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Neural network-level changes underlying symptom remission in major depressive disorder (MDD) are often studied from a single perspective. Multimodal approaches to assess neuropsychiatric disorders are evolving, as they offer richer information about brain networks. A FATCAT-awFC pipeline was developed to integrate a computationally intense data fusion method with a toolbox, to produce a faster and more intuitive pipeline for combining functional connectivity with structural connectivity (denoted as anatomically weighted functional connectivity (awFC)). Ninety-three participants from the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network for Depression study (CAN-BIND-1) were included. Patients with MDD were treated with 8 weeks of escitalopram and adjunctive aripiprazole for another 8 weeks. Between-group connectivity (SC, FC, awFC) comparisons contrasted remitters (REM) with non-remitters (NREM) at baseline and 8 weeks. Additionally, a longitudinal study analysis was performed to compare connectivity changes across time for REM, from baseline to week-8. Association between cognitive variables and connectivity were also assessed. REM were distinguished from NREM by lower awFC within the default mode, frontoparietal, and ventral attention networks. Compared to REM at baseline, REM at week-8 revealed increased awFC within the dorsal attention network and decreased awFC within the frontoparietal network. A medium effect size was observed for most results. AwFC in the frontoparietal network was associated with neurocognitive index and cognitive flexibility for the NREM group at week-8. In conclusion, the FATCAT-awFC pipeline has the benefit of providing insight on the ‘full picture’ of connectivity changes for REMs and NREMs while making for an easy intuitive approach.

Background Cerebral small vessel disease is associated with higher ratios of soluble-epoxide hydrolase derived linoleic acid diols (12,13-dihydroxyoctadecenoic acid [DiHOME] and 9,10-DiHOME) to their parent epoxides (12(13)-epoxyoctadecenoic acid [EpOME] and 9(10)-EpOME); however, the relationship has not yet been examined in stroke. Methods and Results Participants with mild to moderate small vessel stroke or large vessel stroke were selected based on clinical and imaging criteria. Metabolites were quantified by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Volumes of stroke, lacunes, white matter hyperintensities, magnetic resonance imaging visible perivascular spaces, and free water diffusion were quantified from structural and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (3 Tesla). Adjusted linear regression models were used for analysis. Compared with participants with large vessel stroke (n=30), participants with small vessel stroke (n=50) had a higher 12,13-DiHOME/12(13)-EpOME ratio (β=0.251, P=0.023). The 12,13-DiHOME/12(13)-EpOME ratio was associated with more lacunes (β=0.266, P=0.028) but not with large vessel stroke volumes. Ratios of 12,13-DiHOME/12(13)-EpOME and 9,10-DiHOME/9(10)-EpOME were associated with greater volumes of white matter hyperintensities (β=0.364, P

Toxic cyanobacterial blooms are a worldwide concern. Nutrients are among the numerous factors that trigger cyanobacterial blooms and the production of cyanotoxins. This study aimed to assess the effect of nitrogen on cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins through a short-term mesocosm experiment. To achieve this, mesocosms were installed in situ in two lakes (the Missisquoi Bay of Lake Champlain and Petit-Lac-St-François) and received 700 μg/L of ammonium or 500 μg/L of nitrate. A shift to Microcystis in the mesocosms with nitrogen addition was observed 2 days after the addition in Missisquoi Bay, where nitrogen was more limited than Petit-Lac-St-François based on nutrient ratios. There was a significant increase of extracellular ΣMCs and MC-LR in mesocosms with the addition of ammonium or nitrate after 48 h compared to control mesocosms. Intracellular and extracellular microcystin concentrations were associated with Microcystis. Microcystis presence was associated with ammonium 48 h after N was added at both sites. Therefore, toxin production following sudden nitrogen addition can occur on short time scales relevant to drinking water treatment plant operations. This information will help treatment plant operators better anticipate the arrival of potentially higher concentrations of cyanotoxins.

Background and Aim: Considering the role of social workers in the health system, the success and stability of organ transplantation, prevention of re-hospitalization of patients and reduction of imposed costs, this study aims to design a protocol for the specialized interventions of social workers in Iran’s medical centers in the transplant process and to create uniformity in practice. Comprehensive services have been provided to patients and their caregivers. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in two phases of resource review and qualitative. In the resource review phase, reliable databases were examined, and in the qualitative phase, in order to collect information from Delphi techniques and focused group discussion with the presence of fifteen officials and social workers working in the country’s hospitals and experts and experts. The areas of health and treatment assistants of the Ministry of Health, university professors, medical staff and experts in the field of transplantation and organ donation were carried out. The protocol was sent to eight experienced experts for final review and evaluation, and they were asked to review the protocol in terms of the goal and scope of interventions, stakeholders, development steps, clarity of presentation, accessibility and non-dependence in writing according to the checklist to evaluate. Results: In this study, the work process of social workers was drawn in three stages before, during and after transplantation. Also, various roles were considered for social workers in three stages of work, including the role of defender, supporter, case manager, resource mobilizer, trainer, consultant, evaluator and guidance. Interventions such as finding informational support, facilitating the patient hospitalization process, providing psychosocial support to the family with the aim of empowering them for post-transplant care, providing counseling to family members to deal with stress and improving mental health of the patient, providing economic support, Accomodation conditions are provided through hospital companions and communication and interaction with the treatment team, including the doctor, in order to respond to the needs of the family, facilitate treatment and on time discharging. Conclusion: the protocol of specialized interventions of social workers in the transplantation process created a new step and a different look at psychosocial support in transplantation and coordination teams, so that social workers in the field of organ donation and transplantation and working with caregivers, families and the survivors of the patients arrived.

Fresh-water sources of drinking water are experiencing toxic cyanobacterial blooms more frequently. Chemical oxidation is a common approach to treat cyanobacteria and their toxins. This study systematically investigates the bacterial/cyanobacterial community following chemical oxidation (Cl2, KMnO4, O3, H2O2) using high throughput sequencing. Raw water results from high throughput sequencing show that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the most abundant phyla. Dolichospermum, Synechococcus, Microcystis and Nostoc were the most dominant genera. In terms of species, Dolichospermum sp.90 and Microcystis aeruginosa were the most abundant species at the beginning and end of the sampling, respectively. A comparison between the results of high throughput sequencing and taxonomic cell counts highlighted the robustness of high throughput sequencing to thoroughly reveal a wide diversity of bacterial and cyanobacterial communities. Principal component analysis of the oxidation samples results showed a progressive shift in the composition of bacterial/cyanobacterial communities following soft-chlorination with increasing common exposure units (CTs) (0-3.8 mg·min/L). Close cyanobacterial community composition (Dolichospermum dominant genus) was observed following low chlorine and mid-KMnO4 (287.7 mg·min/L) exposure. Our results showed that some toxin producing species may persist after oxidation whether they were dominant species or not. Relative persistence of Dolichospermum sp.90 was observed following soft-chlorination (0.2-0.6 mg/L) and permanganate (5 mg/L) oxidation with increasing oxidant exposure. Pre-oxidation using H2O2 (10 mg/L and one day contact time) caused a clear decrease in the relative abundance of all the taxa and some species including the toxin producing taxa. These observations suggest selectivity of H2O2 to provide an efficient barrier against toxin producing cyanobacteria entering a water treatment plant.

Aesthetic aspects of drinking water, such as Taste and Odor (T&O), have significant effects on consumer perceptions and acceptability. Solving unpleasant water T&O episodes in water supplies is challenging, since it requires expertise and know-how in diagnosis, evaluation of impacts and implementation of control measures. We present gaps, challenges and perspectives to advance water T&O science and technology, by identifying key areas in sensory and chemical analysis, risk assessment and water treatment, as articulated by WaterTOP (COST Action CA18225), an interdisciplinary European and international network of researchers, experts, and stakeholders.

PurposeTauopathy and transactive response DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) proteinopathy are associated with neurodegenerative diseases. These proteinopathies are difficult to detect in vivo. This study examined if spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) can differentiate in vivo the difference in peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) thickness and macular retinal thickness between participants with presumed tauopathy (progressive supranuclear palsy) and those with presumed TDP-43 proteinopathy (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and semantic variant primary progressive aphasia).Study designProspective, multi-centre, observational study.Materials and methodspRNFL and macular SD-OCT images were acquired in both eyes of each participant using Heidelberg Spectralis SD-OCT. Global and pRNFL thickness in 6 sectors were analyzed, as well as macular thickness in a central 1 mm diameter zone and 4 surrounding sectors. Linear mixed model methods adjusting for baseline differences between groups were used to compare the two groups with respect to pRNFL and macular thickness.ResultsA significant difference was found in mean pRNFL thickness between groups, with the TDP-43 group (n = 28 eyes) having a significantly thinner pRNFL in the temporal sector than the tauopathy group (n = 9 eyes; mean difference = 15.46 μm, SE = 6.98, p = 0.046), which was not significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. No other significant differences were found between groups for pRNFL or macular thickness.ConclusionThe finding that the temporal pRNFL in the TDP-43 group was on average 15.46 μm thinner could potentially have clinical significance. Future work with larger sample sizes, longitudinal studies, and at the level of retinal sublayers will help to determine the utility of SD-OCT to differentiate between these two proteinopathies.

Abstract The pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) encompasses an array of changes at molecular and neurobiological levels. As chronic stress promotes neurotoxicity there are alterations in the expression of genes and gene-regulatory molecules. The hippocampus is particularly sensitive to the effects of stress and its posterior volumes can deliver clinically valuable information about the outcomes of antidepressant treatment. In the present work, we analyzed individuals with MDD (N = 201) and healthy controls (HC = 104), as part of the CAN-BIND-1 study. We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure hippocampal volumes, evaluated gene expression with RNA sequencing, and assessed DNA methylation with the (Infinium MethylationEpic Beadchip), in order to investigate the association between hippocampal volume and both RNA expression and DNA methylation. We identified 60 RNAs which were differentially expressed between groups. Of these, 21 displayed differential methylation, and seven displayed a correlation between methylation and expression. We found a negative association between expression of Brain Abundant Membrane Attached Signal Protein 1 antisense 1 RNA (BASP1-AS1) and right hippocampal tail volume in the MDD group (β = −0.218, p = 0.021). There was a moderating effect of the duration of the current episode on the association between the expression of BASP1-AS1 and right hippocampal tail volume in the MDD group (β = −0.48, 95% C.I. [−0.80, −0.16]. t = −2.95 p = 0.004). In conclusion, we found that overexpression of BASP1-AS1 was correlated with DNA methylation, and was negatively associated with right tail hippocampal volume in MDD.

Wastewater surveillance of pathogens may be a useful tool to help determine whether clinical surveillance of disease is effective or inadequate due to under-reporting and under-detection. In addition, tracking of pathogen concentrations over time could potentially provide a measure of the effectiveness of public health control measures and the impact of the gradual relaxation of these controls. Analysis of wastewater using quantitative molecular methods offers a real-time measure of infections in the community, and thus is expected to provide a more sensitive and rapid indication of changes in infection rates before such effects become detectable by clinical health surveillance. Models may help to back-calculate wastewater prevalence to population prevalence or to correct pathogen counts for wastewater catchment-specific and temporal effects. They may also help to design the wastewater sampling strategy. This article provides a brief summary of the history of pathogen wastewater surveillance to help set the context for the SARS-CoV-2 wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) programmes currently being undertaken globally. HIGHLIGHTS A brief history of pathogen wastewater surveillance.; Context for current SARS-CoV-2 wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) programmes.; Recommendations on research and investigation priorities.; Wide potential of modelling is presented together with remaining knowledge gaps.;

Recently, the symbiosis between microalgae and bacteria for wastewater treatment system receives more attention as microalgae and bacteria coexist symbiotically under suitable environmental condition. Moreover, the microalgae and bacteria interaction in granular form had been considered as an environmental friendly alternatives due to the synergistic cooperation between microalgae and bacteria in treating wastewater. This study aims to develop microalgae-bacteria aerobic granular sludge using low-strength domestic wastewater. A mixture of Scenedesmus obliquus and activated sludge at ratio of 17% microalgae to 83% activated sludge (v/v) was used as the seed sludge to develop microalgae-bacteria aerobic granular sludge. Upon 30 days of experimental period, granular sludge was successfully developed with largest granular diameter of 6 mm. The developed granules exhibited excellent settling properties with 62.8 m/h settling velocity. Better granular settleability indicated by low sludge volume index (SVI30) was detected at 8 mL/g. Observation using field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) showed the attachment of microalgae cells on the outer layer of granular sludge. Moreover, microalgae-bacteria aerobic granular sludge demonstrated good COD and ammoniacal nitrogen removal at 72% removal efficiency.

Wastewater monitoring (WM) of SARS-CoV-2 from sewers was applied throughout the world early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Sharing of protocols and experiences in WM of SARS-CoV-2 by national and international researchers and practitioners has been vital to ensuring the sensitivity and specificity of the methods. WM has been a valuable adjunct to human clinical testing, and when positive results occur in sewage, community testing has been increased. WM findings allow public health officials to track and respond to the impacts of loosening lockdown restrictions, demonstrating when return to normal social activities might occur without a resurgence of rapid community transmission, and they are particularly useful in areas with low human case numbers and/or low clinical testing rates. New research is required to address several practical knowledge gaps, for example, sampling protocols, prediction of case prevalence from viral numbers by modelling, and determination of detection limits. Communication to the Australian public of WM of SARS-CoV-2 has been via interactive, visual dashboards. Once SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations are introduced, WM could help track the underlying circulation of the virus in the population, the spread of known variants and its future evolution.

The occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria in surface waters and their impact on drinking water treatment plants (WTPs) is a growing, global concern. The main objective of this paper was to assess the presence of cyanobacteria in surface water sources and associated cell removal efficiency in full-scale WTPs across the world. Previously unpublished data was collected from WTPs experiencing cyanobacterial blooms in either their managed surface waters or recreational waters. In total, data were collected from 31 surface water sources and 21 WTPs in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The most commonly detected species were identified in both the surface waters, including Microcystis, Anabaena, Nostoc, Oscillatoria, and Planktolyngbya, and water treatment plant intakes, including Microcystis, Cylindrospermopsis, Anabaena, Pseudanabaena, and Aphanizomenon. In the intakes, cyanotoxins and taste and odor (T&O) compounds frequently co-occurred (80%) as did multiple cyanotoxins (39%). Conventional treatment saw a wide range of removal depending on the density of cells, species, and metabolites. Although more than 28% of sampling events displayed negligible or even negative removals of metabolites or cells due to accumulation within the clarifier, filtration, or water recycling, the presence of multiple treatment barriers, particularly advanced treatments like granular activated carbon and nanofiltration, allowed for the cells and their metabolites of concern to be removed to below guideline values. During treatment, total microcystins were often removed without releasing their intracellular fraction, whereas cylindrospermopsin, geosmin, and 2-MIB were commonly detected as entirely extracellular at the plant's intake. The maximum tolerable cell (MTC) counts for cyanotoxin- or T&O-producing cells were calculated using guideline values, average removal efficiency, and the average cell quota derived from data. The 21 WTPs in this work were found to be able to tolerate approximately 74,000 cells/mL for microcystins, 8,000 cells/mL for cylindrospermopsin, and 1,200 cells/mL for geosmin and 2-MIB before exceeding guideline values. These levels provide guidance for water treatment plant operators to assess the potential risk associated with cells capable of producing cyanotoxins or T&O compounds. Highlights Distinguish between the abundance and presence of cyanobacteria.; Assess the performance of a full-scale treatment process for the successful removal of cyanobacteria and their associated metabolites.; Determine the range of cyanotoxin or T&O compound concentration per cell.;

Many previous intervention studies have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to predict the antidepressant response of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD); however, practical constraints have limited many of those attempts to small, single centre studies which may not adequately reflect how these models will generalize when used in clinical practice. Not only does the act of collecting data at multiple sites generally increase sample sizes (a critical point in machine learning development) it also generates a more heterogeneous dataset due to systematic differences in scanners at different sites, and geographical differences in patient populations. As part of the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND-1) study, 144 MDD patients from six sites underwent resting state fMRI prior to starting escitalopram treatment, and again two weeks after the start. Here, we consider ways to use machine learning techniques to produce models that can predict response (measured at eight weeks after initiation), based on various parcellations, functional connectivity (FC) metrics, dimensionality reduction algorithms, and base learners, and also whether to use scans from one or both time points. Models that use only baseline (pre-treatment) or only week 2 (early-response) whole-brain FC features consistently failed to perform significantly better than default models. Utilizing the change in FC between these two time points, however, yielded significant results, with the best performing analytical pipeline achieving 69.6% (SD 10.8) accuracy. These results appear contrary to findings from many smaller single-site studies, which report substantially higher predictive accuracies from models trained on only baseline resting state FC features, suggesting these models may not generalize well beyond data used for development. Further, these results indicate the potential value of collecting data both before and shortly after treatment initiation.

Algal blooms consisting of potentially toxic cyanobacteria are a growing source water management challenge faced by water utilities globally. Commercially available sonication devices are designed to mitigate this challenge by targeting cyanobacteria-specific cellular features and aim to inhibit cyanobacterial growth within water bodies. There is limited available literature evaluating this technology; therefore, a sonication trial was conducted in a drinking water reservoir within regional Victoria, Australia across an 18-month period using one device. The trial reservoir, referred to as Reservoir C, is the final reservoir in a local network of reservoirs managed by a regional water utility. Sonicator efficacy was evaluated through qualitative and quantitative analysis of algal and cyanobacterial trends within Reservoir C and surrounding reservoirs using field data collected across three years preceding the trial and during the 18-month duration of the trial. Qualitative assessment revealed a slight increase in eukaryotic algal growth within Reservoir C following device installation, which is likely due to local environmental factors such as rainfall-driven nutrient influx. Post-sonication quantities of cyanobacteria remained relatively consistent, which may indicate that the device was able to counteract favorable phytoplankton growth conditions. Qualitative assessments also revealed minimal prevalence variations of the dominant cyanobacterial species within the reservoir following trial initiation. Since the dominant species were potential toxin producers, there is no strong evidence that sonication altered Reservoir C’s water risk profiles during this trial. Statistical analysis of samples collected within the reservoir and from the intake pipe to the associated treatment plant supported qualitative observations and revealed a significant elevation in eukaryotic algal cell counts during bloom and non-bloom periods post-installation. Corresponding cyanobacteria biovolumes and cell counts revealed that no significant changes occurred, excluding a significant decrease in bloom season cell counts measured within the treatment plant intake pipe and a significant increase in non-bloom season biovolumes and cell counts as measured within the reservoir. One technical disruption occurred during the trial; however, this had no notable impacts on cyanobacterial prevalence. Acknowledging the limitations of the experimental conditions, data and observations from this trial indicate there is no strong evidence that sonication significantly reduced cyanobacteria occurrence within Reservoir C.