While preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal death in Guayas province (Ecuador), its causes have not yet been studied in depth. The objective of this research is to build a Bayesian network classifier to diagnose cases of preeclampsia while facilitating the understanding of the causes that generate this disease. Data for the years 2017 through 2023 were gathered retrospectively from medical histories of patients treated at “IESS Los Ceibos” hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Naïve Bayes (NB), The Chow–Liu Tree-Augmented Naïve Bayes (${\mathrm{TAN}}_{cl}$), and Semi Naïve Bayes (FSSJ) algorithms have been considered for building explainable classification models. A proposed Non-Redundant Feature Selection approach (NoReFS) is proposed to perform the feature selection task. The model trained with the ${\mathrm{TAN}}_{cl}$ and NoReFS was the best of them, with an accuracy close to 90%. According to the best model, patients whose age is above 35 years, have a severe vaginal infection, live in a rural area, use tobacco, have a family history of diabetes, and have had a personal history of hypertension are those with a high risk of developing preeclampsia.

Introduction: Polylactic acid is an alternative to petrochemical polymers. Objective: To determine the optimal conditions for the synthesis of polylactic acid by direct polycondensation for the production of biomaterials. Materials and methods: 32 PLA studies were analyzed and 8 to specify their medical applications. Results: Start with commercial or fermented lactic acid between 25-50 mm Hg under vacuum, SnCl2/p-TsOH at 0.1-0.6% for 15-45 min with 100-300 W at 50-150°C. Conclusions: Several factors such as raw material, synthesis processes and pH influence the yield and type of polymer. PLA can be used as a biomaterial in different applications, especially in the health area.

The present paper evaluates the mechanical and physical characteristics of edible films made from corn starch (Zea mays L.) reinforced with nanocellulose. To do this, films were made with 0.4 and 0.08% cotton nanocellulose (NC) with plasticizer (0.4 and 1%). The mixture was emulsified between 1 and 3 min and dried for 20 h (36 and 50 °C). NC was obtained by acid hydrolysis for 6 days at 25 °C with 50% sulfuric acid and dialyzed to neutral pH. Cotton NC and NC-included film were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. About the physical characteristics, it will be observed that there was no significant difference between the inclusion percentages. Accordingly, a 5% inclusion would be sufficient for smooth, transparent, flexible, non-cracked and homogeneous films. It is determined that the higher the percentage of NC, the lower the elasticity values, improving the films' hardness and transparency. Given that the percentage present in the NC test solution is 1.6%, its inclusion would be 0.4% (25 ml NC) and 0.08% (5 ml NC), indicating its great influence on films. Keywords: biodegradable fimls; starch; mechanical properties. Desenvolvimento de filmes biodegradáveis de amido de milho reforçados com nanocelulose para embalagens de alimentos RESUMO: No presente trabalho são avaliadas as características mecânicas e físicas de filmes comestíveis elaborados a partir de amido de milho (Zea mays L.) reforçados com nanocelulose. Para isso foram confeccionados filmes com 0,4 e 0,08% de nanocelulose de algodão (NC) com plastificante (0,4 e 1%): A mistura foi emulsionada entre 1 e 3 min e seca por 20 h (36 e 50 °C). A NC foi obtida por hidrólise ácida durante 6 dias a 25 °C com ácido sulfúrico a 50% e dialisada até pH neutro. Algodão NC e filmes incluídos em NC foram analisados por espectroscopia de infravermelho com transformada de Fourier. Em relação às características físicas, observar-se-á que não houve diferença significativa entre os percentuais de inclusão. Assim, uma inclusão de 5% seria suficiente para obter filmes lisos, transparentes, flexíveis, não fissurados e homogêneos. Determina-se que quanto maior o percentual de NC, os valores de elasticidade diminuem, melhorando a dureza e a transparência dos filmes. Dado que a percentagem presente na solução teste NC é de 1,6%, a sua inclusão seria de 0,4% (25 ml NC) e 0,08% (5 ml NC), o que indica a grande influência que tem nos filmes. Palavras-chave: filmes biodegradáveis; amido; propriedades mecânicas.

In this work, the best formulation of culture medium based on Kombucha tea and infusion of coffee husk for the production of bacterial cellulose (BC) from Acetobacter xylinum was determined. The highest BC production corresponded to the medium containing tea, coffee husk infusion, sugar and 0.005% methionine. This greater production occurred when the inoculum was kept in the dark, which allowed high multiplication of the microorganisms and, therefore, greater production of the polymer. The introduction of a new, feasible, malleable material from an environmentally friendly process will allow the replacement of materials with a greater impact on pollution and cost.

Introducción: En los últimos años, la importancia de la salud comunitaria ha aumentado, especialmente en contextos vulnerables. Metodología: Enfoque mixto, con diseño descriptivo, transversal y prospectivo. La muestra incluyó 385 habitantes de parroquias identificadas como vulnerables, seleccionados mediante muestreo por conglomerados. Los datos se recolectaron mediante un cuestionario diseñado al efecto y validado por especialistas. Resultados: El 29,9% de la muestra se encontraba desempleada y el 43,1% poseía educación secundaria. Los principales factores de riesgo identificados, fueron dietas poco saludables (29,9%), sedentarismo (29,6%) y hábito de fumar (27,3%). Las enfermedades crónicas más prevalentes fueron hipertensión arterial (33,2%) y diabetes tipo II (15,8%). El 25,5% de la población consideró la calidad del aire como mala y el 16,1% percibió el agua potable como inadecuada. En términos de estilo de vida, el 10,1% reportó inactividad física y el 28,3% tuvo una dieta de alimentos ultraprocesados. La satisfacción con el acceso a servicios de salud fue baja, con un 61,3% de insatisfechos o muy insatisfechos. Conclusiones: El estudio destaca la alta prevalencia de factores de riesgo, enfermedades crónicas y problemas ambientales en estas comunidades, subrayando la necesidad de intervenciones integrales para mejorar las condiciones socioeconómicas, los servicios de salud y el entorno ambiental.