Résumé
This study describes the chemical and toxicological characteristics of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the Po Valley, one of the largest and most polluted areas in Europe. The investigated samples were collected in the metropolitan area of Milan during the epidemic lockdown and their toxicity was evaluated by the oxidative potential (OP), measured using ascorbic acid (OPAA) and dithiothreitol (OPDTT) acellular assays. The study was also extended to PM2.5 samples collected at different sites in the Po Valley in 2019, to represent the baseline conditions in the area. Univariate correlations were applied to the whole dataset to link the OP responses with the concentrations of the major chemical markers of vehicular and biomass burning emissions. Of the two assays, OPAA was found mainly sensitive towards transition metals released from vehicular traffic, while OPDTT towards the PM carbonaceous components. The impact of the controlling lockdown restrictions on PM2.5 oxidative properties was estimated by comparing the OP values in corresponding time spans in 2020 and 2019. We found that during the full lockdown the OPAA values decreased to 80-86% with respect to the OP data in other urban sites in the area, while the OPDTT values remained nearly constant.
Sujets)
Polluants atmosphériques , COVID-19 , Humains , Polluants atmosphériques/analyse , Saisons , Surveillance de l'environnement/méthodes , COVID-19/épidémiologie , Contrôle des maladies transmissibles , Matière particulaire/analyse , Italie/épidémiologie , Stress oxydatifRésumé
BACKGROUND: People who identify as sexual and gender minorities (SGM) experienced disproportionate economic and mental health issues related to COVID-19 when compared to the general population. The purpose of this study was to better understand how COVID-19 has impacted the SGM community and ways to address vaccine hesitancy. METHODS: Three focus groups were conducted with 21 members of the SGM community between 5 November and 10 December 2020. A thematic analysis using the reflexive approach was applied to the transcripts of the focus groups. RESULTS: Four themes emerged: (1) Impact of COVID-19 on the Community, (2) Perceptions of Contact Tracing and Testing, (3) Perceptions of a Potential COVID-19 Vaccine, and (4) Decreasing Vaccine Hesitancy. The most relevant subthemes were that social isolation led to anxiety, stress, and fear in the SGM community during COVID-19; resilience and adaptation were positive outcomes of the pandemic; histories of medical racism contributed to hesitancy to get tested; and specific messaging from trusted messengers may be needed to encourage SGM communities to get vaccinated. These findings support other COVID-19 research on the SGM community during the start of the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insight into the impact of the early stages of COVID-19 on the SGM community, highlighting the unique hurdles faced by SGM individuals with regard to contact tracing and vaccine hesitancy.
Sujets)
COVID-19 , Minorités sexuelles , Humains , Groupes de discussion , Vaccins contre la COVID-19 , COVID-19/épidémiologie , Comportement sexuel , Identité de genreRésumé
In brief TED talk-style presentations on topics ranging from climate change, artificial intelligence (AI) and telemedicine, to the COVID-19 pandemic and emergence of corporate medicine, the radiologists shared their predictions of how these developments could change medical imaging technology and practice during the next five years. Given the expansion of telemedicine, the growth of radiologic consultation, and the emergence of new and improved diagnostic modalities-such as hybrid PET-MRI, photon-counting CT, new nuclear medicine radiotracers, and theranostics-as well as minimally invasive imaging-guided procedures and implementation of AI, Dr Morrison predicted the role of radiologists eventually will go beyond simply supplying and interpreting the images. The Carol D and Henry P Pendergrass Professor, chair of the radiology and radiological science department, and a professor of biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, addressed the imminent dangers of climate change and radiology's role in both contributing to and helping alleviate those dangers. [...]what was once meant to protect physicians will become a major threat to radiologists over the next several years, says Mark E Schweitzer, MD, vice president of health affairs at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.
Résumé
During the Covid-19 outbreak, strict lockdown measures led to notable reductions in transportation-related emissions and significantly altered atmospheric pollution characteristics in urban and suburban areas. In this work, we compare comprehensive online measurements of PM2.5 major components and organic molecular markers in a suburban location in Shanghai, China before lockdown (Dec. 28, 2019 to Jan. 23, 2020) and during lockdown (Jan. 24 to Feb. 9, 2020). The NOx levels declined sharply by 59% from 44 to 18 ppb during the lockdown, while O3 rose two times higher to 42 ppb. The PM2.5 level dropped from 64 to 49 µg m-3 (-24%). The major components all showed reductions, with the reduction of nitrate most prominent at -58%, followed by organics at -19%, and sulfate at -17%. Positive matrix factorization analysis identifies fourteen source factors, including nine primary sources and five secondary sources. The secondary sources consist of sulfate-rich factor, nitrate-rich factor, and three secondary organic aerosol (SOA) factors, with SOA_I being anthropogenic SOA, SOA_II associated with later generation products of organic oxidation, and SOA_III being biogenic SOA. The combined secondary sources contributed to 69% and 63% (40 and 22 µg m-3) of PM2.5 before and during lockdown, respectively, among which the reductions in the nitrate-rich (-55%) factor was the most prominent. Among primary sources, large reductions (>80%) were observed in contributions from industrial, cooking, and vehicle emissions. Unlike some studies reporting that the restriction during the Covid-19 resulted in enhanced secondary sulfate and SOA formation, we observed decreases in both secondary inorganic and SOA formation despite the overall elevated oxidizing capacity in the suburban site. Our results indicate that the formation change in secondary inorganic and organic compounds in response to substantial reductions in urban primary precursors are different for urban and suburban environments.
Résumé
The aim of this work was to evaluate if rivers could be used for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance. Five sampling points from three rivers (AR-1 and AR-2 in Arenales River, MR-1 and MR-2 in Mojotoro River, and CR in La Caldera River) from Salta (Argentina), two of them receiving discharges from wastewater plants (WWTP), were monitored from July to December 2020. Fifteen water samples from each point (75 in total) were collected and characterized physico-chemically and microbiologically and SARS-CoV-2 was quantified by RT-qPCR. Also, two targets linked to human contributions, human polyomavirus (HPyV) and RNase P, were quantified and used to normalize SARS-CoV-2 concentration, which was compared to reported COVID-19 cases. Statistical analyses allowed us to verify the correlation between SARS-CoV-2 and the concentration of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), as well as to find similarities and differences between sampling points. La Caldera River showed the best water quality; FIBs were within acceptable limits for recreational activities. Mojotoro River's water quality was not affected by the northern WWTP of the city. Instead, Arenales River presented the poorest water quality; at AR-2 was negatively affected by the discharges of the southern WWTP, which contributed to significant increase of fecal contamination. SARS-CoV-2 was found in about half of samples in low concentrations in La Caldera and Mojotoro Rivers, while it was high and persistent in Arenales River. No human tracers were detected in CR, only HPyV was found in MR-1, MR-2 and AR-1, and both were quantified in AR-2. The experimental and normalized viral concentrations strongly correlated with reported COVID-19 cases; thus, Arenales River at AR-2 reflected the epidemiological situation of the city. This is the first study showing the dynamic of SARS-CoV-2 concentration in an urban river highly impacted by wastewater and proved that can be used for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance to support health authorities.