SARS-CoV-2 viral load analysis at low and high altitude: A case study from Ecuador

SARS-CoV-2 has spread throughout the world, including remote areas such as those located at high altitudes. There is a debate about the role of hypobaric hypoxia on viral transmission and COVID-19 incidence. A descriptive cross-sectional analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and viral load among patients living at low (230 m) and high altitude (3800 m) in Ecuador was completed. Within these two communities, the total number of infected people at the time of the study was 108 cases (40.3%). The COVID-19 incidence proportion at low altitude was 64% while at high altitude was 30.3%. The mean viral load from those patients who tested positive was 3,499,184 copies/mL (SD = 23,931,479 copies/mL). At low altitude (Limoncocha), the average viral load was 140,223.8 copies/mL (SD = 990,840.9 copies/mL), while for the high altitude group (Oyacachi), the mean viral load was 6,394,789 copies/mL (SD = 32,493,469 copies/mL). We found no statistically significant differences when both results were compared (p = 0.056). We found no significant differences across people living at low or high altitude; however, men and younger populations had higher viral load than women older populations, respectivel

A comparative analysis of SARS-CoV-2 viral load across different altitudes

SARS-CoV-2 has spread throughout the world, including areas located at high or very high altitudes. There is a debate about the role of high altitude hypoxia on viral transmission, incidence, and COVID-19 related mortality. This is the first comparison of SARS-CoV-2 viral load across elevations ranging from 0 to 4300 m. To describe the SARS-CoV-2 viral load across samples coming from 62 cities located at low, moderate, high, and very high altitudes in Ecuador. An observational analysis of viral loads among nasopharyngeal swap samples coming from a cohort of 4929 patients with a RT-qPCR test positive for SARS-CoV-2. The relationship between high and low altitude only considering our sample of 4929 persons is equal in both cases and not significative (p-value 0.19). In the case of low altitude, adding the sex variable to the analysis, it was possible to find a significative difference between men and women (p-value < 0.05). Considering initially sex and then altitude, it was possible to find a significative difference between high and low altitude for men (p-value 0.05). There is not enough evidence to state that viral load is affected directly by altitude range but adding a new variable as sex in the analysis shows that the presence of new variables influences the relationship of altitude range and viral load. There is no evidence that viral loads (Ct and copies/ml) differ at low or high altitude. Using sex as a co-factor, we found that men have higher viral loads than women at low and moderate altitude locations, while living at high altitude, no differences were found. When Ct values were aggregated by low, moderate, and high viral load, we found no significant differences when sex was excluded from the analysis. We conclude that viral load is not directly affected by altitude, but COVID-19 incidence and mortality are rather affected by socio-demographic and idiosyncratic dynamics

5to. Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad. Memoria académica

El V Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad, CITIS 2019, realizado del 6 al 8 de febrero de 2019 y organizado por la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, ofreció a la comunidad académica nacional e internacional una plataforma de comunicación unificada, dirigida a cubrir los problemas teóricos y prácticos de mayor impacto en la sociedad moderna desde la ingeniería. En esta edición, dedicada a los 25 años de vida de la UPS, los ejes temáticos estuvieron relacionados con la aplicación de la ciencia, el desarrollo tecnológico y la innovación en cinco pilares fundamentales de nuestra sociedad: la industria, la movilidad, la sostenibilidad ambiental, la información y las telecomunicaciones. El comité científico estuvo conformado formado por 48 investigadores procedentes de diez países: España, Reino Unido, Italia, Bélgica, México, Venezuela, Colombia, Brasil, Estados Unidos y Ecuador. Fueron recibidas un centenar de contribuciones, de las cuales 39 fueron aprobadas en forma de ponencias y 15 en formato poster. Estas contribuciones fueron presentadas de forma oral ante toda la comunidad académica que se dio cita en el Congreso, quienes desde el aula magna, el auditorio y la sala de usos múltiples de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, cumplieron respetuosamente la responsabilidad de representar a toda la sociedad en la revisión, aceptación y validación del conocimiento nuevo que fue presentado en cada exposición por los investigadores. Paralelo a las sesiones técnicas, el Congreso contó con espacios de presentación de posters científicos y cinco workshops en temáticas de vanguardia que cautivaron la atención de nuestros docentes y estudiantes. También en el marco del evento se impartieron un total de ocho conferencias magistrales en temas tan actuales como la gestión del conocimiento en la universidad-ecosistema, los retos y oportunidades de la industria 4.0, los avances de la investigación básica y aplicada en mecatrónica para el estudio de robots de nueva generación, la optimización en ingeniería con técnicas multi-objetivo, el desarrollo de las redes avanzadas en Latinoamérica y los mundos, la contaminación del aire debido al tránsito vehicular, el radón y los riesgos que representa este gas radiactivo para la salud humana, entre otros

Estrategias tributarias como herramientas de optimización de rentabilidad en el sector de alquiler de vehículos

The objective of the research was to design tax strategies that allow the increase of liquidity and profitability in the car rental companies of the city of Cuenca. It was located in a descriptive documentary typology with a non-experimental field design. The proposal to design tax strategies as profitability optimization tools seeks to identify the exemptions and deductions contemplated in the Organic Law of Internal Tax Regime that vehicle rental companies must use to benefit from a lower income tax payment. Through the design of these strategies, it is intended to reduce the tax burden in a lawful way without falling into the avoidance or evasion of taxes that are sanctioned by law, but rather, it consists of using the means provided by the legal system or a deficiency in the standard.La investigación se planteó como objetivo diseñar estrategias tributarias que permitan el incremento de la liquidez y rentabilidad en las empresas de alquiler de vehículos de la ciudad de Cuenca. Se situó en una tipología descriptiva documental con diseño de campo de no experimental. La propuesta de diseñar estrategias tributarias como herramientas de optimización de rentabilidad, busca identificar las exenciones y deducciones contempladas en la Ley Orgánica de Régimen Tributario Interno que las empresas de alquiler de vehículos deben utilizar para beneficiarse de un menor pago del impuesto a la renta. Por medio del diseño de estas estrategias se pretende disminuir la carga de impuestos de una manera licita sin caer en la elusión o evasión de impuestos que son sancionadas por la ley, sino más bien, consiste en utilizar los medios que brinda el ordenamiento jurídico o de una deficiencia en la norma

Lactate as an important biomarker of cerebrospinal fluid in infectious diseases of the central nervous system: A comprehensive literature review

Central nervous system (CNS) infections are a group of diseases, where meningitis (associated or not to neurosurgical interventions) and bacterial ventriculitis have been studied for many years in order to establish early diagnosis methods through direct therapy to reduce morbidity and mortality in this population. Analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is an important source of information for diagnosis of neuroinfection. Lactate concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid has a value independent of plasma because it does not cross the blood-brain barrier, therefore, constitutes the end-product of the bacterial anaerobic glycolysis being the primary source of lactate in the CSF. Therefore, it has a great tool in the diagnostic approach of bacterial meningitis, however, reference values ​​are not warranted. Objective: The authors present the latest scientific evidence on the use of lactate as a diagnostic method for two neurological pathologies with highest incidence on population, establishing a translational approach to clinical practice. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was carried out. We describe the results of a structured search based on keywords infection, meningitis, ventriculitis, bacterial, cerebrospinal fluid, and lactate, vía Medline, Scopus, WoS, EMBASE, and LATINDEX databases. Conclusion: Lactate in a CSF sample is useful to determine the bacterial etiology in patients with suspected meningitis. CSF lactate value equal or higher than 4 mmol/l could indicate bacterial meningitis about 90% of probability. Lactate value is identical in patients with ventriculitis; however, it cannot be established as neuroinfection, therefore, we should use another diagnostic method. Objective: This work will present the updated scientific evidence regarding the use of lactate as a diagnostic method for two neurological entities with high incidence in our population, establishing a translational approach to our clinical practice. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was carried out we wrote the results of a structured search with the keywords infection, meningitis, ventriculitis, bacterial, cerebrospinal fluid, and lactate, in both English and Spanish within the Medline, Scopus, WoS, EMBASE, and LATINDEX databases. Conclusion: Measuring lactate in a CSF sample is useful to determine the bacterial etiology in patients with suspected meningitis, a CSF lactate value greater than or equal to 4 mmol / l means that a patient will have bacterial meningitis with certainty greater than 90% However, the lactate value is the same in a patient with ventriculitis, it cannot be established with total certainty that it is a neuroinfection, therefore, we should use some other diagnostic metho