High Risk Of Contamination Research Articles

Regional characterization of the vulnerability of the unconfined groundwaters in Bulgaria

Groundwater vulnerability to contaminant infiltration from the surface, and to state deterioration, is related to the spatial distribution of rocks with diverse porosities, flow characteristics and unsaturated zone thickness. For the present regional assessment of groundwater vulnerability, it is considered most appropriate to adopt a method based on spatial differences in the geological and tectonic, and related hydrogeological, conditions in Bulgaria. The objective of the present study is to compile a vulnerability map of the unconfined groundwater in the country. This groundwater type is very important for drinking water supply, and it is at the highest risk of contamination. The groundwater on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria has been divided into seven vulnerability classes, based on the corresponding hydrogeological units. The map is based on the geological map of Bulgaria in scale 1:100 000. It shows that groundwater is of low vulnerability over a large part of the country’s area (57%). Medium to medium-high groundwater vulnerability is defined for approximately 31% of the total area, while high and very high vulnerability are defined for 7% and 5%, correspondingly.

Microplastics and nanoplastics in haemodialysis waters: Emerging threats to be in our radar

Microplastics are present in the environment, in drinking water, in human blood and there is evidence of nanoplastics in tap water. The objective of this work was to analyze the possibility of hemodialysis patients being contaminated by micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) during dialysis treatment. The motivation for this investigation is the fact that hemodialysis patients use about 300–600 L of drinking water per week, which may be contaminated by MNPs. A literature review, a field investigation in a London hospital and an estimation of MNPs intake in patients were carried out. The results showed potential points of risk of contamination of patients by MNPs in hemodialysis. It was also estimated that for a filtration efficiency of 99 % for MNPs, the amount of microplastics that can penetrate the kidneys of patients is 0.0021–3768 particles/week. The assessment concludes that hemodialysis patients are at high risk of MNP contamination.

The plausible effects of wearing face masks on sports performance-A scoping review.

The objectives of this scoping review are to discuss, firstly, the positive aspects of wearing face masks during training (such as a barrier to COVID-19 transmission, air pollutant exposure, and adding load on respiratory resistance flow); secondly, the negative aspects (adverse effects on body temperature and hypoxia risks); and thirdly, the training responses of wearing face masks on aerobic and anaerobic performance. Besides social distancing and hand hygiene, wearing a face mask is proposed to be the prime advocacy for virus containment. During the period of high risk of contamination, the return to sport guidelines proposed by international and national sport federations included wearing face masks during training sessions. However, it is necessary to discuss the pros and cons of wearing face masks during exercise. Although it was essential to wear a face mask during exercise or sport-specific training, there is conflicting evidence on the implications of the use of face masks on physical, physiological as well as psychological well-being or performance. Based on the conflicting empirical findings and anecdotal evidence, certain recommendations have been made for adequate use of face masks during exercise; both to break the chain of transmission and prevent the physiological compromise expected from wearing face masks during exercise. The present review can help stakeholders balance sport guidelines in the event of a respiratory virus pandemic with athlete safety. Conflicting evidence of mechanistic links between the dose of exercise and the possible adverse effects associated with exercising with face masks is available. Adequately powered studies with strong methodological quality on appropriate selection of masks and usage based on the intensity, duration, and type of sport, age, and gender is needed now for the stakeholders to make informed decisions with respect to exercising with face masks.

Bacteriological and eutrophication risk assessment of an Argentinian temperate shallow urban lagoon.

The urban lagoons receive strong anthropic pressures and the tensions often coexist between the "urban" and the "natural," and this consequently generates pollution and risks to the environment and human health. Our main objective was to study the water quality and toassess the bacteriological and eutrophication risks in the temperate shallow urban lagoon of the Parque Unzué (Gualeguaychú, Argentina), and to predict these risks in climate change scenarios considering the temperature and the rains as indicators. This urban shallow lagoon is in a recreative multiuse park (Gualeguaychú city), in the floodplain of the Gualeguaychú river in the Center-East of Argentina (Neotropical region). Twenty-seven sampling in 3 sampling points (n = 81) were carried out during 2015-2019, and physicochemical and bacteriological parameters were measured. Phosphorus, organic matter, chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and total coliforms (TC) frequently had a moderate and very high contamination factor (CF), and the pollution load index (PLI) indicated contamination with a frequency of 74.1%. Moreover, the index (WQI) indicated poor (66.7%) and good (33.3%) water quality. Bacteriological and eutrophication predictive risk models showed an increase of the TC and the Chl-a concentration generating a current and future high risk of contamination of the lagoon under climate change scenarios that could generate ecosystemic function losses in the short-term.

Assessing the impacts of fine sediment removal on endogenous pollution release and microbial community structure in the shallow lakes

Resuspension is a crucial process for releasing endogenous pollution from shallow lakes into the overlying water. Fine particle sediment, which has a higher contamination risk and longer residence time, is the primary target for controlling endogenous pollution. To this end, a study coupling aqueous biogeochemistry, electrochemistry, and DNA sequencing was conducted to investigate the remediation effect and microbial mechanism of sediment elution in shallow eutrophic water. The results indicated that sediment elution can effectively remove some fine particles in situ. Furthermore, sediment elution can inhibit the release of ammonium nitrogen and total dissolved phosphorous into the overlying water from sediment resuspension in the early stage, resulting in reductions of 41.44 %–50.45 % and 67.81 %–72.41 %, respectively. Additionally, sediment elution greatly decreased the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants in pore water. The microbial community structure was also substantially altered, with an increase in the relative abundance of aerobic and facultative aerobic microorganisms. Redundancy analysis, PICRUSt function prediction, and the correlation analysis revealed that loss on ignition was the primary factor responsible for driving changes in microbial community structure and function in sediment. Overall, the findings provide novel insights into treating endogenous pollution in shallow eutrophication water.

A risk assessment of marine plastics in coastal waters of a small island: Lessons from Ambon Island, eastern Indonesia

This study provides the first implementation of environmental risk assessment (ERA) regarding marine plastic accumulation (environmental threat) in the water body of small islands in the Indonesian Coral Triangle region (a case study in Ambon Bay of Ambon Island). Ambon Bay is a tropical fjord system with outer Ambon Bay (OAB) separated from inner Ambon Bay (IAB) by a shallow sill. The emphasis of ERA was to combine coastal demography determining the probability of occurrence of the threat and flushing capacity of Ambon Bay determining the vulnerability of the system to the threat to evaluate risk during the peak rainfall season (easterly monsoon, June–August). Supplementarily, ERA considered the coral ecosystem in the bay contributing to the vulnerability parameter. This study only calculated flushing time (τ) of OAB due to available information on IAB flushing, and used three simple flushing models: 1D numerical advection–diffusion, salt-exchange and land–ocean​ interaction in coastal zone (LOICZ) models. The flushing time of the entire OAB was found to be 1–1.5 weeks. Inshore OAB was found to be flushed within 1.5–2 weeks while τ of mid OAB was 1–1.5 weeks. The flushing time of offshore OAB was ≤1 week. Regarding the ERA implementation, the probability of occurrence of marine plastics was very high in IAB and inshore OAB (linked to dense-populated areas) compared to in mid and offshore OAB (i.e. moderate-to-low, where sparsely population areas are located). It was also true for the vulnerability of Ambon Bay to marine plastic accumulation that was found to be high in IAB and inshore OAB, linked to slower flushing in these locations than in mid and offshore OAB, located close to the open ocean. Combining this, IAB and inshore OAB showed a high risk of marine plastic contamination than mid and offshore OAB. The knowledge of ERA regarding marine plastic accumulation presented here is informative for other embayments in Indonesia’s Coral Triangle region due to their similarity to Ambon Bay in shape and demographic aspects.

Plant-derived single domain COVID-19 antibodies.

Data show a decrease in the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. To date, global vaccinations for SARS-CoV-2 protections are underway, but additional treatments are urgently needed to prevent and cure infection among naïve and even vaccinated people. Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies are very promising for prophylaxis and therapy of SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, traditional large-scale methods of producing such antibodies are slow, extremely expensive and possess a high risk of contamination with viruses, prions, oncogenic DNA and other pollutants. The present study is aimed at developing an approach of producing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein in plant systems which offers unique advantages, such as the lack of human and animal pathogens or bacterial toxins, relatively low-cost manufacturing, and ease of production scale-up. We selected a single N-terminal domain functional camelid-derived heavy (H)-chain antibody fragments (VHH, AKA nanobodies) targeted to receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and developed methods of their rapid production using transgenic plants and plant cell suspensions. Isolated and purified plant-derived VHH antibodies were compared with mAbs produced in traditional mammalian and bacterial expression systems. It was found that plant generated VHH using the proposed methods of transformation and purification possess the ability to bind to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein comparable to that of monoclonal antibodies derived from bacterial and mammalian cell cultures. The results of the present studies confirm the visibility of producing monoclonal single-chain antibodies with a high ability to bind the targeted COVID-19 spike protein in plant systems within a relatively shorter time span and at a lower cost when compared with traditional methods. Moreover, similar plant biotechnology approaches can be used for producing monoclonal neutralizing antibodies against other types of viruses.

A phytoexclusion strategy for reducing contamination risk of rice based on low-Cd natural variations pyramid of root transporters

Cadmium pollution in rice is a threat to human health. Phytoexclusion is an effective strategy to reduce the Cd accumulation. Soil-to-root is the first step of Cd entering rice and plays a crucial role in Cd accumulation, so targeting root transporters could be an effective approach for phytoexclusion. This study utilized single-gene & multi-gene joint haplotype analysis to reveal the law of natural variations. The result showed that natural variations of rice root transporters assembled regularly following a certain pattern, rather than randomly. A total of 3 dominant nature variation combinations with 2 high-Cd combinations and 1 low-Cd combination were identified. In addition, indica-japonica differentiation was observed, with indica germplasms harboring high-Cd combinations while japonica germplasms harboring. In Chinese rice landraces, most of the collected indica landraces contained high-Cd combinations, indicating a high Cd contamination risk in indica landraces in terms of both phenotype and genotype. To address this issue, multiple superior low-Cd natural variations were pyramided to create two new low-Cd germplasms. In both pond and farmland trials, the ameliorated rice grain Cd did not exceed safety standards. This research provided a framework for future phytoexclusion, thus to reduce Cd-contamination risk in soil-rice system.

Preliminary survey on the occurrence of microplastics in bivalve mollusks marketed in Apulian fish markets

Microplastics (MPs) are a relevant threat to food safety because they are ingested by humans through various foods. Bivalves are at high risk of microplastic contamination due to their filter-feeding mechanism and pose a risk to consumers as they are ingested whole. In this work, microplastics were detected, quantified, identified, and classified in samples of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and oysters (Crassostrea gigas) marketed in the Apulia region. The total number of plastic debris was 789 particles in the mussel samples and 270 particles in the oyster samples, with size ranging from 10 to 7350 µm. Fragments with size within the category of 5-500 µm were the predominant findings in both species, with blue as the predominant color in mussels and transparent in oysters; most of the debris was polyamide and nylon polymers in the mussels and chlorinated polypropylene in the oysters. These results show that mussel and oyster samples purchased at fish markets are contaminated with microplastics. The sources may be diverse and further studies are needed to assess the impact of the marketing stage on microplastic contamination in bivalves to better define the human risk assessment associated with microplastic exposure from bivalves consumption.

Toxic effects of monocrotophos and glyphosate on the female reproductive organ and aromatase gene expression in climbing perch

Monocrotophos (MCP) and Glyphosate (GLY) are used as an insecticide and herbicide respectively in agricultural fields in India and other developed countries. Since agricultural fields are located close to water bodies, there is a high risk of water contamination by these chemicals with consequent residue accumulation in aquatic biota including fish. The 48 h LC50 was found to be 106 mg/L and 78 mg/L for MCP and GLY respectively. To investigate the effects of these two agrochemicals, the adult climbing perch, Anabas testudineus female fish were treated with 3 concentrations of MCP and GLY for 30 days. The MCP concentrations were 3.5×10-4% (T1), 5.3×10-4% (T2), and 10.6×10-4% (T3) and GLY concentrations were 2.6×10-4% (T1), 3.9×10-4% (T2), and 7.8×10-4% (T3). One group was kept as control. Molecular docking analysis showed that GLY interacted with brain aromatase protein at residues MET424, THR423, PRO479 with a binding energy of −10.685 and with a docking score of −4.769. In the case of MCP, the binding residues were MET424, THR423, and PHE422 ofbrain aromatase with a binding energy of −10.436 with a docking score of −2.824. Similarly, GLYinteracted with ovary aromatase at residues ASN 479, THR477, ASN 230, GLU 226, GLN 483, PRO 484, and GLU 486 with a binding energy of −10.685 and with a docking score of −5.177. In the case of MCP, the binding residues were ASP 312, THR 313, SER 481, and TRP 228 of ovary aromatase with a binding energy of −2.405 and with a docking score of - 3.372. These agrochemicals caused ovarian damage and alteration in gonadosomatic index and cytochrome P450 aromatase gene expression.

Laser Textured Superhydrophobic SiC Ceramic Surface and the Performance of Condensation Heat Transfer

Chemical modification is usually utilized for preparing superhydrophobic SiC surfaces, which has the problems of long processing time, high environmental contamination risk, and high cost. To enhance the condensation heat transfer efficiency of SiC, the superhydrophobic SiC surface was fabricated through laser texturing and heat treatment. In this study, the SiC surface was processed by laser texturing with a nanosecond laser, followed by heat treatment. Surface microstructures and compositions were investigated with SEM and XPS, and the heat transfer coefficient of the superhydrophobic SiC surface was tested. The results indicated that the laser-textured SiC surface had a super hydrophilic contact angle of 0°; after heat treatment, SiC ceramic became superhydrophobic (surface contact angle reaches 164°) because organic contamination on the original SiC surface could be cleaned by using laser texturing, which caused a chemical reaction and the formation of SiO2 on the surface. Moreover, the distribution of relatively low-energy SiOX was formed after heat treatment; then, SiC ceramic became superhydrophobic. Due to the formation of nanoscale sheet-like protrusion structures by heat treatment, the SiC superhydrophobic surface exhibited typical dropwise condensation, and the condensation heat transfer coefficient reached 331.8 W/(m2·K), which was 2.3 times higher than that of the original surface.

A comprehensive early warning system for karst water sources contamination risk, case study of the Unica springs, SW Slovenia

Water suppliers should provide safe drinking water following preventive measures. This is especially important for karst water sources, as they are among the most vulnerable. Recently, there has been a strong focus on the early warning system, which mainly involves monitoring proxy parameters, but does not consider drainage area conditions and other monitoring recommendations. Here, we present an innovative strategy for assessing contamination risk of karst water sources that covers spatio-temporal dimensions and can be integrated into management practices. It is based on event-based monitoring and risk mapping and has been tested in a well-known study area. The holistic early warning system provides accurate spatial hazard and risk assessment and operational monitoring guidelines, including locations, indicator parameters, and temporal resolution and duration. In the study area, the high contamination risk, representing 0.5 % of the area, was spatially delineated. The highest probability of source contamination occurs during recharge events when proxy parameters such as bacteria, ATP, Cl, and Ca/Mg ratio should be monitored in addition to continuous monitoring of turbidity, EC, and T. Monitoring of sinking streams should serve as a preventive measure, since water transfer from ponors to springs has been shown to take about one day, and poor quality water is present for at least another day. Therefore, intensive monitoring should be conducted at intervals of a few hours for at least a week. Although hydrologic systems vary, the proposed strategy is particularly useful in systems where water flows rapidly and where remediation is not feasible.

Sumur Gali Gambaran Risiko Pencemaran Dan Kandungan Coliform Air Sumur Gali Di Kenagarian Gurun Panjang Kapuh Kecamatan Koto XI Tarusan

Dug wells are the main source of clean water supplies for people living in rural and urban areas of Indonesia. The clean water used by the people of the Panjang Kapuh Desert generally comes from dug wells and drilled wells. In Village Gurun Panjang Kapuh, there are many dug wells that do not meet the construction requirements of dug wells, so they can pose a risk to clean water consumed by the community. The purpose of this study was to obtain an overview of the risk of pollution and coliform content of dug well water in the Village Gurun Panjang Kapuh, Koto XI Tarusan District, Pesisir Selatan Regency in 2022. This research is descriptive with a population of all houses that have clean water facilities dug wells as many as 730 dug wells. Data obtained from the results of the sanitary inspection of dug wells using the sanitation inspection form, in 85 dug wells 7 samples of dug well water were taken for water biology examination (Coliform) in the laboratory. Generally, there is a high risk of contamination of dug wells (69.4%). The total biological content (Coliform) of dug well water from 7 samples, 6 of which did not meet the requirements. It is recommended to the public to make or repair the well construction so that it has a good construction to prevent contamination of dug wells. Health workers should provide counseling and supervise dug well sanitation inspections and periodically check the biological quality of dug well water.

Recognition of commensal bacterial peptidoglycans defines Drosophila gut homeostasis and lifespan.

Commensal microbes in animals have a profound impact on tissue homeostasis, stress resistance, and ageing. We previously showed in Drosophila melanogaster that Acetobacter persici is a member of the gut microbiota that promotes ageing and shortens fly lifespan. However, the molecular mechanism by which this specific bacterial species changes lifespan and physiology remains unclear. The difficulty in studying longevity using gnotobiotic flies is the high risk of contamination during ageing. To overcome this technical challenge, we used a bacteria-conditioned diet enriched with bacterial products and cell wall components. Here, we demonstrate that an A. persici-conditioned diet shortens lifespan and increases intestinal stem cell (ISC) proliferation. Feeding adult flies a diet conditioned with A. persici, but not with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, can decrease lifespan but increase resistance to paraquat or oral infection of Pseudomonas entomophila, indicating that the bacterium alters the trade-off between lifespan and host defence. A transcriptomic analysis using fly intestine revealed that A. persici preferably induces antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), while L. plantarum upregulates amidase peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs). The specific induction of these Imd target genes by peptidoglycans from two bacterial species is due to the stimulation of the receptor PGRP-LC in the anterior midgut for AMPs or PGRP-LE from the posterior midgut for amidase PGRPs. Heat-killed A. persici also shortens lifespan and increases ISC proliferation via PGRP-LC, but it is not sufficient to alter the stress resistance. Our study emphasizes the significance of peptidoglycan specificity in determining the gut bacterial impact on healthspan. It also unveils the postbiotic effect of specific gut bacterial species, which turns flies into a "live fast, die young" lifestyle.

Microbial trace investigation throughout the entire chicken supply chain based on metagenomic high-throughput sequencing

As poultry possesses a high risk of contamination by various pathogens and has repeatedly been linked to foodborne outbreaks, ensuring microbiological safety throughout the chicken production chain is essential. In this study, bacterial communities in chickens and associated environments (n = 72), including feces, floors, gloves, and worktables, were trace investigated from the broiler farm, slaughterhouse, meat processing plant, and the market by amplicon sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA. The bacterial composition in live chickens along the production chain significantly changed across the stages, with distinct microbiota noted at each step. Pseudomonas, Shewanella, Acinetobacter, and Psychrobacter were dominant in the final products. Staphylococcus was abundant in live birds originally (36.83 %) but dramatically decreased after slaughter (3.07 %, 0.06 %, and 0.42 % in slaughtered, processed, and market carcasses, respectively), which may be attributed to defeathering. The proportion of Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas increased from 0.95 %, 0.03 %, and 0.04 % before slaughter to 13.57 %, 34.19 %, and 21.90 %, respectively, after slaughter, highlighting the importance of hygiene management in the succeeding steps. Diversity analysis revealed the possibility of bacterial transmission between samples from the processing plant and the market. Source tracking was performed to identify microbial contamination routes in the chicken microbiome; the major bacterial sources in the final products were the samples from the processing plant (such as processed carcasses, gloves, and worktables), accounting for 93.53 % of the total microbial sources. These results suggest that in-depth knowledge of microbial transmission between chickens and their surroundings can facilitate a precise understanding of microbiological concerns across the poultry production system and help establish safety management measures for the poultry industry.

Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment of Canine Hemangiosarcoma: A Review Based on a Consensus Organized by the Brazilian Association of Veterinary Oncology, ABROVET

Hemangiosarcoma is a mesenchymal neoplasm originating in the endothelial cells of blood vessels; they can be classified as non-visceral and visceral types. Non-visceral hemangiosarcomas can affect the skin, subcutaneous tissues, and muscle tissues; visceral hemangiosarcomas can affect the spleen, liver, heart, lungs, kidneys, oral cavity, bones, bladder, uterus, tongue, and retroperitoneum. Among domestic species, dogs are most affected by cutaneous HSA. Cutaneous HSA represents approximately 14% of all HSA diagnosed in this species and less than 5% of dermal tumors, according to North American studies. However, Brazilian epidemiological data demonstrate a higher prevalence, which may represent 27 to 80% of all canine HSAs and 13.9% of all skin neoplasms diagnosed in this species. Cutaneous HSA most commonly affects middle-aged to elderly dogs (between 8 and 15 years old), with no gender predisposition for either the actinic or non-actinic forms. The higher prevalence of cutaneous HSA in some canine breeds is related to lower protection from solar radiation, as low skin pigmentation and hair coverage lead to greater sun exposure. Actinic changes, such as solar dermatosis, are frequent in these patients, confirming the influence of solar radiation on the development of this neoplasm. There are multiple clinical manifestations of hemangiosarcoma in canines. The diagnostic approach and staging classification of cutaneous HSAs are similar between the different subtypes. The definitive diagnosis is obtained through histopathological analysis of incisional or excisional biopsies. Cytology can be used as a presurgical screening test; however, it has little diagnostic utility in cases of HSA because there is a high risk of blood contamination and sample hemodilution. Surgery is generally the treatment of choice for dogs with localized non-visceral HSA without evidence of metastatic disease. Recently, electrochemotherapy (ECT) has emerged as an alternative therapy for the local ablative treatment of different neoplastic types; the use of radiotherapy for the treatment of dogs with cutaneous HSA is uncommon. There is greater consensus in the literature regarding the indications for adjuvant chemotherapy in subcutaneous and muscular HSA; doxorubicin is the most frequently used antineoplastic agent for subcutaneous and muscular subtypes and can be administered alone or in combination with other drugs. Other therapies include antiangiogenic therapy, photodynamic therapy, the association of chemotherapy with the metronomic dose, targeted therapies, and natural products. The benefits of these therapies are presented and discussed. In general, the prognosis of splenic and cardiac HSA is unfavorable. As a challenging neoplasm, studies of new protocols and treatment modalities are necessary to control this aggressive disease.

Urine collection techniques in non-toilet trained children: Switzerland's paediatric office practices in 2022.

Urine collection techniques in non-toilet trained children: Switzerland's paediatric office practices in 2022.

Free and Modified Mycotoxins in Organic and Conventional Oats (Avena sativa L.) Grown in Scotland.

Small grain cereals are frequently infected with mycotoxigenic Fusarium fungi. Oats have a particularly high risk of contamination with type A trichothecene mycotoxins; their glucoside conjugates have also been reported. Agronomy practices, cereal variety and weather conditions have been suggested to play a role in Fusarium infection in oats. The current study investigates concentrations of free and conjugated Fusarium mycotoxins in organic and conventional oats grown in Scotland. In 2019, 33 milling oat samples (12 organic, 21 conventional) were collected from farmers across Scotland, together with sample questionnaires. Samples were analysed for 12 mycotoxins (type A trichothecenes T-2-toxin, HT-2-toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol; type B trichothecenes deoxynivalenol, nivalenol; zearalenone and their respective glucosides) using LC-MS/MS. The prevalence of type A trichothecenes T-2/HT-2 was very high (100% of conventional oats, 83% of organic oats), whereas type B trichothecenes were less prevalent, and zearalenone was rarely found. T-2-glucoside and deoxynivalenol-glucoside were the most prevalent conjugated mycotoxins (36 and 33%), and co-occurrence between type A and B trichothecenes were frequently observed (66% of samples). Organic oats were contaminated at significantly lower average concentrations than conventional oats, whereas the effect of weather parameters were not statistically significant. Our results clearly indicate that free and conjugated T-2- and HT-2-toxins pose a major risk to Scottish oat production and that organic production and crop rotation offer potential mitigation strategies.

Clinical characteristics of bus drivers and field officers infected with COVID-19: A cross-sectional study from Istanbul.

In metropolitans, where public transportation is used extensively, bus drivers are one of the occupational groups with a high risk of contracting COVID-19. This study aimed to assess the difference between the clinical status of a group of bus drivers and field officers with COVID-19 on public transportation lines in Istanbul. The study was conducted with 477 male volunteer participants. COVID-19 was confirmed through a positive nasopharyngeal culture sample using the real-time PCR test. Demographic information, biochemical parameters, clinical status, and the use of nutritional supplements were compared between those who recovered from COVID-19 at home or in the hospital. The body mass indexes (BMI) of 83.9% of individuals was above normal and 75.4% were treated for the disease at home. There were significant differences in terms of age, BMI, weight loss, smoking, use of nutritional supplements, blood glucose levels and vitamin B12 values. However, there was no significant difference between the types of nutritional supplements used or other biochemical parameters. It was determined that those who survived the disease at home were younger and had a lower BMI. It is important for both individuals and for general public health to create healthy working environments, especially for bus drivers, who have a high risk of COVID-19 contamination and transmission due to their long exposure time.

Modeling of Cadmium Bioaccumulation Dynamics in Channa punctata (Bloch, 1793) of Dankuni Wetland Ecosystem and Assessment of Risk to Human Health.

Contamination of freshwater wetlands with toxic heavy metals and metalloids is a significant public health concern. Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most common heavy metals affecting water bodies and fish. In the Dankuni wetland (DW) ecosystem in India, variations in Cd concentration from the aquatic system to different fish tissues have been investigated. Channa punctata is an easily accessible fish with a high nutritional value, and offers a good economic return for the fishermen of West Bengal. A dynamic model was constructed considering the importance of the Cd concentration in the water of the wetland system and different fish tissues. A sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the valuable contribution of different parameters that determine the dynamics of Cd concentration in a wetland aquatic environment. The observed data is used to verify the model simulation performance. To predict the effects of Cd on humans, a survey of fish consumers was conducted around DW. Individuals living near DW, on low income (<5,000 INR) and over the age of fifty, were at high risk of Cd contamination. Their average daily intake rate was quite high (2.48×10-5 mg kg-1 day-1) and the hazard quotient calculated for these individuals was also high (0.024). People over age of 50 years had renal, cardiovascular, and osteological diseases with disease percentages of 56%, 46%, and 45%, respectively. Data on Cd-related health problems were collected from Cd-associated and non-Cd-associated individuals residing in the periphery of DW. The system-sensitive parameter was the rate of Cd entry into the water system (C Inp rt). If the Cd level is checked at the entrance of the reservoir by management policy; the risk of Cd contamination to human may be minimized in this area.