Relative abundance and the fate of human rotavirus in wastewater during treatment processes: identification of potential infectious rotavirus in the final effluents and receiving aquatic milieu in Durban area, South Africa.

The occurrence and persistence of rotaviruses in raw and treated wastewater and their discharge into rivers represent a significant health risk for humans and animals, worldwide. In this study, samples were collected monthly from each of the four Durban wastewater treatment plants (DWWTPs) and receiving rivers for a period of 3 months. Rotavirus was quantified by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and viability was assessed using integrated cell culture (ICC)-qPCR. Rotavirus was detected consistently in 100% of influent wastewaters (mean concentration range, 4.36-4.46 log10 genome equivalent (GE) copies/L) and final effluent samples of three DWWTPs (range, 3.35-3.61 log10 GE copies/L). Overall, 94% (45/48) of the wastewater analyzed and 95% (20/21) of the associated river water samples were positive for rotavirus (range, 2.04-6.77 log10 GE copies/L). The activated sludge process with 0.10-0.43 log10 reduction values (LRV) only moderately reduced the viral loads. Similarly, one of the DWWTPs that operated the biofilter modality produced 0.20 LRV. Though the additional treatment with chlorine produced higher LRV (range, 0.31-0.53) than the corresponding activated sludge or biofilter process, the difference in viral removals was not significant (p > 0.05). The equivalent treatment efficiencies of the four DWWTPs varied from 19 to 43% decay in the population of rotavirus. Further, infectious rotavirus ranging from 66.67 to 100%, 50 to 100%, and 66.67 to 100% were detected in the post-activated sludge, final effluents, and river water samples, respectively. In conclusion, the findings of infectious rotavirus in both the final effluents and associated rivers represent an infection risk for humans or animals during contact. Thus, close monitoring for rotavirus and risk assessment studies under distinct exposure scenarios may further shed light on the health-related risks associated with water recovery and reuse in urban settings.

Modulation of some markers of erectile dysfunction and malonaldehyde levels in isolated rat penile tissue with unripe and ripe plantain peels: identification of the constituents of the plants using HPLC.

CONTEXT: Plantain fruit pulp has been used as a natural remedy to manage erectile dysfunction (ED) in traditional medicine. However, the potency of the peel has not been examined with respect to ED management. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated and compared the inhibitory potential of unripe (UPP) and ripe (RPP) plantain peels on some enzymes associated with ED and Fe2+-induced oxidative stress in albino rat penile homogenate in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Aqueous extract of the peels was prepared and the effect on phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5), arginase, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) and Fe2+-induced malonyladehyde in isolated albino rat penile homogenate were investigated. Phenolic constituents of the peels powder were characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). RESULT: Extract from UPP had higher PDE-5 (IC50 = 3.10 µg/mL), arginase (IC50 = 0.96 µg/mL), AChE (IC50 = 6.30 µg/mL) and ACE (IC50 = 0.41 µg/mL) inhibitory ability compared with RPP (PDE-5, IC50 = 4.33 µg/mL; arginase, IC50 = 1.34 µg/mL; AChE, IC50 = 8.64 µg/mL; ACE, IC50 = 0.63 µg/mL). The extract from UPP also had higher inhibition of Fe2+-induced lipid peroxidation. HPLC-DAD analysis revealed that gallic and caffeic acids, rutin, quercitrin and quercetin were abundant in UPP, while catechin, kaempferol, chlorogenic and ellagic acids were the dominant phenolic compounds in RPP. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Inhibition of enzymes associated with ED and lipid peroxidation could be linked with the phenolic compounds. However, UPP appeared to be more potent.

Plantain peels restore sexual performance, hormonal imbalance, and modulate nitric oxide production and key enzymes of penile function in paroxetine-sexually impaired male rats.

This study focused on the effect of unripe (UPP) and ripe (RPP) plantain peels' extracts (200 and 400 mg/kg) on sexual behavior, hormonal profiles [testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH)], and enzymes [acetylcholinesterase (AChE), phosphodiesterase-5' (PDE-5), arginase, angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE), ecto-5'neucleotidase, and adenosine deaminase (ADA)] in paroxetine (PAR)-induced penile dysfunction rats. From the result, arginase, PDE-5', ACE, ecto-5'-nucleotidase ADA, and AChE activities, sexual activities, hormonal profile, and NO level were reduced, while thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) level increased (p < .05) relative to normal control rats. However, treatment with UPP and URP reduced the activities of these enzymes, decreased TBARS levels, and increased hormones, and penile NO levels in PAR-induced rats. Thus, the use of UPP and RPP could be channeled towards the improvement of sexual performance in erectile dysfunction (ED) disorder. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Plantain fruits are a tropical staple food crop commonly consumed at various stages of ripeness and cooking methods. However, its peels are regarded as a waste product with reported cases of environmental menace. Interestingly, plantain peel is being used as a major raw material for industrial applications in the agro-based industries and in folklore for the treatment of many human ailments due to its rich phytochemicals such as polyphenols, carotenoids, alkaloids, etc., which have been reported. A prelude study has also indicated its usefulness in ED management, but further pharmacological investigations are needed to proffer information on its effect in ED management and its anti-androgenic activity in male Wistar rats. The information from this study could be of pharmaceutical importance in designing natural remedies capable of improving penile rigidity, hormone profiles, and alteration of enzymes linked with ED.

Microbial Pathogenesis and Pathophysiology of Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Assessment of Microorganisms' Implications in the Neurodegenerative Disease.

Microbial infections have been linked to the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The present study aimed to synthesise and assess global evidence of microbial pathogenesis and pathophysiology in AD (MPP-AD) and associated neurodegenerative conditions using integrated science mapping and content analytics to explore the associated research landscape. Relevant MPP-AD documents were retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus according to PRISMA principles and analysed for productivity/trend linked to authors/countries, thematic conceptual framework, and international collaborative networks. A total of 258 documents published from 136 sources to 39.42 average citations/document were obtained on MPP-AD. The co-authors per document were 7.6, and the collaboration index was 5.71. The annual research outputs increased tremendously in the last 6 years from 2014 to 2019, accounting for 66% compared with records in the early years from 1982 to 1990 (16%). The USA (n = 71, freq. = 30.34%), United Kingdom (n = 32, freq. = 13.68%) and China (n = 27, 11.54%) ranked in first three positions in term of country's productivity. Four major international collaboration clusters were found in MPP-AD research. The country collaboration network in MPP-AD was characteristic of sparse interaction and acquaintanceship (density = 0.11, diameter = 4). Overall, international collaboration is globally inadequate [centralisation statistics: degree (40.5%), closeness (4%), betweenness (23%), and eigenvector (76.7%)] against the robust authors' collaboration index of 5.71 in MPP-AD research. Furthermore, four conceptual thematic frameworks (CTF) namely, CTF#1, roles of microbial/microbiome infection and dysbiosis in cognitive dysfunctions; CTF#2, bacterial infection specific roles in dementia; CTF#3, the use of yeast as a model system for studying MPP-AD and remediation therapy; and CFT#4, flow cytometry elucidation of amyloid-beta and aggregation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae model. Finally, aetiology-based mechanisms of MPP-AD, namely, gut microbiota, bacterial infection, and viral infection, were comprehensively discussed. This study provides an overview of MPP-AD and serves as a stepping stone for future preparedness in MPP-AD-related research.

Essential Oil Composition, Antioxidant, Antidiabetic and Antihypertensive Properties of Two Afromomum Species.

This study was designed to assess the antioxidant, antidiabetic and antihypertensive effects of essential oils from A. melegueta and A. danielli seeds. The essential oils were extracted via hydrodistillation, dried with anhydrous Na2SO4 and characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Antioxidant properties and inhibition of some pro-oxidant induced lipid peroxidation in rats' pancreas and heart homogenates were also determined. The results revealed that eugenol, eucalyptol, α-terpineol, α-caryophyllene and ß-caryophyllene were the most abundant components in A. melegueta and A. danielli seeds. The essential oils inhibited α-amylase, α-glucosidase and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme in vitro. A.melegueta oil showed a higher α-amylase and α- glucosidase inhibitory activities with EC50 values of 139.00 µL/mL and 91.83 µL/mL respectively than A. danielli. However, A. danielli oil (EC50 = 48.73 µL/mL) showed the highest ACE inhibitory acivity. The highest NO radical scavenging ability was observed in A. melegueta oil while A. danielli had the highest OH radical scavenging and Fe2+- chelating ability. Furthermore, both essential oils inhibited SNP and Fe2+- induced lipid peroxidation in rats' pancreas and heart respectively in a dose dependent manner. This study reveals the biochemical principle by which essential oils from A. danielli and A.melegueta seed elicits their therapeutic effects on type-2 diabetes and hypertension.