Notes

Seclusion regarding lindane- along with endosulfan-degrading bacteria and importance examination in the bacterial communities through culture-dependent and also independent methods.
This study was carried out to assess the degradation and accumulation rates of fresh human excreta and how addition of anal cleansing materials affect performance during vermicomposting by Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae. Vermicomposting setups consisting of two transparent containers (length 0.27 m, breadth 0.17 m and depth 0.12 m) stacked on top of each other were installed and operated under laboratory conditions. Earthworms, Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae, were obtained from Green Cycle Technologies Limited in Accra, Ghana and the species verified and cultured before use. Fresh human excreta for feeding the experimental setups was collected from an Enviro-loo public toilet and 13 g applied to the setups daily. Similar setups were fed with 0.3 g of anal cleansing material in addition to the fresh excreta. A setup without any earthworms (NW) was set up as a control. Physicochemical characteristics of vermicompost accumulating in the setups were determined weekly for 28 days using standard laboratm3 (32.5%) and 0.00014 m3 (41.2%) were recorded for EE and EF respectively. The rate of accumulation in vermibeds EE and EF was relatively higher than in vermibeds with excreta and toilet paper (EEA and EFA). EEA and EFA recorded accumulation rates of 0.00009 m3 (26.3%) and 0.00011 m3 (31.5%) respectively. Complete removal of helminth eggs was not achieved in any of the treatment systems.This paper presents a novel set of water quality indexes to identify the area potentially affected by point sources of bacterial pollution in coastal bathing waters. The indexes, developed in the framework of the CADEAU service, are evaluated on the results of a modelling system based on the integration of a high-resolution ocean model, remote sensing observations and in situ monitoring data for the northern Adriatic Sea. In particular, the system is a downscaling of the Mediterranean Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service and exploits data produced within the Bathing Waters Directive, the Water Framework Directive and the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive to create added value products. The aim of the proposed indexes is to support the identification of areas of influence for bathing waters by identifying the potential threat from point sources of bacterial pollution, both in standard conditions and peculiar events such as a total bypass of wastewater treatment plants. The results for the Chioggia Municipality case study show the potential of the indexes to significantly improve the geographical identification and quantitative evaluation of the impacts of bacterial pollution sources on bathing waters, facilitating the design of mitigation measures. The proposed methodology represents a new management approach to support local authorities in defining the area of influence within the water bathing profile through the proper characterization of the point sources of bacterial pollution.Fecal sludge (FS)-derived fertilizer material, Fortifer™ was used in farmers' field to cultivate different crops under varying soil and agro-climatic conditions in Ghana. The aim was to (1) create awareness among smallholder farmers for widespread use of Fortifer™ (2) observe the response of crops to Fortifer™ application by farmers in different agro-ecological zones (3) obtain farmers feedback on the FS-derived product to enhance further dissemination across the country. In total 95 farmers in six locations participated in the farmer-led pilots. Fortifer™ containing up to 3.0% nitrogen, 3.6% phosphorus, 1.3% potassium and 44.3% organic matter was applied to tomato, rice, maize and pepper in comparison to inorganic fertilizers at recommended rates. Subsequently, farmers' perception of, and willingness to use the product were studied. Crop yield was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in the Fortifer™ plots compared to the inorganic fertilizer plots for all the selected crops. Yield was 12% higher for tomato, 27% for rice and maize and 30% for pepper under the Fortifer™ plots. Farmers indicated that, nutrient content was the most important factor they consider when making fertilizer purchasing decision.Indiscriminate dumping may be considered a 'wicked problem', as it is regarded as a complex, intractable, open-ended problem and it includes rights-based and justice issues. An understanding of the dynamics of indiscriminate dumping may assist with improving the management of indiscriminate dumping. The results show that indiscriminate dumping in Fisantekraal is a serious threat. From the first round of data collection to the last, no dumpsite disappeared despite the efforts of the community to clean up each month. Rather, the formation of new dumpsites and the extension of a few existing ones were evident. The morphology composition of the waste suggests that the main dumpers are the households and spaza shop owners. Conversations and collaboration between the authorities and community are encouraged in order to explore solutions to indiscriminate dumping.A Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) with activated sludge was operated with synthetic wastewater containing ibuprofen (IBU) to investigate the biomass stress-responses under long-term IBU exposure. There were 3 different phases phase I as the control without IBU for 56 days, phase II (40 days), and phase III (60 days) containing IBU at 10 and 5 mg L-1 each. The overall performance of the SBR as well as the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in terms of polysaccharides, proteins, and humic acid substances were estimated. Morphological parameters of microbial aggregates in the presence of IBU (phase II and phase III) were assessed by quantitative image analysis (QIA). Removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonium (NH4+) were significantly reduced by IBU. Loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) decreased during phase II and phase III, and tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS) was slightly higher in phase II than phase I. TB-EPS proteins were greater in phase II, perhaps to protect microbial cells from IBU exposure. These findings provided insight into both activated sludge stress-responses and EPS composition under long-term IBU exposure. Spearman correlation showed that EPS and morphological parameters significantly affected sludge settleability and flocculation. QIA also proved to be a powerful technique in investigating dysfunctions in activated sludge under IBU exposure.Empathy is an essential function for humans as social animals. Emotional contagion, the basic form of afffective empathy, comprises the cognitive process of perceiving and sharing the affective state of others. The observational fear assay, an animal model of emotional contagion, has enabled researchers to undertake molecular, cellular, and circuit mechanism of this behavior. Such studies have revealed that observational fear is mediated through neural circuits involved in processing the affective dimension of direct pain experiences. A mouse can also respond to milder social stimuli induced by either positive or negative emotional changes in another mouse, which seems not dependent on the affective pain circuits. Further studies should explore how different neural circuits contribute to integrating different dimensions of affective empathy.
To identify associations between baseline ultrasound (US) and mammographic features and metastasis free survival (MFS) in women receiving neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for breast cancer.

The data were collected as part of an ethically approved prospective study. Women with invasive breast cancer receiving NACT who were metastasis free at diagnosis were included. Baseline US and mammography were performed. Imaging was assessed by an experienced breast radiologist who was blinded to outcomes. US imaging features documented included posterior effect, skin thickening, size and stiffness using shear wave elastography (SWE). The mammographic features documented were spiculation and microcalcification. The development of metastatic disease was ascertained from computer records. Statistical analysis was performed using Kaplan Meier survival curves and Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) analysis.

171 women with 172 cancers were included in the study and 55 developed metastatic disease. Mean follow-up was 6.0 years. Women with mammographic calcification had significantly poorer metastasis free survival (MFS) compared to women without calcification (p = 0.043, 6 yr MFS 50 % vs 69 %). Women bearing cancer with distal shadowing had poorer MFS than women without shadowing (p = 0.025, 6 yr MFS 47 % vs. 73 %). Women with US skin thickening had poorer MFS compared to women without skin thickening (p = 0.032, 6 yr MFS 52 % vs. 68 %). Mammographic spiculation, US size and stiffness at SWE had no significant association with MFS.

We have identified mammographic and US features associated with MFS in women receiving NACT. Such information may be useful when counselling patients about the benefits and risks of NACT.
We have identified mammographic and US features associated with MFS in women receiving NACT. Such information may be useful when counselling patients about the benefits and risks of NACT.
To determine the diagnostic yield of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided in-bore biopsy in patients with high likelihood multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) findings, regarding overall and clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) detection rates and concordance of biopsy and radical prostatectomy (RP) Gleason scores (GS).

This retrospective study consisted of 277 Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) assessment category 4 and 5 targets in 246 patients (mean age, 65.7 years; median prostate specific antigen value, 7.75 ng/mL) who had undergone in-bore biopsy at our institution between 2012 and 2020. Eighty-one patients who underwent RP were eligible for the concordance analysis of biopsy and RP specimen GS.

Overall PCa detection rates were 80.5 % per patient (198/246) and 78 % per target (216/277) and 83.5 % and 67.4 % in primary (biopsy naive) and secondary (at least one negative prior biopsy) settings. csPCa was found in 63 % overall, 66 % of patients (132/200) in the primary, and 50 % of patients (23/46) in the secondary biopsy settings (p < 0.001). The prostate cancer detection rate was 68 % and 92 % in PI-RADS 4 and 5, respectively (p < 0.001). In the radical prostatectomy subcohort, 27.2 % of patients were upgraded, 8.6 % of patients were downgraded from needle biopsy. Significant complications occurred in 1.2 % of patients.

MRI-guided in-bore prostate biopsy has a high detection rate of csPCa in primary and secondary biopsy cohorts. Biopsy results were satisfactory in terms of the number of positive cores, cancer percentage in positive cores, and concordance of GS in needle biopsy and RP specimen.
MRI-guided in-bore prostate biopsy has a high detection rate of csPCa in primary and secondary biopsy cohorts. selleck compound Biopsy results were satisfactory in terms of the number of positive cores, cancer percentage in positive cores, and concordance of GS in needle biopsy and RP specimen.
This study aimed to evaluate the imaging features of papillary breast lesions detected using conventional ultrasonography (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and to correlate the pathological results. Furthermore, the diagnostic efficiencies of these imaging features to predict the malignancy potential of papillary lesions were explored.

The findings of the conventional US and CEUS of 74 consecutive papillary breast lesions were assessed retrospectively. The obtained data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions to evaluate the ability of each parameter and combined parameters in distinguishing the benign and atypical or malignant papillary lesions.

Among the imaging features of breast papillary lesions on conventional US and CEUS, two sonographic features (lesion size ≥1 cm and not circumscribed margin) on conventional US and four enhancement features (irregular enhancement, heterogeneous enhancement, enlargement of scope, and perfusion defect) on CEUS were found to be significantly different between the benign and atypical or malignant papillary lesions (P < 0.
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