Predicting Community COVID-19 Public Health Needs Through Wastewater Based Epidemiology, Maine USA

This research examines the applicability of various wastewater based epidemiological (WBE) approaches to predicting Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence in four different Maine communities. The study analyzes the predictive fit of COVID-19 cases based on a simple predictive model, a linear regression model, and a Susceptible, Exposed, Infected, and Recovered (SEIR) differential equation model. The findings further bolster existing evidence supporting that WBE can play a vital supplementary role in COVID-19 disease surveillance and prediction. predictive models through WBE is becoming an important public health surveillance tool and leveraging it in the future could provide numerous benefits to community level understanding and response related to population health.https://dune.une.edu/ph_ile/1001/thumbnail.jp

Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Impact Several Toxicological Endpoints and Cause Neurodegeneration in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>

<div><p>Engineered nanoparticles are becoming increasingly incorporated into technology and consumer products. In 2014, over 300 tons of copper oxide nanoparticles were manufactured in the United States. The increased production of nanoparticles raises concerns regarding the potential introduction into the environment or human exposure. Copper oxide nanoparticles commonly release copper ions into solutions, which contribute to their toxicity. We quantified the inhibitory effects of both copper oxide nanoparticles and copper sulfate on <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> toxicological endpoints to elucidate their biological effects. Several toxicological endpoints were analyzed in <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i>, including nematode reproduction, feeding behavior, and average body length. We examined three wild <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> isolates together with the Bristol N2 laboratory strain to explore the influence of different genotypic backgrounds on the physiological response to copper challenge. All strains exhibited greater sensitivity to copper oxide nanoparticles compared to copper sulfate, as indicated by reduction of average body length and feeding behavior. Reproduction was significantly reduced only at the highest copper dose, though still more pronounced with copper oxide nanoparticles compared to copper sulfate treatment. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of copper oxide nanoparticles and copper sulfate on neurons, cells with known vulnerability to heavy metal toxicity. Degeneration of dopaminergic neurons was observed in up to 10% of the population after copper oxide nanoparticle exposure. Additionally, mutants in the divalent-metal transporters, <i>smf-1</i> or <i>smf-</i>2, showed increased tolerance to copper exposure, implicating both transporters in copper-induced neurodegeneration. These results highlight the complex nature of CuO nanoparticle toxicity, in which a nanoparticle-specific effect was observed in some traits (average body length, feeding behavior) and a copper ion specific effect was observed for other traits (neurodegeneration, response to stress).</p></div

Copper oxide nanoparticles dissolution in K medium (pH 6.5).

<p>The concentration of total Cu ions released over time was determined via ICP-MS at different time points. Total Cu concentration (free ions and bound to the media components) begins to plateau at 96 hours of nanoparticle incubation in media. Error bars represent standard error.</p

Copper oxide nanoparticles induce an equal degree of dopaminergic (DA) neuron degeneration in <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> BY250 wild-type strain compared to copper sulfate exposure.

<p>Fluorescent images depicting healthy DA neurons (A) compared to deformed neurons that were either never formed (B) or degenerated (‘beaded’ or ‘blebbed’) (C). The bar graph represents percent of the nematode population with neuron degeneration, which increases from both copper oxide and copper sulfate treatments (D). “Unt” represents untreated <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> that showed no observable neuron degeneration (n = 203). Results are presented as the mean of three independent experiments with a minimum of 40 nematodes observed per experiment. Two-way ANOVA statistical analysis indicates a significant difference between exposed BY250 population and exposed <i>smf-1</i> population, as represented by an asterisk (*). Error bars represent standard error.</p

Toxicological endpoint data for the laboratory-adapted <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> N2 strain and wild strains after copper sulfate and copper oxide exposures.

<p>The effects on body size (A, B), feeding behavior (C, D), and brood size (E, F) were assayed via the COPAS BIOSORT, and raw data were normalized to values for untreated animals for each respective strain. Data representing endpoint changes after copper sulfate (A, C, E) and copper oxide NPs (B, D, F) exposures. Values significantly different from untreated animals (<i>p</i><0.05) are designated by the first letter of each strain (N for N2 strain, C for CB4856 strain, D for DL238 strain, and J for JU258 strain). Results are presented as mean of four technical replicates and error bars represent standard error.</p

Significant stress induction, as measured by <i>hsp-16</i>.<i>2</i> induction of GFP in transgenic <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> strains, was observed after both copper oxide nanoparticle and copper sulfate exposures.

<p>Fluorescent images depict endogenously regulated GFP expression (A) and an increase in the induction of GFP (B). The bar graph is representative of experiments with at least 25 nematodes examined per treatment. The graph depicts increased GFP expression after both copper oxide nanoparticles and copper sulfate at the two highest concentrations employed (C). Significant results as compared to untreated (Tukey’s HSD <i>p</i><0.05) are marked with asterisks (*). Error bars represent standard error.</p