The emergence of the COVID‐19 has caused public health problems worldwide and there is no effective pharmacological treatment for this disease. Research on 3D models of proteins and the search for ...active molecular sites are important tools to assist in the discovery of effective antiviral drugs to combat COVID‐19. To address this problem, the 3D protein structures of SARS‐CoV 2 were analyzed and submitted to cavities research, evaluation of their druggabillity and liganbility, and applied to molecular docking studies with potential ligand candidates actually assayed against COVID‐19. Eight druggable potential cavity sites were determined in model structures’ PDB code, 6W4B, 6VWW, 6W01, 6M3M, and 6VYO, and these are the good alternatives to be characterized as targets for antiviral compounds. The good cavity model of the protease 3D structure was used in molecular docking, and this allowed verifying the theoric interactions of this protein and lopinavir and ritonavir antiviral drugs. These results may assist in the use of 3D protein models in drug design studies aiming to develop drugs against the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Case report.
Radial nerve injury can cause severe functional impairment due to paralysis of wrist and digit extensors. Various orthotic designs have been described, including static, dynamic, and ...tenodesis. All provide wrist stabilization or extension assistance. Some, but not all, also provide extension assistance to the wrist, thumb, and fingers.
This article tells the story of Max, a 27-year-old male university student, who sustained a radial nerve injury after a left humeral shaft fracture. He was treated at a Brazilian tertiary hospital, where the choice of thermoplastics and dynamic components resulted in limited options for orthotic fabrication. Max was provided with custom-molded static wrist orthosis and a bulky, older style, high-profile dynamic forearm-based wrist-finger-thumb assistive-extension orthosis.
Grip strength and functional status improved, and Max was completely satisfied because with the dynamic orthosis, he could play the guitar again, which was his favorite activity.
Max's story illustrates that a convenient functionally oriented orthotic intervention can be performed even in resource-limited environments by following the client-centered bio-occupational orthotic framework proposed by McKee and Rivard. This framework addresses the client's biological needs (addressing paralyzed muscles and maintaining length of soft tissues) and occupational/functional needs.
•An older orthotic design can address a client’s functional needs.•Successful orthotic intervention is possible in resource-limited environments.•The Bio-Occupational Orthotic Framework helps improve hand therapy outcomes.
Marine debris is widespread worldwide, from coastal areas to remote protected oceanic islands. We assessed marine macro-debris on the shores of Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago 360 km off Brazil ...that encompasses no-take and multiple-use areas. The windward uninhabited coast, more exposed to oceanic currents and winds and inside a no-take area, presented higher abundance of plastic debris. The leeward coast, within the multiple-use urban area, presented more disposable plastics and cigarette butts. These patterns may be explained by the marine debris transportation by ocean currents to the windward side and by locally generated debris by the high quantity of beach users in the leeward coast. These results indicate that oceanographic characteristics and tourism infrastructure play important roles in the accumulation of marine debris in a protected archipelago. They also serve as a baseline for future monitoring initiatives and to improve strategies to tackle plastic pollution within this remote archipelago.
•Protected areas at an isolated oceanic island receive great amounts of marine debris.•Plastics like bottle caps and hospital waste are more prevalent on windward shores.•Disposable plastics and cigarette butts are mostly found on leeward shores.•Oceanographic features play a major role in the accumulation of windward debris.•Most leeward debris is probably generated locally by the high number of beach users.
Space can be limited in reef ecosystems leading to competitive interactions among sessile organisms. Some competitive mechanisms can require physical contact while others operate with proximity ...between organisms. We investigated how the scleractinian coral
Siderastrea stellata
and the hydrocoral
Millepora alcicornis
respond to physical contact and proximity to the macroalga
Dictyopteris delicatula
and the zoanthid
Palythoa caribaeorum
, common pairs of interactions in Southwestern Atlantic reefs in Northeast Brazil. We held two colonies of the same species within the same tank, one in physical contact and the other within 5 cm of the competitor for four days with macroalgae and three days with the zoanthid. We monitored the corals for 26 days taking photographs and measuring their photosynthetic efficiency (PE) at the point of contact and on the side where competitors were in proximity. Corals were only affected when physically contacted by the competitors, with the macroalga causing a slight damage on
M. alcicornis
and almost no effect on
S. stellata
. Contacts with
P. caribaeorum
reduced the PE and caused tissue discoloration in both corals.
M. alcicornis
recovered after 26 days but the contacted areas of
S
.
stellata
remained discolored and with low PE. Macroalgae and zoanthids required physical contact to damage corals, with the zoanthid causing more damage than the macroalgae. These results suggest that if local and global stressors make corals weaker competitors (e.g. warming) or favor macroalgae and zoanthid growth (e.g. nutrients), corals could be replaced by either of these organisms affecting ecosystem structure and functioning.
Abiotic and biotic stressors are known to trigger reproductive activities in several aquatic organisms. In reef environments, physical contact as a response to competition for space on the benthos is ...a common stressor among sessile organisms, often leading to severe tissue damage and even mortality due to biological and chemical mechanisms. However, the effect of physical stress on coral reproduction has received less attention. In this study, we observed colonies of the scleractinian coral
Siderastrea stellata
releasing larvae in response to physical contact with the zoantharian
Palythoa caribaeorum
. Organisms were collected from reefs in Brazil and taken to the laboratory, where competition through physical contact was simulated in tanks by placing the two species in direct contact for 72 h. During this period, seven out of eight corals that were in physical contact with the zoantharian released larvae, showing tissue discoloration and a marked decrease in photosynthetic efficiency. Only one of the other eight colonies held as a control with no physical contact released larvae, indicating that physical contact may have been the trigger for larval release. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of physical contact-induced larval release in a scleractinian species, providing grounds for further investigating the potential mechanisms involved in this phenomenon.
Beaches are fundamental habitats that regulate the functioning of several coastal processes and key areas contributing to national and local budgets. In this study we provide the first large-scale ...systematic survey of anthropogenic litter on Brazilian beaches, covering a total of 35 degrees of latitude, recording the litter type, its use and size. Plastic comprised the most abundant litter type, followed by cigarette butts and paper. Small pieces (<5 cm) were dominant among litter size-classes and food-related use was associated to most litter recorded types. Generalized additive models showed that proximity to estuarine run-offs was the main driver to beach litter accumulation, reinforcing river drainages as the primary route of litter coastal pollution. Also, the Clean-Coast Index evidenced there was not a pattern of beach litter pollution among regions, which denotes that actions regarding marine pollution must be taken by all state governances of the country.
•For the first time beach litter surveys were applied in a large-scale covering the entire Brazilian coast with standardized methodology.•Plastic was the most prevalent litter type, followed by cigarette butts and paper.•Proximity to estuarine run-offs was the main driver to litter accumulation on beaches.
In 2019, a major coral bleaching event affected reefs worldwide, including marginal reefs within the Abrolhos Bank (16°40′–19°40′S, 39°10′–37°20′W), the largest and richest coral reefs in the South ...Atlantic. Between March and May 2019, this area was affected by the strongest heatwave since 1985. The health trajectories of the branching hydrocoral
Millepora alcicornis
and the endemic reef-building coral
Mussismilia braziliensis
were recorded during this thermal stress event. The degree heating week value reached its historical maximum (DHW 19.65), causing bleaching in 100% of
Millepora alcicornis
and 80% of
Mussismilia braziliensis
colonies. Bleached
Millepora alcicornis
were rapidly covered by cyanobacteria, followed by algal turfs and calcareous algae, leading to 90% mortality. Conversely, 90% of
Mussismilia braziliensis
colonies recovered to a healthy state after bleaching. The high post-bleaching recovery capacity and resistance to mortality of this massive reef-building coral suggests these marginal reefs can be resilient to thermal stress events, despite losing structural complexity due to high mortality of branching and less abundant hydrocorals.
Subtropical Brazilian reefs are commonly composed by rocky frameworks with low coral abundance. Contrarily to most tropical reefs, our knowledge on coral assemblages in subtropical reefs is still ...developing. Queimada Grande is a subtropical island in the Brazilian coast lying 35 km offshore from the state of São Paulo (24ºS). Despite the partial protection bestowed to this island, recreational fishing and scuba diving are considered important pressures on this ecosystem. We used photoquadrats to quantify the abundance of two dominant reef-building corals,
Madracis decactis
(Lyman, 1859) and the Brazilian endemic
Mussismilia hispida
(Verrill, 1902), on rocky reefs and in a previously unreported coral bank. The abundance of
M. decactis
and
M. hispida
accounted for 40–60% of the benthic cover, with the dominance of
M. decactis
in the coral bank and
M. hispida
in the rocky reefs. The coral cover at Queimada Grande Island is comparable to those in Brazilian tropical reefs and higher than those reported in corallith beds further south in Brazil, thus representing the southernmost reef with such high coral abundance in the Western Atlantic. Our study demonstrates the high tolerance of
M. decactis
and
M. hispida
and highlights this coral assemblage as a potential conservation hotspot. This is particularly important in the context of tropicalization, since subtropical areas might sustain great coralline communities in warmer scenarios driven by climate change.
In upper extremity peripheral nerve injuries, orthotic intervention has been used as a valuable device to restore function. However, there is lacking evidence to support it. The purpose of this study ...was to explore the application of body function's outcome measures for orthotic intervention evaluation in patients with peripheral nerve injury. Two participants sustaining a peripheral nerve injury who underwent orthotic intervention were assessed: subject 1 was a 25-year-old man with ulnar and median nerve injury presenting with a composite claw; subject 2, a 28-year-old man with radial nerve injury presenting with a dropped wrist. Strength, range of motion, and electromyography were measured in 2 conditions: wearing the orthosis and without it. The Jamar, Pinch Gauge, a 3D motion capture system (Optitrack-NaturalPoint), and surface electromyography (Trigno Wireless System, Delsys) were the chosen instruments. Both subjects presented differences in grip and pinch strength. In both tasks, subject 1 reached higher wrist extension while wearing the orthosis. Subject 2 reached higher wrist extension and radial deviation while wearing the orthosis. There were marked differences in both tasks for subject 2, especially the maintenance of wrist extension when wearing the orthosis. Electromyographic assessment showed higher root-mean-square values for all muscles, in both tasks for subject 1. For subject 2, a higher root-mean-square value was found for flexor carpi ulnaris during the execution of task 1 wearing the orthosis. Outcome measures of body function can quantify the impact of orthotic intervention in patients sustaining peripheral nerve injury, and therefore, they are feasible for evaluating it.
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