Invasive species are among the most important problems for biodiversity conservation worldwide, particularly in megadiverse countries such as Brazil. However, there is no biological information to develop policies for managing invasive species populations in many cases. The life history parameters and otolith variations are essential to understanding the adaptations of the species introduced in marine environments. This study aimed to identify the age structure and ontogenetic variation in the sagitta otolith of Opsanus beta. Fish samples were obtained monthly in the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex (PEC), south of Brazil. The shape indices verified ontogenetic variations in the otoliths (PERMANOVA; F = 110; P < 0.0001), but no sexual variations were observed in the shape of the otoliths (PERMANOVA; F = 3.65; P > 0.05). Specimen aged between 1 to 9 years were observed in the PEC, with the highest occurrence of individuals between 3 and 6 years (78%). No sexual differences were observed between the ages by the Kimura test. Our results confirm that the O. beta population is well established with age groups similar to that observed in the region where the species is native.

Psoriasis refers to genetically deterministic chronic inflammatory dermatoses, which are characterized by systemic immuno-mediated inflammatory response with preferential activation of the IL -23/-17 axis, growth deviation and keratinocyte differentiation.Material and methods. There were 21 patients under supervision with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Nine (42.8 %) patients did not receive previous systemic therapy; 3 (14.2 %) patients received apremilast at a dose of 30 mg twice a day during a year, 4 (19.0 %) patients were prescribed methotrexate at a dose of 15 mg subcutaneously weekly, for at least a year; 5 (23.8 %) patients received secukinumab at 300 mg subcutaneously once every 4 weeks for a year. All patients had a lost of effect or had developed side effects, which determined a change in therapeutic tactics.Results. Among the patients who were earlier not receiving treatment treatment after therapy with netakimab was started, the PASI index made 3.5 ± 1.1 (decrease by 94.4 %), the PASI index at the patients who were earlier receiving sekukinumab was 4.5 ± 1.1 (decrease by 81.9 %), among the patients who were earlier receiving the methotrexate the PASI index was 8.5 ± 1.3 (decrease by 89.9 %), at the patients who were earlier receiving apremilast the PASI index was 9.5 ± 2.1 (decrease by 86.3 %).Conclusions. Improvement in skin symptoms was accompanied by improvement of patients’ quality of life. Thus, the DLQI decreased by 77.9 % in the group of patients who had not previously received systemic therapy, by 77.4 % and 76.4 % in patients who had previously received sekukinumab and methotrexate therapy, respectively, and by 85.2 % in the group of patients who had previously received apremilast.

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Aim Non-native fish species have been closely related to serious damage to aquatic biodiversity due to their negative effects on native fauna. We aim to report the first and alarming occurrence of the non-native catfish “jaú” Zungaro jahu in the Iguaçu River basin above the Iguaçu Falls, a high-endemism Neotropical ecoregion for fish. Methods Fish samplings were taken with a bottom gill net in the Segredo Reservoir, where they were anesthetized in benzocaine hydrochloride and fixed in formaldehyde in the field, later identified in the laboratory and housed at the Museu de História Natural do Capão da Imbuia (MHNCI). Results Our recent samplings in the Iguaçu River basin recorded one non-native individual of the catfish “jaú” Zungaro jahu in the Segredo Reservoir. Conclusions We mainly intend to alarm about the risk of expansion of the occurrence of this non-native species throughout the cascading reservoirs in the Iguaçu River where it could potentially develop serious damage to the trophic chain, predation of small-sized endemic species, and competition, especially in the sites where the endemic and endangered pimelodid “surubim-do-iguaçu” (Steindachneridion melanodermatum) maintains viable populations, currently restricted to the Lower Iguaçu River basin exhibiting recent signs of a population bottleneck.

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