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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2026

Intra-individual genetic diversity of vaginal Lactobacillus crispatus revealed through citizen science-driven isolation and pangenome analysis.

AIMS: A vaginal microbiome dominated by Lactobacillus crispatus is associated with positive reproductive and sexual health outcomes, yet intra-individual genetic diversity within this species remains largely unexplored. This study characterized inter- and intra-individual genomic variation in L. crispatus strains isolated through a citizen science initiative and assessed implications for multi-strain probiotic development. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-three women participated in this citizen science project. Self-sampling resulted in 48 shotgun metagenomes. Twenty-two participants isolated their own L. crispatus strains using selective enrichment and LAMP-based species confirmation, resulting in 53 whole-genome-sequenced isolates. Lactobacillus crispatus dominated 20 of 48 metagenomes (50.1%-99.6% relative abundance). Pangenome analysis revealed 3456 gene families, of which 43.7% were core and 56.3% accessory. A 14-kb plasmid harbouring a Fic-domain toxin-antitoxin protein, but devoid of antimicrobial resistance genes, was present in 44 of 53 strains. Strains from the same individual clustered closely together yet harboured 1-123 gene differences. Intra-individual variation was observed in the pullulanase type I gene required for glycogen degradation: 40 strains were predicted to grow on glycogen, six showed genetic disruptions with unknown consequences, and seven were predicted to lack this ability entirely. Variation within individuals was also found for bacteriocin classes and CRISPR-Cas genes. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial functional diversity exists within L. crispatus, even among strains from the same individual, supporting the rationale for multi-strain vaginal probiotics. This citizen science approach enabled discovery of host-specific adaptations while ensuring participant ownership of their strains.

Female↗
PubMed2026

Fantastic microbes and where to find them: evaluating learning-by-doing outcomes in a crowdfunded metagenomics workshop.

Metagenomics offers a powerful framework for authentic, interdisciplinary learning, yet it remains underrepresented in undergraduate education due to technical and infrastructural barriers. We hypothesized that a research-based, learning-by-doing metagenomics workshop supported by accessible bioinformatics tools could enhance students' perceived skills, self-efficacy, and conceptual understanding of metagenomic analysis. To test this hypothesis, we designed and evaluated a hybrid hands-on workshop in which undergraduate and postgraduate students analyzed real environmental shotgun metagenomic datasets generated from soil samples collected during a citizen science initiative. Using the graphical workflow platform KBase, participants completed an end-to-end metagenomic analysis, from quality control and assembly to genome reconstruction, taxonomic classification, functional annotation, and scientific presentation of results. Educational outcomes were assessed through validated retrospective pre-post questionnaires, self-efficacy scales, and an open-ended conceptual understanding task. Participants showed significant increases in perceived metagenomic skills and confidence in performing metagenomic analyses, while gains in perceived learning showed a positive trend. Conceptual understanding improved across educational levels, particularly among participants with limited prior experience. Together, these findings demonstrate that authentic, data-driven metagenomics activities can effectively lower barriers to computational biology and foster meaningful learning through hands-on research experiences.

Metagenomics↗
PubMed2016

DNA barcoding in diverse educational settings: five case studies.

Despite 250 years of modern taxonomy, there remains a large biodiversity knowledge gap. Most species remain unknown to science. DNA barcoding can help address this gap and has been used in a variety of educational contexts to incorporate original research into school curricula and informal education programmes. A growing body of evidence suggests that actively conducting research increases student engagement and retention in science. We describe case studies in five different educational settings in Canada and the USA: a programme for primary and secondary school students (ages 5-18), a year-long professional development programme for secondary school teachers, projects embedding this research into courses in a post-secondary 2-year institution and a degree-granting university, and a citizen science project. We argue that these projects are successful because the scientific content is authentic and compelling, DNA barcoding is conceptually and technically straightforward, the workflow is adaptable to a variety of situations, and online tools exist that allow participants to contribute high-quality data to the international research effort. Evidence of success includes the broad adoption of these programmes and assessment results demonstrating that participants are gaining both knowledge and confidence. There are exciting opportunities for coordination among educational projects in the future.This article is part of the themed issue 'From DNA barcodes to biomes'.

Biodiversity↗
PubMed2026

Species and strain sharing in the vaginal microbiome of mothers and their adult daughters.

The vaginal microbiome is key for women's health. However, its establishment, interindividual variation and dynamics remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate bacterial relatedness at species and strain level in adult mother-daughter pairs from the large-scale citizen-science program Isala. Using metagenomic sequencing with quality control including 16S rRNA profile comparison, along with targeted culturing, we assess intergenerational microbiome sharing. At species level, daughters' vaginal microbiomes are significantly more similar to their mothers' than to those of unrelated mothers, with a strong mother-daughter correlation in Lactobacillus crispatus dominance. Strain-level analyses of metagenomes and isolate genomes reveal intraspecies diversity in L. crispatus, with up to two strains observed within the same host, and support intergenerational vaginal bacteria sharing. SNV counts in shared L. crispatus strains show no correlation with daughters' ages. Together, these findings suggest that maternal transmission, host factors, and (shared) environment collectively shape the vaginal microbiome, providing fundamental ecological insights into vaginal microbiome dynamics and perspectives toward lactobacilli-based applications.

CP: microbiology↗
PubMed2026

Beauty bias in butterfly research and conservation.

Conservation biases have been documented since the first emergence of the concept of biodiversity in the 1980s,1,2,3 showing a systematic disproportion in the allocation of research and conservation efforts among taxa.4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 One factor underlying this disproportion, gaining prominence in recent literature, is species' perceived beauty, shaped by human visual preferences.12,13,14,15,16,17 Here, we integrate a large-scale survey of the perceived beauty of European butterflies yielding >21,000 survey completions from >100 countries into a time-explicit network linking species' beauty, public attention, research and conservation efforts, and the EU regulatory framework. We found that species beauty is consistently associated with public attention, research, and conservation efforts in a temporally structured pattern compatible with a cumulative beauty bias. Research effort and public attention concentrate on widespread and visually attractive species, whereas species included in the legal conservation framework, particularly the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (hereafter, Bern Convention, BC, 1979)18 and the EU Habitats Directive (hereafter, HD, 1992)19 are disproportionately represented by visually appealing and historically protected taxa. Because these frameworks guide funding and management actions, early associations between species beauty and BC/HD inclusion have contributed to long-lasting institutional patterns in butterfly research and conservation. By contrast, European IUCN Red Lists20,21 do not overrepresent beautiful species and identify more inconspicuous taxa as threatened. This mismatch reveals a tension between scientific assessments of extinction risk and historically embedded conservation priorities. Our findings suggest that recognizing beauty bias is vital for aligning conservation with actual ecological urgency. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Analysis of the genome of a Pseudomonas monsensis isolate that produces the antifungal dipeptide maculosin.

Candida species have been attributed to causing ~647,000 deaths annually. Candida albicans has been identified by the WHO as a priority pathogen for targeted antifungal drug development. To this end, we have screened microbial strains from the public outreach project Swab and Send for anti-Candida activity. This process identified Pseudomonas sp. SS1954.14, which displayed potent activity against C. albicans, both on agar and in a cell-free supernatant assay. Whole-genome sequence analysis identified this strain as Pseudomonas monsensis. It contains several biosynthetic gene clusters, suggesting that it can produce hydrogen cyanide, lokisin, pyoverdine and colicin/carocin, which may contribute to the observed antifungal activity. However, an active compound was separated by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography and identified through high-resolution mass spectrometry as maculosin [cyclo(Pro-Tyr)]. This cyclic dipeptide has previously been found to possess antifungal activity, but the exact biosynthetic mechanism remains undetermined. Reporting this genome alongside the associated evidence of maculosin production represents a valuable resource for biosynthetic investigations.

Candida albicans↗
PubMed1979

Accountability in health care: an essay on mechanisms, muddles, and mires.

This paper presents a critical evaluation of several theories of accountability and their applicability to health care concerns. The authors first provide a preliminary refinement of the imprecise concept of accountability itself and then examine four major types (political; bureaucratic; professional; and economic-consumer). Then, by using disciplinary perspectives provided by several schools of thought in political science (legislative supremacy; general manager theory; government by bureaucracy; objective responsibility; citizen participation), they discuss the degree of accountability presently found in various American health policies. After identifying the inherent dilemmmas within any credible accountability approach to health care programs as now utilized in the United States, the authors recommend that all types of accountability be integrated and strengthened by relying more explicitly on practices characteristic of development administration.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed1975

Consumer evaluation of health services: implications for methodology and health care policy.

Consumer evaluation research is defined and analyzed as an experimental model for establishing a link between social science research and public policy. The paper reports the results of an 18-month longitudinal study of an experimental citizen evaluation group. Participant observation was the method used to organize the data. The impact of the model on methodological issues, such as objectivity, researcher autonomy, and control over research decision-making are discussed. Implications of the consumer evaluation model for integrating social research and health policy formulation are analyzed and principles of citizen evaluation research are presented.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed1975

Vocational potential assessment.

Determination of employment potential will become increasingly important in the foreseeable future, largely due to pending Federal legislation which relates to welfare reform. The heretofore "permanently and totally disabled versus able-bodied" principle in welfare reforms is being abbandoned. Pending legislative proposals dealing with welfare reform provide for considering physically impaired persons as partially disabled and partially employable simultaneously. Thus, the need to systematically and effectively assess physically impaired citizens' capacities to participate in the job market will increase. Unquestionably, rehabilitation medicine in general, and the emerging art and science of vocational evaluation in particular, will contribute much to supplying these services. While it is widely acknowledged that the vocational potential of physically impaired persons should be evaluated in an organized manner, there are differences of opinion among professional evaluators as to which approach, or approaches, are the most meritorious; The four principal approaches are: (1) mental testing, (2) work sampling, (3) situational analysis, and (4) job tryouts. Each of these approaches is explained, contrasted, and evaluated in this paper.

Disability Evaluation↗
PubMed1992

Narrowing the zone of uncertainty between research and development in biological warfare defense.

Although "research" is not prohibited by the Biological Weapons Convention, States Parties to the Convention have maintained the spirit of the Convention in actions relating to research. The confidence-building measures agreed to at RC2 refer to research facilities, publication of research results, and promotion of contacts between scientists engaged in research related to the Convention. However, assessment of basic research on biological agents is not a productive way to distinguish an offensive from a defensive program. Additionally, if a country were to initiate a biological weapons program, basic research on biological agents may not be necessary. For example, the extensive published research on Bacillus anthracis, both as a cause of anthrax in cattle and other species and as a biological-warfare agent, would enable any motivated group or nation to initiate a biological weapons program that could immediately advance to the development and scale-up stages. Research on biological agents for offensive purposes would be characterized by activities such as selection for growth, virulence, and toxin production; improving stability under varying environmental conditions; and selection of strains that might overcome existing means of prophylaxis and treatment. A biological program with an offensive intent would in most cases be characterized by evidence of development efforts in mass production and dissemination, which are often agent-specific. Thus, an assessment of development may distinguish offensive from defensive programs. If a country were to initiate a biological weapons research program, and were willing to risk worldwide condemnation should existence of such a program become known, it is likely that such a program would include development and production capabilities. If a country were not committed to production capability, there would be no rationale for an offensive biological research that would bring worldwide condemnation. Critics of the U.S. Biological Defense Research Program have suggested that the program could easily and quickly be turned into an offensive effort. To accomplish this, however, we have to assume that all military personnel, including the civilians employed by the Department of the Army, are unethical and willing to break the law and run the risk of placing the U.S. in a noncompliance status. The Army is under constant scrutiny by governmental agencies, by visiting scientists, by audiences at scientific meetings, by scientists who review manuscripts for publications, by news media, and by private citizens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Biological Warfare↗
PubMed1978

[Political aspects. Prevention and political realities].

Present health legislation in Switzerland is largely concerned with the protection of our inhabitants from biological, chemical and physical risk of the environment. More and more it extends to economic aspects and to the behavior of the individual. Also in this respect a legal basis not only for the coverage of the consequences but also for the prevention of ill health is needed. Responsible citizens of our nation devoted to freedom and democracy merit that such a basis does rely as little as possible on bureaucratic enforcement but mainly on information and health education, controlled by science and experience and oriented towards the human needs and values of our society.

Economics, Medical↗
PubMed1979

Ethical problems in psychopharmacological research.

1. Scientific research poses considerable ethical problems which in human psychopharmacological studies are frequently faced by singling out consent as the only reliable source of human respect, although it is never free, spontaneous, or informed. 2. On the other hand, various ethical problems present in the "life" of a new substance in the case of industry and preclinical, clinical and mass experiments, are left behind. 3. Thus there arise justified protests which go so far as disowning science and technology. To criticize science and technology is of no use: incorrect use of them must be prevented. 4. Such a guarantee can only come from an international control committee, capable of coping with a multinational power such as industry, supported by peripheral elective committees, which grant the citizens a direct participation in the administration of health.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed1992

The U.S. health care system: challenges for the academic health professions community.

The author discusses the need to create structural reforms in the nation's health care system, built around a consensus on workable, affordable solutions, the first of four needs in this area, and presents a set of principles that must frame the debate on health care reform (e.g., that health care must be accessible to all Americans). He also presents practical options that address the United States' most urgent health care concerns (e.g., making the cost of health insurance more affordable for small businesses). The second need is to preserve and strengthen the nation's biomedical research enterprise; the author outlines steps that are already under way to deal with this need (e.g., the development of a Biomedical Research Initiative in the Public Health Service and the allocation of funds for various research-connected activities). The third need is to increase the participation of minority youth in science and the health professions; the author outlines steps that are being taken to encourage such participation (e.g., helping historically black colleges and universities and funding training programs for training minority professionals in health care). The last need discussed is to foster a culture of character: empowering citizens to take control of their own lives to eliminate costly debilitating illness before it strikes. For all these needs to be addressed successfully, it is crucial that the involvement of the academic health professions community and the community at large be expanded.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed1992

Creating a healthy public.

Significant change in thought and action will be required for our health system to become capable of serving all citizens effectively. Reliance on market forces and political expediency to shape health policy has focused attention inappropriately on finding ways to pay for illness care rather than maximizing health status. This misdirection of thought and effort has led many of us to search for ways to assure that health policy decisions are consistently based on both science and an ethic of humane concern. Courageous and disciplined local leadership will be needed to motivate policymakers to focus on the task of creating a healthy public. Linkage of academicians and practitioners with the public in a manner than empowers communities to assess and prioritize their own health problems could foster a strong community-based demand for ethical and humane decision making. Constituent demand for improved health status could provide the support politicians need if they are to legislate a national health program that emphasizes health promotion and disease prevention as well as illness care.

Forecasting↗
PubMed1979

[The mental patient as motorist. When is unfitness to drive involved? (author's transl)].

The bulk of road traffic accidents are not caused by ill drivers and even not at all by mentally ill drivers. So far as diseases are involved in the assessment of suitability to drive, the Joint Advisory Board for Medical Science relating to Traffic Safety and the Federal Minister for Youth, Family and Health have worked out standards for this. Examples were given and the principles were presented according to which expert opinions by doctors and specialists should be made. Otherwise difficulties arise in road traffic from the psychiatric point of view through the nonconformist behavior of the normal citizen who apparently finds it difficult to realize the principles of self-responsibility.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2026

Beyond the clinic: a community-embedded, multidomain framework for early detection of glaucoma.

Glaucoma remains one of the leading causes of acquired irreversible blindness worldwide, with normal-tension glaucoma representing the dominant subtype in Japan and several East Asian populations. The insidious, asymptomatic progression of this condition, combined with the demonstrated inadequacy of intraocular pressure alone as a screening criterion, creates a critical gap between disease burden and case detection. Population-based epidemiological studies consistently reveal that the majority of individuals with glaucoma are undiagnosed. Two responses have been suggested: incorporation of retinal imaging into annual health checkups, which warrants formal prospective evaluation, and characterization of individuals at higher risk - integrating genomic risk, oxidative stress biomarkers, systemic lifestyle factors, and ocular blood flow dynamics - which may help identify those in whom damage is most likely to occur. The principal contribution of this Perspective is therefore the implementation model rather than the individual screening components. We introduce the Living Lab ('neighborhood health lab'), a community co-creation platform established under the Japan Science and Technology Agency COI-NEXT 'Vision to Connect' hub at Tohoku University, as a scalable model for operationalizing this framework. Embedded within commercial retail environments, the Living Lab integrates non-invasive screening, longitudinal health data collection, and evidence-based health product development-exemplified by the Ronbun Recipe® concept-within a stakeholder-aligned ecosystem encompassing citizens, researchers, industry, and municipal authorities. Conceived as a platform for well-being rather than as a disease-specific screening service, it engages individuals who are asymptomatic, undiagnosed, and outside existing screening pathways, and who would not otherwise be assessed at all.

Humans↗