Solar photon-Fenton process eliminates free plasmid DNA harboring antimicrobial resistance genes from wastewater.

This work aimed to assess the elimination and inactivation of resistance-conferring plasmids (RCPs) present in suspension in secondary wastewater by solar photo-Fenton as these are important vectors for the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. Experiments were performed in synthetic secondary wastewater (SWW) and municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent (MWWTPE). Solar photo-Fenton (50 mg L-1 of H2O2 and 30 mg L-1 of Fe2+) was carried out for 60 min at neutral pH by applying the intermittent iron addition strategy. The removal of RCPs was assessed by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). The transformation of competent non-resistant E. coli was used to evaluate the inactivation of target RCPs harboring antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) to ampicillin (pSB1A2) or kanamycin (pSB1K3) after treatment and controls. Solar photo-Fenton completely removed RCPs initially present in both matrixes (SWW and MWWTPE), showing enhanced performance compared to the dark Fenton process. Both RCPs were inactivated after 30 min of solar photo-Fenton treatment, while 60 min were necessary to achieve the same effect for the dark Fenton reaction under similar conditions. These results indicate the potential of solar photo-Fenton to improve wastewater quality and reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance in the environment by hampering the discharge of cell-free RCPs present in suspension in MWWTP onto environmental waters.

Parental perception of malocclusion, its severity and aesthetic concerns in children with mixed dentition: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to associate the parents' perception of the need for treatment and the children's aesthetic concern, considering the influence of malocclusion severity levels. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted with 770 children aged 8 to 10 years in the mixed dentition stage. A closed question sent to parents assessed the subjective orthodontic treatment need (outcome). Orthodontic Aesthetic Subjective Impact Score (OASIS) evaluated children's aesthetic concerns, and the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) diagnosed the anterior characteristics and malocclusion severity levels. Individual analyses were performed relating the outcome as independent variables. The variables with P<0.20 in the individual analyses were tested in multiple logistic regression models, and those with P<0.10 remained in the model. The adjusted odds ratio was estimated with a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: Parents of children with higher aesthetic concerns are 1.82 times more likely to believe that their child needs orthodontic treatment (P<0.05). Parents of children with very severe malocclusion are 1.91 times more likely to perceive their child's need for orthodontic treatment (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Parents of children with greater aesthetic concerns are more likely to perceive the need for orthodontic treatment, and very severe malocclusion also influences parents' perception of the need for orthodontic treatment.