Perceptual link between inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) stressors and common mental symptoms in Ethiopian health workers: A qualitative study.

Background: Despite the rising prevalence of common mental symptoms, information is scarce on how health workers make sense of symptoms of mental disorders and perceive a link with inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) as work stressors to understand causation and produce useful knowledge for policy and professionals. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how health workers perceive the link between inadequate WASH and common mental symptoms (CMSs) at hospitals in central and southern Ethiopian regions.

Methods: We used an interpretive and descriptive phenomenological design guided by theoretical frameworks.

Phase III study of bilayer sustained-release tramadol tablets in patients with cancer pain: a double-blind parallel-group, non-inferiority study with immediate-release tramadol capsules as an active comparator.

Purpose: We investigated whether twice-daily administration of a bilayer tablet formulation of tramadol (35% immediate-release [IR] and 65% sustained-release) is as effective as four-times-daily IR tramadol capsules for managing cancer pain.

Methods: This randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active-comparator, non-inferiority study enrolled opioid-naïve patients using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or acetaminophen (paracetamol) to manage cancer pain and self-reported pain (mean value over 3 days ≥ 25 mm on a 100-mm visual analog scale [VAS]). Patients were randomized to either bilayer tablets or IR capsules for 14 days.

Effect of handwashing on the reduction of Escherichia coli on children's hands in an urban slum Indonesia.

Poor hand hygiene practice has been linked to an increase in the number of infections among children in urban slums. Hands are considered an intersection for bacterial transmission, but it is unclear whether the handwashing technique affects bacteria elimination. This study investigated the effect of handwashing on the concentration of Escherichia coli (E.

Challenges to Accurate Estimation of Methane Emission from Septic Tanks with Long Emptying Intervals.

Septic tanks in low- and middle-income countries are often not emptied for a long time, potentially resulting in poor pollutant removal efficiency and increased greenhouse gas emissions, including methane (CH). We examined the impact of long emptying intervals (4.0-23 years) on the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal efficiency of 15 blackwater septic tanks and the CH emission rates of 23 blackwater septic tanks in Hanoi.

Urban Sanitation: New Terminology for Globally Relevant Solutions?

Progress toward Sustainable Development Goals for global access to safe sanitation is lagging significantly. In this Feature, we propose that misleading terminology leads to errors of categorization and hinders progress toward sanitation service provision in urban areas. Binary classifications such as "offsite/onsite" and "sewered/nonsewered" do not capture the need for "transport to treatment" or the complexity of urban sanitation and should be discarded.

A simplified material flow analysis employing local expert judgment and its impact on uncertainty.

Unlabelled: Material flow analysis (MFA) is an effective tool for waste management, but low- and middle-income countries lack essential data for MFA. This study proposed a simplified MFA (sMFA) utilizing local expert judgment (LEJ) and examining the impact of simplification on its uncertainty. A stochastic sMFA model was developed for nitrogen and phosphorus in urban Mandalay, Myanmar.

Machine-learning-aided application of high-gravity technology to enhance ammonia recovery of fresh waste leachate.

Stripping is widely applied for the removal of ammonia from fresh waste leachate. However, the development of air stripping technology is restricted by the requirements for large-scale equipment and long operation periods. This paper describes a high-gravity technology that improves ammonia stripping from actual fresh waste leachate and a machine learning approach that predicts the stripping performance under different operational parameters.

Several Small or Single Large? Quantifying the Catchment-Wide Performance of On-Site Wastewater Treatment Plants with Inaccurate Sensors.

On-site wastewater treatment plants (OSTs) often lack monitoring, resulting in unreliable treatment performance. They thus appear to be a stopgap solution despite their potential contribution to circular water management. Low-maintenance but inaccurate soft sensors are emerging that address this concern.

Detection of Escherichia coli, rotavirus, and Cryptosporidium spp. from drinking water, kitchenware, and flies in a periurban community of Lusaka, Zambia.

Fecal contamination with a poor water, sanitation and hygiene environment in urban informal settlements poses diarrhea risks. Little information is available on the contamination of environmental media with enteric pathogens in such settlements. We investigated the contamination of Escherichia coli, rotavirus, and Cryptosporidium spp.

Human source identification by using a human-associated Escherichia coli genetic marker in the Mae Klong River, Thailand.

Contamination caused by microbial fecal pollution in water bodies is a serious problem in many countries, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, fecal source tracking is an important method used to understand the source of fecal contamination and to decrease the hazard of waterborne diseases that occurs in the environment. In this study, a human-associated genetic marker for Escherichia coli (H8) was used to investigate the source of fecal contamination in the Mae Klong River, Thailand.

Seasonal and gender impacts on fecal exposure trends in an urban slum.

Seasonal and gender impacts have not been well considered in fecal exposure assessment, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study examined the seasonal and gender impacts on fecal exposure trends in children through daily living activities in an urban slum in Bangladesh. We determined Escherichia coli concentrations in seven types of environmental samples (n = 232) and the activity data of children via diary recording, questionnaires, and interview surveys.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Blackwater Septic Systems.

Septic systems are potentially a significant source of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The present study investigated GHGs from the blackwater septic systems that are widely used especially in low- and middle-income countries. Ten blackwater septic tanks in Hanoi, Vietnam, were investigated using the floating chamber method.

Evaluation of a human-associated genetic marker for Escherichia coli (H8) for fecal source tracking in Thailand.

High levels of microbial fecal pollution are a major concern in many countries. A human-associated genetic marker for Escherichia coli (H8) has recently been developed for fecal source tracking. The assessment of the H8 marker performance is crucial before it can be applied as a suitable method for fecal source tracking in each country.

Clinically significant changes in pain along the Pain Intensity Numerical Rating Scale in patients with chronic low back pain.

Low back pain (LBP) is the most common cause of chronic pain. Numerous clinical scales are available for evaluating pain, but their objective criteria in the management of LBP patients remain unclear. This study aimed to determine an objective cutoff value for a change in the Pain Intensity Numerical Rating Scale (ΔPI-NRS) three months after LBP treatment.

Informal Emptying Business in Mandalay: Its Reasons and Financial Impacts.

Globally, 2.8 billion people use on-site sanitation facilities, which need regular emptying of accumulated fecal sludge. Illegal dumping from informal emptying businesses, one of the major challenges in environmental management, is widely observed.

Comprehensive assessment of handwashing and faecal contamination among elementary school children in an urban slum of Indonesia.

Objective: Globally, the challenge of handwashing with soap (HWWS) still exists despite the importance of HWWS being shown previously. This study aimed to evaluate faecal contamination on the hands of children and to find factors related to faecal contamination from handwashing techniques, HWWS, knowledge and awareness of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and a comprehensive WASH index.

Methods: The study was conducted at two elementary schools with 169 children in a densely populated area of Bandung, Indonesia.

Effects of nutrient supply and nutrient ratio on diversity-productivity relationships of phytoplankton in the Cau Hai lagoon, Vietnam.

Diversity and productivity of primary producers are known to be influenced simultaneously by resource availability and resource ratio, but the relative importance of these two factors differed among studies and so far only entire phytoplankton communities were investigated which might ignore specific nutrient requirements and stoichiometric plasticity of different functional groups. We measured nutrient availability (DIN, total N [TN], total P [TP]), nutrient imbalance (TN:TP, DIN:TP, N:P), species richness, and abundance of the whole phytoplankton community, as well as those specific for cyanobacteria, diatoms, and dinoflagellates in Cau Hai lagoon in Vietnam. We determined the correlation among these variables, using structural equation modeling.

High time-resolution simulation of E. coli on hands reveals large variation in microbial exposures amongst Vietnamese farmers using human excreta for agriculture.

Infectious disease transmission is frequently mediated by the environment, where people's movements through and interactions with the environment dictate risks of infection and/or illness. Capturing these interactions, and quantifying their importance, offers important insights into effective interventions. In this study, we capture high time-resolution activity data for twenty-five Vietnamese farmers during collection and land application of human excreta for agriculture.

Comparison of the protective effects of direct ischemic preconditioning and remote ischemic preconditioning in a rabbit model of transient spinal cord ischemia.

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the relative potency of direct ischemic preconditioning (DIPC) and remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) for protection against ischemic spinal cord injury in rabbits and to explore the mechanisms involved.

Methods: In experiment 1, we compared the neurological and histopathological outcomes of DIPC, kidney RIPC, and limb RIPC. The DIPC and kidney RIPC groups received two cycles of 5-min occlusion/15-min reperfusion of the abdominal aorta and left renal artery, respectively.

Cross-country analysis of faecal sludge dewatering.

Dewatering of faecal sludge (FS) is indispensable for adequate FS management. However, comprehensive knowledge is lacking on FS dewatering performance. This study compared the dewatering performance of FS from different countries and onsite sanitation technologies, to assess influential characteristics on dewatering, and to compare dewatering performance of FS with wastewater sludge.

Characterization of Pathogenic Escherichia coli in River Water by Simultaneous Detection and Sequencing of 14 Virulence Genes.

The occurrence of pathogenic Escherichia coli in environmental waters increases the risk of waterborne disease. In this study, 14 virulence genes in 669 E. coli isolates (549 isolates from the Yamato River in Japan, and 30 isolates from each of the following hosts: humans, cows, pigs, and chickens) were simultaneously quantified by multiplex PCR and dual index sequencing to determine the prevalence of potentially pathogenic E.

Worldwide surveys of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in water environment in recent years.

Recently, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have been noted as causes of some of the important environmental problems in recent years due to their occurrences and properties. The most commonly used PFCs are perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which have been used in many kinds of products. They have been found in surface water and tap water in both developed and developing countries around the world including in North America, Europe and Asia.