Microbial study of household hygiene conditions and associated Listeria monocytogenes infection risks for Peruvian women.

OBJECTIVES: To develop an exposure and risk assessment model to estimate listeriosis infection risks for Peruvian women. METHODS: A simulation model was developed utilising Listeria monocytogenes concentrations on kitchen and latrine surfaces in Peruvian homes, hand trace data from Peruvian women and behavioural data from literature. Scenarios involving varying proportions of uncontaminated, or 'clean', surfaces and non-porous surfaces were simulated. Infection risks were estimated for 4, 6 and 8 h of behaviours and interactions with surfaces. RESULTS: Although infection risks were estimated across scenarios for various time points (e.g. 4, 6, 8 h), overall mean estimated infection risks for all scenarios were ≥ 0.31. Infection risks increased as the proportions of clean surfaces decreased. Hand-to-general surface contacts accounted for the most cumulative change in L. monocytogenes concentration on hands. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to gaining insights on how human behaviours affect exposure and infection risk, this model addressed uncertainties regarding the influence of household surface contamination levels. Understanding the influence of surface contamination in preventing pathogen transmission in households could help to develop intervention strategies to reduce L. monocytogenes infection and associated health risks.

OBJECTIFS: Développer un modèle d'exposition et d'évaluation des risques pour estimer les risques d'infection par la listériose chez les femmes péruviennes. MÉTHODES: Un modèle de simulation a été développé en utilisant des concentrations de Listeria monocytogenes sur la surface des cuisines et des latrines dans des foyers péruviens, des données de traces de mains de femmes péruviennes et des données comportementales de la littérature. Des scénarios impliquant différentes proportions de surfaces non contaminées ou «propres¼ et de surfaces non poreuses ont été simulés. Les risques d'infection ont été estimés pour 4, 6 et 8 heures de comportements et d'interactions avec les surfaces. RÉSULTATS: Bien que les risques d'infection aient été estimés pour tous les scénarios à différents moments (par ex. à 4, 6 ou 8 heures), les risques d'infection globaux moyens estimés pour tous les scénarios étaient ≥ 0,31. Les risques d'infection augmentaient à mesure que les proportions de surfaces propres diminuaient. Les contacts entre la main et les surfaces générales contribuent pour le plus de changement cumulatif de la concentration de L. monocytogenes sur les mains. CONCLUSIONS: En plus de comprendre comment les comportements humains affectent l'exposition et le risque d'infection, ce modèle a traité des incertitudes quant à l'influence des niveaux de contamination des surfaces ménagers. Comprendre l'influence de la contamination de surface dans la prévention de la transmission d'agents pathogènes dans les ménages pourrait aider à développer des stratégies d'intervention pour réduire l'infection à L. monocytogenes et les risques associés pour la santé.

Aging, memory, and nonhierarchical energy landscape of spin jam.

The notion of complex energy landscape underpins the intriguing dynamical behaviors in many complex systems ranging from polymers, to brain activity, to social networks and glass transitions. The spin glass state found in dilute magnetic alloys has been an exceptionally convenient laboratory frame for studying complex dynamics resulting from a hierarchical energy landscape with rugged funnels. Here, we show, by a bulk susceptibility and Monte Carlo simulation study, that densely populated frustrated magnets in a spin jam state exhibit much weaker memory effects than spin glasses, and the characteristic properties can be reproduced by a nonhierarchical landscape with a wide and nearly flat but rough bottom. Our results illustrate that the memory effects can be used to probe different slow dynamics of glassy materials, hence opening a window to explore their distinct energy landscapes.

Environmental exposures, lung function, and respiratory health in rural Lao PDR.

Although the individual contributions of smoked tobacco and indoor air pollution have been identified, there are very few studies that have characterized and measured the effects of inhaled particles from a wide range of personal, household, and community practices common in rural Asia. The objective of our study was to examine the association between environmental inhaled exposures and lung function among rural males of Lao PDR. In a sample of 92 males from rural Lao PDR, study subjects completed a survey on household exposures, a physical exam, and the following measures of lung function: FEV1, FVC, and the ratio of FEV1/FVC. Our findings were as follows: a) > 80% of the subjects were exposed to indoor cooking fires (wood fuel), animal handling, dust and dirt; b) 57.6% of subjects were in the impaired range (FEV1/FVC < 0.7); and c) animal handling was negatively associated (p < 0.03) with FEV1 and FVC. Among males in rural Lao PDR, we found a high prevalence of chronic exposure to inhaled particles (animal handling, dust/dirt, smoke) and a high prevalence of impaired lung function. Findings from this pilot study indicate that associations between exposure to multiple sources of particulate matter common in rural areas and lung function need further investigation.

The Impact of Social Determinants of Maternal Mental Health in Marginalized Mothers.

Background: A deeper understanding of the key determinants of maternal mental health is important for improving care for women, especially women who are at an economic disadvantage. Objectives: To explore the associations of select social determinants: access, social support, and stress, with the onset of antepartum depression in low-income mothers. Participants: The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is an ongoing, population-based surveillance system with selected data from 2016 to 2019, establishing a randomly selected sample of women with a recent live birth at most 4 months postdelivery, between 1,300 and 3,400 women per state (n ∼ 162,558). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the phase 8 PRAMS was adapted to measure social support, access, stress, and their relationships with the onset of antepartum depression in low-income mothers. To assess low-income marginalization, a threshold was established based on income levels within 130% of the federal poverty level; antepartum (n ∼ 41,289). Results: The defined access, social support, and stress factors showed a statistically significant association with the onset of antepartum depression among low-income mothers. Of women in this sample, 22.6% indicated antepartum depression (p < 0.001; R2 = 0.066). Negative social support indicators were associated with an increased likelihood of antepartum depression; 3.71 increased odds of depression for abuse during pregnancy, and 0.79 decreased odds with positive acknowledgment of paternity. Access indicator terms showed an association with the decreased likelihood of antepartum depression through breastfeeding information support (Info from Baby Doc, odds ratio [OR] = 0.86), prenatal care utilization (12+ visits, OR = 0.82), and specific insurance type (insurance by job, OR = 0.82). All instances of stressful life events showed an increased likelihood of depression during pregnancy (for majority of stressful life events: OR >1.12). Conclusions: Economically marginalized mothers face unmet social and health care needs leading to poorer outcomes during pregnancy. These findings provide additional support for improved policy and public health efforts, such as assessment, education, and interventions, to decrease prevalence and improve treatment for antepartum depression among marginalized mothers.

The Relationship Between Face Mask Use and Face-Touching Frequency in Public Areas: Naturalistic Study.

BACKGROUND: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, a major public health goal has been reducing the spread of the virus, with particular emphasis on reducing transmission from person to person. Frequent face touching can transmit viral particles from one infected person and subsequently infect others in a public area. This raises an important concern about the use of face masks and their relationship with face-touching behaviors. One concern discussed during the pandemic is that wearing a mask, and different types of masks, could increase face touching because there is a need to remove the mask to smoke, drink, eat, etc. To date, there have been few studies that have assessed this relationship between mask wearing and the frequency of face touching relative to face-touching behaviors. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the frequency of face touching in people wearing a mask versus not wearing a mask in high-foot traffic urban outdoor areas. The purpose of this study was to assess if mask wearing was associated with increased face touching. METHODS: Public webcam videos from 4 different cities in New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, and Florida were used to collect data. Face touches were recorded as pedestrians passed under the webcam. Adult pedestrians wearing masks were compared to those not wearing masks. Quantitative measures of frequency, duration, site of touch, and oral activities were recorded. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the association between mask use and face touching. RESULTS: Of the 490 observed subjects, 241 (49.2%) were wearing a mask properly and 249 (50.8%) were not. In the unmasked group, 33.7% (84/249) were wearing it improperly, covering the mouth only. Face touching occurred in 11.4% (56/490) of the masked group and 17.6% (88/490) in the unmasked group. Of those who touched their face, 61.1% (88/144) of people were not wearing a mask. The most common site of face touching was the perioral region in both groups. Both the masked and unmasked group had a frequency of face touching for 0.03 touches/s. Oral activities such as eating or smoking increased face touching in the unmasked group. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to expectations, non-mask-wearing subjects touched their face more frequently than those who were wearing a mask. This finding is substantial because wearing a face mask had a negative association with face touching. When wearing a mask, individuals are less likely to be spreading and ingesting viral particles. Therefore, wearing a mask is more effective in preventing the spread of viral particles.

Show us the data: global COVID-19 wastewater monitoring efforts, equity, and gaps.

A year since the declaration of the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there were over 110 million cases and 2.5 million deaths. Learning from methods to track community spread of other viruses such as poliovirus, environmental virologists and those in the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) field quickly adapted their existing methods to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater. Unlike COVID-19 case and mortality data, there was not a global dashboard to track wastewater monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA worldwide. This study provides a 1-year review of the "COVIDPoops19" global dashboard of universities, sites, and countries monitoring SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater. Methods to assemble the dashboard combined standard literature review, Google Form submissions, and daily, social media keyword searches. Over 200 universities, 1400 sites, and 55 countries with 59 dashboards monitored wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. However, monitoring was primarily in high-income countries (65%) with less access to this valuable tool in low- and middle-income countries (35%). Data were not widely shared publicly or accessible to researchers to further inform public health actions, perform meta-analysis, better coordinate, and determine equitable distribution of monitoring sites. For WBE to be used to its full potential during COVID-19 and beyond, show us the data.

Criteria for selection of surrogates used to study the fate and control of pathogens in the environment.

This article defines the term surrogate as an organism, particle, or substance used to study the fate of a pathogen in a specific environment. Pathogenic organisms, nonpathogenic organisms, and innocuous particles have been used as surrogates for a variety of purposes, including studies on survival and transport as well as for method development and as "indicators" of certain conditions. This article develops a qualitative surrogate attribute prioritization process and allows investigators to select a surrogate by systematically detailing the experimental process and prioritizing attributes. The results are described through the use of case studies of various laboratories that have used this process. This article also discusses the history of surrogate and microbial indicator use and outlines the method by which surrogates can be used when conducting a quantitative microbial risk assessment. The ultimate goal of selecting a sufficiently representative surrogate is to improve public health through a health-based risk assessment framework. Under- or overestimating the resistance, inactivation, or movement may negatively impact risk assessments that, in turn, will impact health assessments and estimated safety levels. Reducing uncertainty in a risk assessment is one of the objectives of using surrogates and the ultimate motive for any experiment investigating potential exposure of a pathogen.

Building capacity for community disaster preparedness: a call for collaboration between public environmental health and emergency preparedness and response programs.

Partnerships among local public environmental health (EH), emergency preparedness and response (EPR) programs, and the communities they serve have great potential to build community environmental health emergency preparedness (EHEP) capacity. In the study described in this article, the beliefs and organizational practices pertaining to community EHEP outreach and capacity were explored through key informant (KI) interviews (N = 14) with a sample of governmental EH and EPR administrators and top-level managers from Riverside and San Bernardino counties in Southern California. The results indicate that KIs were highly confident in their workforces' efficacy, ability, willingness, and motivation to directly engage local communities in EHEP. Best practices to combat organizational and systematic barriers to community EHEP outreach were identified. Based on the authors' results, training in participatory methods is needed to bridge technical knowledge in emergency management to daily practice. The lessons learned will form the basis of future interventions aimed to prepare EH and EPR professions to implement community-focused emergency preparedness strategies.

Passive sampling to scale wastewater surveillance of infectious disease: Lessons learned from COVID-19.

Much of what is known and theorized concerning passive sampling techniques has been developed considering chemical analytes. Yet, historically, biological analytes, such as Salmonella typhi, have been collected from wastewater via passive sampling with Moore swabs. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, passive sampling is re-emerging as a promising technique to monitor SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater. Method comparisons and disease surveillance using composite, grab, and passive sampling for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection have found passive sampling with a variety of materials routinely produced qualitative results superior to grab samples and useful for sub-sewershed surveillance of COVID-19. Among individual studies, SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations derived from passive samplers demonstrated heterogeneous correlation with concentrations from paired composite samples ranging from weak (R2 = 0.27, 0.31) to moderate (R2 = 0.59) to strong (R2 = 0.76). Among passive sampler materials, electronegative membranes have shown great promise with linear uptake of SARS-CoV-2 RNA observed for exposure durations of 24 to 48 h and in several cases RNA positivity on par with composite samples. Continuing development of passive sampling methods for the surveillance of infectious diseases via diverse forms of fecal waste should focus on optimizing sampler materials for the efficient uptake and recovery of biological analytes, kit-free extraction, and resource-efficient testing methods capable of rapidly producing qualitative or quantitative data. With such refinements passive sampling could prove to be a fundamental tool for scaling wastewater surveillance of infectious disease, especially among the 1.8 billion persons living in low-resource settings served by non-traditional wastewater collection infrastructure.

The need of an environmental justice approach for wastewater based epidemiology for rural and disadvantaged communities: A review in California.

Amid the 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19), the scientific community has a responsibility to provide accessible public health resources within their communities. Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) has been used to monitor community spread of the pandemic. The goal of this review was to evaluate the need for an environmental justice approach for COVID-19 WBE starting with the state of California in the United States. Methods included a review of the peer-reviewed literature, government-provided data, and news stories. As of June 2021, there were twelve universities, nine public dashboards, and 48 of 384 wastewater treatment plants monitoring wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 within California. The majority of wastewater monitoring in California has been conducted in the urban areas of Coastal and Southern California (34/48), with a lack of monitoring in more rural areas of Central (10/48) and Northern California (4/48). Similar to the access to COVID-19 clinical testing and vaccinations, there is a disparity in access to wastewater testing which can often provide an early warning system to outbreaks. This research demonstrates the need for an environmental justice approach and equity considerations when determining locations for environmental monitoring.

Evaluation of select sensors for real-time monitoring of Escherichia coli in water distribution systems.

This study evaluated real-time sensing of Escherichia coli as a microbial contaminant in water distribution systems. Most sensors responded to increased E. coli concentrations, showing that select sensors can detect microbial water quality changes and be utilized as part of a contaminant warning system.

Microbial contamination in the communal-use Lao tobacco waterpipe.

BACKGROUND: The use of the Asian tobacco waterpipe (TWP) in the Lao People's Democratic Republic represents a potential communal source of infectious disease. This practice of smoking can lead to weakened defences of a smoker's respiratory epithelium, making the smoker vulnerable to respiratory diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019, tuberculosis and others. METHODS: This study evaluated the water quality and hygiene factors among 43 smokers of five villages in rural Luang Namtha Province. Water samples were collected from participant's TWPs and assessed for the presence of Escherichia coli, coliforms and aerobic plate count (APC) bacteria using the 3M Petrifilm. RESULTS: The microbial indicator testing results were 95% positive for the APC, 38% positive for coliforms and 17% positive for the E. coli indicator. The concentrations were highest for the APC, with an average of 106 colony forming units (cfu)/ml, followed by coliforms with <100 cfu/ml and lowest for E. coli with <10 cfu/ml. Most TWPs were infrequently cleaned, heavily used and contained a warm, brown-coloured water. CONCLUSIONS: The warm, dark and moist internal water container may facilitate microbial survival and growth. The use of a TWP adds several unstudied modes of transmission to a complex and common biobehavioural and environmental pathogen exposure. Future TWP cessation activities should be tailored to consider risks of infectious disease transmission.

Impact of Housing and Infrastructure on handwashing in Peru.

BACKGROUND: The metropolitan area of Lima, Peru has a third of the nation's population living in slum dwellings that are hypothesized to contribute to inefficient household hygienic practices. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively assess which living conditions have the greatest impact on handwashing practices. METHODS: A cross-sectional epidemiological design of participants ≥16 y of age from San Juan de Miraflores, a slum on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, was used. Poisson regression was applied to assess the impact of living conditions on handwashing practices. RESULTS: We could not demonstrate a relationship between living conditions (home structure, overcrowding, water, grey water disposal) and reported handwashing. The reported lack of handwashing is associated with the number of children in the home (those with children <5 y of age were more likely not to report washing their hands) and length of stay in the slum in years. CONCLUSIONS: Living conditions play an important role in one's health, therefore improved study designs are needed to determine which strategies are likely to be the most effective in improving outcomes for slum dwellers.

Orbital competition of Mn3+and V3+ions in Mn1+xV2-xO4.

The structure and magnetic properties of Mn1+xV2-xO4(0 < x ≤1) have been investigated by the heat capacity, magnetization, x-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction measurements, and a phase diagram of temperature versus composition was built up: For x ≤ 0.3, a cubic-to-tetragonal (c > a) phase transition was observed; For x > 0.3, the system kept the tetragonal lattice. Although the collinear and noncollinear magnetic transition of V3+ions was obtained in all compositions, the canting angles between V3+ions decreased with Mn3+-doping and the ordering of Mn3+ions was only observed as x > 0.4. In order to study the dynamics of the ground state, the first principle simulation was applied to analyze not only the orbital effects of Mn2+, Mn3+, and V3+ions, but also the related exchange energies.

Pathogens and indicators in United States Class B biosolids: national and historic distributions.

This paper reports on a major study of the incidence of indicator organisms and pathogens found within Class B biosolids within 21 samplings from 18 wastewater treatment plants across the United States. This is the first major study of its kind since the promulgation of the USEPA Part 503 Rule in 1993, and includes samples before and after the Part 503 Rule was promulgated. National distributions collected between 2005 and 2008 show that the incidence of bacterial and viral pathogens in Class B mesophilic, anaerobically digested biosolids were generally low with the exception of adenoviruses, which were more prevalent than enteric viruses. No Ascaris ova were detected in any sample. In contrast, indicator organism numbers were uniformly high, regardless of whether they were bacteria (fecal coliforms) or viruses (phage). Indicators were not correlated with pathogen loads. Historic distributions were collected between 1988 and 2006 at one location in Tucson, AZ. By comparing data collected before and after 1993, the influence of the USEPA Part 503 Rule on indicator and pathogen levels within Class B biosolids can be inferred. In general, the bacterial indicators total and fecal coliforms decreased from the 1980s to present. Enteric virus concentrations after 1993 are much lower than those reported in other studies in the 1980s, although our values from 1988 to 1993 are not significantly different from our values obtained from 1994 to 2006. Presumably this is due to better and more consistent treatment of the wastewater, illustrating that the Part 503 Rule has been effective in reducing public exposure to pathogens relative to 17 yr ago. The percent reduction of both indicators and pathogens during anaerobic mesophilic digestion was between 94 and 99% for all organisms, illustrating that such treatment is effective in reducing pathogen loads.

Asthma Risk Associated with Indoor Mold Contamination in Hispanic Communities in Eastern Coachella Valley, California.

Indoor mold contamination has been associated in many studies with an increased risk of asthma and respiratory illness. This study investigated indoor mold contamination and the prevalence of asthma/respiratory illness in two low-income, Hispanic communities, Mecca and Coachella City, in the Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV) of California. The study consisted of a questionnaire to assess asthma/respiratory illness and the quantification of mold contamination in house dust samples using the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) scale. About 11% of the adults and 17% of the children in both Mecca and Coachella City met our definitions of asthma/respiratory illness. The average ERMI values in Mecca and Coachella City housing (10.3 and 6.0, respectively) are in the top 25% of ERMI values for the United States (US) homes. Overall, the homes surveyed in these ECV communities had an average prevalence of occupant asthma of 12.8% and an average ERMI value of 9.0. The prevalence of asthma/respiratory illness in the Hispanic communities of Mecca and Coachella City and the mold contamination in their homes appear to be greater than the averages for the rest of the US. The higher levels of mold contamination in their homes appear to be associated with a greater risk of asthma/respiratory illness for these low-income, Hispanic communities.

Diesel exhaust exposure, its multi-system effects, and the effect of new technology diesel exhaust.

Exposure to diesel exhaust (DE) from vehicles and industry is hazardous and affects proper function of organ systems. DE can interfere with normal physiology after acute and chronic exposure to particulate matter (PM). Exposure leads to potential systemic disease processes in the central nervous, visual, hematopoietic, respiratory, cardiovascular, and renal systems. In this review, we give an overview of the epidemiological evidence supporting the harmful effects of diesel exhaust, and the numerous animal studies conducted to investigate the specific pathophysiological mechanisms behind DE exposure. Additionally, this review includes a summary of studies that used biomarkers as an indication of biological plausibility, and also studies evaluating new technology diesel exhaust (NTDE) and its systemic effects. Lastly, this review includes new approaches to improving DE emissions, and emphasizes the importance of ongoing study in this field of environmental health.

Momentum-resolved observations of the phonon instability driving geometric improper ferroelectricity in yttrium manganite.

Magnetoelectrics offer tantalizing opportunities for devices coupling ferroelectricity and magnetism but remain difficult to realize. Breakthrough strategies could circumvent the mutually exclusive origins of magnetism and ferroelectricity by exploiting the interaction of multiple phonon modes in geometric improper and hybrid improper ferroelectrics. Yet, the proposed instability of a zone-boundary phonon mode, driving the emergence of ferroelectricity via coupling to a polar mode, remains to be directly observed. Here, we provide previously missing evidence for this scenario in the archetypal improper ferroelectric, yttrium manganite, through comprehensive scattering measurements of the atomic structure and phonons, supported with first-principles simulations. Our experiments and theoretical modeling resolve the origin of the unusual temperature dependence of the polarization and rule out a reported double-step ferroelectric transition. These results emphasize the critical role of phonon anharmonicity in rationalizing lattice instabilities in improper ferroelectrics and show that including these effects in simulations could facilitate the design of magnetoelectrics.

Perceived Attitudes and Staff Roles of Disaster Management at CBOCs.

Community-based outpatient clinics can play an important role in disaster response, but significant barriers exist, which must be addressed.