Chronic Pain and Depression are Increased in Outpatient Adults with Somatic Symptoms from Secondary Health Care Services.

BACKGROUND: Somatic symptom disorder is described as excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors related to physical symptoms. The presence of somatic symptoms has been associated with depression, alexithymia, and the presence of chronic pain. Individuals with somatic symptom disorder are frequent attenders of primary health care services. AIM: We focused on investigating if the presence of psychological symptoms, alexithymia, or pain could be risk factors for somatic symptoms in a secondary health care service. METHODS: A cross-sectional and observational study. A total of 136 Mexican individuals who regularly attend a secondary health care service were recruited. The Visual Analogue Scale for Pain Assessment, the Symptom Checklist 90, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 were applied. RESULTS: Of all the participants, 45.2% showed somatic symptoms. We observed that these individuals more frequently presented with complaints of pain (χ2 = 18.4, p < .001), as well as more severe (t = -4.6, p < .001), and prolonged (χ2 = 4.9, p = 0.02). They also exhibited higher severity in all psychological dimensions assessed (p < .001). Finally, cardiovascular disease (t = 2.52, p = .01), pain intensity (t = 2.94, p = .005), and SCL-90 depression (t = 7.58, p < .001) were associated with somatic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we observed a high frequency of somatic symptoms in outpatients attending secondary health care services. They may be accompanied by comorbid cardiovascular conditions, higher pain intensity, and other mental health-related symptoms, which may aggravate the general clinical picture presented by the patient seeking health care. The presence and severity of somatization should be taken into consideration in the first and second level health care services for an early mental state evaluation and treatment of these outpatients to have a better clinical assessment and health outcome.

Scale-up and fed-batch cultivation strategy for the enhanced co-production of microbial lipids and carotenoids using renewable waste feedstock.

Agro-industrial by-product valorization as a feedstock for the bioproduction of high-value products has demonstrated a feasible alternative to handle the environmental impact of waste. Oleaginous yeasts are promising cell factories for the industrial production of lipids and carotenoids. Since oleaginous yeasts are aerobic microorganisms, studying the volumetric mass transfer (kLa) could facilitate the scale-up and operation of bioreactors to grant the industrial availability of biocompounds. Scale-up experiments were performed to assess the simultaneous production of lipids and carotenoids using the yeast Sporobolomyces roseus CFGU-S005 and comparing the yields in batch and fed-batch mode cultivation using agro-waste hydrolysate in a 7 L bench-top bioreactor. The results indicate that oxygen availability in the fermentation affected the simultaneous production of metabolites. The highest production of lipids (3.4 g/L) was attained using the kLa value of 22.44 h-1, while higher carotenoid accumulation of 2.58 mg/L resulted when agitation speed was increased to 350 rpm (kLa 32.16 h-1). The adapted fed-batch mode in the fermentation increased the production yields two times. The fatty acid profile was affected according to supplied aeration and after the fed-batch cultivation mode. This study showed the scale-up potential of the bioprocess using the strain S. roseus in the obtention of microbial oil and carotenoids by the valorization of agro-industrial byproducts as a carbon source.

Effect of risperidone on serum IL-6 levels in individuals with schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Risperidone has been significant correlated with a direct effect of interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in patients with schizophrenia. This fact allows the opportunity to link the probable immunomodulatory effect of antipsychotic medication. Specially, a proper functioning of IL-6 pathway plays a potential role in the treatment or development of schizophrenia. OBJECTIVE: Our primary aim was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect of risperidone on IL-6 levels in individuals with schizophrenia. METHODS: Studies were identified through a systematic search using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. The articles found were subjected to the inclusion and exclusion criteria; then, the mean and standardised differences were extracted to calculate the standardised mean differences using the CMA software. RESULTS: IL-6 levels in individuals with schizophrenia were compared before and after receiving risperidone as treatment. Increased levels of IL-6 levels were observed in individuals with schizophrenia who received risperidone (point estimate 0.249, lower limit 0.042, upper limit 0.455, p-value 0.018). In the Asian population sub-analysis, no statistically significant differences were observed (point estimate 0.103, lower limit -0.187, upper limit 0.215, p value 0.890). When we compared individuals with schizophrenia to the control groups, a significant increase of IL-6 levels was observed in the group with schizophrenia (point estimate 0.248, lower limit 0.024, upper limit 0.472, p-value 0.30). CONCLUSIONS: Risperidone appears to play an important role in IL-6 levels in schizophrenia. Potential implications of increased IL-6 levels in people with schizophrenia should be considered in future studies.KEY POINTSIncreased levels of IL-6 levels were observed in individuals with schizophrenia who received risperidone.Risperidone appears to play an important role in IL-6 levels in schizophrenia.This study could serve for future research focussed on IL-6.

Oxytocin levels in individuals with schizophrenia are high in cerebrospinal fluid but low in serum: A systematic review and meta-analysis : Oxytocin and Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental illness. Levels of oxytocin have been proposed as a biomarker of schizophrenia; however, the observed levels of oxytocin in individuals with schizophrenia have been inconsistent across studies. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate oxytocin levels in plasma, serum and cerebrospinal fluid to see if there are statistically different concentrations between individuals with schizophrenia and the comparison group. The meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The quality of the study was evaluated by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). A random-effects model was performed using the Comprehensive Meta-analysis software with the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Serum oxytocin levels in individuals with schizophrenia were significantly lower than that in comparison group (SMD = - 1.74, 95% CI = - 3.22 to - 0.26, p = 0.02) but cerebrospinal fluid oxytocin levels in individuals with schizophrenia were significantly higher than those in the comparison group (SMD = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.05 to 1.04, p = 0.03). Our results suggest that oxytocin levels in cerebrospinal fluid are increased in individuals with schizophrenia but decreased in serum. Therefore, the oxytocin system dysregulation may play a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and it should be measured in more populations for a possible implementation as a biomarker of schizophrenia.

Drone vs. Bird Detection: Deep Learning Algorithms and Results from a Grand Challenge.

Adopting effective techniques to automatically detect and identify small drones is a very compelling need for a number of different stakeholders in both the public and private sectors. This work presents three different original approaches that competed in a grand challenge on the "Drone vs. Bird" detection problem. The goal is to detect one or more drones appearing at some time point in video sequences where birds and other distractor objects may be also present, together with motion in background or foreground. Algorithms should raise an alarm and provide a position estimate only when a drone is present, while not issuing alarms on birds, nor being confused by the rest of the scene. In particular, three original approaches based on different deep learning strategies are proposed and compared on a real-world dataset provided by a consortium of universities and research centers, under the 2020 edition of the Drone vs. Bird Detection Challenge. Results show that there is a range in difficulty among different test sequences, depending on the size and the shape visibility of the drone in the sequence, while sequences recorded by a moving camera and very distant drones are the most challenging ones. The performance comparison reveals that the different approaches perform somewhat complementary, in terms of correct detection rate, false alarm rate, and average precision.

Prospective Biomarker Study in Advanced RAS Wild-Type Colorectal Cancer: POSIBA Trial (GEMCAD 10-02).

BACKGROUND: RAS testing is used to select patients with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapies sensitivity in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, other biomarkers such as BRAF, PIK3CA/PTEN, and p-IGF-1R+/MMP7+ (double positive [DP] phenotype) have not been prospectively assessed to predict anti-EGFR resistance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We designed a multicenter prospective trial (NCT01276379) to evaluate whether the biomarkers BRAF mutation, PIK3CA mutation/PTEN loss, and DP phenotype can improve the prediction for 12-months progression-free survival (PFS) over the use of clinical variables exclusively in patients with RAS wild-type (WT) mCRC treated with standard chemotherapy plus biweekly cetuximab as first-line therapy. The planned sample size was 170 RAS WT patients to detect a 20% difference in 12-month PFS based on the analysis of clinical and selected biomarkers (α = .05, ß = .2). The discriminatory capacity of the biomarkers was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS: We included 181 RAS WT patients. The biomarker distribution was as follows: BRAF mutant, 20 patients (11%); PIK3CA mutated/PTEN loss, 98 patients (58%); DP, 23 patients (12.7%). The clinical variables in the clinical score were progression status >0, left-sided tumor, and resectable liver metastasis as the only metastatic site. The area under the curve (AUC) of the score containing the clinical variables was 0.67 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60-0.75). The AUC of the score with clinical variables and BRAF mutational status was 0.68 (0.61-0.75, p = .37). The AUC of the score with clinical variables and PI3KCA mutation/PTEN status was 0.69 (0.61-0.76, p = .32). The AUC of the score with clinical variables and DP phenotype was 0.66 (0.58-0.73, p = .09). CONCLUSION: The addition of BRAF, PIK3CA/PTEN, and DP to a clinical score does not improve the discrimination of 12-month PFS. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This prospective biomarker design study has important clinical implications because many prospective clinical trials are designed with the hypothesis that BRAF mutation per se and MEK and PIK3CA downstream pathways are critical for colorectal tumor survival. The results lead to the question of whether these pathways should be considered as passengers instead of drivers.

Preoperative mapping of the aortoiliac territory with duplex ultrasound in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease.

OBJECTIVE: Duplex ultrasound (DUS) arterial mapping of the aortoiliac area is limited by obesity, abdominal gas, and the need to use a low-frequency probe (and therefore poorer resolution) in the examination. The aim of this study was to analyze the degree of agreement between DUS mapping of the aortoiliac area and angiography or contrast-enhanced computed tomography angiography (CTA). METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study. Between November 2006 and June 2015, there were 173 patients with a surgical indication for aortoiliac occlusive disease included, with preoperative aortoiliac DUS mapping and subsequent CTA or intraoperative angiography. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of DUS as an arterial mapping test were analyzed, as was the degree of agreement with angiography/CTA and agreement between the surgical indication based on DUS and the final surgical technique performed. RESULTS: Of 173 DUS mapping tests, 155 were evaluated (89.6%); the remaining 18 were not able to be evaluated because of the patient's obesity or bowel gas. Overall accuracy of DUS for predicting significant artery lesions was as follows: 92% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI], 88%-95%), 96% specificity (95% CI, 95%-97%), 89% positive predictive value (95% CI, 86%-93%), and 97% negative predictive value (95% CI, 96%-98%). Agreement with angiography/CTA had a κ index of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.77-0.84), which reflects a good degree of agreement. Surgical indications based on DUS mapping were correct in 89% of cases (138/155). CONCLUSIONS: DUS mapping of the aortoiliac territory could be used as a single preoperative imaging test in aortoiliac occlusive disease in patients whose DUS examination is able to be evaluated.

Nuclear IGF-1R predicts chemotherapy and targeted therapy resistance in metastatic colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although chemotherapy is the cornerstone treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), acquired chemoresistance is common and constitutes the main reason for treatment failure. Monoclonal antibodies against insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) have been tested in pre-treated mCRC patients, but results have been largely deceiving. METHODS: We analysed time to progression, overall survival, and the mutational status of RAS, BRAF and nuclear p-IGF-1R expression by immunohistochemistry, in 470 metastatic CRC patients. The effect of IGF-1R activation and distribution was also assessed using cellular models of CRC and RNAi for functional validation. RESULTS: Nuclear IGF-1R increased in metastatic tumours compared to paired untreated primary tumours, and significantly correlated with poor overall survival in mCRC patients. In vitro, chemo-resistant cell lines presented significantly higher levels of IGF-1R expression within the nuclear compartment, and PIAS3, a protein implicated also in the sumoylation process of intranuclear proteins, contributed to IGF-1R nuclear sequestration, highlighting the essential role of PIAS3 in this process. Intriguingly, we observed that ganitumab, an IGF-1R blocking-antibody used in several clinical trials, and dasatinib, an SRC inhibitor, increased the nuclear localisation of IGF-1R. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that IGF-1R nuclear location might lead to chemotherapy and targeted agent resistance.

Structure and sequence based functional annotation of Zika virus NS2b protein: Computational insights.

While Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks are a growing concern for global health, a deep understanding about the virus is lacking. Here we report a contribution to the basic science on the virus- a detailed computational analysis of the non structural protein NS2b. This protein acts as a cofactor for the NS3 protease (NS3Pro) domain that is important on the viral life cycle, and is an interesting target for drug development. We found that ZIKV NS2b cofactor is highly similar to other virus within the Flavivirus genus, especially to West Nile Virus, suggesting that it is completely necessary for the protease complex activity. Furthermore, the ZIKV NS2b has an important role to the function and stability of the ZIKV NS3 protease domain even when presents a low conservation score. In addition, ZIKV NS2b is mostly rigid, which could imply a non dynamic nature in substrate recognition. Finally, by performing a computational alanine scanning mutagenesis, we found that residues Gly 52 and Asp 83 in the NS2b could be important in substrate recognition.

Multi-Robot Interfaces and Operator Situational Awareness: Study of the Impact of Immersion and Prediction.

Multi-robot missions are a challenge for operators in terms of workload and situational awareness. These operators have to receive data from the robots, extract information, understand the situation properly, make decisions, generate the adequate commands, and send them to the robots. The consequences of excessive workload and lack of awareness can vary from inefficiencies to accidents. This work focuses on the study of future operator interfaces of multi-robot systems, taking into account relevant issues such as multimodal interactions, immersive devices, predictive capabilities and adaptive displays. Specifically, four interfaces have been designed and developed: a conventional, a predictive conventional, a virtual reality and a predictive virtual reality interface. The four interfaces have been validated by the performance of twenty-four operators that supervised eight multi-robot missions of fire surveillance and extinguishing. The results of the workload and situational awareness tests show that virtual reality improves the situational awareness without increasing the workload of operators, whereas the effects of predictive components are not significant and depend on their implementation.

Localized Supramolecular Peptide Self-Assembly Directed by Enzyme-Induced Proton Gradients.

Electrodes are ideal substrates for surface localized self-assembly processes. Spatiotemporal control over such processes is generally directed through the release of ions generated by redox reactions occurring specifically at the electrode. The so-used gradients of ions proved their effectiveness over the last decade but are in essence limited to material-based electrodes, considerably reducing the scope of applications. Herein is described a strategy to enzymatically generate proton gradients from non-conductive surfaces. In the presence of oxygen, immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx) on a multilayer film provides a flow of protons through enzymatic oxidation of glucose by GOx. The confined acidic environment located at the solid-liquid interface allows the self-assembly of Fmoc-AA-OH (Fmoc=fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl and A=alanine) dipeptides into ß-sheet nanofibers exclusively from and near the surface. In the absence of oxygen, a multilayer nanoreactor containing GOx and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) similarly induces Fmoc-AA-OH self-assembly.

Vision-Based Steering Control, Speed Assistance and Localization for Inner-City Vehicles.

Autonomous route following with road vehicles has gained popularity in the last few decades. In order to provide highly automated driver assistance systems, different types and combinations of sensors have been presented in the literature. However, most of these approaches apply quite sophisticated and expensive sensors, and hence, the development of a cost-efficient solution still remains a challenging problem. This work proposes the use of a single monocular camera sensor for an automatic steering control, speed assistance for the driver and localization of the vehicle on a road. Herein, we assume that the vehicle is mainly traveling along a predefined path, such as in public transport. A computer vision approach is presented to detect a line painted on the road, which defines the path to follow. Visual markers with a special design painted on the road provide information to localize the vehicle and to assist in its speed control. Furthermore, a vision-based control system, which keeps the vehicle on the predefined path under inner-city speed constraints, is also presented. Real driving tests with a commercial car on a closed circuit finally prove the applicability of the derived approach. In these tests, the car reached a maximum speed of 48 km/h and successfully traveled a distance of 7 km without the intervention of a human driver and any interruption.

Towards an Autonomous Vision-Based Unmanned Aerial System against Wildlife Poachers.

Poaching is an illegal activity that remains out of control in many countries. Based on the 2014 report of the United Nations and Interpol, the illegal trade of global wildlife and natural resources amounts to nearly $ 213 billion every year, which is even helping to fund armed conflicts. Poaching activities around the world are further pushing many animal species on the brink of extinction. Unfortunately, the traditional methods to fight against poachers are not enough, hence the new demands for more efficient approaches. In this context, the use of new technologies on sensors and algorithms, as well as aerial platforms is crucial to face the high increase of poaching activities in the last few years. Our work is focused on the use of vision sensors on UAVs for the detection and tracking of animals and poachers, as well as the use of such sensors to control quadrotors during autonomous vehicle following and autonomous landing.

Biweekly cetuximab in combination with FOLFOX-4 in the first-line treatment of wild-type KRAS metastatic colorectal cancer: final results of a phase II, open-label, clinical trial (OPTIMIX-ACROSS Study).

BACKGROUND: This phase II study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of biweekly cetuximab in combination with oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and fluorouracil (FOLFOX-4) as first-line treatment of metastatic wild-type KRAS colorectal cancer. METHODS: Previously untreated patients with wild-type KRAS tumours received biweekly cetuximab (500 mg/m2 on day 1) plus FOLFOX-4 (oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2 on day 1, leucovorin 200 mg/m2 on days 1 and 2, and fluorouracil as a 400 mg/m2 bolus followed by a 22-hour 600 mg/m2 infusion on day 1 and 2). Treatment was continued until disease progression, onset of unacceptable toxicities, metastases surgery, or discontinuation request. The primary endpoint was ORR. RESULTS: The intention-to-treat population included 99 patients with a median age of 64.1 years (range, 34-82). The ORR was 60.6% (95% CI, 50.3% to 70.3%). The median follow-up was 17.8 months; the median OS and PFS were 20.8 and 10.1 months, respectively. Metastases from colorectal cancer were surgically resected in 26 (26.3%) patients, with complete resection achieved in 18 (69.2%) patients. Median PFS and OS in patients undergoing metastatic resection were 12.6 and 29.5 months, respectively. The most common grade 3-4 toxicities were neutropenia (32.3%), acne-like rash (15.2%) and diarrhoea (11.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of the biweekly combination of cetuximab with FOLFOX-4 in patients with wild-type KRAS tumours supports the administration of cetuximab in a dosing regimen more convenient for patients and healthcare providers. The activity of the biweekly administration is similar to what has been reported for the weekly regimen. Reported toxicity was also consistent with the known toxicity profile of weekly cetuximab. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EudraCT Number 200800690916.

Thyroid function and thyroid autoimmunity in apparently healthy pregnant and non-pregnant Mexican women.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid disorders are common in women of reproductive age, and thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy has been associated with adverse outcomes for mother and child. Thyroid function and thyroid function tests (TFTs) can be influenced by a variety of factors, such as ethnicity, the presence of autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), dietary iodine intake, pregnancy, and methodological differences. However, no large-scale studies have been published which examine TFTs and prevalence of AITD in Mexican pregnant women and women of reproductive age. METHODS: TFTs and thyroid autoantibody testing were performed on 660 pregnant and 104 non-pregnant women from Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. After removal of thyroid autoantibody positive individuals and women with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) >4.94 mIU/L, reference intervals were calculated for TFT for non-pregnant women and pregnant women by trimester. RESULTS: Anti-thyroidperoxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab) and/or anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (Tg-Ab) were positive in 14.4% and 13.5% of non-pregnant and pregnant women, respectively. TSH values were significantly higher in women who were positive for TPO-Ab and co-positive for TPO-Ab and Tg-Ab. TSH values were also significantly higher in Tg-Ab positive pregnant women. Other TFTs were not significantly different based on antibody status. Using antibody negative women, reference intervals were determined for TFTs in pregnant (gestational age-specific) and non-pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: Laboratory evidence of AITD is common in this population of Mexican pregnant and non-pregnant women. TFT results and reference intervals are influenced by pregnancy and thyroid autoimmunity. For optimal interpretation of TFT results, gestational age-specific reference intervals established using a local patient population should be used.

Comparison of two diagnostic algorithms for the identification of patients with HCV viremia using a new HCV antigen test.

BACKGROUND: Patients exposed to hepatitis C virus (HCV) may develop chronic infection with viremia. The diagnosis of this condition requires the use of several laboratory tests in algorithms tailored to the population and resources available for each laboratory. AIM: We compared the diagnostic efficacy of two diagnostic algorithms for the identification of viremic patients with HCV. One based on confirmation of reactive antibody results with molecular techniques (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, RTPCR) and the other based on the use of a new HCV core antigen test (HCV Ag). Material and methods. We measured levels of anti-HCV, HCV Ag and viral load (trough RT-PCR) in parallel, in 211 samples (53 antibody positive, 158 antibody negative). Using the three results available for each sample we simulated the diagnostic performance of the two algorithms and compared them to the results of RT-PCR as gold standard. RESULTS: Both algorithms showed a high degree of concordance for viremic patients. The percentage of correctly classified patients was 99.05% for the algorithm based on RT-PCR and 98.10% for the HCV Ag algorithm. The HCV core Ag test showed a clinical sensitivity of 0.917 and showed a good correlation to the results of molecular biology. Spearman rank correlation coefficient (ρ) of 0.97 (95% CI 0.95 to 0.99, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: An algorithm incorporating HCV Ag as confirmatory test for anti-HCV results is a feasible alternative to the use of molecular techniques in laboratories that do not have access to them or require faster turn around times.

[Seroprevalence and detection of primary infection by cytomegalovirus with IgG avidity test during the first quarter of pregnancy]. / Seroprevalencia y detección de infección primaria por citomegalovirus mediante prueba de avidez IgG en el primer trimestre de embarazo.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the seroprevalence and detection of primary infection by cytomegalovirus (CMV) with immunoglobulin G (IgG) avidity test during the first quarter of pregnancy in the General Hospital in Morelia, Michoacan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 177 patients were studied employing a modified Elisa test using a chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) for the detection of CMV antibodies (IgG and immunoglobulin M [IgM]), and IgG avidity. RESULTS: 90.4% were positive for IgG, and of these, 2.3% were also reactive for IgM, and in this group the IgG avidity test reported low avidity for 1.1% and higher avidity in the same percentage. 9.6% were seronegative. CONCLUSIONS: Similarity was found with published studies in Mexico. Health professionals should know the clinical algorithms for diagnosis and proper management of CMV infection using the IgG avidity test.

Where the rubber meets the road: Emerging environmental impacts of tire wear particles and their chemical cocktails.

About 3 billion new tires are produced each year and about 800 million tires become waste annually. Global dependence upon tires produced from natural rubber and petroleum-based compounds represents a persistent and complex environmental problem with only partial and often-times, ineffective solutions. Tire emissions may be in the form of whole tires, tire particles, and chemical compounds, each of which is transported through various atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic routes in the natural and built environments. Production and use of tires generates multiple heavy metals, plastics, PAH's, and other compounds that can be toxic alone or as chemical cocktails. Used tires require storage space, are energy intensive to recycle, and generally have few post-wear uses that are not also potential sources of pollutants (e.g., crumb rubber, pavements, burning). Tire particles emitted during use are a major component of microplastics in urban runoff and a source of unique and highly potent toxic substances. Thus, tires represent a ubiquitous and complex pollutant that requires a comprehensive examination to develop effective management and remediation. We approach the issue of tire pollution holistically by examining the life cycle of tires across production, emissions, recycling, and disposal. In this paper, we synthesize recent research and data about the environmental and human health risks associated with the production, use, and disposal of tires and discuss gaps in our knowledge about fate and transport, as well as the toxicology of tire particles and chemical leachates. We examine potential management and remediation approaches for addressing exposure risks across the life cycle of tires. We consider tires as pollutants across three levels: tires in their whole state, as particulates, and as a mixture of chemical cocktails. Finally, we discuss information gaps in our understanding of tires as a pollutant and outline key questions to improve our knowledge and ability to manage and remediate tire pollution.

Violence and social capital in post-conflict Guatemala.

OBJECTIVE: Violence in post-conflict Guatemala has serious public health consequences for the population. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between violence and social capital. METHODS: Data from a cross-sectional victimization survey conducted in 2008 - 2010 in Guatemala were analyzed. Two-stage proportionate sampling was used in the survey. Households (n = 1 300) were randomly sampled within a random sample of communities (n = 118) in five administrative departments. The survey collected information on the six-month violence exposure of 6 335 individuals. Social capital was measured at the household level using the short version of the Adapted Social Capital Tool (SASCAT). The odds ratio for household violence exposure was estimated using multiple logistic regression. Community-level data from the latest national census were included as explanatory factors at the community level. Income, ethnicity, and social capital were included at the household level. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0. RESULTS: In total, 2.7% of individuals and 11.7% of households had been exposed to violence within the past six months. The multivariate analysis showed that 1) structural social capital (in this case, the level of participation in social networks and civil society) was a risk factor for violence and 2) cognitive social capital (measured as trust, norms, and sense of belonging) was a protective factor for violence. CONCLUSIONS: The opposite direction of the association between violence and structural and cognitive social capital challenges the use of social capital as a unified concept. If this finding is corroborated by other studies, structural and cognitive social capital will have to be treated as two distinctly different concepts.

Pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and ultraviolet filters in wastewater discharges to San Francisco Bay as drivers of ecotoxicity.

Research in the United States evaluating ecotoxic risk to receiving waters posed by contaminants occurring in wastewater discharges typically has focused on measurements of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), with limited evaluations of UV filters and phenylpyrazole and neonicotinoid pesticides. In this study, concentrations of 5 representative pharmaceuticals, 11 pesticides or pesticide degradation products, and 5 ultraviolet filters were measured in 24 h composite samples of six wastewater discharges representing ∼70% of the total wastewater discharged to San Francisco Bay during the summer and fall of 2021. No significant difference was observed between concentrations measured on weekdays vs. weekends. A hydrodynamic model of San Francisco Bay was used to estimate annual average dilution factors associated with different subembayments. With and without considering dilution effects, Risk Quotients were calculated using the 90th percentile of measured concentrations in wastewater effluents and threshold concentrations associated with ecotoxicity. Risk Quotients were highest for the neonicotinoid pesticide, imidacloprid, and exceeded ecotoxicity thresholds in the lower South Bay by a factor of 2.4, even when considering dilution. Compared to commonly measured pharmaceuticals, Risk Quotients for imidacloprid were higher than those for carbamazepine, trimethoprim and diclofenac, and comparable to those for propranolol and metoprolol. Risk Quotients for the pesticide, fipronil, and the UV filter, oxybenzone, were higher than for carbamazepine. The results highlight the need to incorporate pesticides and UV filters with high Risk Quotients into studies in the United States evaluating ecotoxic risk associated with contaminants in municipal wastewater discharges.