Management of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste in the Context of a Sustainable and Circular Model: Analysis of Trends in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The main objective of this research is to analyze the most relevant aspects of the management of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and the Sustainable and Circular Production Models (SCPMs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The bibliometric method was used for the analysis of 190 studies obtained from the Scopus and Latin America and The Caribbean on Health Sciences (LILACS) databases. The systematic review provided information on the main research approaches: identification and characterization; quantification; strategic and interdisciplinary management; and processes for treatment or valorization. Finally, an evaluation of public policies and strategies was performed. The results show that Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia have the highest number of publications on OFMSW. The findings also indicate that both research and policy strategies on SCPMs prioritize bioenergy and biofuels as the leading alternatives for the valorization of OFMSW. It also reflects the relevance of the Circular Economy (CE) and Bioeconomy (BE) as the main drivers of waste recovery and/or valorization in LAC. These aspects are of great interest to governments that are still in the process of implementing SCPMs. However, for those more advanced in this area, it provides valuable information on progress, policy effectiveness, and future actions for improvement.

Recent trends on omics and bioinformatics approaches to study SARS-CoV-2: A bibliometric analysis and mini-review.

BACKGROUND: The successful sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 cleared the way for the use of omics technologies and integrative biology research for combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, many research groups have slowed down their respective projects to concentrate efforts in the study of the biology of SARS-CoV-2. In this bibliometric analysis and mini-review, we aimed to describe how computational methods or omics approaches were used during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We analyzed bibliometric data from Scopus, BioRxiv, and MedRxiv (dated June 19th, 2020) using quantitative and knowledge mapping approaches. We complemented our analysis with a manual process of carefully reading the selected articles to identify either the omics or bioinformatic tools used and their purpose. RESULTS: From a total of 184 articles, we found that metagenomics and transcriptomics were the main sources of data to perform phylogenetic analysis aimed at corroborating zoonotic transmission, identifying the animal origin and taxonomic allocation of SARS-CoV-2. Protein sequence analysis, immunoinformatics and molecular docking were used to give insights about SARS-CoV-2 targets for drug and vaccine development. Most of the publications were from China and USA. However, China, Italy and India covered the top 10 most cited papers on this topic. CONCLUSION: We found an abundance of publications using omics and bioinformatics approaches to establish the taxonomy and animal origin of SARS-CoV-2. We encourage the growing community of researchers to explore other lesser-known aspects of COVID-19 such as virus-host interactions and host response.

Correspondencia entre el índice de placa y el recuento de Streptococcus mutans y Lactobacillus sp. en una población infantil: Un estudio transversal / Correspondence between plaque index and Streptococcus mutans and Lactabacillus spp. counts in a child population: A cross-sectional study

Antecedentes: La identificación de microorganismos como Streptococcus mutans(SM) y Lactobacillus sp. (LB) es un predictor del desarrollo de caries, sin embargo los métodos de identificación son de acceso limitado por su alto costo. Objetivo:determinar la correlación entre la biopelícula dental medida por el índice de placa bacteriana de (IPB) Silness y Löe modificado y el recuento de SM y LB en niños colombianos en edad preescolar. Este es un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal y correlacional. Materiales y métodos: Se tomaron 202 muestras de niños entre los 3 y 4 años de edad de tres jardines Infantiles de Cali, Colombia, pertenecientes al estrato socioeconómico 1 y 2, evaluados en cuatro tiempos (0, 3, 6 y 9 meses). Resultados: Hubo una correlación entre el IPB más alto y el mayor recuento de unidades formadoras de colonia de SMsólo a los 3 meses (p = 0,003*). Los recuentos de LB fueron homogéneos en todos los niños y no presentaron correlación con el IPB. Conclusión: Se observaron resultados mixtos sobre la relación entre IPB y los recuentos de SM presentes en la saliva, por lo cual se requiere un análisis de múltiples factores.

Background:The identification of microorganisms such as Streptococcus mutans(SM) and Lactobacillusspp. (LB) is a predictor of the development of caries, however the identification methods are of limited access due to their high cost. Aim:To determine the correlation between the dental biofilm measured by the modified Silness and Löe dental plaque index (DPI)) and the SM and LB count, in preschool children from Colombia. Materials and methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional and correlational study. We took202 samples from children between 3 and 4 years of age from three kindergartens in Cali, Colombia, belonging to socioeconomic stratum 1 and 2, evaluated at four times (0, 3, 6 and 9 months). Results: We found a correlation between the highest IPB and thehighest count of SM colony forming units only at 3 months (p = 0.003*). LB counts were homogeneous in all children and there was no correlation with IPB. Conclusion: We observed mixed results on the relationship between IPB and the counts of SM present in the saliva, therefore an analysis of multiple factors is required.KEY WORDSDental plaque;Streptococcus mutans;Lactobacillus spp;dental caries.1

Ingesta dietética y caries de la primera infancia / Dietary intake and early childhood caries

Early childhood caries (ECC) affect children less than 71 months of age (1) and it represents a public health problem in countries worldwide (2­4). The mean ECC prevalence in United Nations Countries was 23.8% in children younger than 36 months and 57.3% in children aged 36 to 71 months. East Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean were the worst affected by ECC among children aged 36 to 71 months (5). Dental caries pertains to a group of diseases that are estimated "complex" or "multifactorial," with no single origin pathway (6) and it is resulted by the interaction of bacteria, mainly Streptococci mutans (SM) and actobacilli (LB), and sugary foods on tooth enamel (6,7). Additionally, there must be a lack of oral hygiene and lack of use of fluoride (8).

Effects of a food enriched with probiotics on Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus spp. salivary counts in preschool children: a cluster randomized trial.

Probiotics have provided benefits to general health, but they are still insufficient to dental health. This study aimed to evaluate milk supplemented with probiotic bacteria and standard milk, measured by levels of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Lactobacillus spp., in 3-4-year-old children after 9 months of intervention. The study was a triple-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. The sample was composed of 363 preschoolers attending five child development centers in Cali, Colombia. They were randomized to two groups: children in the intervention group drank 200 mL of milk with Lactobacillus rhamnosus 5x106 and Bifidobacteruim longum 3x106, and children in the control group drank 200 mL of standard milk. Interventions occurred on weekdays and information was gathered through scheduled clinical examination. The primary result was the number of colony forming units (CFU) of S. mutans and Lactobacillus spp. in the saliva. Secondary results were dental caries, rated by the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS), dental plaque, pH, and salivary buffer capacity. The proportion of S. mutans was lower in the intervention group compared with the control group after 9 months; however, the differences did not reach statistical significance (p=0.173); on the other hand, statistically significant differences between groups were found in the CFU/mL of Lactobacillus spp. (p=0.002). There was not statistically significant difference in the prevalence of dental caries for both groups (p=0.767). Differences between groups were found in the salivary buffering capacity (p=0.000); neither salivary pH nor dental plaque were significantly different. Regular consumption of milk containing probiotics bacteria reduced CFU/mL of Lactobacillus spp. and increased salivary buffering capacity at 9 months of consumption.

Effects of a food enriched with probiotics on Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus spp. salivary counts in preschool children: a cluster randomized trial

Abstract Probiotics have provided benefits to general health, but they are still insufficient to dental health. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate milk supplemented with probiotic bacteria and standard milk, measured by levels of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Lactobacillus spp., in 3-4-year-old children after 9 months of intervention. Material and Methods: The study was a triple-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. The sample was composed of 363 preschoolers attending five child development centers in Cali, Colombia. They were randomized to two groups: children in the intervention group drank 200 mL of milk with Lactobacillus rhamnosus 5x106 and Bifidobacteruim longum 3x106, and children in the control group drank 200 mL of standard milk. Interventions occurred on weekdays and information was gathered through scheduled clinical examination. The primary result was the number of colony forming units (CFU) of S. mutans and Lactobacillus spp. in the saliva. Secondary results were dental caries, rated by the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS), dental plaque, pH, and salivary buffer capacity. Results: The proportion of S. mutans was lower in the intervention group compared with the control group after 9 months; however, the differences did not reach statistical significance (p=0.173); on the other hand, statistically significant differences between groups were found in the CFU/mL of Lactobacillus spp. (p=0.002). There was not statistically significant difference in the prevalence of dental caries for both groups (p=0.767). Differences between groups were found in the salivary buffering capacity (p=0.000); neither salivary pH nor dental plaque were significantly different. Conclusions: Regular consumption of milk containing probiotics bacteria reduced CFU/mL of Lactobacillus spp. and increased salivary buffering capacity at 9 months of consumption.