Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Urban Water Cycle

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global crisis spreading to all countries. This study explains and documents the first-order effects of the new coronavirus on the urban water cycle. Urban water systems play an important role in public health because people rely so heavily on water services. Findings address short- and long-term changes in climate variables; availability and accessibility of clean water to prevent and control the spread of coronavirus in water-scarce cities; shifts in habits, behavior, and lifestyles of people and effects on water demand during lockdowns; and role of wastewater treatment in preventing the spread of coronavirus.

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Role of different wastewater treatment plants in antibiotic resistance spreading

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.100 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

S Bonetta ◽

C Pignata ◽

S a Bonetta ◽

E Gasparro ◽

E Lorenzi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

One Health ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Action Plan ◽

Urban Water ◽

Urban Water Cycle

Abstract The global action plan on antimicrobial resistance reports the necessity to develop standards and guidance for the presence of antimicrobial agents in the environment, especially in wastewater, highlighting its possible role in the antibiotic resistance spreading. In addition, the New European One Health Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance underlines the need to support research into knowledge gaps on the release of resistant microorganisms into the environment and their dissemination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Antibiotic Resistance Bacteria (ARB) and Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARG) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). At this scope, untreated sewage and treated effluents of three different WWTPs (A, B and C) were sampled for one year. Sample dilutions were plated on R2Agar added/not-added with 4 different antibiotics (ampicillin 32mg/L; tetracycline 16 mg/L; chloramphenicol 32 mg/L; sulfamethoxazole 50,4 mg/L) to evaluate the percentage of antibiotic resistant bacteria and their WWTPs removal rate (%). DNA extraction on the filter used to concentrate the wastewater samples was performed to reveal the ARG presence; subsequently specific PCRs for ARG (blaTEM, tetA, sul II, sul III) were carried out. ARB were detected in all samples analysed. The highest antibiotic resistance percentage was revealed in the sewage (mean 21,7%±4,8) and effluent (mean 21,1%±3,0) of the three wastewater treatment plants for sulfamethoxazole. Moreover, sul II was the most present gene in the samples (81% of all samples, 89 % of sewages and 72% of effluents). The lower WWTPs removal was recovered in the plant B for the tetracycline (95, 7%). The results obtained underlines the need to monitor WWTP as critical hot spot for the antibiotic resistance spreading also considering the One Health approach. Furthermore, the results obtained could suggest interventions to reduce the spread of the antibiotic resistance in the integrated urban water cycle. Key messages The information obtained could provide usefulness information about the role of wastewater treatment plant in the antibiotic resistance spreading. The results could contribute to suggest the interventions targeted to reduce the antibiotic resistance phenomenon in the integrated urban water cycle.

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The Urban Water Cycle as a Planning Tool to Monitor SARS-CoV-2: A Review of the Literature

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13169010 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 9010

Author(s):

Carlos Peña-Guzmán ◽

María Andrea Domínguez-Sánchez ◽

Manuel Rodríguez ◽

Rama Pulicharla ◽

Karen Mora-Cabrera

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Global Scale ◽

Urban Water ◽

The European Union ◽

Monitoring Strategies ◽

The Usa ◽

And Control ◽

Urban Water Cycle

COVID-19 is a terrible virus that has impacted human health and the economy on a global scale. The detection and control of the pandemic have become necessities that require appropriate monitoring strategies. One of these strategies involves measuring and quantifying the virus in water at different stages of the Urban Water Cycle (UWC). This article presents a comprehensive literature review of the analyses and quantifications of SARS-CoV-2 in multiple UWC components from 2020 to June 2021. More than 140 studies worldwide with a focus on industrialized nations were identified, mainly in the USA, Australia, and Asia and the European Union. Wastewater treatment plants were the focus of most of these studies, followed by city sewerage systems and hospital effluents. The fewest studies examined the presence of this virus in bodies of water. Most of the studies were conducted for epidemiological purposes. However, a few focused on viral load and its removal using various treatment strategies or modelling and developing strategies to control the disease. Others compared methodologies for determining if SARS-CoV-2 was present or included risk assessments. This is the first study to emphasize the importance of the various individual components of the UWC and their potential impacts on viral transmission from the source to the public.

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The Role of Ecopedological Parameters in Management Sustainability of Banat Lands

Revista de Chimie ◽

10.37358/rc.18.3.6176 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 69 (3) ◽

pp. 688-692

Author(s):

Lucian Nita ◽

Dorin Tarau ◽

Gheorghe Rogobete ◽

Simona Nita ◽

Radu Bertici ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Nutrition ◽

Physical State ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Soil Characteristics ◽

South West ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Laboratory Investigations ◽

Case Basis

The issue addressed relates to an area of 1891694 ha of which 1183343 ha are agricultural land (62, 56) located in the south-west of Romania and refer to the use of soil chemical and physical properties as an acceptor for certain crop systems, with minimal undesirable effects both for plants to be grown, as well as soil characteristics and groundwater surface quality. It is therefore necessary on a case-by-case basis, measure stoc or rect the acidic reaction by periodic or alkaline calculations, the improvement of plant nutrition conditions through ameliorative fertilization and the application of measures to improve the physical state, sufficient justification for the need to develop short and long term strategies for the protection and conservation of edifying factors and the need to respect the frequency of field and laboratory investigations at all 8x8 km grids of the National Soil-Grounds Monitoring System (organized by I.C.P.A.) and completing it with the relevant pedological and agrochemical studies.

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Considering a Potential Role of Linalool as a Mood Stabilizer for Bipolar Disorder

Current Pharmaceutical Design ◽

10.2174/1381612826666200724160742 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (40) ◽

pp. 5128-5133

Author(s):

Kate Levenberg ◽

Wade Edris ◽

Martha Levine ◽

Daniel R. George

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Mood Stabilizer ◽

Well Being ◽

Epidemiologic Studies ◽

Treatment Regimens ◽

Bipolar Spectrum Disorders ◽

Short And Long Term

Epidemiologic studies suggest that the lifetime prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorders ranges from 2.8 to 6.5 percent of the population. To decrease morbidity and mortality associated with disease progression, pharmacologic intervention is indicated for the majority of these patients. While a number of effective treatment regimens exist, many conventional medications have significant side effect profiles that adversely impact patients’ short and long-term well-being. It is thus important to continue advancing and improving therapeutic options available to patients. This paper reviews the limitations of current treatments and examines the chemical compound Linalool, an alcohol found in many plant species, that may serve as an effective mood stabilizer. While relatively little is known about Linalool and bipolar disorder, the compound has been shown to have antiepileptic, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, anti-depressive, and neurotrophic effects, with mechanisms that are comparable to current bipolar disorder treatment options.

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Creativity in Sociocultural Systems

The Oxford Handbook of Group Creativity and Innovation ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190648077.013.16 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 269-284

Author(s):

Dean Keith Simonton

Keyword(s):

Macro Level ◽

Historical Overview ◽

Creative Activity ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Individual Level ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

The Cross ◽

Sociocultural Systems

Although psychologists typically see creativity as an individual-level event, sociologists and cultural anthropologists are more likely to view it as a sociocultural phenomenon. This phenomenon takes place at the level of relatively large and enduring collectives, such as cultures, nations, and even whole civilizations. This chapter reviews the extensive research on such macro-level creativity. The review begins with a historical overview before turning to the cross-sectional research on the creative Ortgeist, a subject that encompasses the factors that influence the relative creativity of both preliterate cultures and entire modern nations. From there the chapter turns to role of the Zeitgeist in affecting the creativity of civilizations across time—the rise and fall of creative activity. This research examines both quantitative and qualitative causes that operate both short- and long-term.

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Cognitive Treatment for OCD

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195376210.013.0076 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Maureen L. Whittal ◽

Melisa Robichaud

Keyword(s):

Term Treatment ◽

Future Directions ◽

Cognitive Treatment ◽

Long Term Treatment ◽

Inflated Responsibility ◽

And Control ◽

The Relationship ◽

Control Of Thoughts

The cornerstone of cognitive treatment (CT) for OCD is based upon the knowledge that unwanted intrusions are essentially a universal experience. As such, it is not the presence of the intrusion that is problematic but rather the associated meaning or interpretation. Treatment is flexible, depending upon the nature of the appraisals and beliefs, but can include strategies focused on inflated responsibility and overestimation of threat, importance and control of thoughts, and the need for perfectionism and certainty. The role of concealment and the relationship to personal values are important maintaining and etiological factors. The short-term and long-term treatment outcome is reviewed, along with predictors of treatment response and mechanisms of action, and the chapter concludes with future directions regarding CT for OCD.

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When a Neonate Is Born, So Is a Microbiota

Life ◽

10.3390/life11020148 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 148

Author(s):

Alessandra Coscia ◽

Flaminia Bardanzellu ◽

Elisa Caboni ◽

Vassilios Fanos ◽

Diego Giampietro Peroni

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Colonization ◽

Perinatal Period ◽

Delivery Mode ◽

Fetal Life ◽

Assisted Reproduction Techniques ◽

Neonatal Nutrition ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Number Of Bacteria

In recent years, the role of human microbiota as a short- and long-term health promoter and modulator has been affirmed and progressively strengthened. In the course of one’s life, each subject is colonized by a great number of bacteria, which constitute its specific and individual microbiota. Human bacterial colonization starts during fetal life, in opposition to the previous paradigm of the “sterile womb”. Placenta, amniotic fluid, cord blood and fetal tissues each have their own specific microbiota, influenced by maternal health and habits and having a decisive influence on pregnancy outcome and offspring outcome. The maternal microbiota, especially that colonizing the genital system, starts to influence the outcome of pregnancy already before conception, modulating fertility and the success rate of fertilization, even in the case of assisted reproduction techniques. During the perinatal period, neonatal microbiota seems influenced by delivery mode, drug administration and many other conditions. Special attention must be reserved for early neonatal nutrition, because breastfeeding allows the transmission of a specific and unique lactobiome able to modulate and positively affect the neonatal gut microbiota. Our narrative review aims to investigate the currently identified pre- and peri-natal factors influencing neonatal microbiota, before conception, during pregnancy, pre- and post-delivery, since the early microbiota influences the whole life of each subject.

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A Rational Evaluation of the Syncope Patient: Optimizing the Emergency Department Visit

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina57060514 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 57 (6) ◽

pp. 514

Author(s):

Tarek Hatoum ◽

Robert S. Sheldon

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Diagnostic Yield ◽

Clinical Decision ◽

Emergency Department Visits ◽

Decision Tools ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Electrocardiogram Ecg ◽

Structured Approach

Syncope accounts for up to 2% of emergency department visits and results in the hospitalization of 12–86% of patients. There is often a low diagnostic yield, with up to 50% of hospitalized patients being discharged with no clear diagnosis. We will outline a structured approach to the syncope patient in the emergency department, highlighting the evidence supporting the role of clinical judgement and the initial electrocardiogram (ECG) in making the preliminary diagnosis and in safely identifying the patients at low risk of short- and long-term adverse events or admitting the patient if likely to benefit from urgent intervention. Clinical decision tools and additional testing may aid in further stratifying patients and may guide disposition. While hospital admission does not seem to offer additional mortality benefit, the efficient utilization of outpatient testing may provide similar diagnostic yield, preventing unnecessary hospitalizations.

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