University of Costa Rica

About: University of Costa Rica is a education organization based out in San José, Costa Rica. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Venom. The organization has 9817 authors who have published 16781 publications receiving 238208 citations. The organization is also known as: UCR & Universidad de Costa Rica.

Using geographical information systems to identify populations in need of improved accessibility to antivenom treatment for snakebite envenoming in costa rica.

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Snakebite accidents are an important health problem in rural areas of tropical countries worldwide, including Costa Rica, where most bites are caused by the pit-viper Bothrops asper. The treatment of these potentially fatal accidents is based on the timely administration of specific antivenom. In many regions of the world, insufficient health care systems and lack of antivenom in remote and poor areas where snakebites are common, means that efficient treatment is unavailable for many snakebite victims, leading to unnecessary mortality and morbidity. In this study, geographical information systems (GIS) were used to identify populations in Costa Rica with a need of improved access to antivenom treatment: those living in areas with a high risk of snakebites and long time to reach antivenom treatment. METHOD/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: POPULATIONS LIVING IN AREAS WITH HIGH RISK OF SNAKEBITES WERE IDENTIFIED USING TWO APPROACHES: one based on the district-level reported incidence, and another based on mapping environmental factors favoring B. asper presence. Time to reach treatment using ambulance was estimated using cost surface analysis, thereby enabling adjustment of transportation speed by road availability and quality, topography and land use. By mapping populations in high risk of snakebites and the estimated time to treatment, populations with need of improved treatment access were identified. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrates the usefulness of GIS for improving treatment of snakebites. By mapping reported incidence, risk factors, location of existing treatment resources, and the time estimated to reach these for at-risk populations, rational allocation of treatment resources is facilitated.

Filling a void: isolation and characterization of tetracarboxylato dimolybdenum cations.

Abstract: Dimolybdenum tetracarboxylato cations have been prepared and structurally characterized for the first time. The reactions of the new, quadruply bonded compound, Mo2(TiPB)4, where TiPB = 2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl carboxylate, with NOPF6 and NOBF4 give the ionic compounds [Mo2(TiPB)4]PF6 and [Mo2(TiPB)4]BF4, respectively. Each product crystallizes in space group P21/n and displays an elongation of the Mo−Mo bond of 0.060 and 0.068 A, respectively, over that of the parent compound (2.076(1) A). Each complex displays a characteristic EPR signal, showing hyperfine coupling to the spin active isotopes 95Mo and 97Mo, with g∥ = g⊥ = 1.936, that is consistent with the presence of an unpaired electron. Electronic spectroscopy indicates the expected red shift in the δ → δ* transition for the cations, due to the loss of exchange energy in going from the two-electron to one-electron system. We have also obtained a small amount of crystalline [Mo2(O2CC4H9)4]PF6 from the reaction of Mo2(O2CC4H9)4 with AgPF6. This product...