Project description:Toxigenic Clostridioides difficile and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci – new mode of transmission by shoes of healthcare workers? A prospective cohort study.
Project description:We used whole-genome fire ant microarrays to examine the molecular basis for division of labor in fire ant workers by comparing foraging and non-foraging workers from monogyne colonies. Fire ant colonies were collected in the field and transported into the lab were they were reared in standard conditions. We created a nesting chamber containing the queen, the brood and workers performing nursing tasks and a foraging area, separated from the nesting chamber and provided with food and water sources. Foraging workers were collected in the foraging area while non-foraging workers were collected in the nesting chamber. Total RNA was isolated from pools of whole workers and processed for microarrays.
Project description:We assessed the dynamics of hand microbial community structure of 34 healthcare workers from a single surgical intensive care unit over a short (3 week) time period, whilst taking into account the technical sources of variability introduced by specimen collection, DNA extraction, and sequencing. Sample collection took place at 3 different time points. Only the sampling collection method appeared to have a significant impact on the observed hand microbial community structure among the healthcare workers. Analysis of samples collected using glove-juice showed a slightly more similar microbial composition within individual hand samples over time than between the hands of different individuals over time. This was not true for samples collected using a swab, where samples from a single individual were no more similar to each other over time than those among other individuals over time, suggesting they were essentially independent. DNA extraction techniques (lysozyme only versus enzyme cocktail) and sequencing (replicate set 1 versus 2) using Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine, were not influential to the microbial community structures. Glove-juice sample collection may likely be the method of choice in hand hygiene studies in the healthcare setting.
Project description:Apis mellifera workers in temperate climates display two castes; short lived summer bees that engage in nursing, hive maintenance and foraging, and long lived winter bees (diutinus bees) which remain within the hive and are essential for thermoregulation. Label free quantitative proteomic analysis was conducted on A. mellifera workers sampled from July to October 2019 to compare the proteomes of workers as the colony progresses through the year. Proteomic analysis revealed a shift in protein expression in workers in September and October in comparison to July and August samples. Workers samples in September and October had a higher abundance of proteins associated with oxidative phosphorylation and storage proteins such as hexamerin. Interestingly, a shift in protein expression was detected in newly emerged bees between July to October, providing evidence that workers have adapted to emerge with a different protein profile in preparation for the winter months.
Project description:We used whole-genome fire ant microarrays to examine the molecular basis for social organization in Solenopsis invicta. Monogyne (single queen) fire ant colonies were collected in the field and transported into the lab were they were reared in standard conditions for two weeks. At this point, each colony was split into two sub-colonies: one sub-colony contained the functional mother queen (queenright) while the other was left queenless. Each sub-colony included a nesting chamber, containing the brood and workers performing nursing tasks, and a foraging area, separated from the nesting chamber and provided with food and water sources. For both queenright and queenless sub-colonies, foraging workers were collected in the foraging area while non-foraging workers were collected in the nesting chamber. Total RNA was isolated from pools of 10 whole workers and processed for microarrays.
Project description:In fire ants, a complex colony level phenotype, colony queen number, is completely associated with a single Mendelian factor marked by the gene Gp-9. The first aim of this study was to investigate whether variation in the genomic region marked by Gp-9 is associated with differences in patterns of expression of genes other than Gp-9 in workers. The second aim was to study how the social environment (i.e., presence or absence of nestmate workers with the b allele) can alter individual gene expression patterns. Keywords: Genotype comparison and social form comparison
Project description:We identified and validated characteristic miRNA expression profiles of human whole blood in workers exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and compared the usefulness of miRNA indicator of VOCs with the effectiveness of the already used urinary biomarkers of occupational exposure. Using a microarray based approach, we screened and detected deregulated miRNAs in their expression in workers exposed to VOCs (toluene [TOL], xylene [XYL] and ethylbenzene [EBZ]). Total 169 workers from four dockyards were enrolled in current study, and 50 subjects of them were used for miRNA microarray analysis.
Project description:Objectives: The purpose of this study is to establish the norms of hand grip strength in the healthcare industry in Taiwan and propose models to predict the strength of hand movement by regression with demographic and anthropometric factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a stratified convenience sample of workers in healthcare service industries in central Taiwan. Three hundred twenty-nine healthy subjects were recruited. Strength of different hand movement were tested three times in both hands and rests were given between tests. Results: Female strength of these hand movement was 59.1% to 73.0% that in males (p < 0.001). In general, the hand strength of male workers in the healthcare industry was less than that of male workers in the manufacturing industry (p < 0.001). In the prediction model, sex and weight played important roles in predicting hand strength. Conclusions: The norms of different types of hand strength was investigated the first time in workers in the healthcare industry in Taiwan. The tasks performed by healthcare personnel vary widely, and this variable should be considered in a future prediction model.