Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the generation of urban solid waste in the municipality of Limeira, São Paulo

Social distancing measures derived from the COVID-19 pandemic have changed the consumption habits of citizens and, consequently, the quantity and composition of urban solid waste, with new challenges for Brazilian municipalities. In this context, the present research aimed to carry out a comparative analysis, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, of the generation of solid household waste, health services, selective collection, and bulky waste in Limeira, São Paulo, considering a time series from January 2016 to December 2020. To analyze the change in the amount of solid waste collected in the municipality due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Generalized Mixed Linear Models were adjusted, and descriptive statistical analysis was performed to examine the trend of the series. The increase in the collection of waste from health services from April 2020 was evident, with a positive relationship between the number of reported cases of COVID-19 and the generation of this waste. There was a reduction in waste from selective collection during all months of 2020 compared to previous years. Household waste showed no difference in generation in the months with and without COVID-19, while selective collection waste and bulky waste showed a reduction in generation in the months with COVID-19. The survey results are relevant as support for the contingency plan for solid waste management in pandemic situations in Limeira and for municipalities with similar characteristics. © 2022, ABES - Associacao Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitaria e Ambiental. All rights reserved.

The role of care and the local economy in women’s labour force participation: evidence from Mexico and Colombia in the pandemic era

Women face disproportionate care burdens on their time because of traditional gender roles, lack of public policies supporting them and the lack of government services for satisfying society's care needs. This unequal distribution of care responsibilities reduces their opportunities to fully participate in labour markets. We argue that all else equal, women's physical proximity to affordable care services is key to determining their accessibility to them. In addition, services may have different effects on women's labour force participation (LFP), depending on their care responsibilities and other characteristics of their social and economic local conditions, such as size and type of economic output. We use geospatial analysis to explore the relationship between the local supply of care services and women's LFP. We use the population census and the intercensal population survey of Mexico, together with data from economic censuses and directories of care and financial services. We also develop an exploratory data analysis model for the Colombian case. We find that, given gender roles in care provision and women's accessibility to economic sectors, the supply of care services and the type of local economies are quite significant in determining their LFP, regardless of their educational level. Accordingly, mere investment in care services may not be enough since the economic output and type of activities also interfere with LFP. Besides, this effect increased considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 Oxfam KEDV.

Acute kidney injuryandhematuria aspoorprognostic factors in COVID-19 patients in one center in mexico city

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Kidney complications have been observed in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, autopsy findings of patients who died from the disease have shown infiltration of the SARS-CoV-2 virus into the kidney podocytes. However, information is scarce about the renal clinical characteristics and their implication in patients prognosis. The objective is to assess acute renal injury (AKI), microscopic hematuria (MH) and gross hematuria (GH) in COVID-19 patients in one Mexican center as a predictive factor for invasive mechanical ventilation and mortality. METHODS: Analytical, transversal, observational and retrospective study in a single center in Mexico City, from March 2020 to July 2020. We assessed clinical records of 197 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, collecting information on clinical characteristics, lab results, AKI, MH, GH, invasive mechanical ventilation and mortality. RESULTS: 197 patients with COVID-19 were studied, 145 (73.6%) had an abnormal general urinalysis (UA) or altered serum creatinine (sCr) during their hospitalization. During a median of 14.9 days of hospitalization, 33 (16.7%) patients presented MH and 23 (11.6%) presented GH. 50 (25.3%) patients presented AKI on admission and 39 (19.7%) presented it at their last follow-up. After statistical analysis, associations for invasive mechanical ventilation were found, with MH [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) p >] [0.78 (0.29-2.12) p >0.64], GH [0.64 (0.20-2.06) p >0.45], AKI at admission =0.93 (0.45-1.9) p > 0.85)] and AKI at their last follow-up [1.16 (0.58-2.31) p >0.66]. As well as the association of mortality with MH [0.81 (0.31-2.12) p >0.67], GH [0.62 (0.19-2.01) p >0.43], AKI at admission =0.92 (0.44-1.9 p >0.84) and AKI at their follow-up [2.77 (1.36-5.64) p >0.005]. CONCLUSIONS: Kidney abnormalities were found in a large number of COVID-19 patients. Although most cases with hematuria and kidney injury resolved, association of AKI at their last follow-up with mortality was the only statistically significant variable.

Saliva: What Dental Practitioners Should Know about the Role of This Biofluid in the Transmission and Diagnostic of SARS-CoV-2

A novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak has become a global ongoing pandemic. This pandemic represents a great work risk for all health professionals, it includes dental professionals who are in constant contact with saliva, which represents one of the main routes of transmission of the disease. This is due to the fact that a wide variety of oral tissues and cells are susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2 and that they express the ACE2 receptor, which is the main route of entry of the virus into cells, as well as the proteins TMPRSS and furin that contributes to the binding of the virus to the host cells. According to recent studies, some of the oral cells most susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2 are the epithelial cells of the salivary glands. This explains the presence of the virus in the saliva of infected patients and provides scientific evidence that supports the use of saliva as a biofluid that offers the opportunity to develop new detection and diagnostic techniques. This is because saliva is much easier to collect compared to nasopharyngeal swab. However, the presence of the virus in saliva, also represents a great source of transmission, since the main form of infection is through microscopic drops that are generated when infected people cough or sneeze. Likewise, health professionals, such as dentists are exposed to contagion through saliva. The objective of this review article is to provide a perspective on the main cells and tissues that can be affected by the virus, the risk of contagion that the presence of the virus in saliva represents for dentists;and the new techniques developed from saliva samples for the diagnosis and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This review is expected to contribute to the knowledge of oral health professionals about the risk of saliva in the spread of SARS-CoV-2, but also its advantages as a diagnostic tool for pandemic control. In conclusion, the authors can mention that information that provides more scientific evidence of the mechanisms of infection of the coronavirus in oral cells and tissues is being published continually. This also explains the presence of the virus in the saliva of infected people and the risk of contagion that this means. It also provides scientific evidence of the use of saliva as a biofluid for the detection, diagnosis, monitoring, and control of the spread of the virus.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression and self-care behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic can have important psychosocial consequences in the population.