Predominance of the SARS-CoV-2 Lineage P.1 and Its Sublineage P.1.2 in Patients from the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil in March 2021.

Almost a year after the COVID-19 pandemic had begun, new lineages (B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1, and B.1.617.2) associated with enhanced transmissibility, immunity evasion, and mortality were identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil. The previous most prevalent lineages in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS, Southern Brazil), B.1.1.28 and B.1.1.33, were rapidly replaced by P.1 and P.2, two B.1.1.28-derived lineages harboring the E484K mutation. To perform a genomic characterization from the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, we sequenced viral samples to: (i) identify the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in the region, the state, and bordering countries/regions; (ii) characterize the mutation spectra; (iii) hypothesize viral dispersal routes by using phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches. We found that 96.4% of the samples belonged to the P.1 lineage and approximately 20% of them were assigned as the novel P.1.2, a P.1-derived sublineage harboring signature substitutions recently described in other Brazilian states and foreign countries. Moreover, sequences from this study were allocated in distinct branches of the P.1 phylogeny, suggesting multiple introductions in RS and placing this state as a potential diffusion core of P.1-derived clades and the emergence of P.1.2. It is uncertain whether the emergence of P.1.2 and other P.1 clades is related to clinical or epidemiological consequences. However, the clear signs of molecular diversity from the recently introduced P.1 warrant further genomic surveillance.

Prevalência de tabagismo entre estudantes da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul / Smoking among students at Pontifícia Universidade Católica of Rio Grande do Sul

Com o objetivo de verificar a prevalência de fumantes entre estudantes universitários e a diferença entre os sexos, foi realizado um estudo transversal entre 450 alunos de todas as unidades acadêmicas da PUCRS...

Utilizaçäo do computador num arquivo de pacientes cirúrgicos / Use of computer in file of surgical patients

Os autores relatam a utilizaçäo de um sistema de arquivo de pacientes cirúrgicos em que foi empregado um microcomputador. Este sistema foi aplicado na Disciplina de Cirurgia Plástica da Fundaçäo Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre e no Serviço de Cirurgia Plástica da Irmandade Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto Alegre. Apresenta-se o resultado da utilizaçäo do arquivo nos anos de 1984 e 1985, abrangendo um número total de 455 pacientes. O sistema apresentou as seguintes vantagens: 1) estandardizaçäo e armazenamento compacto dos registros; 2) aumento da velocidade de recuperaçäo dos mesmos; 3) facilitaçäo da pesquisa científica através da correlaçäo dos dados armazenados