Testing SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in wastewater has recently emerged as a method of tracking the prevalence of the virus and an early-warning tool for predicting outbreaks in the future. This study reports SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater influents and treated effluents of 11 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), as well as untreated wastewater from 38 various locations, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in May and June 2020. Composite samples collected over twenty-four hours were thermally deactivated for safety, followed by viral concentration using ultrafiltration, RNA extraction using commercially available kits, and viral quantification using RT-qPCR. Furthermore, estimates of the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in different regions were simulated using Monte Carlo. Results showed that the viral load in wastewater influents from these WWTPs ranged from 7.50E+02 to over 3.40E+04 viral gene copies/L with some plants having no detectable viral RNA by RT-qPCR. The virus was also detected in 85% of untreated wastewater samples taken from different locations across the country, with viral loads in positive samples ranging between 2.86E+02 and over 2.90E+04 gene copies/L. It was also observed that the precautionary measures implemented by the UAE government correlated with a drop in the measured viral load in wastewater samples, which were in line with the reduction of COVID-19 cases reported in the population. Importantly, none of the 11 WWTPs’ effluents tested positive during the entire sampling period, indicating that the treatment technologies used in the UAE are efficient in degrading SARS-CoV-2, and confirming the safety of treated re-used water in the country. SARS-CoV-2 wastewater testing has the potential to aid in monitoring or predicting an outbreak location and can shed light on the extent viral spread at the community level.
The immune system is tightly regulated by the activity of stimulatory and inhibitory immune receptors. This immune homeostasis is usually disturbed during chronic viral infection. Using publicly available transcriptomic datasets, we conducted in silico analyses to evaluate the expression pattern of 38 selected immune inhibitory receptors (IRs) associated with different myeloid and lymphoid immune cells during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Our analyses revealed a pattern of overall upregulation of IR mRNA during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. A large number of IRs expressed on both lymphoid and myeloid cells were upregulated in nasopharyngeal swabs (NPSs), while lymphoid-associated IRs were specifically upregulated in autopsies, reflecting severe, terminal stage COVID-19 disease. Eight genes (BTLA, LAG3, FCGR2B, PDCD1, CEACAM1, CTLA4, CD72, and SIGLEC7), shared by NPSs and autopsies, were more expressed in autopsies and were directly correlated with viral levels. Single-cell data from blood and bronchoalveolar samples also reflected the observed association between IR upregulation and disease severity. Moreover, compared to SARS-CoV-1, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus infections, the number and intensities of upregulated IRs were higher in SARS-CoV-2 infections. In conclusion, the immunopathology and severity of COVID-19 could be attributed to dysregulation of different immune inhibitors. Targeting one or more of these immune inhibitors could represent an effective therapeutic approach for the treatment of COVID-19 early and late immune dysregulations.
The interplay between the compositional changes in the gastrointestinal microbiome, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) susceptibility and severity, and host functions is complex and yet to be fully understood. This study performed 16S rRNA gene-based microbial profiling of 143 subjects. We observed structural and compositional alterations in the gut microbiota of the SARS-CoV-2-infected group in comparison to non-infected controls. The gut microbiota composition of the SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals showed an increase in anti-inflammatory bacteria such as Faecalibacterium (p-value = 1.72 × 10–6) and Bacteroides (p-value = 5.67 × 10–8). We also revealed a higher relative abundance of the highly beneficial butyrate producers such as Anaerostipes (p-value = 1.75 × 10–230), Lachnospiraceae (p-value = 7.14 × 10–65), and Blautia (p-value = 9.22 × 10–18) in the SARS-CoV-2-infected group in comparison to the control group. Moreover, phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstructing unobserved state (PICRUSt) functional prediction analysis of the 16S rRNA gene abundance data showed substantial differences in the enrichment of metabolic pathways such as lipid, amino acid, carbohydrate, and xenobiotic metabolism, in comparison between both groups. We discovered an enrichment of linoleic acid, ether lipid, glycerolipid, and glycerophospholipid metabolism in the SARS-CoV-2-infected group, suggesting a link to SARS-CoV-2 entry and replication in host cells. We estimate the major contributing genera to the four pathways to be Parabacteroides, Streptococcus, Dorea, and Blautia, respectively. The identified differences provide a new insight to enrich our understanding of SARS-CoV-2-related changes in gut microbiota, their metabolic capabilities, and potential screening biomarkers linked to COVID-19 disease severity.
Contact lenses can be functionalized to offer advanced capabilities transcending their primary applications in vision correction and cosmetics. Herein, 40 and 60 nm spherical silver nanoparticles (SNPs) are integrated within poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) contact lenses toward fabrication of SNP‐loaded contact lenses with excellent optical and material properties as wearables for blue‐yellow color vision deficiency (CVD) patients. The morphology and optical properties of the SNPs are characterized prepolymerization using the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and an optical spectrophotometer. Then, the transmission spectra of the SNP‐loaded contact lenses at different concentrations along with the wettability and water content are measured, to demonstrate the effect of NPs’ addition on the lenses’ optical and material characteristics. Results indicate that the transmission spectra of SNP‐loaded contact lenses, with optimum concentrations, filter out problematic wavelengths of visible light (485–495 nm), which will facilitate better color distinction for blue‐yellow CVD patients. The contact lenses’ optical properties are analogous to the commercial colorblind glasses, indicating their effectiveness as color filtering wearables. Finally, the cytobiocompatability analysis of the contact lenses to RAW 264.7 culture of cells shows that they are biocompatible, and the cell viability remains higher than 75% after 24 h in contact with the lenses.
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