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OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) case definitions for influenza-like illness (ILI) in diagnosing influenza during the 2022-2023 flu season in Mexico. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of national epidemiological surveillance data in Mexico, focusing on respiratory viral pathogens. METHODS: We analyzed data from 6027 non-hospitalized patients between 5 and 65 years old who underwent molecular testing for respiratory viral pathogens. The performance of both case definitions was evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve. RESULTS: Overall, the diagnostic accuracy of the evaluated ILI definitions in identifying influenza patients was low, particularly among older patients. When compared to the CDC, the WHO definition had a lower sensitivity but a higher specificity, resulting in a higher AUROC (P = 0.031) for the WHO criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the WHO and CDC ILI case definitions have limited accuracy for diagnosing influenza in non-hospitalized patients and highlight the need for more specific diagnostic tools to improve the detection of influenza cases during the flu season.

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OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the survival experience of adult inpatients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 during the first three waves (wild type, Delta, and Omicron) of the pandemic in Mexico. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective and nationwide study was conducted. METHODS: Data from 229,311 participants were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and estimates per each pandemic wave were obtained. A multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model was fitted, and hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed. RESULTS: The overall mortality rate was 49.1 per 1000 person-days. Heterogeneous survival rates were observed during the analyzed emergences (log-rank test, P < 0.001), and the lowest survival functions were computed during the Omicron variant dominance. In multiple analyses and after adjusting by host characteristics and COVID-19 vaccination status, cases occurring during the Delta (vs wild type: HR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05) and Omicron emergence were at increased risk for a fatal in-hospital outcome (HR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.13-1.22). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest variant-related differences in the survival rates of hospitalized patients with laboratory-positive COVID-19. When compared with the wild-type virus, lower rates were observed during the Delta and Omicron emergence.

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BACKGROUND: Most of the organic content of waste activated sludge (WAS) comprises microbial cells hard to degrade, which must be pre-treated for energy recovery by anaerobic digestion (AD). Electrooxidation pre-treatment (EOP) with boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode have been considered a promising novel technology that increase hydrolysis rate, by the disintegrating cell walls from WAS. Although electrochemical oxidation could efficiently solubilize organic substances of macromolecules, limited reports are available on EOP of WAS for improving AD. In this endeavour, the mathematical optimization study and the energy analysis of the effects of initial total solids concentrations [TS] of WAS and current density (CD) during EOP on the methane production and removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and volatile solids (VS) were investigated. Because limited reports are available on EOP of WAS for improving biogas production, it is not well understood; however, it has started to attract interest of scientists and engineers. RESULTS: In the present work, the energy recovery as biogas and WAS conversion were comprehensively affected by CD and [TS], in an integrated EOP and AD system. When working with WAS at 3% of [TS] pre-treated at current density of 24.1 mA/cm2, the highest COD and VS removal were achieved, making it possible to obtain the maximum methane (CH4) production of 305 N-L/kg VS and a positive energy balance of 1.67 kWh/kg VS. Therefore, the current densities used in BDD electrode are adequate to produce the strong oxidant (hydroxyl radical, ·OH) on the electrode surface, allow the oxidation of organic compounds that favours the solubilization of particulate matter and VS from WAS. CONCLUSIONS: The improvement of VS removal and COD solubilization were due to the effects of pre-treatments, which help to break down the microbial cells for faster subsequent degradation; this allows a decomposition reaction that leads to biodegrade more compounds during AD. The balance was positive, suggesting that even without any optimization the energy used as electricity could be recovered from the increased methane production. It is worth noting that this kind of analysis have not been sufficiently studied so far. It is therefore important to understand how operational parameters can influence the pre-treatment and AD performances. The current study highlights that the mathematical optimization and energy analysis can make the whole process more convenient and feasible.

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The disinfection of helminth eggs and Escherichia coli contaminated aqueous solutions, was studied using an electro-Fenton reactor equipped with a polarized activated carbon (AC) packed bed and two chambers loaded with cation exchange resins. Experiments using different arrangements and operation conditions, revealed that effective elimination of Escherichia coli takes place in all electrochemical disinfection tests. For the more resistant helminth eggs however, adsorption, electro-oxidation and electro-Fenton experiments showed retention within the reactor and pathogen inactivation values of 0, 16, and 25%, respectively. Using helminth eggs concentration data in different sections of the reactor, optical microscopy analysis and an exploratory computer simulation, differences in the disinfection performance were explained and new recirculation and flow direction and polarization switching operation schemes were defined. The corresponding experiments revealed that the effective coupling between adsorption and electro-Fenton phenomena, all along the AC packed bed compartment, results in 100% inactivation of helminth eggs.

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OBJECTIVE: We compared anthropometric and dietary indicators between groups of older Mexican adults with accurate or inaccurate body image perception (BIP). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 201 older adults (age ≥ 60 years) of both sexes who completed the Stunkard scale for BIP, which consists of nine silhouettes with an equivalent of body mass index (BMI) status, then, the accuracy with their real BMI was calculated and reported energy and macronutrient intake through a 24-h dietary recall directed by different geriatric centers in Colima, Mexico. Basic anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance analyses were performed. RESULTS: We found that 71.1% of the older adults had inaccurate BIP; 66.6% underestimated their body mass and 4.5% overestimated their body mass, the other 28.9% hat accurate BIP. The overall concordance between the real nutritional status and BIP was poor (kappa coefficient = 0.03). The inaccurate BIP group had a significantly higher mean body mass index, body fat percentage, muscle mass, and arm and calf circumference compared to the accurate BIP group (p < .001); only 4.3% of the older adults who were overweight and 6.2% who were obese had an accurate BIP. Regarding dietary consumption, we found significant differences only in energy and carbohydrate intake between the two groups. Finally, excess body fat was associated with an inaccurate BIP (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.5-5.5). CONCLUSION: In older adults, an inaccurate BIP is generally associated with high anthropometric values and less than adequate dietary intake.

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Sludge generated after wastewater treatment represents an important challenge due to the large amounts produced and the need to adequately treat it. Anaerobic digestion is the preferred treatment process to obtain renewable energy as well as a biosolid with the potential to be reused in land application. This process generates biogas (methane and carbon dioxide) that may be used for energy co-generation. However, anaerobic digestion is limited by the hydrolysis step since bacteria need to break down organic matter and large molecules to allow conversion into biogas. In this study, electrochemical treatment of sludge is proposed to solubilize organic matter. Boron-doped diamond electrodes were used to treat waste activated sludge under different experimental conditions (current density, flow rate, time) to evaluate their influence on the solubilization of organic matter (in terms of chemical oxygen demand). The degree of solubilization ranged between 0.31 and 1.78%. Based on the results, optimal operating conditions were current density of 19.3 mA cm-2, flow rate of 4 L min-1, and treatment time of 30 min. Furthermore, treatment flow rate was found to play a key role in solubilization, as the process is controlled by mass transfer.

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There are very few reports on the self-assembly of peptides derived from proteins of agro industrial byproducts origin. Although it has been claimed that purity is a determining factor in peptide self-assembly, whether proteins extracted using water along with other components also form self-assembled structures is not known. The results of this work prove that albumins from wheat bran, a byproduct obtained from the milling industry, can form tubular nanostructures during their hydrolysis with the V8 protease in the presence of Ca(2+). Electron microscopy of the hydrolysate revealed that under specific conditions, long filaments are formed, which are nanotubes of several microns in length, with inner and outer diameters of 100 and 200 nm, respectively. The infrared analysis of the hydrolysate identified (-)OOC-Ca(2+) interactions and changes in beta sheet content in response to variations in protein/V8/Ca(2+) molar ratios. A model that explains the probable mechanism of the observed self-assembly is discussed.

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Individual differences in cognitive performance are partly dependent, on genetic polymporhisms. One of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the CNR1 gene, which codes for cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R), is the rs2180619, located in a regulatory region of this gene (6q14-q15). The alleles of the rs2180619 are A > G; the G allele has been associated with addiction and high levels of anxiety (when the G allele interacts with the SS genotype of the 5-HTTLPR gene). However, GG genotype is observed also in healthy subjects. Considering G allele as risk for 'psychopathological conditions', it is possible that GG healthy subjects do not be addicted or anxious, but would have reduced performance, compared to AA subjects, in attentional control and working memory processing. One hundred and sixty-four healthy young Mexican-Mestizo subjects (100 women and 64, men; mean age: 22.86 years, SD=2.72) participated in this study, solving a task where attentional control and working memory were required. GG subjects, compared to AA subjects showed: (1) a general lower performance in the task (P = 0.02); (2) lower performance only when a high load of information was held in working memory (P = 0.02); and (3) a higher vulnerability to distractors (P = 0.03). Our results suggest that, although the performance of GG subjects was at normal levels, a lower efficiency of the endocannabinoid system, probably due to a lowered expression of CB1R, produced a reduction in the performance of these subjects when attentional control and working memory processing is challenged.

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Water supply for human consumption requires certain quality that reduces health risks to consumers. In this sense, the process of disinfection plays an important role in the elimination of pathogenic microorganisms. Even though chlorination is the most applied process based on its effectiveness and cost, its application is being questioned considering the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs). Therefore, alternative disinfectants are being evaluated and some treatment processes have been proposed to remove DBPs precursors (organic matter. This paper reports the results of disinfection of a non conventional source of water (aquifer recharged unintentionally with raw wastewater) with peracetic acid (PAA) and ultraviolet radiation (UV) as well as nanofiltration (NF) followed by chlorination to produce safe drinking water. The results showed that a dose of 2 mg/L PAA was needed to eliminate total and faecal coliforms. For UV light, a dose of 12.40 mWs/cm2 reduced total and faecal coliforms below the detection limit. On the other hand, chlorine demand of water before NF was 1.1-1.3 mg/L with a trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) of 118.62 microg/L, in contrast with chlorination after NF where the demand was 0.5 mg/L and THMFP of 17.64 microg/L. The recommended scheme is nanofiltration + chlorination.

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The use of biosolids for land restoration and crop production is a potential solution to improve food production worldwide. However, the microbial content usually restricts its application in crops that are consumed uncooked. An alternative practice is their use in floriculture. In this study, the effects of acid treated sludge on the development of marigold (Tagetes erecta) plants were evaluated under green house conditions. Biosolids were applied at the agronomic rate (AR) based on nitrogen requirements of the marigold. In addition, higher rates (10 and 20xAR) were applied to study their effect on the plants. Biosolids were mixed with tepetate (hard volcanic indurate layers). Due to its origin, tepetate lacks nutrients and organic matter to adequately support plant development. The best treatment for marigold development was 10xAR, as plants reached an average height of 107 cm, with a growing speed of 1.01 cm/d, which is 20 times more than the control. Plants that received no biosolids produced 0.25 buds and 0.5 flowers per plant. In contrast, AR and 10xAR showed a production that ranged from 2 to 29 buds/plant and 4 to 15 flowers/plant, respectively. These results indicate the viability of reusing acid treated biosolids to improve marigold development.

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