Mobile Apps to Promote and Motivate Exercise in Adolescents in Mexico: A Systematic Review.

Worldwide, more than 5.4 billion people have a smartphone. Based on this, thousands of Apps are being developed, each one with different functions such as: education, communication, organization, home automatization and exercising. The aim of this study was to analyze the scientific evidence available worldwide on mobile applications to promote and motivate exercise in adolescents. It was carried out following the PRISMA. A total of 483 articles were identified, of which 300 were eliminated. For title 247, for abstract 33 and 20 for other reasons, giving a total of 183 articles to assess their eligibility, 158 were eliminated. Remaining 25 articles, 12 for abstract and 26 for other reasons, giving a total of 6 articles included for the study. The use of Apps aimed at adolescents are tools that can help with personal care and health issues in this group.

Health Informatics: A Challenge for Nurses in Public Health in Rural Mexico.

Health informatics has significantly advanced global technology, yet challenges persist in public health and rural nursing in Mexico due to social inequalities, limited technology access, and suboptimal infrastructure, compounded by the absence of nurse informaticians as viable career options. Overcoming these barriers necessitates international collaboration, empowering Mexican nurses to contribute to universal health access and advocate for health equity. Interventions must extend beyond nursing curricula to existing workforces, ensuring they can address the needs of vulnerable populations in Mexico. Long-term international support is crucial to bridge these gaps and unleash the full potential of Mexican nurses in influencing global health.

Overweight, Obesity, and Age Are the Main Determinants of Cardiovascular Risk Aggregation in the Current Mexican Population: The FRIMEX III Study.

Background: The Mexican population exhibits several cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) including high blood pressure (HBP), dysglycemia, dyslipidemia, overweight, and obesity. This study is an extensive observation of the most important CVFRs in six of the most populated cities in Mexico. Methods: In a cohort of 297,370 participants (54% female, mean age 43 ± 12.6 years), anthropometric (body mass index (BMI)), metabolic (glycemia and total cholesterol (TC)), and blood pressure (BP) data were obtained. Results: From age 40, 40% and 30% of the cohort's participants were overweight or obese, respectively. HBP was found in 27% of participants. However, only 8% of all hypertensive patients were controlled. Fifty percent of the subjects 50 years and older were hypercholesterolemic. Glycemia had a constant linear relation with age. BMI had a linear correlation with SBP, glycemia, and TC, with elevated coefficients in all cases and genders. The ß1 coefficient for BMI was more significant in all equations than the other ß, indicating that it greatly influences the other CVRFs. Conclusions: TC, glycemia, and SBP, the most critical atherogenic factors, are directly related to BMI.

Effectiveness of a natural coagulant based on common mallow (Malva sylvestris) in urban wastewater treatment.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a natural coagulant based on common mallow (Malva sylvestris) to remove turbidity in urban wastewater. A 22 factorial design was selected to determine the optimal dose and the working pH of the natural coagulant. Its potential was studied in 50.0-450 mg/L and 4.00-10.0 ranges of doses and pH, respectively. A simplex lattice mixture evaluated its effectiveness as a coagulant aid combined with aluminum sulfate (conventional coagulant). Mixture proportions 0.000-1.00 were studied for each component, finding the proportion more effective. Results showed that the coagulation treatment could be feasible since a turbidity removal efficiency of 73.7% can be achieved under optimal conditions (50.0 mg/L and pH of 10.0). Likewise, a turbidity removal of 58.9% is obtained using 250 mg/L and maintaining wastewater pH (7.45). This efficiency can be increased using 31.0% natural coagulant mixed with 69.0% aluminum sulfate at 250 mg/L without modifying the wastewater pH. This improvement was associated with the natural coagulant's high molecular weight and long-chained structure since these properties enhance settling time, floc size and strength, and low sludge production. These results support using common mallow as a natural coagulant, making its use more feasible in alkaline water pH or as a coagulant aid combined with aluminum sulfate for urban wastewater treatment. A cost of USD 370/Kg of natural coagulant was estimated, which is higher than conventional coagulants. However, a cost-effectiveness analysis of its implementation should be performed since process scaling costs could significantly reduce its price.

Phytochemical Extract from Carica papaya Leaves and Punica granatum Seeds as Therapy Against Cognitive Impairment in a Murine Model.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is defined as inter-stage between normal cognitive aging and major neurocognitive disorder (MND). This state of decay is a crucial factor in treatment to prevent the progression to MND. In this study, our group developed a virtual screening process to evaluate 2568 phytochemical compounds against 5 key proteins associated with MCI and MND. As a result, two potential candidates were identified: carpaine, found in Carica papaya leaves, and punicalagin, present in Punica granatum. A model of cognitive impairment (CI) was developed in 10-month-old male Sprague Dawley rats by administering aluminum chloride (AlCl3) at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day for 30 days. After AlCl3 administration period, one of the groups received carpaine and punicalagin in a phytochemical extract (PE) by oral gavage for 30 days. Novel object recognition test (NOR) was assessed at three different time points (T1 - before CI, T2 - after CI, and T3 - after PE treatment). Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light chain (NfL) were identified in the hippocampus of rats at the end of the study period. After administration of AlCl3, a reduction in discrimination index vs control rats (CI = 0.012 ± 0.08 vs Control = 0.076 ± 0.03), was observed. After phytochemical extract treatment, a significant increase in discrimination index values was observed in the PE group 0.4643 ± 0.13 vs CI group 0.012 ± 0.08. Additionally, the evaluation of immunohistochemistry showed an increase in GFAP positivity in the hippocampus of the CI groups, while a slight decrease was observed in the PE group. This work addressed a comprehensive methodology that utilized in silico tools to identify phytochemical compounds (carpaine and punicalagin) as potential candidates for affecting key proteins in CI. The phytochemical extract containing carpaine and punicalagin resulted in a trend in the decrease of GFAP expression in the hippocampus and improved recognition memory in rats with CI induced by age and AlCl3 administration.

Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats Showed a Differential Glycine Receptor Expression in the Spinal Cord: A GlyR Role in Diabetic Neuropathy.

In the spinal cord, attenuation of the inhibitory action of glycine is related to an increase in both inflammatory and diabetic neuropathic pain; however, the glycine receptor involvement in diabetic neuropathy has not been reported. We determined the expression of the glycine receptor subunits (α1-α3 and ß) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Long-Evans rats by qPCR and Western blot. The total mRNA and protein expression (whole spinal cord homogenate) of the α1, α3, and ß subunits did not change during diabetes; however, the α2 subunit mRNA, but not the protein, was overexpressed 45 days after diabetes induction. By contrast, the synaptic expression of the α1 and α2 subunits decreased in all the studied stages of diabetes, but that of the α3 subunit increased on day 45 after diabetes induction. Intradermal capsaicin produced higher paw-licking behavior in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats than in the control animals. In addition, the nocifensive response was higher at 45 days than at 20 days. During diabetes, the expression of the glycine receptor was altered in the spinal cord, which strongly suggests its involvement in diabetic neuropathy.

Actitudes de los psicólogos costarricenses hacia la aplicación de la psicología en la consulta odontológica / Attitudes of Costa Rican Psychologists Towards the Application of Psychology During the Dentistry Consultation

Resumen Estudio exploratorio-descriptivo sobre un grupo de profesionales costarricenses en psicología acerca de sus actitudes hacia la aplicación de los principios psicológicos en la práctica odontológica. La muestra fue de 377 psicólogos (activos en el Colegio de Profesionales en Psicología de Costa Rica). A partir del cuestionario original diseñado por Gómez y Gómez (2007), el cual fue construido para estimar la necesidad de conformar programas universitarios que integren la psicología y la odontología, se aplicó una adaptación consistente en una encuesta de 10 preguntas autoadministradas de selección simple, la cual se efectuó en línea a través del sistema QuestionPro®. Se pudo evidenciar que existe una actitud positiva ante el enfoque interdisciplinario entre la Odontología y la Psicología; se demostró que un 74% de la muestra sostiene que los aspectos psicosociales son "Bastante importantes" en el marco de la atención odontológica. A pesar de ello, la mayoría (57%) de las personas consultadas indicó que no ha tenido ocasión de aplicar sus conocimientos y experiencia en psicología al contexto odontológico. Asimismo, un 72% de los participantes considera "Bastante importante" que los profesionales en Odontología reciban capacitación básica en el área psicológica para la prevención o contención de ciertos síntomas que puedan incidir en la salud mental. Por otra parte, el 80% de quienes respondieron la encuesta indicaron que las iniciativas interdisciplinarias de colaboración científica (investigación) y aplicada (ejercicio profesional) son "Bastante importantes" para producir beneficios tangibles en la prestación de servicios integrales a los pacientes y el bienestar del personal sanitario.

Abstract Exploratory-descriptive study on a group of Costa Rican professionals in psychology about their attitudes towards the application of psychological principles in dental practice. The sample consisted of 377 psychologists (active in the Association of Psychology Professionals of Costa Rica). From the original questionnaire designed by Gómez and Gómez (2007), which was built to estimate the need to create university programs that integrate psychology and dentistry, an adaptation consisting of a survey of 10 self-administered questions of simple selection was applied, which was carried out online through the QuestionPro® system. It was possible to show that there is a positive attitude towards the interdisciplinary approach between Dentistry and Psychology; it was shown that 74% of the sample maintains that psychosocial aspects are "Quite important" in the context of dental care. Despite this, the majority (57%) of the people consulted indicated that they had not had the opportunity to apply their knowledge and experience as psychologists to the dental context. Likewise, 72% of the participants consider it "Quite important" that dental professionals receive basic training in the psychological area for the prevention or containment of certain symptoms that may affect mental health. On the other hand, 80% of the survey respondents indicated that interdisciplinary initiatives of professional scientific (research) and applied (practice) collaboration are "Quite important" to produce tangible benefits in the provision of comprehensive services to patients and wellbeing of health personnel.

Saline-Tolerant Pathogenic Acanthamoeba spp. Isolated from a Geothermal Power Plant.

Few studies have been conducted in the cooling systems of power plants; they have focused on Naegleria fowleri, leaving a gap in the knowledge of other pathogenic free-living amoebae in this environment. The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of saline-tolerant pathogenic Acanthamoeba in a geothermal power plant. The identification of isolated amoebae at genus level was carried out, observing their morphological characteristics; the determination of genotype and species of Acanthamoeba was performed via molecular biology (PCR). Water temperature ranged from 18 to 43 °C and conductivity from 4.0 × 104 to 8.7 × 104 µS/cm; this last value was greater than the seawater value. Only five amoeba genera were found. Acanthamoeba was in all the sampling sites, showing high saline tolerance. The high temperature, but mainly high conductivity, were the environmental conditions that determined the presence of pathogenic free-living amoebae in the hot water. All the strains of Acanthamoeba culbertsoni killed the mice, having a mortality of 40 to 100%. Acanthamoeba genotypes T10 and T5 were identified, T10 is rarely isolated from the environment, while T5 is more frequent. This is the first time that genotypes T5 and T10 have been reported in the environment in Mexico.

(-)-Epicatechin Inhibits Metastatic-Associated Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of Murine Breast Cancer Cells In Vitro.

Breast cancer, due to its high incidence and mortality, is a public health problem worldwide. Current chemotherapy uses non-specific cytotoxic drugs, which inhibit tumor growth but cause significant adverse effects. (-)-Epicatechin (EC) is part of a large family of biomolecules called flavonoids. It is widely distributed in the plant kingdom; it can be found in green tea, grapes, and cocoa. Several studies in animals and humans have shown that EC induces beneficial effects in the skeletal muscle and the cardiovascular system, reducing risk factors such as arterial hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, damage to skeletal muscle structure, and mitochondrial malfunction by promoting mitochondrial biogenesis, with no adverse effects reported. Recently, we reported that EC had an antitumor effect in a murine triple-negative mammary gland tumor model, decreasing tumoral size and volume and increasing survival by 44%. This work aimed to characterize the effects of flavanol EC on proliferation, migration, and metastasis markers of triple-negative murine breast (4T1) cancer cells in culture. We found proliferation diminished and Bax/Bcl2 ratio increased. When the migration of culture cells was evaluated, we observed a significant reduction in migration. Also, the relative expression of the genes associated with metastasis, Cdh1, Mtss1, Pten, Bmrs, Fat1, and Smad4, was increased. In conclusion, these results contribute to understanding molecular mechanisms activated by EC that can inhibit metastatic-associated proliferation, migration, and invasion of murine breast cancer cells.

Bioremediation of Automotive Residual Oil-Contaminated Soils by Biostimulation with Enzymes, Surfactant, and Vermicompost.

Contamination of soils by automotive residual oil represents a global environmental problem. Bioremediation is the technology most suitable to remove this contaminant from the medium. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of bioremediation of automotive residual oil-contaminated soils by biostimulation with enzymes, surfactant, and vermicompost. The bioremediation efficiency was examined using a factorial design of 24 to determine the effect of the time, pH and temperature conditions, biostimulation with enzyme-vermicompost, and biostimulation with enzyme-surfactant. Enzymes obtained from Ricinus communis L. seeds, commercial vermicompost, and Triton X-100 were used. Results showed that the highest removal efficiency (99.9%) was achieved at 49 days, with a pH of 4.5, temperature of 37 °C, and using biostimulation with enzyme-vermicompost (3% w/v-5% w/w). The addition of surfactant was not significant in increasing the removal efficiency. Therefore, the results provide adequate conditions to bioremediate automotive residual oil-contaminated soils by biostimulation using enzymes supported with vermicompost.

Predicting rainfall and irrigation requirements of corn in Ecuador.

This work is a case study whose objective is prediction of irrigation needs of corn crops in different regions of Ecuador; being this a fundamental basic food for the country's economy, as in the remaining countries of the Andean area. The proposed methodology seeks to help improving the quality of corn crop. Specifically, we propose the application of regression models, within the framework of Functional Data Analysis (FDA), to predict the amount of rainfall (scalar response variable) in the places with the highest production of corn in Ecuador, as a function of functional covariates such as temperature and wind speed. From the estimation of the amount of rainfall, effective precipitation is calculated. This is the fraction of water used by the crops, from which the value of real evapotranspiration or ETc is obtained and, more importantly, the irrigation requirements at each stage of the corn crop, for its adequate physiological development. Application of regression models based on functional basis, Functional Principal Components (FPC) or Functional Partial Least Squares (FPLS) for scalar response variable, allows us to use the information of variables such as wind speed and temperature (of functional nature) in a better way than using multivariate models, for predicting the amount of rainfall, obtaining, as a result, very explicative models, defined by a high goodness of fit (R2=0.97, with 6 significant parameters and an error of 0.14) and practical utility. The model has been also applied to North Peru regions, obtaining rainfall prediction errors between 9% and 22%. Thus, the geographical limitations of the model could be the Andean regions with similar climate. In addition, this study proposes the application of FDA exploratory analysis and FDA outlier detection techniques as a common and useful practice in the specific domain of rainfall prediction studies, prior to applying the regression models.

Diagnóstico de la vigilancia, prevención y control de la COVID-19 en el trabajo minero peruano

Introducción: En Perú, las empresas mineras debían registrar e implementar el plan para la vigilancia, prevención y control de la COVID-19 en el trabajo (requerido por el Ministerio de Salud), previo al reinicio de actividades suspendidas debido a la pandemia. Objetivo: Describir el estado situacional de los planes para la vigilancia, prevención y control de la COVID-19 en el trabajo del sector minero (1ra y 2da fase de reactivación económica, 2020). Métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal de la base de datos del sistema SISCOVID-Empresas. Se reportaron frecuencias y proporciones de las características de los planes (región de procedencia, número de trabajadores, número de profesionales de salud, existencia de comité o supervisor de seguridad y salud en el trabajo, estado de registro y reporte de presupuesto) según el número de trabajadores de la empresa. Resultados: Se revisaron 2 236 registros de planes. El 6,2 % indica no contar con supervisor o comité de seguridad y salud en el trabajo y el 71,5 % no cuenta con profesional de la salud. El 81,2 % de las empresas con más de 500 trabajadores contaban con profesionales de medicina y enfermería. El 89,2 % de las empresas con 1 a 20 trabajadores no contaban con profesionales de la salud. Conclusiones: Tres de cada 4 empresas del sector minero incumplen lo requerido en el plan para la vigilancia, prevención y control de la COVID-19 en el trabajo.

Introduction: In Peru, mining companies had to register and implement the Plan for the surveillance, prevention, and control of COVID-19 at work (requested by the Ministry of Health), prior to restarting activities suspended due to the pandemic. Objective: To describe the situational status of the plans for the surveillance, prevention, and control of COVID-19 at work in the mining sector (1st and 2nd phases of economic reactivation, 2020). Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out of the database from the SISCOVID- Empresas system. Frequencies and proportions of the characteristics of the plans were reported (region of origin, number of workers, number of health professionals, existence of an occupational health and safety committee or supervisor, status of registration and budget report) according to the number of company workers. Results: In total 2,236 plan records were reviewed. Of the total, 6.2% of the registered plans indicate that they do not have an occupational health and safety supervisor or committee, and 71.5% do not have a health professional. Furthermore, 81.2% of the companies with more than 500 workers had medicine and nursing professionals, and 89.2% of companies with 1 to 20 workers did not have health professionals. Conclusions: Three out of 4 companies in the mining sector fail to comply with the requirements of the plan for the surveillance, prevention, and control of COVID-19 at work.

Circulating cervical cancer biomarkers potentially useful in medical attention (Review).

Cervical cancer (CC) is a public health problem worldwide, including Mexico. This type of cancer is the fourth most frequent in women worldwide; in Mexico it is the second most common type in women after breast cancer. The diagnosis of CC is based mainly on Pap smears and colposcopy and the identification of molecular tools that serve as a support for these methods is urgent. Regarding this, differential expressions of specific circulating biomolecules has been detected and, based on this, they have been postulated as potential biomarkers for CC diagnosis, prognosis, and/or to identify the response to treatments. Importantly, the combined analysis of these molecules considerably improves their efficacy as biomarkers and their potential use in the medical attention is promising.

Smartphone addiction and life satisfaction: mediating effect of negative emotions / Adicción a teléfonos inteligentes y satisfacción con la vida: efecto mediador de las emociones negativas

Background: Smartphone users have increased worldwide, due to their multifunctionality and accessibility. Objective: To determine the mediating effect of negative emotions between life satisfaction and smartphone addiction in college students. Method: A structural equation explanatory model was proposed in which each negative emotion (depression, anxiety, and stress) has a mediating role between life satisfaction and cell phone addiction. To this end, 1109 university students from Metropolitan Lima were selected and administered the DASS 21, SABAS, SWLS. Result: A partial effect of each mediating model was found, in addition to Satisfaction with life achieved a direct effect on cell phone addiction; at the same time the mediating variables achieved a significant direct effect on addictive behavior. Conclusion: Negative emotions have a mediating role in explaining smartphone addiction.

Introducción: Los usuarios de teléfonos inteligentes se han incrementado a nivel mundial, debido a su multifuncionalidad y accesibilidad. Objetivo: Determinar el efecto mediador de las emociones negativas entre la satisfacción con la vida y la adicción a los teléfonos inteligentes en universitarios. Método: Se planteó un modelo explicativo de ecuaciones estructurales en el cual cada emoción negativa (depresión, ansiedad y estrés) tienen un rol mediador entre la satisfacción con la vida y la adicción a los celulares. Con tal fin, se seleccionaron 1109 universitarios de Lima Metropolitana a los cuales se les aplicaron el DASS 21, SABAS, SWLS. Resultados: Se encontró un efecto parcial de cada modelo mediador, además la Satisfacción con la vida logró un efecto directo sobre la adicción a los teléfonos celulares; al mismo tiempo las variables mediadoras consiguieron un efecto directo significativo sobre la conducta adictiva. Conclusión: las emociones negativas tienen un rol mediador en la explicación de la adicción a los teléfonos inteligentes.

Improving Cardiovascular Risk in Postmenopausal Women with an (-)-Epicatechin-Based Nutraceutical: A Randomly Assigned, Double-Blind vs. Placebo, Proof-of-Concept Trial.

BACKGROUND: Age-adjusted rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are higher in men than in women. CVD risk-factor outcomes are underrecognized, underestimated, and undertreated in women because the clinical expressions in women differ from those of men. There are no universally accepted recommendations on what to do in women when the values of fasting glucose, blood pressure, and lipids are only slightly altered or at borderline values. We reported the positive effects on CVD risk markers using cacao by-products, showing that alternative approaches can be used to prevent cardiovascular disease in women. The objective was to evaluate the changes in lipoprotein subfractions induced by three months of treatment with an epicatechin-enriched cacao supplement. METHODS: A double-blind, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study was developed to evaluate the effects of 3 months of treatment with an (-)-epicatechin-enriched cacao supplement on lipoprotein subfractions. RESULTS: The usual screening workshop for postmenopausal women could be insufficient and misleading. Assessing the effect of a (-)-epicatechin-enriched cacao supplement employing a lipoprotein subfractionation profile analysis suggests a decrease in cardiovascular risk. CONCLUSIONS: A simple, low-cost, safe (-)-epicatechin-enriched cacao supplement product can improve the cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women.

Correlation of Biomarkers of Endothelial Injury and Inflammation to Outcome in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients.

COVID-19 can trigger an intense systemic inflammation and prothrombotic state, leading to a rapid and disproportionate deterioration of lung function. An effective screening tool is essential to identify the patients at risk for severe disease. This observational study was conducted on hospitalized patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 pneumonia in a general hospital in Mexico City between 1 March 2021 and 15 March 2021. Serum samples were analyzed to explore the role of biomarkers of inflammation, coagulation, oxidative stress, and endothelial damage with the severity of the disease. Our results demonstrated that Syndecan-1 and nitrites/nitrates showed a high correlation in severely ill patients. In conclusion, COVID-19 patients with elevated levels of SDC-1 were associated with severe disease. This molecule can potentially be used as a marker for the progression or severity of COVID-19. Preservation of glycocalyx integrity may be a potential treatment for COVID-19.

In silico evaluation of flavonoids as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main nonstructural proteins (Nsps)-amentoflavone as a multitarget candidate.

Despite the development of vaccines against COVID-19 disease and the multiple efforts to find efficient drugs as treatment for this virus, there are too many social, political, economic, and health inconveniences to incorporate a fully accessible plan of prevention and therapy against SARS-CoV-2. In this sense, it is necessary to find nutraceutical/pharmaceutical drugs as possible COVID-19 preventives/treatments. Based on their beneficial effects, flavonoids are one of the most promising compounds. Therefore, using virtual screening, 478 flavonoids obtained from the KEGG database were evaluated against non-structural proteins Nsp1, Nsp3, Nsp5, Nsp12, and Nsp15, which are essential for the virus-host cell infection, searching for possible multitarget flavonoids. Amentoflavone, a biflavonoid found mainly in Ginkgo biloba, Lobelia chinensis, and Byrsonima intermedia, can interact and bind with the five proteins, suggesting its potential as a multitarget inhibitor. Molecular docking calculations and structural analysis (RMSD, number of H bonds, and clustering) performed from molecular dynamics simulations of the amentoflavone-protein complex support this potential. The results shown here are theoretical evidence of the probable multitarget inhibition of non-structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 by amentoflavone, which has wide availability, low cost, no side effects, and long history of use. These results are solid evidence for future in vitro and in vivo experiments aiming to validate amentoflavone as an inhibitor of the Nsp1, 3, 5, 12, and 15 of SARS-CoV-2.

Use of activated carbon and camphor carbon as cathode and clay cup as proton exchange membrane in a microbial fuel cell for the bioenergy production from crude glycerol biodegradation.

This work characterizes two alternative materials to substitute the most expensive microbial fuel cells (MFCs) components: proton exchange membrane (PEM) and cathode. Crude glycerol biodegradation was studied in MFCs using a clay cup as a PEM and activated carbon and camphor carbon mixture (CAC) as a cathode. The cathode performance was compared with Platinum on carbon cloth. Two clay cup single-chamber MFCs were operated with each cathode and fed with 2000 mg/L of crude glycerol. Electrochemical properties were characterized by linear sweep voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry. Biodegradation efficiencies were estimated with the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal percentage. MFCs with CAC showed a maximum power density of 100 mW/m2. This result was a 43.47% power response regarding MFCs with Platinum. COD removal efficiencies of 94% were achieved in 37 days for both cells. The Columbic efficiencies were 24.04% and 22.78% for the MFCs with Platinum and CAC. The economic analysis showed a cost of USD 9.97 for MFCs with CAC. This cost is five times lower than when using Platinum. MFCs utilizing clay cups and CAC showed an acceptable performance for the bioenergy production from crude glycerol biodegradation above all economic advantage in the cell cost.

Preventive measures for health workers exposed to COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2).

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new coronavirus that presented an epidemic focus in China in December 2019 and was declared as a pandemic months later. Consequently, the health systems of most countries implemented preventive measures for their population, thus affecting health personnel, which is the first response force. According to the World Health Organization, 37 million health workers fell ill with COVID-19. In this article, we seek to identify strategies for the prevention of contagion of health personnel by COVID-19 that have obtained favorable results and present measures applicable to the Peruvian reality, focused on the personnel that make up the diagnostic process of COVID-19 and the health centers in operation during the health emergency due to COVID-19. It is concluded that temporary confinement in rotating days of health personnel, traffic control bundling, and adequate supply of personal protective equipment were those that have favored the lower incidence of cases of contagion in health personnel in the countries where they were used.

Situational diagnosis of plans for the surveillance, prevention and control of COVID-19 at work in the hydrocarbon sector.

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru, economic activities were restricted to limit the risk of contagion, and companies were required to prepare and register the plan for COVID-19 surveillance, prevention and control in the workplace prior to resuming activities. Objective: To describe the status of plan registration in the hydrocarbon sector during the first half of 2020, as well as the characteristics of health professionals and occupational health and safety supervisors or committees. Methods: Cross-sectional study with secondary analysis of databases obtained from the Integrated System for COVID-19 of Companies (Sistema Integrado para COVID-19 de Empresas, SISCOVID Empresas) and government public data on the mining sector. Results: We reviewed 2,566 plans and identified 54 198 hydrocarbon companies in the 2020 period. Regarding the plans registered, 5.9% of companies did not have an occupational safety and health supervisor or committee, and 63% do not have a health professional. Conclusions: There is evidence of non-compliance with plan registration requirements among hydrocarbon companies. There is also non-compliance with the requirement of having a health professional, occupational safety and health committee or supervisor. The findings show serious deficiencies in plan registration, which could lead to inadequate management of the activities to monitor, prevent and control COVID-19 in the workplace. Companies are advised to develop, register, and implement their plans to protect the health of their employees.