Issues associated with possible implementation of Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) in first-tier screening: A rapid scoping review

In recent years, as the implementation and use of Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) have increased, the cost of the test has been decreasing. The cost of NIPT is expected to fall further in the upcoming years. As a result of the decreasing cost of NIPT, many jurisdictions may change their prenatal screening policies toward abandoning serum-based screening and instead, implement and support NIPT as the first-tier screening for all women. There are several concerns in replacing first-trimester screening with NIPT. In this scoping review, we aimed to map the existing knowledge about possible issues in the systematic implementation of NIPT as the primary method of first-tier screening and to assess if any jurisdiction has altered its policy and discontinued serum-based prenatal screening in exchange for NIPT. The Medline database (Ovid) and Google Scholar was searched and all the studies discussing, investigating, or reporting on the systematic implementation of NIPT as the primary method of first-tier screening were included. All the studies went through a two-stage screening process and included full-text articles were reviewed. We did not find any articles indicating a country or region that replaced traditional prenatal screening by NIPT. The included articles were charted, and the data about the possible issues in the systematic implementation of NIPT as the primary method of first-tier screening are summarized narratively and presented in tables in four categories. The findings of this scoping review may be informative for stakeholders and policymakers regarding recent changes in NIPT implementation policies around the world and may aid with developing policy for NIPT implementation with a broader perspective.     

Toxic heavy metals and nutrient concentration in the milk of goat herds in two Iranian industrial and non-industrial zones

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work aimed to explore the concentration of nickel, manganese, iron, copper, chromium, and lead in the milk of goat herds in the industrial area...     

A case for urban liveability from below: exploring the politics of water and land access for greater liveability in Kampala,Uganda

ABSTRACT

Improving urban liveability and prosperity is commonly set as a priority in urban development plans and policy around the world. Several annual reports produced by international consulting firms, media, and global agencies rank the liveability of cities based on a set of indicators, to represent the quality of life in these cities. The higher is the ranking, the more liveable is the city. In this paper, we argue that such quantitative approaches to framing and addressing urban liveability challenges leave little room to reflect on people's experiences of this liveability, which cannot be expressed through numbers. To illustrate our argument, we draw on empirical evidence of urban liveability challenges in access to water and land in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, ranked recently as the most liveable East African city by various global agencies and media outlets. By showing that increasing the number of water connections does not guarantee improved access to water and sanitation in the long run, first, we demonstrate how urban liveability challenges are tightly linked with land-title issues in the city. Second, we highlight the political game-playing between the central government, the opposition, the traditional leadership, and the slum dwellers in governance processes of service delivery. Finally, by arguing that urban liveability can be enhanced by broadening political participation in city development planning, we discuss some of the strategies that can be used by communities to make collective claims towards improving their quality of life and the environment.     

Propolis efficacy on SARS-COV viruses: a review on antimicrobial activities and molecular simulations

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This current study review provides a brief review of a natural bee product known as propolis and its relevance toward combating SARS-CoV viruses....     

Dynamic risk assessment using failure assessment and Bayesian theory

To ensure the safety of a process system, engineers use different methods to identify the potential hazards that may cause severe consequences. One of the most popular methods used is quantitative risk assessment (QRA) which quantifies the risk associated with a particular process activity. One of QRA's major disadvantages is its inability to update risk during the life of a process. As the process operates, abnormal events will result in incidents and near misses. These events are often called accident precursors. A conventional QRA process is unable to use the accident precursor information to revise the risk profile. To overcome this, a methodology has been proposed based on the work of Meel and Seider (2006). Similar to Meel and Seider (2006) work, this methodology uses Bayesian theory to update the likelihood of the event occurrence and also failure probability of the safety system. In this paper the proposed methodology is outlined and its application is demonstrated using a simple case study. First, potential accident scenarios are identified and represented in terms of an event tree, next, using the event tree and available failure data end-state probabilities are estimated. Subsequently, using the available accident precursor data, safety system failure likelihood and event tree end-state probabilities are revised. The methodology has been simulated using deterministic (point value) as well as probabilistic approach. This Methodology is applied to a case study demonstrating a storage tank containing highly hazardous chemicals. The comparison between conventional QRA and the results from dynamic failure assessment approach shows the significant deviation in system failure frequency throughout the life time of the process unit.     

Low-energy sodium hydroxide recovery for CO2 capture from atmospheric air—Thermodynamic analysis

To reduce the risks of climate change, atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases must be lowered. Direct capture of CO₂ from ambient air, “air capture”, might be one of the few methods capable of systematically managing dispersed emissions. The most commonly proposed method for air capture is a wet scrubbing technique which absorbs CO₂ in an alkaline absorbent, i.e. sodium hydroxide producing an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate. In most of the previous works it was assumed that the absorbent would be regenerated and CO₂ liberated from the alkaline carbonate solution using a lime and calcium carbonate causticization cycle.We describe a novel technique for recovering sodium hydroxide from an aqueous alkaline solution of sodium carbonate and present an end-to-end energy and exergy analysis. In the first step of the recovery process, anhydrous sodium carbonate is separated from the concentrated sodium hydroxide solution using a two-step precipitation and crystallization process. The anhydrous sodium carbonate is then causticized using sodium tri-titanate. The titanate direct causticization process has been of interest for the pulp and paper industry and has been tested at lab- and pilot-scale. In the causticization process, sodium hydroxide is regenerated and carbon dioxide is liberated as a pure stream, which is compressed for use or disposal. The technique requires ～50% less high-grade heat than conventional causticization and the maximum temperature required is reduced by at least 50 °C. This titanate cycle may allow a substantial reduction in the overall cost of direct air capture.     

Cytotoxic and genotoxic evaluation of bisphenol S on onion root tips by Allium cepa and comet tests

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Bisphenol S (BPS) is an analog of bisphenol A, which is used as substitute of BPA in many products like airport luggage tags, baby bottles, plastics,...     

A case–control study on the relationship between urine trace element levels and autism spectrum disorder among Iranian children

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a type of neurodevelopmental disorder characterized mainly by qualitative deficiencies in social communication skills, accompanied by repetitive and restricted behavior patterns. This study was conducted to investigate the associations between the risk of ASD development in children and exposure to trace elements (arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn)). Two groups of children, including 44 ASD and 35 typically developing (TD) children, were selected, and their fasting urine samples were obtained. The concentration levels of trace elements were assayed using ICP-MS. The results showed that as compared to the TD group, the concentration levels of As (p = 0.002) and Pb (p < 0.001) and also Cr (p < 0.001), Cu (p = 0.001), and Ni (p < 0.001) were significantly higher among ASD children. In terms of gender, boys with ASD showed elevated levels of Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb, whereas the urine levels of As, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb were markedly higher among girls when compared to the non-ASD children. Under the logistic regression model, the risk difference for As, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn remained significant when adjustment was applied for age and gender confounders.

     

Multivariate statistical evaluation of heavy metals in the urine of opium individuals in comparison with healthy people in Western Iran

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The current study aimed to evaluate the levels of some toxic and essential elements (Pb, Cd, Cu, Ti, Ni, Cr, Co, Fe, Ca, Hg, Mn, Se, and Zn) in the...     

Modeling a periodic electric vehicle–routing problem considering delivery due date and mixed charging rates using metaheuristic method

The coupling of ever-increasing consumption of fossil fuels around the globe with the decrease in the availability of fossil fuel supplies has led to an increased cost of energy commodities, which together with ever-expanding requirements for reducing the level of environmental pollutions has resulted in an ever-increasing deal of attention to alternative transportation schemes such as electric vehicles (EVs). Since decades ago, national governments and environmental activists have initiated various efforts towards reducing atmospheric pollutions. A part of such effort has been focused on reducing the use of internal combustion vehicles and rather replacing them with EVs. In this research, we attempt to fill in this research gap by presenting a mathematical model for minimizing the sum of traveled distance and recharging cost of EVs per a given period and then solving it by simulated annealing (SA) algorithm. Results of the proposed algorithm were then compared to those of coding in GAMS for 30 different sample problems with different counts of customers, EVs, and charging stations. Numerical results indicated good efficiency of the metaheuristic algorithm in terms of processing time and solution quality. Indeed, with the SA algorithm, the processing time was seen to increase gradually with increasing the problem complexity, while the rate of increase in processing time was much steeper with the GAMS.