Strategies in Small Businesses to Combat Plastic Overproduction

Modern production processes have been increasingly responsible for plastic overproduction for various reasons, not limited to containers and packaging. Said situation has reflected its consequences on human and animal health, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, it is imperative to consider the measures taken to reduce plastic contamination and the role of sustainability in plastic production processes. Previous studies and literature about the effects of plastics, the provisional standards, and programs to reduce contamination caused by this material have been analyzed in order to highlight its importance. Green businesses are also proposed as a more efficient solution to the problem of plastic overproduction. Some examples of small green businesses are presented to demonstrate the adoption of sustainable, eco-friendly measures in their business model and that even after some years, said models have proved to be effective by providing revenues and still following the ecological practices such as recycling different kinds of plastics and wastes. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among a national sample of United States adults ages 18–45: A cross-sectional study

To assess how the COVID-19 pandemic affected catch-up HPV vaccination among age-eligible adults (ages 18–45). The current study leverages a national, cross-sectional sample of US adults ages 18–45 years to assess the prevalence and determinants of COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions to catch-up HPV vaccination in 2021. The sample was restricted to adults intending to receive the HPV vaccine. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the probability of 1) pandemic-related HPV vaccination disruption and 2) uncertainty about pandemic-related HPV vaccination disruption. Report of ‘no pandemic-related HPV vaccination disruption' served as the reference category. Among adults intending to get the HPV vaccine (n = 1,683), 8.6 % reported pandemic-related HPV vaccination disruption, 14.7 % reported uncertainty about vaccination disruption, and 76.7 % reported no disruption. Factors associated with higher odds of pandemic-related vaccination disruption included non-English language preference (OR: 3.20;95 % CI: 1.99–5.13), being a parent/guardian (OR: 1.77;95 % CI: 1.18–2.66), having at least one healthcare visit in the past year (OR: 1.97;95 % CI: 1.10–3.53), being up-to-date on the tetanus vaccine (OR: 1.81;95 % CI: 1.19–2.75), and being a cancer survivor (OR: 2.57;95 % CI: 1.52–4.34). Catch-up HPV vaccination for age-eligible adults is a critical public health strategy for reducing HPV-related cancers. While a small percentage of adults reported pandemic-related disruptions to HPV vaccination, certain adults (e.g., individuals with a non-English language preference and cancer survivors) were more likely to report a disruption. Interventions may be needed that increase accessibility of catch-up HPV vaccination among populations with reduced healthcare access during the pandemic. © 2022 The Authors

Characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19 in the first wave in Cali, Colombia

Introduction: In December 2019, the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia were reported across the world. In Colombia, the first case of COVID-19 was reported on the 6th of March, 2020, and was imported from Italy. Subsequently the transmission of the virus increased exponentially, and extensively affected some regions including the cities of Cali and Buenaventura. The objective of this study is to describe the characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19 in 2 health institutions/hospitals located in Cali, Colombia. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using electronic clinical records of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who were admitted to different healthcare settings in the city of Cali between the 23rd of March and the 31st of August, 2020. Results: A total of 2428 patients with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 were treated in 2 health institutions in the city of Cali, Colombia. The average age recorded for the patients was 60 years, and the most common comorbidities included arterial hypertension, diabetes, and chronic pulmonary disease. Of the 1247 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection, 44.19% required hospitalization in the ward;12.91% were transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, and 42.9% were treated on an outpatient basis. Conclusions: Overall, the mortality rate in hospitals was 22.94%. The outcome of this study suggests that males with COVID-19, who are over the age of 60 years, and who have 2 or more underlying comorbidities have a strong predictive value for more severe symptoms, mortality and a qSOFA with a cut-off point > 1. © 2021 Asociación Colombiana de Medicina Crítica y Cuidado lntensivo

Virtual Tourism, Carbon Footprint, and Circularity

This chapter aims to analyze the tourism sector globally and the creation of virtual tourism. It is presented along with the previous context of the sector and the damage made by the COVID-19 pandemic. This lens shows how virtual tourism emerged as an alternative to traditional tourism while people worldwide were forced to stay home during the uncertainty of the pandemic. Virtual tourism would be related to the arising environmental tendencies expected to be embraced by the industry companies to make tourism a more sustainable economic activity and, therefore, reduce its carbon footprint through circularity. Finally, it also analyses the possibility of its per durability once the consequences and lags of the pandemic are solved. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Virtual classroom for the continuity of educational services in indigenous communities, during social displacement restrictions (Covid-19), based on medium range Wi-fi antennas

This work includes an experience of implementation and testing of a virtual classroom developed from the use of a Wi- Fi antenna. It was conceived to be used in indigenous communities where there is no internet or any other telecommunications service, and arises as a necessity for the continuity of educational services during social displacement restrictions decreed by the Peruvian government since March 2020. The set of biosecurity measures decreed by the Peruvian government includes the continuity of educational services through distance mechanisms, which includes the use of traditional means of communication or digital media. Most of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon have neither traditional nor digital media coverage, which also generates costs that are largely unaffordable for families. This has generated the stagnation and intermittency of educational services in most indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon. We propose the use of a medium range Wi-FI antenna to be used in indigenous communities to connect as many students as possible from their homes without physical interaction. Functional tests have been carried out on the types of services (electronic blackboards, chats, videoconferencing applications, file exchange, use of software, etc.), with the participation of 14 students. Among the most relevant results, it is possible to conduct virtual classes with the school population;however, it is still necessary to find or experiment with different configurations regarding antenna coverage (in the future we will experiment with more powerful Wi- Fi antennas), energy consumption and even aspects of the connection and computational performance of the personal computer used as the server. © 2021 IEEE.

Harmonized D-dimer levels upon admission for prognosis of COVID-19 severity: Results from a Spanish multicenter registry (BIOCOVID-Spain study).

Coagulopathy is a key feature of COVID-19 and D-dimer has been reported as a predictor of severity. However, because D-dimer test results vary considerably among assays, resolving harmonization issues is fundamental to translate findings into clinical practice. In this retrospective multicenter study (BIOCOVID study), we aimed to analyze the value of harmonized D-dimer levels upon admission for the prediction of in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients. All-cause in-hospital mortality was defined as endpoint. For harmonization of D-dimer levels, we designed a model based on the transformation of method-specific regression lines to a reference regression line. The ability of D-dimer for prediction of death was explored by receiver operating characteristic curves analysis and the association with the endpoint by Cox regression analysis. Study population included 2663 patients. In-hospital mortality rate was 14.3%. Harmonized D-dimer upon admission yielded an area under the curve of 0.66, with an optimal cut-off value of 0.945 mg/L FEU. Patients with harmonized D-dimer ≥ 0.945 mg/L FEU had a higher mortality rate (22.4% vs. 9.2%; p < 0.001). D-dimer was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.709. This is the first study in which a harmonization approach was performed to assure comparability of D-dimer levels measured by different assays. Elevated D-dimer levels upon admission were associated with a greater risk of in-hospital mortality among COVID-19 patients, but had limited performance as prognostic test.