Population Health Metrics During the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Correlative Pilot Study.

Background: COVID-19 has caused nearly 1 million deaths in the United States, not to mention job losses, business and school closures, stay-at-home orders, and mask mandates. Many people have suffered increased anxiety and depression since the pandemic began. Not only have mental health symptoms become more prevalent, but alcohol consumption has also increased during this time.

Detection, occurrence, and fate of emerging contaminants in agricultural environments (2020).

A review of 79 papers published in 2019 is presented. The topics ranged from detailed descriptions of analytical methods, to fate and occurrence studies, to ecological effects and sampling techniques for a wide variety of emerging contaminants likely to occur in agricultural environments. New methods and studies on veterinary pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, anthelmintics, and engineered nanomaterials in agricultural environments continue to expand our knowledge base on the occurrence and potential impacts of these compounds.

Microbial Transformation of A Sulfonamide Antibiotic Under Various Background Nutrient Conditions.

Certain microbes can biotransform antibiotics. Little is known about these microbes or the biotransformation processes. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of background nutrient conditions on a sulfonamide degrading culture and on its biotransformation of sulfadiazine (SDZ) with respect to transformation kinetics and transformation products.

Detection, occurrence, and fate of emerging contaminants in agricultural environments (2019).

A review of 82 papers published in 2018 is presented. The topics ranged from detailed descriptions of analytical methods, to fate and occurrence studies, to ecological effects and sampling techniques for a wide variety of emerging contaminants likely to occur in agricultural environments. New methods and studies on veterinary pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and engineered nanomaterials in agricultural environments continue to expand our knowledge base on the occurrence and potential impacts of these compounds.

Detection, Occurrence and Fate of Emerging Contaminants in Agricultural Environments.

A total of 75 papers published in 2017 were reviewed ranging from detailed descriptions of analytical methods, to fate and occurrence studies, to ecological effects and sampling techniques for a wide variety of emerging contaminants likely to occur in agricultural environments. New methods and studies on veterinary pharmaceuticals, steroids, antibiotic resistance genes, and engineered nanoparticles agricultural environments continue to expand our knowledge base on the occurrence and potential impacts of these compounds. This review is divided into the following sections: Introduction, Analytical Methods, Fate and Occurrence, Pharmaceutical Metabolites, Anthelmintics, Antibiotic Resistence Genes, and Engineered Nanomaterials.

Affinity extraction of emerging contaminants from water based on bovine serum albumin as a binding agent.

Affinity sorbents using bovine serum albumin as a binding agent were developed and tested for the extraction of environmental contaminants from water. Computer simulations based on a countercurrent distribution model were also used to study the behavior of these sorbents. Several model drugs, pesticides, and hormones of interest as emerging contaminants were considered in this work, with carbamazepine being used as a representative analyte when coupling the albumin column on-line with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry.

Detection, Occurrence and Fate of Emerging Contaminants in Agricultural Environments.

A total of 79 papers published in 2016 were reviewed ranging from detailed descriptions of analytical methods, to fate and occurrence studies, to ecological effects and sampling techniques for a wide variety of emerging contaminants likely to occur in agricultural environments. New methods and studies on veterinary pharmaceuticals, steroids, antibiotic resistance genes, cyanotoxins, and potential effects of biochar use in agricultural environments continue to expand our knowledge base on the occurrence and potential impacts of these compounds. This review is divided into the following sections: Introduction, Analytical Methods, Steroid Hormones, Anthelmintics, Antibiotic Fate and Occurrence, Antibiotic Resistance Genes, Cyanotoxins, and Implications of Biochar in Agricultural Environments.

Detection, Occurrence and Fate of Emerging Contaminants in Agricultural Environments.

A total of 59 papers published in 2015 were reviewed ranging from detailed descriptions of analytical methods, to fate and occurrence studies, to ecological effects and sampling techniques for a wide variety of emerging contaminants likely to occur in agricultural environments. New methods and studies on veterinary pharmaceuticals, steroids, antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural environments continue to expand our knowledge base on the occurrence and potential impacts of these compounds. This review is divided into the following sections: Introduction, Analytical Methods, Steroid Hormones, Pharmaceutical Contaminants, Transformation Products, and "Antibiotic Resistance, Drugs, Bugs and Genes".

Detection, Occurrence and Fate of Emerging Contaminants in Agricultural Environments.

A total of 43 papers published in 2014 were reviewed ranging from detailed descriptions of analytical methods, to fate and occurrence studies, to measuring and predicting biological effects for a wide variety of emerging contaminants likely to occur in agricultural environments. New methods and studies on veterinary pharmaceuticals, natural and synthetics steroids, and antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural environments continue to expand our knowledge base on the occurrence and potential impacts of these compounds. This review is divided into the following sections: Introduction, Analytical Methods, Occurrence and Fate, Antibiotic Resistance Genes, and Risk Assessment.

Co-occurrence of the cyanotoxins BMAA, DABA and anatoxin-a in Nebraska reservoirs, fish, and aquatic plants.

Several groups of microorganisms are capable of producing toxins in aquatic environments. Cyanobacteria are prevalent blue green algae in freshwater systems, and many species produce cyanotoxins which include a variety of chemical irritants, hepatotoxins and neurotoxins. Production and occurrence of potent neurotoxic cyanotoxins β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), 2,4-diaminobutyric acid dihydrochloride (DABA), and anatoxin-a are especially critical with environmental implications to public and animal health.

Methods for simultaneous detection of the cyanotoxins BMAA, DABA, and anatoxin-a in environmental samples.

Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, can produce several different groups of toxins in the environment including hepatotoxins (microcystins), neurotoxic non-protein amino acids β-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA), and 2,4-diaminobutyric (DABA), as well as the bicyclic amine alkaloid anatoxin-a. Few studies have addressed the methods necessary for an accurate determination of cyanotoxins in environmental samples, and none have been published that can detect these cyanotoxins together in a single sample. Cyanotoxins occur in a wide range of environmental samples including water, fish, and aquatic plant samples.

Effect of meat ingredients (sodium nitrite and erythorbate) and processing (vacuum storage and packaging atmosphere) on germination and outgrowth of Clostridium perfringens spores in ham during abusive cooling.

The effect of nitrite and erythorbate on Clostridium perfringens spore germination and outgrowth in ham during abusive cooling (15 h) was evaluated. Ham was formulated with ground pork, NaNO2 (0, 50, 100, 150 or 200 ppm) and sodium erythorbate (0 or 547 ppm). Ten grams of meat (stored at 5 °C for 3 or 24 h after preparation) were transferred to a vacuum bag and inoculated with a three-strain C.

Sensitive and simplified analysis of natural and synthetic steroids in water and solids using on-line solid-phase extraction and microwave-assisted solvent extraction coupled to liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry atmospheric pressure photoionization.

Analytical methods for the determination of several natural and synthetic steroids in water and solid samples were developed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) in positive mode was used as the source which appeared to reduce background and interferences as compared to electrospray ionization. Toluene was identified as the most appropriate dopant and its concentration optimized to enhance ionization efficiency.

Effect of distribution and concentration of topically applied neonicotinoid insecticides in buffalograss, Buchloe dactyloides, leaf tissues on the differential mortality of Blissus occiduus under field conditions.

Background: Neonicotinoid insecticides are generally efficacious against many turfgrass pests, including several important phloem-feeding insects. However, inconsistencies in control of western chinch bugs, Blissus occiduus, have been documented in field efficacy studies. This research investigated the efficacy of three neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) against B.

Maximal venous outflow velocity: an index for iliac vein obstruction.

Leg swelling is a common cause for vascular surgical evaluation, and iliocaval obstruction due to May-Thurner syndrome (MTS) can be difficult to diagnose. Physical examination and planar radiographic imaging give anatomic information but may miss the fundamental pathophysiology of MTS. Similarly, duplex ultrasonographic examination of the legs gives little information about central impedance of venous return above the inguinal ligament.

Mechanism of DNA depurination by carcinogens in relation to cancer initiation.

Depurinating DNA adducts formed by aromatic hydrocarbons and catechol estrogen quinones play a major role in cancer initiation. Most of these adducts depurinate instantaneously, but some guanine adducts depurinate from DNA with half-lives of hours. We report here, that after 10 h at 37 °C, reaction of estradiol-3,4-quinone (E(2)-3,4-Q) with ds-DNA to yield N7Gua and N3Ade adducts was complete and more efficient than with ss-DNA.

In vitro and in vivo safety assessment of edible blue-green algae, Nostoc commune var. sphaeroides Kützing and Spirulina plantensis.

Blue-green algae (BGA) have been consumed as food and herbal medicine for centuries. However, safety for their consumption has not been well investigated. This study was undertaken to evaluate in vitro and in vivo toxicity of cultivated Nostoc commune var.

Transformation of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) by permanganate.

The chemical oxidant permanganate (MnO(4)(-)) has been shown to effectively transform hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) at both the laboratory and field scales. We treated RDX with MnO(4)(-) with the objective of quantifying the effects of pH and temperature on destruction kinetics and determining reaction rates. A nitrogen mass balance and the distribution of reaction products were used to provide insight into reaction mechanisms.

Enhanced anthocyanin extraction from red cabbage using pulsed electric field processing.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on anthocyanin extraction from red cabbage using water as a solvent. Mashed cabbage was placed in a batch treatment chamber and subjected to PEF (2.5 kV/cm electric field strength; 15 micros pulse width and 50 pulses, specific energy 15.

Serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 as a marker of intimal hyperplasia.

Background: A primary component in the development of intimal hyperplasia (IH) in response to vascular injury is basement membrane remodeling. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a major role in this process by degradation of basement membrane proteins, mainly collagen type IV. Vascular injury initiates an inflammatory cascade with the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and C-reactive protein (CRP).

Field-scale cleanup of atrazine and cyanazine contaminated soil with a combined chemical-biological approach.

A former agrichemical dealership in western Nebraska was suspected of having contaminated soil. Our objective was to characterize and remediate the contaminated site by a combined chemical-biological approach. This was accomplished by creating contour maps of the on-site contamination, placing the top 60 cm of contaminated soil in windrows and mixing with a mechanical high-speed mixer.

Setting the stage: Surgery patients' expectations for greetings during routine office visits.

Background: The need for surgeons to exhibit adequate communication skills is paramount to providing exemplary patient care. The manner in which patients are greeted by their surgeon sets the stage for the remainder of the clinical encounter. This study examined patients' expectations for greetings upon meeting a surgeon for the first time.

Remediating dinoseb-contaminated soil with zerovalent iron.

Dinoseb, a dinitroherbicide, was once commonly used in aerial crop dusting of agronomic crops in the western United States. Widespread use combined with improper disposal practices at rural air strips has contaminated numerous sites. Our objective was to determine if zerovalent iron (Fe(0)) could remediate dinoseb-contaminated soil.

Development and validation of the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Vascular Surgery (REAL_VS).

The purposes of this study were to develop and validate the (1) Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Vascular Surgery (REAL_VS) for researchers studying the impact of literacy skills as related to vascular surgery-related knowledge and outcomes and (2) short version of the REAL_VS (REAL_VSs) to allow clinicians to gauge their patients' familiarity with vascular surgery-related terms. A three-phase process was used to identify potential words for inclusion in the REAL_VS, including reviewing Internet-based patient education material content and listening to a random sample of 50 archived audiorecordings of vascular surgeon-patient encounters. The REAL_VS was composed of 75 terms (e.

Regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell expression and function of matrix metalloproteinases is mediated by estrogen and progesterone exposure.

Objective: Postmenopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have been reported to have more adverse outcomes after vascular reconstructions, including increased intimal hyperplasia development and bypass graft failure. HRT may be affecting the pathway contributing to intimal hyperplasia. An important component of this pathway involves matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), implicated in vascular remodeling due to their ability to degrade components of the extracellular matrix.