected areas. The development of online databases in the ...last years greatly improved the available biodiversity data. However, the existing databases do not provide information about the protected areas in which individual plant species occur. The lack of such information is a crucial gap for conservation actions. This study aimed to show how the information captured from online databases, cleaned by a protocol and verified by taxonomists allowed us to obtain a comprehensive list of the vascular plant species from the "Parque Nacional do Itatiaia", the first national park founded in Brazil. All existing records in the online database JABOT (15,100 vouchers) were downloaded, resulting in 11,783 vouchers identified at the species level. Overall, we documented 2,316 species belonging to 176 families and 837 genera of vascular plants in the "Parque Nacional do Itatiaia". Considering the whole vascular flora, 2,238 species are native and 78 are non-native.
The "Parque Nacional do Itatiaia" houses 13% of the angiosperm and 37% of the fern species known from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Amongst these species, 82 have been cited as threatened, following IUCN categories (CR, EN or VU), seven are data deficient (DD) and 15 have been classified as a conservation priority, because they are only known from a single specimen collected before 1969.
The efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban in patients with bioprosthetic mitral valves and atrial fibrillation or flutter remain uncertain.
RIVER was an academic-led, multicenter, open-label, ...randomized, non-inferiority trial with blinded outcome adjudication that enrolled 1005 patients from 49 sites in Brazil. Patients with a bioprosthetic mitral valve and atrial fibrillation or flutter were randomly assigned (1:1) to rivaroxaban 20 mg once daily (15 mg in those with creatinine clearance <50 mL/min) or dose-adjusted warfarin (target international normalized ratio 2.0-30.); the follow-up period was 12 months. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, stroke, transient ischemic attack, major bleeding, valve thrombosis, systemic embolism, or hospitalization for heart failure. Secondary outcomes included individual components of the primary composite outcome, bleeding events, and venous thromboembolism.
RIVER represents the largest trial specifically designed to assess the efficacy and safety of a direct oral anticoagulant in patients with bioprosthetic mitral valves and atrial fibrillation or flutter. The results of this trial can inform clinical practice and international guidelines.
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