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Ítem Parental age and the risk of childhood acute myeloid leukemia: results from the Childhood Leukemia International Consortium(Elsevier Ltd, 2019-04) Panagopoulou, Paraskevi; Auvinen, Anssi; Spector, Logan; Roman, Eve; Pombo-de-Oliveira, Maria; Scheurer, Michael; Mora, Ana Maria; Doody, David; Kane, Eleanor; Ntzani, Evangelia; Martínez Rodríguez, ElenitaParental age has been associated with several childhood cancers, albeit the evidence is still inconsistent. To examine the associations of parental age at birth with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) among children aged 0–14 years using individual-level data from the Childhood Leukemia International Consortium (CLIC) and non-CLIC studies. We analyzed data of 3182 incident AML cases and 8377 controls from 17 studies [seven registry-based case-control (RCC) studies and ten questionnaire-based case-control (QCC) studies]. AML risk in association with parental age was calculated using multiple logistic regression, meta-analyses, and pooled-effect estimates. Models were stratified by age at diagnosis (infants < 1 year-old vs. children 1–14 years-old) and by study design, using five-year parental age increments and controlling for sex, ethnicity, birthweight, prematurity, multiple gestation, birth order, maternal smoking and education, age at diagnosis (cases aged 1–14 years), and recruitment time period. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) derived from RCC, but not from the QCC, studies showed a higher AML risk for infants of mothers ≥40-year-old (OR = 6.87; 95% CI: 2.12–22.25). There were no associations observed between any other maternal or paternal age group and AML risk for children older than one year. An increased risk of infant AML with advanced maternal age was found using data from RCC, but not from QCC studies; no parental age-AML associations were observed for older children.Ítem Manganese exposure and working memory-related brain activity in smallholder farmworkers in Costa Rica: Results from a pilot study(Academic Press Inc., 2019-04-06) Rojas Valverde, Daniel; Gutierrez Vargas, Randall; Fuhrimann, Samuel; Menezes Filho, José; Mora, Ana Maria; Palzes, Vanessa; Sagiv, Sharon; Baker, Joseph; Winkler, Mirko; Staudacher, Philipp; Reiss, Allan; Eskenazi, BrendaMain sources of manganese (Mn) in the general population are diet and drinking water. Mn is also found in ethylene bisdithiocarbamate (EBDC) fungicides used in agriculture or emitted into the air by ferromanganese plants and welding fumes, which can be additional environmental and occupational sources of exposure. High occupational Mn exposure has been linked with motor, behavioral, and cognitive impairment, but its effects on neural function remain poorly understood. We conducted a functional neuroimaging study in a sample of 48 farmworkers in Zarcero County, Costa Rica, an agricultural region where EBDC fungicides are sprayed. We measured Mn concentrations in farmworkers’ toenails (n = 40 farmworkers) and hair (n = 33 farmworkers), and recorded brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during a letter-retrieval working memory task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We estimated exposure-outcome associations using multivariable linear egression models adjusted for age and education level. Geometric mean (geometric standard deviation) toenail and hair Mn concentrations were 0.40 μg/g (3.52) and 0.24 μg/g (3.54), respectively. We did not find strong evidence that Mn concentrations were associated with working memory-related brain activity in this sample of farmworkers; we also found null associations between working memory task accuracy and brain activity. However, our small sample size may have limited our ability to detect small effect sizes with statistical precision. Our study demonstrates that fNIRS can be a useful and feasible tool in environmental epidemiology for examining the effects of toxicants, like Mn, on neural function. This may prove to be important for elucidating neuropathological pathways that underlie previously reported ssociations of elevated Mn exposure with neurotoxic effects.Ítem Prenatal Exposure to Mixtures of Phthalates, Parabens, and Other Phenols and Obesity in Five-Year-Olds in the CHAMACOS Cohort(International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021-02-12) Berger, Kimberly; Hyland, Carly; Ames, Jennifer; Mora, Ana Maria; Huen, Karen; Eskenazi, Brenda; Holland, Nina; Harley, KimExposures to phthalates, parabens, and other phenols are often correlated due to their ubiquitous use in personal care products and plastics. Examining these compounds as a complex mixture may clarify inconsistent relationships between individual chemicals and childhood adiposity. Using data from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study, a longitudinal cohort of children in Salinas Valley, California (n = 309), we examined biomarkers of 11 phthalate metabolites and 9 phenols, including several parabens and bisphenol A, measured in maternal urine at two time points during pregnancy. We measured child height and weight at age five to calculate the body mass index (BMI) z-scores and overweight/obesity status. The association between prenatal urinary concentrations of biomarkers with the childhood BMI z-score and overweight/obesity status was analyzed using single-pollutant models and two mixture methods: Bayesian hierarchical modeling (BMH) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR). Urinary concentrations of monoethyl phthalate, monocarboxy-isononly phthalate (metabolites of diethyl phthalate and di-isodecyl phthalate, respectively), and propylparaben were consistently associated with an increased BMI z-score and overweight/obesity status across all modeling approaches. Higher prenatal exposures to the cumulative biomarker mixture also trended with greater childhood adiposity. These results, robust across two methods that control for co-pollutant confounding, suggest that prenatal exposure to certain phthalates and parabens may increase the risk for obesity in early childhood.Ítem Agricultura expansiva potencia el uso de plaguicidas(Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, 2014-09) Ortiz, LauraEn los últimos años, cultivos como piña, caña de azúcar, arroz y palma africana han aumentado sus áreas de producción en distintas zonas del país, y otros como banano, café y cítricos se han mantenido en grandes extensiones; con ello, Costa Rica se convierte en uno de los países con mayor índice de importación de plaguicidas por habitante y por área agrícola.Ítem Sustancias biocidas en la producción de caña de azúcar en Costa Rica(2022) Ramírez, Fernando; Bravo, Vyria; Herrera, Gustavo; Cruz Malavassi, Elba de laLa cantidad de plaguicidas importados en Costa Rica aumentó de 8.400 a 13.300 ton ia entre 2000 y 2012 (58%), asociado a un crecimiento del área agrícola del 10%. El cultivo de caña de azúcar pasó de 47.200 a 57.600 ha (22%). Las principales zonas productoras son Pacífico Seco, Pacífico Central, Región Norte, Valle Central Occidental y Oriental, y Región Sur; Guanacaste concentra más del 50% del área.Ítem Uso del herbicida glifosato en Costa Rica en el periodo 2007 a 2015(Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, 2017-01-30) Ramírez Muñoz, Fernando; Bravo Durán, Virya; Herrera Ledezma, GustavoCosta Rica es uno de los mayores importadores y usuarios de plaguicidas a nivel centroamericano. El glifosato es el herbicida de mayor uso, tanto en el mundo como en Costa Rica. Se utiliza en la mayoría de cultivos: anuales, perennes y en zonas no agrícolas. Por medio de entrevistas a sujetos productores agrícolas se conocieron las cantidades usadas de glifosato en los principales cultivos. Las importaciones de este herbicida se iniciaron en 1982 con 36 toneladas de ingrediente activo (T i.a.), y se llegó a importar 1 761 T i.a. en 2013. Se calculó el uso ponderado de glifosato en kg i.a./ ha/ciclo. Los cultivos perennes son los principales consumidores de glifosato (51,6% del total), le siguen las zonas no agrícolas (37,1%) y los cultivos anuales (10,8%), la mayoría granos como arroz, frijol y maíz. Por cultivo, la palma africana consume el 24,9% del total de glifosato usado en el país, le sigue el arroz (7,8%), café (5,4%), banano (5,2%), cítricos (4,6%) y pastos (3,7%). En cultivos como el pejibaye para palmito, se nota una dependencia de este herbicida en el manejo de malezas, lo que ha llevado a que poblaciones de malezas evolucionen en resistencia.Ítem Habitat preferences and simulation of physical habitat availability of Perlidae (Plecoptera) and Corydalidae (Megaloptera) in a neotropical river(Editorial UCR, 2025-11-03) Quesada Alvarado, Francisco; Echeverría Sáenz, Silvia; Chaves Quirós, AnnyHabitat preferences represent the distribution and abundance of species among different habitat types. These preferences are highly relevant ecological information because they relate to the feeding strategies, offspring care and predator avoidance refuges of the organisms, therefore potentially influencing their fitness. To define the habitat preference of the nymphs of Anacroneuria spp. (Plecoptera) and larvae of Corydalus spp. (Megaloptera) with respect to current velocity and depth. Methods: We evaluated the abundance of Anacroneuria and Corydalus with information gathered through 15 field campaigns in three sites of the Savegre River, Costa Rica. Also, we used habitat preferences to create simulations of the physical habitat availability for these species through hydraulic models to determine habitat gain or loss due to variations in flow. Anacroneuria (Plecoptera) nymphs preferred velocities of 0.9 m/s and depths between 23-36 cm, while Corydalus (Megaloptera) larvae preferred velocities between 0.6-0.8 m/s, and depths between 17-29 cm. As a case study, these preferences were modeled to determine optimal, regular or inadequate habitat availability for Anacroneuria and Corydalus given hypothetical flow variations in the Savegre River (Costa Rica). A discharge of < 8 m3/s resulted in a decrease in optimal habitat, mainly because it decreased water velocity below the preferred ranges. Also, a discharge of > 18 m3/s resulted in a decrease in optimal habitat because of the depth increase. This type of information is scarce or even absent for neotropical rivers, though necessary for a description of a healthy habitat. Furthermore, this habitat preference vs. modeled habitat availability approach is highly useful, -both in tropical and temperate rivers- for understanding the potential effects of any water derivation or exploitation.Ítem Taller sobre agricultura y sector informal: SALTRA promueve la capacitación en salud ambiental en 6 países de Centroamérica(SALTRA, 2014-04) Rojas Garbanzo, Marianela; Víquez Zamora, DianaÍtem Resistencia al glifosato en biotipos de zacate cabezón (Paspalum paniculatum L.) de la Región del Caribe de Costa Rica(Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, 2016-07-31) Ramírez Muñoz, FernandoDurante los años 2012 y 2013 se estudió, en un invernadero en Tambor de Alajuela, la respuesta de biotipos de Paspalum paniculatum, una maleza poácea, al herbicida glifosato, con el objetivo de determinar su nivel de resistencia. Los biotipos de zacate cabezón provenían de fincas productoras de palmito de pejibaye, banano orgánico y banano convencional de la provincia de Limón, y de bordes de caminos de Guanacaste y Heredia. A las plantas se les aplicaron dosis crecientes de glifosato y se midió su peso fresco 21 días después. Se encontraron tres biotipos resistentes a glifosato (R), que necesitan de 2,0 a 8,3 veces más herbicida para sufrir una reducción del 50% en su crecimiento con respecto a biotipos susceptibles (S), en fincas de producción convencional de pejibaye y banano con más de 12 años de aplicar glifosato como único método de control de malezas. Los biotipos S provenían de una finca de banano orgánico y de bordes de caminos, donde el uso de glifosato fue nulo o mínimo.Ítem Monitoring pesticide use and associated health hazards in Central America(ResearchGate, 2011-09) Bravo Durán, Virya; Rodríguez, Teresa; Wesseling, Catharina; De La Cruz Malavassi, Elba; Calderón, Gloria. R; Wendel e Joode, Berna Van; Turcios, Miguel; Méndez, Luis A; Mejía, Winston; Tatis, Anabel; Z Abrego, FedericoEstablecimos métodos para monitorear el uso de plaguicidas y los riesgos para la salud asociados en Centroamérica. A partir de datos de importación de Belice, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua y Panamá para el período 2000–2004, construimos indicadores cuantitativos (kg de ingrediente activo) del uso general de plaguicidas, los riesgos para la salud asociados y el cumplimiento de las regulaciones internacionales. Centroamérica importó 33 millones de kg de ingrediente activo por año. Las importaciones aumentaron un 33% durante 2000–2004. De 403 plaguicidas, 13 representaron el 77% del total de plaguicidas importados. Se utilizan altos volúmenes de plaguicidas peligrosos: el 22% eran altamente/extremadamente tóxicos de forma aguda, el 33% moderadamente/severamente irritantes o sensibilizantes, y el 30% presentaban múltiples toxicidades crónicas. De los 41 plaguicidas incluidos en el Convenio de Estocolmo sobre Contaminantes Orgánicos Persistentes (COP), el Convenio de Rotterdam sobre el Consentimiento Fundamentado Previo (PIC), el Protocolo de Montreal sobre las Sustancias que Agotan la Capa de Ozono, la “Docena Sucia” de la Red de Acción en Plaguicidas (PAN) y la Docena Sucia Centroamericana, se importaron 16 (17% del volumen total), cuatro de los cuales se encontraban entre los 13 plaguicidas más importados. Costa Rica es, con diferencia, el mayor consumidor. Los datos de importación de plaguicidas son buenos indicadores de las tendencias de uso y una fuente informativa para monitorear los riesgos y, potencialmente, la eficacia de las intervenciones.Ítem A novel experimental approach to assess the effect of contamination events on the spatial distribution of organisms in lotic-estuarine landscapes(ELSEVIER, 2025-12-19) Salvatierra, David; González, María Pilar; Echeverría-Sáenz, Silvia; Blasco, Julián; Araújo, Cristiano V.M.The riverscape concept includes structural connectivity and functional interactions where upstream processes significantly influence downstream conditions. As such, a landscape perspective is necessary to evaluate the impact of contamination, because it can spread far beyond the release area, potentially reaching estuaries. Therefore, we hypothesized that contamination might affect freshwater organisms’ habitat selection in a simulated lotic-estuarine (flow-through) landscape, considering that the estuary zone acts as a stress factor by restricting the options of habitats while the non-contaminated upstream areas could serve as shelter zones to alleviate or even prevent the contamination exposure. The aim of this study was to provide a new method to evaluate the habitat selection response of aquatic organisms when exposed to a contamination event in a simulated lotic-estuarine landscape, including upstream and shelter zones as attractive habitats and an estuary zone. The freshwater shrimp Atyaephyra desmarestii was used as model test organism, copper was used as the contaminant, and the Heterogeneous Multi-Habitat Assay System (HeMHAS), was employed to simulate the lotic-estuarine landscape with a multiple connectivity setup. The results showed that contaminated conditions led shrimp to avoid the contaminated area and were carried towards the estuary region with the flow. However, in a static experiment (without flow), both estuary and contaminated regions were avoided and a preference for the shelter (clean) regions was observed. This study highlights the plasticity of organisms’ habitat selection behavior within a connected ecosystem, where contamination and salinity pressure together might have serious implications for the distribution of freshwater species. Further, the HeMHAS can successfully integrate flow in simulated heterogeneous landscapes to broad the understanding of contamination effects in aquatic lotic ecosystems.Ítem Soil fauna hazard index to identify the risk of exposure to biocidal substances(Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 2024-09) Sánchez Menjivar, María; Villalobos Sequeira, Jenny; Ramírez Muño, Fernando; Blanco Peña, KinndleChemical pollution in the soil compartment can lead to considerable biodiversity loss and poor soil quality. Soil fauna inside and near agroecosystems, agricultural landscapes, and cattle grasslands provide various ecosystem services that contribute to sustaining human well-being. Interviews were conducted with farmers in two Costa Rican provinces to identify the active ingredients used in agricultural and livestock farms. Using a soil fauna hazard index, 27 agrochemicals and 18 veterinary drugs were categorized as hazardous substances to soil invertebrates. The scientific literature reports the effects of exposure to many of these substances on various levels of biological organization, therefore, it is critical to promote appropriate practices in their use to reduce environmental effects.Ítem AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds(Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, 2022-02-24) Tobias, Joseph A. T; Sheard, Catherine; Pigot, Alex L.; Devenish, Adam J. M.; Yang, Jingyi; Sayol, Ferran; Neate-Clegg, Montague H. C.; Alioravainen, Nico; Weeks, Thomas L.; Barber, Robert A.; Walkden, Patrick A.; MacGregor, Hannah E. A.; Jones, Samuel E. I.; Vincent, Claire; Phillips, Anna G.; Marples, Nicola M.; Montaño-Centellas, Flavia A.; Leandro-Silva, Víctor; Claramunt, Santiago; Darski, Bianca; Freeman, Benjamín G.; Bregman, Tom P.; R. Cooney, Christopher; Hughes, Emma C.; Capp, Elliot J. R.; Varley, Zoë K.; Friedman, Nicholas R.; Korntheuer, Heiko; Corrales Vargas, Andrea; Trisos, Christopher H.; Weeks, Brian C.; Hanz, Dagmar M.; Töpfer, Till; Remeš, Vladimír; Nowak, Larissa; Carneiro, Lincoln S.; Moncada R., Amilkar J.; Matysioková, Beata; Baldassarre, Daniel T.; Martínez-Salinas, Alejandra; Wolfe, Jared D.; Chapman, Philip M.; Daly, Benjamin G.; Sorensen, Marjorie C.; Neu, Alexander; Ford, Michael A.; Mayhew, Rebekah J.; Silveira, Luis Fabio; Kelly, David J.; Annorbah, Nathaniel N. D.; Pollock, Henry S.; Grabowska-Zhang, Ada M.; McEntee, Jay P.; González, Juan Carlos T.; Meneses, Camila G.; Muñoz, Marcia C.; Powell, Luke L.; Jaime, Gabriel A.; Matthews, Thomas J.; Johnson, Oscar.; Brito, Guilherme R. R.; Zyskowski, Kristof.; Crates, Ross; Harvey, Michael G.; Jurado Zevallos, Maura; Hosner, Peter A.; Bradfer-Lawrence, Tom; M. Maley, James; Stiles, F. Gary; Lima, Hevana S.; Provost, Kaiya L.; Chibesa, Moses; Mashao, Mmatjie; Howard, Jeffrey T.; Mlamba, Edson; Chua, Marcus A. H.; Li, Bicheng; Gómez, M. Isabel; García, Natalia C.; Päckert, Martin; Fuchs, Jérôme; Ali, Jarome R.; Derryberry, Elizabeth P.; Carlson, Monica L.; Urriza, Rolly C.; Brzeski, Kristin E.; Prawiradilaga, Dewi M.; Rayner, Matt J.; Miller, Eliot T.; Bowie, Rauri C. K.; Lafontaine, René-Marie; Scofield, R. Paul; Lou, Yingqiang.; Somarathna, Lankani; Lepage, Denis; Illif, Marshall; Neuschulz, Eike Lena; Templin, Mathias; Dehling, D. Matthias; Cooper, Jacob C.; Pauwels, Olivier S. G.; Analuddin, Kangkuso; Fjeldså, Jon; Seddon, Nathalie; Sweet, Paul R.; DeClerck, Fabrice A. J.; N. Naka, Luciano.; Brawn, Jeffrey D.; Aleixo, Alexandre; Böhning-Gaese, Katrin; Rahbek, Carsten; Fritz, Susanne A.; Thomas, Gavin H.; Schleuning, MatthiasFunctional traits offer a rich quantitative framework for developing and testing theories in evolutionary biology, ecology and ecosystem science. However, the potential of functional traits to drive theoretical advances and refine models of global change can only be fully realised when species-level information is complete. Here we present the AVONET dataset containing comprehensive functional trait data for all birds, including six ecological variables, 11 continuous morphological traits, and information on range size and location. Raw morphological measurements are presented from 90,020 individuals of 11,009 extant bird species sampled from 181 countries. These data are also summarised as species averages in three taxonomic formats, allowing integration with a global phylogeny, geographical range maps, IUCN Red List data and the eBird citizen science database. The AVONET dataset provides the most detailed picture of continuous trait variation for any major radiation of organisms, offering a global template for testing hypotheses and exploring the evolutionary origins, structure and functioning of biodiversityÍtem Social conditions and urban health inequities: realities, challenges and opportunities to transform the urban landscape through research and action(Springer Nature, 2011-08-18) Salgado de Snyder, V. Nelly; Friel, Sharon; Fotso, Jean Christophe; Khadr, Zeinab; Meresman, Sergio; Monge, Patricia; Patil-Deshmukh, AnitaThe process of urbanization entails social improvements with the consequential better quality-of-life for urban residents. However, in many low-income and some middle-income countries, urbanization conveys inequality and exclusion, creating cities and dwellings characterized by poverty, overcrowded conditions, poor housing, severe pollution, and absence of basic services such as water and sanitation. Slums in large cities often have an absence of schools, transportation, health centers, recreational facilities, and other such amenities. Additionally, the persistence of certain conditions, such as poverty, ethnic heterogeneity, and high population turnover, contributes to a lowered ability of individuals and communities to control crime, vandalism, and violence. The social vulnerability in health is not a “natural” or predefined condition but occurs because of the unequal social context that surrounds the daily life of the disadvantaged, and often, socially excluded groups. Social exclusion of individuals and groups is a major threat to development, whether to the community social cohesion and economic prosperity or to the individual self-realization through lack of recognition and acceptance, powerlessness, economic vulnerability, ill health, diminished life experiences, and limited life prospects. In contrast, social inclusion is seen to be vital to the material, psychosocial, and political aspects of empowerment that underpin social well-being and equitable health. Successful experiences of cooperation and networking between slum-based organizations, grassroots groups, local and international NGOs, and city government are important mechanisms that can be replicated in urban settings of different low- and middle-income countries. With increasing urbanization, it is imperative to design health programs for the urban poor that take full advantage of the social resources and resourcefulness of their own communities.Ítem Urban Health Inequities and the Added Pressure of Climate Change: An Action-Oriented Research Agenda(Springer Nature, 2011-08-23) Friel, Sharon; Hancock, Trevor; Kjellstrom, Tord; McGranahan, Gordon; Monge, Patricia; Roy, JoyashreeClimate change will likely exacerbate already existing urban social inequities and health risks, thereby exacerbating existing urban health inequities. Cities in low- and middle-income countries are particularly vulnerable. Urbanization is both a cause of and potential solution to global climate change. Most population growth in the foreseeable future will occur in urban areas primarily in developing countries. How this growth is managed has enormous implications for climate change given the increasing concentration and magnitude of economic production in urban localities, as well as the higher consumption practices of urbanites, especially the middle classes, compared to rural populations. There is still much to learn about the extent to which climate change affects urban health equity and what can be done effectively in different socio-political and socio-economic contexts to improve the health of urban dwelling humans and the environment. But it is clear that equity-oriented climate change adaptation means attention to the social conditions in which urban populations live this is not just a climate change policy issue, it requires inter-sectoral action. Policies and programs in urban planning and design, workplace health and safety, and urban agriculture can help mitigate further climate change and adapt to existing climate change. If done well, these will also be good for urban health equity.Ítem Unintentional Fatal Paraquat Poisonings Among Agricultural Workers in Costa Rica: Report of 15 Cases(Wiley-Liss, Inc., 1998-12-06) Wesseling, Catharina; Hogstedt, Christer; Picado, Anabelle; Johansson, LeifEste estudio analiza las circunstancias de exposición de 15 intoxicaciones ocupacionales fatales por paraquat. Para evaluar el peligro potencial de la absorción dérmica y la cantidad necesaria para producir un desenlace fatal en caso de ingesta oral, revisamos los registros médicos y los protocolos de autopsia y entrevistamos a los familiares. Cinco muertes se debieron a la ingestión de un trago de concentrado de paraquat y cinco a la ingesta de una cantidad menor; tres casos se asociaron con exposición dérmica y en dos, no hubo evidencia de exposición oral o dérmica. Varios casos se referían a aerosoles de paraquat diluidos. Los hallazgos clínicos y patomorfológicos, incluida una evaluación "ciega" de portaobjetos de pulmón, fueron consistentes con intoxicación por paraquat en todos los casos. Se identificaron dificultades para establecer el diagnóstico y reconocer la exposición, así como la clasificación de los envenenamientos no intencionales como suicidios en la autopsia. Los hallazgos sugieren que el paraquat puede causar intoxicaciones mortales por ingestión de pequeñas cantidades, por absorción dérmica de paraquat diluido y posiblemente por inhalación. Se justifican estudios más concluyentes.Ítem The Determinants of Dermal Exposure Ranking Method (DERM): A Pesticide Exposure Assessment Approach for Developing Countries(Oxford University Press, 2008-07-07) Blanco, Luis E.; Aragón, Aurora; Lundberg, Ingvar; Wesseling Hoogervors, Catharina; Nise, GunAnewmethod for assessment of dermal exposure to pesticides in subsistence farmers by use of determinants of dermal exposure is described. The method, called the determinants of dermal exposureranking method(DERM),isacombinationofchecklists andexpert ratingassessment. Thus, determinants are listed in a form, which is used to check their presence and to assess them using a simple algorithm based on two factors, the type of transport process (T value) and the area of body surface exposed (Avalue). In addition, the type of clothing worn during applications is included as a protection factor. We applied the DERM to real pesticide applications, characterizing dermal exposure and comparing DERM estimates with earlier developed semiquantitative visual scores based on fluorescent tracer, the total visual score (TVS) and contaminated body area (CBA). DERM showed avery good level of agreement with both the TVS (r 5 0.69; P 5 0.000) and the CBA (r 5 0.67; P 5 0.000). DERM allowed identification of the determinants that had the highest effect on exposure and the farmers with the highest exposure. In conclusion, DERM provided information on the determinants responsible for dermal exposure in a group of subsistence farmers. This can be useful to design monitoring and preventive programs, define priorities for intervention and prioritize and select most adequate measurementstrategies. DERM promises to be a low-cost easy-to-use method to assess dermal exposure to pesticides in developing country conditions.Ítem Assessment of Dermal Pesticide Exposure with Fluorescent Tracer: a Modification of a Visual Scoring System for Developing Countries(Oxford University Press, 2005-08-26) Aragón, Aurora; Blanco, Luis E.; Fúnez, Aura; Ruepert, Clemens; Lidén, Carola; Nise, Gun; Wesseling Hoogervors, CatharinaEn 1988, Fenske presentó un método semicuantitativo de evaluación de la exposición dérmica basado en observaciones visuales de imágenes de fluorescencia. Adaptamos el método a las condiciones de trabajo de Nicaragua y evaluamos su desempeño. Treinta y dos agricultores aplicaron clorpirifos y metamidofos marcados con Tinopal CBS-X®. Se observaron los depósitos fluorescentes en la piel con una lámpara UV portátil en una habitación oscura plegable. Modificamos los dos componentes del sistema original: la extensión ponderando el tamaño de las partes del cuerpo expuestas según la superficie corporal total y la intensidad estableciendo criterios para leer las imágenes de fluorescencia. Esto dio como resultado puntajes de segmentos corporales (BSS) para partes corporales específicas, así como dos medidas de resumen, el área corporal contaminada (CBA) como el porcentaje de piel contaminada en relación con la superficie corporal total y el puntaje visual total (TVS) como un puntaje general que combina el alcance y la intensidad de la contaminación. El puntaje de intensidad se evaluó con análisis cuantitativos de residuos químicos. Las manos fueron las contaminadas con mayor frecuencia y la espalda tuvo el BSS más alto. El CBA varió entre 1 y 66% y el TVS entre 0,5 y 270. El agricultor con el TVS más alto obtuvo un puntaje de 60% del máximo posible. Los residuos aumentaron con el aumento de las intensidades de fluorescencia con algunos errores de clasificación. Las imágenes fluorescentes reflejaron las prácticas laborales y los mecanismos de contaminación. En conclusión, el puntaje visual, tal como lo modificamos, proporciona información sobre los segmentos del cuerpo que más contribuyen a la exposición dérmica y el grado de contaminación de la piel durante las aplicaciones de pesticidas. Los patrones de fluorescencia reflejan las vías de exposición. El sistema es de bajo costo y práctico para los países en desarrollo. Se recomiendan mejoras adicionales.Ítem Reliability of a Visual Scoring System with Fluorescent Tracers to Assess Dermal Pesticide Exposure(Oxford University Press, 2004-09-20) Aragon, Aurora; Blanco, Luis; Lopéz, Lylliam; Lidén, Carola; Nise, Gun; Wesseling Hoogervors, CatharinaWe modified Fenske's semi-quantitative ‘visual scoring system’ of fluorescent tracer deposited on the skin of pesticide applicators and evaluated its reproducibility in the Nicaraguan setting. The body surface of 33 farmers, divided into 31 segments, was videotaped in the field after spraying with a pesticide solution containing a fluorescent tracer. A portable UV lamp was used for illumination in a foldaway dark room. The videos of five farmers were randomly selected. The scoring was based on a matrix with extension of fluorescent patterns (scale 0–5) on the ordinate and intensity (scale 0–5) on the abscissa, with the product of these two ranks as the final score for each body segment (0–25). Five medical students rated and evaluated the quality of 155 video images having undergone 4 h of training. Cronbach alpha coefficients and two-way random effects intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) with absolute agreement were computed to assess inter-rater reliability. Consistency was high (Cronbach alpha = 0.96), but the scores differed substantially between raters. The overall ICC was satisfactory [0.75; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.62–0.83], but it was lower for intensity (0.54; 95% CI = 0.40–0.66) and higher for extension (0.80; 95% CI = 0.71–0.86). ICCs were lowest for images with low scores and evaluated as low quality, and highest for images with high scores and high quality. Inter-rater reliability coefficients indicate repeatability of the scoring system. However, field conditions for recording fluorescence should be improved to achieve higher quality images, and training should emphasize a better mechanism for the reading of body areas with low contamination.Ítem Ecohealth and Resilience Thinking: a Dialog From Experiences in Research and Practice(Resilience Alliance, 2014) Berbés-Blázquez, Marta; Sky Oestreicher, Jordan; Mertens, Frédéric; Saint-Charles, JohanneResilience thinking and ecosystems approaches to health (EAH), or ecohealth, share roots in complexity science, although they have distinct foundations in ecology and population health, respectively. The current articulations of these two approaches are strongly converging, but each approach has its strengths. Resilience thinking has developed theoretical models to the study of social– ecological systems, whereas ecohealth has a vast repertoire of experience in dealing with complex health issues. With the two fields dovetailing, there is ripe opportunity to create a dialogue centered on concepts that are more thoroughly developed in one field, which can then serve to advance the other. In this article, we first present an overview of the ecohealth and resilience thinking frameworks before opening a dialogue centered on seven themes that have strong potential for cross-pollination between the two approaches: scale regime interactions, regime shifts, adaptive environmental management, social learning, participation, social and gender equity, and knowledge to action. We conclude with some future research suggestions for those interested in theoretical and practical applications at the intersection of environment and health. In particular, closer collaboration between these two fields can lead to addressing blind spots in the ecosystem services framework, complementary social-network analysis, the application