Assessment of Factors Influencing Personal Exposure to Air Pollution on Main Roads in Bogota: A Mixed-Method Study.

Background and Objectives: Particulate Matter (PM), particles of variable but small diameter can penetrate the respiratory system via inhalation, causing respiratory and/or cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to evaluate the association of environmental particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC) with respiratory health in users of different transport modes in four roads in Bogotá. Materials and Methods: this was a mixed-method study (including a cross sectional study and a qualitative description of the air quality perception), in 300 healthy participants, based on an exploratory sequential design. The respiratory effect was measured comparing the changes between pre- and post-spirometry. The PM2.5 and black carbon (BC) concentrations were measured using portable devices. Inhaled doses were also calculated for each participant according to the mode and route. Perception was approached through semi-structured interviews. The analysis included multivariate models and concurrent triangulation. Results: The concentration of matter and black carbon were greater in bus users (median 50.67 µg m-3; interquartile range (-IR): 306.7). We found greater inhaled dosages of air pollutants among bike users (16.41 µg m-3). We did not find changes in the spirometry parameter associated with air pollutants or transport modes. The participants reported a major sensory influence at the visual and olfactory level as perception of bad air quality. Conclusions: We observed greater inhaled doses among active transport users. Nevertheless, no pathological changes were identified in the spirometry parameters. People's perceptions are a preponderant element in the assessment of air quality.

Influence of Cigarette Package Brand on the Emotional Impact of Tobacco-Warning Images That Cover 30% of Cigarette Packs in Smokers and Nonsmokers.

INTRODUCTION: Research on the emotional impact of tobacco-warning images (TWIs) has not evaluated the role of context (ie, cigarette packs) as a modulator of the emotional response to TWIs. The objective of the present study was to identify the influence of the cigarette package brand on the emotional impact of TWIs that cover 30% of cigarette packs in smokers and nonsmokers using a specific methodology for the study of emotion. METHODS: The participants included 95 smokers and 111 nonsmokers who observed three TWIs under two conditions: TWIs that covered 30% of cigarette packs and TWIs alone, without brands. Additionally, 18 pictures from the International Affective Picture System were presented as comparison stimuli and to reduce the effect of habituation. The Self-Assessment Manikin was used to assess valence, arousal, and dominance dimensions. RESULTS: TWIs that covered 30% of cigarette packs were evaluated as least aversive, with lower ratings of arousal and higher ratings of dominance in both groups. Differences in the valence, arousal, and dominance dimensions were found between groups. Smokers rated TWIs that covered 30% of cigarette packs as less aversive and more arousing and gave them lower dominance scores compared with nonsmokers. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that cigarette packages modulate the emotional impact of TWIs, especially in smokers, and the minimum size of TWIs (ie, 30% of the front and back of the package) is not sufficiently large to generate an emotional impact associated with avoidance behavior. IMPLICATIONS: Cigarette packages modulate the emotional impact of TWIs, especially in smokers. The cigarette package itself is an appetitive context that captures the attention of the observer and decreases the aversive emotional response to the TWIs. The minimum size of TWIs (ie, 30% of the front and back of the package) is not sufficiently large to generate an emotional impact associated with avoidance behavior.

Evolution of Anxiety, Emotional Intelligence, and Effective Personality after COVID-19 among Spanish University Students.

The repercussions of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus over recent years have posed an unprecedented challenge for the whole of society, affecting the well-being of everyone. Among all the variables affected in relation to well-being, Anxiety, Emotional Intelligence, and Effective Personality (Self-Esteem, Academic Self-Realisation, Resolute Self-Efficacy, Social Self-Realisation) have been highlighted. The aim of this study is to assess the evolution of those variables across three temporal phases: pre-pandemic, during the pandemic, and up until the end of the study in April 2022. A study was conducted during these temporal phases with three cohorts from Spanish Universities. The cohorts were formed of people assessed for Anxiety (660 pre-pandemic, 460 during the pandemic, and 311 at the end of the study), Emotional Intelligence (355 pre-pandemic, 91 during the pandemic, 311 at the end of the study), and Effective Personality (708 pre-pandemic, 174 in 2018, 311 at the end of the study). Anxiety was assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Emotional Intelligence with the Trait Meta-Mood Scale and TMMS-24, and Effective Personality with the Cuestionario Personalidad Eficaz-Universidad (the Effective Personality Questionnaire-University). The results showed a rise in the state of anxiety during COVID-19, with a subsequent reduction two years into the pandemic; however, anxiety rates remained higher than before the pandemic. Emotional intelligence increased in the emotional attention factor, but diminished as regards both clarity and regulation. Effective Personality was at lower levels for all factors (Self-Esteem, Academic Self-Realisation, Resolute Self-Efficacy, Social Self-Realisation). The main conclusion was the need for assistance with the dimensions under study, in order to improve the well-being of university students after the serious effects caused by COVID-19.

Blue carbon of Mexico, carbon stocks and fluxes: a systematic review.

Mexico has more than 750,000 ha of mangroves and more than 400,000 ha of seagrasses. However, approximately 200,000 ha of mangroves and an unknown area of seagrass have been lost due to coastal development associated with urban, industrial and tourist purposes. In 2018, the approved reforms to the General Law on Climate Change (LGCC) aligned the Mexican law with the international objectives established in the 2nd Article of the Paris Agreement. This action proves Mexico's commitment to contributing to the global target of stabilizing the greenhouse gas emissions concentration in the planet. Thus, restoring and conserving mangrove and seagrass habitats could contribute to fulfilling this commitment. Therefore, as a first step in establishing a mitigation and adaptation plan against climate change with respect to conservation and restoration actions of these ecosystems, we evaluated Mexican blue carbon ecosystems through a systematic review of the carbon stock using the standardized method of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). We used the data from 126 eligible studies for both ecosystems (n = 1220). The results indicated that information is missing at the regional level. However, the average above and below ground organic carbon stocks from mangroves in Mexico is 113.6 ± 5.5 (95% CI [99.3-118.4]) Mg Corg ha-1 and 385.1 ± 22 (95% CI [344.5-431.9]) Mg Corg ha-1, respectively. The variability in the Corg stocks for both blue carbon ecosystems in Mexico is related to variations in climate, hydrology and geomorphology observed along the country's coasts in addition to the size and number of plots evaluated with respect to the spatial cover. The highest values for mangroves were related to humid climate conditions, although in the case of seagrasses, they were related to low levels of hydrodynamic stress. Based on the official extent of mangrove and seagrass area in Mexico, we estimate a total carbon stock of 237.7 Tg Corg from mangroves and 48.1 Tg Corg from seagrasses. However, mangroves and seagrasses are still being lost due to land use change despite Mexican laws meant to incorporate environmental compensation. Such losses are largely due to loopholes in the legal framework that dilute the laws' effectiveness and thus ability to protect the ecosystem. The estimated emissions from land use change under a conservative approach in mangroves of Mexico were approximately 24 Tg CO2e in the last 20 years. Therefore, the incorporation of blue carbon into the carbon market as a viable source of supplemental finance for mangrove and seagrass protection is an attractive win-win opportunity.

Pruebas de funcionalismo hepático en pacientes con infección viral aguda / Liver function tests in patients with acute viral infection / Testes de fungáo hepática em pacientes com infecgáo viral aguda

Las hepatitis víricas son producidas principalmente por virus de las hepatitis; sin embargo, otros virus han sido asociados a esta entidad clínica. Con el objeto de estudiar estas alteraciones hepáticas se estudiaron 130 pacientes con síntomas de infección viral aguda. Se les realizó una historia clínica y sus muestras de suero fueron procesadas por técnicas inmunoen-zimáticas y espectrofotométrícas para la determinación de anticuerpos específicos de los distintos virus y para pruebas de funcionalismo hepático. Se confirmó infección viral en 68 pacientes: 22 casos (32,4%) por virus dengue (VD); virus de varicela zoster (VVZ) 11(16,2%), virus de parotiditis (VP) 9 (13,2%); infección por citomegalovirus (CMV) 7 (10,3%), virus Epstein Barr (VEB) 4(5,9%), 13(19,1%) por virus de hepatitis A (VHA), 1 (1,5%) por virus de hepatitis B (VHB) y 1 (1,5%) por virus de hepatitis C (VHC). En todas las infecciones virales se observó aumento de ambas transaminasas; en la infección por virus de hepatitis predominó alaninaaminotransferasa (ALT) (p < 0,05). El resto de las infecciones estudiadas fue a expensas de aspartatoaminotransferasa (AST). La hiperbilirrubinemia producida por VHA fue estadísticamente significativa (p < 0,05) con respecto al resto de las infecciones. La fosfatasa alcalina (FA) y la gammaglutamiltranspeptidasa (GGT) también estuvieron alteradas y se destacó la hipoproteinemia en la infección por VD. Este estudio sugiere que las pruebas bioquímicas que miden el funcionalismo hepático, no sólo evalúan severidad y evolución de la enfermedad, sino que además pueden orientar sobre la etiología de la infección viral aguda.

Viral hepatitis is mainly caused by the hepatitis virus, but other viruses have been associated with this clinical entity. In order to study these liver disorders, 130 patients with symptoms of acute viral infection were analized. A complete medical history and serum samples were assayed by enzyme-linked immunoassay and spectrophotometer techniques for the determination of antibodies specific to different viruses and liver func-tion tests. Viral infection was confirmed in 68 patients: 22 cases (32.4%) for dengue virus (DV) 11 (16.2%) varicella zoster virus (VZV), 9 (13.2%) mumps virus (VP), 7 (10.3%) cytomegalovirus (CMV), 4 (5.9%) Ep-stein- Barr virus (EBV), 13 (19.1%) patients with hepatitis A virus (HAV), 1 (1.5%) infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 1 (1.5%) with hepatitis C virus (HCV). All viral infections showed an increase in both transaminases; in hepatitis virus infection, alanineaminotransferase (ALT) (p < 0.05) predominated. The rest of the infections studied were at the expense of aspartate aminotransferase (AST). HAVhyperbilirubine-mia was statistically significant (p < 0.05) compared with other infections. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) were also affected, and hypoproteinemia was stressed in DV infection. This study suggests that the biochemical tests that measure liver function, not only assess the severity and progression of the disease, but can also shed light on the cause of acute viral infection.

As hepatites virais sáo produzidas principalmente por virus das hepatites; entretanto outros virus tem sido associados a esta entidade clínica. Com o objetivo de estudar estas alteragóes hepáticas foram estudados 130 pacientes com sintomas de infecgáo viral aguda. Foi realizado um prontuário clínico e suas amostras de soro foram processadas por técnicas imunoenzimáticas e espectrofotométrícas para a determinagáo de anticorpos específicos dos diferentes virus e para testes de fungáo hepática. Confirmou-se infecgáo viral em 68 pacientes: 22 casos (32,4%) por virus dengue (VD); virus de varicela zoster (VVZ) 11(16,2%), virus de parotidite (VP) 9 (13,2%); infecgáo por citomegalovírus (CMV) 7(10,3%), virus Epstein Barr (VEB) 4(5,9%), 13 (19,1%) por virus de hepatite A (VHA), 1 (1,5%) por virus de hepatite B (VHB) e 1(1,5%) por virus de hepatite C (VHC). Em todas as infecgóes virais foi observado aumento de ambas as transaminases; na infecgáo por virus de hepatite predominou alanina aminotransferase (ALT) (p < 0,05). O resto das infecgóes es-tudadas foi as expensas de aspartato aminotransferase (AST); a hiperbilirrubinemia produzida por VHA foi estatisticamente significativa (p< 0,05) com relagáo ao resto das infecgóes. A fosfatase alcalina (FA) e a gamaglutamiltranspeptidase (GGT) também estiveram alteradas e se destacou a hipoproteinemia na infecgáo por VD. Este estudo sugere que os testes bioquímicos que medem a fungáo hepática, náo só avaliam severidade e evolugáo da doenga, mas também podem orientar sobre a etiologia da infecgáo viral aguda.