A One-Health environmental risk assessment of contaminants of emerging concern in London’s waterways throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had huge impacts on global urban populations, activity and health, yet little is known about attendant consequences for urban river ecosystems. We detected significant changes in occurrence and risks from contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in waterways across Greater London (UK) during the pandemic. We were able to rapidly identify and monitor large numbers of CECs in n=390 samples across 2019–2021 using novel direct-injection liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methods for scalable targeted analysis, suspect screening and prioritisation of CEC risks. At total of 10,029 measured environmental concentrations (MECs) were obtained for 66 unique CECs. Pharmaceutical MECs decreased during lockdown in 2020 in the R. Thames (p≤0.001), but then increased significantly in 2021 (p ≤0.01). For the tributary rivers, the R. Lee, Beverley Brook, R. Wandle and R. Hogsmill were the most impacted primarily via wastewater treatment plant effluent and combined sewer overflows. For the R. Hosgmill in particular, pharmaceutical MEC trends were generally correlated with NHS prescription statistics, likely reflecting limited wastewater dilution. Suspect screening of ∼1,200 compounds tentatively identified 25 additional CECs at the five impacted sites, including metabolites such as O-desmethylvenlafaxine, an EU Watch List compound. Lastly, risk quotients (RQs) ≥0.1 were calculated for 21 compounds across the whole Greater London freshwater catchment, of which 7 were of medium risk (RQ ≥1.0) and three were in the high-risk category (RQ ≥10), including imidacloprid (RQ=19.6), azithromycin (15.7) and diclofenac (10.5). This is the largest spatiotemporal dataset of its kind for any major capital city globally and the first for Greater London, representing ∼16 % of the population of England, and delivering a foundational One Health case study in the third largest city in Europe across a global pandemic

EFFECTS OF COOKING CONDITIONS ON THE TEXTURE PROFILE, SENSORY AND PROXIMATE QUALITIES OF PRESSURE COOKED BAMBARA NUTS

This study evaluated the effects of pressure cooking on the textural attributes of Bambara nuts using Response Surface Methodology (RSM).The  study optimized cooking condition {Weight of Bambara (250 – 1000g), cooking time (20 -90 min) and post cooking resident time (2-12 min)} for the pressure boiling on the textural and qualities of Bambara. Five out of the eleven optimised solutions (Desirability Index range of 0.919 to 0.936) were compared with samples from conventionally boiled Bambara for proximate and sensory (colour, texture, aroma and Overall acceptance) qualities.  Data were analysed using RSM, analysis of variance and PPMC. Models for hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, fracturability and sensory texture with adjusted R2 values of 83.41%, 80.99%, 67.37% ,  93,75%  and  88.96%  respectively adequately explained the textural and sensory qualities of boiled bambara. The range of values for moisture, fat, ash, crude protein and carbohydrate were 47.88, 2.24, 1.98, 24.30, 20.91 % to 50.58, 2.58, 2.19, 25.49, 21.87% respectively.  Boiled Bambara produced at verified optimisation solutions (527.62g, 82.55, 10.43 min and 591.69g, 82.96, 9.52 minutes) were not significantly different (p >0.05) from that produced by conventional  method (weight and Cooking time: 500g and 125 min.) in spite of the relatively longer cooking time  of the later.   &nbsp

Relaxation of the criteria for entry to the UK Clozapine Central Non-Rechallenge Database: a modelling study

Background Clozapine is uniquely effective in treatment-resistant psychosis. In the UK, patients must discontinue clozapine indefinitely if they are placed on the Central Non-Rechallenge Database (CNRD) after their haematological parameters fall below particular thresholds. Under exceptional circumstances, patients can be rechallenged on clozapine under an off-licence agreement. In the USA in 2015, restrictive practice was discontinued to allow greater flexibility for clozapine maintenance. The absolute neutrophil count leading to treatment interruption was lowered from less than 1·5 × 109/L to less than 1·0 × 109/L and platelet and white cell count monitoring were ceased. We aimed to investigate the implications of a similar policy change on clozapine use in the UK. Methods This was a modelling study of all patients registered on the UK CNRD. First, we determined the proportion of patients placed on the database in the UK who would have had to discontinue clozapine treatment under the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) criteria. Second, we compared the haematological characteristics of patients who did or did not meet FDA criteria for discontinuing clozapine, including the time to registration from clozapine initiation and the proportion of cases of severe neutropenia at registration. Third, we investigated the success rates of clozapine re-challenge for patients that had been placed on the CNRD. Successful rechallenge was defined as no recurrence of CNRD registration. Findings Between May 2, 2002 and March 1, 2021, 3731 patients were placed on the CNRD, with a mean age of 47 years (SD 15), including 1420 (38%) women and 2311 (62%) men, of whom 3089 (83%) were White, 360 (10%) were Black, 190 (5%) were Asian, and 92 (2%) were classified as other. 566 (15%) of 3731 patients met the equivalent criteria for clozapine discontinuation under the FDA guidelines. The median time to CNRD registration from clozapine initiation was 1·6 years (IQR 0·2–4·9). Data for 519 rechallenged patients were examined; 419 (81%) were successful. Clozapine rechallenge success rates were broadly similar between individuals who did not meet the US CNRD registration criteria (36 [78%] of 46) and those who did meet the criteria (383 [81%] of 473). Interpretation Implementing the revised FDA monitoring criteria in the UK would substantially reduce clozapine discontinuation for haematological reasons, which would greatly improve the mental health outcomes of these patients without having a major effect on their physical health

From Monodisciplinary via Multidisciplinary to an Interdisciplinary Approach Investigating Air-Sea Interactions – a SOLAS Initiative

Understanding the physical and biogeochemical interactions and feedbacks between the ocean and atmosphere is a vital component of environmental and Earth system research. The ability to predict and respond to future environmental change relies on a detailed understanding of these processes. The Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) is an international research platform that focuses on the study of ocean-atmosphere interactions, for which Future Earth is a sponsor. SOLAS instigated a collaborative initiative process to connect efforts in the natural and social sciences related to these processes, as a contribution to the emerging Future Earth Ocean Knowledge-Action Network (Ocean KAN). This is imperative because many of the recent changes in the Earth system are anthropogenic. An understanding of adaptation and counteracting measures requires an alliance of scientists from both domains to bridge the gap between science and policy. To this end, three SOLAS research areas were targeted for a case study to determine a more effective method of interdisciplinary research: valuing carbon and the ocean’s role; air-sea interactions, policy and stewardship; and, air-sea interactions and the shipping industry

Impact testing to determine the mechanical properties of articular cartilage in isolation and on bone

The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comNon peer reviewedPostprin

Large-scale radio propagation path loss measurements and predictions in the VHF and UHF bands

For decades now, a lot of radio wave path loss propagation models have been developed for predictions across different environmental terrains. Amongst these models, empirical models are practically the most popular due to their ease of application. However, their prediction accuracies are not as high as required. Therefore, extensive path loss measurement data are needed to develop novel measurement-oriented path loss models with suitable correction factors for varied frequency, capturing both local terrain and clutter information, this have been found to be relatively expensive. In this paper, a large-scale radio propagation path loss measurement campaign was conducted across the VHF and UHF frequencies. A multi-transmitter propagation set-up was employed to measure the strengths of radio signals from seven broadcasting transmitters (operating at 89.30, 103.5, 203.25, 479.25, 615.25, 559.25 and 695.25 MHz respectively) at various locations covering a distance of 145.5 km within Nigerian urban environments. The measurement procedure deployed ensured that the data obtained strictly reflect the shadowing effects on radio signal propagation by filtering out the small-scale fading components. The paper also, examines the feasibilities of applying Kriging method to predict distanced-based path losses in the VHF and UHF bands. This method was introduced to minimize the cost of measurements, analysis and predictions of path losses in built-up propagation environment

Assessment of mortality rate in tuberculosis / human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfected patient

Prior to the discovery of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the pattern of tuberculosis (TB) prevalence witnessed a gradual drawdown and the mode of presentation was usually pulmonary. This study assesses the mortality rates of TB and HIV co-infected patients in a directly observed therapy (DOT) centre in Nigeria. The retrospective study retrieved 18 months of data from 197 patients on the TB register of a centralized DOT centre in the Ogun State, Nigeria. Data collected included age, sex, and HIV status, with TB results obtained from Genexpert. The data obtained from 197 TB patients were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square. Out of the 197 TB patients, 67.0% were males and 33.0% were females. A majority of the patients (41.6%) were within the age category of 43 years and above. This was followed by 35 – 42 years (25.4%) and 27 – 34 years (19.8%), while the lowest proportion of patients (0.5%) falls within the age brackets of 3 - 10 years. Furthermore, 92.9% of the patients were HIV negative. Using Chi-squared test, no significant difference was seen in TB occurrence to sex (p>0.05) while age contribute significantly to mortality. Co-infection of HIV/TB was 7.1% while mortality rate in this group was 28.6%. as observed in the age group 43 and above. Overall, the mortality rate in the TB patients was 2.0%. Results showed that the age was a significant contributor (p<0.05) to HIV TB co-infection among the patients. Age regressed positively with TB infection in the study population. The study concludes that the co-infection of TB and HIV was significantly associated with high mortality

Physico-Chemical, Microbial and Organoleptic Properties of Yoghurt Fortified with Tomato Juice

The world is currently trending towards the discovery of foods that can also serve as nutraceuticals which are highly beneficial to human health. Fortification of yoghurt with fresh tomato juice has shown to incorporate lycopene into the yoghurt, which in turn, increased the nutritional benefit of the yoghurt. Tomato juice was added as increasing levels of 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 w/w% to plain yoghurt. Ash, carbohydrate, moisture pH, viscosity and lycopene content were all analyzed using standard methods. Results showed that ash and carbohydrate content of the yoghurt improved in direct proportion with fortification. Lycopene content also increased (1.50- 9.24 mg/kg) as enrichment with fresh tomato juice increased. Viscosity reduced drastically as fortification increased, colour and texture of the yoghurt also changed; however, sample B (50% tomato juice) showed the best acceptance in respect to the sensory analysis of all the fortified samples. Hence, findings in this research indicated that enrichment of yoghurt with fresh tomato juice improved the nutritional indices of the yogurt