RESUMO O óleo de Caryocar villosum é usado na medicina popular amazônica para tratar dores e condições inflamatórias. Assim, avaliamos as propriedades antiinflamatórias e antinociceptivas do extrato etanólico obtido das cascas dos frutos desta espécie. Os testes de contorções induzidas por ácido acético, hiperalgesia mecânica induzida por carragenina, formalina, edema de pata induzido por carragenina e peritonite induzida por carragenina foram usados em camundongos. O extrato etanólico de C. villosum obtido das cascas dos frutos inibiu significativamente o número de contorções abdominais, a hiperalgesia mecânica e o tempo de lambida da pata na segunda fase do teste de formalina. Na dose de 300 mg kg-1, o extrato também reduziu significativamente o volume de edema formado na fase tardia e reduziu o recrutamento de leucócitos e neutrófilos na cavidade peritoneal, bem como os níveis de quimiocina CXCL1. Sugere-se que o extrato atenua o recrutamento de leucócitos por meio da inibição da ativação de CXCL1. A atividade antinociceptiva periférica ocorre por meio da modulação da via opioide pois o pré-tratamento com o extrato etanólico de C. villosum reverteu a antinocicepção induzida pela naltrexona.

ABSTRACT The oil of Caryocar villosum is used in Amazonian folk medicine to treat pain and inflammatory conditions. So, we assessed the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties of the ethanolic extract obtained from the fruit peels of this species. The acetic acid-induced writhing, carrageenan-induced mechanical hyperalgesia, formalin, carrageenan-induced paw edema and carrageenan-induced peritonitis tests were used on mice. The C. villosum ethanolic extract significantly inhibited the number of abdominal writhes, mechanical hyperalgesia and paw licking time in the second phase of the formalin test. At a dose of 300 mg kg-1, the extract also significantly reduced the volume of edema formed in the late phase and reduced the recruitment of leukocytes and neutrophils in the peritoneal cavity, as well as CXCL1 chemokine levels. It is suggested that the extract attenuates the leukocyte recruitment by inhibiting the CXCL1 activation. The peripheral antinociceptive activity occured through opioid pathway modulation because pretreatment with C. villosum ethanolic extract reversed the naltrexone-induced antinociception.

ABSTRACT Symptoms in post-COVID-19 patients who require hospitalization can persist for months, significantly affecting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Thus, the present study aimed to discuss the main findings regarding HRQoL in post-COVID-19 patients who required hospitalization. An electronic search was performed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS, and Scopus databases, without date and language restrictions, until July 2021. Twenty-four articles were included in the analysis. It seems that HRQoL partially improved soon after hospital discharge, although the negative impact on HRQoL may persist for months. The physical and mental aspects are affected because patients report pain, discomfort, anxiety, and depression. The HRQoL of COVID-19 infected patients was worse than that of uninfected patients. Additionally, HRQoL seemed worse in patients admitted to the intensive care unit than in those who remained in the ward. Improvements in HRQoL after hospital discharge are independent of imaging improvement, and there seems to be no association between HRQoL after hospital discharge and disease severity on hospital admission. Many factors have been identified as determinants of HRQoL, with women and advanced age being the most related to worse HRQOL, followed by the duration of invasive mechanical ventilation and the need for intensive care. Other factors included the presence and number of comorbidities, lower forced vital capacity, high body mass index, smoking history, undergraduate education, and unemployment. In conclusion, these findings may aid in clinical management and should be considered in the aftercare of patients.

BACKGROUND Biomphalaria glabrata snails are widely distributed in schistosomiasis endemic areas like America and Caribe, displaying high susceptibility to infection by Schistosoma mansoni. After the availability of B. glabrata genome and transcriptome data, studies focusing on genetic markers and small non-coding RNAs have become more relevant. The small RNAs have been considered important through their ability to finely regulate the gene expression in several organisms, thus controlling the functions like cell growth, metabolism, and susceptibility/resistance to infection. OBJECTIVE The present study aims on identification and characterisation of the repertoire of small non-coding RNAs in B. glabrata (Bgl-small RNAs). METHODS By using small RNA sequencing, bioinformatics tools and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), we identified, characterised, and validated the presence of small RNAs in B. glabrata. FINDINGS 89 mature miRNAs were identified and five of them were classified as Mollusk-specific. When compared to model organisms, sequences of B. glabrata miRNAs showed a high degree of conservation. In addition, several target genes were predicted for all the mature miRNAs identified. Furthermore, piRNAs were identified in the genome of B. glabrata for the first time. The B. glabrata piRNAs showed strong conservation of uridine as first nucleotide at 5’ end, besides adenine at 10th position. Our results showed that B. glabrata has diverse repertoire of circulating ncRNAs, several which might be involved in mollusk susceptibility to infection, due to their potential roles in the regulation of S. mansoni development. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Further studies are necessary in order to confirm the role of the Bgl-small RNAs in the parasite/host relationship thus opening new perspectives on interference of small RNAs in the organism development and susceptibility to infection.

BACKGROUND Biomphalaria glabrata is the major species used for the study of schistosomiasis-related parasite-host relationships, and understanding its gene regulation may aid in this endeavor. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) performs post-translational regulation in order to maintain cellular protein homeostasis and is related to several mechanisms, including immune responses. OBJECTIVE The aims of this work were to identify and characterise the putative genes and proteins involved in UPS using bioinformatic tools and also their expression on different tissues of B. glabrata. METHODS The putative genes and proteins of UPS in B. glabrata were predicted using BLASTp and as queries reference proteins from model organism. We characterised these putative proteins using PFAM and CDD software describing the conserved domains and active sites. The phylogenetic analysis was performed using ClustalX2 and MEGA5.2. Expression evaluation was performed from 12 snail tissues using RPKM. FINDINGS 119 sequences involved in the UPS in B. glabrata were identified, which 86 have been related to the ubiquitination pathway and 33 to proteasome. In addition, the conserved domains found were associated with the ubiquitin family, UQ_con, HECT, U-box and proteasome. The main active sites were lysine and cysteine residues. Lysines are responsible and the starting point for the formation of polyubiquitin chains, while the cysteine residues of the enzymes are responsible for binding to ubiquitin. The phylogenetic analysis showed an organised distribution between the organisms and the clades of the sequences, corresponding to the tree of life of the animals, for all groups of sequences analysed. The ubiquitin sequence was the only one with a high expression profile found in all libraries, inferring its wide range of performance. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Our results show the presence, conservation and expression profile of the UPS in this mollusk, providing a basis and new knowledge for other studies involving this system. Due to the importance of the UPS and B. glabrata, this work may influence the search for new methodologies for the control of schistosomiasis.

Resumo A região Neotropical, detentora da maior riqueza de espécies no globo, ocorre do México Central ao sul do Brasil. Neste trabalho, buscamos sumarizar as principais informações disponíveis na literatura que caracterizam os biomas neotropicais de Florestas Sazonalmente Seca (FTSS), Chaco e Savanas. Revisamos hipóteses biogeográficas concernentes a esses ambientes que buscam explicar sua dinâmica histórica. Nosso objetivo é oferecer uma caracterização desses biomas como etapa principal para o entendimento das principais hipóteses biogeográficas a eles associadas. Ainda que comporte como um cenário atraente para pesquisa, as espécies neotropicais são pouco estudas, sendo questões referentes a seus aspectos ecológicos, origem, história evolutiva e manutenção da elevada biodiversidade desconhecidas ou, ainda, pouco compreendidas. Embora, nossa revisão apresente pesquisas com diferentes pontos de vista quanto à dinâmica biogeográfica das formações vegetais, há consenso de que é produto de complexa interação entre os processos históricos, ecológicos e biológicos. Os estudos em biodiversidade de regiões ameaçadas, como os Neotrópicos, são norteadores para simulações e previsões de impactos, planos e estratégias de pesquisa.

Abstract The Neotropical region holds the largest species richness in the globe, occurring from Central Mexico to southern of Brazil. In this paper, we aim to summarize the main information available in the literature that characterizes the Neotropical biomes of Seasonally Dry Forests (SDF), Chaco and Savannas. Here we surveyed and reviewed biogeographic hypotheses concerning these environments that seek to explain their historical dynamics. Our goal is to offer a characterization of these biomes as a major step towards the understanding of the main hypotheses biogeographical associated with them. Although it supports an attractive scenario for research, Neotropical species are poorly studied, and questions concerning their ecological aspects, origin, evolutionary history and maintenance of the high biodiversity are unknown or even little understood. Although our review presents researches with different points of view regarding the biogeographic dynamics of vegetation formations, there is a consensus of being the product of a complex interaction between the historical, ecological and biological processes. Biodiversity studies of threatened regions, such as the Neotropic, are guidance for simulations and impacts predictions, for plans and research strategies.

O cajuzinho-do-cerrado (Anacardium humile A. ST-HIL.) possui uma ampla distribuição no Cerrado do Centro-Oeste Brasileiro, seus frutos carnosos são amplamente utilizados pelas populações regionais de forma extrativista. Apesar do promissor potencial agro econômico, raros estudos foram desenvolvidos visando à domesticação da espécie. O trabalho objetivou avaliar vinte diferentes matrizes de cajuzinho-do-cerrado, verificando como o peso e o armazenamento de núculas se relacionam com o porcentual de emergência e variáveis biométricas de plântulas recém-formadas. Foram coletados 50 frutos de diferentes matrizes de Anacardium humile, dentro do Parque Nacional das Emas, Mineiros, GO. Todos os frutos coletados apresentaram pedicelos maduros, desenvolvidos e amarelos. Sete matrizes apresentaram um número excedente de frutos, para estas, colheram-se outras 50 núculas, que foram armazenadas em câmara fria e seca, por um período de seis meses. O porcentual de emergência de plântulas mostrou-se satisfatório, tanto no experimento geral, como por progênie. A reprodução de Anacardium humile através de núculas mostrou-se promissora. O peso das núculas não influenciou o porcentual de emergência ou a biometria das plântulas. O armazenamento das núculas, por seis meses, para o plantio no outono, mostrou-se ineficiente.

Cajuzinho-do-cerrado (Anacardium humile A. ST-HIL.) has a wide distribution in areas of the Midwest Brazilian Cerrado, it's fleshy fruits are widely used by regional populations in an extractive way. Despite the promising agro-economic potential, few studies have been developed to domestication of the species. The study aimed to evaluate twenty different matrices of cajuzinho-do-cerrado, checking how the weight and the storage of cashew nuts are related with the emergence percentage and biometric variables of seedling newly formed. Fifty fruits were collected from twenty different matrices of Anacardium humile inside the Emas National Park, Mineiros, GO. All fruits collected showed matured, developed and yellow pedicels. Seven matrices had an excess number of fruits, so it was harvested 50 other cashew nuts, which were stored in cold and dry chamber for a period of six months. The seedlings emergence rates were satisfactory in both, total experiment and for progeny. Reproduction of Anacardium humile through cashew nuts proved to be promising. Weight of cashew nuts did not affect emergence rates or seedlings biometrics. The storage of nuts for six months for planting in autumn was inefficient.

Resumo: OBJETIVO: investigar a qualidade de vida relacionada à voz de participantes de um grupo de canto promovido por profissionais do sistema público de saúde. MÉTODOS: o estudo foi realizado com 86 indivíduos de ambos os sexos, dos quais 46 compunham o grupo controle e 40, o grupo em estudo, cujos usuários participavam do grupo de canto. Os participantes preencheram o questionário de Qualidade de Vida em Voz validado para o português brasileiro. Para verificar a diferença entre as médias dos grupos foi utilizado o teste não paramétrico de Mann-Whitney, com significância < 0,05. RESULTADO: as médias de idade dos grupos foram 58,95 anos para o grupo controle e 60,82 anos para o grupo estudo, não havendo diferença estatística entre as médias. Tanto os escores totais, quanto os relacionados a cada domínio separadamente, se mostraram bem semelhantes entre os grupos, não tendo sido encontrada diferença significante (p=0,9295). Além disso, foi verificado que o tempo de permanência no grupo EnCanto não influenciou no resultado dos escores. CONCLUSÃO: não houve diferença significante entre os escores dos grupos, o que pode ter sido influenciado pelo fato de ambos já apresentarem escores dentro da normalidade. Semelhantemente, os escores não foram diferenciados pelo tempo de permanência no grupo EnCanto, podendo estar relacionado à influência antagônica causada pelo processo de presbilaringe, por se tratar de uma população predominantemente idosa. Entretanto, são necessários novos estudos.

Abstract: PURPOSE: to investigate the voice-related quality of life of participants in a singing group organized by public health system professionals. METHODS: the study was conducted with 86 individuals of both genders, of which 46 were part of the control group, and 40 the study group, whose members participated in a singing group. Participants completed the questionnaire Voice-Related Quality of Life validated in Brazilian Portuguese. To verify the difference between the groups' averages we used the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test, with significance < 0.05. RESULT: the age averages of the groups were 58.95 years for the control group and 60.82 years for the study group, with no statistical difference between the averages. Both the total score and those related to each area separately, proved very similar among groups, and there was no significant difference found (p = 0.9295). In addition, it has been verified that the length of stay in the Encanto group did not influence the outcome of the scores. CONCLUSION: there was no significant difference between the scores of the groups, which may have been influenced by the fact that both have presented scores within the normal range. Similarly, the scores were not differentiated by length of stay in the Encanto group, which may be related to the antagonistic influence caused by the presbylarynx process, because of the predominantly elderly population. However, further studies are needed.

A utilização de antimicrobianos melhoradores de desempenho na criação de frangos de corte é uma prática comum na indústria avícola e, no Brasil, seu uso deve ser feito de acordo com os limites determinados pelo Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA).Objetivou-se com o presente trabalho determinar o efeito da utilização da bacitracina de zinco, dentro dos níveis recomendados pelo Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA), em dietas para frangos de corte sobre o desempenho de aves e criadas de 1 a 42 dias de idade. Utilizou-se o delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com 5 tratamentos, distribuídos em 10 repetições de 25 pintos machos de corte da linhagem Cobb 500®, totalizando 1250 aves. Os tratamentos experimentais foram constituídos de cinco níveis de inclusão de bacitracina de zinco (0, 10, 25, 40 e 55ppm). As variáveis analisadas foram consumo de ração, ganho de peso, conversão alimentar e avaliação econômica das dietas. Para o período total de criação, avaliou-se também a viabilidade dos frangos de corte. A bacitracina de zinco foi eficiente como beneficiador do desempenho de frangos de corte criados no período de 1 a 21, 1 a 35 e 1 a 42 dias. Para o período de 1 a 21 dias, o uso de 55 e 29,3ppm de bacitracina de zinco resultou em menor consumo de ração e maior ganho de peso, respectivamente. No geral, a melhor conversão alimentar foi obtida quando se adicionou 55ppm de bacitracina de zinco na ração de frangos de corte.

The use of growth promoters in the broilers production is a common practice in the poultry industry and its use must be made accordance with limits in Brazil set by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA).The main objective of this study was to verify the effect of the use of zinc bacitracin, within the levels recommended by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA), in broiler diets for the performance of birds from 1 to 42 days old. We used a randomized design with five treatments in 10 replications of 25 male chicks from Cobb cut 500®, totaling 1250 birds. The treatments consisted of five inclusion levels of zinc bacitracin (0, 10, 25, 40 and 55ppm). The variables studied were feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion and economic evaluation of feed. For the breeding period as a whole, this study also evaluated the viability of broilers. Zinc bacitracin was effective as growth promoter of broilers reared during 1 to 21, 1 to 35 and 1 to 42 days. For the period 1-21 days, using 55 and 29.3ppm of zinc bacitracin resulted in a lower feed intake and increased weight gain, respectively. In general, the best feed conversion was obtained when 55ppm of zinc bacitracin was added to the feed of broilers.

O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar o padrão espacial e a estrutura populacional de cinco espécies arbóreas em um fragmento de cerrado sentido restrito no município de Jataí, sudoeste goiano. Foram demarcadas 50 parcelas de 10 × 10 m (100 m²) e amostrados todos os indivíduos dentro de cada parcela. Para detectar o padrão espacial da população, foram utilizadas as distribuições teóricas de Poisson e Binomial Negativa e dois índices de dispersão: a razão variância/média (I) e o coeficiente de Green (Ig). A estrutura diamétrica foi verificada pela distribuição de frequências de seis classes de tamanho. As espécies apresentaram distribuição espacial agregada, com os indivíduos menores espacialmente disjuntos dos maiores, com exceção de Qualea grandiflora Mart., e distribuição diamétrica em forma de "J-invertido", embora que com algumas peculiaridades. Isso sugere diferenças no padrão estrutural das cinco populações estudadas e, consequentemente, nos processos de estruturação e dinâmica de cada espécie.

The aim of this study was to analyze population structure and spatial distribution pattern of five tree species in a fragment of cerrado stricto sensu in the southwest of the Goiás State, Brazil. Fifty quadrats of 10 × 10 m (100 m²) were surveyed, and all individuals within each quadrat were sampled. The theoric distributions of Poisson and Negative Binomial and two indices of dispersion, the variance to mean ratio (I) and the Green's coefficient (Ig), were used to detect the spatial pattern of the populations. The population structure was verified by the frequencies distribution of six size classes. An aggregated spatial pattern was detected for all species, with smaller individuals segregated spatially from bigger individuals, except for Qualea grandiflora Mart., and also the distribution of size classes in "reverse J-shaped", but with many particularities. This suggests differences in the structural pattern of the populations investigated and, consequently, in its dynamics and structuring processes.

Efeitos de borda são modificações nos parâmetros físicos, químicos e biológicos observadas na área de contato do fragmento de vegetação com a matriz circundante. O objetivo desse estudo foi testar a hipótese de que os efeitos de borda afetam alguns parâmetros vegetacionais e populacional em fragmentos de Cerradão no município de Caiapônia, Goiás. Para isso, estudou-se a estrutura da vegetação, o padrão de distribuição espacial de Vernonia aurea Mart. ex DC. (Asteraceae) e as condições microclimáticas (temperatura do ar e do solo e umidade relativa do ar) em dois ambientes, borda e interior, de três fragmentos de Cerradão com diferentes tamanhos (1,5 ha; 9 ha e 35 ha). Os resultados mostraram uma nítida influência dos efeitos de borda em todos os parâmetros analisados, uma vez que a estrutura da vegetação, o nível de agregação dos indivíduos de V. aurea e os parâmetros microclimáticos foram diferentes entre o interior e a borda dos fragmentos analisados. Esses dados corroboram com outros estudos realizados em diferentes ecossistemas, indicando que a fragmentação dos habitats modifica a composição e estrutura da vegetação, a estrutura espacial e a dinâmica das populações vegetais e, conseqüentemente, animais, podendo levar à extinção de populações locais e redução da diversidade biológica.

Edge effects are modifications in the physical, chemical and biological parameters observed in areas of contact of forest fragment with the surrounding environment. This paper aimed to test the hypothesis that the edge effects influence some vegetation and population parameters in Cerradão fragments in Caiapônia County, Goiás. To this effect, vegetation structure, Vernonia aurea Mart. ex DC. (Asteraceae) spatial distribution and microclimate conditions (air and soil temperature and air humidity) were analyzed in two habitats, edge and interior, of three Cerradão fragments with different areas (1.5 ha, 9 ha, and 35 ha). The results showed a strong influence of edge effects on all parameters analyzed, that is, vegetation structure, V. aurea aggregation index and microclimate parameters were all different between interior and edge habitats. These results corroborate other studies conducted in different ecosystems, indicating that habitat fragmentation modifies vegetation structure and composition, plant population dynamics and spatial structure, and as a result, local biological diversity is reduced.