Evaluating the Presence of Pesticide Residues in Organic Rice Production in An Giang Province, Vietnam

The presence of pesticide residues was investigated in the organic rice production model in An Giang province, Vietnam. A total number of sixteen pesticide residues was been recorded during the investigation. Based on their contamination rate, they are classified as follows. The high-risk group includes tricyclazole (80%). The medium-risk group includes chlorpyrifos (47%), isoprothiolane (47%), difenoconazole (40%), propiconazole (40%), hexaconazole (40%), chlorfenapyr (33%), azoxystrobin (20%), and cypermethrin (20%). The low-risk group includes metalaxyl & metalaxyl-M, paclobutazol, niclosamide, chlorfenson, fipronil, fipronil-desulfinyl, and fenoxanil, which were detected with a contamination rate of 7%. There were seven insecticides, seven fungicides, one snail killer, and one growth regulator.

Standardizing Patient-Derived Organoid Generation Workflow to Avoid Microbial Contamination From Colorectal Cancer Tissues

The use of patient-derived organoids (PDO) as a valuable alternative to in vivo models significantly increased over the last years in cancer research. The ability of PDOs to genetically resemble tumor heterogeneity makes them a powerful tool for personalized drug screening. Despite the extensive optimization of protocols for the generation of PDOs from colorectal tissue, there is still a lack of standardization of tissue handling prior to processing, leading to microbial contamination of the organoid culture. Here, using a cohort of 16 patients diagnosed with colorectal carcinoma (CRC), we aimed to test the efficacy of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), penicillin/streptomycin (P/S), and Primocin, alone or in combination, in preventing organoid cultures contamination when used in washing steps prior to tissue processing. Each CRC tissue was divided into 5 tissue pieces, and treated with each different washing solution, or none. After the washing steps, all samples were processed for organoid generation following the same standard protocol. We detected contamination in 62.5% of the non-washed samples, while the use of PBS or P/S-containing PBS reduced the contamination rate to 50% and 25%, respectively. Notably, none of the organoid cultures washed with PBS/Primocin-containing solution were contaminated. Interestingly, addition of P/S to the washing solution reduced the percentage of living cells compared to Primocin. Taken together, our results demonstrate that, prior to tissue processing, adding Primocin to the tissue washing solution is able to eliminate the risk of microbial contamination in PDO cultures, and that the use of P/S negatively impacts organoids growth. We believe that our easy-to-apply protocol might help increase the success rate of organoid generation from CRC patients.

Impact of SARS-COV-2 on the diagnosis of community bacteremia in a tertiary hospital

Objective. We carry out an analysis of the bacteremia diagnosed in the Emergency Department during 2020, coinciding with the period of the pandemic. Method. We performed a retrospective analysis from March 4, 2020 to December 31, 2020. Results. The number of patients who went to the Emergency Department during the study period and the number of extracted blood cultures decreased by 46.79% and 35.7% compared to the same period in 2019 (p <0.05). 320 bacteremia occurred while 507 occurred in 2019, assuming a decrease of 36.8% (p <0.05). The positivity rate of blood cultures was 7.09% in 2020 and 7.23% in 2019 and the contamination rate was 7.07 % in 2020 and 5.67% in 2019. The most frequently isolated microorganism was Escherichia coli, followed by Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. A 6.62% of the isolated E. coli were carriers of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL). The percentage of methicillin-resistant S. aureus was 12.9 % and that of K. pneumoniae ESBL was 11.54%. Conclusion. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic there has been a decrease in the number of bacteremia diagnoses, it is possible that attention was focused especially on COVID, forgetting other diseases, such as bacteremia.

Elixirs of Life, threats to Human and Environmental Well-being: Assessment of Antibiotic Residues in Raw Meat Sold Within Central Market Kaduna Metropolis, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Antibiotics, which are commonly used to treat human illnesses, are also used in animals for therapy, prophylaxis, and growth promotion. Sub-therapeutic antibiotic doses have typically been utilized for the last-mentioned purpose, which has contributed to resistance development. According to scientific data, certain antibiotic applications in food-producing animals can result in antibiotic resistance in intestinal bacteria, which can then be passed to the general population, causing treatment-resistant sickness. These antibiotic applications can also result in antibiotic resistance in non-pathogenic bacteria, whose resistance genes can be passed to disease-causing bacteria, resulting in antibiotic-resistant illnesses in people. Thus, this study assessed the antibiotics residues in raw meat sold in 6 slaughter houses in Kaduna State. The study is a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 6 slaughter houses in Central market Kaduna. Muscle, Kidney and liver samples were collected from each slaughterhouse. The antibiotic residues in the meat samples were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and oxytetracycline residue results were presented in charts and tables. 18 different samples of beef (6 Muscles, 6 Liver and 6 Kidney) collected from abattoirs and meat vendors, the results shown that all beefs use three or more antimicrobial drugs. This research result revealed that 4(67%) tetracycline (oxytetracycline)were detected in meat samples at higher concentration), Oxytetraxycline (352.88, 221.58) of muscles is higher than (332.2, 217.05 of Liver and (263.33, 153.98) of Kidney is lower to muscles and liver. The Concentration of oxytetracycline were highest in muscles in samples 2. 3 and 6 which is above the WHO maximum residual limit. The concentration of streptomycin in the muscle, liver and kidney were detected (182.78, 56.23), (169.2, 58.39), (155.1, 50.20) but were within WHO Maximum residual limit. These high level of oxytetracycline residues in greater proportion of muscle samples destined for human consumption beyond MRLs could be as a result of the abuse of veterinary drugs as commonly practiced among livestock producers and vendors without observing withdrawal period prior to slaughter. The high-contamination rate of beef meat in the study areas is likely that consumers experience a high risk of exposure to drug residues.

The contamination rate of Aflatoxin M1 in milk samples of Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) as a 4-hydroxylated metabolite of carcinogenic mycotoxin Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is considered as an acute toxic compound found in milk and its derived products (1). Regarding the critical public health issue induced by AFM1 and as milk is essential in human food chain, its maximum limit has been set by regulatory agencies considering the economic status and development of the countries (4). The maximum permissible limit for AFM1 is 50 ng/kg (different countries including European Union (EU) members) to 100 ng/kg (different countries including USA) (5). In Iran, it has been regulated as 100 ng/kg (6). To the best of our knowledge, there is several similar systematic review and meta-analysis about the contamination of campylobacter in milk, globally and specifically in Iran (4, 5, 7-10). However, we will try to examine the mean and prevalence of AFM1 in different type of milk (cow, sheep, goat, raw, processed) in different region of Iran with long time interval (1974-2021). Moreover, more general and specific databases and grey literature with excellent eligibility criteria will be applied to have a more comprehensive review leading to an interesting finding by techniques such as risk of bias assessment (for assessing quality of included studies), publication bias assessment, finding the source of heterogeneity by sub-group analysis in addition to meta-analysis process.

Between Confrontation and Cooperation: Right to Water Advocacy in the Courts, on the Streets, and at the Capitols in the United States

Communities across the United States face a widespread water crisis including risks of contamination, rate increases, shut-offs for non-payment, and dilapidating infrastructure. Against this background, a right to water movement has emerged which has found its strength in coalition-building and collectivity. Activists demand change using the framing of “water is a human right”, socially constructing the right to water from below. Based on more than 25 semi-structured interviews with water advocates and activists, our article explores how movement participants used the human rights framework to advocate for clean and affordable water for all. We used political opportunity theory and conceptions of government “openness” and “closedness” to examine when and how advocates decided to use confrontational and cooperative approaches. We identified a push and pull of different strategies in three key spaces: in the courts, on the streets, and at the Capitols. Advocates used adversarial approaches including protests and civil disobedience, reliance on human rights mechanisms, and to a more limited extent litigation simultaneously with cooperative approaches such as engaging with legislators and the development of concrete proposals and plans for ensuring water affordability. This adaptiveness, persistence, and ability to identify opportunities likely explains the movement’s initial successes in addressing the water crisis.

Quick-Wee method Versus Standard method for urine collection in infants 1-12 month old

BACKGROUND: Urinary Tract infections [UTI] often presents with fever and nonspecific findings in infants less than one year. So urine sample collection is mandatory for diagnosis or exclusion. Collecting Urine sample is very challenging in infants and choosing the method of collection must balance the reliability, speed and contamination. Clinical guidelines have different recommendations so there is a need for reliable collection method. Therefore this study was conducted to determine if a simple stimulation method (Quick–wee Method) increases the rate of clean catch voiding of urine within five minutes. METHODS: A prospective age and sex matched case control study in 1-12 months children conducted from June 2017 – June 2018 in Pediatric ward of Manipal college of medical sciences, Pokhara, after Ethical clearance from Institutional review Board [IRB]. The study population was randomized to either clean catch midstream urine with stimulation [Quick–Wee method] or without stimulation [Standard method]. The primary outcome was voiding of urine within 5 minute. Secondary outcome were waiting time for voiding, successful collection, parental satisfaction, and contamination. The analysis was done using SPSS version 20 and a ‘p’value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Waiting time for voiding in Quick wee group was less and statistically significant compared to standard group. There was 10% increment in voiding within 5 minutes in Quick wee group . It had higher successful urine collection rate (91.4%), slightly higher contamination rate (14.28%) but better parental satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Quick wee method is easy, reliable, successful method of urine collection in infants with better parental satisfaction and slightly higher contamination rate.

Underutilization and Quality Gaps in Blood Culture Processing in Public Hospitals of Peru

Correct processing of blood cultures may impact individual patient management, antibiotic stewardship, and scaling up of antimicrobial resistance surveillance. To assess the quality of blood culture processing, we conducted four assessments at 16 public hospitals across different regions of Peru. We assessed the following standardized quality indicators: 1) positivity and contamination rates, 2) compliance with recommended number of bottles/sets and volume of blood sampled, 3) blood culture utilization, and 4) possible barriers for compliance with recommendations. Suboptimal performance was found, with a median contamination rate of 4.2% (range 0–15.1%), with only one third of the participating hospitals meeting the target value of < 3%; and a median positivity rate of 4.9% (range 1–8.1%), with only 6 out of the 15 surveilled hospitals meeting the target of 6–12%. None of the assessed hospitals met both targets. The median frequency of solitary blood cultures was 71.9% and only 8.9% (N = 59) of the surveyed adult bottles met the target blood volume of 8 – 12 mL, whereas 90.5% (N = 602) were underfilled. A high frequency of missed opportunities for ordering blood cultures was found (30.1%, 95/316) among patients with clinical indications for blood culture sampling. This multicenter study demonstrates important shortcomings in the quality of blood culture processing in public hospitals of Peru. It provides a national benchmark of blood culture utilization and quality indicators that can be used to monitor future quality improvement studies and diagnostic stewardship policies.

POLLUTION HAZARDS OF HEAVY METALS IN SEWAGE SLUDGE ASH FROM THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS IN CAMBERENE, SENEGAL

Solid wastes and their by-products are gaining interest worldwide given their high environmental impact. Fly ash and Bottom ash from Camberene sludge waste center (Senegal) were characterized to assess the heavy metal contamination (using XRF and the Toxicological Risk) that is very important in type 1 unlike in type 2. The Index of geo-accumulation (Igeo), the Pollution load index (PLI), the Enrichment factor (EF) and Contamination factor (CF) have been computed to evaluate the contamination rate. These show that the fly ash has aIgeo value of 3.57 for Pb and 3.04 for As which means they are very polluted. For Cu we have an Igeo value of 4.23 and for Zn it is 4.67 so these ashes are strongly to extremely polluted by Cu and Zn but unpolluted to moderately polluted by Cr. For the bottom ashes we have Igeo values of 3.03 for Cu and 3.02 for Zn, to say they are also strongly polluted. However, they are not polluted by Cr and are only moderately polluted by Pb and As results confirmed by the EF calculation. Fine and dirty ashes have significantly been enriched by the metal As with an EF of 13.71 while for Pb its EF is 19.10 for the fine ash. As for the bottom ash we have respectively 7.26 and 5.19 for the EF of As and Pb. From the values of PLI these ashes are very highly polluted. Their possible dangerousness depends essentially on their heavy metal contents (criterion H14 of Directive 91 / 689 / EEC). In this Directive the material is toxic if its content in heavy metal is higher to some thresholds (see Annex III, Table 6). Most of their heavy metal contents are below the threshold in Annex III, indicating their harmlessness. This analysis highlighted the principal characteristics to be taken into account before using the SSA properly.

Seasonal variation in the physicochemical and bacteriological qualities of well water in two sub-divisions of Moundou city (Southern Chad, Central Africa)

This study were carried out from May 2019 to July 2020 with the aimed of evaluating the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of well water in the City of Moundou (Chad). The physicochemical analysis showed that, the water from wells in the two sub-divisions were of very poor quality with an average concentration in Suspended Solids (SS) 30.73 ± 2 1.72 mg.L-1, a Turbidity of 11.10 ± 13.34 FTU, the Electrical Conductivity of 1625.9 ± 1398.6, a Total hardness of 1693.1 ± 1198.2 mg.L-1, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) of 167.67 ± 60, 28 mg.L-1, the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) 605.93 ± 259.98 mg.L-1 and organic matter 3.75 ± 2.40 mg.L-1. The contamination rate (% non-compliance) of the water points indicates that, during the rainy season the wells were moderately contaminated. Salmonella spp and Escherichia coli induced 29% and 14% respectively, of samples which did not comply with the WHO evaluation criteria (0 germ/mL). As for Total Coliforms and Fecal Coliforms, they were 93% non-compliant each time in the well water samples analyzed. During the dry season, the wells were heavily contaminated with Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli, Total Coliforms and Fecal Coliforms induced approximately 100% of samples were not conform to the criteria of the WHO (0 germ/mL). These waters are therefore not safe for direct consumption without treatment.