A comparison between constructed wetland substrates: Impacts on microbial community and wastewater treatment.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) can play a crucial role in treating wastewater, and in the context of this study, the distillation byproduct of the whisky industry known as 'spent lees'. Here, we assess several different CW substrates (pea gravel, LECA and Alfagrog), with and without the addition of 20% biochar, in mesocosms set up to treat spent lees. Among the substrates tested, LECA + biochar and gravel + biochar showed promising results, with greater dissolved copper (dissCu) reduction, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, organic carbon (OC) reduction, and pH modulation.

Evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder is widely unavailable and often discouraged by providers of residential substance use services in North Carolina.

Introduction: Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is the only treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) proven to reduce overdose mortality, yet access to this evidence-based treatment remains poor. The purpose of this cross-sectional audit study was to assess OAT availability at residential substance use services in North Carolina.

Methods: We conducted a state-wide inventory of residential substance use service providers in North Carolina and subsequently called all providers identified, posing as uninsured persons who use heroin, seeking treatment services.

Patterns of Self-Reported Mental Health Symptoms and Treatment among People Booked into a Large Metropolitan County Jail.

The Brief Jail Mental Health Screen (BJMHS) is one of the most well-known and frequently used tools to conduct routine mental health screening at jail intake. In prior research, the BJMHS results typically have been evaluated overall (i.e.

Propylene glycol toxicity in an adolescent secondary to chronic cornstarch ingestion.

Propylene glycol (PG) is a diol (a double alcohol) that is commonly used as a food additive to preserve shelf life and enhance flavors, texture, and appearance. Although PG makes up only a small percentage of cornstarch, ingestion of large doses can cause lactic acidosis leading to hyperosmolarity, high anion gap metabolic acidosis (HAGMA), and a sepsis-like syndrome. A 17-year-old female presented to our emergency department (ED) with chronic chest pain, dyspnea, nausea, and vomiting.

Sleep behavioral outcomes of school-based interventions for promoting sleep health in children and adolescents aged 5 to 18 years: a systematic review.

Study Objectives: Insufficient sleep is common among children and adolescents, and can contribute to poor health. School-based interventions potentially could improve sleep behavior due to their broad reach, but their effectiveness is unclear. This systematic review focused on the effects of school-based interventions on sleep behavior among children and adolescents aged 5 to 18 years.

Comparing DNA isolation and sequencing strategies for 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis in biofilm containing environments.

Bacteria are primarily responsible for biological water treatment processes in constructed wetland systems. Gravel in constructed wetlands serves as an essential substrate onto which complex bacterial biofilms may successfully grow and evolve. To fully understand the bacterial community in these systems it is crucial to properly isolate biofilms and process DNA from such substrates.

Prosecuting overdose: An exploratory study of prosecutorial motivations for drug-induced homicide prosecutions in North Carolina.

Background: Prosecutorial use of drug-induced homicide (DIH) laws varies, and their public health impacts are poorly understood. This mixed-methods study explores associations between the number of DIH charges filed in North Carolina's 42 prosecutorial districts and district-level characteristics. Further, it documents the experience and views of North Carolina prosecutors on DIH cases.

The Landscape of Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing in Reproductive Health Contexts: An Analytical Framework of Stakeholders and Their Competing Motivations.

We propose a theoretical framework that identifies (a) the different categories of stakeholders and (b) the normative values that drive their attitudes toward direct-to-consumer genetic testing, with an emphasis on the reproductive health contexts. We conducted a literature search using varied combinations of search terms, including direct-to-consumer genetic testing, decision-making, reproductive health, and policy. Using a grounded theory approach to existing literature and in combination with a narrative review, we present a systematic framework of five categories of stakeholders (i.

Healthy together Victoria and childhood obesity study: effects of a large scale, community-based cluster randomised trial of a systems thinking approach for the prevention of childhood obesity among secondary school students 2014-2016.

Background: Healthy Together Victoria (HTV) was a Victorian Government initiative that sought to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity through targeting chronic disease risk factors including physical activity, poor diet quality, smoking, and harmful alcohol use. The intervention involved a boosted workforce of > 170 local-level staff in 12 communities; employed to deliver system activation around health and wellbeing for individuals, families and communities. A cluster randomised trial (CRT) of a systems thinking approach to obesity prevention was embedded within HTV.

Paediatric shadowing: a student-led initiative to increase medical student interest in paediatric careers.

Introduction: Clinical exposure to paediatrics increases student interest in the specialty. However, the paediatric placement is relatively short and usually falls towards the end of medical school in the UK. A student-led shadowing scheme was developed to provide opportunities for medical students, including those at an early stage, to experience clinical paediatrics.

Mental health consequences of COVID-19 suppression strategies in Victoria, Australia: a narrative review.

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed significant mental health burdens upon the general population worldwide, either directly owing to the disease or indirectly through aggressive public health measures to control spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. In this narrative review, we used a systematic approach to summarize the impact of restrictive lockdown measures on the general mental health of people living in Victoria, Australia during 2020 and to identify the groups with an increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes. A systematic database search (Ovid Medline, PsycINFO, Embase) for articles examining the mental health of Victorians in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 yielded 88 articles, of which 15 articles were finally included in this review.

Maximising signal-to-noise ratios in environmental DNA-based monitoring.

Man's impacts on global ecosystems are increasing and there is a growing demand that these activities be appropriately monitored. Monitoring requires measurement of a response metric ('signal') that changes maximally and consistently in response to the monitored activity irrespective of other factors ('noise'), thus maximising the signal-to-noise ratio. Indices derived from time-consuming morphology-based taxonomic identification of organisms are a core part of many monitoring programmes.

"They don't go by the law around here": law enforcement interactions after the legalization of syringe services programs in North Carolina.

Background: In 2016, the US state of North Carolina (NC) legalized syringe services programs (SSPs), providing limited immunity from misdemeanor syringe possession when law enforcement is presented documentation that syringes were obtained from an SSP. This study explores the law enforcement interactions experienced by SSP participants since the enactment of this law.

Methods: This study used a convergent, mixed-methods design consisting of structured surveys and semi-structured interviews with SSP participants in seven NC counties.

α-Tocopherol Pharmacokinetics in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis: Benefits of Supplemental Vitamin C Administration.

Background: Numerous abnormalities in cystic fibrosis (CF) could influence tocopherol absorption, transportation, storage, metabolism and excretion. We hypothesized that the oxidative distress due to inflammation in CF increases vitamin E utilization, which could be positively influenced by supplemental vitamin C administration.

Methods: Immediately before and after receiving vitamin C (500 mg) twice daily for 3.

The pharmacotherapeutic options in patients with catecholamine-resistant vasodilatory shock.

Introduction: Septic and vasoplegic shock are common types of vasodilatory shock (VS) with high mortality. After fluid resuscitation and the use of catecholamine-mediated vasopressors (CMV), vasopressin, angiotensin II, methylene blue (MB), and hydroxocobalamin can be added to maintain blood pressure.

Areas Covered: VS treatment utilizes a phased approach with secondary vasopressors added to vasopressor agents to maintain an acceptable mean arterial pressure (MAP).

Upscale fermenter design for lactic acid production from cheese whey permeate focusing on impeller selection and energy optimization.

Unlabelled: This study focusses on the design and scale-up of industrial lactic acid production by fermentation of dairy cheese whey permeate based on standard methodological parameters. The aim was to address the shortcomings of standard scale-up methodologies and provide a framework for fermenter scale-up that enables the accurate estimation of energy consumption by suitable selection of turbine and speed for industrial deployment. Moreover, life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out to identify the potential impacts and possibilities to reduce the operation associated emissions at an early stage.

Epidemiology, clinical presentations and outcome of patients presenting to the emergency department after a COVID-19 vaccination: An observational study.

Objective: The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020. In 2021, several vaccines were provisionally approved to reduce the risk of transmission and hospitalisation of COVID-19 infection. A surge in COVID-19 vaccination was seen between August and October 2021 in Victoria, Australia.

The Sleep-Obesity Nexus: Assessment of Multiple Sleep Dimensions and Weight Status Among Victorian Primary School Children.

Purpose: To examine the association between sleep and weight status across multiple dimensions of sleep (duration, efficiency, quality and timing) and assess the cumulative influence of these dimensions on the overall sleep-obesity association.

Participants And Methods: Cross-sectional data from 2253 students aged 8.8 to 13.

The Sexual Communication Discrepancy Index: A Multidimensional Self-Report Instrument for the Assessment of Sexual Communication Discrepancies.

Sexual communication offers relational and sexual benefits. However, the sexual communication occurring in an individual's relationship may be incongruent with their expectations for such communication. Such discrepancies can affect partners' relationships and are important to examine.

Multiplexed measurement of candidate blood protein biomarkers of heart failure.

Aims: There is a critical need for better biomarkers so that heart failure can be diagnosed at an earlier stage and with greater accuracy. The purpose of this study was to design a robust mass spectrometry (MS)-based assay for the simultaneous measurement of a panel of 35 candidate protein biomarkers of heart failure, in blood. The overall aim was to evaluate the potential clinical utility of this biomarker panel for prediction of heart failure in a cohort of 500 patients.

Assessing the role of the universal addition of CT thorax to CT abdomen and pelvis in the COVID era. A retrospective multicentre cohort study.

Objective: The SARS-CoV2 infection is associated with high mortality for individuals who undergo emergency surgery. The United Kingdom surgical associations and Colleges of Surgeons collectively recommended the addition of CT Thorax to all emergency CT abdomen/pelvis imaging in order to help identify possible COVID-19 patients. Early identification of these patients would lead to optimal treatment strategies for the patient and protection for staff members.