In this work, we evaluated the levels of genetic diversity in 38 complete Genomes of SARS-CoV-2 from six countries in South America, using specific methodologies for paired FST, AMOVA, mismatch, demographic and spatial expansions, molecular diversity and for the time of evolutionary divergence. The analyses showed non-significant evolutionary divergences within and between the six countries, as well as a significant similarity to the time of genetic evolutionary divergence between all populations. Thus, it seems safe to affirm that we will find similar results for the other Countries of South America, reducing speculation about the existence of rapid and silent mutations that, although there are as we have shown in this work, do not increase, until this moment, the genetic variability of the Virus, a fact that would hinder the work with molecular targets for vaccines and drugs in general.

Although some Countries in South America have implemented laboratory and patient management protocols for the new coronavirus, the lack of access to basic sanitation and hygiene measures, as well as the lack of drugs and vaccines, has significantly interfered with the epidemiological mechanics of the virus, emphasizing its implications. Therefore, trying to understand the evolutionary aspects of the virus, emerges as another strategy that can help in the most varied measures of prophylaxis. In this work, we evaluated the levels of genetic diversity in 38 complete Genomes of SARS-CoV-2 from six countries in South America, using specific methodologies for paired FST, AMOVA, mismatch, demographic and spatial expansions, molecular diversity and for the time of evolutionary divergence. The analyses showed non-significant evolutionary divergences within and between the six countries, as well as a significant similarity to the time of genetic evolutionary divergence between all populations. Thus, it seems safe to affirm that we will find similar results for the other Countries of South America, reducing speculation about the existence of rapid and silent mutations that, although there are as we have shown in this work, do not increase, until this moment, the genetic variability of the Virus, a fact that would hinder the work with molecular targets for vaccines and drugs in general.

In this work, 18 sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 virus were used, from four Brazilian states (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná and Tocantins) with 09, 04, 04, 8 and 01 haplotypes, respectively, with lengths ranging from 234 to 29,903 bp. All sequences were publicly available on the National Biotechnology Information Center (NCBI) platform and were previously aligned with the MEGA X software, where all gaps and ambiguous sites were extracted for the construction of the phylogenetic tree. Of the 301 sites analyzed, 68% varied, 131 of which were parsimonium-informative sites. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the presence of two distinct subgroups, corroborated by the high FST (80%). The high degree of polymorphism found among these samples helped to establish a clear pattern of non-genetic structuring, based on the time of divergence between the groups. All molecular variance estimators confirmed that there was no consensus in the conservation of the studied sequences, also indicating a high variation for the protein products of the virus. In a highly miscegenational and diverse population such as the Brazilian population, this observation draws our attention to the need for an urgent increase in public health actions, awareness strategies, hygiene and distancing practices and not the other way around.

No abstract

The use of medicinal plants as an alternative treatment and cure is a practice used from older years to the most present days, marking the history and evolution of industrial medicine, contributing to the development and keeping alive the traditional medicinal culture. Still, in the development and evolution of the pharmaceutical industrial market, the high cost leads part of the population to make use of traditional medicine, emphasized and with greater force by the ethno-botanical knowledge of populations, and passed from generation to generation. The use of medicinal plants becomes feasible in populations that are distant from civilizations and do not have contact and access to basic care, both for treatment with industrialized drugs and the public policies of medicinal plants offered by the Unified Health System (SUS). With a look focused on the practice of the use of medicinal plants as an alternative treatment in still small towns and extending civilizations. Through a descriptive field research, establish what the links of knowledge exist between the population of the century and its origins.

In this work, we evaluated the levels of genetic diversity in 38 complete genomes of SARS-CoV-2 from five Central American countries (Belize, Guatemala, Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico) with 04, 10, 2, 8 and 14 haplotypes, respectively, with an extension of up to 29,885 bp. All sequences were publicly available on the National Biotechnology Information Center (NCBI) platform. Using specific methodologies for paired FST, AMOVA, mismatch, demographic-spatial expansion, molecular diversity and for the time of evolutionary divergence, it was possible to notice that only 79 sites remained conserved and that the high number of polymorphisms found helped to establish a clear pattern of genetic non-structuring, based on the time of divergence between the groups. The analyses also showed that significant evolutionary divergences within and between the five countries corroborate the fact that possible rapid and silent mutations are responsible for the increase in genetic variability of the Virus, a fact that would hinder the work with molecular targets for vaccines and medications in general.

In this work, we evaluated the levels of genetic diversity in 38 complete genomes of SARS-CoV-2, publicly available on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) platform and from six countries in South America (Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Uruguay and Venezuela with 16, 11, 1, 1, 1, 7 haplotypes, respectively), all with an extension of 29,906 bp and Phred values ≥ 40. These haplotypes were previously used for phylogenetic analyses, following the alignment protocols of the MEGA X software; where all gaps and unconserved sites were extracted for the construction of phylogenetic trees. The specific methodologies for Paired FST estimators, Molecular Variance (AMOVA), Genetic Distance, mismatch, demographic and spatial expansion analyses, molecular diversity and evolutionary divergence time analyses, were obtained using 20,000 random permutation.

OBJECTIVE: To identify, in the light of the scientific literature, the nutritional aspects and serum levels of vitamin D in the post-pandemic period of COVID-19. METHODS: This is a systematic observational review with a descriptive and qualitative approach. Scientific articles were included in English, Portuguese and Spanish, available online and in full-text format between the years 2018 to 2022. Descriptors extracted from DeCS and MeSH were used. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The coronavirus pandemic made it impossible for people to move freely during the first months of the spread of the disease, leading countries to adopt security measures such as social isolation of the population. As a result, many people stopped exposing themselves to the sun, hindering the endogenous synthesis of vitamin D. Malnutrition is associated with the worsening of diseases and worse prognosis, since micronutrients and macronutrients are essential for human metabolism. Studies have shown that many people infected with SARS-CoV-2, who had serum levels of vitamin D below the reference values, had a worse prognosis. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: However, it is still not possible to say whether vitamin D deficiency is a crucial factor for these prognoses in patients with COVID-19, requiring further studies on the subject.