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Watersheds are highly complex aquatic systems crucial to human and ecological functions. Land cover impacts watersheds, and assessing the landscape structure and configuration is essential for effective management and planning, mainly when using indicators of anthropogenic disturbances such as distance to nature (D 2 N). This study aimed to assess the temporal change in land cover and anthropogenic influence in the Piracicaba Capivari Jundiaí Watershed (WPCJ) and the Sorocaba Médio Tietê Watershed (WSMT) in southeastern Brazil from 2010 to 2020, providing valuable information for decision-making. In both watersheds, agricultural activities predominated, covering more than 60% of the area, with forestry being dominant in 2010 and sugarcane in 2020. However, forest areas have increased in both study regions. The D 2 N analysis indicated a predominance of urbanized or intensively cultivated landscapes (> 60%). There was an improvement in 2020 compared to 2010, attributed to increased natural areas. Regarding the temporal change in D 2 N, more areas transitioned toward artificial rather than natural states in both WPCJ and WSMT, although a considerable portion remained unchanged (> 75%). This analysis is one of the few that applies D 2 N to watershed assessment. We emphasize the need for continued planning and conservation efforts in the WPCJ and WSMT and the potential for using this approach to assess anthropogenic influence in other watersheds., Competing Interests: Declarations: All authors have read, understood, and have complied as applicable with the statement on “Ethical responsibilities of Authors” as found in the Instructions for Authors. Ethical approval: This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any authors. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Objectives: To investigate the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on lymphedema patients from an endemic area of lymphatic filariasis. Methods: The study descriptive compared sociodemographic and clinical aspects, risk of falling and quality of life, prior and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 28 lymphedema patients, older than 18 years old and under investigation of filarial infection. For the evaluation of functional mobility, the Time Up and Go test and The Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 Health for quality of life, was used. Results: An increase in interdigital and dermal lesions, a higher frequency of acute dermatolymphangioadenitis crises and risk of falling, worsening of quality of life in the domains of physical functioning, general health, vitality, and mental health during the pandemic was observed. Conclusion: Our findings of clinical worsening and quality of life of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic indicate the need to reinforce the goal of the Lymphatic Filariasis Program regarding the follow-up of these patients in the actions of the Global Program for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis, due to the discontinuity in the care during the pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Aquino, Aguiar-Santos, Rocha, Coutinho, Nascimento, Moretti, Silva, Lima, Bonfim and Medeiros.)

The emission of mercury (Hg) by chlor-alkali plants can pollute soils and sediments, posing risks to the environment and human health. Mangrove ecosystems are particularly sensitive to Hg contamination. Here, we studied the Hg spatial distribution and associated human and ecologic risks in mangrove soils impacted by a chlor-alkali plant. Sixty-six samples of superficial soils were collected from the mangrove of the Botafogo River, Brazil. Mercury contents were determined and ecological and human health risks were estimated from the soil. The Hg contents exceeded the local Hg background by up to 180 times, indicating the substantial anthropic contribution that occurred in the area. Mercury concentrations followed a gradient as a function of the distance from the chlor-alkali plant, with an apparent contribution from the estuary's hydrodynamic regime. The ecological risk was considered high in all the soils evaluated, while the daily average exposure for humans, considering multiple exposure routes to soil, is below the tolerable dose recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, the risk to human health was unacceptable in the estuary section closest to the plant, mainly for children. Vapor inhalation was the main route for estimating non-carcinogenic risk. The results of this study indicate a severe scenario of Hg pollution with unacceptable risks to the ecosystem and the health of human beings, especially of the communities that live from fishery and shellfish colletion and are exposed daily to soils polluted by mercury. Studies on the organomercurial species in the food chain and Hg levels in individuals living close to the estuary are warranted. This research is an important reference in the world regarding the contamination of mangrove areas by Hg., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

One new species of the genus Oleia Andersen et Mendes, 2007 (Diptera: Chironomidae: Orthocladiinae), O. fieldsi sp. n. is described and figured as adult male. The specimens were collected in a fragment of secondary forest in the Atlantic Forest, at Iguaçu National Park, on the border of Argentina and Brazil.

A new species of Chironomus Meigen, C. rishii (Diptera: Chironomidae: Chironominae) from Brazil, is described and figured as adults male and female, pupa and larva. Adults of C. rishii sp. n. can be recognized by the prominent scutal tubercle and the hypopygium with narrow, elongated and strongly hooked superior volsella. Pupae of this new species are indistinguishable from most of the described Neotropical species, while larvae may be separated by the mentum with deeply incised trifid median tooth and 7 pairs of lateral teeth and the absence of lateral and ventral tubules. This last feature would place C. rishii sp. n. within the 'salinarius group'. However, this is not a group in the systematic sense, but an artificial grouping equivalent to a morphotype that reflects only the tubule character state. It is suggested that the absence of tubules is an adaptation for tolerating a wide range of salinity levels, however the 'salinarius group' had been also recorded in freshwater environments. Here, larvae without abdominal tubules were found in an environment with low levels of salinity, which indicates that the tubule condition may be result of further abiotic pressures, and configures a rather enigmatic scenario to this feature, particularly when considered the fact that larvae of Chironomus having tubules had also been recorded at the same habitat, living under similar conditions of C. rishi sp. n.

The PfCLAG9 has been extensively studied because their immunogenicity. Thereby, the gene product is important for therapeutics interventions and a potential vaccine candidate. Antibodies against synthetic peptides corresponding to selected sequences of the Plasmodium falciparum antigen PfCLAG9 were found in sera of falciparum malaria patients from Rondônia, in the Brazilian Amazon. Much higher antibody titres were found in semi-immune and immune asymptomatic parasite carriers than in subjects suffering clinical infections, corroborating original findings in Papua Guinea. However, sera of Plasmodium vivax patients from the same Amazon area, in particular from asymptomatic vivax parasite carriers, reacted strongly with the same peptides. Bioinformatic analyses revealed regions of similarity between P. falciparum Pfclag9 and the P. vivax ortholog Pvclag7. Indirect fluorescent microscopy analysis showed that antibodies against PfCLAG9 peptides elicited in BALB/c mice react with human red blood cells (RBCs) infected with both P. falciparum and P. vivax parasites. The patterns of reactivity on the surface of the parasitised RBCs are very similar. The present observations support previous findings that PfCLAG9 may be a target of protective immune responses and raises the possibility that the cross reactive antibodies to PvCLAG7 in mixed infections play a role in regulate the fate of Plasmodium mixed infections.

One new species of Thalassomya Schiner, 1856 (Diptera: Chironomidae: Telmatogetoninae), T. gutae sp. n. is described and figured as male, pupa and larva. The specimen was collected in the marine zone between tidemarks, in southeastern Brazilian coast and is the first species of this genus recorded to Brazil.

A new genus of non-biting midges, Tapajos gen. n., is erected for T cristinae sp. n. from the Neotropical region, and placed in the subfamily Chironominae, tribe Chironomini. Adult males are characterized by the combination of bare eyes; antenna with 11 flagellomeres; antepronotal lobes fused medially; fore tibia with inner scale broad and rounded; superior volsella with a long sickle shaped, bare part arising from the distal lateral corner of a globose, densely trichiose base; inferior volsella sub-cylindrical, surpassing the anal point, distally setose and slightly expanded.

One new species of Riethia Kieffer, Riethia manauara n. sp., is described and figured as male, pupa and larva. The generic diagnosis for pupae and larvae are emended. The specimens were collected from water systems in the Amazon Rainforest in northern Brazil.

Purpose: To determine the relationship between ocular hypertension and glaucoma in patients with Graves' orbitopathy., Methods: A total of 107 patients with a diagnosis of Graves' orbitopathy, followed at the Oculoplasty sector of the University Hospital, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, were evaluated by applanation tonometry, computed visual campimetry (Humphrey 30-2, Full Threshold) and analysis and photographic documentation of the optic nerve. The patients considered to have the suspicion of glaucoma were re-evaluated 1 year later for diagnostic confirmation or exclusion., Results: A 3.74% prevalence of ocular hypertension (four patients) and a 2.8% prevalence of glaucoma (three patients) was observed. When considering only patients older than 40 years, the prevalence of ocular hypertension was 5.4% (four patients) and the prevalence of glaucoma was 4.76% (three patients)., Conclusion: The present study did not reveal a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of ocular hypertension or glaucoma between patients with Graves' orbitopathy and the general population.