Tuberculosis (TB) treatment is highly effective, but response to therapy varies by geography and population subgroups. We assessed differences in TB treatment response in a representative and heterogeneous Brazilian population. We estimated genetic ancestry according to major genetic ancestry groups (African, European, and Amerindian) in the Regional Prospective Observational Research in Tuberculosis (RePORT)-Brazil cohort usi...

Gonatobotryum is an anamorphic fungus reported mainly as a saprophyte, parasite, or endophyte. The genus has traditionally been identified based on morphological features, with its phylogenetic placement remaining uncertain due to the lack of molecular data. During the analysis of fungi obtained from mangrove sediments in Brazil, nine isolates were morphologically identified as Gonatobotryum and subsequently analysed using the...

While bats are known to harbor various viruses and bacteria, their role as hosts for hemoparasites has not been extensively studied. This research investigated the presence of ectoparasites and vector-borne pathogens—including Anaplasmataceae agents, hemoplasmas, apicomplexans, and kinetoplastids—in 74 Phyllostomidae bats sampled from an urban forest fragment in southeastern Brazil. Overall, 31.1% of the bats were infested wit...

Increasing grazing pressure for food production is a major challenge for biodiversity conservation in tropical dryland, particularly in ecologically complex transition zones that harbor substantial global biodiversity. Despite their high conservation value, the effects of grazing management on biodiversity in drylands remain poorly understood. We investigated how land-use intensity and local environmental metrics influence bot...

Main conclusion In miRNA–mRNA regulatory modules of Setaria italica , the candidate novel miRNAs Sit-miR74-N/APX7 and Sit-miR132-N/PEPC involved in key pathways underlying water-deficit response have been detected. In the first module, APX7 expression was directly associated with water-deficit intensity, whereas in the second module, PEPC activation occurred under moderate water deficit. Abstract Drought severely constrains pl...

Hydraulic implications occur when rainfall and overland flow move across the vegetative structure of the Caatinga, the shrubland native to Brazil’s semi-arid region, which is a climate change hotspot. Can the Caatinga structure’s effects on rain interception, along with water retention caused by hydraulic resistance, significantly increase water infiltration? How can overland flow at low Reynolds numbers be affected? Twelve si...

Objective To develop an endoscope reprocessing system using ozonated water jets. Methods The system features a jet head with concentric orifices that moves vertically to disinfect the external surface of the endoscope. Simultaneously, ozonated water is injected into the internal channel to ensure complete disinfection. Endoscopes were experimentally contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli . Quantitative an...

Aim We evaluated how native vegetation cover influences the diversity of arachnid assemblages across multiple spatial scales in major Brazilian ecosystems. Location Brazil (Amazon and Atlantic rainforests, Cerrado savanna and Caatinga dry forest). Taxon Arachnida (Opiliones, Pseudoscorpiones and Scorpiones). Methods We sampled arachnids at 120 sites using active search and litter sifting. Native vegetation cover was quantified...

The presence of the franciscana ( Pontoporia blainvillei ) at the northern limit of the FMA II was investigated using a range of methods, including monitoring of strandings, boat surveys, and passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). Franciscana strandings were recorded within the distributional gap between Macaé (22°55′ S) and Ilha Grande (23°09′ S), suggesting that the northern boundary of the FMA II may extend as far as Jaconé (22...

Aim We investigate the distribution of dispersal modes — endozoochory (via animal ingestion), synzoochory (via animal seed accumulation) and anemochory (via wind)—and seed mass of woody plants across Brazilian ecosystems, testing whether their relative abundance in local plant communities could be predicted by climate, edaphic factors and dispersal agents (e.g., the main vectors moving seeds). We expected climate to be the mai...

The olfactory bulb (OB) is one of the earliest brain regions affected in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). Its high metabolic rate, dopaminergic modulation, and connectivity with the cortical and limbic regions make it particularly vulnerable to early neuroinflammatory and oxidative processes. This study aimed to investigate whether the administration of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the OB induces...

This study identifies, discusses and analyzes the most commonly used parameters for the evaluation of energy systems from an environmental perspective. This work provides a critical assessment of the applicability of environmental payback time as a metric for evaluating energy systems, particularly in the context of ongoing decarbonization efforts. A new environmental indicator is proposed, the dynamic payback time, which inco...