Over the last year, the whole world has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 80 million people affected with more than 1.8 million dead over the same period. Like other recent epidemics, this seems to be zoonotic in origin with the bats as the primary species harboring these coronaviruses but with a still unnamed intermediary host. Up to 80% of the cases have minor symptoms but 5% of the remainder may develop severe complications including respiratory failure. There has been a fast development of the knowledge about the disease in a very short period of time, making it a less lethal disease now as well as accelerating the development of several available vaccines.

This article was developed thanks to the funding of Cienciactiva, an initiative of the National Council of Science, Technology and Technological Innovation (CONCYTEC). Contract No. 227-2015-FONDECYT. Thanks to the authorities and staff of PNP Huaraz Polyclinic for the support provided to the SERUMS staff to carry out this study (May 2012-May 2013). Thanks to the personnel of the company Innovation and Development for the support in the design of the study and the logistics and, to Rogelio Martínez Diez of the University of Valladolid-Spain for collaborating in the writing of the manuscript.

Red pitahaya (Hylocereus guatemalensis) peel is a by-product of pulp and juice production, which is often underutilized due to the lack of scientific information on how to preserve it in a manner that minimally affects its bioactive compounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of hot air drying on the total phenolic content (TFC) and antioxidant capacity (AC) by DPPH radical scavenging (%) of red pitahaya peel. The peel was separated from the pulp, cut into four equal parts and subjected to hot air drying. Drying was carried out at temperatures of 40, 50, 60, 60, 70, 80 and 90 °C for a period of 1 080 min. The peel was ground (particles < 850 μm), the extract (50 mg/mL) was obtained using 80% methanol as solvent, and the TPC and AC were determined. The influence of drying temperature was significant (p<0.05) on TPC and AC as drying temperature increase of 40 ...

Red pitahaya (Hylocereus guatemalensis) peel is a by-product of pulp and juice production, which is often underutilized due to the lack of scientific information on how to preserve it in a manner that minimally affects its bioactive compounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of hot air drying on the total phenolic content (TFC) and antioxidant capacity (AC) by DPPH radical scavenging (%) of red pitahaya peel. The peel was separated from the pulp, cut into four equal parts and subjected to hot air drying. Drying was carried out at temperatures of 40, 50, 60, 60, 70, 80 and 90 °C for a period of 1 080 min. The peel was ground (particles < 850 μm), the extract (50 mg/mL) was obtained using 80% methanol as solvent, and the TPC and AC were determined. The influence of drying temperature was significant (p<0.05) on TPC and AC as drying temperature increase of 40 ...

Presentamos la experiencia del Policlínico de la Peruvian American Medical Society (PAMS) en Chincha, en la ejecución de misiones médico-educativas en la región Chincha. El Policlínico PAMS presta atención médica general y especializada a la población de la zona, seis días a la semana. Además, recibe misiones médicas que vienen generalmente de los EE. UU. Desde 2011, se han recibido 43 misiones médicas. La composición y la naturaleza de las misiones han cambiado con el tiempo. Los primeros años se atraía a especialistas con el énfasis de traer equipos e insumos para mejorar la infraestructura del Policlínico. Ahora estamos limitados por la renuencia de voluntarios de venir al Perú en parte debido a que el gobierno americano considera que viajes al Perú son de alto riesgo. Esta limitación nos ha brindado la oportunidad de hacer misiones médicas juntamente con dos exce...

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on medical care and medical education in Peru.  In response, the Peruvian American Medical Society (PAMS), a charitable medical organization based in the USA, pursued its medical and educational missions in Peru by adopting virtual learning technology. We developed closer collaborative relationships with several medical schools and the Peruvian Association of Medical Schools (ASPEFAM) while offering a faculty panel of twenty-four members to provide lectures and multidisciplinary webinars in Spanish. We conducted 19 webinars including COVID -19 and non-COVID-19 related topics that over the last two years attracted 14,489 participants from 23 countries. They were the foundation for twenty publications in Peruvian medical journals. Our clinical investigations competition was positively received as was our pilot project on research mentorsh...