Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in avocado farmworkers from Mexico.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected farmworkers in the United States and Europe, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about the specific impact of the pandemic on agriculture and food production workers in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and assess the mental health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among avocado farmworkers in Michoacan, Mexico. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of adult farmworkers (n = 395) in May 2021. We collected survey data, nasal swabs and saliva samples for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection, and blood samples for immunoglobulin G (IgG) reactivity measurements. Results: None of the farmworkers tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. However, among unvaccinated farmworkers (n = 336, 85%), approximately one-third (33%) showed evidence of past infection (positive for IgG against SARS-CoV-2). Unvaccinated farmworkers who lived with other farmworkers (aRR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.05, 2.05), had ever lived with someone with COVID-19 (aRR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.22, 2.43), and who had diabetes (aRR = 2.19; 95% CI: 1.53, 2.85) had a higher risk of testing IgG-positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. In contrast, unvaccinated farmworkers living in more rural areas (outside of Tingambato or Uruapan) (aRR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.46, 0.96) or cooking with wood-burning stove (aRR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.55, 0.96) had a lower risk of IgG-positivity. Moreover, 66% of farmworkers reported a negative impact of the pandemic on their lives, 29% reported experiencing food insecurity and difficulty paying bills, and 10% reported depression or anxiety symptoms. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the mental health and financial well-being of avocado farmworkers. Consequently, the implementation of interventions and prevention efforts, such as providing mental health support and food assistance services, is imperative.

A Model Analysis for the Design and Deployment of an Eulerian Sediment Trap Mooring Array in a Western Boundary Upwelling System from Southeast Brazil.

This work addresses the design and configuration of a Eulerian sediment trap mooring array, which was deployed at the shelf edge (zm ≈ 140 m) 80 km off Cabo Frio, SE- Brazil (23° S). The site was subject to interplay between the Tropical Waters (TW) of the Brazil Current (BC), intrusions from the South Atlantic Central Waters (SACW), which are the source of upwelling in the region, and other oceanographic processes. Detailed computations were used to optimize the total weight, buoyancy balance, and maximum acceptable tilt to avoid hydrodynamic bias in the trapping efficiency and array adaptation to the local oceanographic conditions with the assistance of Matlab and Muringa programs and Modular Ocean Model 4.0 (MOM; i.e., to assert the vertical distribution of the meridional current component). The velocity range of the current component was determined by short term measurements to be between 0.1 and 0.5 m/s. Projections led to a resulting minimum anchor weight of 456 kg. The necessary line tension was ascertained by using the appropriate distribution of a series of buoys along the array, which finally attained a high vertical load of 350 kg because of the attached oceanographic equipment. Additional flotation devices resulted in a stable mooring array as reflected by their low calculated tilt (2.6° ± 0.6°). A low drag of 16 N was computed for the maximum surface current velocity of 0.5 m/s. The Reynolds number values ranged from 4 × 104 to 2 × 105 and a cone-trap aspect ratio of 1.75 was used to assess the trap sampling efficiency upon exposure to different current velocities.

Hernioplastía video laparoscópica / Laparoscopic hernia repair

La cirugía videolaparoscópica en la actualidad ha introducido la técnica en las distintas áreas de la cirugía general, incluyendo el abordaje de las hernias inguinofemorales: El presente estudio reúne la experiencia de este procedimiento con un total de 10 pacientes con 11 hernias de la región inguinal. Se utilizó malla de polipropileno en posición preperitoneal con abordaje transabdominal en todos los casos, fijándola con grapas de titanio. No hubo complicaciones relacionadas con el procedimiento. El tiempo operatorio varió de 35 a 120 minutos; la estancia hospitalaria no excedió las 24 horas en ningún caso. Después de un año de seguimiento se tuvo una recidiva. Consideramos la presente como una alternativa en la reparación de hernias inguinofemorales

Seroepidemiología de la infección por el virus A de la hepatitis en comunidades de la frontera sur del estado de Chiapas / Seroepidemiology of hepatitis A in communities on the Southern border of the state of Chiapas

Se investigó la epidemiología de la hepatitis A en la población guatemalteca y mexicana asentada en la frontera sur de México. Se estudiaron 1,127 sueros por medio del análisis inmunoenzimático, buscando anticuerpos totales contra el virus A de la hepatitis y la inmunoglobulina M específica en los niños menores de cinco años. De 764 sueros de guatemaltecos, 756 (98,9%) fueron positivos para la hepatitis A y 362 (99%) de 363 sueros de mexicanos. Se encontró una positividad del 100% en casi todos los grupos de edad, con un pequeño descenso porcentual para el grupo de uno a dos años de edad, en los guatemaltecos (87.8%) y los mexicanos (93.8%). La mediana de porcentajes de neutralización varió de 90 a 100% en los individuos seropositivos de ambas poblaciones. En 47 (25%) de 186 niños guatemaltecos y mexicanos menores de cinco años, se encontraron IgM contra el virus A de la hepatitis. Los resultados obtenidos indican que la infección por el virus A de la hepatitis es hiperendémica en la zona estudiada, que los niños adquieren esta infección en los primeros tres años de la vida y que la epidemiología de la hepatitis A entre los mexicanos no se modificó con la llegada de los refugiados guatemaltecos