ABSTRACT
The coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease with a high capacity to spread. Its prevention consists of respecting social distance, wearing a mask and performing adequate hygiene of hands and surfaces, which resulted in an increase in the amount of household solid waste generated during the period of social isolation. The objective of this study is to identify the knowledge of residents of Curitiba on the management of waste contaminated or potentially contaminated by SARS-CoV-2 through an exploratory-descriptive research with a quantitative approach with 420 participants. It was found that the population's lack of knowledge about the measures contained in the municipal protocol for the prevention of contamination by the coronavirus results in an inadequate disposal of masks, gloves, handkerchiefs and napkins, even those used in a preventive way, and incorrect storage of waste from suspected cases or confirmed cases of COVID-19, which increases the risk of contamination for both the population and public servants in public cleaning.
O coronavírus (COVID-19) é uma doença de acometimento respiratório com alta capacidade de disseminação. Sua prevenção consiste em respeitar o distanciamento social, usar máscara e realizar a higienização adequada de mãos e superfícies, o que resultou em um aumento na quantidade de resíduos sólidos domiciliares gerados durante o período de isolamento social. O objetivo deste estudo é identificar o conhecimento de residentes de Curitiba sobre o manejo de resíduos contaminados ou potencialmente contaminados por SARS-CoV-2 por meio de uma pesquisa exploratória-descritiva com abordagem quantitativa com 420 participantes. Foi constatado que o desconhecimento da população acerca das medidas contidas no protocolo municipal para a prevenção da contaminação pelo coronavírus resulta em um descarte inadequado de máscaras, luvas, lenços e guardanapos, mesmo os usados de forma preventiva, e armazenamento incorreto dos resíduos de casos suspeitos ou confirmados de COVID-19, o que eleva o risco de contaminação tanto para a população como para os servidores públicos na limpeza pública.
ABSTRACT
The global rise of infectious disease outbreaks and the progression of microbial resistance reinforce the importance of researching new biomolecules. Obtained from the hydrolysis of chitosan, chitooligosaccharides (COSs) have demonstrated several biological properties, including antimicrobial, and greater advantage over chitosan due to their higher solubility and lower viscosity. Despite the evidence of the biotechnological potential of COSs, their effects on trypanosomatids are still scarce. The objectives of this study were the enzymatic production, characterization, and in vitro evaluation of the cytotoxic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic effects of COSs. NMR and mass spectrometry analyses indicated the presence of a mixture with 81% deacetylated COS and acetylated hexamers. COSs demonstrated no evidence of cytotoxicity upon 2 mg/mL. In addition, COSs showed interesting activity against bacteria and yeasts and a time-dependent parasitic inhibition. Scanning electron microscopy images indicated a parasite aggregation ability of COSs. Thus, the broad biological effect of COSs makes them a promising molecule for the biomedical industry.
