Subterranean fauna associated with mesovoid shallow substratum in canga formations from southeastern Brazil: invertebrate biodiversity of a highly threatened ecosystem.

Iron Formations (IF) are threatened by mining, particularly the Mesovoid Shallow Substratum (MSS), an understudied subterranean environment. We evaluate the spatiotemporal patterns of subterranean fauna in MSS of iron duricrust (canga) in the Iron Quadrangle and Southern Espinhaço Range, southeastern Brazil. Samplings took place between July 2014 and June 2022 using five trap types.

Differential response of fire on the community dynamics of five insect taxa in a tropical mountaintop forest archipelago.

The Earth's most diverse group of organisms is facing an imminent crisis, as recent investigations suggest a remarkable decline in insect diversity. Within this context, altimontane forest islands might emerge as important refuges holding an invaluable diversity of species that would be doomed to disappear. Here, we aimed to examine the impact of fire on the temporal variation of ant, bee, butterfly, dung beetle, and wasp communities in natural and highly threatened altimontane forest islands.

Fast updating feedback from piriform cortex to the olfactory bulb relays multimodal reward contingency signals during rule-reversal.

While animals readily adjust their behavior to adapt to relevant changes in the environment, the neural pathways enabling these changes remain largely unknown. Here, using multiphoton imaging, we investigated whether feedback from the piriform cortex to the olfactory bulb supports such behavioral flexibility. To this end, we engaged head-fixed mice in a multimodal rule-reversal task guided by olfactory and auditory cues.

Cerambycid Beetle Communities in Caatinga Dry Forests Are Structured by Seasonal Species Turnover.

Dry forests in the Caatinga biome of Brazil are seasonal ecosystems where diversity is driven by water availability. Understanding how the distribution of communities is driven by temporal climate changes has intrigued researchers for decades. However, temporal diversity patterns should be more evident in dry environments, since seasonality is characterized by being highly limiting to insect activities.

Distress and Spiritual Well-Being in Brazilian Patients Initiating Chemotherapy during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Cross-Sectional Study.

Social distancing and the priority given to COVID-19 patients in health services, which caused postponement of appointments and cancer treatment, may have triggered unprecedented levels of distress in cancer patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of distress and the levels of spiritual well-being of people initiating chemotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying the factors associated with distress, and determining if there is a relationship between distress and spiritual well-being. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 91 Brazilians.

Spatiotemporal Patterns of Ant Metacommunity in a Montane Forest Archipelago.

Naturally fragmented landscapes are adequate systems for evaluating patterns and mechanisms that determine species distribution without confounding effects of anthropogenic fragmentation and habitat loss. We aimed to evaluate an ant metacommunity's spatiotemporal patterns in montane forest islands amid a grassland-dominated matrix. We assessed these patterns by deconstructing the ant metacommunity into forest-dependent and habitat generalist species.

Nonintrusive investigation of large Al-kaolin fractal aggregates with slow settling velocities.

Although a combination of aggregate characteristics dictate particle settling, it is commonly assumed that large particles have higher terminal velocities. This simplifying assumption often leads to overprediction of large aggregate settling velocities which in turn negatively impacts on estimates of sedimentation clarification efficiency. Despite its importance, little attention has been given to large aggregates with slow-settling velocities.

Laparoscopy with augmented reality adaptations.

One of the most promising applications of Optical See-Through Augmented Reality is minimally laparoscopic surgery, which currently suffers from problems such as surgeon discomfort and fatigue caused by looking at a display positioned outside the surgeon's visual field, made worse by the length of the procedure. This fatigue is especially felt on the surgeon's neck, as it is strained from adopting unnatural postures in order to visualise the laparoscopic video feed. Throughout this paper, we will present work in Augmented Reality, as well as developments in surgery and Augmented Reality applied to both surgery in general and laparoscopy in particular to address these issues.

Can taxonomic and functional metrics explain variation in the ecological uniqueness of ecologically-associated animal groups in a modified rainforest?

The conservation of biodiversity requires adequate information about species and ecosystem attributes. The local contribution to β-diversity (LCBD) is a community composition-based metric of ecological uniqueness of sites. Here, we tested the capability of taxonomic and functional attributes of biological communities to explain variation in LCBD at a large spatial extent.

Patch and landscape effects on forest-dependent dung beetles are masked by matrix-tolerant dung beetles in a mountaintop rainforest archipelago.

Naturally fragmented landscapes provide suitable scenarios through which to investigate patch and landscape effects on biodiversity patterns in areas that are isolated from the disturbances usually associated with human-made fragments. We aimed to investigate the patch and landscape effects on the diversity of forest-dependent and matrix-tolerant dung beetles in a naturally fragmented landscape. We also assessed the influence that seasonal and vegetation variations had on these dung beetles.

Distribution of and Along Spatio-Temporal and Temperature Gradients.

Subspecies is a debated taxonomic rank that, in some cases, could indicate that a speciation process is taking place. Studying the degree of co-occurrence among subspecies along environmental gradients may help to determine its taxonomic status. In this study, we explore the distribution of two subspecies of along spatio-temporal and temperature gradients in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil in order to reinforce their current subspecies status or to support their consideration as two different species.

Improving Sperm Viability After Spinal Cord Injury Using Hyperbaric Therapy.

Background: Infertility is one of many complications of spinal cord injury (SCI) in male patients, who are often at the peak of their reproductive life. This study evaluated effects of hyperbaric therapy (HT) on quality of sperm of rats with SCI and correlated the findings with histologic analysis of the testicles.

Methods: This experimental study comprised 18 rats that were submitted to SCI with a MASCIS Impactor and randomly allocated to either a HT or a control group.

First record of Scybalocanthon nigriceps (Harold, 1868) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil.

The dung beetle, Scybalocanthon nigriceps (Harold, 1868), is recorded in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, for the first time, at the Moreno Fortes Biological Reserve, municipality of Dois Irmãos das Missões, northwest region of the state, expanding the area of occurrence and distribution of this species in the country.

The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project.

The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.

Management of Type II Odontoid Fractures: Experience from Latin American Spine Centers.

Objective: To analyze characteristics of type II odontoid fracture (TII-OF), including clinical and radiographic factors, that influence surgical planning in 8 Latin American centers.

Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed of 88 patients with TII-OF between 2004 and 2015 from 8 Latin American centers. Parameters studied included 1) demographic data and causes of TII-OF, 2) clinical and neurologic presentation, 3) characteristics of fracture (degree of odontoid displacement, displacement of odontoid relative to C2 body, anatomy of fracture line, distance between fragments, presence of comminution, contact area between odontoid and C2 body), 4) type of treatment, and 5) clinical and radiographic outcome.

Trends in scientific publications of Indian spine surgeons over 14 years (2000-2013).

Background: The number and quality of scientific publications reflects the standards of scientific research in a country. However, the contribution of Indian spine surgeons toward global publications is unknown. The goal is to study the publications of Indian spine surgeons between 2000 and 2013.

Radiotherapy-induced tumors of the spine, peripheral nerve, and spinal cord: Case report and literature review.

Background: The development of a secondary malignancy in the field of radiation is a rare but well-recognized hazard of cancer treatment. The radiotherapy-induced (RT-I) tumors are even more aggressive and potentially lethal than the primary tumor. To goal of this article is to report a case of RT-I neural tumor located in the peripheral nerve and spinal cord and to perform a literature review of the subject.

Responsiveness of depression and its influence on surgical outcomes of lumbar degenerative diseases.

Objective: To demonstrate the responsiveness of depression after surgery for lumbar degenerative disease and to verify the impact of this condition on surgical outcomes.

Patient Sample: A prospective cohort study with 91 patients with lumbar degenerative diseases who were evaluated preoperatively, at 30 days and 1 year postoperatively.

Outcome Measures: Evolution of depression between the follow-ups and its correlation with satisfaction.

Local and regional effects on community structure of dung beetles in a mainland-island scenario.

Understanding the ecological mechanisms driving beta diversity is a major goal of community ecology. Metacommunity theory brings new ways of thinking about the structure of local communities, including processes occurring at different spatial scales. In addition to new theories, new methods have been developed which allow the partitioning of individual and shared contributions of environmental and spatial effects, as well as identification of species and sites that have importance in the generation of beta diversity along ecological gradients.

How can we teach them about neurotrauma prevention? Prospective and randomized "Pense Bem-Caxias do Sul" study with multiple interventions in preteens and adolescents.

Unlabelled: OBJECT.: A previous study published by the authors showed that a single intervention could not change the baseline attitudes toward neurotrauma prevention. The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of multiple interventions in modifying knowledge and attitudes for the prevention of neurotrauma in Brazilian preteens and adolescents.

Twelve years of scientific production on Medline by Latin American spine surgeons.

Background: Despite the small contribution of LA in the Science Citation Index (SCI), a growing contribution by LA research to international literature has been observed in recent years.

Study Design: Systematic review.

Purpose: To evaluate the scientific contribution of Latin American (LA) Spine Surgeons in the last decade.

Surgical planning and neurological outcome after anterior approach to remove a disc herniation at the C7-T1 level in 19 patients.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to report the neurological presentation, outcome and surgical planning in a series of patients with a symptomatic single-level C7-T1 disc herniation who underwent anterior surgical discectomy and fusion.

Summary Of Background Data: Disc herniations at C7-T1 are uncommon, and there are few large series in the literature describing anterior treatment of such herniations.

Diversity and seasonality of Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in forest fragments in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Scarabaeinae specimens were collected with the use of pitfall traps baited with human excrement, rotten meat and rotting banana, between May 2009 and April 2010, in three forest fragments in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: 'Morro do Elefante' (MOEL), 'Morro do Cerrito' (MOCE) and 'Campus da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria' (UFSM). A total of 19,699 individuals belonging to 33 species were collected. Canthidium aff.