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Non-thermal plasmas (NTPs), known as cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs), hold great potential for diverse medical applications, including dentistry. However, traditional linear and rigid dielectric barrier discharge reactors used for NTP generation encounter limitations in accessing oral cavities and root canals. To address this issue, we have developed an innovative NTP reactor featuring an angled end for improved accessibility. The central copper electrode, with a 0.59 mm diameter and adjustable length for desired angulation, is coated with zircon powder (ZrSiO4) to ensure stable NTP generation. This central electrode is housed within a stainless steel tube (3 mm internal diameter, 8 mm external diameter, and 100 mm length) with a 27° angle at one end, making it ergonomically suitable for oral applications. NTP generation involves polarizing the reactor electrodes with 13.56 MHz radio frequency signals, using helium gas as a working medium. We introduce plasma-treated water (PTW) as an adjunctive therapy to enhance biofilm eradication within root canals. A synergistic approach combining NTP and PTW is employed and compared to the gold standard (sodium hypochlorite, NaOCl), effectively neutralizing Enterococcus faecalis bacteria, even in scenarios involving biofilms. Moreover, applying NTP in both gaseous and liquid environments successfully achieves bacterial inactivation at varying treatment durations, demonstrating the device's suitability for medical use in treating root canal biofilms. The proposed NTP reactor, characterized by its innovative design, offers a practical and specific approach to plasma treatment in dental applications. It holds promise in combatting bacterial infections in root canals and oral cavities.

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The activation of water by non-thermal plasma creates a liquid with active constituents referred to as plasma-activated water (PAW). Due to its active constituents, PAW may play an important role in different fields, such as agriculture, the food industry and healthcare. Plasma liquid technology has received attention in recent years due to its versatility and good potential, mainly focused on different health care purposes. This interest has extended to dentistry, since the use of a plasma-liquid technology could bring clinical advantages, compared to direct application of non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasmas (NTAPPs). The aim of this paper is to discuss the applicability of PAW in different areas of dentistry, according to the published literature about NTAPPs and plasma-liquid technology. The direct and indirect application of NTAPPs are presented in the introduction. Posteriorly, the main reactors for generating PAW and its active constituents with a role in biomedical applications are specified, followed by a section that discusses, in detail, the use of PAW as a tool for different oral diseases.

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The objective of this study was to investigate the presence and persistence of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella spp. isolated from wastewater and treated wastewater from two tertiary hospitals in Mexico. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study in two hospital wastewater treatment plants, which were sampled in February 2020. We obtained 30 Klebsiella spp. isolates. Bacterial identification was carried out by the Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS®) and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were performed using the VITEK2® automated system. The presence of carbapenem resistance genes (CRGs) in Klebsiella spp. isolates was confirmed by PCR. Molecular typing was determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). High rates of Klebsiella spp. resistance to cephalosporins and carbapenems (80%) were observed in isolates from treated wastewater from both hospitals. The molecular screening by PCR showed the presence of blaKPC and blaOXA-48-like genes. The PFGE pattern separated the Klebsiella isolates into 19 patterns (A-R) with three subtypes (C1, D1, and I1). Microbiological surveillance and identification of resistance genes of clinically important pathogens in hospital wastewater can be a general screening method for early determination of under-detected antimicrobial resistance profiles in hospitals and early warning of outbreaks and difficult-to-treat infections.

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This study provided a monitoring of phenolic compounds occurrence in a river and in its treated water by a conventional water treatment plant (WTP) throughout a year-period, in Minas Gerais - Brazil. Furthermore, the environmental risk (hazard quotient - HQ), the human health risk (margin of exposure - MOE), and the cancer risk were calculated for the compounds. The results indicated that sixteen out of the seventeen investigated phenolic compounds were detected at some point during the sampling campaign. The most frequent compounds in the raw surface water were 2,3,4-trichlorophenol (234TCP), 2,4-dimethylphenol (24DMP), and 4-nitrophenol (4NP), whereas in treated water were 4NP and bisphenol A (BPA). In addition, the highest total concentration values were corelated to the months in which there was less precipitation, demonstrating that the presence of this micropollutants may be subject to seasonality. From the treated water results, it was not possible to state the efficiency of the conventional WTP in eliminating the phenols, since in some samples the phenolic compounds were totally removed and in others their increase or formation occurred. Regarding to the risk assessments, most of the evaluated compounds were considered highly toxic to some trophic level and posed a significant human health risk. Additionally, the risk reduction of phenolics using conventional WTP was low. The sixteen phenols contamination in surface and drinking waters appears to be subject to seasonality. Besides that, an alarming risk for environment and human health was identified.

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O monitoramento da qualidade da água de diálise caracteriza uma importante ferramenta para a tomada de decisões quando resultados laboratoriais insatisfatórios são disponibilizados em curto período de tempo. Os inconvenientes relacionados ao tempo de espera para a obtenção dos resultados têm conduzido à busca de métodos microbiológicos alternativos que permitam obter dados exatos, precisos e em menor tempo do que os obtidos por métodos clássicos. Este projeto teve por finalidade avaliar o desempenho do método microbiológico alternativo para a contagem de bactérias heterotróficas em água tratada para diálise através da técnica de detecção microbiana pelo uso de fluorescência. Inicialmente foi realizada a determinação do tempo mínimo de incubação para obtenção de valores de contagem confiáveis pelo método alternativo, seguido pela avaliação de desempenho do método contemplando todos os parâmetros estabelecidos em compêndios nacionais e internacionais e a demonstração da equivalência do método alternativo frente ao método tradicional, através da avaliação de 23 amostras de água tratada para diálise. Os resultados demonstraram que o método alternativo permite a quantificação de bactérias heterotróficas após 40 horas de incubação, com exatidão e precisão para o range de 5 a 100 UFC/placa, resultando em uma redução de aproximadamente 67% do tempo atualmente empregado no método tradicional. Portanto, a técnica de detecção microbiana pelo uso de fluorescência se mostrou uma opção viável para a implementação de um método microbiológico rápido para a contagem de bactérias heterotróficas em amostras de água tratada para hemodiálise

Monitoring the quality of dialysis water is an important tool for decision-making when unsatisfactory results are available in a short period of time. The drawbacks related to waiting time for obtaining results have led to the search for alternative microbiological methods that allow accurate data to be obtained in less time than those obtained by classical methods. This project aimed to evaluate the alternative microbiological method performance for the heterotrophic bacteria counts in dialysis treated water through the microbial detection technique using fluorescence. Initially, the determination of the minimum incubation time to obtain reliable count values by the alternative method was performed, followed by the performance evaluation of the method, considering all the parameters established in national and international compendiums and demonstrating the equivalence of the alternative method to the traditional method, through the evaluation of 23 samples of dialysis treated water. The results demonstrated that the alternative method allows quantification of heterotrophic bacteria after 40 hours of incubation, with accuracy and precision for the range of 5 to 100 CFU/plate, resulting in a reduction of approximately 67% of the time currently used in the traditional method. Therefore, the microbial detection technique using fluorescence showed a viable option for the implementation of a rapid microbiological method for the heterotrophic bacteria counts in samples of treated water for hemodialysis

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BACKGROUND: Protozoan parasites such as Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., Cyclospora cayetanensis, Toxoplasma gondii and Entamoeba histolytica represent a great challenge to the systems producing water for human consumption because their cystic forms are persistent in the environment and resist to the disinfection methods conventionally used for their control. In this study, we investigated the presence of these protozoan pathogens in both raw and treated water samples used for the production of drinking water in Nariño Department, southwest Colombia. We collected 110 water samples (10 lof each sample) and analyzed them with real-time PCR (qPCR). qPCR-positive samples were genotyped with PCR and DNA sequencing. RESULTS: Giardia duodenalis was detected in 35/110 (31.8%) of the samples and Cryptosporidium spp. in 9/110 (8.2%) of the samples; no sample was positive for T. gondii, E. histolytica or C. cayetanensis. Giardia duodenalis was detected in samples of both raw water (Drinking Water Treatment Plants (DWTP): 47.83%;Drinking Water Rural Plants (DWRP): 18.42%) and water collected either after conventional physicochemical treatment (26.09%) or after disinfection by chlorine (50%), whereas Cryptosporidium spp. were only detected in raw waters (DWTP: 17.39%; DWRP: 13.16%). The two pathogens were detected in both types of treatment plants supplying water to urban areas and to rural zones. Analysis of gdh and tpi markers identified assemblages AI, AII and H of G. duodenalis, while analysis of the small subunit rRNA and gp60 markers of Cryptosporidium-positive samples identified C. parvum (Subtype IIcA5G3c), C. galli, C. molnari, Cryptosporidium sp. genotype II of bats and Cryptosporidium sp. genotype VIII of birds. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained demonstrate the presence of protozoan parasites in the water of the study region, and the need to improve the surveillance systems for these pathogens and identify the corresponding sources of contamination.

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El biodigestor anaerobio utilizado en este estudio, se diseñó para tratar agua residual doméstica en un sanitario de prueba, y se caracteriza por ser de: flujo continuo, baja carga orgánica y tener cuatro etapas de proceso. La importancia del prototipo estudiado radicó en las condiciones reales en que se probó. La primera etapa consistió en la selección del sitio, construcción del prototipo en ferrocemento con capacidad de 1m³, impermeabilización y carga. En esta etapa se inoculó el reactor con materia orgánica procedente de las descargas del sanitario, durante el periodo de agosto a diciembre de 2011. La evaluación de este periodo consistió en la medición de parámetros de campo: pH, conductividad eléctrica, sólidos sedimentables, temperatura del influente - efluente y oxígeno disuelto del sistema que permitieron verificar el comportamiento del proceso del digestor durante la fase de arranque. Los resultados obtenidos para estas determinaciones a la entrada y salida del biodigestor respectivamente son los siguientes: pH (8.03; 8.43), conductividad eléctrica (1510.83 µS/cm; 1207.00 µS/cm), temperatura del proceso (19.2°C; 20.1°C), sólidos sedimentables (144.5mL/L; 0.02mL/L), oxígeno disuelto (4.5992 mg/L; 0.1924 mg/L) estos datos proporcionaron un punto de partida para el tratamiento de aguas residuales de tipo doméstica.

The anaerobic biodigester analyzed in the present study was designed for the treatment of domestic wastewater in a test restroom, characterized by its continuous flow, low organic load and a four-stage processing system. The value of the prototype under research consists in the real daily conditions under which it was tested. The first stage consisted of the site selection, and the manufacture of a waterproof iron reinforced cement prototype, with a 1m³ loading capacity. At this stage, during the period from august to december 2011, the reactor was inoculated with organic matter originating from the aforementioned restroom discharges. The evaluation of this stage consisted in taking measurements of the following field parameters: pH, electrical conductivity, sedimentable solids, and inflow and outflow temperature along the system. These records substantiated the behaviour of the processes within the digester during the starting phase. The results obtained through these determinations at both the biodigester entry and exit points are respectively: pH (8.03; 8.43), electrical conductivity (1510.83 µS/cm; 1207.00 µS/cm), inflow and outflow temperatures (19.2°C; 20.1°C), sedimentable solids (144.5mL/L; 0.02mL/L) and dissolved oxygen (4.5992 mg/L; 0.1924 g/L). These data provided a starting point for the treatment of domestic wastewater.

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We measured microcystin levels in water of the Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica by competitive inhibition ELISA and we quantified total coliforms, fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli (by a Most Probable Number method) and aerobic count. We wanted to identify any cyanotoxin correlation with these parameters, as a public health risk. We sampled in the rainy season of 2003 (April-October) and in the dry season of 2004 (February-March) (30 samples/season). We sampled pre-treated, semi-treated and treated water. Microcystin levels < 0.5 ppb were found in the rainy season (and > 0.5 ppb in the dry season). Dry season levels exceeded World Health Organization limits (1.0 ppb). Cyanotoxins occurred in the Tres Rios plant. We did not find a correlation between these microbiologic parameters of water quality and microcystin levels in water.

Se midió la presencia de microcistina en el Área Metropolitana de Costa Rica por la técnica de ELISA de inhibición competitiva y se cuantificó coliformes totales, coliformes termotolerantes, Escherichia coli (por medio de la técnica Numero Más Probable) y recuento total aerobio. Se realizaron dos etapas de muestreo, una durante la estación lluviosa del 2003 (abril-octubre) y otra durante la estación seca del 2004 (febrero-marzo), cada una con 30 muestras de agua. Se muestreó agua pretratada, semitratada y tratada. Se determinaron niveles de microcistina < 0.5 ppb durante la estación lluviosa del 2003, mientras que durante la estación seca, se detectaron concentraciones de microcistina > 0.5 ppb. Se informó la presencia de cianotoxinas en la Planta de Tratamiento de Tres Ríos. No se establece correlación entre los parámetros microbiológicos de calidad del agua y las concentraciones de microcistina en el agua. Los estudios deberían considerar la diversidad y toxicidad de cianobacterias en estas plantas, los efectos del tratamiento, y presencia de otros microorganismos y sustancias (dióxido de carbono, fósforo, Nitrógeno), sobre la presencia, estructura y efecto de estas toxinas.

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A ocorrência de Aeromonas spp móveis foi verificada em um total de 730 amostras de água de consumo humano de diferentes origens, sendo 495 da rede de abastecimento público tratada, 208 de soluções alternativas (compreendendo 65 de poços artesianos, 69 de poços rasos, 74 de minas), além dessas foram analisadas 27 amostras de água mineral envasada. Os resultados mostraram que 6,3%, 55,3% e 11,1% das amostras de água da rede de abastecimento público tratada, soluções alternativas e água mineral envasada estavam contaminadas com Aeromonas spp, respectivamente. Verificou-se que nem sempre a ocorrência de Aeromonas estava associada à presença de indicadores fecais. Das 613 cepas de Aeromonas isoladas 75,4% pertenciam a espécie Aeromonas hydrophila, seguidos por 9,8% de Aeromonas caviae e 0,6% de Aeromonas sobria. Estes achados mostram que estudos adicionais são necessários para avaliar possíveis riscos que a presença de Aeromonas spp poderia acarretar à saúde pública.

The presence of motile Aeromonas spp was investigated in a total of 730 samples of drinking water from different origins: 495 samples from the treated water distribution system, 208 from alternative water supply (65 from artesian wells, 69 from shallow wells, and 74 from springs), and 27 samples of bottled mineral water. The present study indicated that 6.3%, 55.3% and 11.1% of samples from treated water distribution system, alternative water supply, and bottled mineral water were contaminated with Aeromonas spp, respectively. The highest counts of Aeromonas spp were not always associated to the presence of faecal indicators. Aeromonas hydrophila was the most frequently isolated phenospecies in water, followed by Aeromonas caviae (9.8%) and Aeromonas sobria (0.6%). These findings show that further studies are necessary to evaluate the possible risks that the occurrence of Aeromonas spp may pose to public health.