In Chile, an Atmospheric Decontamination Plan (PDA) has been developed to reduce concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) in cities deemed “saturated” with these particles. The plan includes various measures, such as the thermal insulation of homes and the replacement of heaters. This study presents an analysis of the indices of four indoor air quality variables (temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, and PM 2.5) in different types of homes with varying levels of PDA implementation in the city of Temuco, Chile. Regarding the temperature variable, only one type of home was found to be within comfort limits, with an average of 20.6 °C and a variation of ±3.52 °C (SD). Concerning humidity, independently owned homes with complete and moderate ADP implementation had average humidity levels between 64.82% ± 7.19% and 55.6% ± 6.11%, respectively. For CO₂, only homes with moderate implementation showed averages slightly below (average 991 ppm) the maximum allowed (1000 ppm). As for PM 2.5, all homes exceeded the standard, ranging from 44.4 µg/m³ to 130 µg/m³, with very high variations. This demonstrates that PM 2.5 concentrations consistently exceeded the limits established by the World Health Organization (15 µg/m³).

Seasonal variations in the environment (e.g. of temperature and light intensity) can lead to the excess production of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress, inducing changes in the permeability of the plant cell membrane and the structure and function of cellular molecules. To address these deleterious effects, plants activate various non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants. This study seeks to detect the influence of seasonal variation in Hedera helix (ivy) leaves, collected in Banj brdo (Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina) between December 2017 and November 2018, on oxidative (hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde) and antioxidant (superoxide dismutase, catalase, Class III peroxidases, and phenolic compounds) parameters. During the winter-early spring months (a temperature range of 0.7 to 5.4?C), we detected an increase in the values of all the oxidative and antioxidant parameters, whereas during the spring, summer, and autumn months (a temperature range of 15 to 25?C), the values of most of these parameters fell. However, a peak in the parameter values was detected during June and July 2018, which might be attributable to the influence of the changes in both light intensity and temperature and to the effects of intensive shoot growth. Our results highlight the importance of the antioxidant protection system of H. helix for its acclimation to seasonal variations in the environment, especially temperature.

Background: Among other negative effects, herbicides induce oxidative stress, leading to lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation. Therefore, there is a growing need to identify natural compounds with sufficient antioxidant capacity and mitigate the negative effects of herbicides without side effects. Objective: Our study aimed to examine the protective effect of the phenolic extract of wild garlic (WG) leaves on terbuthylazine-treated erythrocytes. Material and methods: In human erythrocytes treated with the herbicide terbuthylazine (4.5 mg/L) alone and a combination of terbuthylazine and WG extract, we measured malondialdehyde (MDA) and haemoglobin (Hb) concentrations and the antioxidant activities of CuZn superoxide dismutase (SOD1; EC 1.15.1.1) and catalase (CAT; EC 1.11.1.6) in vitro. Results: In comparison with terbuthylazine, WG extract reduced the concentrations of MDA and Hb from 59.69 to 43.45 nmol/gHb (27%, p < 0.001) and 165.08 to 128.64 g/L (22%, p < 0.05), respectively. Catalase activity was induced for samples treated with both WG extract and terbuthylazine compared with terbuthylazine alone (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The results demonstrated that WG may reduce the toxicity of terbuthylazine, and the erythrocyte membrane may be the primary site of phenolic action. Therefore, the lipid peroxidation intensity could be a biomarker of oxidative damage caused by terbuthylazine and the protective effect of WG.

El estudio del Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC), es el parámetro recomendado por la OMS para conocer el estado nutricional de acuerdo a la norma técnica nutricional vigente en Chile. Los estudios antropométricos permiten estimar la composición corporal, estudiar la morfología y dimensiones. Este estudio describe la realidad nutricional y la composición corporal de una muestra de los colegios municipalizados de la comuna de Padre las Casas. Evaluamos 122 adolescentes de ambos sexos, 65 hombres (53,2%) y 57 mujeres (46,7%), entre 9 y 12 años de edad. Para obtener la composición corporal se utilizó el método antropométrico descrito por Dhebora Kerr, mientras que la evaluación y clasificación del estado nutricional se realizo de acuerdo a las normas técnica nutricional del Ministerio de Salud de Chile. Los hombres presentaron una composición corporal donde predomina la masa muscular (MM) sobre los otros componentes, con valores de 38,79±3,65% a los 9 años de edad, 40,80±3,36% a los 10 años de edad, 41,47±2,52% a los 11 años de edad, 43,35±1,59% a los 12 años de edad. En las mujeres también predomina la MM pero menores cifras, con un porcentaje de 38,70±6,64% a los 9 años de edad, 39,85±3,84% a los 10 años de edad, 39,56±4,41% a los 11 años de edad, 40,28±2,37% a los 12 años de edad. El estado nutricional de la muestra tiene los siguientes resultados en el caso de los varones el 23,1% fueron obesos y el 35,4% presentaron sobrepeso. En las damas el 26,3% fueron obesas y un 15,8% presentaron sobrepeso. Al comparar los resultados de Masa Adiposa y MM se encontraron diferencias significativas por género y entre las edades de la muestra con un valor de p0,05. El ambiente obesigénico en donde se destaca la modificación del estilo de vida, la alimentación y el efecto del sedentarismo, está afectando a la población escolar de Padre Las Casas.