Retention in care among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a low-resource setting.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the retention in care among a cohort of Egyptian people living with HIV (PLWHIV).

Method: The study was conducted on PLWHIV attending Kasr Alainy HIV and Viral Hepatitis Centre, Cairo, Egypt, from January 1, 2019, to March 31, 2023. PLWHIV were considered not retained in care if there was no documented clinical visit or HIV viral load (VL) or CD4 count test for more than 6 months from their last recorded visit or test.

Accumulation of antibiotics in the environment: Have appropriate measures been taken to protect Canadian human and ecological health?

In Canada, every day, contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) are discharged from waste treatment facilities into freshwaters. CECs such as pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs), personal care products (PCPs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and microplastics are legally discharged from sewage treatment plants (STPs), water reclamation plants (WRPs), hospital wastewater treatment plants (HWWTPs), or other forms of wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs). In 2006, the Government of Canada established the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) to classify chemicals based on a risk-priority assessment, which ranked many CECs such as PhACs as being of low urgency, therefore permitting these substances to continue being released into the environment at unmonitored rates.

Impact of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) on secondary sludge microorganisms: removal, potential toxicity, and their implications on existing wastewater treatment regulations in Canada.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are two of the most commonly researched per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Globally, many long-chain PFAS compounds including PFOS and PFOA are highly regulated and, in some countries, PFAS use in commercial products is strictly prohibited. Despite the legal regulation of these 'forever chemicals' under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, PFOA and PFOS compounds are still found in high concentrations in discharges from wastewater treatment plants, both from liquid and sludge streams.

The significance of fluorinated compound chain length, treatment technology, and influent composition on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances removal in worldwide wastewater treatment plants.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are deemed major conveyors and point sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the environment. This statistical meta-analysis of existing literature from the past 15 years focused on the significance of treatment type for PFAS removal efficiencies and the influence of PFAS sources (domestic vs. industrial) on their removal.

Energy and reliability analysis of wastewater treatment plants in small communities in Ontario.

This paper presents energy and reliability analyses of eight wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) operating in small communities in Ontario, Canada, with rated capacities ranging from 60 to 4,400 m/d. Five different treatment technologies were investigated, namely, rotating biological contactor (RBC), sequencing batch reactor (SBR), membrane bioreactor (MBR), lagoon, and extended aeration activated sludge process (EAAS). Energy benchmarking based on key performance indicators (KPIs) was used to quantify the specific consumption of energy in WWTPs per unit of the pollutant removed.

Enhancement of denitrification efficiency using municipal and industrial waste fermentation liquids as external carbon sources.

The addition of external carbon source for nitrogen removal from wastewater is an essential step in wastewater treatment. In this study, various external carbon sources from the fermentation of primary sludge (PS), thickened waste activated sludge (TWAS), food waste (FW), bakery processing & kitchen waste (BP + KW), fat, oil, & grease (FOG), and whey powder (WP) were successfully employed for wastewater denitrification. Methanol and acetate were also used as controls due to their common use as external carbon sources for wastewater denitrification.

Development of an ensemble of machine learning algorithms to model aerobic granular sludge reactors.

Machine learning models provide an adaptive tool to predict the performance of treatment reactors under varying operational and influent conditions. Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is still an emerging technology and does not have a long history of full-scale application. There is, therefore, a scarcity of long-term data in this field, which impacted the development of data-driven models.

Aerobic granular sludge membrane bioreactor (AGMBR): Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) analysis.

Aerobic granular sludge membrane bioreactor (AGMBR) has emerged with strong potential to overcome membrane fouling. There have been no extensive studies on extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in AGMBR. The present work aimed at conducting an in-depth study of EPS and monitoring fouling development in AGMBR using a 2 factorial design having hydraulic retention time (HRT) and total organic carbon (TOC) as independent variables.

Optimization of organics to nutrients (COD:N:P) ratio for aerobic granular sludge treating high-strength organic wastewater.

The present study attempted to optimize the nutrients required for biological growth and biomass synthesis in the treatment of high-strength organics wastewater using aerobic granular sludge (AGS). Three identical sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were used to cultivate aerobic granules at COD concentration of ~5000 mg/L at COD:N:P ratios of 100:2.8:0.

Impact of food-to-microorganisms ratio on the stability of aerobic granular sludge treating high-strength organic wastewater.

This work investigated the long-term stability of aerobic granular sludge treating high-strength organic wastewater in a semi-pilot scale sequential batch reactor (SBR). The reactor was operated for 316 days under different operational conditions. It was found that the F/M ratio is an important parameter affecting granules formation and stability.

Performance prediction of an aerobic granular SBR using modular multilayer artificial neural networks.

Aerobic granulation is a complex process that, while proven to be more effective than conventional treatment methods, has been a challenge to control and maintain stable operation. This work presents a static data-driven model to predict the key performance indicators of the aerobic granulation process. The first sub-model receives influent characteristics and granular sludge properties.

Assessment of spiramycin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles treatment on acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in mice.

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease with worldwide distribution. Chitosan is a natural polymer which is commonly used in the production of nanomedicines. It is known to enable higher drug permeation, being biocompatible and has very low toxicity, besides its antimicrobial effects.

Paeoniflorin targets apoptosis and ameliorates fibrosis in murine schistosomiasis mansoni: A novel insight.

Schistosomiasis is a chronic helminthic disease causing hepatic fibrosis. Some studies demonstrated direct effect of targeting apoptosis on fibrosis regression. This study is a novel trial of Paeoniflorin (PAE) on S.

Anti-angiogenic and anti-lymphangiogenic role of praziquantel and artemether in experimental mansoniasis.

Angiogenesis is one of the pillars of neoplasia. Lymphangiogenesis in context of granulomas is not yet understood. This study aimed to evaluate the role of praziquantel (PZQ) and artemether (ART) as anti-angiogenic and anti-lymphangiogenic drugs in Schistosoma mansoni induced experimental hepatic model through immunohistochemical and serological studies, this can be used as a potential novel prophylactic approach in hepatic malignancy prevention and possible management.

Protein Z and Endothelin-1 genetic polymorphisms in pediatric Egyptian sickle cell disease patients.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a monogenic disease associated with multisystem morbidity. Vasculopathy caused by delicate imbalance between coagulation and endothelial systems plays a pivotal role in disease course. As Protein Z and Endothelin-1 genetic polymorphisms may increase the thrombotic risk, the aim of the current work was to verify the possible impact of Protein Z (PROZ G79A) and Endothelin-1 (EDN1 G5665T) polymorphisms on the clinic-laboratory features of the SCD in a cohort of Egyptian pediatric patients.

Membrane fouling control in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) using granular materials.

Membrane fouling is considered the major limitation of membrane bioreactors (MBRs). This paper provides an overview on fouling mitigation in MBRs using granular materials. Adsorbents addition extends filtration period, improves critical flux as well as sludge properties (increased flocs size, reduced soluble EPS, improved dewaterability).

Augmenting Lagoon Process Using Reactivated Freeze-dried Biogranules.

This study investigated the feasibility of using freeze-dried biogranules in lagoon basins. The effect of different operational conditions on treatment performance and detention time of granule-based lagoons was examined in a series of laboratory-scale batch studies. Optimal granule dosage was 0.

ASSESSING THE EFFICACY OF NITAZOXANIDE IN TREATMENT OF CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS USING PCR EXAMINATION.

Cryptosporidiosis is a gastrointestinal disease of humans and other animals, caused by the genus Cryptosporidium spp. It causes persistent diarrhea and malnutrition and is associated with increased mortality. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of nitazoxanide (NTZ) on clearing the oocysts of C.

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE HEMOCYTES OF SUSCEPTIBLE AND RESISTANT BIOMPHALARIA ALEXANDRINA SNAIL.

The internal defense system consists of soluble components of hemolymph and circulating cells known as hemocytes. The circulating hemocytes play a central role in innate immunity. This work aimed to study the hemocytes of both susceptible and resistant B.

COMPARISON BETWEEN KATO-KATZ THICK SMEAR AND SEDIMENTATION TECHNIQUES IN DIAGNOSIS OF FAECAL-ORALLY TRANSMITTED HELMINTHES AND OTHER GEOHELMINTHES.

Kato-Katz technique is widely used for the diagnosis of Fecal-orally transmitted helminthic infections. It is relatively simple and inexpensive. However, a single slide prepared from a single stool specimen has low sensitivity, particularly in light infections.

Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Technology for Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation: Membrane Fouling.

The membrane bioreactor (MBR) has emerged as an efficient compact technology for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. The major drawback impeding wider application of MBRs is membrane fouling, which significantly reduces membrane performance and lifespan, resulting in a significant increase in maintenance and operating costs. Finding sustainable membrane fouling mitigation strategies in MBRs has been one of the main concerns over the last two decades.

Relationship between serum cytokines profiles and hepatic fibrosis in schistosomiasis mansoni: an experimental study.

Forty of eighty mice (10 each group) were infected with S. mansoni cercariae and sacrificed at 3 weeks (G-A), 6 weeks (G-B), 12 weeks (G-C) and 16 weeks (G-D) post infection (P.I).