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We aimed to study the efficacy of a water-assisted UVC light device (WUVC) as an innovative clean technology for the disinfection of fresh sound tomatoes and processing wash water and water turbidity was evaluated as a critical parameter. First, wash waters with different turbidities (from 0.4 to 828 NTU) were inoculated with Listeria innocua and treated in the WUVC device at different dosages. Secondly, fresh tomatoes, inoculated with L. innocua and non-inoculated ones, were treated using the WUVC device containing wash water of different turbidities for different times. The reduction of L. innocua populations on wash water and on the surface of tomato was influenced by turbidity; lower reduction values were observed at higher turbidities. Washing tomatoes with tap water with UVC lamps off (control treatment, TW) decreased L. innocua population on the surface of tomatoes but did not eliminate those bacteria that went into the water. Contrarily, when UVC lights were on, L. innocua population in wash water after treatment significantly decreased, those in clean water being the lowest populations. Reductions of native microbiota on the clean water treated with the highest UV-C radiation dose were lower than those obtained when tomatoes were artificially inoculated. We demonstrated that high reductions of L. innocua population on fresh tomatoes could be achieved using the WUVC system but some drawbacks related to the increase of turbidity should be solved for its implementation in real conditions.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2020.103631 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
September 2025
Department of Social Science, Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Programme, Blantyre, Malawi.
Diarrhoea due to rotavirus remains a significant cause of child mortality in developing regions. Caregivers' perspectives on the social determinants of gastroenteritis and childhood vaccination, including the rotavirus vaccine, were explored through focus group discussions in Ethiopia (n = 6), Kenya (n = 14), and Malawi (n = 10), using a combination of thematic and framework analysis approaches. The results show that diarrhoea was perceived to be a burden in all three countries, particularly among infants, due to challenges in WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) infrastructures and poverty.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ Public Health
September 2025
Centre for Women's Health Research, School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Australia, Newcastle, New South Walses, Australia.
Introduction: Diarrhoea and malnutrition (stunting, wasting and underweight) are major public health problems in developing countries, including Nepal. Improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) may reduce the global disease burden by as much as 10.0%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Chem Soc
September 2025
Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are environmentally persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals that contaminate global drinking water resources. Their ubiquity and potential impact on human health motivate large-scale remediation. Conventional materials used to remove PFASs during drinking water production are functionally inefficient or energetically expensive, motivating the discovery of new materials and technologies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntegr Environ Assess Manag
September 2025
Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Pesticides are widely used to meet the food demands of a growing population, with various types used to control pests depending on the crops grown. Rainfall, overspray, and runoff from agricultural fields can wash these insecticides into water bodies, posing documented environmental risks. Imidacloprid is commonly used in Afrotropical regions such as South Africa, yet limited information is available on its toxicity to aquatic ecosystems within this climate region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLancet Reg Health Southeast Asia
October 2025
Department of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
Background: Poverty is a potential contributor to antibiotic resistance; however, the previous studies have not adequately addressed the role of poverty in shaping antibiotic resistance through social inequalities. Considering this, the current study evaluated the role of multi-dimensional poverty in antibiotic resistance.
Methods: A mixed-method study was conducted in three provinces of Pakistan using multistage sampling to recruit physician-confirmed urinary tract infection (UTI) patients from public laboratories.