Evolving pipe joining methods and their association to musculoskeletal symptoms for residential plumbers.

BACKGROUND: Recently the plumbing trade has transitioned from traditional copper piping to flexible plastic piping (PEX) for residential water distribution systems. However, there has been very limited research into the ergonomic implications of the modernized processes. OBJECTIVE: This research documents the physical workload and risks of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) with the use of new tools and processes for joining piping. The research also identifies the factors which can facilitate or limit the use of new ergonomically beneficial tools. METHODS: This mixed methods research included workplace observations, interviews, an experiment, a survey of plumbers in residential construction and focus groups with both plumbers and plumbing contractors. RESULTS: Advantages and disadvantages of the various techniques for joining pipes showed that manual crimping has advantages (i.e., productivity and lower cost) that make it desirable for plumbing contractors. Power devices, which were not widely used, have great potential to reduce MSD risks especially if the size and weight of the tools decreases with newer technologies. A continuing barrier is the cost of power equipment. CONCLUSION: The move to provide ergonomically beneficial tools was not as rapid as the willingness to change piping materials. Productivity and costs of tools are barriers to ergonomic interventions.

The WHO Global Tuberculosis 2021 Report - not so good news and turning the tide back to End TB.

OBJECTIVE: To review the data presented in the 2021 WHO global TB report and discuss the current constraints in the global response. INTRODUCTION AND METHODS: The WHO global TB reports, consolidate TB data from countries and provide up to date assessment of the global TB epidemic. We reviewed the data presented in the 2021 report. RESULTS: We noted that the 2021 WHO global TB report presents a rather grim picture on the trajectory of the global epidemic of TB including a stagnation in the annual decline in TB incidence, a decline in TB notifications and an increase in estimated TB deaths. All the targets set at the 2018 United Nations High Level Meeting on TB were off track. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: The sub-optimal global performance on achieving TB control targets in 2020 is attributed to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, however, TB programs were already off track well before the onset of the pandemic, suggesting that the pandemic amplified an already fragile global TB response. We emphasize that ending the global TB epidemic will require bold leadership, optimization of existing interventions, widespread coverage, addressing social determinants of TB and importantly mobilization of adequate funding required for TB care and prevention.

Beach-level 24-hour forecasts of Florida red tide-induced respiratory irritation.

An accurate forecast of the red tide respiratory irritation level would improve the lives of many people living in areas affected by algal blooms. Using a decades-long database of daily beach conditions, two conceptually different models to forecast the respiratory irritation risk level one day ahead of time are trained. One model is wind-based, using the current days' respiratory level and the predicted wind direction of the following day. The other model is a probabilistic self-exciting Hawkes process model. Both models are trained on beaches in Florida during 2011--2017 and applied to the red tide bloom during 2018-2019. For beaches where there is enough historical data to develop a model, the model which performs best depends on the beach. The wind-based model is the most accurate at half the beaches, correctly predicting the respiratory risk level on average about 84% of the time. The Hawkes model is the most accurate (81% accuracy) at nearly all of the remaining beaches.

Research progress in gene editing technology.

As a tool for modifying the genome, gene editing technology has developed rapidly in recent years, especially in the past two years. With the emergence of new gene editing technologies, such as transposon editing tools, numerous advancements have been made including precise editing of the genome, double base editing, and pilot editing. This report focuses on the development of gene editing tools in recent years, elaborates the progress made in classic editing tools, base editor and other new editing tools, and provides insights into challenges and opportunities.

F-specific coliphage detection by the Bluephage method.

F-specific coliphages have been proposed as viral indicators of fecal pollution. These intestinal phages infect cells through the F-pili of the host strains used for their detection, Escherichia. coli HS/FAmp in the US-EPA standard method and Salmonella enterica WG49 in the ISO method. The recently designed Bluephage protocol allows the rapid detection of as low as one somatic coliphage in a working day. The current study describes a new Bluephage method designed to exclusively detect F-specific phages. It employs two new host strains, CB14 and CB16, which detect the same number of F-specific phages as their respective parental strains HS and WG49. In the Bluephage method, when the strain is lysed by bacteriophage infection, the yellow medium turns blue. As low as one F-specific phage was detected in 3 to 5 h by this approach and when the sample contained high phage concentrations, results were obtained in less than 3 h. The F-specific Bluephage method can be used with different sample volumes and allows phage quantification by the most probable number technique. Strain CB14 performed more consistently than CB16, with comparable detection efficiency after increasing the incubation time to 50 min without shaking.

Evaluation of personal protection afforded by repellent-treated sandals against mosquito bites in south-eastern Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Outdoor and early evening mosquito biting needs to be addressed if malaria elimination is to be achieved. While indoor-targeted interventions, such as insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying, remain essential, complementary approaches that tackle persisting outdoor transmission are urgently required to maximize the impact. Major malaria vectors principally bite human hosts around the feet and ankles. Consequently, this study investigated whether sandals treated with efficacious spatial repellents can protect against outdoor biting mosquitoes. METHODOLOGY: Sandals affixed with hessian bands measuring 48 cm2 treated with 0.06 g, 0.10 g and 0.15 g of transfluthrin were tested in large cage semi-field and full field experiments. Sandals affixed with hessian bands measuring 240 cm2 and treated with 0.10 g and 0.15 g of transfluthrin were also tested semi field experiments. Human landing catches (HLC) were used to assess reduction in biting exposure by comparing proportions of mosquitoes landing on volunteers wearing treated and untreated sandals. Sandals were tested against insectary reared Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes in semi-field experiments and against wild mosquito species in rural Tanzania. RESULTS: In semi-field tests, sandals fitted with hessian bands measuring 48 cm2 and treated with 0.15 g, 0.10 g and 0.06 g transfluthrin reduced mosquito landings by 45.9%, (95% confidence interval (C.I.) 28-59%), 61.1% (48-71%), and 25.9% (9-40%), respectively compared to untreated sandals. Sandals fitted with hessian bands measuring 240 cm2 and treated with 0.15 g and 0.10 g transfluthrin reduced mosquito landings by 59% (43-71%) and 64% (48-74%), respectively. In field experiments, sandals fitted with hessian bands measuring 48 cm2 and treated with 0.15 g transfluthrin reduced mosquito landings by 70% (60-76%) against Anopheles gambiae sensu lato, and 66.0% (59-71%) against all mosquito species combined. CONCLUSION: Transfluthrin-treated sandals conferred significant protection against mosquito bites in semi-field and field settings. Further evaluation is recommended for this tool as a potential complementary intervention against malaria. This intervention could be particularly useful for protecting against outdoor exposure to mosquito bites. Additional studies are necessary to optimize treatment techniques and substrates, establish safety profiles and determine epidemiological impact in different settings.

Future HAB science: Directions and challenges in a changing climate.

There is increasing concern that accelerating environmental change attributed to human-induced warming of the planet may substantially alter the patterns, distribution and intensity of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Changes in temperature, ocean acidification, precipitation, nutrient stress or availability, and the physical structure of the water column all influence the productivity, composition, and global range of phytoplankton assemblages, but large uncertainty remains about how integration of these climate drivers might shape future HABs. Presented here are the collective deliberations from a symposium on HABs and climate change where the research challenges to understanding potential linkages between HABs and climate were considered, along with new research directions to better define these linkages. In addition to the likely effects of physical (temperature, salinity, stratification, light, changing storm intensity), chemical (nutrients, ocean acidification), and biological (grazer) drivers on microalgae (senso lato), symposium participants explored more broadly the subjects of cyanobacterial HABs, benthic HABs, HAB effects on fisheries, HAB modelling challenges, and the contributions that molecular approaches can bring to HAB studies. There was consensus that alongside traditional research, HAB scientists must set new courses of research and practices to deliver the conceptual and quantitative advances required to forecast future HAB trends. These different practices encompass laboratory and field studies, long-term observational programs, retrospectives, as well as the study of socioeconomic drivers and linkages with aquaculture and fisheries. In anticipation of growing HAB problems, research on potential mitigation strategies should be a priority. It is recommended that a substantial portion of HAB research among laboratories be directed collectively at a small sub-set of HAB species and questions in order to fast-track advances in our understanding. Climate-driven changes in coastal oceanographic and ecological systems are becoming substantial, in some cases exacerbated by localized human activities. That, combined with the slow pace of decreasing global carbon emissions, signals the urgency for HAB scientists to accelerate efforts across disciplines to provide society with the necessary insights regarding future HAB trends.

Hepatitis C core antigen: Diagnosis and monitoring of patients infected with hepatitis C virus.

INTRODUCTION: New efficient strategies are needed for the assessment of active hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of HCV core antigen (HCV-cAg) as a marker of active HCV infection in newly diagnosed patients, for treatment monitoring, and for the detection of therapeutic failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted at a regional reference hospital in Spain. HCV-cAg and viral load (RNA-HCV) were tested in plasma or serum samples from three patient groups: new diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and treatment failure. The treatment monitoring group was tested at the beginning of treatment, at 4 weeks post-initiation, at the end of treatment, and at 12 weeks post-treatment completion. The Architect HCV core antigen assay was performed for HCV-cAg testing, and viral load was quantified with the Cobas 6800 system. RESULTS: A total of 303 samples from 124 patients were analyzed. Excellent correlation was seen between HCV-cAg and HCV-RNA (R2=0.932). The optimal cut-off value was 3fmol/l in the receiver operating characteristics curve analysis, and the area under the curve was 0.987 (95% confidence interval 0.972-1.000). HCV-cAg sensitivity and specificity were 97% and 95%, respectively. Most diverging results were observed in the treatment follow-up group. CONCLUSIONS: HCV-cAg demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity as a marker for active HCV infection, new diagnosis, detection of antiviral therapeutic failure, and treatment monitoring.

Molecular Basis of Spina Bifida: Recent Advances and Future Prospectives.

BACKGROUND: Spina bifida (SB) (spinal neural tube [NT] defects) is basically caused by an abnormality at the closure of the NT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Molecular researchers have now got new etiopathogenesis of the defective neural tube closure. Although molecular mechanisms in the SB is really important taxation for further work. We understand through the unique novel mutant responsible genes and modifying genes and included the different molecular aspects of SB from the available tools and databases and excluded the case reports. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: We use here simple statistics (percentage, mean, median, and average) through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 14, and found P > 0.0001 to be significant. RESULTS: We have reported that the majority of 90% genes are responsible in SB and their associated diseases. These innovative unique patterns of responsible genes attached with the result abnormalities at the neuronal and non neuronal tissues are equally important for the SB and NTC. CONCLUSION: Our present ideology is aiming to understand the inductive and direct interactions of the downstream target sites among responsible regulating genes (RRGs). It is an unique pattern of genetic roadmap to control and guides the neurulation and may provide further insights into the causes of SB and may help to develop new molecular-targeted therapy (MTT).

New approach for the simultaneous detection of somatic coliphages and F-specific RNA coliphages as indicators of fecal pollution.

Two groups of coliphages have been recently included in different water management policies as indicators of viral fecal pollution in water and food: somatic coliphages, which infect E. coli through cell wall receptors, and F-specific RNA coliphages, which infect through the F-pili. Somatic coliphages are more abundant in fecally contaminated waters, except reclaimed waters, those disinfected by UV irradiation, and some groundwater samples that show a higher level of F-specific coliphages. Somatic coliphages are morphologically similar to DNA enteric viruses while F-specific coliphages are similar to RNA viruses such as norovirus and hepatitis A viruses, which are the viral pathogens of concern in sewage. The use of strains sensitive to both types of phages has been proposed for total coliphage enumeration, thereby avoiding double analysis. The standardized methods available for coliphage detection are robust and cost-effective, but the introduction of ready-to-use methods would facilitate routine implementation in laboratories. The fastest available tool for somatic coliphage enumeration is the recently developed Bluephage, which uses a modified ß-glucuronide-overexpressing E. coli strain unable to take up the glucuronide substrate. The overexpressed enzyme accumulates inside the bacterial cells until released by phage-induced cell lysis, whereupon it encounters its substrate and the medium changes from yellow to blue. The present method uses E. coli strain CB12, sensitive to somatic coliphages and F-specific coliphages due to the expression of the F-pili. The Bluephage approach incorporating CB12 detects both types of coliphages in a time range of 1:30 to 4:00 h, as assayed with coliphages from raw sewage, river water, sludge and mussels. This strategy can be applied to obtain qualitative and quantitative results and is applicable to microplates as well as to large sample volumes (100 ml). Moreover it can provide monitoring of water bodies at real time, as for example for ambient recreational beach monitoring.

Intervening along the spectrum of tuberculosis: meeting report from the World TB Day nanosymposium in the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town.

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the highly infectious  Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains a leading cause of death worldwide, with an estimated 1.6 million associated deaths reported in 2017. In South Africa, an estimated 322,000 (range 230,000-428,000) people were infected with TB in 2017, and a quarter of them lost their lives due to the disease. Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) remains the only effective vaccine against disseminated TB, but its inability to confer complete protection against pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults calls for an urgent need to develop new and better vaccines. There is also a need to identify markers of disease protection and develop novel drugs. It is within this backdrop that we convened a nanosymposium at the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town to commemorate World TB Day and showcase recent findings generated by early career scientists in the institute. The speakers spoke on four broad topics: identification of novel drug targets, development of host-directed drug therapies, transmission of TB and immunology of TB/HIV co-infections.

Let's 'cut to the chase' on malaria elimination in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

The Greater Mekong Subregion has made remarkable progress towards eliminating malaria in recent years, but efforts are now faltering in some areas. The development of tools to control forest-based transmission is taking too long and efforts to control malaria among high-risk mobile people are failing. If countries are to meet their elimination targets and prevent the spread of multidrug-resistant falciparum malaria, urgent and radical changes will be required. This commentary proposes changes in the approach to the development and roll-out of new tools as well as changes to the management of elimination efforts targeting transmission in forests and forest-farms.

Bluephage: A rapid method for the detection of somatic coliphages used as indicators of fecal pollution in water.

The use of somatic coliphages as indicators of fecal and viral pollution in water and food has great potential due to the reliability, reproducibility, speed and cost effectiveness of methods for their detection. Indeed, several countries already use this approach in their water management policies. Although standardized protocols for somatic coliphage detection are available, user-friendly commercial kits would facilitate their routine implementation in laboratories. The new method presented here allows detection of up to 1 somatic coliphage in under 3.5 h, well within one working day. The method is based on a modified Escherichia coli strain with knocked-out uidB and uidC genes, which encode the transport of glucuronic acid inside cells, and overexpressing uidA, which encodes the enzyme ß-glucuronidase. The enzyme accumulated in the bacterial cells only has contact with its substrate after cell lysis, such as that caused by phages, since the strain cannot internalize the substrate. When the enzyme is released into the medium, which contains a chromogen analogous to glucuronic acid, it produces a change of color from yellow to dark blue. This microbiological method for the determination of fecal pollution via the detection of culturable microorganisms can be applied to diverse sample types and volumes for qualitative (presence/absence) and quantitative analysis and is the fastest reported to date.