Removal efficiency of antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and genes across parallel secondary settling tank and membrane bioreactor treatment trains in a water reclamation plant.

Antimicrobial resistance is recognized as a potent threat to human health. Wastewater treatment facilities are viewed as hotspots for the spread of antimicrobial resistance. This study provides comprehensive data on the occurrences of 3 different antibiotic resistant opportunistic pathogens (with resistance to up to 5 antibiotics), 13 antibiotic resistant genes and intI1, and 22 different antimicrobial residues in a large water reclamation plant (176 million gallons per day) that runs a conventional Modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) reactor followed by a secondary settling tank (SST) and membrane bioreactor (MBR) in parallel.

A 10-year experience with anastomotic leaks in upper gastrointestinal surgery-Retrospective cohort study.

Background: Anastomotic leak (AL) in upper gastrointestinal (UGI) surgery continues to be a diagnostic challenge. We seek to identify clinical parameters that predict AL and examine the effectiveness of investigations in evaluating AL following UGI surgeries.

Methods: 592 patients underwent UGI surgeries with an anastomosis between January 2011 and January 2021.

Arabidopsis TRB proteins function in H3K4me3 demethylation by recruiting JMJ14.

Arabidopsis telomeric repeat binding factors (TRBs) can bind telomeric DNA sequences to protect telomeres from degradation. TRBs can also recruit Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) to deposit tri-methylation of H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) over certain target loci. Here, we demonstrate that TRBs also associate and colocalize with JUMONJI14 (JMJ14) and trigger H3K4me3 demethylation at some loci.

Quaternary ammonium compounds of emerging concern: Classification, occurrence, fate, toxicity and antimicrobial resistance.

Amplified hygiene and precautionary measures are of utmost importance to control the spread of COVID-19 and future infection; however, these changes in practice are projected to trigger a rise in the purchase, utilisation and hence, discharge of many disinfectants into the environment. While alcohol-based, hydrogen peroxide-based, and chlorine-based compounds have been used widely, quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) based disinfectants are of significant concern due to their overuse during this pandemic. This review presents the classification of disinfectants and their mechanism of action, focusing on QACs.

A comparative study of flow cytometry-sorted communities and shotgun viral metagenomics in a Singapore municipal wastewater treatment plant.

Traditional or "bulk" viral enrichment and amplification methods used in viral metagenomics introduce unavoidable bias in viral diversity. This bias is due to shortcomings in existing viral enrichment methods and overshadowing by the more abundant viral populations. To reduce the complexity and improve the resolution of viral diversity, we developed a strategy coupling fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) with random amplification and compared this to bulk metagenomics.

SAMBA: A Multicolor Digital Melting PCR Platform for Rapid Microbiome Profiling.

During the past decade, breakthroughs in sequencing technology have provided the basis for studies of the myriad ways in which microbial communities in and on the human body influence human health and disease. In almost every medical specialty, there is now a growing interest in accurate and quantitative profiling of the microbiota for use in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. However, the current next-generation sequencing approach for microbiome profiling is costly, requires laborious library preparation, and is challenging to scale up for routine diagnostics.

Population-based variations of a core resistome revealed by urban sewage metagenome surveillance.

Sewage-based surveillance is widely employed to understand the occurrence and distribution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in urban community. However, there are limited studies which investigated the sewage of different sources within community. The present study used metagenomics to decipher the AMR profiles in five sources: local residence's source, animal source, migrant workers' source, clinical source , and urban wastewater treatment plant influent.

Development of a Probiotics Practice E-Reference Database for Health Care Professionals.

Purpose: Currently available references provide evidence on the efficacy of probiotics strains but exclude product-specific information, making it challenging for health care professionals (HCPs) to provide consumers with suitable recommendations on probiotics. An online probiotics e-reference database was developed to assist HCPs in delivering evidence-based recommendations on probiotics to consumers. The usability and applicability of the database in health care practice were evaluated.

A new modelling framework for assessing the relative burden of antimicrobial resistance in aquatic environments.

The infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) can lead to higher medical costs, prolonged hospital stays, and increased mortality compared to bacteria that are susceptible to antibiotics. Challenges exist in quantifying the potential risk/burden associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as there is a lack of dose-response models available for pathogens which are resistant to antibiotics, in addition to the fact that very little is known regarding the health risks posed by antibiotic resistant genes (ARG). In this paper, we proposed a new modelling framework to evaluate the relative burden of AMR in natural aquatic environments.

Magnetic fields modulate metabolism and gut microbiome in correlation with Pgc-1α expression: Follow-up to an in vitro magnetic mitohormetic study.

Exercise modulates metabolism and the gut microbiome. Brief exposure to low mT-range pulsing electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) was previously shown to accentuate in vitro myogenesis and mitochondriogenesis by activating a calcium-mitochondrial axis upstream of PGC-1α transcriptional upregulation, recapitulating a genetic response implicated in exercise-induced metabolic adaptations. We compared the effects of analogous PEMF exposure (1.

Genomics and metagenomics of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common cancer globally. It is a complex disease influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Early studies on familial cases have identified major genes involved in CRC, such as proto-oncogenes and , and tumour-suppressor genes and .

Draft Genome Sequences of a Ceftazidime-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Donor and a Conjugal Escherichia coli Recipient with Acquired Resistance.

A ceftazidime-resistant strain was isolated from hospital wastewater and used as the donor in a filter mating experiment with an strain as the recipient. Recipient, donor, and transconjugant were sequenced, and both donor and transconjugant were found to harbor highly similar plasmid sequences, suggesting that plasmid transfer had occurred.

Metagenomic and Resistome Analysis of a Full-Scale Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant in Singapore Containing Membrane Bioreactors.

Reclaimed water provides a water supply alternative to address problems of scarcity in urbanized cities with high living densities and limited natural water resources. In this study, wastewater metagenomes from 6 stages of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) integrating conventional and membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment were evaluated for diversity of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and bacteria, and relative abundance of class 1 integron integrases (). ARGs confering resistance to 12 classes of antibiotics (ARG types) persisted through the treatment stages, which included genes that confer resistance to aminoglycoside '''″, beta-lactams [class A, class C, class D beta-lactamases ( )], chloramphenicol (acetyltransferase, exporters, ), fosmidomycin (), macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (), multidrug resistance (subunits of transporters), polymyxin (), quinolone (), rifamycin (), sulfonamide (), and tetracycline ().

Draft Genome Sequences of Four Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Hospital Wastewater in Singapore.

Four multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were cultured from intensive care unit wastewater. All isolates exhibited resistance to carbapenem and extended-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics. Genome characterization revealed the presence of beta-lactamase resistance genes ( and ), and three out of the four isolates carried the gene encoding resistance against carbapenems.

Microbial water quality and the detection of multidrug resistant E. coli and antibiotic resistance genes in aquaculture sites of Singapore.

Poor microbial water quality jeopardizes the health and safety of food produced by aquaculture farms. Three fish farms and transect sites in Singapore were assessed for microbial water quality and antimicrobial resistance determinants. Of the 33 multidrug resistant E.

Removal of antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in municipal wastewater by membrane bioreactor systems.

Antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are considered new classes of water contaminants due to their potential adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems and human health. This paper provides comprehensive data on the occurrences of 19 antibiotics, bacteria resistant to 10 antibiotics, and 15 ARGs in raw influent and different treatment stages of conventional activated sludge (CAS) and membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems. Seventeen out of the 19 target antibiotics were detected in raw influent with concentrations of up to ten micrograms per liter.

Occurrence and characteristics of extended-spectrum β-lactamase- and carbapenemase- producing bacteria from hospital effluents in Singapore.

One of the most important resistance mechanisms in Gram-negative bacteria today is the production of enzymes causing resistance to cephalosporin and carbapenem antibiotics. The spread of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL)- and carbapenemase- producing Gram-negative bacteria is an emerging global public health problem. The aim of the present study was to (i) assess the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria (CRB) and ESBL-producing strains in sewage effluents from two major hospitals in Singapore, (ii) characterize the isolated strains and (iii) identify some of the ESBL and carbapenemase genes responsible for the resistance.

Corrigendum: Characterization of Metagenomes in Urban Aquatic Compartments Reveals High Prevalence of Clinically Relevant Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Wastewaters.

[This corrects the article on p. 2200 in vol. 8, PMID: 29201017.

Characterization of Metagenomes in Urban Aquatic Compartments Reveals High Prevalence of Clinically Relevant Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Wastewaters.

The dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an escalating problem and a threat to public health. Comparative metagenomics was used to investigate the occurrence of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) in wastewater and urban surface water environments in Singapore. Hospital and municipal wastewater ( = 6) were found to have higher diversity and average abundance of ARGs (303 ARG subtypes, 197,816 x/Gb) compared to treated wastewater effluent ( = 2, 58 ARG subtypes, 2,692 x/Gb) and surface water ( = 5, 35 subtypes, 7,985 x/Gb).

Occurrence of Vibrio species, beta-lactam resistant Vibrio species, and indicator bacteria in ballast and port waters of a tropical harbor.

Ballast water discharges are potential sources for the spread of invasive and pathogenic aquatic organisms. Ballast waters from six ships docked in the Port of Singapore were tested to determine if indictor organisms fell within proposed standards for ballast water discharge according to regulation D-2 of the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) guidelines. Vibrio species were cultured on media supplemented with beta-lactam antibiotics to determine the presence of antibiotic resistant Vibrio species in the ballast waters of these vessels.

Cost of Osteoporotic Fractures in Singapore.

Objectives: To estimate the 3-month direct and indirect costs associated with osteoporotic fractures from both the hospital's and patient's perspectives in Singapore and to compare the cost between acute and prevalent osteoporotic fractures.

Methods: Resource use and expenditure data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires at baseline and at a 3-month follow-up between July 2013 and January 2014. Estimated osteoporotic fracture-related costs included hospitalizations, accident and emergency room visits, outpatient physician visits, laboratory tests, medications, transportation, health care and community services, special equipment and home/car modifications, and productivity loss.

Occurrences and Characterization of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Genetic Determinants of Hospital Wastewater in a Tropical Country.

Wastewater discharged from clinical isolation and general wards at two hospitals in Singapore was examined to determine the emerging trends of antibiotic resistance (AR). We quantified the concentrations of 12 antibiotic compounds by analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), the class 1 integrase gene (intI1), and 16 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) that confer resistance to 10 different clinically relevant antibiotics. A subset of 119 antibiotic-resistant isolates were phylogenetically classified and tested for the presence of ARGs encoding resistance to β-lactam antibiotics (bla, bla, bla, bla), amikacin [aac(6')-Ib], co-trimoxazole (sul1, sul2, dfrA), ciprofloxacin (qnrA, qnrB), and the intI1 gene.

Identification of antibiotic resistant bacteria community and a GeoChip based study of resistome in urban watersheds.

Urban watersheds from point sources are potential reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, few studies have investigated urban watersheds of non-point sources. To understand the type of ARGs and bacteria that might carry such genes, we investigated two non-point source urban watersheds with different land-use profiles.