Effect of SARs-CoV-2 pandemic on infection prevention behaviors and bacterial burden of high touch surfaces in a medical/surgical setting.

This study aimed to determine the longitudinal efficacy of ultraviolet germicidal disinfection (UV-C) in a non-terminal disinfection context. Moreover, factors influencing enhanced infection prevention behaviors during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were evaluated. Sixty nursing staff from three medical/surgical wards in a large military hospital were recruited for a survey and microbiological sampling of high-touch surfaces (stethoscope, personal electronic device, common access card, and hospital ID badge) and portable medical equipment (wheelchairs and mobile commodes).

Limited impact of an ultraviolet disinfection intervention on hygienic behaviors of nursing staff in a military hospital.

Ultraviolet disinfection (UV-C), though effective, has not been thoroughly evaluated at the level of the clinical end user. We assessed behavioral outcomes related to environmental hygiene among 60 nursing staff in a medical-surgical section after introduction of a UV-C tool aimed at disinfecting 4 high-touch surfaces, and we noted limited changes.

Assessment of surgical instrument bioburden after steam sterilization: A pilot study.

In environments in which manual decontamination and steam sterilization remains the primary method of sterilization, biofilm formation can increase the risk of disease transmission. To determine the risk of bacterial survival and contamination on surgical instruments, inoculated blood was dried on one instrument and steam sterilized (wrapped or unwrapped) in a set of 4 (including 3 clean). Two of 3 pathogens were recovered at a rate of 15% for unwrapped sets and 33% for wrapped sets.

Standing desks for sedentary occupations: Assessing changes in satisfaction and health outcomes after six months of use.

Background: Standing desks are a low cost option for the reduction of sedentary behavior.

Objective: This study evaluated changes in utility and health outcomes during a standing desk intervention.

Methods: Thirty-five participants (BMI >25) who reported sitting an average of≥six hours per workday were recruited.

Comparative effectiveness of rapid-cycle ultraviolet decontamination to chemical decontamination on high-touch communication devices.

Background: This quantitative, comparative-descriptive study of inpatient units in a large military medical center was designed to compare the effectiveness of compact ultraviolet (UV-C) decontamination to standard chemical decontamination in reducing the microbial burden on Vocera (San Jose, CA) communication devices and to characterize changes in staff cleaning practices following UV-C device implementation.

Methods: Aerobic and anaerobic swabs were used to collect microbial samples from Vocera devices (n = 60) before and after chemical decontamination (first sampling) and before and after UV decontamination (second sampling). Cleaning behaviors were assessed by observation and oral inquiry during the baseline sampling and surveyed 8 weeks after UV-C device implementation.

Bacterial Contamination of Military and Civilian Uniforms in an Emergency Department.

Introduction: The emergency department is a fast-paced, high-volume environment, serving patients with diverse and evolving acuities. Personnel providing direct care are continually exposed to pathogenic microorganisms from patients and everyday surfaces, to which the organisms may spread. Indeed, hospital items-such as electronic devices, stethoscopes, and staff clothing-have demonstrated high rates of contamination.

Comparing colony-forming units in inpatient nurses: Should military nurses who provide patient care wear hospital-provided scrubs?

Objective: To compare bacterial contamination of military-approved uniforms and hospital-provided scrubs donned by nursing staff in an inpatient setting.

Design: Randomized experimental crossover study.

Setting: Large academic military medical center.

DNA Methylation program in normal and alcohol-induced thinning cortex.

While cerebral underdevelopment is a hallmark of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), the mechanism(s) guiding the broad cortical neurodevelopmental deficits are not clear. DNA methylation is known to regulate early development and tissue specification through gene regulation. Here, we examined DNA methylation in the onset of alcohol-induced cortical thinning in a mouse model of FASD.

Cell-Wide DNA De-Methylation and Re-Methylation of Purkinje Neurons in the Developing Cerebellum.

Global DNA de-methylation is thought to occur only during pre-implantation and gametogenesis in mammals. Scalable, cell-wide de-methylation has not been demonstrated beyond totipotent stages. Here, we observed a large scale de-methylation and subsequent re-methylation (CDR) (including 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxylmethylcytosine (5hmC)) in post-mitotic cerebellar Purkinje cells (PC) through the course of normal development.

Epigenetic regulation of the neural transcriptome and alcohol interference during development.

Alcohol intoxicated cells broadly alter their metabolites - among them methyl and acetic acid can alter the DNA and histone epigenetic codes. Together with the promiscuous effect of alcohol on enzyme activities (including DNA methyltransferases) and the downstream effect on microRNA and transposable elements, alcohol is well placed to affect intrinsic transcriptional programs of developing cells. Considering that the developmental consequences of early alcohol exposure so profoundly affect neural systems, it is not unfounded to reason that alcohol exploits transcriptional regulators to challenge canonical gene expression and in effect, intrinsic developmental pathways to achieve widespread damage in the developing nervous system.

Epigenetic medicine and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Epigenetic medicine is still in its infancy. To date, only a handful of diseases have documented epigenetic correlates upstream of gene regulation including cancer, developmental syndromes and late-onset diseases. The finding that epigenetic markers are dynamic and heterogeneous at tissue and cellular levels, combined with recent identification of a new form of functionally distinct DNA methylation has opened a wider window for investigators to pry into the epigenetic world.