Removal of virus from hands: a study on the role of washing and drying.

Background: Proper hand hygiene is extremely important to control the transmission of pathogens. Although many studies have been undertaken on the effect of washing and drying on bacterial contamination of hands, studies on viral contamination are scarce.

Aim: To assess the viral load of artificially contaminated hands after washing and after drying.

Impact of different hand-drying methods on surrounding environment: aerosolization of virus and bacteria, and transfer to surfaces.

Background: In recent years, hand drying has been highlighted as a key step in appropriate hand hygiene, as moisture on hands can increase the transfer of micro-organisms from hands to surfaces and vice versa.

Aim: To understand bacterial and viral aerosolization following hand drying, and study the transfer of micro-organisms from hands to surfaces after drying using different methods.

Methods: Groups of five volunteers had their hands pre-washed with soap, rinsed and dried, then inoculated with a concentrated mixture of Pseudomonas fluorescens and MS2 bacteriophage.

Can air purification improve sleep quality? A 2-week randomised-controlled crossover pilot study in healthy adults.

Insufficient quantity and quality of sleep is a public health concern that can be addressed by interventions for improving sleep outcomes. Environmental factors such as poor air quality are a potential target for intervention, particularly in light of associations between air pollution and worse sleep. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of using an air purifier on sleep outcomes and mood in 30 healthy adults.

Aerosols and Bacteria From Hand Washing and Drying in Indoor Air.

Effective hand drying is an important part of hand hygiene that can reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission through cross-contamination of surfaces by wet hands. However, hand drying methods may also cause aerosolisation of pathogenic microorganisms if they are present in washed hands. This study investigated experimentally the impact of washing hands and different hand drying methods on the concentration and size distribution of aerosols and bacteria in indoor air.

Differential internalin A levels in biofilms of Listeria monocytogenes grown on different surfaces and nutrient conditions.

Listeria monoctyogenes is a foodborne pathogen containing the surface protein, internalin A (InlA). The expression of this protein permits the invasion of L. monocytogenes into intestinal epithelial cells expressing the receptor E-cadherin, thus crossing the intestinal barrier and resulting in listerosis.