The study conducted by our external associate researcher, Katherine Simbaña, examined anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) in California king snakes in Gran Canaria, an invasive species subject to a control plan involving capture and euthanasia. Ten ARs, mainly second-generation compounds, were identified in 90% of the analyzed snakes, with brodifacoum being the most common. Surprisingly, over 50% of the studied snakes showed exposure to multiple compounds. The research revealed a correlation between the size and geographic location of the snakes and higher AR concentrations, indicating potential patterns in the distribution of these compounds. The results suggest that California king snakes could serve as sentinel species for monitoring ARs in the ecosystem, especially in relation to birds of prey on the island.
The study by Dr. Xavier Sánchez and Dr. Ruth Jimbo aims to assess the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) caused by SARS-CoV-2. The research focused on data collected between May 2021 and March 2022, using a test-negative design. Patients meeting SARI criteria and hospitalized for at least 24 hours were included. Cases had positive SARS-CoV-2 tests, while controls tested negative. Vaccine effectiveness was calculated through logistic regression based on vaccination status obtained from national records, considering a valid dose administered at least 14 days before symptom onset. The study is crucial for understanding the impact of vaccines on severe cases in Ecuador during the ongoing pandemic.
In a study conducted by Majo Carrasco-Tenezaca, Benjamin Bates, Esteban Baus, and Mario Grijalva, barriers and facilitators for home reconstruction in Canton Calvas, Loja, Ecuador were explored. This region is an endemic high-risk area for Chagas disease (CD), a tropical parasitic disease transmitted by triatomine bugs that typically infest precarious housing in rural and impoverished areas.
Diarrheal diseases are one of the main causes of child mortality, primarily affecting children under 5 years of age. Every day, more than 1400 children die worldwide due to diarrhea, which affects approximately 2.5 billion children under 5 years old each year.
In Ecuador, acute diarrhea (AD) and infectious gastroenteritis are significant contributors to pediatric morbidity, accounting for around 15% of outpatient consultations in 2016 and being the second most common cause of pediatric hospitalization in 2019.
Our researchers, Xavier Sánchez, and Ruth Jimbo, conducted a study involving 359 children under 5 years of age, with 58.77% being girls. They found that 85.24% of cases of acute diarrhea (AD) were attributed to infectious and unspecified gastroenteritis and colitis.
Breastfeeding has long been acknowledged as the optimal choice for infant nutrition by public health agencies and healthcare experts worldwide. In line with international guidelines, the Ecuadorian government has implemented laws and initiatives to promote breastfeeding, especially among working mothers. Despite these efforts, breastfeeding rates in Ecuador remain low. Our researcher María José Mendoza delves into a qualitative study conducted among 60 healthcare professionals in Ecuador who are also mothers. These nurses, physicians, and nutritionists shared their experiences with breastfeeding while managing their demanding careers.
In the study carried out by our researcher Miryan Rivera, an ecological method was developed to manufacture magnetic nanoparticles based on iron oxides (MNPs-Fe), using orange waste. These nanoparticles, proposed as photothermal agents (PTAs) in antibacterial photothermal therapy (PTT), offer a promising solution to a widespread health challenge.
The study introduces a rapid and environmentally friendly green synthesis (GS) method to produce MNPs-Fe from orange waste. Orange peel extract, rich in organic compounds, serves as a multifunctional agent for reduction, capping, and stabilization in the GS process, which is accelerated by microwave (MW) irradiation.
In recent years, microbial diseases have been declared one of the main threats to humanity, which has generated significant interest in the development of nanocomposites with antimicrobial capabilities. The study conducted by our researcher Miryan Rosita Rivera, in collaboration with the Escuela Politécnica Nacional (EPN), focused on two magnetic nanocomposites based on graphene oxide (GO) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The synthesis of these magnetic nanocomposites consisted of three phases: firstly, the synthesis of iron magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs); secondly, the adsorption of the photosensitizer menthol-zinc phthalocyanine (ZnMintPc) onto MWCNTs and GO; and the third phase involved encapsulation in a biocompatible poly (N-vinylcaprolactam-co-poly(ethylene glycol diacrylate)) (VCL-co-PEGDA) polymer hydrogel to obtain the magnetic nanocomposites VCL/PEGDA-MNPs-MWCNTs-ZnMintPc and VCL/PEGDA-MNPs-GO-ZnMintPc.
