Valoración económica del agua para la producción agrícola - ganadera Río San Francisco – Azuay

The San Francisco River sub-basin has water deficit in circumstances of population growth, insufficient sanitation, and poor quality access roads. This research seeks to determine the valuation of the water usage employing a demand function of this resource in a productive approach and to establish the existing relation between the economic component and the hydric availability, since the water deficit has become one of the main arguments for environmental sustainability.   It was concluded that the zone generates production equivalent to 2.2 million dollars per year, having a water demand of 59 million m3/year, this means 0.04 cents for each cubic meter of water on site. This information was used to elaborate key strategies and to strengthen the water governance in the San Francisco River sub-basin.La subcuenca del río San Francisco presenta déficit hídrico en un escenario de crecimiento poblacional, escaso saneamiento ambiental y vías de acceso de mala calidad. La presente investigación busca determinar la valoración del uso de agua en función de la demanda de este recurso en un enfoque productivo, y establecer la relación existente entre el componente económico y la disponibilidad hídrica, dado que el déficit hídrico se ha convertido en uno de los principales argumentos del sustento ambiental. Se concluyó que la zona genera una producción equivalente a 2,2 millones de dólares anuales, con una demanda de agua de 59 millones m3/año, obteniéndose una relación de 0,04 dólares por cada metro cúbico de agua existente en el lugar. Esta información fue utilizada para construir estrategias claves y fortalecer la gobernanza del agua en la subcuenca del Río San Francisco

Valoración económica del agua para la producción agrícola - ganadera Río San Francisco – Azuay

La subcuenca del río San Francisco presenta déficit hídrico en un escenario de crecimiento poblacional, escaso saneamiento ambiental y vías de acceso de mala calidad. La presente investigación busca determinar la valoración del uso de agua en función de la demanda de este recurso en un enfoque productivo, y establecer la relación existente entre el componente económico y la disponibilidad hídrica, dado que el déficit hídrico se ha convertido en uno de los principales argumentos del sustento ambiental. Se concluyó que la zona genera una producción equivalente a 2,2 millones de dólares anuales, con una demanda de agua de 59 millones m3/año, obteniéndose una relación de 0,04 dólares por cada metro cúbico de agua existente en el lugar. Esta información fue utilizada para construir estrategias claves y fortalecer la gobernanza del agua en la subcuenca del Río San Francisco. CITACIÓN: Piedra Aguilera, M. A., Vera Reino, J. L., & Cabrera Proaño, C. S. (2017). Valoración económica del agua para la producción agrícola - ganadera Río San Francisco – Azuay. Podium, 32, 61–74. doi:10.31095/podium.2017.32.5 ENLACE DOI: https://doi.org/10.31095/podium.2017.32.

A nature-inspired design yields a new class of steroids against trypanosomatids

This article belongs to the Special Issue Drug Discovery for Neglected DiseasesChagas disease and Leishmaniasis are neglected endemic protozoan diseases recognized as public health problems by the World Health Organization. These diseases affect millions of people around the world however, efficient and low-cost treatments are not available. Different steroid molecules with antimicrobial and antiparasitic activity were isolated from diverse organisms (ticks, plants, fungi). These molecules have complex structures that make de novo synthesis extremely difficult. In this work, we designed new and simpler compounds with antiparasitic potential inspired in natural steroids and synthesized a series of nineteen steroidal arylideneketones and thiazolidenehydrazines. We explored their biological activity against Leishmania infantum, Leishmania amazonensis, and Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro and in vivo. We also assayed their genotoxicity and acute toxicity in vitro and in mice. The best compound, a steroidal thiosemicarbazone compound 8 (ID_1260) was active in vitro (IC50 200 nM) and in vivo (60% infection reduction at 50 mg/kg) in Leishmania and T. cruzi. It also has low toxicity in vitro and in vivo (LD50 >2000 mg/kg) and no genotoxic effects, being a promising compound for anti-trypanosomatid drug development

Influencia del cambio climático en el comportamiento de los caudales máximos en la zona Mediterránea de Chile

El presente estudio analizó la influencia del cambio climático en el comportamiento de los caudales punta en la Región Metropolitana, Región del Libertador Bernardo O`Higgins y la Región del Maule, en la zona central de Chile. Para ello, se utilizó la FDP de Gumbel, con la que se obtuvieron los mejores resultados para ajustar los caudales punta, los cuales se analizaron para los periodos de retorno de 10, 20, 30, 40 y 50 años. Se concluye, gracias a la segmentación de los datos a través de series en un periodo dado, que los caudales presentan una tendencia a registrar mayores valores en los periodos más actuales. Esto se visualizó con los valores promedio, gráficas de tendencia y ajustes de funciones de distribución de probabilidad. Finalmente se pudo evidenciar de manera gráfica y estadística que en los últimos años ha existido un aumento de los caudales máximos anuales, lo cual podría confirmar desde el punto de vista hidrológico procesos de cambio climático que de forma eventual han generado un mayor aporte de caudales a través de la disminución de las reservas de nieve y el retroceso glaciar por el aumento de las temperaturas

Cuidados Intensivos de Anestesia: recomendaciones de la Sección de Cuidados Intensivos de la SEDAR: Monedero P, Paz Martín D, Cardona Pereto J, Barturen F, Fernández Quero L, Aguilera Celorrio L, et al. Cuidados Intensivos de Anestesia: recomendaciones de la Sección de Cuidados Intensivos de la SEDAR. Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim. 2017;64(5):282-285. doi: 10.1016/j.redar.2016.12.007. PMID: 28258746

Las directrices europeas de formación especializada en Anestesiología son responsabilidad del European Board of Anaesthesiology (EBA UEMS), a través de su comité permanente de Educación y Desarrollo Profesional. Estas directrices han sido aprobadas por el UEMS Council, y en ellas se definen los cuidados intensivos como una competencia central de la especialidad de Anestesiología. A diferencia de otras competencias específicas, la «atención médica y perioperatoria de pacientes críticos/Cuidados Intensivos Generales» es considerada un dominio de competencias básicas que debe alcanzar todo especialista en Anestesiología en Europa. Para alcanzar el conjunto de competencias de la especialidad, las «Normas europeas de formación postgrado de especialistas médicos» en sus «Requisitos de Capacitación para la Especialidad de Anestesiología, Dolor y Medicina de Cuidados Intensivos» establece un tiempo mínimo de formación de 5 años, de los cuales hasta un año puede dirigirse específicamente a la formación en Medicina de Cuidados Intensivos

Diálogo entre las humanidades

Published¿Cuál es el legado de las humanidades? Es una pregunta que pareciera se debilita en los contextos universitarios pero que todavía es objeto de disputas y perspectivas teóricas, en las primeras décadas del siglo XXI. Aquí asumimos que, a pesar del avasallamiento de las ciencias aplicadas y la tecnología en los contextos de Educación Superior; cabe seguir cuestionándonos sobre las “Humanidades” y sin renunciar al pensamiento crítico, ubiquemos su capacidad dialógica y de interpelación entre conocimientos y realidad. Diálogos Entre las humanidades, reúne textos de profesores de varias universidades de Santiago de Cali, México y Cuba, con variedad de enfoques, invitando a un ejercicio plural y concreto del pensamiento. Este texto se constituye en un punto de cruce de los clásicos diálogos con la filosofía, la historia, la estética y la ética con nuevos problemas de la comunicación social, la publicidad y a la educación para la paz. Las humanidades se encuentran hoy más vigentes que nunca, aportando claves e instrumentos teóricos para el análisis de temas y problemáticas de nuestro tiempo

HTLV-1 infection in solid organ transplant donors and recipients in Spain

HTLV-1 infection is a neglected disease, despite infecting 10-15 million people worldwide and severe illnesses develop in 10% of carriers lifelong. Acknowledging a greater risk for developing HTLV-1 associated illnesses due to immunosuppression, screening is being widely considered in the transplantation setting. Herein, we report the experience with universal HTLV testing of donors and recipients of solid organ transplants in a survey conducted in Spain. All hospitals belonging to the Spanish HTLV network were invited to participate in the study. Briefly, HTLV antibody screening was performed retrospectively in all specimens collected from solid organ donors and recipients attended since the year 2008. A total of 5751 individuals were tested for HTLV antibodies at 8 sites. Donors represented 2312 (42.2%), of whom 17 (0.3%) were living kidney donors. The remaining 3439 (59.8%) were recipients. Spaniards represented nearly 80%. Overall, 9 individuals (0.16%) were initially reactive for HTLV antibodies. Six were donors and 3 were recipients. Using confirmatory tests, HTLV-1 could be confirmed in only two donors, one Spaniard and another from Colombia. Both kidneys of the Spaniard were inadvertently transplanted. Subacute myelopathy developed within 1 year in one recipient. The second recipient seroconverted for HTLV-1 but the kidney had to be removed soon due to rejection. Immunosuppression was stopped and 3 years later the patient remains in dialysis but otherwise asymptomatic. The rate of HTLV-1 is low but not negligible in donors/recipients of solid organ transplants in Spain. Universal HTLV screening should be recommended in all donor and recipients of solid organ transplantation in Spain. Evidence is overwhelming for very high virus transmission and increased risk along with the rapid development of subacute myelopathy

Autoantibodies against type I IFNs in patients with life-threatening COVID-19

Interindividual clinical variability in the course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is vast. We report that at least 101 of 987 patients with life-threatening coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia had neutralizing immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies (auto-Abs) against interferon-w (IFN-w) (13 patients), against the 13 types of IFN-a (36), or against both (52) at the onset of critical disease; a few also had auto-Abs against the other three type I IFNs. The auto-Abs neutralize the ability of the corresponding type I IFNs to block SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. These auto-Abs were not found in 663 individuals with asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection and were present in only 4 of 1227 healthy individuals. Patients with auto-Abs were aged 25 to 87 years and 95 of the 101 were men. A B cell autoimmune phenocopy of inborn errors of type I IFN immunity accounts for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia in at least 2.6% of women and 12.5% of men

Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (≥65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0–100 based on the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target—1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023—we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45·8 (95% uncertainty interval 44·2–47·5) in 1990 to 60·3 (58·7–61·9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2·6% [1·9–3·3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010–2019 relative to 1990–2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0·79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388·9 million (358·6–421·3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3·1 billion (3·0–3·2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968·1 million [903·5–1040·3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people—the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close—or how far—all populations are in benefiting from UHC