La guerra biológica: un desafío para la humanidad / Biological warfare: a challenge for humanity

RESUMEN Fundamento: el control de enfermedades transmisibles contribuye al empleo ilegítimo de los agentes biológicos, de manera inicial con fines bélicos o criminales y en la actualidad con fines terroristas. Objetivo: describir la problemática del empleo de las armas biológicas, sus diferentes aristas y en su forma actual con fines terroristas y los aspectos que prohíben su uso según la normativa internacional vigente. Métodos: se realizó una revisión bibliográfica con el método de análisis bibliográfico con una búsqueda realizada entre los años 2000 al 2017, donde se consultaron bases de datos especializadas y se seleccionaron 31 publicaciones científicas sobre el tema. Desarrollo: se realizó un análisis del tema de la guerra biológica basado en los agentes utilizados y la amenaza que constituye su empleo, pues provocan enfermedades y causan la muerte al afectar la salud de los seres vivos y el medio ambiente. Son dañinas e incluyen conocimientos de ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería e involucran otras áreas, como la economía, el derecho, el marco jurídico que limita o no la obtención de materiales y los aspectos psicológicos ante tales ataques. Los avances tecnológicos en Biología e Ingeniería genética de las últimas décadas posibilitan modificar y crear nuevos microorganismos más resistentes al tratamiento y en particular en la búsqueda de inoculación de enfermedades como el cáncer. La biodefensa es el conjunto de medidas para la prevención y actuación frente a una alerta sanitaria donde está implicado el uso de los agentes biológicos con fines bélicos. Conclusiones: los agentes biológicos se utilizan como armas para ocasionar daños en circunstancias de guerra biológica y bioterrorismo, por ser de forma potencial el arma más destructiva conocida por la humanidad que implica aspectos políticos, económicos, científico-tecnológicos, jurídicos y psicológicos, por lo que la biodefensa protege a las personas y el medio ambiente con el uso de medidas sanitarias contra dichos agentes.

ABSTRACT Background: the control of transmittable diseases contributes to the illegitimate use of biological agents, initially for war or criminal purposes and currently for terrorist purposes. Objective: to describe the problem of the use of biological weapons, its different edges and in its current form for terrorist purposes and the aspects that prohibit its use according to current international regulations. Methods: a bibliographic review was made with the bibliographic analysis method with a search conducted between 2000 and 2017, where specialized databases were consulted and 31 scientific publications on the subject were selected. Development: an analysis on the issue of biological warfare was made based on the agents used and the threat that constitutes their use, since they cause diseases and cause death by affecting the health of living beings and the environment. They are harmful and include knowledge of science, technology, engineering and involve other areas, such as economics, law, the legal framework that limits or not the obtaining of materials and the psychological aspects of such attacks. The technological advances in Biology and Genetic engineering of recent decades make it possible to modify and create new microorganisms that are more resistant to treatment and in particular in the search for the inoculation of diseases such as cancer. The biodefense is the set of measures for the prevention and action facing a sanitary alert where the use of the biological agents with war aims is implied. Conclusions: biological agents are used as weapons to cause damage in circumstances of biological warfare and bioterrorism, as it is potentially the most destructive weapon known to humanity that involves political, economic, scientific-technological, legal and psychological aspects, which is why biodefense protects people and the environment with the use of sanitary measures against above-mentioned agents.

Design of miniaturized nucleic acid amplification system for spot rapid detection / 军事医学

Objective To present a miniaturized nucleic acid amplification system for spot rapid detection .Methods A miniaturized nucleic acid amplification system with structured packed porous media of particles to uniform the air temperature was designed according to the working principle and heat transfer characteristics of an air -heated nucleic acid amplification system.Thermodynamic simulation and temperature cycling test were carried on to verify the feasibility of the system.Results The structured packed porous media of particles worked well in uniforming the air temperature of the system and the temperature uniformity could reach 0.8℃.The miniaturized nucleic acid amplification system with a volume parameter of 80 mm ×40 mm ×20 mm(length ×height ×width)was portable.The average rate of heating was 10℃/s while the average rate of cooling was 5℃/s.Compared with standard PCR instrument , the miniaturized nucleic acid amplification system performed well in the process of amplification and met the requirements of preliminary design .Conclusion The miniaturized nucleic acid amplification system with a rapid reaction velocity and portable volume could be applied to nucleic acid detection of unknown samples on the spot .

Convergence of chemistry and biology and its impact on CWC and BWC / 军事医学

Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) are the two important international conventions in the disarmament field ,aimed to eliminate chemical and biological weapons by prohibiting the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling and use of these weapons .Recently, research and development of sci-ence and technology continue to advance rapidly .A key feature is convergence of science disciplines .This has become a new force to speed up development of science and economy .In particular , the convergence of chemistry and biology , together with the rapid advances in life sciences , has been evident in its remarkable contribution to the developments of pharmaceutics, health care, green chemistry and environmental protection .On the other hand, the convergence of chemistry and biology also has significant implications for the implementation of CWC and BWC .In this article, we summarize the new trends in the convergence of chemistry and biology and its impact on the conventions .

Factibilidad y pertinencia de una estrategia pedagógica para la preparación médica especial / Feasibility and pertinence of a pedagogical strategy for the special medical training

Fundamento: la preparación del profesional de la salud para enfrentar las consecuencias de las armas químicas y biológicas en humanos, es una misión de la universidad médica cubana. Objetivo: evaluar la factibilidad y pertinencia de una estrategia pedagógica de superación profesional médica para la enseñanza del diagnóstico y tratamiento de las consecuencias del empleo de las armas químicas y biológicas en humanos. Métodos: se realizó una investigación que culminó con la aplicación de un pre-experimento pedagógico en la sede universitaria Hospital Militar de Holguín, durante el curso 2010-2011. La muestra estuvo constituida por 20 especialistas en Medicina General Integral. Se utilizaron métodos teóricos: histórico-lógico, analítico-sintético y sistémico estructural y funcional; empíricos: la encuesta, criterio de especialistas por el método Delphi; del matemático: la estadística descriptiva con distribución de frecuencias absoluta y en porcientos y la prueba de signos. Resultados: se identificaron insuficiencias en los médicos para el diagnóstico y tratamiento de las consecuencias de las armas químicas y biológicas en humanos, por lo cual se diseñó y aplicó una estrategia pedagógica para la apropiación de los conocimientos y habilidades necesarios en estos casos. Conclusiones: la estrategia elaborada permitió resolver las dificultades para el desarrollo del proceso enseñanza aprendizaje de las enfermedades que resultan del empleo de las armas químicas y biológicas, y una mejor preparación en los médicos en cuanto al diagnóstico y tratamiento de ellas. Los especialistas consideran la estrategia de muy adecuada y bastante adecuada, lo que demuestra el grado de pertinencia y relevancia para su aplicación.

Background: the professional training in order to face the consequences in human beings of the chemical and biological weapons is a mission of the Cuban medical university. Objective: to devise a strategy for the teaching of the diagnosis and treatment of the effects in human beings of the chemical and biological weapons. Methods: a research project was done that culminated in the application of a pedagogical pre-experiment at the University Venue Military Hospital of Holguín during the 2010-2011 academic year. The sample was chosen through a non-probabilistic sampling, composed of 20 specialists in Integral General Medicine. Theoretical methods were used: historical-logical, analytical-synthetic, inductive-deductive, modeling and systemic, structural and functional; empirical: Delphi method and survey; mathematical: descriptive statistics with distribution of absolute frequency and in percentage. Results: insufficiencies were identified among the doctors for the diagnosis and treatment of the effects in human beings of chemical and biological weapons, being this reason why a pedagogical strategy was designed and applied for the acquisition of the knowledge and skills that are necessary in these cases. Conclusions: the designed strategy allows to solve the difficulties for the development of the learning-teaching process of the illnesses resulting from the use of chemical and biological weapons, as well as a better training in doctors regarding their diagnosis and treatment. The specialists assessed the strategy in general as very adequate, what shows the degree of relevance and pertinence for its application.

Analysis of biological arms control situation based on 2013 Meeting of Experts / 军事医学

The 2013 Meeting of Experts from States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention ( BWC) was held in Geneva from August 12 to 16 in 2013 .This paper reviews the main topics and results of the meeting , analyzes the current situation of biological arms control , and proposes some methods to strengthen implementation .

Biological warfare agent detection technology and research progress / 军事医学

As a weapon of mass destruction ,the biological weapon , composed of biological warfare agents and their re-lease devices,is characterized by strong pathogenicity , large pollution areas, various routes of infection, low cost, user-friendliness and a large number of impact factors .Although the United Nations has banned the use of biological weapons , there are still some countries and regions that continue biological weapon researches .In addition, illegal use of biological warfare agents in the field of terrorism and non-military arena poses a serious threat to public safety .Early detection of bio-logical warfare agent use and determination of its type are crucial to biological weapon defense and epidemic control .There-fore, to enhance researches on rapid detection and early warning of biological warfare agents is of great significance .This paper reviews the main technologies currently applied to the field of biological warfare agent detection and their progress .

Bioterrorismo e a facilidade de acesso à biotecnologia e seus insumos / Bioterrorism and easy access to biotechnology and its inputs

Os fundamentalismos surgiram no Ocidente a partir de questões religiosas e posteriormente difundiram-se para outras partes do mundo tomando outras conotações, principalmente políticas. As técnicas de manipulação genética difundiram-se pelas universidades, que formam mestres e doutores com os conhecimentos básicos sobre clonagem gênica, que se tornou de domínio público. Todos os insumos para clonagem gênica podem ser adquiridos por meio de catálogos via internet. Podem-se recrutar profissionais fanáticos e com a competência para a manipulação genética de organismos patogênicos, lado perverso da biotecnologia. Os conflitos étnicos, culturais e religiosos estão associados a um cenário de contrastes entre os países ricos e carentes de matéria-prima e aqueles pobres, mas detentores de insumos básicos e energia, e atingem a sua forma mais aguda nos fundamentalismos. Grupos de fanáticos têm pleno acesso a essa biotecnologia. Estariam assim as populações civis vulneráveis aos ataques do bioterrorismo com armas biológicas geneticamente modificadas?.

Fundamentalism arose in the West based in religious matters and afterward diffused to other parts of theworld with other connotations, especially political. Genetic manipulation techniques spread to universities,which has given masters and doctors the basic knowledge on gene cloning, which has become public domain.All inputs for gene cloning may be obtained through online catalogs. Fanatic professionals may be recruited,with qualification for genetic manipulation of pathogenic organisms, the negative side of biotechnology. Eth-nic, cultural and religious conflicts are linked to a series of contrasts between countries that are rich but witha lack of raw materials and the poor countries that possess basic input and energy sources, when it reachesthe highest fundamentalist form. Fanatic groups have complete access to this biotechnology. Are civilian po-pulations in vulnerable to bioterrorist attacks involving genetically modified biological weapons?

A convenient first aid kit for chemical and biological agents and for radiation exposure.

The chemical and biological warfare agents are extremely toxic in nature. They act rapidly even in very small quantities and death may occur in minutes. Hence, physical and medical protection must be provided immediately to save life or avoid serious injury. A first aid kit has thus been developed for providing immediate relief from chemical and biological warfare agents (FAKCBW) with the objective of easy detection, personal decontamination, antidote for chemical warfare agents (like nerve agents, sulphur mustard, phosgene, cyanide, radiation exposure and bacterial agents), along with basic medication aid for pain, fever and inflammation. The kit box also includes a user friendly handbook with a simple standard operating procedure. In addition, the kit is rugged to withstand normal jerks, vibration and is water-proof.