Current Crisis Research Articles

Chemical Recycling of Poly(cyclohexene carbonate)s via Synergistic Catalysis.

Chemical recycling of polymers to the corresponding monomers offers a valuable solution to address the current plastics crisis for creating an ideal and circular polymer economy. Here, we present a bimetallic synergistic depolymerization of the widely studied CO2-based polycarbonates, poly(cyclohexene carbonate)s, to epoxide monomers efficiently. The bimetallic CrIII-complex-mediated highly selective depolymerization and repolymerization was achieved via the regulation of reaction temperature, thus closing the circular loop of poly(cyclohexene carbonate)s in situ. Mechanistic investigation has revealed that the formation of epoxides undergoes a direct chain-end unzipping process. A bimetallic catalysis involving a nucleophilic attack of the metal-alkoxide species toward the methine carbon atom bound with an adjacent carbonyl that is activated by the other metal center features a lower energy barrier in DFT calculations, which promotes the epoxide extrusion.

Interpretable Machine Learning Facilitates Disease Prognosis: Applications on COVID-19 and Onward

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the integration of interpretable machine learning techniques has garnered significant attention, offering transparent and understandable insights crucial for informed clinical decision-making. This literature review delves into the applications of interpretable machine learning in predicting the prognosis of respiratory diseases, particularly focusing on COVID-19 and its implications for future research and clinical practice. We reviewed various machine learning models that are not only capable of incorporating existing clinical domain knowledge but also have the learning capability to explore new information from the data. These models and experiences not only aid in managing the current crisis but also hold promise for addressing future disease outbreaks. By harnessing interpretable machine learning, healthcare systems can enhance their preparedness and response capabilities, thereby improving patient outcomes and mitigating the impact of respiratory diseases in the years to come.

Andi Siti Nurhasanah and Her Existence as a Female Scholar, Educator, and Role Model for Students and Her Community

Throughout every era, there have always been individuals specially chosen by Allah to open the doors of goodness (mafātiih al-khaer) and close the doors of evil (maghāliq al-syarr). They act with utmost sincerity for the betterment of the community, nurturing the next generation, enriching the nation's life, and dedicating their entire lives to the field of education. Their contributions should be immortalized to serve as a memory and a guiding light for future generations. In the midst of the current crisis of role models, we intend to present the results of our research on one such figure, Andi Siti Nurhasanah, a female scholar and educator worthy of being a role model, a religious reference, and an exemplary figure for today's generation. This research is qualitative in nature, taking the form of a life story, with primary data sources derived from interviews and domain analysis. The study concludes that Andi Siti Nurhasanah has proven herself as a venerable educational scholar worthy of emulation based on several dimensions, including: (1) exemplifying respect for knowledge and honoring teachers; (2) demonstrating excellence in memorizing and preserving the entire 30 juz of the Quran; (3) making optimal use of her time, leaving no moment wasted in her life; (4) displaying dedication to her profession as an educator wherever she goes; (5) embodying a strong social spirit, marked by great generosity and a willingness to share with others.

Influence of polystyrene nanoplastics on the toxicity of haloperidol to amphibians: An in vivo and in vitro approach

Chemical pollution is a major driver for the current worldwide crisis of amphibian decline. The present study aimed to assess the influence of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPLs) on the toxicity of haloperidol to aquatic life stages of amphibians, by using in vivo (tadpoles of Xenopus laevis and Pelophylax perezi) and in vitro (A6 and XTC-2 cell lines of X. laevis) biological models. Tadpoles of both species were exposed, for 96 h, to haloperidol: 0.404 to 2.05 mg l−1 (X. laevis) or 0.404 to 3.07 mg L−1 (P. perezi). The most sensitive species to haloperidol (X. laevis) was exposed to haloperidol's LC50,96h combined with two PS-NPLs concentrations (0.01 mg L−1 or 10 mg L−1); the following endpoints were monitored: mortality, malformations, body lengths and weight. In vitro cytotoxicity was assessed by exposing the two cell lines, for 72 h, to: haloperidol (0.195 to 100 mg L−1) alone and combined with 0.01 mg L−1 or 10 mg L−1 of PS-NPLs. Xenopus laevis tadpoles revealed a higher lethal and sublethal sensitivity to haloperidol than those of P. perezi, with LC50,96h of 1.45 and 2.20 mg L−1. In vitro assays revealed that A6 cell line is more sensitive haloperidol than XTC-2: LC50,72h of 13.2 mg L−1 and 5.92 mg L−1, respectively. Results also suggested a higher sensitivity of in vivo models when compared to in vitro biological. Overall, PS-NPLs did not influence haloperidol's toxicity for in vivo and in vitro biological models, except for a reduction on the incidence of malformations while increasing the lethal toxicity (at the lowest concentration) in tadpoles. These opposite interaction patterns highlight the need for a deeper comprehension of NPLs and pharmaceuticals interactions. Results suggest a low risk of haloperidol for anuran tadpoles, though in the presence of PS-NPLs the risk may be increased.

Una A ‘Transformation Compass’ for Social and Solidarity Economy Initiatives in their Transition towards Postgrowth

The current climate crisis and global inequalities trigger intense debates on the need of achieving socioecological transitions towards environmentally and socially just scenarios. In this context, the Social and Solidarity Economy and Postgrowth paradigms could play a major role in leading these transitions. The strong convergence between their principles opens the door for this article’s main contribution: a ‘Transformation Compass’. This tool allows Social and Solidarity Economy initiatives to approach a post-growth economy through a well-defined matrix, which incorporates Hinton’s (2021) characterization of postgrowth businesses. In addition, this Compass helps to assess the factors and dimensions that affect different initiatives during this process.

Pristine Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis

Green energy technologies propose the use of hydrogen as fuel instead of fossil fuels that have drawbacks of limited supplies and greenhouse gas emission during their combustion. Though hydrogen is the most abundant element on the Earth, hydrogen gas is commonly not found in pure form, but bound in compounds such as water or hydrocarbons. Thus, hydrogen gas is a synthetic fuel that needs to be produced. For the energy to be completely green, hydrogen should be produced using renewable energy. Currently, most of the hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels and only ca. 5% is produced using electrolytic water splitting. It is the high cost of the water-splitting process that limits its use on the wider scale. To reduce the associated high energy input to break a water molecule, resulting in high cost of hydrogen produced by water splitting, expensive electrocatalysts are typically used.The aim of this work is to design novel and low cost metal-organic frameworks (MOF) or coordination polymers (CP) utilizing different ligands (for instance, amide functionalized ligands) towards their application in energy conversion reactions such as oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). MOFs are rarely used in their pristine form; literature reports typically focus on MOF-derived carbon materials. Moreover, herein special attention is given to OER as the efficiency-limiting reaction within the water electrolysis process.The first part of the work focuses on the synthesis and characterization of ligands and MOFs/CPs based on transition metals, nickel and cobalt. The morphology and structure of these composites is examined using electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The second part of the work focuses on the pristine materials’ electrocatalytic activity involving standard electrochemical techniques, i.e., voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry to identify the material with the optimum performance and stability. Main reactions parameters including onset potential, overpotential at defined current density as well as current density at defined potential and Tafel slope, are determined.This work presents step towards green hydrogen production within search for solutions for the current energy crisis. Acknowledgments This work was supported by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, grant number 7750219, Advanced Conducting Polymer-Based Materials for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage, Sensors and Environmental Protection-AdConPolyMat (IDEAS programme).

Ownership, freedom, belonging and God: Kibbutzim’s strategies to extend their “sharing” model

Purpose This study proposes a mix of historical, organizational and generational life cycles as explanatory variables for the “sharing style” of intentional communities such as kibbutzim in Israel. It evaluates the effectiveness of four strategies, namely, economic ownership, ultimate personal freedom, sense of belonging and religious belief employed by kibbutzim to sustain their lifestyles as sharing communities.Design/methodology/approach The study’s data collection methods include a mix of literature review and content analysis of interviews and observations conducted by the study’s researchers over a period of twenty years.Findings Environmental uncertainty, which served as one of the main motivators for the establishment of kibbutzim, has been diminished over their life cycle, forcing them to change their socioeconomic model of sharing. Most kibbutzim elected to employ the household’s economic private ownership strategy to move from the “maturity” to the “renewal” lifecycle stage, thereby avoiding “decline.” Three representative kibbutzim chose to deploy ultimate personal freedom, enhanced sense of belonging and shared religious practice strategies to reach the renewal stage.Practical implications Current crises, such as weather disasters, pandemics and wars, have demonstrated the justification for the existence of shared leadership communities. This study considers the advantages and pitfalls of economic and psychological conditions necessary for sustaining such communities over the period of their life cycles. We propose that out of the four strategies analyzed, only the strategy of economic private ownership can be sustained under conditions of global, national and commune’s increasing levels of individualism.Originality/value This study introduces historical, organizational and generational elements into the commonly described construct of organizational and product life cycles. It describes four variations of the communal sharing socioeconomic model that have been adopted to combat the degradation of the communes into the decline stage and evaluate their viability. The study therefore generalizes life cycle theory to non-for-profit organizations, making life cycle theory more specific.

Perbandingan Minat Gadai Emas di Bank Syariah dan Pegadaian Syariah pada Masyarakat Kota Jambi

In an interview conducted with Mr. Abdi, he stated that in the midst of the current economic crisis, pawning gold was indeed a profitable business because many people carried out this practice. The price of gold on the market experienced a significant and rapid increase, reaching around Rp. 1,131,823 per gram. The aim is to analyze the comparison of the estimated value of gold at Islamic banks and Islamic pawnshops and to analyze the similarities and differences in gold pawning transactions at Islamic banks and Islamic pawnshops. This research uses qualitative methods which aim to understand the phenomena experienced by research subjects by collecting data in the form of words and not numbers. The results in this research are a realistic picture, information based on facts obtained by researchers in the field. Researchers conducted a survey at the research location using interviews, documentation and observation of research subjects designated as informants in this research. So researchers can draw the conclusion that there is a difference in public interest in pawning gold at Bank Syariah Indonesia and Pegadaian Syariah. Input for Sharia Banks and Pegadaian Syariah in improving the quality of sharia gold pawn products, both operational systems and services. So that people can continue to get the best service from Sharia Banks and Sharia Pegadaian.

Pentingnya Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan dalam Mengatasi Krisis Moral di Era Milenial Mahasiswa Farmasi Universitas PGRI Adi Buana

The moral crisis that is currently hitting the millennium era has raised deep concerns about the moral values of today's society. The ethical crisis in the millennial era is becoming an increasingly deep and complex problem. Various factors, such as the influence of globalization, technological progress, and social change, have shaped the context of individual behavior and weakened basic moral values. In this context, this review examines the importance of citizenship education as the main solution for forming individual character and social ethics in the millennium era. This study discusses the concept of citizenship education, the role of educational institutions and the challenges faced in realizing civic values in education. The research results highlight the importance of citizenship education in overcoming the current moral crisis and emphasize the need for cooperation between government, educational institutions and society to achieve this goal.

Sometimes there is no easy answer: Health care protection in conflict zones

PLEASE NOTE: Section titles are N/A to article type submitted (Letter to Editor). On a global scale, health care providers and facilities are observed to be increasingly exposed to dangers amidst political instability, siege, war. Public health is indisputably at the forefront of saving lives during military operations. In the current climate of global adversity, public health professionals have the responsibility to be prepared at all times and well-informed when responding to medical conflicts. Complex humanitarian emergencies cause great disruption, disabling, damaging, destroying community well-being. Public health sciences are evidently at the leading edge of health services planning and provision in mass casualty incidents. This article draws attention to the critical and current subject of health care and medical workers under attack in war zones. Criminal violence is against the law and an action that requires punishment. Lawful conduct that is part of a legally legitimate military operation must comply with the fundamental principles that govern armed conflict. It is important not to confuse the two action in terms of clarity and purpose. As for the extremely topical and vital issue, this article calls upon all parties in relevant fields to refresh and update their knowledge of the International Humanitarian Law, the Geneva Conventions and the various additional protocols in relation to current crises. Particular emphasis is placed on alerting national and international audiences at this turning point in history. When health care is faced with war-torn ethical damage, it is incumbent upon every professional to understand the context, to refrain from getting caught up in dilemmas, avoid getting carried away by popular tabloid trends.

Emergoenvironmental analysis and sustainable flexible peaking of a novel solar-assisted solid oxide fuel cell cogeneration system

The development of green and sustainable conversion technologies is imperative to alleviate the current severe energy and environmental crises and to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality. This project presents a novel cogeneration system that integrates a solid oxide fuel cell afterburning system, an energy recovery system, and a parallel heating system equipped with multistage utilization, solar-assisted, and flexible peaking technologies. Following the establishment and validation of the system, power source analysis, parameter sensitivity studies, three-objective optimization, and internal exergy flow investigation are carried out. Subsequently, the positive impacts of multistage utilization, solar-assisted, and flexible peaking technologies, as well as the thermoeconomic and emergoenvironmental operating characteristics of the system, are discussed. The numerical results demonstrate that the emergoenvironmental factor and emergy environmental impact difference of the system are 70.15 % and 82.52 %, and the energy efficiency is improved by 1.41 %∼19.09 %, respectively, compared with similar solid oxide fuel cell systems, confirming its favorable thermodynamic performance and emergoenvironmental impact. The system achieves daily heating savings of 3302 kWh and life cycle economic benefits of $19,310,524, with a repayment of the investment cost in 4.17 years, reflecting considerable economic benefits. This project also demonstrates exergy flow, module defects, and improvement mechanisms from the perspective of emergoenvironmental, providing a valuable reference for the promotion of green energy.

Advancement of Bioenergy Technology in South Africa

South Africa has been experiencing an energy crisis since 2007 and continues to the present. This has resulted in load-shedding (action to interrupt electricity supply to avoid excessive load on the generating plant). One way to address this problem is to further explore the potential and contribution of bioenergy through research conducted and implementing energy reports. Therefore, the study aims to provide the state of bioenergy and its contribution to the country’s economic sector and to enhance the replacement of fossil fuels with bioenergy resources and technology. A total blackout of 15,913 h has been experienced since 2014, according to the weekly system status report released by ESKOM. The power utility (Eskom) responsible for power generation and utility has attributed this problem to insufficient generation and capacity. Based on this, the country is embarking on solving this problem. Although the country is dominated by coal (fossil fuel), constituting 73.8% of the total energy supply, this poses a serious environmental risk and health hazard. Renewable energy is considered an alternative energy source, and its introduction and implementation look promising in reducing and solving the current energy crisis. With abundant renewable energy potential, representing 8.7% of the total energy supply, around 85% is bioenergy. This review’s findings revealed that bioenergy contributed mainly towards heat, and fuels admit other energy sources, which is recommended. Therefore, its deployment on a large scale is promising and possible. This study will guide and further encourage the deployment of bioenergy projects in South Africa.

Large Language Models Versus Expert Clinicians in Crisis Prediction Among Telemental Health Patients: Comparative Study.

Due to recent advances in artificial intelligence, large language models (LLMs) have emerged as a powerful tool for a variety of language-related tasks, including sentiment analysis, and summarization of provider-patient interactions. However, there is limited research on these models in the area of crisis prediction. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of LLMs, specifically OpenAI's generative pretrained transformer 4 (GPT-4), in predicting current and future mental health crisis episodes using patient-provided information at intake among users of a national telemental health platform. Deidentified patient-provided data were pulled from specific intake questions of the Brightside telehealth platform, including the chief complaint, for 140 patients who indicated suicidal ideation (SI), and another 120 patients who later indicated SI with a plan during the course of treatment. Similar data were pulled for 200 randomly selected patients, treated during the same time period, who never endorsed SI. In total, 6 senior Brightside clinicians (3 psychologists and 3 psychiatrists) were shown patients' self-reported chief complaint and self-reported suicide attempt history but were blinded to the future course of treatment and other reported symptoms, including SI. They were asked a simple yes or no question regarding their prediction of endorsement of SI with plan, along with their confidence level about the prediction. GPT-4 was provided with similar information and asked to answer the same questions, enabling us to directly compare the performance of artificial intelligence and clinicians. Overall, the clinicians' average precision (0.7) was higher than that of GPT-4 (0.6) in identifying the SI with plan at intake (n=140) versus no SI (n=200) when using the chief complaint alone, while sensitivity was higher for the GPT-4 (0.62) than the clinicians' average (0.53). The addition of suicide attempt history increased the clinicians' average sensitivity (0.59) and precision (0.77) while increasing the GPT-4 sensitivity (0.59) but decreasing the GPT-4 precision (0.54). Performance decreased comparatively when predicting future SI with plan (n=120) versus no SI (n=200) with a chief complaint only for the clinicians (average sensitivity=0.4; average precision=0.59) and the GPT-4 (sensitivity=0.46; precision=0.48). The addition of suicide attempt history increased performance comparatively for the clinicians (average sensitivity=0.46; average precision=0.69) and the GPT-4 (sensitivity=0.74; precision=0.48). GPT-4, with a simple prompt design, produced results on some metrics that approached those of a trained clinician. Additional work must be done before such a model can be piloted in a clinical setting. The model should undergo safety checks for bias, given evidence that LLMs can perpetuate the biases of the underlying data on which they are trained. We believe that LLMs hold promise for augmenting the identification of higher-risk patients at intake and potentially delivering more timely care to patients.

Comparing withdrawal- and anxiety-like behaviors following oral and subcutaneous oxycodone administration in C57BL/6 mice.

Excessive prescribing and misuse of prescription opioids, such as oxycodone, significantly contributed to the current opioid crisis. Although oxycodone is typically consumed orally by humans, parenteral routes of administration have primarily been used in preclinical models of oxycodone dependence. To address this issue, more recent studies have used oral self-administration procedures to study oxycodone seeking and withdrawal in rodents. Behavioral differences, however, following oral oxycodone intake versus parenteral oxycodone administration remain unclear. Thus, the goal of the current studies was to compare anxiety- and withdrawal-like behaviors using established opioid dependence models of either home cage oral intake of oxycodone (0.5 mg/ml) or repeated subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of oxycodone (10 mg/kg) in male and female mice. Here, mice received 10 days of oral or s.c. oxycodone administration, and following 72 h of forced abstinence, anxiety- and withdrawal-like behaviors were measured using elevated zero maze, open field, and naloxone-induced precipitated withdrawal procedures. Global withdrawal scores were increased to a similar degree following oral and s.c. oxycodone use, while both routes of oxycodone administration had minimal effects on anxiety-like behaviors. When examining individual withdrawal-like behaviors, mice receiving s.c. oxycodone exhibited more paw tremors and jumps during naloxone-induced precipitated withdrawal compared with oral oxycodone mice. These results indicate that both models of oxycodone administration are sufficient to elevate global withdrawal scores, but, when compared with oral consumption, s.c. oxycodone injections yielded more pronounced effects on some withdrawal-like behaviors.

MnO2-modified PEEK membrane for efficient oil-water separation and solar-assisted seawater desalination

Economic and efficient routes to achieve clean freshwater from oil-water mixtures and seawater have gained special attention to reduce the current water crisis, but still a challenge unsolved. Herein, poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK) membrane, modified with MnO2 layer, has been prepared by facile hydrothermal method to address this issue aforementioned. Given the existence of PEEK and underwater superoleophobicity/underoil superhydrophilicity of MnO2, the composite membrane exhibits strong mechanic properties (tensile stress: 110.2 MPa) and high separation efficiencies (99.9 %) for different oil–water mixtures under gravity. Additionally, our membrane could also effectively separate immiscible oil mixtures according to the dipole–dipole interaction. Furthermore, firm chemical stability against dichloromethane, N, N-Dimethylformamide, 1 M NaOH, 1 M HCl, and 1 M NaCl has been achieved. Most importantly, our membrane displays durable evaporation efficiency (2.63 kg m-2h−1), high energy efficiency (85.9 %), and super salt tolerance under 1 sun irradiation, for solar-assisted seawater desalination.

The genomes of the aquarium sponges Tethya wilhelma and Tethya minuta (Porifera: Demospongiae).

Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are aquatic sessile metazoans found worldwide in marine and freshwater environments. They are significant in the animal tree of life as one of the earliest-branching metazoan lineages and as filter feeders play crucial ecological roles, particularly in coral reefs, but are susceptible to the effects of climate change. In the face of the current biodiversity crisis, genomic data is crucial for species conservation efforts and predicting their evolutionary potential in response to environmental changes. However, there is a limited availability of culturable sponge species with annotated high-quality genomes to further comprehensive insights into animal evolution, function, and their response to the ongoing global change. Despite the publication of a few high-quality annotated sponge genomes, there remains a gap in resources for culturable sponge species. To address this gap, we provide high quality draft genomes of the two congeneric aquarium species Tethya wilhelma and Tethya minuta, small ball-shaped demosponges that are easily maintained long-term in ex situ culture. As such, they offer promising opportunities as laboratory models to contribute to advancing our understanding of sponge biology and provide valuable resources for studying animal evolution, function, and responses to environmental challenges.

ANALISIS RETORIKA ARISTOTELES PADA KAJIAN ILMIAH MEDIA SOSIAL DALAM MEMPERSUASI PUBLIK

In order to build public awareness of the current crisis, many persuasive messages are disseminated through social media. Public communication is considered to be utilizing the power of YouTube as a popular social media platform in effectively communicating crisis through persuasive messages. In previous research the three aspects of ethos, pathos, and logos have been found as evidence of rhetoric in conveying persuasive messages made by YouTubers. The implications of study about rhetoric continue to develop today. This study aims to review other Aristotle’s rhetoric concepts that has not been analyzed in previous studies. The research used qualitative exploratory methods including in-depth interviews and observations. The sample size of participants in this study follows the concept of saturation. The study uncovered that there are two other concepts regarding rhetorical theory by Aristotle in this study — the type of rhetoric used and the five rhetorical canons when the speaker conveys a message. The researcher suggests further research to explore the concept of rhetorical inartistic evidence that is outside the rhetoric element brought by the speaker, so that the study can be discussed more comprehensively.

Incorporating a One Health Approach Into the Study of Environmental Crimes and Harms: Towards a ‘One Health Green Criminology’

Abstract Amid increasingly intense and frequent Emerging Infectious Disease events, such as COVID-19, it is evident that the current global ecological crisis poses a threat to the health and well-being of humans, non-human animals and ecosystems. This paper aims to expand existing green criminological scholarship by arguing for the incorporation of a ‘One Health’ perspective. This would (1) enable the integration of scientific knowledge to better address threats, harms and crimes to health and well-being; and (2) contribute to the advance of Eco-justice. The study identifies four areas where a One Health perspective within green criminology may reveal overlooked harms and threats to health and well-being. Conversely, integrating green criminology would benefit the One Health scientific community and specific programs.

THE NEW ECONOMIC SECURITY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Geopolitical changes have shown that current threats are not only directed at the state’s security but also at the individual’s. Besides the traditional concept of security, a new concept has emerged: economic security. The liberal conception was based on the hypothesis that economic interdependence would lead not only to prosperity but also to greater security. Traditional analyses do not sufficiently capture the real connections between the economy and security. In traditional approaches to security, the key concept was state security; in neo-traditional ones, new actors such as international organizations and non-governmental organizations also intervene alongside the state. Transformations in the international system demonstrate the need for a geostrategic renegotiation of relations at the regional level to ensure states of regional economic cooperation based on principles promoted by the European Union. Our analysis is a qualitative one, examining documents relevant to our topic, as well as a series of theories that underpin our analysis. Our research methods include content analysis of important documents and a SWOT analysis of the current crisis generated by the conflict in Ukraine. The central issue is given by these major changes that challenge the European project. In the face of these geopolitical changes, the following question arises: “Can economic interdependence be used to create stable bilateral relations between EU member states and between the EU and third countries to ensure European economic security?” The research starts from the following hypothesis: “As long as there is cooperation between the countries neighbouring the EU, there will be no risk of conflicts.” Since the EU acts not only in its own interest but also to create a business environment conducive to the development of enterprises in member countries, the risks the EU is exposed to as a global actor will also impact various industrial sectors and the internal market. Our objective is to demonstrate that the European Union, as a regional actor, can ensure the economic security of member states in the face of new hybrid threats. Our analysis focus on examining the economic relations between the European Union and its Eastern neighbours in the context of rapid changes in the international arena.

The Crisis of Macrolide Resistance in Pneumococci in Latin America.

Macrolide antibiotics are recommended for the treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Prior to 2000, ∼10% of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains isolated from IPD cases in Latin American countries were resistant to macrolides. The mechanism of resistance to macrolides was associated mainly with the efflux pump known as the macrolide efflux genetic assembly, since most pneumococcal strains carried the mef(A/E) gene, whereas <6% strains carried both the methylase gene ermB and mef(A/E). In the first decade of this century, a significant increase in the prevalence of macrolide resistance was observed in pneumococcal strains in both Mexico and Peru. Approximately 30% of S. pneumoniae strains in these countries were already resistant to erythromycin, while the prevalence in Colombia, Argentina, and Brazil remained below 10%. During the last decade, we have been experiencing a worrisome increase in pneumococcal strains carrying resistance to macrolides, with a prevalence of up to 80% for resistance to erythromycin. The mechanism for disseminating macrolide resistance has evolved. Currently, more than 55% of invasive S. pneumoniae macrolide-resistant strains carry both the ermB and the mef(A/E)/mel genes. Lessons learned from the current macrolide resistance crisis in Latin America can inform interventions in other regions.