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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2025

The efficacy of a filtered handheld far-ultraviolet disinfection device for decontamination of high-touch surfaces in healthcare settings: a genomic bacterial analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Enhanced environmental disinfection is linked to reduced hospital-acquired infection rates. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an emerging disinfection technology, a filtered far-UV-C handheld (FFUHH) device, for reducing bacterial loads on high-touch surfaces in shared clinical workrooms, and to isolate, identify and characterize clinically significant environmental pathogens. METHODS: We compared samples from high-touch items (dictation device, mouse, armchair, desk, and keyboard) before and after FFUHH treatment. Samples were collected weekly: contact plates for colony counts and swabs before and after intervention on standardized adjacent areas for each surface, respectively. The swabs were enriched and cultured on selective media to isolate pathogens. Environmental samples, as well as clinical samples collected from patients during the study period, were validated using MALDI-TOF and whole genome sequencing. RESULTS: Among the 440 collected plates (220 before and 220 after treatment), the highest mean colony count pre-treatment was detected from armchairs, and the lowest from keyboards. The mean reduction of colony-forming units ranged 53% and 83% and was statistically significant (P < 0.05) across all surfaces except for the keyboard. We characterized multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis ST5 and ST16 strains, a carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, and a Klebsiella pneumoniae genetically related to a clinical isolate with a rare sequence type not previously detected in our institution. CONCLUSION: The FFUHH effectively reduced the microbial burden on high-touch surfaces. It can offer an advantage for surface disinfection and an alternative to routinely used biocides.

Humans↗
PubMed1976

Breast sensation before and after plastic surgery.

Patients undergoing various plastic surgical procedures on their breasts were studied before and after operations with respect to sensation from crude touch, light pressure, and pain. The more extensive the operation on the breast (the more skin and breast tissue removed) the greater the postoperative decrease in sensation. Reduction mammaplasty and subcutaneous mastectomy were associated with decreased sensation in a significant number of patients. An unexpected finding was that patients having augmentation mammaplasty by either the inframammary or areola route showed a significant decrease in sensation to the nipple and apeola. At two years, 15 percent of the patients still had impaired sensory perception, although crude touch and light pressure appreciation had returned. Many of these patients had normal erectility with normal, and even enhanced, sensuality.

Breast↗
PubMed2026

Associations Between Health-Related Physical Fitness and Accelerometry-Based Energy Expenditure in Physiotherapy Workers.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although it has been assumed that higher physical activity (PA) levels will contribute to better physical fitness (PF) performance, the interplay between these two has yet to be investigated. Moreover, the majority of studies have been presented in children and adolescents, and older adults, while little is known about the correlation in the adult working population of physiotherapists. Therefore, the main purpose of the study was to examine associations between objectively measured PA and health-related PF. METHODS: We recruited 50 physiotherapists (72.6% women) from several public and private settings in the city of Zagreb. The SenseWearArmbandPro3 (SWA), a triaxial accelerometer placed on the nondominant hand for 7 consecutive days, was used to capture total energy expenditure (TEE) and active EE (AEE). Cardiorespiratory fitness included the Harvard step test, and muscular fitness was composed of sit-ups in 60&#xa0;sec and the Handgrip strength. Flexibility was evaluated using the Toe-touch test. RESULTS: TEE and AEE were moderately and positively correlated with the Harvard step test (r&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.65 and 0.62, p&#xa0;<&#xa0;0.001), sit-ups (r&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.70 and 0.59, p&#xa0;<&#xa0;0.001), and the Handgrip strength test (r&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.74 and 0.64, p&#xa0;<&#xa0;0.001). No significant correlation with the Toe-touch test was observed (r&#xa0;=&#xa0;-0.25 and -0.19, p&#xa0;>&#xa0;0.05). When models were adjusted for age, weaker, but significant positive correlations remained. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that both cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness are positively associated with PA, whereas no statistically significant association with flexibility was detected. Thus, it is not surprising that we obtained moderate to almost strong correlations between TEE and AEE with cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness. CONCLUSIONS: In physiotherapists, TEE and AEE yield moderate correlations with health-related PF, especially for cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness.

Humans↗
PubMed1977

The Haarscheibe.

The Haarscheibe is a specialized spot of epidermis containing many Merkel cell-neurite complexes. It is a highly sensitive, slowly adapting, modality-specific touch receptor occurring in all mammals. Its exact role in signaling sensation in human beings is undetermined, and the function of Merkel cells, with their distinctive cytoplasmic granules, in transducing mechanical force into neural action potentials remains to be determined.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2026

Body tactile stimulation intensifies appeasement behavior in a cichlid fish.

Social touch, provided by body tactile stimulation (TS), is known to trigger appeasement behavior and social stability in mammals. Recent studies have shown that TS also plays a role in regulating social interactions in fish by reducing aggression between individuals. While this effect may stem from decreased aggression in dominants, the potential contribution of increased appeasement behavior in subordinates has been overlooked. Here, we investigated whether TS facilitates the onset of appeasement behavior in the cichlid fish Geophagus iporangensis, a species that exhibits clear dominance-subordination relationships. Isolated individuals were assigned to one of two treatments, either with TS (provided by plastic sticks lined with silicone bristles) or without it for 21 days. Then, each fish was paired with a socially experienced dominant individual to enable rapid hierarchy resolution. Initial appeasement scores did not differ between treatments. However, individuals who experienced TS exhibited significantly higher appeasement scores during the final 5 min of the contest than the control group. Additionally, fish under TS showed an increase in the appeasement score after 10 min of agonistic interaction, while it did not change in the treatment without TS. Overall, this study provides the first evidence that TS can mitigate aggressive interactions by intensifying subordinates' appeasement behavior, thereby affecting social dynamics similarly to mammals.

aggression↗
PubMed1979

Dendro axonic neurotransmission. II. Morphological sites for the synthesis, binding and release of neurotransmitters in dopaminergic dendrites in the substantia nigra and cholinergic dendrites in the neostriatum.

Morphological evidence is presented indicating sites of synthesis, storage, and release of neurotransmitters in dendrites of dopaminergic cells of the substantia nigra and cholinergic cells of the neostriatum. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum can be identified in dopaminergic neurons touching the dendritic surface. The false transmitter for dopamine, 5-hydroxydopamine (5-OHDA), is localized to smooth endoplasmic reticulum or large vesicular structures which approach the dendritic surface. The dopamine synthesizing enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), is localized to microtubules and smooth endoplasmic reticulum which approach the postsynaptic membrane. In the neostriatum, dopaminergic nerve endings make asymmetrical axospinous contacts. The postsynaptic spines often contain a few 'vesicles' near the postsynaptic thickenings. The surface and subsurface structures stain preferentially for choline acetyltransferase (CAT), the synthesizing enzyme for acetylcholine. It is hypothesized that neurotransmitters are released from dendrites as a general phenomenon in the CNS and that they can act upon axonal endings.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed2026

"It was good because they have a relationship with us": A qualitative study on low-threshold buprenorphine treatment at syringe services programs.

INTRODUCTION: Syringe service programs (SSPs) reach people who inject drugs with opioid use disorder (OUD) and are novel "low-threshold" venues to initiate buprenorphine treatment. The study investigated patients' experiences with SSP-initiated buprenorphine treatment, which could aid in improving buprenorphine treatment delivery at SSPs. METHODS: The study included 12 participants who completed qualitative exit interviews after a randomized controlled trial of buprenorphine treatment at SSPs. In the parent study, participants received buprenorphine treatment through an onsite model at an SSP or enhanced referral to a community health center based on the randomization sequence. Most participants started taking buprenorphine at home. Exit interviews included participants from both study arms, and the semi-structured interview guide focused on their experiences with clinicians, experiences initiating buprenorphine, prior experiences with OUD treatment, and perceptions about continuing buprenorphine treatment. Four researchers iteratively read, coded, and discussed each transcript, then they derived recurring themes using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Participants were mostly male, middle-aged, and 50% identified as Latino. Four main themes related to buprenorphine treatment initiation: 1) Onsite treatment facilitated buprenorphine prescription, but some participants also expressed a need for additional support; 2) Precipitated withdrawal complicated participants' buprenorphine initiation in both arms; 3) Participants largely experienced the SSPs as affirming and welcoming; and 4) Developing strong relationships with healthcare providers was critical to successful buprenorphine treatment initiation. CONCLUSIONS: The SSP-based model provided rapid access to buprenorphine prescriptions, but precipitated withdrawal was a common complication. Some participants desired additional support and guidance when they started taking buprenorphine at home. The findings point to a "low-threshold, high-touch" approach where participants receive expedited access to buprenorphine providers at SSPs but also additional support throughout the initiation process to avoid and/or manage precipitated withdrawal. Despite some challenges, SSP-based buprenorphine treatment was highly valued by study participants.

Humans↗
PubMed2025

In vitro modeling of human dorsal root ganglion neurons for GCaMP6-based calcium imaging of sensory responses to HSV-1 infection.

Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons play a pivotal role in transmitting sensory information from the periphery to the central nervous system, mediating diverse stimuli such as pain, touch, and temperature. Despite advances, translating findings from rodent models to human applications remains challenging due to species-specific differences, necessitating reliable human DRG neuron models. The immortalized human DRG neuronal cell line HD10.6, derived from embryonic DRG cells and capable of differentiating into functional nociceptive-like neurons, offers a promising in vitro system for studying sensory neuron biology and drug screening. This study explores the utility of GCaMP6s, a genetically encoded calcium indicator, as a molecular tool for imaging sensory activation in HD10.6 cells. To establish HD10.6 as a robust human DRG model, we constructed and characterized adeno-associated virus (AAV9) vectors for efficient GCaMP6s delivery. Differentiated HD10.6 cells were efficiently transduced, and calcium dynamics were validated to assess functional responses to sensory stimuli. The results showed that AAV9 serotype was sufficient to infect HD10.6 and the GCaMP6s was successfully introduced into the cells. The HD10.6-GCaMP6s responded to capsaicin well under the appropriate condition. A series of viral infection studies indicated that herpesvirus HSV-1 triggered robust calcium influx within 5&#x202f;min after the exposure to the virus. Our findings highlight the potential of GCaMP6s-expressing HD10.6 cells as a high-throughput platform for studying nociception, neuronal signaling, host cell responses to viruses, and therapeutic interventions, bridging the gap between preclinical research and clinical applications.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

Integrin-Linked Kinases 1, 4, and 5 participate in cell wall-mediated innate immunity to leaf and root pathogens.

The cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway is triggered by plasma membrane-localized receptors in plant cells and serves to orchestrate responses to cell wall damage by initiating compensatory changes under stressful environments. The essential role of CWI maintenance as part of plants' interactions with pests or pathogens and during growth is well known. Nevertheless, CWI pathways remain to be fully characterized. Here, we show that altered Integrin-Linked Kinase 1 (ILK1) expression causes widespread defects in the transcriptional program activated by the bacterial elicitor flg22, primarily in genes associated with cell wall integrity and immunity. These transcriptional deficiencies are recapitulated in mutant lines with altered ILK4 or ILK5 expression. Analysis of molecular and cellular defenses in ilk mutants revealed reduced callose accumulation in leaves treated with bacterial (elf18) and plant (pep1) elicitors and increased pathogen susceptibility. Histochemical analysis of cell-wall-associated staining across diverse cells and organs of ilk mutants revealed modified lignin-associated patterns in the root xylem and altered calcofluor staining patterns in the seed coat. All ilk mutants exhibited altered root morphology due to mechano-touch and high-NaCl stress. Based on these results, we propose that ILKs contribute to pathways connecting elicitor-triggered immune signaling with cell-wall-associated stress responses and that ILK-related defense functions may extend to the cotton root-nematode interaction, while the mechanism remains to be elucidated.

Cell Wall↗
PubMed2025

The effects of haptonomy and virtual reality, anxiety, prenatal attachment and acceptance of pregnancy in unplanned pregnancy.

AIM: Unplanned pregnancies are an important public health problem that negatively affects the health of women and babies. This study aimed to determine the effects of haptonomy and virtual reality on anxiety, prenatal attachment and acceptance of pregnancy in unplanned pregnancies. Haptonomy, a touch-based bonding technique, and virtual reality, an immersive fetal visualisation tool, were used as interventions. METHODS: The sample of this randomised controlled study consisted of 217 pregnant women (haptonomy: 73, virtual reality: 72 and control: 72) who applied to the Obstetrics and Gynaecology outpatient clinics of a public hospital in eastern Turkey between July 2020 and April 2021. For both experimental groups, four interviews were conducted with the pregnant women between the 24thand32nd gestational weeks at intervals of 7-10&#x2009;days. Data were collected on pregnancy-related anxiety, prenatal attachment and pregnancy acceptance. Group differences were analysed using appropriate statistical comparisons. RESULTS: Pregnancy-related anxiety was lower, and acceptance of pregnancy was higher in the experimental groups compared to the control group (p&#x2009;<&#x2009;.001). Prenatal attachment level was higher in the haptonomy and virtual reality groups compared to the control group (p&#x2009;<&#x2009;.001). Notably, prenatal attachment scores were significantly higher in the haptonomy group compared to the virtual reality group (p&#x2009;<&#x2009;.001). CONCLUSION: In unplanned pregnancies, imagining the baby through haptonomy and imagining the baby through virtual reality are techniques that reduce the level of anxiety related to pregnancy and increase the level of prenatal attachment and acceptance of pregnancy. Especially haptonomy showed a higher effect on prenatal attachment.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

sedimix: a workflow for the analysis of hominin nuclear DNA sequences from sediments.

SUMMARY: Sediment DNA-the recovery of genetic material from archaeological sediments-is an exciting new frontier in ancient DNA research, offering the potential to study individuals at a given archaeological site without destructive sampling. In recent years, several studies have demonstrated the promise of this approach by extracting hominin DNA from prehistoric sediments, including those dating back to the Middle or Late Pleistocene. However, a lack of open-source workflows for analysis of hominin sediment DNA samples poses a challenge for data processing and reproducibility of findings across studies. Here, we introduce a snakemake workflow, sedimix, for processing genomic sequences from archaeological sediment DNA samples to identify hominin sequences and generate relevant summary statistics to assess the reliability of the pipeline. By performing simulations and comparing our results to two published studies with human DNA from &#x223c;25,000&#x2009;years ago (including shotgun data from a sediment sample and capture data from touch DNA recovered from a deer tooth pendant) we demonstrate that sedimix yields accurate and reliable inferences. sedimix offers a reliable and adaptable framework to aid in the analysis of sediment DNA datasets and improve reproducibility across studies. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: sedimix is available as an open-source software with the associated code, example data, and user manual with installation instructions available at https://github.com/jierui-cell/sedimix. A permanent archived version of this release is available via Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17244854.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Managing workflow executions with WESkit.

SUMMARY: In biomedical research, managing computational workflows across numerous projects-with varying parameters, tools, and environments-creates major challenges in scalability, reproducibility, and collaboration. Here, we present WESkit, an implementation of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) Workflow Execution Service (WES) interface, designed to streamline the execution, monitoring, and documentation of data processing workflows. It addresses the complexities involved in managing numerous executions with varying parameters across diverse research projects. Supporting both Snakemake and Nextflow, the system enables consistent automation and centralized monitoring, which benefits research groups aiming for long-term reproducibility and scalable collaboration. Its suitability for larger teams and service units is further enhanced by seamless integration into cloud environments, contributing to the GA4GH cloud framework. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The software WESkit is available under MIT license at the GitLab repository (https://gitlab.com/one-touch-pipeline/weskit). The WESkit main repository is archived at Software Heritage (https://archive.softwareheritage.org/browse/origin/directory/?origin_url=https://gitlab.com/one-touch-pipeline/weskit/api.git) and can be found using "one-touch-pipeline/weskit" term in the search section.

Workflow↗
PubMed2026

VIJB: a companion of the JBROWSE genome browser for the visually impaired people.

MOTIVATION: The availability of touch-sensitive and haptic devices has been a keystone development for the inclusion of visually impaired people (VIPs) in modern, highly digitized work environments. Braille displays have proven efficient and versatile enough to parse large and complex text files, making bioinformatics and text-heavy programming accessible to VIPs. However, the complex graphical objects -combining numerous datasets- typically generated during data integration remain challenging, even with the aid of descriptive AI. This is particularly true in functional genomics. Here, we present VIJB, a simple application that displays the multilayered output of the JBROWSE genome browser on a Braille reader, enabling VIPs to fully participate in data integration in functional genomics. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: VIJB is programmed in Python and relies on the scientific library NumPy, the braillegraph and pyBigWig libraries, and the TABIX software. The architecture is summarized in Supplementary Material 1, available as supplementary data at Bioinformatics online. VIJB is available for download at the GitHub repository https://GitHub.com/NiBuMNHN/VIJB and is licenced under the GPL 3.0.

Persons with Visual Disabilities↗
PubMed2025

Venus flytraps' metabolome analysis discloses the metabolic fate of prey animal foodstock.

Carnivorous plants such as the Venus flytrap Dionaea muscipula survive in nutrient-poor habitats by attracting and consuming animals. Upon deflection of the touch-sensitive trigger hairs, the trap closes instantly. Panicking prey repeatedly collides with trigger hairs, which activate the endocrine system: mechano- and chemosensors translate the information on the prey's nature, size, and activity into jasmonate-dependent lytic enzyme secretion. This digestive fluid gradually degrades its exoskeleton and internal tissues. The released substances are absorbed by glands covering the inner trap surface. To understand Dionaea's modification of metabolism upon prey consumption, we compared the metabolic profiles associated with secretion and insect feeding. In favor of digestive enzyme secretion, the abundance of most amino acids decreased after JA-stimulation without prey present. By contrast, insect feeding resulted in an increase in almost all amino acids within the trap. In agreement with the export of prey-derived nitrogen, the abundance of certain amino acids also increased in the petiole. In response to feeding with urea, chitin, nucleic acids, or phospholipids, the amino acid profile remained relatively unchanged. This might indicate that the alterations in the Venus flytrap's metabolism depend both on the type of substance and on its amount.

Droseraceae↗
PubMed2026

Genomic characterization of efflux pumps and putative small multidrug resistance (SMR)-like transporters in disinfectant-tolerant coagulase-negative staphylococci from a Vietnamese hospital.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are common inhabitants of healthcare environments and can serve as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance determinants. However, the relationship among disinfectant tolerance, efflux-associated phenotypes, and multidrug resistance in environmental CoNS remains incompletely defined. Here, 51 staphylococcal isolates were recovered from high-touch hospital surfaces in Hanoi, Vietnam, and 14 isolates showed elevated MICs to at least one disinfectant, including benzalkonium chloride, chlorhexidine gluconate, or hydrogen peroxide, relative to Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. These isolates also displayed multidrug-resistant phenotypes. Moreover, ethidium bromide accumulation assays revealed a clear efflux-associated phenotype, and representative isolates exhibited biofilm-forming ability. Whole-genome sequencing of three representative isolates reclassified SDH.B1 and SDH.B3 as Staphylococcus nepalensis-a CoNS species rarely documented in hospital AMR surveillance-and confirmed SDH.B7 as Staphylococcus haemolyticus. To our knowledge, this is among the first reports of S. nepalensis carrying mecA together with the disinfectant efflux gene qacG, and a set of putative small multidrug resistance (SMR)-like transporters in a hospital environment from Southeast Asia. In addition, six putative SMR-like proteins were identified. Phylogenetic and structural analyses suggested relatedness to YkkC/YkkD-like systems, although their transport activity remains to be experimentally verified. These findings identify environmental CoNS as reservoirs of disinfectant tolerance and multidrug resistance in hospital settings and provide a basis for future functional investigation of putative SMR-like transporters.IMPORTANCEHospital environmental CoNS are often dismissed as low-priority contaminants, yet they may persist under disinfectant pressure and carry clinically relevant resistance determinants. Here, disinfectant-tolerant CoNS recovered from a Vietnamese hospital combined multidrug resistance, efflux-associated phenotypes, and biofilm-related traits. Genome analysis further revealed known qac genes and six putative SMR-like proteins that merit functional testing. These findings support inclusion of environmental CoNS in infection-prevention surveillance and disinfectant stewardship programs.

Staphylococcus haemolyticus↗
PubMed1977

Extrasynaptic receptors on cell bodies of neurons in central nervous system of the leech.

1. A systematic study has been made of the sensitivity of identified sensory and motoneurons in the leech central nervous system to chemical transmitter substances. 2. The following substances elicited responses from the cell bodies of individual neurons: acetylcholine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamic acid, glycine, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Since the cell bodies of leech neurons are free of synapses, the receptors that give rise to these responses are extrasynaptic. 3. Sensory and motoneurons of different function had characteristic complements of extrasynaptic receptors. For example, mechanosensory cells responding to light touch, to pressure, and to noxious stimuli could be distinguished by their responses to iontophoretically applied compounds. For one of these modalities (nociceptive), neurons with different receptive fields but otherwise similar properties had markedly distinct extrasynaptic receptors. The possible significance of extrasynaptic receptors is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2025

A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia.

Neophobia, or aversion to novelty, is important for adaptability and survival as it influences the ways in which animals navigate risk and interact with their environments. Across individuals, species and other taxonomic levels, neophobia is known to vary considerably, but our understanding of the wider ecological drivers of neophobia is hampered by a lack of comparative multispecies studies using standardized methods. Here, we utilized the ManyBirds Project, a Big Team Science large-scale collaborative open science framework, to pool efforts and resources of 129 collaborators at 77 institutions from 24 countries worldwide across six continents. We examined both difference scores (between novel object test and control conditions) and raw data of latency to touch familiar food in the presence (test) and absence (control) of a novel object among 1,439 subjects from 136 bird species across 25 taxonomic orders incorporating lab, field, and zoo sites. We first demonstrated that consistent differences in neophobia existed among individuals, among species, and among other taxonomic levels in our dataset, rejecting the null hypothesis that neophobia is highly plastic at all taxonomic levels with no evidence for evolutionary divergence. We then tested for effects of ecological factors on neophobia, including diet, sociality, habitat, and range, while accounting for phylogeny. We found that (i) species with more specialist diets were more neophobic than those with more generalist diets, providing support for the Neophobia Threshold Hypothesis; (ii) migratory species were also more neophobic than nonmigratory species, which supports the Dangerous Niche Hypothesis. Our study shows that the evolution of avian neophobia has been shaped by ecological drivers and demonstrates the potential of Big Team Science to advance our understanding of animal behavior.

Animals↗