Methods for the Inactivation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: a Systematic Review of the Literature.

To systematize published laboratory methods to inactivate Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and to describe their effectiveness. We carried out a review of the scientific literature to identify the publications that reported methods for the inactivation of MTB, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses recommendations. The search addressed inactivation methodologies used in Public health laboratories for the treatment of biological material and only included studies reporting the efficacy of the method.

Shear induced remobilization of buried synthetic microfibers.

Microplastics are known to accumulate in sediment beds of aquatic environments where they can be buried. Once buried they can remobilize due to high energetic events, entering the water column again. Here, turbulence induced by an oscillating grid device was used to investigate the remobilization of microfibers (MF) buried into the sediment bed.

Investigations on microplastic infiltration within natural riverbed sediments.

Several studies focused on the role of rivers as vectors of microplastics (MPs) towards the sea. It is well known that during their path through the fluvial environment, MPs interact with riverbed sediments; however, the main factors impacting the mobility of MPs within the upper part of the hyporheic zone are not clear yet. The present work investigates the role of different sediment size layers in affecting the mobility of the most common MP (Polyethylene terephthalate - PET - spheres, PET 3D-ellipsoids, polystyrene - PS - fragments and polyamide - PA - fibers) within sediment porous media under different hydraulic loads (H) and time scales (t) conditions.

Suspended sediments mediate microplastic sedimentation in unidirectional flows.

Microplastic particles (MP) are an emerging contaminant threatening many aquatic systems. Because of the sharp increase in plastic manufacture, the concentration of MP in natural ecosystems has grown dramatically. While it is known that when MP enter aquatic ecosystems they are transported and dispersed via different mechanisms (currents, waves, turbulence), the processes involved are still poorly understood.

Effectiveness of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine in preventing infection and death in health care workers in Peru 2021.

Background: During 2021, Peru started the vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 using the BBIBP-CorV inactivated virus vaccine for health care workers (HCW). We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and deaths among HCWs.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study, from February 9 to June 30, 2021, using national registries of health care workers, laboratory tests for SARS-CoV-2 and deaths.

IgG antibody response by ELISA using Wuhan and Lambda variant antigens in BBIBP-CORV vaccinated health care workers.

Objectives: . To evaluate the IgG antibody response by ELISA using Wuhan and Lambda antigens in health care workers with and without history of SARS-CoV-2 infection prior to immunization with the first and second doses of Sinopharm vaccine (BBIBP-CorV).

Materials And Methods: .

Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a third dose of BNT162b2 vaccine for COVID-19 after a primary regimen with BBIBP-CorV or BNT162b2 vaccines in Lima, Peru.

Background: The administration of a third (booster) dose of COVID-19 vaccines in Peru initially employed the BNT162b2 (Pfizer) mRNA vaccine. The national vaccination program started with healthcare workers (HCW) who received BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) vaccine as primary regimen and elderly people previously immunized with BNT162b2. This study evaluated the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of the "booster" dose in these two groups in Lima, Peru.

Relative vaccine effectiveness of the booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for preventing death in individuals with a primary regimen based on the BBIBP-CorV, ChAdOx1-S, or BNT162b2 vaccines during the Omicron wave in Peru: A nested case-control study using national population data.

Background: Studies have reported evidence about the effectiveness of a third dose with BNT162b2 for preventing hospitalization and death by COVID-19. However, there is little evidence regarding other primary vaccine schedules such as BBIBP-CorV and ChAdOx1-S. We estimated the relative vaccine effectiveness (RVE) of the booster dose versus the primary regimens of COVID-19 vaccines based on BBIBP-CorV, ChAdOx1-S, or BNT162b2 for preventing death during the Omicron wave in Peruvian adult people.

Genomic surveillance of the Lambda SARS-CoV-2 variant in a global phylogenetic context.

The massive sequencing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and global genomic surveillance strategies allowed the detection of many variants of concern and interest. The variant of interest Lambda (C.37), which originated in South America, has been the most prevalent in Peru and Chile, but its dispersion in other continents still remains unknown.

Confirmed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Reinfections After a Second Wave With Predominance of Lambda in Lima and Callao, Peru.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is a major public health problem in the world and reinfections are becoming more frequent. Our main objective was to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and genomic characteristics of the confirmed cases of reinfection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the capital of Lima and Callao, Peru.

Methods: We searched in the Peruvian laboratory information system from April 2020 up to May 2021, looking for cases having 2 positive molecular tests for SARS-CoV-2 with more than 90 days between them.

On the prediction of settling velocity for plastic particles of different shapes.

Transport processes of plastic particles in freshwater and marine environments are one of the relevant advances of knowledge in predicting the fate of plastic in the environment. Here, we investigated the effect of different shapes on the settling velocity, finding a representative reference diameter which encompasses three-dimensional shapes like pellets or spherules, two-dimensional shapes like fragments or disks, and one-dimensional shapes like filaments or fibers. The new method is able to predict the settling velocity of plastic and natural particles given the representative size and the Corey shape factor coefficient, over the entire range of viscous to turbulent flow regime.

Genomic analysis reveals a rapid spread and predominance of lambda (C.37) SARS-COV-2 lineage in Peru despite circulation of variants of concern.

The pandemic generated by SARS-Cov-2 has caused a large number of cases and deaths in the world, but South America has been one of the continents that were most hard hit. The appearance of new variants causes concern because of the possibility that they may evade the protection generated by vaccination campaigns, their greater capacity to be transmitted, or their higher virulence. We analyzed the circulating variants in Peru after improving our Genomic Surveillance program.

Infectious agents in biological samples from patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome in Peru, 2018-2019.

Objective: To describe the results of laboratory tests performed on biological samples from patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) submitted to the Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS) between 2018 and 2019.

Materials And Methods: We conducted an observational study on patients with GBS, by using data from the epidemiological surveillance system. Biological samples, previously analyzed at the INS, were obtained to study arboviruses, respiratory viruses, enteroviruses and enterobacteria, among others.