[A comprehensive approach to achieving reverification of measles elimination in Venezuela, 2019-2023Abordagem integral para a reverificação da eliminação do sarampo na Venezuela, 2019-2023].

Objective: To describe the comprehensive activities implemented in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to achieve reverification of measles elimination by 2023.

Methods: Descriptive study of the procedures implemented to achieve reverification of measles elimination by 2023 according to the components set forth in the Regional Framework for the Monitoring and Re-verification of Measles, Rubella, and Congenital Rubella Syndrome Elimination in the Americas, published in 2022.

Results: Due to a measles outbreak that began in epidemiological week (EW) 26 of 2017, Venezuela lost the elimination status which had been conferred in 2016 by the Expert Committee.

[Comprehensive approach to the interruption of the measles outbreak in Venezuela, 2017-2019: lessons learnedAbordagem integral para a interrupção do surto de sarampo na Venezuela, 2017-2019: lições aprendidas].

Objective: Describe the challenges, strategies and lessons learned in Venezuela during the measles outbreak of 2017-2019, and discuss the mechanisms employed for its containment, which led to the interruption of endemic transmission.

Methods: Descriptive study of the actions taken by Venezuela to interrupt the outbreak.

Results: When the outbreak was confirmed, the Venezuelan government, with technical cooperation from the Pan American Health Organization, activated a plan to interrupt measles transmission.

Placental Erythroferrone and Erythropoietin mRNA Expression is not Associated with Maternal or Neonatal Iron Status in Adolescents Carrying Singletons and Adult Women Carrying Multiples.

Background: The iron regulatory hormones erythroferrone (ERFE), erythropoietin (EPO), and hepcidin, and the cargo receptor nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4) are expressed in the placenta. However, determinants of placental expression of these proteins and their associations with maternal or neonatal iron status are unknown.

Objectives: To characterize expression of placental ERFE, EPO, and NCOA4 mRNA in placentae from newborns at increased risk of iron deficiency and to evaluate these in relation to maternal and neonatal iron status and regulatory hormones.

Impairments in SHMT2 expression or cellular folate availability reduce oxidative phosphorylation and pyruvate kinase activity.

Background: Serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2) catalyzes the reversible conversion of tetrahydrofolate (THF) and serine-producing THF-conjugated one-carbon units and glycine in the mitochondria. Biallelic SHMT2 variants were identified in humans and suggested to alter the protein's active site, potentially disrupting enzymatic function. SHMT2 expression has also been shown to decrease with aging in human fibroblasts.

Air monitoring of new and legacy POPs in the Group of Latin America and Caribbean (GRULAC) region.

A special initiative in the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling (GAPS) Network was implemented to provide information on new and emerging persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Group of Latin America and Caribbean (GRULAC) region. Regional-scale atmospheric concentrations of the new and emerging POPs hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), pentachloroanisole (PCA) and dicofol indicators (breakdown products) are reported for the first time. HCBD was detected in similar concentrations at all location types (<20-120 pg/m).

Atmospheric Concentrations of New Persistent Organic Pollutants and Emerging Chemicals of Concern in the Group of Latin America and Caribbean (GRULAC) Region.

A special initiative was run by the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling (GAPS) Network to provide atmospheric data on a range of emerging chemicals of concern and candidate and new persistent organic pollutants in the Group of Latin America and Caribbean (GRULAC) region. Regional-scale data for a range of flame retardants (FRs) including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organophosphate esters (OPEs), and a range of alternative FRs (novel FRs) are reported over 2 years of sampling with low detection frequencies of the novel FRs. Atmospheric concentrations of the OPEs were an order of magnitude higher than all other FRs, with similar profiles at all sites.

Prebiotics, Bone and Mineral Metabolism.

Increasing interest in functional foods has driven discovery in the area of bioactive compounds. Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrate compounds that, when consumed, elicit health benefits and aid in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. While prebiotics have been shown to improve a number of chronic, inflammatory conditions, growing evidence exists for prebiotic effects on calcium metabolism and bone health.

Tracking pesticide fate in conventional banana cultivation in Costa Rica: A disconnect between protecting ecosystems and consumer health.

Conventional banana cultivation in Costa Rica relies on heavy pesticide use. While pesticide residues in exported bananas do not generally represent a safety concern for consumers abroad, ecosystem and human health in producing regions are not likewise protected. In Costa Rica, most studies on pesticide residues in the environment are snapshots, limiting our ability to identify temporal dynamics that can inform risk mitigation strategies.

In situ toxicity and ecological risk assessment of agro-pesticide runoff in the Madre de Dios River in Costa Rica.

The River Madre de Dios (RMD) and its lagoon is a biodiversity rich watershed formed by a system of streams, rivers, channels, and a coastal lagoon communicating with the Caribbean Sea. This basin sustains a large area of agricultural activity (mostly banana, rice, and pineapple) with intensive use of pesticides, continually detected in water samples. We investigated in situ the toxicological effects caused by pesticide runoff from agriculture and the relation of pesticide concentrations with different biological organization levels: early responses in fish biomarkers (sub-organismal), acute toxicity to Daphnia magna (organismal), and aquatic macroinvertebrate community structure.

Environmental risk assessment of pesticides in the River Madre de Dios, Costa Rica using PERPEST, SSD, and msPAF models.

This study assesses the ecological risks (ERA) of pesticides to aquatic organisms in the River Madre de Dios (RMD), which receives surface runoff water from banana, pineapple, and rice plantations on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Water samples collected over 2 years at five sites in the RMD revealed a total of 26 pesticides. Their toxicity risk to aquatic organisms was assessed using three recent ERA models.

Acute, chronic and biochemical effects of chlorothalonil on Agalychnis callidryas, Isthmohyla pseudopuma and Smilisca baudinii tadpoles.

Declines of amphibian populations have been a worldwide issue of concern for the scientific community during the last several decades. Efforts are being carried out to elucidate factors related to this phenomenon. Among these factors, pathogens, climate change, and environmental pollution have been suggested as possible causes.

Towards a regional passive air sampling network and strategy for new POPs in the GRULAC region: Perspectives from the GAPS Network and first results for organophosphorus flame retardants.

A discussion is presented on the limitations for air monitoring studies around the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC), highlighting key issues requiring further attention, and reports on how a special initiative is addressing these limitations. Preliminary results are presented for the first reported data on organophosphorus flame retardant (OPFR) concentrations in outdoor air from the GRULAC region. At the majority of sites the concentrations and the profile of the OPFRs detected were similar with tris (chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP) dominating ( View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Assessing polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans in air across Latin American countries using polyurethane foam disk passive air samplers.

A passive air sampling network has been established to investigate polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) at Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling (GAPS) sites and six additional sites in the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC) region. The air sampling network covers background, agricultural, rural, and urban sites. Samples have been collected over four consecutive periods of 6 months, which started in January 2011 [period 1 (January to June 2011), period 2 (July to December 2011), period 3 (January to June 2012), and period 4 (July 2012 to January 2013)].

Effect of pesticides used in banana and pineapple plantations on aquatic ecosystems in Costa Rica.

Current knowledge on fate and effect of agricultural pesticides comes is mainly from temperate ecosystems. More studies are needed in tropical systems in order to assess contamination risks to nontarget endemic tropical species from the extensive use of pesticides e.g.

Environmental hazards associated with pesticide import into Costa Rica, 1977-2009.

Raw pesticide import data from 1977 to 2009 obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture in Costa Rica were processed and analyzed. The quantity of specific active ingredients (a.i.

Ecotoxicological characterization of a tropical soil after diazinon spraying.

The impact of diazinon spraying in an agricultural tropical soil through the evaluation of both the habitat and retention functions of the soil system was never reported. To fill this gap, five times the recommended dose of a commercial diazinon formulation was sprayed in an agricultural area of Costa Rica, and dilution gradients of the sprayed soil were prepared in the laboratory. Avoidance and reproduction tests with soil organisms (Eisenia andrei, Enchytraeus crypticus and Folsomia candida) to evaluate losses in terrestrial habitat function, and growth and reproduction tests with aquatic organisms (Chlorella vulgaris and Daphnia magna, respectively) to evaluate the retention function of soil were performed.

Current-use pesticide transport to Costa Rica's high-altitude tropical cloud forest.

To gain insight into the atmospheric transport and deposition of organic contaminants in high-altitude forests in the humid tropics, pesticides were analyzed in air, water, and soil samples from Costa Rica. Passive samplers deployed across the country revealed annually averaged air concentrations of chlorothalonil, endosulfan, and pendimethalin that were higher in areas with intensive agricultural activities than in more remote areas. Atmospheric concentrations were particularly high in the intensively cultivated central valley.

Pesticide sequestration in passive samplers (SPMDs): considerations for deployment time, biofouling, and stream flow in a tropical watershed.

Semi-permeable membrane devices (SPMDs) provide an informative and cost-effective approach for monitoring contaminants in remote tropical streams. Estimation and interpretation of contaminant concentrations in streams derived from SPMDs can vary based on a number of environmental factors, including stream flow, biofouling, and deployment time. In three one-month long trials, SPMDs were concurrently deployed for 4, 15, and 28 days at three stream sites in an extensive agricultural area of southeastern Costa Rica.

Field testing passive air samplers for current use pesticides in a tropical environment.

Air was sampled for one year in the central valley of Costa Rica using an active high-volume sampler as well as passive samplers (PAS) based on polyurethane foam (PUF) disks and XAD-resin filled mesh cylinders. Extracts were analyzed for pesticides that are either banned or currently used in Costa Rican agriculture. Sampling rates for PUF-based passive air samplers, determined from the loss of depuration compounds spiked on the disks prior to deployment averaged 5.

Pesticide application practices, pest knowledge, and cost-benefits of plantain production in the Bribri-Cabécar Indigenous Territories, Costa Rica.

The use of pesticides in the cultivation of cash crops such as banana and plantain is increasing, in Costa Rica and worldwide. Agrochemical use and occupational and environmental exposures in export banana production have been documented in some parts of Central America. However, the extent of agrochemical use, agricultural pest knowledge, and economic components in plantain production are largely unknown in Costa Rica, especially in remote, high-poverty areas such as the Bribri-Cabécar Indigenous Territories.

Organochlorine pesticides in the soils and atmosphere of Costa Rica.

A survey of the contamination of the physical environment of Costa Rica with banned organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) relied on sampling air and soil at 23 stations acrossthe country in 2004. Average annual air concentrations, determined with XAD-based passive samplers, and surface soil concentrations were generally low when compared to values reported for North and Central America, which is consistent with relatively low historical domestic use and little atmospheric inflow from neighboring countries. Statistical analysis and concentration maps reveal three types of spatial distribution: alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane and p,p'-DDD had a relatively uniform distribution across the country; other DDT-related species were greatly elevated over the national average at Manuel Antonio, a National Park on the Pacific coast; and dieldrin, lindane, and chlordane-related species had higher concentrations in Costa Rica's populated Central Valley.

Accumulation of current-use pesticides in neotropical montane forests.

In Central America, chemical-intensive tropical agriculture takes place in close proximity to highly valued and biologically diverse ecosystems, yet the potential for atmospheric transport of pesticides from plantations to national parks and other reserves is poorly characterized. The specific meteorological conditions of mountain ranges can lead to contaminant convergence at high altitudes, raising particular concern for montane forest ecosystems downwind from pesticide use areas. Here we show, based on a wide-ranging air and soil sampling campaign across Costa Rica, that soils in some neotropical montane forests indeed display much higher concentrations of currently used pesticides than soils elsewhere in the country.

Water quality and macroinvertebrate community response following pesticide applications in a banana plantation, Limon, Costa Rica.

Pesticides used in banana production may enter watercourses and pose ecological risks for aquatic ecosystems. The occurrence and effects of pesticides in a stream draining a banana plantation was evaluated using chemical characterization, toxicity testing and macrobenthic community composition. All nematicides studied were detected in the surface waters of the banana plantation during application periods, with peak concentrations following applications.