ABSTRACT The Scientists of Tomorrow/ Cientistas do Amanhã project is an immersive science training program developed by the Program of Post-Graduation in Health Sciences at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein. This program was conducted in partnership with Volunteering and Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental Professor Paulo Freire in Paraisópolis, São Paulo, Brazil. The Scientists of Tomorrow Program comprised a short training period conducted in May 2022 involving 37 students, and a long training period from August to December 2022, which included 15 students. It aimed to popularize science through practical activities; transfer knowledge to young students; sensitize and guide them to pursue academic-scientific careers; reduce stereotypes about scientific work and scientists; and help students understand the social, political, and ethical roles of science within society. All activities were led by postgraduate students and professors from our postgraduate program, physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, biomedicals, and veterinarians from Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, as well as medical students from Faculdade Israelita de Ciências da Saúde Albert Einstein . Activities in the short training included lectures on cinema and science, strategies to combat fake news, non-violent communication, innovation, design-thinking framework, and developing a scientific project. During the long training period, discussions were focused on nanotechnology, animal research, big data, bioinformatics, meditation, blood and bone marrow donation, telemedicine, sex and sexually-transmitted infections, rehabilitation, career opportunities, and scientific integrity. In addition, practical activities were further expanded using optical and confocal microscopy, cytometry, and basic concepts regarding the structure and function of living cells. The program also included the launching of the open-air outreach Education E-natureza activity, which turned students into ambassadors of nature. In conclusion, the Scientists of Tomorrow Program was innovative and enabled young students to learn that science is a collective activity that can enhance public health.

ABSTRACT We conducted the genome sequencing and analysis of the first confirmed COVID-19 infections in Brazil. Rapid sequencing coupled with phylogenetic analyses in the context of travel history corroborate multiple independent importations from Italy and local spread during the initial stage of COVID-19 transmission in Brazil.

RESUMO Este trabalho descreve a composição química e a atividade anti-Candida spp. de óleos essenciais de folhas de diversos cultivares de Mangifera indica. Os óleos essenciais foram obtidos por meio de hidrodestilação e analisados por cromatografia de gás acoplada à espectrometria de massa. A atividade anti-Candida spp. foi avaliada contra cepas isoladas de cães pelo método de difusão em ágar e a concentração inibitória mínima (CIM) pelo método de microdiluição em caldo. O cultivar Tommy Atkins apresentou β-selineno (29.49%), óxido de cariofileno (12.40%) e humuleno II epoxido (8.66%) como seus constituintes principais, enquanto que os principais componentes das variedades Rosa, Moscatel e Jasmim foram óxido de cariofileno (23,62, 48,42 e 30,77%, respectivamente) e humuleno II epoxido (11,56, 23,45 e 16,27%, respectivamente). As médias de zona de inibição foram 11 ± 0,71, 13,5 ± 3,54, 10,5 ± 0,71 e 13,5 ± 0,71mm respectivamente para os cultivares Tommy Atkins, Rosa, Moscatel e Jasmim. Para a variedade Tommy Atkins, a CIM variou de 0,62 a 1,25 mg/mL; para Rosa, 0.31 a 1.25 mg/mL; para Jasmim os valores variaram de 0,31 a 0,62 mg/mL; ao passo que para a variedade Moscatel o valor de CIM foi 1,25 mg/mL para todas as cepas de Candida spp. Os óleos essenciais das quatro variedades de M. indica foram ativos in vitro contra Candida spp., demonstrando boa atividade antifúngica, podendo ser uma fonte útil de compostos antifúngicos para uso na medicina veterinária.

SUMMARY This work reports the chemical study, and anti-Candida spp. activity of leaf essential oil from Mangifera indica cultivars. The essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. The anti-Candida spp. activity was evaluated against strains isolated from dogs by the agar-well diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by the broth microdilution method. Tommy Atkins cultivar presented β–selinene (29.49%), caryophyllene oxide (12.40%) and humulene II epoxide (8.66%) as main constituents, while the main constituents of Rosa, Moscatel and Jasmim varieties were caryophyllene oxide (23.62, 48.42 and 30.77%, respectively) and humulene epoxide II (11.56, 23.45, and16.27%, respectively). The means of inhibition zones were 11 ± 0.71, 13.5 ± 3.54, 10.5 ± 0.71 and 13.5 ± 0.71mm to Tommy Atkins, Rosa, Moscatel and Jasmim varieties, respectively. For Tommy Atkins, the MIC ranged from 0.62 to 1.25 mg/mL; for Rosa, ranged from 0.31 to 1.25 mg/mL; for Jasmim ranged from 0.31 to 0.62 mg/mL; while for the Moscatel variety the MIC value was 1.25 mg/mL for all Candida strains. Essential oils of four M. indica cultivars were active in vitro against Candida spp., demonstrating good antifungal activity and can be a useful source of antifungal compounds for veterinary medicine.

Abstract Pollen is used in the human diet as a food supplement because of its high nutritional value; however, this product is prone to fungal contamination that could potentially generate toxins that are harmful to human health. This study aimed to verify the floral diversity of commercial brands of bee pollen and their mycotoxicological safety for human consumption. A total of 27 bee pollen samples were analyzed; these samples represented commercial brands, either showing an inspection seal or not, marketed in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The analyzed parameters included floral diversity through palynological analysis, water activity, fungal counts, identification and toxigenic profiles. The palynological analysis identified nine plant families, of which the Asteraceae was predominant. Analysis of hygienic quality based on fungal load showed that 92% of samples were reproved according to the commercial, sanitary, and food safety quality indicators. Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Penicillium were the most common genera. Toxigenic evaluation showed that 25% of the A. flavus strains produced aflatoxins. The high rate of contamination of products bearing an inspection seal emphasizes the need to monitor the entire procedure of bee pollen production, as well as to revise the current legislation to ensure safe commercialization of this product.

Para apoyar el uso racional de las abejas sin aguijón, es necesario conocer las especies de plantas que actúan como fuentes de recursos para estas abejas en su ambiente natural. El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar las especies de plantas que fueron visitadas con mayor frecuencia por abejas Tetragonisca angustula y describir los granos de polen de estas plantas. El estudio se realizó en la Mata Atlántica, donde se recogieron las abejas, las plantas con flores y el polen de las cargas corbiculares de las abejas obreras. La observación de campo mostró la presencia de plantas pertenecientes a diez familias y las cargas de polen mostraron la presencia de tipos de polen pertenecientes a 26 familias botánicas. Hubo grandes diferencias entre los tipos de polen, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta la ornamentación de los granos de polen. Este estudio sugiere un alto valor de estas especies de plantas como recursos tróficos para las abejas jataí en el sub-bosque de la Mata Atlántica. Las alteraciones de los fragmentos de bosque pueden afectar la disponibilidad de recursos para Tetragonisca angustula y otras abejas sin aguijón y ser un gran obstáculo para la su crianza sostenible.

The stingless bees are important flowers visitors of several plant species, due to their feeding habits and foraging behavior, constituting an important group to maintain biodiversity and the dynamics of tropical communities. Among stingless bees, Tetragonisca angustula is widely distributed in tropical habitats, and has been considered an important pollinator of different plant families. To support a rational economic use of this group, there is a need to characterize the plant species that represent important sources as part of their diet, as preferred, alternative or casual food sources. The aim of this survey was to distinguish the plant species that T. angustula visited most often. The study was undertaken in four regions of the Atlantic Rainforest in Rio de Janeiro state (Brazil) over a year from March 2008 to February 2009. For this, we collected bees, flowering plants and bee pollen loads from the four sites, and evaluated pollen morphology in the laboratory. Field observations showed the presence of plants belonging to ten different families and pollen loads showed the presence of pollen types belonging to 26 plant families. There were strong differences between pollen types, especially regarding pollen grain shape. The present survey suggests a high value of these plant species as trophic resources for the T. angustula in the understory of Atlantic Rainforest. Changes in these fragments of this forest may compromise the availability of resources for Tetragonisca angustula species and other stingless bees.

Foram examinadas sete espécies de Euphorbiaceae s.l. que ocorrem no Estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil: Actinostemon concolor, Hieronima alchorneoides, Maprounea brasiliensis, Pachystroma longifolium, Pausandra morisiana, Sapium glandulosum e Sebastiania argutidens. Foram caracterizadas, exceto Pausandra morisiana, por apresentarem grãos de pólen em mônades, isopolares, pequenos a médios, de simetria radial, 3-colporados, oblato-esferoidais a prolatos e de superfície microrreticulada. Pausandra morisiana segue o padrão Croton. Os dados morfométricos mostraram que os grãos de pólen de Hieronima alchorneiodes apresentaram o eixo equatorial bem menor em relação às demais espécies estudadas. Pachystroma longifolium foi a única espécie que apresentou uma nexina mais espessa do que a sexina, o que caracteriza grãos de pólen como sendo mais resistentes a processos de fossilização.

The pollen morphology of seven species of Euphorbiaceae occurring in the State of Santa Catarina, were examined: Actinostemon concolor, Hieronima alchorneoides, Maprounea brasiliensis, Pachystroma longifolium, Pausandra morisiana, Sapium glandulosum and Sebastiania argutidens. Except for Pausandra morisiana, all species have pollen grains in monads, isopolar, small to medium, radial symmetry, 3-colporate, oblate-spheroidal to prolate, and with a microreticulate ornamentation. Pollen grains of Pausandra morisiana follow the Croton-pattern. The morphometric data showed that Hieronima alchorneiodes pollen grains present the equatorial axis shorter than the other specimens studied. Pachystroma longifolium is the only species that shows a nexine thicker than the sexine, which characterizes pollen grains more resistant to the fossilization processes.