PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Research grant aimed at improving wastewater monitoring for diseases in rural Appalachian communities

Testing wastewater to assess the spread of the COVID-19 virus became common and well-publicized during the pandemic, but it has been focused mostly on urban areas

2024-02-16
(Press-News.org) Testing wastewater to assess the spread of the COVID-19 virus became common and well-publicized during the pandemic, but it has been focused mostly on urban areas.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded $400,000 to Virginia Tech, with an additional $50,000 to Virginia Tech from the Virginia Department of Health, for a two-year project to identify and implement improved and new methods to detect pathogens for multiple diseases in the wastewater of rural communities.

“My work and research have primarily been focused on rural areas, and prior to the pandemic, most of my research was on drinking water and health-related challenges,” said Alasdair Cohen, assistant professor of environmental epidemiology in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. 

Cohen is the principal investigator on this new project that will build on research Cohen’s team has been conducting since 2022 in collaboration with a wastewater utility in Southwest Virginia and led by Amanda Darling, a Ph.D. student in Cohen’s group. 

“Dr. Cohen does important work on drinking water and health, locally and globally,” said Laura Hungerford, head of the Department of Population Health Sciences. “During COVID, he jumped in to help develop improved methods for wastewater surveillance. This let the university and Virginia better track and manage diseases. With ARC funding, he and his community partners will bring this science to benefit rural communities.”

Early in the pandemic, Virginia Tech researchers in the College of Engineering began testing campus wastewater for COVID-19. Cohen was part of this team and led the statistical analyses of the data, finding that they were able to predict future COVID-19 cases at scales as small as one residence hall. The team published its findings in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Water, and this campuswide research collaboration also piqued Cohen’s interest in the use of wastewater surveillance in rural settings. 

He is joined in the ARC grant by two co-investigators from the Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering: Amy Pruden, University Distinguished Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Peter Vikesland, the Nick Prillaman Professor in civil and environmental engineering, as well as Leigh-Anne Krometis, associate professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Concurrent with the grant funding, Cohen’s team recently published “Making Waves: The Benefits and Challenges of Responsibly Implementing Wastewater-based Surveillance for Rural Communities” in the journal Water Research. The article calls attention to the potential public health benefits of wastewater surveillance for rural communities and to methodological and ethical challenges that Cohen and his colleagues are working to address.

“ARC’s grant of $400,000 will help Virginia Tech expand their work to detect pathogens in wastewater from rural communities,” U.S Rep. Morgan Griffith said in a press release announcing the grant. “This work is aimed at improving our country’s public health through better community health monitoring and outbreak forecasting.” 

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) monitors wastewater at sites across the commonwealth for pathogens causing COVID-19, influenza A, influenza B, hepatitis A and respiratory syncytial virus. The department found though that results from some smaller rural communities are challenging to interpret. 

“This project aims to complement VDH's efforts in using wastewater-based surveillance to advance public health in rural towns in Appalachian Virginia,” said Rekha Singh, the department's Wastewater Surveillance Program manager. “The VDH has initiated wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 in communities statewide since September 2021. This new project will help identify the best practices for sampling in small communities and will assist VDH in implementing effective wastewater surveillance in similar communities.”

Infrastructure is often part of the challenge in testing rural wastewater, Cohen said. 

“You have fewer people but over a larger space, so you have more wastewater collection infrastructure per person than you would in an urban setting,” Cohen said. “Many rural towns, and especially older rural towns, are going to have sewage collection infrastructure with a lot of breaks and cracks in the pipes. That means sewage could get out into the ground and it means water can get into the pipes.”

Especially after periods of heavier rain, runoff seeping into sewage systems could dilute the results of wastewater testing in rural areas. It can also mean tax dollars down the drain with sewage plants treating rainwater alongside wastewater.

“We have enough preliminary data from our pilot research to show that this can be a problem,” Cohen said.

The grant will allow Cohen’s team to take on wastewater surveillance in new Southwest Virginia communities, gaining efficiency as experiences from prior studies are applied.

“The goal is we want to try to develop an approach so that rural utilities and public health agencies can determine if wastewater surveillance is something that makes sense for a given rural community,” Cohen said. “And if so, how could it best be implemented?”

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New study analyzes link between digit ratio and oxygen consumption in footballers

2024-02-16
The efficiency of oxygen supply to tissues is a factor in the severity of important diseases such as Covid-19 and heart conditions. Scientists already know that the relationship between the length of a person’s index and ring fingers, known as the 2D:4D ratio is correlated with performance in distance running, age at heart attack and severity of Covid-19. Now Swansea University digit ratio expert Professor John Manning has been working with colleagues to look more closely at the subject. Their findings have just been published by the prestigious American Journal of Human ...

Under pressure - space exploration in our time

Under pressure - space exploration in our time
2024-02-16
In the past decade, humanity has seen the birth and expansion of a commercial space sector with new, private players, addressing technological challenges - from space launch to communication and satellite imagery of Earth. Last year, the global space industry skyrocketed launching more than 2,660* satellites into orbit, and, into the universe, interplanetary probes, landers, and much more. In the United States, SpaceX was responsible for almost 90% of these launches. In parallel to this progression is the expansion of more than 70 countries** demonstrating space capabilities. It affirms the general consensus and understanding ...

Climate change has brought forward the flowering period in Doñana National Park by 22 days

2024-02-16
Researchers from the University of Seville have investigated how the flowering of 51 species of shrubs, bushes and trees has changed over the last 35 years in Doñana National Park so as to understand how plant communities are responding to climate change in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. Over this period, the average temperature in the area has increased by 1 °C and the minimum temperature by as much as 2 °C. As a result, the community’s peak flowering time, the time when the greatest number of species are in flower, has been brought forward by 22 days, from 9 May to 17 April.   This earlier flowering is not ...

Games in the classroom and the boardroom: How ‘serious games’ are helping us learn

2024-02-16
A team of researchers are encouraging us to swap textbooks for games, as they drive the application of games in learning, engagement and research.   Known as ‘serious games’, these games are designed for more than just entertainment. Ranging from digital applications to physical board games, they are developed for learning, problem solving, raising awareness, research, and stakeholder engagement – with potential in both schools and workplaces. A key application will be for educating people on sustainable development and climate change.   Experts leading in the field at the Universities of Warwick, Cardiff, York, and Sussex, ...

Entrepreneurship on the periphery: between precarious work and the search for a meaningful life

Entrepreneurship on the periphery: between precarious work and the search for a meaningful life
2024-02-16
Understanding how the poor deal with the effects of the economic crisis into which Brazil plunged in 2014 was the aim of the research project “The crisis seen from the periphery: struggle for social mobility in the frontiers of (i)legality” conducted by Leonardo de Oliveira Fontes with FAPESP’s support (19/13125-2 and 21/13970-4). An article published in the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research is one of the results of the investigation. Fontes is currently a professor in the Department of Sociology ...

Optimal volume of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity postconcussion in children and adolescents

2024-02-16
About The Study: The findings of this study of children and adolescents with acute concussion suggest that moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity reduced symptoms up to a certain threshold but appeared to offer no further benefit in symptom reduction beyond that point.  Authors: Andrée-Anne Ledoux, Ph.D., of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/  (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.56458) Editor’s Note: Please ...

Projecting the future registered nurse workforce after the pandemic

2024-02-16
About The Study: The rebound in the total size of the U.S. registered nurse (RN) workforce during 2022 and 2023 indicates that the earlier drop in RN employment during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic was likely transitory. Updated forecasts of the future RN workforce are very close to those made before the pandemic.  Authors: David I. Auerbach, Ph.D., of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.5389) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, ...

Lockdown skin cancer diagnosis delays linked to deaths and £6bn costs in Europe

2024-02-16
Delays in diagnosing melanoma due to Covid-19 lockdown may have contributed to over 100,000 years of life lost across Europe and over £6bn in costs, mainly indirectly due to loss of productivity, finds a new study led by UCL and University Hospital of Basel researchers. The authors of the new JAMA Network Open paper say their findings show how vital early detection of cancer can be, while also highlighting the importance of considering unintended side effects in any future pandemic planning. Co-lead ...

RNA interference with zilebesiran for mild to moderate hypertension

2024-02-16
About The Study: In adults with mild to moderate hypertension, treatment with zilebesiran, an investigational RNA interference therapeutic, across a range of subcutaneous doses at 3-month or 6-month intervals significantly reduced 24-hour mean ambulatory systolic blood pressure at month three in this phase 2, randomized clinical trial.  Authors: George L. Bakris, M.D., of University of Chicago Medicine, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.0728) Editor’s ...

Electrification or hydrogen? Both have distinct roles in the European energy transition

2024-02-16
“Previous research has shown that our power system can be transformed to renewable sources like wind and solar at low cost and low environmental impact. However, the next question is how this renewable electricity can be used to substitute fossil fuel use in the buildings, industry and transport sectors. Our analysis shows that the direct use of electricity, for example, via electric cars and heat pumps, is critical for a broad range of sectors, while the conversion of electricity to hydrogen is important only for few applications,” ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Does AI improve doctors’ diagnoses? Study puts it to the test

Extreme weather accelerates nitrate pollution in groundwater

Burden of liver cancer attributable to hepatitis B and alcohol globally, in China, and for five sociodemographic index regions from 1990 to 2021

Lehigh partners with North Carolina A&T to enhance flood damage mapping with AI and advanced radar

2024 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award winners named

Collaborative of prominent academic institutions launches groundbreaking healthcare AI challenge

American Federation for Aging Research announces 2024 AFAR grants for junior faculty

Potential single-dose smallpox and mpox vaccine moves forward

Mass General Brigham Gene and Cell Therapy Institute names Spark Grant recipients

New discovery may lead to more effective treatment for cardiovascular disease

Developing advanced recycling technology to restore spent battery cathode materials

An advance toward inhalable mRNA medications, vaccines

A step toward safer X-rays with new detector technology

On the origin of life: How the first cell membranes came to exist

New evidence-based information from NCCN offers tangible and moral support for people trying to quit smoking

Solving complex problems faster: Innovations in Ising machine technology

Grief-specific cognitive behavioral therapy vs present-centered therapy

New species discovered with refined DNA technology

C-PATH announces Gender Equitable Medicines for Parkinson's Disease (GEM-PD) initiative

Faster flowing glaciers could help predict nearby volcanic activity

MIT engineers make converting CO2 into useful products more practical

Primary care professionals key to helping people achieve & maintain heart health

Early detection, intensive treatment critical for high-risk patients with Kawasaki Disease

A phase-transformable membrane for efficient gas separation could revolutionize industrial applications

From camera to lab: Dr. Etienne Sibille transforms brain aging and depression research

Depression rates in LGBTQIA+ students are three times higher than their peers, new research suggests

Most parents don’t ask about firearms in the homes their kids visit

Beer-only drinkers’ diets are worse than wine drinkers

Eco-friendly biomass pretreatment method yields efficient biofuels and adsorbents

How graph convolutions amplify popularity bias for recommendation?

[Press-News.org] Research grant aimed at improving wastewater monitoring for diseases in rural Appalachian communities
Testing wastewater to assess the spread of the COVID-19 virus became common and well-publicized during the pandemic, but it has been focused mostly on urban areas