Salud y medio ambiente / Health and Environment

Resumen A partir de la Revolución Industrial, las actividades humanas han causado diversas y significativas afectaciones al planeta, ampliamente investigadas e informadas. Los seres humanos y el resto de los seres vivos tienen una interdependencia permanente con el medio ambiente, lo cual se ha hecho más evidente en la actualidad. Los daños en la calidad del agua, aire y suelo, aunados al progresivo deterioro y pérdida de los ecosistemas y las afectaciones a la flora y a la fauna, han propiciado cambios que se traducen en peligros y riesgos de diversa índole e importancia para la salud humana, ya sea a corto o a largo plazo. Estas alteraciones ambientales se acompañan y se potencian con factores sociales, económicos, culturales y políticos, cuyos impactos en la salud se manifiestan a nivel local, regional, e incluso planetario. En este artículo se describen los principales cambios ambientales y sus efectos adversos en la salud, se destaca la importancia de que los médicos los consideren en el trato cotidiano con los pacientes y su entorno familiar, en particular cuando se tienen identificadas poblaciones vulnerables. Se concluye con la recomendación de que el sector salud muestre un mayor interés en el tema de medio ambiente y salud, adoptando un liderazgo para fortalecer los programas de salud pública ambiental con abordajes intersectoriales e interdisciplinarios. Cabe esperar que el campo de la salud y su base ambiental se constituyan en la formación integral de recursos humanos y en promover la investigación que proporcione elementos para definir e instrumentar políticas públicas exitosas.

Abstract Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have caused various and significant effects on the planet widely investigated and reported. Human beings and the rest of living beings have a permanent interdependence with the environment, which has become more evident today. Damage to the quality of water, air and soil, coupled with the progressive deterioration and loss of ecosystems and the effects on flora and fauna, have led to changes that translate into dangers and risks of various kinds and importance for human health, either short term or long term. These environmental changes are accompanied and enhanced by social, economic, cultural and political factors, whose impacts on health are manifested at the local, regional and even global levels. This article describes the main environmental changes and their adverse effects on health, highlighting the importance of physicians considering them in their daily dealings with patients and their families, particularly when vulnerable populations have been identified. It concludes with the recommendation that the health sector show greater interest in the environment and health issue, adopting leadership to strengthen environmental public health programs with intersectoral and interdisciplinary approaches. Let's hope that the health field and its environmental base constitute the comprehensive training of human resources and promote research that provides elements to define and implement successful public policies.

Local effects of deforestation on stream fish assemblages in the amazon-savannah transitional area

The expansion of agriculture in the southeast Amazon-Savanah transitional area has greatly decreased forest cover and influenced stream structure and functioning. We assessed the effects of forest cover loss on the integrity of streams by assessing stream physical conditions and the taxonomic and functional diversity of fish assemblages in this transitional area. We hypothesize that low forest cover, especially adjacent to streams, results in poor physical conditions (e.g., warmer temperatures, less physical structure, etc.), which in turn will decrease the taxonomic and functional diversity of fish assemblages. We detected that loss of forest cover negatively affects natural stream conditions and reduces the functional diversity of fish assemblages, but we did not find a strong effect on taxonomic diversity. Ambush and stalking predators, diurnal surface pickers (groups that exhibit opportunistic life history strategies), grazers, pickers, and browsers (groups that exhibit equilibrium life history strategies) were the functional groups with the strongest relation to altered environments. These groups can explore different niches, both with natural characteristics or altered by human activities. Our results suggest that the preservation of riparian zones can minimize the loss of specialized fish species in assemblages of Amazon-Savannah stream systems.(AU)

A expansão da agricultura na área de transição Amazônia-Savana diminuiu muito a cobertura florestal, influenciando a estrutura e o funcionamento dos sistemas de riachos. Avaliamos o efeito da perda de cobertura florestal na integridade dos riachos avaliando as condições físicas do ambiente e a diversidade taxonômica e funcional das assembleias de peixes nesta área de transição. Nossa hipótese é que a baixa cobertura florestal, especialmente adjacente ao riacho, resulta em más condições físicas (por exemplo, temperaturas mais quentes, e menos estrutura física) o que por sua vez diminuirá os valores da diversidade taxonômica e funcional das assembleias de peixes. Detectamos que a perda de cobertura florestal afeta negativamente as condições naturais e reduz a diversidade funcional das assembleias de peixes, mas não encontramos um efeito para a diversidade taxonômica. Predadores de emboscada e espreita, catadores de superfície diurnos, pastores, catadores e navegadores foram os grupos funcionais que tiveram a relação mais forte com ambientes alterados. Esses grupos podem explorar diferentes nichos, tanto com características naturais quanto alterados pela ação antrópica. Nossos resultados sugerem a preservação da zona ripária a fim de evitar a perda de espécies especializadas das assembleias de peixes de riachos.(AU)

Infección por COVID-19, una mirada a los factores ambientales relacionados con la pandemia / COVID-19 infection, a look at environmental factors related to the pandemic

Resumen La pandemia global por COVID-19 ha generado un sin número de alertas y cambios en las formas de habitar y de consumo. La triada medio ambiente-salud-individuo vuelve a ser protagonista en este escenario, en donde se aprecian graves fracturas en los sistemas de salud pública, hábitat y seguridad alimentaria. Como factor transversal a esos elementos, la contaminación ambiental se convirtió en un efecto facilitador de la pandemia pues la transmisión por contacto entre humanos a través de aerosoles representa la vía de contagio. Esta situación obligó al distanciamiento y confinamiento preventivo, medida que logró hacer evidente la pobreza, la inequidad y la desigualdad que se vive globalmente. Por otro lado, los cambios en la movilidad y la frecuencia de producción en industrias de manufactura trajo una reducción en los gases de efecto invernadero.

Abstract The global pandemic due to COVID-19 has generated countless alerts and changes in the ways of living and consuming, the environment, health and individual triad is once again the protagonist in this scenario where serious fractures in the public health systems, habitat and food security are seen. As a transverse factor to these elements, environmental contamination became a facilitating effect of the pandemic and transmission by contact between humans through aerosols represents the route of contagion, this situation forced the distancing and preventive confinement, this measure to makes evident the poverty, inequality and inequity that is experienced globally, on the other hand the changes in mobility and the frequency of production in manufacturing industries brought a reduction in greenhouse gases.

Future Roles of Physicians in Medical Education / 医学教育

Changing societal environments are forcing us to prepare to assume new roles as physicians. The resulting changes coming to the practice of medicine require significant medical education reforms. Specifically, there are nine factors that impact this need for change. Those factors are: 1) expanding medical knowledge, 2) introduction of various new technologies into medicine, 3) easy accessibility to medical knowledge by patients and their family members, 4) an aging population, 5) rapid development of information and communication technology, 6) the imminent arrival of artificial intelligence, 7) specialization of physicians, 8) variety of health professionals, and 9) globalization-.

Plant functional traits with particular reference to tropical deciduous forests: A review.

Functional traits (FTs) integrate the ecological and evolutionary history of a species, and can potentially be used to predict its response as well as its influence on ecosystem functioning. Study of inter-specific variation in the FTs of plants aids in classifying species into plant functional types (PFTs) and provides insights into fundamental patterns and trade-offs in plant form and functioning and the effect of changing species composition on ecosystem functions. Specifically, this paper focuses on those FTs that make a species successful in the dry tropical environment. Following a brief overview, we discuss plant FTs that may be particularly relevant to tropical deciduous forests (TDFs). We consider the traits under the following categories: leaf traits, stem and root traits, reproductive traits, and traits particularly relevant to water availability. We compile quantitative information on functional traits of dry tropical forest species. We also discuss trait-based grouping of plants into PFTs. We recognize that there is incomplete knowledge about many FTs and their effects on TDFs and point out the need for further research on PFTs of TDF species, which can enable prediction of the dynamics of these forests in the face of disturbance and global climate change. Correlations between structural and ecophysiological traits and ecosystem functioning should also be established which could make it possible to generate predictions of changes in ecosystem services from changes in functional composition.