Influence of ancient anthropogenic activities on the mangrove soil microbiome.

Mangroves are highly productive ecosystems located at the transition between the terrestrial and marine environments. Mangroves play an important role in carbon storage, nutrient cycling and support for the marine food web. Mangrove soils are formed by fine particles rich in organic carbon and are subject to constant fluctuations in oxygen, salinity and nutrient availability due to fresh water flux and tidal variations. Microbes play an important role in nutrient cycling in mangrove soils; however, studies on the mangrove soil microbiome are scarce. Here we compare the microbiome of pristine mangrove soil located in an environmentally protected area in Guaratuba, Southern Brazil, with the microbiome of mangrove soil affected by the presence of carbonaceaous debris eroding from an archeological site known as Sambaqui. We show that although the Sambaqui site has a major effect on soil chemistry, increasing the soil pH by 2.6 units, only minor changes in the soil microbiome were detected indicating resilience of the microbial community to pH variations. The high alpha diversity indexes and predicted metabolic potential suggest that the mangrove soil microbiome not only provides important ecological services but also may host a broad range of microbes and genes of biotechnological interest.

Comparison of the activity measurements in nuclear medicine services in the Brazilian northeast region.

The Northeastern Regional Centre for Nuclear Sciences (CRCN-NE), National Nuclear Energy Commission, has organized for the first time in nuclear medicine services (NMSs) in the Brazilian northeast region a comparison of activity measurements for (99m)Tc, (131)I, (67)Ga, (201)Tl and (57)Co. This tool is widely utilized to evaluate not only the accuracy of radionuclide calibrators, but also the competence of NMSs to measure the activity of the radiopharmaceuticals and the performance of the personnel involved in these measurements. The comparison results showed that 90% of the results received from participants are within the ±10% limit established by the Brazilian Norm.

Comparison of activity measurements in nuclear medicine services in Pernambuco

Intercomparison is an important tool for quality assessment, because equipment performance and procedures are evaluated and compared. In nuclear medicine, this tool is wide utilized to evaluate the ability of the services to measure activities of radiopharmaceuticals which will be administered to the patients in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. In this work, a comparison program of activity measurements of the 99mTc, 131I, 67Ga and 201Tl radionuclides was established in Pernambuco State, at the Brazilian Northeast, with the aim of evaluating the quality of routine measurements carried out in the NMS. The results in each NMS are sent to the Standard laboratory, which compares these results with the acceptance limits recommended by national regulations. All NMS participants complied with the limit established for the accuracy of measurement (+/-10 percent) and showed that their radionuclide calibrators are adequate for measurement of the activities of radiopharmaceuticals.

A intercomparação é uma importante ferramenta para avaliação da qualidade da medição da atividade de radiofármaco, porque não apenas o desempenho do equipamento é verificado, mas também todo procedimento de medição. Na medicina nuclear, esta ferramenta é amplamente utilizada para avaliar a habilidade dos serviços de medicina nuclear (SMN) na medição da atividade dos radiofármacos que serão administrados aos pacientes para diagnósticos ou procedimentos terapêuticos. Neste trabalho, um programa de intercomparação de medidas de atividades de radiofármacos, utilizando as fontes de 99mTc, 131I, 67Ga e 201Tl, foi estabelecido no estado de Pernambuco, região nordeste do Brasil, com o objetivo de avaliar a qualidade das medições realizadas nos SMN. Os resultados obtidos em cada SMN são enviados ao laboratório padrão, que os compara com os valores de referência recomendados pela norma nacional, verificando o desempenho destes instrumentos. Todos os SMN participantes respeitaram os limites estabelecidos para a exatidão das medidas (+/-10 por cento), demonstrando que os calibradores de radionuclídeos estão adequados/apropriados para a medição de atividades de radiofármacos.