Publications by authors named "Cynthia C Beaver"
Article Synopsis
- Wastewater can help scientists understand public health by showing how germs and viruses are present in communities over time and space.
- Researchers studied wastewater in Miami Dade County from 2020 to 2022 to track different viruses and bacteria, linking them to COVID-19 cases in hospitals and universities.
- They found harmful germs and bacteria in the water, showing connections between wastewater, human health, and the use of antibiotics, which can help improve public health decisions in the future.
Article Synopsis
- - Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is used to monitor COVID-19 infections by detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, with the effectiveness possibly changing due to virus mutations over time.
- - This study examined wastewater samples from the University of Miami and Miami-Dade County across different COVID-19 variant periods, comparing RNA levels to clinical COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
- - While correlations were generally strong, they varied by variant; the Omicron period showed a steeper relationship between wastewater RNA levels and case numbers, while the Initial wave had the strongest correlation for hospitalizations.
Clinical testing has been a vital part of the response to and suppression of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, testing imposes significant burdens on a population. College students had to contend with clinical testing while simultaneously dealing with health risks and the academic pressures brought on by quarantines, changes to virtual platforms, and other disruptions to daily life. The objective of this study was to analyze whether wastewater surveillance can be used to decrease the intensity of clinical testing while maintaining reliable measurements of diseases incidence on campus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWastewater, which contains everything from pathogens to pollutants, is a geospatially-and temporally-linked microbial fingerprint of a given population. As a result, it can be leveraged for monitoring multiple dimensions of public health across locales and time. Here, we integrate targeted and bulk RNA sequencing (n=1,419 samples) to track the viral, bacterial, and functional content over geospatially distinct areas within Miami Dade County from 2020-2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnderstanding Cancer Survivorship among Firefighters: A Mixed-Method Study.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
December 2022
Article Synopsis
- Firefighters face increased cancer risks due to exposure to carcinogens in their work environment, but research on their survivorship experiences is limited.
- A study involving 29 firefighters who have had cancer revealed themes around managing health changes, navigating support systems, and the need for additional resources.
- Survey results indicated lower emotional well-being among firefighters compared to physical, social, and functional well-being, highlighting the demand for targeted support groups and training resources to aid in cancer survivorship.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater has been used to track community infections of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), providing critical information for public health interventions. Since levels in wastewater are dependent upon human inputs, we hypothesize that tracking infections can be improved by normalizing wastewater concentrations against indicators of human waste [Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (PMMoV), β-2 Microglobulin (B2M), and fecal coliform]. In this study, we analyzed SARS-CoV-2 and indicators of human waste in wastewater from two sewersheds of different scales: a University campus and a wastewater treatment plant.
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