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This article discusses the use of a portable airborne particle filtration device to remove indoor aerosol particles in a medically relevant space. The study found that the device was effective in reducing aerosol concentrations, with reductions ranging from 87% to 99% depending on the distance and particle size. The study suggests that the device has the potential to increase safety without directly contacting the patient. However, it is important to note that the study used saline aerosols as a surrogate for actual bioaerosols, and further research is needed to assess the device's effectiveness in a clinical environment. The authors of the study have disclosed a financial relationship with the company that manufactures the device. The text also provides an overview of the current research and guidelines in this field, emphasizing the importance of air quality and filtration in reducing the risk of infection, particularly in operating rooms. [Extracted from the article]

In this report, we demonstrate that CD spectroscopy can be used as a tool to detect changes to DNA upon irradiation with UV light. We follow the spectroscopic response of DNA samples irradiated at selected exposure times with both CD and UV–Vis spectroscopy. We analyzed four different nucleic acids to evaluate the effect of the sequence on photodegradation. Only one polymer, calf thymus DNA, was a natural nucleic acid and contained all four nucleobases. The other three were synthetic polymers and contained only one type of base pair: poly (deoxyadenylic‐deoxythymidylic) acid [poly (dA‐dT)2] and poly (deoxyadenylic acid) · poly (deoxythymidylic acid) [poly (dA) · poly (dT)], which contained only adenine and thymine; poly (deoxyguanylic‐deoxycytidylic) acid [poly (dG‐dC)2], which contained only guanine and cytosine. CD and UV–Vis spectra showed sequence dependent changes. In particular, poly (dA) · poly (dT) undergoes changes more rapidly than the other sequences investigated. The CD spectrum of poly (dA) · poly (dT) gradually undergoes an inversion, suggesting a change in helicity, before disappearing due to the unfolding of the double strand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrosurgery and procedures that utilize formalin expose healthcare workers to formaldehyde. Incorporating catalytic materials into air-purifying devices has the potential to reduce formaldehyde levels in nosocomial settings. A catalytic transition metal oxide was interfaced with a portable negative pressure (PNP) unit in a simulated operating room (OR) polluted with formaldehyde by exposure to formalin and by applying electrosurgical cuts to porcine muscle. The formaldehyde levels decayed biexponentially when the PNP unit was equipped with a catalyst. When the PNP unit was off, the time-weighted average concentration of formaldehyde detected in the perimeter of the OR during simulated electrosurgery was 0.45 (0.21) ppm. When the PNP unit was on, the time-weighted average concentration reduced to 0.15 (0.08) ppm. The device has the potential to considerably reduce formaldehyde levels in OR environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The air in an operating room becomes more contaminated as the occupancy of the room increases. Individuals residing in a room can potentially emit infectious agents. In order to inhibit and better understand the epidemiology of surgical site infections, it is important to develop procedures to track room occupancy level and respiration. Exhaled CO2 provides a respiratory byproduct that can be tracked with IR light and is associated with human occupancy. Exhaled CO2 can also be used as an indirect measure of the potential release and level of infectious airborne agents. We show that non-dispersive infrared CO2 sensors can be used to detect CO2 in operating room air flow conditions of 20 air changes per hour and a positive pressure of 0.03 in. H2O. The CO2 concentration increased consecutively for occupation levels of one to four individuals, from approximately 65 ppm above the background level when one individual occupied the operating room for twenty minutes to approximately 300 ppm above the background when four individuals were present for twenty minutes. The amount of CO2 detected increases as the number of occupants increase, the activity level increases, the residency time increases and when the ventilation level is reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]