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The COVID-19 pandemic has not only had health, economic, and political impacts, but also significant psychosocial and mental health consequences worldwide. In this article, different documentation and studies on mental health were analyzed, with the aim of identifying the various problems detected during the pandemic. Methodologically, a narrative and integrative review of the scientific literature was carried out. In Latin America, the most recent studies have documented and made patent effects on the various vulnerized populations such as migrants, women, children, the elderly, people living with significant disabilities, people experiencing marked housing and food insecurity, and temporary workers laboring in what has been referred to as the informal economy. In light of this, it is proposed that addressing these issues should involve the coordination of transnational policies and the definition of an agenda of critical priorities to focus and address. For this to come about, it is important that the empirical evidence generated by regional epidemiological studies contribute to the design of public policies on mental health of the Latin American population, so that they reduce the negative effects as well as prevent the future consequences of a pandemic that is not yet over.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only had health, economic, and political impacts, but also significant psychosocial and mental health consequences worldwide. In this article, different documentation and studies on mental health were analyzed, with the aim of identifying the various problems detected during the pandemic. Methodologically, a narrative and integrative review of the scientific literature was carried out. In Latin America, the most recent studies have documented and made patent effects on the various vulnerized populations such as migrants, women, children, the elderly, people living with significant disabilities, people experiencing marked housing and food insecurity, and temporary workers laboring in what has been referred to as the informal economy. In light of this, it is proposed that addressing these issues should involve the coordination of transnational policies and the definition of an agenda of critical priorities to focus and address. For this to come about, it is important that the empirical evidence generated by regional epidemiological studies contribute to the design of public policies on mental health of the Latin American population, so that they reduce the negative effects as well as prevent the future consequences of a pandemic that is not yet over.

(1) Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate and to detect neuromuscular deficiencies in static and dynamic tests among federated youth basketball players. (2) Methods: Cross-sectional study with 778 basketball players. Specific tests and trials were conducted to evaluate members of teams from several clubs in male and female from under 12 (U12) to under 17 (U17) categories. The evaluations consisted of static physical measurements and dynamic measurements. (3) Results: 575 players were included in this study. A total of 95% of participants are unable to keep their ankle stable in monopodial loading; 86% present dynamic lower extremity valgus with statistically significant differences between categories (p = 0.004); 94% are unable to keep the pelvis stable when performing a single-leg squat; 93% are unable to keep their trunk stable when performing the same movement. During landing, 96% present dynamic lower extremity valgus. The thighs of 92% do not reach parallel (peak of jump). (4) Conclusions: The most frequent neuromuscular deficits in federated youth basketball players are related to instability, the most frequent being ankle instability, followed by lumbo-pelvic instability, dynamic postural instability and dynamic knee valgus. Deficits in jumping/landing technique are also very frequent in all the items analyzed (jumping, landing and plyometrics). The performed tests, which mostly showed a poor performance by the sample, can be indicative of injury probability.

In this study, the ability of the aerobic biogranulation process to remove organic matter, total nitrogen, and total phosphorous from wastewater was investigated. The effect of organic matter load on the quality of the produced biogranules and settling velocity of the generated biomass was also investigated. Four different aerobic scenarios were studied in sequential batch bioreactors (SBR) to identify the best operating conditions. The experimental setup consisted of four bioreactors containing 300 mL samples (100 mL of sludge and 200 mL of sweet whey at four different concentrations) under constant stirring (150 rpm), room temperature, and controlled pH (e.g., 7.98 ± 0.25). The different organic matter loads were calculated as the chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration at 1157 (A), 719 (B), 357 (C), and 202 mg/L (D), respectively. The process consisted of cycles of initial feast followed by 72 h of famine. During the experiments, COD, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) were measured at the beginning (t0) and the end of the process. The results confirmed that the best conditions were found in the bioreactor with the highest COD load (1157 mg/L), which achieved 98.7 % reduction in organic matter, 45.6 % reduction in TP, and 99.4 % reduction in TN after 9 days with final average sludge settling velocity of 0.7 m/h. The biogranulation process achieved improved clarification of the supernatant, showing increased settling velocity in all of the bioreactors. Microscopic observation confirmed uniform morphology (e.g., spherical or cylindrical) with the biggest biogranules being observed in bioreactors A and B. Organic load was found to play a significant role in biogranules formation and the achievement of the highest organic matter removal, sludge volume reduction, and water clarification. The overall trend in final sludge settling velocity measured in the different bioreactors was C > B > D > A, and in all of them settling was faster than t

The effect of three high-density breeding levels on the growth and survival of Cichlasoma festae under controlled conditions of confinement during its nursery stage was evaluated. 24 cages (0.2 m3 with 8 mm eye) were used in a ground pond (30m x 12m x 0.6m) where 960 wild fry of Cichlasoma festae were housed with an initial average weight of 4.11g. A completely randomized design (DCA) was applied with 3 treatments (D1-120, D2-240 and D3-360 fry / m3) and 8 repetitions. The feed used was a commercial balanced feed (36% protein) administered ad libitum with frequency of 3 times / day. The duration of the experience was 90 days. The variables were controlled: temperature (° C), oxygen concentration, weight, length, conversion rate and survival rate. One-way analysis of variance was performed, after checking the normality of the data distribution and the homogeneity of the variances between the different groups. The results obtained confirmed the adaptation of the environmental variables to the ranges established in the breeding protocols. The growth of the fry is not significantly influenced by the density levels used in the environmental conditions and rational management employed. Density was not considered as limiting factor of the breed, as there was no evidence of a negative effect. However, our results were lower than the growth reported in other similar species. The survival rate was high, increasing as the breeding density increased., Se evaluó el efecto de tres niveles de alta densidad de cría sobre el crecimiento y la supervivencia del Cichlasoma festae en condiciones controladas de confinamiento durante su etapa de alevinaje. Se utilizaron 24 jaulas (0,2 m3 con ojo de 8 mm) en un estanque de tierra (30m x 12m x 0,6m) donde se alojaron 960 alevines silvestres de Cichlasoma festae con un peso promedio inicial de 4,11g. Se aplicó un diseño completamente al azar (DCA) con 3 tratamientos (D1-120, D2-240 y D3-360 alevines/m3) y 8 repeticiones. El alimento utilizado fue un pienso balanceado comercial (36% proteína) administrado ad libitum con frecuencia de 3 veces/día. La duración de la experiencia fue de 90 días. Se controlaron las variables: temperatura (°C), concentración de oxígeno, peso, longitud, índice de conversión y tasa de supervivencia. Se realizó un análisis de varianza de una vía, previa comprobación de la normalidad de la distribución de los datos y la homogeneidad de las varianzas entre los diferentes grupos. Los resultados obtenidos confirmaron la adecuación de las variables ambientales a los rangos establecidos en los protocolos de cría. El crecimiento de los alevines no está influenciado significativamente por los niveles de densidad utilizados en las condiciones ambientales y de manejo racional empleados. No se consideró la densidad como factor limitante de la cría al no evidenciar existencia de efecto negativo. No obstante, nuestros resultados fueron inferiores al crecimiento reportado en otras especies similares. La tasa de supervivencia fue elevada, aumentando conforme se incrementó la densidad de cría.

Las neoplasias primarias de oído medio son poco frecuentes y más aún lo es el adenoma de oído medio. Se plantea que el tumor se origina de células pluripotenciales endodérmicas indiferenciadas que están presentes en la mucosa. El adenoma carcinoide está compuesto por dos tipos de células: exocrinas y neuroendocrinas, estas últimas son capaces de liberar granulaciones y neuropéptidos que se detectan en la inmunohistoquímica. La mayoría se presentan con síntomas vagos de la esfera otológica, siendo raras las manifestaciones sistémicas de síndrome carcinoide. No existe examen físico característico ni patrón imagenológico. Se debe hacer diagnóstico diferencial con colesteatoma y otros tumores de oído medio. El diagnóstico definitivo es anatomopatológico y el tratamiento de elección es quirúrgico dado el potencial destructivo local. Se presentan en este artículo dos casos de adenoma carcinoide de oído medio.

Las neoplasias primarias de oído medio son poco frecuentes y más aún lo es el adenoma de oído medio. Se plantea que el tumor se origina de células pluripotenciales endodérmicas indiferenciadas que están presentes en la mucosa. El adenoma carcinoide está compuesto por dos tipos de células: exocrinas y neuroendocrinas, estas últimas son capaces de liberar granulaciones y neuropéptidos que se detectan en la inmunohistoquímica. La mayoría se presentan con síntomas vagos de la esfera otológica, siendo raras las manifestaciones sistémicas de síndrome carcinoide. No existe examen físico característico ni patrón imagenológico. Se debe hacer diagnóstico diferencial con colesteatoma y otros tumores de oído medio. El diagnóstico definitivo es anatomopatológico y el tratamiento de elección es quirúrgico dado el potencial destructivo local. Se presentan en este artículo dos casos de adenoma carcinoide de oído medio.

Manic-depressive illness, or bipolar disorder (BP), is characterized by episodes of elevated mood (mania) and depression. We designed a multistage study in the genetically isolated population of the Central Valley of Costa Rica to identify genes that promote susceptibility to severe BP (termed BPI), and screened the genome of two Costa Rican BPI pedigrees (McInnes et al., submitted). We considered only individuals who fullfilled very stringent diagnostic criteria for BPI to be affected. The strongest evidence for a BPI locus was observed in 18q22-q23. We tested 16 additional markers in this region and seven yielded peak rod scores over 1.0. These suggestive lod scores were obtained over a far greater chromosomal length (about 40 cM) than in any other genome region. This localization is supported by marker haplotypes shared by 23 of 26 BPI affected individuals studied. Additionally, marker allele frequencies over portions of this region are significantly different in the patient sample from those of the general Costa Rican population. Finally, we performed an analysis which made use of both the evidence for linkage and for association in 18q23, and we observed significant lod scores for two markers in this region.

Results from many efforts to better understand the nature of ground motions and the seismic behavior or structures in Cusco, Peru, give now the possibility to combine several sources of information to produce estimates of seismic hazard and risk. A model is presented which estimates expected damage, based on geotechnical characteristics and intensity-damage relations derived for several types of buildings representative of Cusco’s constructions. The study area was divided into smaller sections covering the whole city. This information, along with the geographic distribution of soil types and construction density, allows computation of expected losses during a given event for sites distributed throughout the city.