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The wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has the potential to monitor public health emergencies via the analysis of human urinary biomarkers in wastewater. This work proposes a novel approach utilizing WBE for the spatial and temporal evaluation of PAHs exposure using hydroxyl derivatives of PAHs. These are 1-hydroxynaphthalene, 2-hydroxynaphthalene, 2-hydroxyfluorene, 9-hydroxyfluorene, 9-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1-hydroxypyrene and 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene. Most target markers were found at quantifiable concentrations in raw and treated wastewater. The total loads identified in raw sewage ranged from 88.33 g/day to 154.77 g/day during the summer period and from 137.66 g/day to 283.78 2 g/day during the winter period. The obtained results for the removal efficiencies of OH-PAHs indicate a seasonal dependency in their degradation. Removal efficiencies were higher in January compared to August. The results of the back calculations allowed to estimate that during the summer, on average, a resident of Krakow could absorb approximately 2.1 µg of the assessed OH-PAHs per day, while in winter, this value increased to 4.1 µg. This is close to the reported in the literature value that the total daily exposure to OH-PAHs is estimated at 3 µg/day. Moreover, the risk quotation (RQ) values on the base of acute and chronic data base for compounds present in effluents were calculated. The RQ values in January were relatively low, but in August the RQ values were higher, indicating a high concentration of effluent and nitrogen in summer as these compounds were removed in winter and summer. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first time wastewater profiling of OH-PAHs in wastewater for the evaluation of exposure to PAHs have been used, also their removal as well emission with effluent were determined., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The production of organic-mineral fertilizers from sewage sludge is one of the ecological options in their management. Though, pharmaceuticals and their derivatives, which accumulate in the sludge, could be a problem due to their impacts on the environment. This manuscript aimed at better understanding of risks posed by antimicrobial agents (AAs) in sludge-based fertilizers. Sewage sludge and sewage-based fertilizers (from two sewage treatment plants in two cities in Poland) were tested for 99 AAs. 26 AAs were detected in the sludge at concentrations reaching 112,000 μg/kg. Several AAs were successfully removed during the sludge treatment process (sulfasalazine, sulfapyridine, isoniazid, isonicotinic acid, erythromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin N-desmethyl, clarithromycin N-desmethyl, azithromycin N-desmethyl, emtricitabine, ANP) with reduction ranging from 34 % to 96,5 %. It is worth noting that penicillin V and ofloxacin/levofloxacin were recorded at higher concentrations in the fertilizer than in the sludge, which indicates the process of concentration of these AAs as a result of drying the fertilizer. Penicillin V content increased by 153 % and 191 % in WWTP 1 and WWTP 2 samples, respectively. The level of ofloxacin/levofloxacin increased by 70 % in fertilizer from WWTP 1, and decreased by 40 % in fertilizer from WWTP 2. The AAs leaching test revealed that 7 AAs (isoniazid, sulfapyridine, ofloxacin/levofloxacin, clindamycin, azithromycin, isonicotinic acid, pyrazinoic acid 5-hydroxy-) have potential to leach into the receiving soil environment after sludge-based fertilizer application. The risk factor (RQ) for sulfapyridine, ofloxacin/levofloxacin, isonicotinic acid and linezolid was too low to estimate, below 0.1, so the risk has mild environmental impacts. An RQ value of isoniazid and clindamycin ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 indicates a low risk to soil. Azithromycin RQ >36 denoted a high environmental risk. This warrants further study to understand risks from AAs present in sludge-based products., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This longitudinal study tests correlations between antimicrobial agents (AA) and corresponding antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) generated by a community of >100 k people inhabiting one city (Bath) over a 13 month randomised monitoring programme of community wastewater. Several AAs experienced seasonal fluctuations, such as the macrolides erythromycin and clarithromycin that were found in higher loads in winter, whilst other AA levels, including sulfamethoxazole and sulfapyridine, stayed consistent over the study period. Interestingly, and as opposed to AAs, ARGs prevalence was found to be less variable, which indicates that fluctuations in AA usage might either not directly affect ARG levels or this process spans beyond the 13-month monitoring period. However, it is important to note that weekly positive correlations between individual associated AAs and ARGs were observed where seasonal variability in AA use was reported: ermB and macrolides CLR-clarithromycin and dmCLR-N-desmethyl clarithromycin, aSPY- N-acetyl sulfapyridine and sul1, and OFX-ofloxacin and qnrS. Furthermore, ARG loads normalised to 16S rRNA (gene load per microorganism) were positively correlated to the ARG loads normalised to the human population (gene load per capita), which indicates that the abundance of microorganisms is proportional to the size of human population and that the community size, and not AA levels, is a major driver of ARG levels in wastewater. Comparison of hospital and community wastewater showed higher number of AAs and their metabolites, their frequency of occurrence and concentrations in hospital wastewater. Examples include: LZD-linezolid (used only in severe bacterial infections) and AMX-amoxicillin (widely used, also in community but with very low wastewater stability) that were found only in hospital wastewater. CIP-ciprofloxacin, SMX-sulfamethoxazole, TMP-trimethoprim, MTZ-metronidazole and macrolides were found at much higher concentrations in hospital wastewater while TET-tetracycline and OTC-oxytetracycline, as well as antiretrovirals, had an opposite trend. In contrast, comparable concentrations of resistant genes were observed in both community and hospital wastewater. This supports the hypothesis that AMR levels are more of an endemic nature, developing over time in individual communities. Both hospital and community wastewater had AAs that exceeded PNEC values (e.g. CLR-clarithromycin, CIP-ciprofloxacin). In general, though, hospital effluents had a greater number of quantifiable AAs exceeding PNECs (e.g. SMX-sulfamethoxazole, ERY-erythromycin, TMP-trimethoprim). Hospitals are therefore an important consideration in AMR surveillance as could be high risk areas for AMR., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

There has been a significant increase in antimicrobial agents (AAs) usage, globally - however the relative consumption is unevenly distributed between nations. Inappropriate use of antibiotics can harbour inherent antimicrobial resistance (AMR); therefore, it is important to understand and monitor community-wide prescribing and consumption behaviours throughout different communities around the world. Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) is a novel tool enabling low cost and large scale studies focussed on AA usage patterns. The back-calculation of community antimicrobial intake was performed from quantities measured in municipal wastewater and informal settlement discharge in the city of Stellenbosch, utilising WBE. Seventeen antimicrobials, and their human metabolites, were evaluated, in concordance with prescription records corresponding to the catchment region. The proportional excretion, biological/chemical stability, and method recovery of each analyte were all crucial factors in the efficacy of the calculation. Mass per day measurements were normalised to the catchment area via population estimates. Municipal wastewater treatment plant population estimates were used to normalise the wastewater samples and prescription data (mg/day/1000 inhabitants). Population estimates for the informal settlements were less accurate due to a lack of reliable sources that were relevant to the sampling time period. Both mass loads and normalised loads suggested higher than average usage throughout the settlements, relative to municipal wastewater. This was seen most prominently in emtricitabine and lamivudine; but also, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, sulfadiazine, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and doxycycline. Urban water fingerprinting (UWF) data triangulation with prescription datasets showed good correlations for several antimicrobial agents (AAs) (e.g., clindamycin, clarithromycin, ofloxacin, and doxycycline). It also revealed discrepancies in usage for some compounds (e.g., tetracycline and sulfapyridine). This might be linked with a lack of pharma compliance in prescription datasets; erroneous association of prescription boundaries with the sewerage catchment; and/or uncertainties within the sewerage catchment (e.g., population estimations). The UWF tool provided a comprehensive overview of multiclass AAs usage, both prescription and over-the counter. For example, tetracycline was not reported in available prescription statistics, but was detected at an average of 18.4 mg/day/1000inh; and no antiviral prescriptions were obtained, but emtricitabine and lamivudine were quantified at 2415.4 and 144.4 mg/day/1000inh, respectively. A lack of clarity regarding prescriptions and a lack of inclusion of several critical (often over-the-counter) medications in public health databases makes WBE a useful and comprehensive epidemiology tool for tracking pharma usage within a catchment., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most significant global health threats. Inappropriate and over-usage of antimicrobial agents (AAs) is a major driver for AMR. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a promising tool for monitoring AA usage in communities which is, for the first time, explored in this large scale, longitudinal study. Two contrasting urban catchment areas have been investigated: one city and one small town in the Southwest of the UK over a 13-month period in 2018-2019. Per capita daily intake of 17 AAs and metabolites has been estimated and obtained estimates were triangulated with catchment specific AA prescription data to understand AA usage patterns (both seasons driven prescription and AA prescription compliance). Results have demonstrated positive correlations for all quantifiable parent AAs and metabolites in wastewater, and spatial variability in AA usage was observed even in neighbouring urban areas. WBE and catchment specific prescription data showed similar seasonal trends but with low correlation in intake. The reasons might be variable prescribing patterns, prescription/intake outside the studied catchment, and/or lack of patient compliance. WBE proved useful in differentiating between consumption vs topical usage and/or direct disposal of unused AA. WBE is considered superior to prescription data as it provides information on AAs prescribed outside of the monitoring catchment, e.g. HIV antivirals and TB drugs. However, data triangulation, of both prescription data and wastewater data, provides the most comprehensive approach to understanding AA usage in communities., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Increasing usage of antimicrobials is a significant contributor to the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. Wastewater-based epidemiology is a useful tool for evaluating public health, via the monitoring of chemical and biological markers in wastewater influent, such as antibiotics. Sixteen antimicrobials and their metabolites were studied: sulfonamides, trimethoprim, metronidazole, quinolones, nitrofurantoin, cyclines, and antiretrovirals. Correction factors (CFs) for human drug excretion, for various drug forms, were determined via a systematic literature review of pharmacokinetic research. Analyte stability was examined over a 24 h study. The estimation of community-wide drug intake was evaluated using the corresponding catchment prescription data. Overall, antimicrobials excreted in an unchanged form were often observed to over-estimate daily intake. This could be attributed to biotransformation, e.g., via glucuronide cleavage, or direct disposal of unused drugs. Acetyl-sulfonamides, trimethoprim, hydroxy-metronidazole, clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, tetracycline, and oxytetracycline generally performed well in the estimation of drug intake, relative to prescription records. The low prevalence of quinolone and trimethoprim metabolites, and the low stability of nitrofurantoin, limited the ability to evaluate these metabolites and their respective CFs., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Antimicrobial agent (AA) usage, excretion, and persistence are all important factors in association with the occurrence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. Urban water profiling was utilised in the Eerste River catchment (South Africa) to establish AA usage in a region where comprehensive prescription records were not readily available and where portions of the community did not have sufficient access to sanitation. This technique enabled the environmental exposure to be quantified throughout the catchment area and the identification of contamination hotspots. Monitoring occurred over a 11-month period. 812 samples were processed using UPLC-MS/MS for the quantitation of 56 antimicrobials and 26 of their metabolites. Spatiotemporal trends were established, with consideration to community behaviour, seasonal changes, and physiochemical properties of the analytes. The Eerste River samples collected upstream from the town of Stellenbosch had the lowest AA loads (<4 g/day), unafflicted by industrial presence and with only small impact from farming activities. This was followed by sites downstream from a wastewater treatment plant (serving 178 K people). The measurement of low AA loads (influent: 500-800 g/day and effluent 50-100 g/day), indicates a high efficiency of wastewater treatment, allowing for an effective reduction of AA and a lower environmental burden. This is compared to river sites that receive untreated waste from communities in informal settlements (6-12 K people) that are not connected to the sewer infrastructure (with AA levels accounting for 100-600 g/day). Temporal trends exhibited reduced daily loads during the summer to early autumn (Nov-May). This is likely due to seasonal patterns in community health and/or notable changes in rainfall and temperatures at the sampling locations throughout the year. However, weather patterns are also important to consider - particularly for the river sites. South Africa has notable rainfall and temperature seasonality. Antiretrovirals (ARV), emtricitabine and lamivudine, were the most prevalent drugs throughout the monitoring campaign, followed by tuberculosis drugs and sulfonamides. ARVs were, however, effectively reduced via wastewater treatment processes (>97%). This was also the case for beta-lactams, nitrofurantoin, and trimethoprim. The treatment efficacy for other drugs was more variable, that did not appear to have temporal significance., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This is the first study of broad range of chemical classes CECs conducted in the upper Wisla river catchment including the biggest WWTPs in this region and surface waters. The list of compounds is extensive and the paper provides, for the first time, better understanding of environmental burden from PCPCs in Poland. Cumulative contribution of hypertension pharmaceuticals, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and lifestyle chemicals was 89% and 95% in wastewater influent, and 75% in wastewater effluent at both WWTPs. Significant removal efficiencies, exceeding 90%, were found for parabens, UV filters, NSAIDs, steroid estrogens, plasticizers, antibacterials/antibiotics, stimulants and metabolites and lifestyle chemicals. The comparison of the average mass loads of CECs between the influent and effluent, has shown that 27% and 29% of all detected CECs were removed by less than 50%. An increase of concentrations of CECs in the effluent was observed for 18% and 20% of all detected CECs in Kujawy and Plaszow WWTPs, respectively. Negative mass balances of fexofenadine, venlafaxine, o-desmethyltramadol, ketamine and temazepam were noted within WWTPs, which are a result of dissolution of persistent contaminants accumulated in aggregates and/or back-transformation or de-conjugation of metabolites into parent compounds. 44 CECs were detected in surface waters located upstream and downstream of the WWTPs. The concentrations of compounds were largely dependent on the dilution factor of WWTP discharge. The risk quotation (RQ) values for compounds present in surface waters were calculated in relation to their potential for bioaccumulation. Among compounds with high potential for bioaccumulation, with log K OW  ≥ 4.5, diclofenac, atorvastatin and triclosan were found to be of high risk. Many CECs with high, moderate or even low environmental impact have shown high potential for bioaccumulation and should be considered as priority at the same risk level. Moreover, possible synergistic action is still of concern., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Gold supported on ceria-zirconia is one of the most active low temperature water-gas shift catalysts reported to date but rapid deactivation occurs under reaction conditions. In this study, ceria-titania was evaluated as an alternative catalyst support. Materials of different Ce:Ti compositions were synthesized using a sol-gel methodology and gold was supported onto these using a deposition-precipitation method. They were then investigated as catalysts for the low-temperature water-gas shift reaction. Au/Ce 0.2 Ti 0.8 O 2 exhibited superior activity and stability to a highly active, previously reported gold catalyst supported on ceria-zirconia. High activity and stability was found to be related to the support comprising a high number of oxygen defect sites and a high specific surface area. These properties were conducive to forming a highly active catalyst with well-dispersed Au species.

The synthesis, structures and semiconducting properties of three isostructural, piperazinium-cation based iodobismuthates, [NH 2 (CH 2 ) 4 NH 2 ][BiI 4 ] 2 ·4H 2 O, [CH 3 NH(CH 2 ) 4 NH 2 ][BiI 4 ] 2 ·3H 2 O and [CH 3 NH(CH 2 ) 4 HNCH 3 ][BiI 4 ] 2 ·2H 2 O, are reported. The materials have pseudo-three dimensional structures consisting of infinite chains formed from edge/face sharing [BiI 6 ] octahedra with short interchain II interactions of <3.8 Å. The materials have band gaps of ∼1.9-2.0 eV and show variable optoelectronic properties based on the degree of methylation of the templating piperazinium ring-based organic species and the accordingly associated level of solvation in the structure.

We report a strategy for modulating the electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) response by integrating a boronic acid to the chemical structure of coreactants. Excellent selectivity for d-glucose was achieved by tuning the linker length of a bis-boronic acid amine coreactant.

Skin naturally uses antioxidants to protect itself from the damaging effects of sunlight. If this is not sufficient, other measures have to be taken. Like this, hydroxyapatite has the potential to be applied as an active constituent of sunscreens since calcium phosphate absorbs in the ultraviolet region (UV). The objective of the present work was to synthesize a hydroxyapatite-ascorbic acid nanocomposite (HAp/AA-NC) as a new biocompatible constituent of sunscreens and to test its efficiency with skin cell models. The synthesized HAp/AA-NC was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, absorption spectrophotometry and X-ray diffraction analysis. The protective effect of the construct was tested with respect to viability and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation of primary human dermal fibroblasts (SKIN) and human epidermal keratinocytes (HaCaT). Both cell lines were irradiated with UV light, λmax=254 nm with a fluence of 25 mJ cm(-2) to mimic the effect of UV radiation of sunlight on the skin. Results showed that HAp/AA-NC had a stimulating effect on the cell viability of both, HaCaT and SKIN cells, relative to the irradiated control. Intracellular ROS significantly decreased in UV irradiated cells when treated with HAp/AA-NC. We conclude that the synthesized HAp/AA-NC have been validated in vitro as a skin protector against the harmful effect of UV-induced ROS., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The heavy use of chemicals for agricultural, industrial and domestic purposes has increased the risk of freshwater contamination worldwide. Consequently, the demand for efficient new analytical tools for on-line and on-site water quality monitoring has become particularly urgent. In this study, a small-scale single chamber air-cathode microbial fuel cell (SCMFC), fabricated by rapid prototyping layer-by-layer 3D printing, was tested as a biosensor for continuous water quality monitoring. When acetate was fed as the rate-limiting substrate, the SCMFC acted as a sensor for chemical oxygen demand (COD) in water. The linear detection range was 3-164 ppm, with a sensitivity of 0.05 μA mM(-1) cm(-2) with respect to the anode total surface area. The response time was as fast as 2.8 min. At saturating acetate concentrations (COD>164 ppm), the miniature SCMFC could rapidly detect the presence of cadmium in water with high sensitivity (0.2 μg l(-1) cm(-2)) and a lower detection limit of only 1 μg l(-1). The biosensor dynamic range was 1-25 μg l(-1). Within this range of concentrations, cadmium affected only temporarily the electroactive biofilm at the anode. When the SCMFCs were again fed with fresh wastewater and no pollutant, the initial steady-state current was recovered within 12 min., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

This critical review will explore some of the recent research into the use of boron based anion receptors and focus on those receptors that have been designed to transduce the binding event into a measurable output signal. In particular the review will concentrate on optical chemosensors, where the signal produced is in the form of a colour or fluorescence change (116 references).

The addition of potassium fluoride 'switches on' the fluorescence of sensors and while potassium chloride and bromide cause no fluorescence change; the fluorescence can be 'switched off' by removing the potassium cation from the benzocrown ether receptors of sensors and through the addition of [2.2.2]-cryptand and restored by the addition of the potassium cation as potassium chloride.