The potential use of biofilm as a passive sampler of emerging contaminants and antibiotic resistance genes

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Júlio César Rodrigues de AzevedoTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Tecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Recursos Hídricos e Ambiental. Defesa : Curitiba, 30/08/2021Inclui referências: p. 97-120Resumo: A poluição química, causada pelo desenvolvimento da agricultura, indústria, tecnologia e o crescimento da população, afeta profundamente os recursos hídricos, como rios e lagos próximos a centros urbanos. A alta densidade populacional e problemas na coleta e tratamento de efluentes podem causar a contaminação de rios urbanos por grandes quantidades de matéria orgânica, nutrientes e poluentes, como contaminantes emergentes. Contaminantes emergentes fármacos, produtos de cuidado pessoal, plastificantes, hormônios, filtros UV, retardantes de chama, entre outros. Esses compostos podem causar alterações importantes no meio ambiente e nos organismos aquáticos. Além disso, baixas concentrações de fármacos como antibióticos podem causar o aumento e a propagação da resistência a antibióticos no meio ambiente. Por causa dos riscos crescentes, o monitoramento ambiental é de fundamental importância para conscientização e identificação de áreas frágeis e recursos hídricos degradados. O monitoramento de contaminantes emergentes é comum em países desenvolvidos, mas em outros, como em países da América Latina, faltam informações e normalmente apenas áreas próximas a capitais e grandes centros urbanos possuem dados sobre a presença de contaminantes emergentes no meio ambiente. As ferramentas de monitoramento mais frequentemente utilizadas são as análises de amostras ambientais como água e sedimento. No entanto, outras opções, como o biofilme, podem trazer melhores resultados e respostas à constante entrada de poluentes no meio ambiente. Para a parte experimental desta pesquisa, biofilme, água e sedimento coletados de dois diferentes ecossistemas (temperado - sudoeste da Alemanha e subtropical - Sul do Brasil) foram analisados para a detecção e quantificação de plastificantes, alquilfenóis, fármacos, filtros UV e genes de resistência à antibióticos. Um amostrador e uma metodologia para a coleta de biofilme foram propostos e testados. Os resultados mostraram que a coleta de biofilme foi bem-sucedida nas duas áreas estudadas, apesar de condições extremas como baixas temperaturas e eventos de precipitação intensa, que poderiam ter afetado o crescimento do biofilme ou causado o desprendimento do biofilme do amostrador. Quanto a análise de resistência a antibióticos, grandes concentrações de genes de resistência a antibióticos foram encontradas no biofilme, indicando que este meio pode ser uma fonte de resistência a antibióticos no meio ambiente. No entanto, a presença de genes de resistência a antibióticos na água foi mais suscetível a mudanças na qualidade da água e parâmetros que mudavam sazonalmente. O biofilme também mostrou uma forte capacidade de absorver e reter vários poluentes. As concentrações no biofilme alcançaram 2700 µg kg-1 de DEHP, 300 µg kg-1 de bisfenol A e 586 µg kg-1 de octocrileno, enquanto que as concentrações foram menores nas amostras de água e sedimento. Os resultados são preocupantes, uma vez que o biofilme é importante para o meio ambiente e está na base da cadeia alimentar. Isso poderia causar a contaminação de outras espécies, como microinvertebrados e peixes. Nossa conclusão é de que o biofilme é uma importante ferramenta para o monitoramento ambiental, e deveria ser utilizada em conjunto a praticas tradicionais, como a análise de amostras de água e sedimento.Abstract: Chemical pollution, caused by the development of agriculture, industry, technology and population growth, deeply affects water resources, such as rivers and lakes, mainly near urban centers. High population density and frequent problems in sewage collection and treatment systems can imply in a great load of substances entering urban rivers, such as organic matter, nutrients and a wide variety of pollutants, like emerging contaminants. Examples of emerging contaminants are pharmaceuticals, personal care products, plasticizers, hormones, UV filters, flame-retardants, and others. These compounds can cause important alterations in the environment and in the biota, including reproductive problems, mortality and antibiotic resistance. Due to the increasing risks and concerns, environmental monitoring is very important to raise awareness and identify fragile and degraded areas and water bodies. The monitoring of emerging contaminants is usual in developed countries, but in others, such as in countries from Latin America, there is a lack of information and usually only areas near capitals and big urban centers have data about emerging contaminants pollution in the environment. The countries with more information available are Brazil and Mexico. The usual monitoring tools are the sampling and analysis of water and sediment samples. However, other options, such as biofilm, could bring better results and responses to the constant input of pollutants in the environment. For the experimental part of this research, biofilm, water and sediment samples from two different ecosystems (temperate - southern Germany and subtropical - southern Brazil) were collected and a variety of pollutants was analyzed, such as plasticizers, alkylphenols, pharmaceuticals, UV filters, and antibiotic resistance. A methodology for biofilm sampling and collection, using an artificial sampler, was proposed and tested. The results show that biofilm sampling was successful in both areas, despite low temperatures and intense rain events that could harm biofilm growth or cause biofilm detachment from the samplers. Regarding antibiotic resistance, high abundances of antibiotic resistance genes were found in biofilm, indicating biofilm could act as a sink of antibiotic resistance in the environment. However, the presence of antibiotic resistance genes in water samplers was more influenced by water quality and seasonal parameters. Biofilm also had a very strong capacity of absorbing and retaining several pollutants. The concentrations in biofilm reached 2700 µg kg-1 of DEHP, 300 µg kg-1 of bisphenol A and 586 µg kg-1 of octocrylene, while water and sediment samples presented lower concentrations, indicating bioaccumulation of these pollutants in biofilm. The high concentrations found in biofilm is worrisome, since it is an important matrix for the environment and the food web. This could cause the contamination of other species, such as microinvertebrates and fishes. Our employed for environmental monitoring, together with more traditional practices, such as water and sediment analysis

What are the Systemic Factors Associated with the Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization Etiology?

Objective: To evaluate the systemic factors associated with Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) etiology. Material and Methods: A total of 731 8-year-old schoolchildren enrolled in the public school system in Curitiba, Brazil, was randomly selected. The MIH diagnosis was performed by calibrated examiners (Kappa >0.80) according to the European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry criteria (2003). The systemic factors were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and applied to the children’s mothers, addressing the medical history from pregnancy to the first three years of children’s life. Associations were analyzed by Poisson regression analysis with robust variance (p<0.05). Results: The systemic factors in the prenatal and perinatal periods were not associated with MIH (p>0.05). The children who used medications during the first years of life had a significantly higher prevalence of MIH (PRc = 2.18 CI = 95% 1.06–4.48; p=0.033). Conclusion: The use of medications during the first three years of children’s life is associated with a higher prevalence of MIH

Clinical evaluation of home bleaching using trays constructed with or without reservoirs

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of 16% carbamide peroxide home vital bleaching, using trays constructed with or without reservoirs, and analyze the postoperative hypersensitivity. This was a randomized, double-blind and split-mouth study. Two examinators evaluated 11 and 21 teeth from eleven patients (Kappa 0,75). Right side of upper stone models received reservoirs before trays were constructed, left side didn’t. Home bleaching was performed through two weeks, 6 hours-day. After this time, 11 and 21 teeth was evaluated again by the same examinators. Patients were asked about postoperative hypersensitivity. Data were statistically analyzed by Fisher’s exact test (p0,05), and didn’t show any statistically significant difference between trays with or without reservoirs. All patients related postoperative hypersensitivity during bleaching time. Home bleaching technique was effective on dental bleaching, with or without reservoirs on the trays. Home bleaching promoted postoperative hypersensitivity in all cases

Daily variation of lipid regulators and personal care products in a river impacted by domestic effluents in southern brazil

In urban areas, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play a major role in the water quality of rivers. The removal efficiency of emerging contaminants by WWTPs is strongly correlated with the type of treatment and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the process, which can vary according to the volumetric influent flow of wastewater and occasional peak flows. This paper aims, for the first time, to assess the daily variation of lipid regulators and personal care products in an urban river impacted by domestic effluents. Samples were collected upstream and downstream of a WWTP. The concentrations downstream of the effluent discharge were higher than upstream, but they varied significantly during the day. Concentration peaks upstream of the WWTP were detected at 07:00, 15:00 and 21:00, while downstream of the effluent discharge, concentration peaks occurred between 13:00 and 19:00 and between 21:00 and 23:00. The highest downstream concentrations of triclosan and methylparaben (420 ng L$^{-1}$ and 460 ng L$^{-1}$) were 6.8 and 5.4 times higher than the lowest concentrations detected, respectively. These results show that in WWTP-impacted rivers, the time of the sampling has a great influence on the final results and conclusions of a monitoring study

Reduced Real-life Affective Well-being and Amygdala Habituation in Unmedicated Community Individuals at Risk for Depression and Anxiety

Background: Early identification of risk for depression and anxiety disorders is important for prevention, but real-life affective well-being and its biological underpinnings in the population remain understudied. Here, we combined methods from epidemiology, psychology, ecological momentary assessment, and functional magnetic resonance imaging to study real-life and neural affective functions in individuals with subclinical anxiety and depression from a population-based cohort of young adults. Methods: We examined psychological measures, real-life affective valence, functional magnetic resonance imaging amygdala habituation to negative affective stimuli, and the relevance of neural readouts for daily-life affective function in 132 non–help-seeking community individuals. We compared psychological and ecological momentary assessment measures of 61 unmedicated individuals at clinical risk for depression and anxiety (operationalized as subthreshold depression and anxiety symptoms or a former mood or anxiety disorder) with those of 48 nonrisk individuals and 23 persons with a mood or anxiety disorder. We studied risk-associated functional magnetic resonance imaging signals in subsamples with balanced sociodemographic and image quality parameters (26 nonrisk, 26 at-risk persons). Results: Compared with nonrisk persons, at-risk individuals showed significantly decreased real-life affective valence (p = .038), reduced amygdala habituation (familywise error–corrected p = .024, region of interest corrected), and an intermediate psychological risk profile. Amygdala habituation predicted real-life affective valence in control subjects but not in participants at risk (familywise error–corrected p = .005, region of interest corrected). Conclusions: Our data suggest real-life and neural markers for affective alterations in unmedicated community individuals at risk for depression and anxiety and highlight the significance of amygdala habituation measures for the momentary affective experience in real-world environments

PERFIL LEUCOCITÁRIO E BLÁSTICO DURANTE A ADMINISTRAÇÃO EXCLUSIVA DE CORTICOSTERÓIDES EM PACIENTES PEDIÁTRICOS PORTADORES DE LEUCEMIA LINFOCÍTICA AGUDA (LLA)

 A Leucemia Linfocítica Aguda (LLA) é uma neoplasia maligna que acomete geralmente crianças de 0-18 anos. Fatores de risco como radiação e exposição a produtos químicos na gestação estão envolvidos com essa patologia. Há um acúmulo de células jovens substituindo a população normal, devido a um bloqueio na maturação das células e uma excessiva produção e liberação de blastos. Os avanços na obtenção da remissão e na melhora da sobrevida destes pacientes estão diretamente ligados ao constante aprimoramento dos protocolos terapêuticos utilizados, no Brasil é utilizado o Protocolo de Grupo Brasileiro GBTLI LLA – 2009.O tratamento da LLA é agressivo podendo debilitar o organismo do paciente, enfraquecendo o sistema imunológico e acarretando em carências nutricionais, prejudicando, em alguns casos, à resposta imediata ao tratamento. Foram coletados, dos prontuários médicos, dados de pacientes: idade; gênero; grupo. Em relação a neoplasia, foram coletados e analisados os itens: diagnóstico de medula óssea (padrão ouro de diagnóstico), imunofenotipágem e citogenética; estadiamento clínico; resposta objetiva ao início do protocolo (D0 ao D8).Dos 49 sujeitos com dados coletados 5 foram excluídos por não ter correspondência entre as variáveis estudadas totalizando um número amostral de 44 indivíduos. Variáveis quantitativas foram representadas pela mediana e intervalo interquartílico pois um dos grupos obteve tamanho (n) menor que 12 sujeitos. As comparações foram realizadas pelo teste não paramétrico de Mann-Whitney. O nível de significância adotado foi de 0,05. As análises foram realizadas no SPSS v.25. Palavras-chave:             Prednisona; Leucemia; Protocolo; Resultados.

TIREOIDITE AGUDA

A tireoidite aguda (TA) é uma entidade rara entre as enfermidades da tireoide, porém sua incidência tem se elevado devido ao aumento do número de pacientes imunodeprimidos, bem como devido a anormalidades congênitas como fendas branquiais ou fístulas do seio piriforme, localizado entre a glândula tireoide e a hipofaringe. As infecções tireoidianas são patologias graves que merecem especial atenção em função de oferecer grande risco de complicação. Quando baseada em uma avaliação clínica rigorosa e capacitada, além de amparada por métodos diagnósticos por imagem e laboratoriais, seu desfecho é positivo. O objetivo deste trabalho é realizar uma revisão acerca da etiopatogenia, dos diagnósticos clínico e laboratorial e do tratamento da Tireoidite Supurativa Aguda.Palavras-chave: Tireoidite Supurativa Aguda. Abscesso Tireoidiano. Fístula do Seio Piriforme

Mood Dimensions Show Distinct Within-Subject Associations With Non-exercise Activity in Adolescents : An Ambulatory Assessment Study

Physical activity is known to preserve both physical and mental health. However, the physical activity levels of a large proportion of adolescents are insufficient. This is critical, since physical activity levels in youth have been shown to translate into adulthood. Whereas in adult populations, mood has been supposed to be one important psychological factor that drives physical activity in everyday life, this issue has been poorly studied in adolescent populations. Ambulatory Assessment is the state-of-the-art approach to investigate how mood and non-exercise activity fluctuate within persons in everyday life. Through assessments in real time and real life, this method provides ecological validity, bypassing several limitations of traditional assessment methods (e.g., recall biases). To investigate whether mood is associated with non-exercise activity in adolescents, we equipped a community-based sample comprising 113 participants, aged 12–17 years, with GPS-triggered e-diaries querying for valence, energetic arousal, and calmness, and with accelerometers continuously measuring physical activity in their everyday lives for 1 week. We excluded all acceleration data due to participants' exercise activities and thereafter we parameterized non-exercise activity as the mean value across 10-min intervals of movement acceleration intensity following each e-diary prompt. We used multilevel analyses to compute the effects of the mood dimensions on non-exercise activity within 10-min intervals directly following each e-diary prompt. Additionally, we conducted explorative analyses of the time course of the effects, i.e., on different timeframes of non-exercise activity up to 300 min following the mood assessment. The results showed that valence (p < 0.001) and energetic arousal (p < 0.001) were positively associated with non-exercise activity within the 10 min interval, whereas calmness (p < 0.001) was negatively associated with non-exercise activity. Specifically, adolescents who felt more content, full of energy, or less calm were more physically active in subsequent timeframes. Overall, our results demonstrate significant associations of mood with non-exercise activity in younger ages and converge with the previously observed association between mood and physical activity in adults. This knowledge on distinct associations of mood-dimensions with non-exercise activity may help to foster physical activity levels in adolescents