The cervical microbiota of Hispanics living in Puerto Rico is nonoptimal regardless of HPV status.

The cervicovaginal microbiota is influenced by host physiology, immunology, lifestyle, and ethnicity. We hypothesized that there would be differences in the cervicovaginal microbiota among pregnant, nonpregnant, and menopausal women living in Puerto Rico (PR) with and without human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer. We specifically wanted to determine if the microbiota is associated with variations in cervical cytology.

Degradation of synthetic and wood-based cellulose fabrics in the marine environment: Comparative assessment of field, aquarium, and bioreactor experiments.

As global production of textiles rapidly grows, there is urgency to understand the persistence of fabrics in the marine environment, particularly from the microfibers they shed during wearing and washing. Here, we show that fabrics containing polyester (one of the most common plastics) remained relatively intact (viz., with a limited biofilm) after >200 days in seawater off the Scripps Oceanography pier (La Jolla, CA), in contrast to wood-based cellulose fabrics that fell apart within 30 days.

Critical Assessment of Analytical Methods for the Harmonized and Cost-Efficient Analysis of Microplastics.

Microplastics are of major concerns for society and is currently in the focus of legislators and administrations. A small number of measures to reduce or remove primary sources of microplastics to the environment are currently coming into effect. At the moment, they have not yet tackled important topics such as food safety.

Validation and application of cost and time effective methods for the detection of 3-500 μm sized microplastics in the urban marine and estuarine environments surrounding Long Beach, California.

Microplastics (MP) are detected in aquatic environments worldwide, yet detection is often limited to larger sized MP. To address this data gap, the abundance of MP 3-500 μm was assessed in the Los Angeles River, the San Gabriel River, and the Long Beach Harbor (CA, USA), three areas with highly urbanized surroundings. Whole surface water samples were taken, subjected to a hydrogen peroxide digestion and MP counts were compared between unstained visual examination and Nile Red staining identification techniques.