Manejo de los desechos solidos domiciliarios y hospitalarios [Houesehold and hospital waste management]

Se decidió analizar cuál es la situación actual en el manejo de los desechos, con el objetivo de determinar la variación en los índices de generación de los desechos domésticos y establecer cuál es la situación con respecto a algunos hospitales privados. La información servirá de insumo para el Proyecto "Estado de la Nación" del 2005, a través del cual se realiza un esfuerzo continuo para informar a la sociedad sobre aspectos relevantes para que, de esta manera, pueda entender su propia realidad y participar en las orientaciones y acciones futuras por realizar, pues la información es fundamental para el funcionamiento de la democracia. Para conocer la realidad se necesitan datos que ayuden en la construcción de indicadores que reflejen la compleja realidad nacional. Con el presente trabajo se presentan algunos indicadores para la generación de desechos domiciliarios correspondientes a algunas municipalidades de zonas urbanas y zonas rurales, así como los obtenidos para hospitales privados, comparados con datos disponibles de algunos hospitales públicos de la Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social

EVALUATION OF ANTI-ARTHRITIC POTENTIAL OF PARTITIONED EXTRACTS OF BOUGAINVILLEA X BUTTIANA (VAR. ROSE) HOLTTUM AND STANDL

Objective: Bougainvillea is a natural source with potential for clinical use, and this plant is routinely employed in traditional Medicine in Mexico. This study planned to evaluate the effect of ethanolic extract partitioned of Bougainvillea x buttiana on acute and chronic inflammation.Methods: The extract from Bougainvillea x buttiana partitioned originated two phases the aqueous (BxbREaq) and organic (BxbREop) phases were employed in anti-inflammatory activity. Acute inflammation was evaluated using the carrageenan model, whereas the chronic inflammation with anti-arthritic potential was explored with complete Freund´s adjuvant (CFA). Arthritis was caused by intradermal inoculation of CFA, and the extract was administered orally at different doses for 21 d. Paw oedema was determined at 7, 14 and 21 d, and serum from the mice were obtained to detect cytokine levels by ELISA and for biological assays.Results: Phytochemistry studies revealed that these extracts contain alkaloids, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and tannins. The results demonstrated that these extracts significantly inhibited mouse paw oedema for acute and chronic inflammation in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, BxbREop extracts markedly inhibited the production of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 and remarkably increased IL-10 in serum from mice with control or arthritic groups.Conclusion: The combined results suggest that BxbREop extract shows a potent effect in mice against CFA-induced arthritis for its ability to inhibit paw oedema and arthritic symptoms

Propuesta para enseñar tipos de variables a 7 y 8 nivel en III ciclo

En este documento se definen los conceptos de variables cuantitativas y cualitativas, con sus respectivas clasificaciones y ejemplos. Además, se presentan dos propuestas metodológicas para enseñar el tema en séptimo y octavo nivel, de acuerdo con el programa de transición propuesto por el Ministerio de Educación Pública (MEP) de Costa Rica; una mediante trípticos y otra, mediante guías para el docente. Por último, se comentan algunas conclusiones sobre el uso de las metodologías que se propone en el documento

Metabolism of materials by the construction sector in developing countries : Costa Rica as a case study

Production practices require large amounts of materials and are not likely to be sustained without large implication for the environment. Materials and energy are put together in order to produce goods and the total of these physical processes have been referred by Ayres and Simons as "Industrial Metabolism", which was defined as "the whole integrated collection of physical processes that convert raw materials, plus labour, into finished products and wastes in a (more or less) steady-state condition". A good understanding of societal metabolism is likely to contribute to more sustainable production and consumption. The construction industry and its related materials, service, and supply feeder industries are jointly considered to be both the world's largest industrial employer and the largest natural resources consumer as well as a great waste producer. In developing countries, construction waste is becoming a serious environmental problem due to the continuing growing population and urbanization, which demand material resources, water and energy. Information and data about the sector in those economies is scarce and some of the information found can't be compared with other data. An assessment has been done in Costa Rica in order to understand how construction materials are metabolised (transformed) by the sector. The study provides an idea of the amount of waste generation and its composition. It also shows the causes, which are related to design, procurement, material handling, operation, residual and others

Potent Virucidal Activity In Vitro of Photodynamic Therapy with Hypericum Extract as Photosensitizer and White Light against Human Coronavirus HCoV-229E

The emergent human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and its high infectivity rate has highlighted the strong need for new virucidal treatments. In this sense, the use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with white light, to take advantage of the sunlight, is a potent strategy for decreasing the virulence and pathogenicity of the virus. Here, we report the virucidal effect of PDT based on Hypericum extract (HE) in combination with white light, which exhibits an inhibitory activity of the human coronavirus HCoV-229E on hepatocarcinoma Huh-7 cells. Moreover, despite continuous exposure to white light, HE has long durability, being able to maintain the prevention of viral infection. Given its potent in vitro virucidal capacity, we propose HE in combination with white light as a promising candidate to fight against SARS-CoV-2 as a virucidal compound

Selection of Tumor-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients Through the Identification of T-Cells Capable to Establish Stable Interactions With the Leukemic Cells: “Doublet Technology”

The relevance of the immune system in cancer has long been studied. Autologous adoptive T cell therapies, based on the use of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), have made great progress in recent years for the treatment of solid tumors, especially melanoma. However, further work is needed to isolate tumor-reactive T cells among patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancies. The dynamics of the interaction between T cells and antigen presenting cells (APC) dictate the quality of the immune responses. While stable joints between target cells and T lymphocytes lead to the induction of T cell activation and immune response, brief contacts contribute to the induction of immune-tolerance. Taking advantage of the strong interaction between target cell and activated T-cells, we show the feasibility to identify and isolate tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients by flow cytometry. Using this technology, CTLs bound through T cell receptor (TCR) to tumor cells can be identified in peripheral blood and bone marrow and subsequently selected and isolated by FACS-based cell sorting. These CTLs display higher percentage of effector cells and marked cytotoxic activity against AML blasts. In conclusion, we have developed a new procedure to identify and select specific cytotoxic T cells in patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.Instituto de Salud Carlos III PFIS-FI12/00189Instituto de Salud Carlos III ISCIII PI14/02074Instituto de Salud Carlos III PI11/02366Instituto de Salud Carlos III PI17/02177European Union (ERDF/ESF, Investing in your future)CIBER CB16/12/0048

Clorhexidina al 0,12% y ácido acético al 5% como desinfectantes de cepillos dentales

El presente estudio fue de tipo observacional comparativo; para lo cual se analizaron 40 cepillos dentales de la marca OralDent, los que fueron usados durante un mes por los integrantes de la Cooperativa de taxis “Simón Bolívar” de la ciudad de Riobamba, Ecuador; con el propósito de comparar la eficacia del ácido acético al 5% y la clorhexidina al 0,12% como desinfectantes. El análisis microbiológico arrojó la presencia de microorganismos en los cepillos dentales usados por los individuos que voluntariamente los cedieron para el estudio, tales como: C. albicans en mayor proporción, seguida de S. viridans, S. epidermidis y S. mutans, A. tubingensis, K. pneumoniae, E. coli, E. faecalis, P. vulgaris. En las muestras con concentraciones de microorganismos de 100.000 UFC/mL, una vez generado el proceso de desinfección con clorhexidina al 0,12% existió una disminución a valores menores de 20.000 UFC/mL o su eliminación completa. El ácido acético al 5% logró una asepsia en el 100% de los cepillos dentales sin importar la edad o el género del individuo que lo utilizó.The present study was of a comparative observational type. 40 OralDent toothbrushes were analyzed for this reserach, which were used for a month by the members of the “Simón Bolívar” Taxi Cab Company in the city of Riobamba, Ecuador. It aimed to compare the efficacy of 5% acetic acid and 0.12% chlorhexidine as disinfectants. The microbiological analysis showed the presence of microorganisms in the toothbrushes used by the individuals who voluntarily gave them up for the study, for exmaple: C. albicans in a greater proportion, followed by S. viridans, S. epidermidis and S. mutans, A. tubingensis, K. pneumoniae, E. coli, E. faecalis, P. vulgaris. Once the disinfection process with 0.12% chlorhexidine was generated in the samples with microorganism concentrations of 100,000 CFU / mL, there was a decrease to values less than 20,000 CFU / mL or its complete elimination. 5% acetic acid achieved asepsis in 100% of toothbrushes regardless of the age or gender of the individual who used it

Potent virucidal activity in vitro of photodynamic therapy with Hpericum extract as photosensitizer and white light against human coronavirus HCoV-229E

The emergent human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and its high infectivity rate has highlighted the strong need for new virucidal treatments. In this sense, the use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with white light, to take advantage of the sunlight, is a potent strategy for decreasing the virulence and pathogenicity of the virus. Here, we report the virucidal effect of PDT based on Hypericum extract (HE) in combination with white light, which exhibits an inhibitory activity of the human coronavirus HCoV-229E on hepatocarcinoma Huh-7 cells. Moreover, despite continuous exposure to white light, HE has long durability, being able to maintain the prevention of viral infection. Given its potent in vitro virucidal capacity, we propose HE in combination with white light as a promising candidate to fight against SARS-CoV-2 as a virucidal compoundThis research was funded by Fundación Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, grant number PI21/00315 and by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, grant number PI21/00953. Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicabl