Depression, anxiety and stress are multifactorial affective disorders that could manifest through a set of symptoms, both physical and psychological, that affect the quality of life and performance of people who suffer from them. In this sense, the present research had the objective of evaluating depression, anxiety and stress in students of the Faculty of Engineering of a Peruvian public university when returning to face-to-face classes. The research was developed under a quantitative approach and is of a non-experimental design of the descriptive cross-sectional type. The sample consisted of 244 students who responded to the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, an instrument with adequate psychometric properties. According to the results, the students presented low levels of depression and anxiety. However, they showed moderate levels of stress. On the other hand, it was found out that the three variables were directly and significantly related. In the same way, it was found that there were statistically significant differences regarding the levels of depression, anxiety and stress related to gender, age group, family responsibilities and professional career. Finally, it was concluded that there were symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in students of the Faculty of Engineering of a Peruvian public university when returning to face-to-face classes.

Petroleum-derived plastics such as polyethylene are the most widely used polymers globally. However, once used, they are often not properly segregated or disposed of. Because they resist biodegradation, they cause persistent environmental contamination. This study aimed to analyze the degradation of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) by filamentous fungi isolated from a solid waste landfill. To achieve this goal, we isolated and characterized LDPE-degrading filamentous fungi via phenotypic and genotypic methods. We also determined their degradation potential on the basis of the physical, mechanical, and chemical characteristics of the polymer after 150 days of incubation with the fungi. We isolated a total of 77 fungal strains, 46.75% of which demonstrated LDPE degradation capabilities. The weight loss of the polymer after treatment with the degrading fungi ranged from 4.44% to 20.21%, with a reduction rate of 0.000307 to 0.001504 grams per day and a residual half-life of 450.06 to 2257.65 days. Furthermore, 27.78% of the fungi reduced the tensile strength of the LDPE fragments by 5.61% to 41.72%. Compared with the control, the Aspergillus sp. 40 CIFOS strain presented the most significant physical and chemical changes in the degraded polymer. In conclusion, fungi isolated from solid waste landfills have a high capacity for LDPE degradation. These results, obtained under laboratory conditions, encourage future studies focused on the application of biotechnological processes and the identification of enzymes involved in the degradation process to optimize the bioremediation of contaminated environments.

Introduction: Genomic analysis of samples from documented COVID-19 cases can be used successfully to help track sources of Sars-Cov-2 infection, which can be quarantined to prevent the recurrent spread of the disease around the world. Objective: To describe the SARS-CoV-2 sequences isolated from Peruvian patients. Methods: All genomes published up to March 2021, uploaded in the GISAID and Nextstrain repository, were selected. All data is on the web in a public way; In addition, the information was filtered by continent, country, region, clade, lineage, and sex from March 2020 to February 2021. Results: It was evidenced that the region with the most isolated genomes was Lima, the most frequent clade is GR, the viral lineage B.1.1 is the most frequent and persistent in time and most of the genomes were isolated from people of the female sex.Conclusions: The clade GR is common to all South American countries and the European and Asian continents, followed by clades G and GH with greater frequency; on the other hand, the most persistent viral lineage in Peru is B.1.1, this being not common with other countries. Introducción: El análisis genómico de muestras de casos documentados de COVID-19 puede usarse con éxito para ayudar a rastrear fuentes de infección por Sars-Cov-2, que pueden ponerse en cuarentena para prevenir la propagación recurrente de la enfermedad en todo el mundo. Objetivo: Describir las secuencias de SARS-CoV-2 aisladas de pacientes peruanos. Métodos: Se seleccionaron todos los genomas publicados hasta marzo del 2021, subidos en el repositorio de GISAID y Nextstrain. Todos los datos están en la web de manera pública; además se filtró la información por continente, país, región, clado, linaje y sexo desde marzo de 2020 hasta febrero de 2021. Resultados: Se evidenció que la región con la mayoría de los genomas aislados fue Lima, el clado más frecuente es el GR, el linaje viral B.1.1 es el más frecuente y persistente en tiempo y la mayor parte de genomas fueron aislados de personas del sexo femenino. Conclusiones: El clado GR es común para todos los países sudamericanos y los continentes europeos y asiáticos, seguido de los clados G y GH con mayor frecuencia; por otro lado, el linaje viral más persistente en Perú es el B.1.1, siendo este dato no común con otros países.

The objective of this research was to optimize a technological package for the biosorption of heavy metals in water, using agricultural waste activated with lemon juice, as a sustainable development alternative. Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, copper, and chromium were characterized in two stages (field and laboratory conditions) using the American Public Health Association (APHA) method, and morphological characterization was performed using electron scanning techniques. Cocoa pod husk (CPH) and banana stem (BS) waste was collected with the informed consent of the native communities to obtain charcoal activated with lemon juice (LJ). In addition, a portable filter was designed that could be adapted to the native communities. The efficiency and validation of the filter were also calculated in the field. Statistical analysis was performed using Student’s t-test and Pearson’s correlation. The results show a significant reduction in lead from 0.209 mg/L to 0.02 mg/L. With regard to morphological characterization, more compact structures were observed after activation with BS, favoring the absorption of heavy metals. The correlations were positive for copper and lead (1.000), evidently due to the alteration of anthropic factors. The efficiency of the cocoa filter reached 87.48% and that of the banana stem reached 88.77%. For the cadmium, copper, and chromium parameters, the values obtained were within the maximum permissible limit (LMP). The validation of the filters showed that 80% of the population agrees with using the filters and hopes for their large-scale implementation. These findings represent a new alternative for native communities and a solution to the problem of heavy metals in drinking water.

Objetivos: El objetivo de esta investigación fue el de describir la prevalencia de anticuerpos para COVID-19 en una cárcel de Ucayali, Perú. Métodos: Se seleccionaron 325 reclusos del Centro penitenciario en Pucallpa, Perú mediante un muestreo aleatorio simple. Del 25/06/20 y el 24/07/20 se tomaron las muestras punción dactilar de los reclusos para COVID-19, se obtuvo la muestra de sangre para las pruebas de inmunoensayo de micropartículas quimio luminiscentes. Se utilizó estadística descriptiva para en análisis de los datos con el software InfoStat. Resultados: De los 325 reclusos evaluados 80 eran mujeres (25%) y 245 varones (75%), la media de la edad fue de 43 años (DE 12,44). En cuantos a los resultados serológicos se encontraron a con IgG positivo a 137 (42%) e IgG negativo 188 (58%). En cuanto a IgM positivo 145 (45%) e IgM negativo 180 (55%). En cuanto a la distribución de casos positivos por sexo contamos con 47 mujeres y 141 varones con resultado positivo para IgM o IgG. Conclusión: Se concluye con que existe un elevado número de reclusos que tienen anticuerpos contra la COVID-19.

Zea mays “maize” is one of the most important staple foods for both humans and animals, but it is highly susceptible to pathogens such as toxigenic Aspergillus flavus . Yeasts, however, have the potential to control the growth and activity of toxigenic fungi, representing a viable and economical alternative for biocontrol. This study is aimed at evaluating the efficiency of yeasts in controlling toxigenic A. flavus associated with maize grains. To achieve this, toxigenic A. flavus and yeast isolates were obtained and identified, then coinoculated in vitro to assess their effect on mycelial growth inhibition and total aflatoxin production through yeast‐derived volatile organic compounds (VOCs). We found that 147 of the isolated yeasts, when coinoculated with A. flavus , reduced mycelial growth up to 89%. VOCs from five yeast strains of the genera Saccharomyces and Meyerozyma inhibited colony growth up to 86% and induced changes at both the macro‐ and micromorphological levels in toxigenic A. flavus . Additionally, VOCs from four yeast strains reduced total aflatoxin levels up to 98%. In conclusion, one yeast strain, identified as Meyerozyma caribbica , effectively inhibited both mycelial growth and toxin production in toxigenic Aspergillus sp., demonstrating its potential as a biocontrol agent to reduce fungal contamination in maize grains.