The Atlantic Forest is one of the largest and richest tropical rainforests on the planet, being one of the 25 world priorities for conservation. The Atlantic Forest portion located north of the São Francisco River corresponds to the Pernambuco Endemism Center (PEC). We describe the snake composition of the PEC, providing information about the diversity, natural history and geographical distribution of the species, based on records from five scientific collections and additional information from the literature. A total of 78 species of snakes distributed in eight families was registered in the Pernambuco Endemism Center. The Caatinga is the Brazilian biome that most shares species with the PEC, followed by Cerrado. On the other hand, seven species are considered endemic of this region. Most of the snake species in the PEC have been registered in forest (94.8%), followed by “Brejos Nordestinos” (46.1%), Tabuleiros (43.5%), Restingas (14.1%) and Mangroves (5.1%). The PEC snake fauna includes mainly terrestrial species (60.2%) and cryptozoic and/or fossorial species (21.7%), but also presents a high richness of semi-arboreal and arboreal species (29.5%). Vertebrates are the main food item consumed by the species (78% of species), among the main prey are mammals, lizards, and amphibians. Most species show a strictly nocturnal activity period (50%), followed by strictly diurnal (38%). The PEC is the most degraded and least known region of the Atlantic Forest, yet it has revealed a high richness of snake species, including seven endemic species. It is emphasized that regional conservation efforts need to be intensified, because few forests in the region are formally protected, and the majority consist of small and poorly protected fragments, which means that many species in the region may be in risk of extinction.

Approximately 35% of patients with confirmed HER2 breast cancer progress to metastases of the central nervous system (CNS). Total cerebral radiotherapy is considered as standard treatment for these cases; however, studies have shown that some chemotherapy drugs can be used during radiotherapy without significantly increasing its toxicity. In this article, we report the case of a patient with HER2-positive breast cancer who showed isolated progression of the illness in the CNS, which was observed during the treatment period using T-DM1 concomitantly with radiotherapy of the CNS without apparent toxicity of the combination and keeping the illness controlled. Through a review of the literature on the use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy with T-DM1 for the treatment of cerebral metastases in HER2-positive breast cancer, we describe the efficacy and tolerance of the concomitant application of these treatments.

Combining individual movement and home range data can allow us to better understand how an animal interacts with its surroundings and how this influences ecological dynamics. Previous studies about the movement and home range of snakes have shown several factors influencing them. Usually, these studies were made with different species, using different methods and in different regions, hampering a comparative analysis to identify general patterns. The present study aims to review all available literature about snake movement and home range identifying the influence of phylogenetic, ecological, and morphological factors on these behaviors. We conducted an exhaustive survey of specialized journals and online databases for papers that used radio telemetry to track snakes. We found 448 papers and after applying filter selected 74 of them to determine the influence of the ecological factors and of the phylogeny on snake movement and home range in 1010 snakes. Our results show that movement and home range have no phylogenetic signal, however, functional traits are linked to snake’s habits and reflect the particularities of survival strategies and morphologies of each group. Larger and heavier snakes move more and occupy larger areas. Snake movement seems to be more efficient in aquatic environments. Our results provide useful data to understand the dynamics of snake movements and space use and outline strategies for their conservation.

A pandemia de ‘Coronavirus disease’ 2019 (COVID-19) vem impondo mudanças radicais nos diversos sistemas de saúde, na estrutura médico-hospitalar, até no relacionamento médico-paciente. Medidas extremas visando a contenção da COVID-19 incluem o isolamento de populações (medidas de ‘lockdown’), a suspensão do atendimento ambulatorial de rotina e cirurgias eletivas, a conversão de andares inteiros em enfermarias dedicadas à quarentena de casos COVID-19, com importante impacto no manejo de diversas doenças agudas e crônicas. Independentemente das medidas acima, a doença encefalovascular continua afetando a vida de milhares de brasileiros, constituindo um dos principais motivos de atendimento emergencial em hospital-geral, exigindo assistência médica continuada e tempo-sensível. Com os atuais indícios de que esta pandemia continuará se prolongando globalmente, médicos-neurologistas e de outras especialidades responsáveis pelo atendimento emergencial do acidente vascular encefálico (AVE) estão sob constante risco de exposição ao COVID-19. Visando minimizar esses riscos, mas mantendo a eficiência e acurácia diagnóstica do exame, inovações no exame neurológico emergencial para o paciente com suspeita de AVE foram implementadas em diversos centros de referência para o atendimento de AVE. É objetivo deste projeto, portanto, apresentar um vídeo (https://youtu.be/5Sh1PnpeKmk), demonstrando o exame neurológico observacional na era da COVID-19, visando extrair o máximo de informações de forma eficiente, rápida, e minimizando os riscos de contaminação para o médico-assistente.

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