We investigated the hypothesis that the strength of the activation of the intra-S DNA damage checkpoint varies within the S phase. Synchronized diploid human fibroblasts were exposed to either 0 or 2.5 J m(-2) UVC in early, mid- and late-S phase. The endpoints measured were the following: (1) radio-resistant DNA synthesis (RDS), (2) induction of Chk1 phosphorylation, (3) initiation of new repli...

BACKGROUND Ultraviolet (UV) light, especially UVC, is germicidal but its ability to penetrate layers of protein containing solutions is poor. This hampers its use to inactivate pathogens in therapeutic fresh plasma (FP). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS FP units were spiked with lipid-enveloped or nonenveloped viruses. Others were used without spiking. The units were transferred into UV-transparent b...

Interest in airborne smallpox transmission has been renewed because of concerns regarding the potential use of smallpox virus as a biothreat agent. Air disinfection via upper-room 254-nm germicidal UV (UVC) light in public buildings may reduce the impact of primary agent releases, prevent secondary airborne transmission, and be effective prior to the time when public health authorities are awar...

Cumin seeds may have been exposed to a high level of bacterial contamination and presence of pathogenic organisms could potentially create a public health risk. Apart from the public health, heavy microbial contamination is also a crucial problem in exportation. Most microorganisms contaminating the cumin seeds reside on the surface, and generally inner parts of the seeds are free from the micr...

Ungulate vehicle collisions (UVC) provoke serious damage, including human casualties, and a large number of measures have been developed around the world to avoid collisions. We analyse the main factors involved in UVC in a road network built in the absence of ungulates, where mitigation structures to avoid UVC were not adequately considered. Ungulate population greatly increased during the las...

Synergism between exposure to chemical carcinogens and infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been implicated in the high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study we report that the HBV protein HBx, inhibits cellular DNA repair capacity in a p53-independent manner. Two alternative assays were used: the host cell reactivation assay, which measures the cell's capacity to repai...

A new approach is investigated utilizing light guidance capabilities of optical pure quartz glass in order to maximize drinking water disinfection efficiency with UVC-light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Two experimental setups consisting of soda-lime AR® glass (VWR, Darmstadt, Germany) or HSQ® 100 quartz glass (Heraeus, Wasserburg, Germany) reactors were designed to compare disinfection rates with an...

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of meat content and surface smoothness on the deactivation of Listeria monocytogenes in beef-agar food models achieved by shortwave ultraviolet (UVC) light. Food models with various meat contents were made using chopped beef slices and agar solution. Prepared models together with a Listeria selective agar (LSA) plate and a slice of cooked beef wer...

Background and Aim: The present study introduces photofunctionalization as a technique for tackling biological aging and increasing the bioactivity of titanium. This in-vitro study evaluated the effects of ultraviolet (UVC) light treatment of titanium surfaces with different time-related changes on the behavior and function of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Materials and Methods: MSCs we...

We investigated the contribution of the xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XPC) gene to DNA repair. We stably transfected XPC cells (XP4PA-SV-EB) with XPC cDNA and selected a partially corrected (XP4PA-SE1) and a fully corrected (XP4PA-SE2) clone. Cell survival after UVC (254 nm) exposure was low for XP4PA-SV-EB, intermediate for XP4PA-SE1, and normal for XP4PA-SE2 cells. XP4PA-SV-EB cells had unde...