Co-occurrence and seasonal and environmental distributions of the sandflies Lutzomyia longipalpis and Nyssomyia whitmani in the city of Puerto Iguazú, northeastern Argentina.

PubMed

Santini, M S; Fernández, M S; Cavia, R; Salomón, O D

2018-06-01

The aim of this work was to study the distribution of Phlebotominae (Diptera: Psycodidade) abundance in time and space in an area in northeastern Argentina with vector transmission of visceral and tegumentary leishmaniasis. For this, 51 households were selected using a 'worst scenario' criterion where one light trap was set during two consecutive nights in peridomiciles in the transitions between the four seasons, and the environment was surveyed simultaneously. The relationships of phlebotomine assemblage structure and the most abundant species with seasonality and environmental variables were evaluated using a canonical correspondence analysis and generalized linear mixed models, respectively. A total of 5110 individuals were captured. Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912) and Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho, 1939) were the most abundant species captured in all samplings (98.3% of the total capture). The period of highest abundance of Lu. longipalpis was early autumn, and it was distributed in the most urbanized areas. Nyssomyia whitmani occupied mainly the less urbanized areas, showing peaks of abundance in early spring and summer. Other species were captured in low numbers and showed seasonal-spatial variations similar to those of Ny. whitmani. We confirmed Leishmania spp. vector persistence throughout the year in spatial patches of high abundance even during the less favorable season. © 2017 The Royal Entomological Society.

DNA Barcoding Reveals Hidden Diversity of Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) at Fine and Broad Spatial Scales in Brazilian Endemic Regions for Leishmaniasis.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Bruno Leite; Carvalho-Costa, Luís Fernando; Pinto, Israel de Souza; Rebêlo, José Manuel Macário

2018-03-17

Sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) taxonomy is complex and time-consuming, which hampers epidemiological efforts directed toward controlling leishmaniasis in endemic regions such as northeastern Brazil. Here, we used a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene to identify sand fly species in Maranhão State (northeastern Brazil) and to assess cryptic diversity occurring at different spatial scales. For this, we obtained 148 COI sequences of 15 sand fly species (10 genera) from Maranhão (fine spatial scale), and joined them to COI sequences from other Brazilian localities (distant about 2,000 km from Maranhão, broad spatial scale) available in GenBank. We revealed cases of cryptic diversity in sand flies both at fine (Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz and Neiva) and Evandromyia termitophila (Martins, Falcão and Silva)) and broad spatial scales (Migonemyia migonei (França), Pressatia choti (Floch and Abonnenc), Psychodopygus davisi (Root), Sciopemyia sordellii (Shannon and Del Ponte), and Bichromomyia flaviscutellata (Mangabeira)). We argue that in the case of Bi. flaviscutellata, the cryptic diversity is associated with a putative new species. Cases in which DNA taxonomy was not as effective as morphological identification possibly involved recent speciation and/or introgressive hybridization, highlighting the need for integrative approaches to identify some sand fly species. Finally, we provide the first barcode sequences for four species (Brumptomyia avellari (Costa Lima), Evandromyia infraspinosa (Mangabeira), Evandromyia evandroi (Costa Lima and Antunes), and Psychodopygus complexus (Mangabeira)), which will be useful for further molecular identification of neotropical species.

Diversity of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Ibitipoca State Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

PubMed

Carvalho, Gustavo Mayr de Lima; De Vasconcelos, Fernanda Bernardes; Da Silva, Daniela Gonçalves; Botelho, Helbert Antônio; Filho, José Dilermando Andrade

2011-07-01

Leishmaniasis is a complex of zoonotic diseases that are endemic to many Brazilian states. They are transmitted to the vertebrates by the bite of the hematophagous female sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) vectors. Despite the increasing occurrence of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis cases in large urban centers, their transmission continues to occur primarily in a wild environment and may be associated with professional activities, ecotourism activities, or both. This study investigates the ecological parameters of the sand flies present in Ibitipoca State Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil. During 2009, systematic collections of sand flies were made monthly using HP light traps installed at five sites, including three natural settings (a cave, riparian vegetation, and a rain forest), the tourist and researchers' accommodations, and a surrounding domestic livestock area. In total, 161 sand flies (seven species) were collected, the most abundant, particularly in the surrounding domestic livestock area, being Lutzomyia (Psychodopygus) lloydi (Antunes, 1937). Furthermore, a previously unidentified Lutzomyia (Sciopemyia) sp. was prevalent in the cave environment. There are no existing records of the occurrence of leishmaniasis in Ibitipoca State Park; however, the some species of the subgenus Psychodopygus are known vectors of Leishmania spp in Brazil. Hence, the presence of a species of this genus in areas surrounding the park may represent a risk to ecotourism and the local inhabitants. Our study shows the importance of regular monitoring of the various areas used by humans to determine the distribution and spread of sand fly vectors for preventive management to forestall potential risk to health and consequent effect on ecotourists.

The effect of luminous intensity on the attraction of phlebotomine sand flies to light traps.

PubMed

Lima-Neto, Abdias R; Costa-Neta, Benedita M; da Silva, Apoliana Araújo; Brito, Jefferson M; Aguiar, João V C; Ponte, Islana S; Silva, Francinaldo S

2018-05-04

To improve the efficiency of light traps in collecting phlebotomine sand flies, the potential effects of luminous intensity on the attraction of these insects to traps were evaluated. Sand flies were collected with Hooper Pugedo (HP) light traps fitted with 5-mm light-emitting diodes (LED) bulbs: green (520 nm wavelength-10,000, 15,000 and 20,000 millicandela (mcd) and blue (470 nm-4,000, 12,000 and 15,000 mcd). A total of 3,264 sand flies comprising 13 species were collected. The collected species were Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva) (Diptera: Psychodidae) (52.48%), Evandromyia evandroi (Costa Lima & Antunes, 1939) (Diptera: Psychodidae) (32.90%) and Micropygomyia goiana (Martins, Falcão, & Silva) (Diptera: Psychodidae) (9.76%). An increase in luminous intensity of the LEDs increased the size of the sand fly catch. The lower luminous intensity of green (10,000 mcd) attracted an average of 13.7 ± 2.8 sand flies/trap per night and the other luminous intensities accounted for a mean of 24.1 ± 4.0 (15,000 mcd) and 28.2 ± 5.0 (20,000 mcd) sand flies/trap per night. Regarding the blue wavelength, the lower luminous intensity (4,000 mcd) attracted an average of 27.4 ± 4.1 sand flies/trap per night, followed by 12,000 mcd (37.6 ± 8.7) and 15,000 mcd (40.5 ± 7.3). Based on our data, the luminous intensity of light traps should be considered when developing light traps for monitoring or controlling phlebotomine sand flies.

Use Of The Gpr To Characterize Sedimentary Structures Of Lakes In Sub-Humid Drainage System, Southeast Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aranha, P. A.; Augustin, C. H.

2012-12-01

PAULO ROBERTO ANTUNES ARANHA IGC - UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE MINAS GERAIS - AV ANTONIO CARLOS 6.627 - CEP: 31270901-BELO HORIZONTE- MG - BRAZIL CRISTINA ROCHA AUGUSTIN - IGC - UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE MINAS GERAIS - AV ANTONIO CARLOS 6.627 - CEP: 31270901-BELO HORIZONTE- MG - BRAZIL System of lakes located in the sandstones domains of Supergrupo Urucuia, in the State Park Veredas do Peruaçu, north of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, are common features in ecosystems of the Veredas, a biome of the Cerrado (Savanna-Open pasture). The linearity of these lakes suggests that they could have, in the past, belonged to the same drainage system, that would have been disconnected throughout the evolution of the Vereda system. The objective of this research is with the help of the GPR and using 100 MHz antennaes to obtain radargram images that could assist in the interpretation of the structures occurring at the bottom of these lakes. It is possible do identify on the radargrams reflectors that can be correlated with depositional system. These reflectore have the concave form. The results of these radargrames indicate great conformity between the concave form of the sediments and that of the bottom of the lake, allowing to assume that this deposition has been occurring since a long time ago. Therefore, if there was a connection between the study lake and those located in its proximity it has occurred a long time, before the deposition of the sedimentary sequences had been deposited. The thickness of the sediments, that varies since 2m until 5m, indicates that or either this deposition was either a very rapid one so that could generate a fast deposition, or it has been taking place during a considerable geologic long time.; Data acquisitiont;

Evaluation of efficacy of impregnated curtains in experimental hen houses as a phlebotomine control tool in northeast Argentina.

PubMed

Manteca Acosta, M; Santini, M S; Pérez, A A; Salomón, O D

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of insecticide-impregnated curtains against the entry of phlebotomine (Diptera: Psychodidae) flies into experimental slatted hen houses in an area endemic for American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL). Three treatments in experimental dwellings containing three chickens each were applied using, respectively, an impregnated curtain (IC), a non-impregnated curtain (NIC) and no curtain (NC). A control site without chickens (WC) was included. The study used permethrin at 0.05 g/m 2 . During each month for 1 year, each experimental hen house randomly received all treatments. Phlebotomine sandflies were captured using REDILA BL traps placed inside the hen house. Significant differences in abundances of phlebotomine flies/trap/night were observed between treatments (χ 2  = 17853.58, d.f. = 3, P < 0.0001): 59.7% of phlebotomines were captured in the NC treatment, 26.3% in the NIC treatment, 8.0% in the IC treatment and 6.1% in the WC condition. Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho) was the most abundant species in all collections (89.9%). These results showed a lower abundance of phlebotomines in the experimental hen house in the IC condition than in the hen house in the NC condition (P < 0.05) and that the presence of NIC represents an effective physical barrier against phlebotomines (P < 0.05). Therefore, the use of curtains may be an alternative eco-friendly method for the prevention of indoor ACL transmission in slatted dwellings, which represent a common house type in northeast Argentina. © 2017 The Royal Entomological Society.

The role of BPH, lower urinary tract symptoms, and PSA levels on erectile function of Brazilian men who undergo prostate cancer screening.

PubMed

Antunes, Alberto A; Srougi, Miguel; Dall'oglio, Marcos F; Vicentini, Fabio; Paranhos, Mario; Freire, Geraldo C

2008-07-01

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED) are common problems in middle-aged and older men. Recently, epidemiologic studies have shown significant associations between severity of LUTS and male sexual dysfunction. We analyzed the role of prostate enlargement, LUTS, and prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels in the erectile function of Brazilian men who underwent prostate cancer (PCa) screening. We analyzed data from 1,008 consecutive patients enrolled in a PCa screening program. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was defined as a prostate weight greater than 30 g as defined by digital rectal examination. For statistical analysis, we used the chi-squared and analysis of variance tests. The odds ratios (OR) for correlation of ED with prostate volume LUTS and PSA were estimated using logistic regression models. The American Urological Association (AUA) symptom score for LUTS and the International Index of Erectile Function. Mean patient age was 61.2 years (45-87) and median PSA value was 1.9 ng/mL. BPH was identified in 48.5% of patients. Mild, moderate, and severe LUTS were found in 52.3%, 30.9%, and 16.8% of cases, respectively. ED was classified as absent, mild, mild to moderate, moderate, and severe in 18.6%, 23.1%, 18.6%, 15.2%, and 24.5%, respectively. While only 5.4% of the patients with no ED presented severe LUTS, this finding was observed in 27.1% of patients with severe ED (P < 0.001). Univariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that age, prostate volume, AUA symptom score, and PSA levels were significant predictors of ED. However, when controlled for patient age, only LUTS remained as an independent predictor of ED. Controlling for patient age, LUTS are independent risk factors for the development of ED among Brazilian men who undergo PCa screening. Antunes AA, Srougi M, Dall'Oglio MF, Vicentini F, Paranhos M, and Freire GC. The role of BPH, lower urinary tract symptoms, and PSA levels on erectile function of Brazilian men who undergo prostate cancer screening.

Immunometabolic Responses to Concurrent Training: The Effects of Exercise Order in Recreational Weightlifters.

PubMed

Inoue, Daniela S; Panissa, Valéria L G; Monteiro, Paula A; Gerosa-Neto, José; Rossi, Fabrício E; Antunes, Barbara M M; Franchini, Emerson; Cholewa, Jason M; Gobbo, Luís A; Lira, Fábio S

2016-07-01

Inoue, DS, Panissa, VLG, Monteiro, PA, Gerosa-Neto, J, Rossi, FE, Antunes, BMM, Franchini, E, Cholewa, JM, Gobbo, LA, and Lira, FS. Immunometabolic responses to concurrent training: the effects of exercise order in recreational weightlifters. J Strength Cond Res 30(7): 1960-1967, 2016-The relationship between immunometabolic response and performance is not well understood. This study evaluated the influence of concurrent strength and high-intensity aerobic sequence of exercise order between sessions on strength performance, metabolic, and inflammatory response. Eleven recreational weightlifters underwent the following 2 randomized sessions: (a) strength-aerobic exercise order (SA) and (b) aerobic-strength exercise order (AS). Blood samples were collected before (Pre) and immediately after the first exercise (Post-1) and the second exercise (Post-2) of each session. The SA condition presented a higher number of repetitions (SA: 54 ± 15 vs. AS: 43 ± 12) and total volume (SA: 7,265 ± 2,323 vs. AS: 5,794 ± 1846 kg) than the AS condition (both p = 0.001). Glucose was higher in Pre when compared with post-1 in both orders (p ≤ 0.05); changes in lactate were time-dependent in the different orders (p ≤ 0.05); however, AS post-2 lactate was lower when compared with SA post-2 (p ≤ 0.05). Interleukin-6 levels showed time-dependent changes for both exercise orders (p ≤ 0.05). Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) level was increased only in AS post-1 (AS: pre = 21.91 ± 35.47, post-1 = 26.99 ± 47.69 pg·ml vs. SA: pre = 25.74 ± 43.64, post-1 = 29.74 ± 46.05 pg·ml, p ≤ 0.05). These results suggest that concurrent training order exhibits different immunometabolic responses and, at least in part, can be associated with the acute decline in strength performance induced by concurrent exercise. Our results point to a possible role of TNF-α (post-1 AS condition) as a trigger to restore the energy demand by providing substrates to help maintain contractile activity in skeletal muscle.

Hydrothermal Carbonization: a feasible solution to convert biomass to soil?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tesch, Walter; Tesch, Petra; Pfeifer, Christoph

2013-04-01

The erosion of fertile soil is a severe problem arising right after peak oil (Myers 1996). That this issue is not only a problem of arid countries is shown by the fact that even the European Commission defined certain milestones to address the problem of soil erosion in Europe (European Commission 2011). The application of bio-char produced by torrefaction or pyrolysis for the remediation, revegetation and restoration of depleted soils started to gain momentum recently (Rillig 2010, Lehmann 2011, Beesley 2011). Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a promising thermo-chemical process that can be applied to convert organic feedstock into fertile soil and water, two resources which are of high value in regions being vulnerable to erosion. The great advantage of HTC is that organic feedstock (e.g. organic waste) can be used without any special pretreatment (e.g. drying) and so far no restrictions have been found regarding the composition of the organic matter. By applying HTC the organic material is processed along a defined pathway in the Van Krevelen plot (Behrendt 2006). By stopping the process at an early stage a nutritious rich material can be obtained, which is known to be similar to terra preta. Considering that HTC-coal is rich in functional groups and can be derived from the process under "wet" conditions, it can be expected that it shall allow soil bacteria to settle more easily compared to the bio-char derived by torrefaction or pyrolysis. In addition, up to 10 tons process water per ton organic waste can be gained (Vorlop 2009). Thus, as organic waste, loss of fertile soil and water scarcity becomes a serious issue within the European Union, hydrothermal carbonization can provide a feasible solution to address these issues of our near future. The presentation reviews the different types of feedstock investigated for the HTC-Process so far and gives an overview on the current stage of development of this technology. References Beesley L., Moreno-Jiménez E., Gomez-Eyles J.L., Harris H., Robinson B., Sizmur T.: A review of biochars' potential role in the remediation, revegetation and restoration of contaminated soils. Environmental Pollution (159), p. 3269 - 3282, 2011. Behrendt F.: Direktverflüssigung von Biomasse - Reaktionsmechanismen und Produktverteilungen Institut für Energietechnik, Technische Universität Berlin Studie im Auftrag der Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung; Projektnummer 114-50-10-0337/05-B, 2006. European Commission: "Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe", COM(2011) 571. Lehmann J., Rillig M.C., Thies J., Masiello C.A., Hockaday W.C., Crowley D.: Biochar effects on soil biota - A review, Soil Biology & Biochemistry, p. 1-25, 2011. Myers Norman: "Environmental services of biodiversity", Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol 93, pp. 2764 - 2769, 1996. Rillig M.C., Wagner M., Salem M., Antunes P.M., George C., Ramke H.G., Titirici M.M., Antonietti M.: Material derived from hydrothermal carbonization: effects on plant growth and arbuscular mycorrhiza. Applied Soil Ecology (45), p. 238 - 242, 2010. Vorlop K.D., Schuchardt F., Prüße U.: Hydrothermale Carbonisierung Analyse und Ausblicke. FNR-Fachgespräch, Berlin, 2009.

Simulation of morphodinamic processes in small coastal systems: application to the Aljezur coastal stream (Portugal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerreiro, Martha; Fortunato, André B.; Oliveira, Anabela; Bertin, Xavier; Bruneau, Nicolas; Rodrigues, Marta

2010-05-01

In small and shallow coastal streams, morphological changes may have a dramatic effect on tidal propagation and distortion, on hydrodynamics and, ultimately, on the transport and fate of water-borne material. Hence, the ability to simulate the morphodynamic evolution of these dynamic and complex systems can be required for water quality studies. This work aimed at implementing, validating and exploring the morphodynamic modelling system MORSYS2D (Fortunato and Oliveira, 2004, Bertin et al., 2009) in the Aljezur stream, a small and dynamic coastal system located in south-west Portugal. Four extensive field campaigns were carried out in 2008 and 2009 to measure bathymetry, water levels, waves and currents, in both the estuary and the adjoining beach. Between the two 2009 campaigns, bathymetry was measured on a monthly basis. Data revealed significant morphological changes, including channel migration and the formation of sandbars. The morphodynamic modelling system MORSYS2D consists of a wave model (SWAN - Booij et al., 1999), a circulation model (ELCIRC - Zhang et al., 2004) and a sediment transport and bottom update model (SAND2D, Fortunato and Oliveira, 2004), and is controlled by a script that runs the models, manages the transfer of information between them and performs control checks. The model was shown to reproduce successfully the waves, the water levels and the velocities. Preliminary morphodynamic simulations revealed that the model is highly sensitive to small changes in the initial conditions, the parameterization of friction and the sediment transport formulation. This presentation will describe the calibration and validation of the morphodynamic modelling system and will investigate on the circumstances that can lead to the inlet closure (including wave action and river flow). Acknowledgements This work was sponsored by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT), project MADyCOS (PTDC/ECM/66484/2006). The authors thank the developers of the models ELCIRC and SWAN for making their source codes available and Guillaume Dodet for providing the time-series of wave spectra. The first author is grateful to Prof. João Dias for the orientation provided during this work. This research would not have been be possible without the participants in the field campaigns: R. Taborda, C. Andrade, C. Freitas, A.M. Silva, C. Antunes (Faculdade de Ciências de Lisboa), L. David, P. Freire, R. Capitão, C.J.E.M Fortes, L.S. Pedro, J. Vale, A. Nahon, D. Neves, C. Zózimo, L. Pinheiro (LNEC), A. Cravo, M. Rosa, C. Monteiro, S. Cardeira and C. Loureiro (Universidade do Algarve). The authors are grateful for all the effort and support. References Bertin, X., Oliveira, A. and Fortunato, A.B. 2009. Simulating morphodynamics with unstructured grids: description and validation of a modeling system for coastal applications, Ocean Modelling, 28/1-3: 75-87. Booij, N., Ris, R.C. and Holthuijsen, L.H., 1999. A third generation wave model for coastal regions; Part I: model description and validation. Journal of Geophysical Research, 104: 7649-7666. Dodet, G., Bertin, X. and Taborda, R. 2010. Wave climate variability in the North-East Atlantic Ocean over the last six decades, Ocean Modelling, 31: 120 - 131. Fortunato, A.B. and Oliveira, A. 2004. A modeling system for tidally driven long-term morphodynamics, Journal of Hydraulic Research, 42/4: 426-434. Zhang, Y.-L., Baptista, A.M. and Myers, E. P. 2004. A cross-scale model for 3D baroclinic circulation in estuary-plume-shelf systems: I. Formulation and skill assessment, Continental Shelf Research, 24/18: 2187-2214.

Impact of a Tutored Theoretical-Practical Training to Develop Undergraduate Students' Skills for the Detection of Caries Lesions: Study Protocol for a Multicenter Controlled Randomized Study.

PubMed

Braga, Mariana Minatel; Lenzi, Tathiane Larissa; Ferreira, Fernanda Rosche; Mendes, Fausto Medeiros; Raggio, Daniela Prócida; Imparato, José Carlos; Bonecker, Marcelo; Magalhães, Ana Carolina; Wang, Linda; Rios, Daniela; Pessan, Juliano Pelim; Duque, Cristiane; Rebelo, Maria Augusta Bessa; Alves Filho, Ary Oliveira; Lima, Marina De Deus Moura; Moura, Marcoeli Silva; De Carli, Alessandro Diogo; Sanabe, Mariane Emi; Cenci, Maximiliano Sergio; Oliveira, Elenara Ferreira; Correa, Marcos Britto; Rocha, Rachel Oliveira; Zenkner, Julio Eduardo; Murisí, Pedroza Uribe; Martignon, Stefania; Lara, Juan Sebastian; Aquino, Fatima Gabriela; Carrillo, Alfredo; Chu, Chun Hung; Deery, Chris; Ricketts, David; Melo, Paulo; Antunes, José Leopoldo Ferreira; Ekstrand, Kim Rud

2017-08-16

Tutored laboratorial activities could be a manner of improving the competency development of students. However, its impact over conventional theoretical classes has not yet been tested. Additionally, different university contexts could influence this issue and should be explored. To assess the impact of a tutored theoretical-practical training for teaching undergraduate students to detect caries lesions as compared with theoretical teaching activities. The impact of these teaching/learning activities will be assessed in terms of efficacy, cost/benefit, retention of knowledge/acquired competences, and student acceptability. Sixteen centers (7 centers from Brazil and 9 centers from other countries throughout the world) are involved in the inclusion of subjects for this protocol. A randomized controlled study with parallel groups will be conducted. One group (control) will be exposed to a 60- to 90-minute conventional theoretical class and the other group (test) will be exposed to the same theoretical class and also a 90-minute laboratory class, including exercises and discussions based on the evaluation of a pool of images and extracted teeth. The mentioned outcomes will be evaluated immediately after the teaching activities and also in medium- and long-term analyses. To compare the long-term outcomes, students who enrolled in the university before the participating students will be interviewed for data collection and these data will be used as a control and compared with the trained group. This stage will be a nonrandomized phase of this study, nested in the main study. Appropriate statistical analysis will be performed according to the aims of this study. Variables related to the centers will also be analyzed and used to model adjustment as possible sources of variability among results. This ongoing study is funded by a Brazilian national funding agency (CNPq- 400736/2014-4). We expect that the tutored theoretical-practical training will improve the undergraduate students' performance in the detection of caries lesions and subsequent treatment decisions, mainly in terms of long-term retention of knowledge. Our hypothesis is that tutored theoretical-practical training is a more cost-effective option for teaching undergraduate students to detect caries lesions. If our hypothesis is confirmed, the use of laboratory training in conjunction with theoretical classes could be used as an educational strategy in Cariology to improve the development of undergraduate students' skills in the detection of caries lesions and clinical decision-making. ©Mariana Minatel Braga, Tathiane Larissa Lenzi, Fernanda Rosche Ferreira, Fausto Medeiros Mendes, Daniela Prócida Raggio, José Carlos Imparato, Marcelo Bonecker, Ana Carolina Magalhães, Linda Wang, Daniela Rios, Juliano Pelim Pessan, Cristiane Duque, Maria Augusta Bessa Rebelo, Ary Oliveira Alves Filho, Marina De Deus Moura Lima, Marcoeli Silva Moura, Alessandro Diogo De Carli, Mariane Emi Sanabe, Maximiliano Sergio Cenci, Elenara Ferreira Oliveira, Marcos Britto Correa, Rachel Oliveira Rocha, Julio Eduardo Zenkner, Pedroza Uribe Murisí, Stefania Martignon, Juan Sebastian Lara, Fatima Gabriela Aquino, Alfredo Carrillo, Chun Hung Chu, Chris Deery, David Ricketts, Paulo Melo, José Leopoldo Ferreira Antunes, Kim Rud Ekstrand, IuSTC Group. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 16.08.2017.