Profiling of the microbes on the surface of smartphone touchscreens.

The commensal microbiota of the finger-skin before and after ethanol disinfection were characterized and compared with the microbes isolated from the surface of smartphone touchscreens. The number of bacteria on the smartphone touchscreens was low, similar to that on the fingers after ethanol disinfection, suggesting that the surface of the touchscreens may not be suitable for the growth of microorganisms, rather than the surface of the fingers. Furthermore, ethanol disinfection reduced the number of bacteria on the finger-skin to 1/13 of the original count before disinfection.

Molecular microbiological profiling of bottled unsweetened tea beverages: A screening experiment.

To explore the potential storage and safety of drinking leftover bottled tea beverages from various manufacturers after direct drinking from bottles, we conducted a screening experiment on the growth of salivary bacteria in plastic bottles of tea. The diluted saliva samples from 10 participants were inoculated into the test bottled beverages, which resulted in bacteria, particularly former members of the genus Lactobacillus, growing in some green tea beverages with a neutral pH. In contrast, tea beverages with less bacterial growth contained Streptococcus spp.

Early-pregnancy N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide level is inversely associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy diagnosed after 35 weeks of gestation.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are among the major causes of high maternal and fetal/neonatal morbidity and mortality rates. Patients with HDP have significantly elevated N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels at diagnosis; however, the NT-proBNP levels during early pregnancy are largely unknown. This study aimed to validate the association between HDP and NT-proBNP levels.

Profiling of the microbiota in the remaining sports drink and orange juice in plastic bottles after direct drinking.

Objectives: The survival of bacteria in the sports drink and orange juice remaining in and at the mouth of bottles after direct drinking was examined after immediately drinking and incubation at 37 °C for 24 h.

Methods: Nine healthy participants were asked to drink approximately 100 mL of a plastic bottled sports drink or orange juice. The samples were cultured anaerobically at 37 °C for 7 days.

Microbiota profiles on the surface of non-woven fabric masks after wearing.

This study aimed to characterize commensal microbiota on the skin before and after wearing masks, and to characterize the microbiota on the surface of used masks after 1 week of drying. From the 13 human subjects (age range, 19-26 years), mean bacterial concentrations of (6.1 ± 11.

Up-regulation of cytosolic prostaglandin E synthase in fetal-membrane and amniotic prostaglandin E2 accumulation in labor.

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is known to have important roles in labor, but the detailed mechanism underlying the spontaneous human labor remains unknown. Here, we examined the involvement of prostaglandin biosynthetic enzymes and transporter in the accumulation of PGE2 in amniotic fluid in human labor. PGE2 and its metabolites were abundant in amniotic fluid in deliveries at term in labor (TLB), but not at term not in labor (TNL).