Evaluation of real-time fluorescence sensors and benchtop fluorescence for tracking and predicting sewage contamination in the Tijuana River Estuary at the US-Mexico border.

Cross-border flow of untreated sewage from Mexico into the USA via the Tijuana River is public health issue with negative consequences for coastal communities. Here we evaluate the potential application of fluorescence-based, submersible tryptophan-like (TRP) and humic-like (CDOM) fluorescence sensors for real-time tracking of wastewater pollution in an estuarine environment. Sonde fluorescence measurements were compared with benchtop fluorescence, fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations, and real-time specific conductivity measurements in the Tijuana River Estuary during dry and wet weather conditions, and with and without cross-border flow. TRP and CDOM fluorescence concentrations were low during times without cross-border flow and two-three orders of magnitude higher during storm events and after cross-border sewage flow events. Major deterioration in water quality, including hypoxic conditions, was observed after consistent, long-term cross-border sewage flow. Real-time TRP and CDOM fluorescence concentrations had a significant linear relationship with fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations during dry weather periods with cross-border flow (p < 0.001) but were poorly correlated during stormflow and during less polluted periods with no cross-border flow. TRP and CDOM fluorescence acquired on discrete samples using a benchtop fluorometer correlated significantly (p < 0.001) with FIB concentrations under all cross-border flow conditions. Based on relationships between benchtop TRP fluorescence and percent wastewater, the greatest amount of untreated wastewater in the estuary's surface layer during cross-border flow events was estimated at >80 % and occurred during neap tides, when concentrated, sewage-laden freshwater flowed over dense saline seawater due to stratification and lack of mixing in the estuary. These results are important because exposure to untreated sewage poses severe health risks for residents and visitors to adjacent coastal areas. While benchtop fluorescence was more effective for estimating the degree of wastewater pollution, submersible TRP and CDOM sensors provided a real-time alert of sewage contamination, which can be utilized in other sewage impacted estuarine environments.

Sprouts as probiotic carriers: A new trend to improve consumer nutrition.

Over the past few decades, efforts to eradicate hunger in the world have led to the generation of sustainable development goals to reduce poverty and inequality. It is estimated that the current coronavirus pandemic could add between 83 and 132 million to the total number of undernourished people in the world by 2021. Food insecurity is a contributing factor to the increase in malnutrition, overweight and obesity due to the quality of diets to which people have access. It is therefore necessary to develop functional foods that meet the needs of the population, such as the incorporation of sprouts in their formulation to enhance nutritional quality. Germination of grains and seeds can be used as a low-cost bioprocessing technique that provides higher nutritional value and better bioavailability of nutrients. Consequently, the manuscript describes relevant information about the germination process in different seeds, the changes caused in their nutritional value and the use of techniques within the imbibition phase to modify the metabolic profiles within the sprouts such as inoculation with lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, to generate a functional symbiotic food.

Effects of social confinement during the first wave of COVID-19 in Mexico City.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to global social confinement that had a significant impact on people's lives. This includes changes such as increased loneliness and isolation, changes in sleep patterns and social habits, increased substance use and domestic violence, and decreased physical activities. In some cases, it has increased mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Objective: The objective of this study is to analyze the living conditions that arose during social confinement in the first wave of COVID-19 within a group of volunteers in Mexico City. Methods: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional analysis of the experiences of volunteers during social confinement from 20 March 2020 to 20 December 2020. The study analyzes the impact of confinement on family life, work, mental health, physical activity, social life, and domestic violence. A maximum likelihood generalized linear model is used to determine the association between domestic violence and demographic and health-related factors. Results: The findings indicate that social confinement had a significant impact on the participants, resulting in difficulties within families and vulnerable conditions for individuals. Gender and social level differences were observed in work and mental health. Physical activity and social life were also modified. We found that suffering from domestic violence was significantly associated with being unmarried (OR = 1.4454, p-value = 0.0479), lack of self-care in feeding habits (OR = 2.3159, p-value = 0.0084), and most notably, having suffered from a symptomatic COVID-19 infection (OR = 4.0099, p-value = 0.0009). Despite public policy to support vulnerable populations during confinement, only a small proportion of the studied population reported benefiting from it, suggesting areas for improvement in policy. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that social confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the living conditions of people in Mexico City. Modified circumstances on families and individuals, included increased domestic violence. The results can inform policy decisions to improve the living conditions of vulnerable populations during times of social confinement.