DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) caused by ultrasound were evaluated in a quantitative manner by single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. We compared the effect of time-interval (or pulse) sonication to that of continuous wave (CW) sonication at a fixed frequency of 30 kHz. Pulses caused fewer DSBs than CW sonication under the same total input ultrasound energy when the pulse repetition period w...

BACKGROUND Electrophysiological cardiac devices are increasingly used. The frequency of subclinical infection is unknown. We investigated all explanted devices using sonication, a method for detection of microbial biofilms on foreign bodies. METHODS AND RESULTS Consecutive patients in whom cardiac pacemakers and implantable cardioverter/defibrillators were removed at our institution between O...

The microbiological diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is crucial for successful antimicrobial treatment. Cultures have limited sensitivity, especially in patients receiving antibiotics. We evaluated the value of multiplex PCR for detection of microbial DNA in sonication fluid from removed orthopedic prostheses. Cases of PJI in which the prosthesis (or part of it) was removed wer...

Background—Electrophysiological cardiac devices are increasingly used. The frequency of subclinical infection is unknown. We investigated all explanted devices using sonication, a method for detection of microbial biofilms on foreign bodies. Methods and Results—Consecutive patients in whom cardiac pacemakers and implantable cardioverter/defibrillators were removed at our institution between Oct...

Microorganisms are able to form biofilms within respiratory secretions. Methods to disaggregate such biofilms before utilizing standard, rapid, or high throughput diagnostic technologies may aid in pathogen detection during ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) diagnosis. Our aim was to determine if sonication of endotracheal aspirates (ETA) would increase the sensitivity of qualitative, semi-q...

Microbiological diagnosis is crucial for the appropriate management of implant-associated orthopedic infections (IAOIs). Sonication of biomaterials for microbiological diagnosis has not yet been introduced in routine clinical practice. Aim of this study was to describe the advantages and feasibility of this procedure in the clinical setting. We prospectively studied 56 consecutive patients unde...

Background and Aims: Production of acoustic cavitation by sonication has been recently recommended as a targeted treatment. The experimental results from studies indicate that the activity of cavitation generated by bi- or multi-frequency ultrasound irradiation is higher than that caused by single frequency irradiation. In this study, effects dual (1 MHz and 40 kHz) and single frequency soni...

Applications of ultrasound for noninvasive drug and gene delivery have been limited by associated cell death as a result of sonication. In this study, we sought to quantify the distribution of cellular bioeffects caused by low-frequency ultrasound (24 kHz) and test the hypothesis that Ca(2+) chelation after sonication can shift this distribution by saving cells from death by apoptosis. Using fl...

Over 22,000 species of biotically pollinated flowering plants, including some major agricultural crops, depend primarily on bees capable of floral sonication for pollination services. The ability to sonicate ("buzz") flowers is widespread in bees but not ubiquitous. Despite the prevalence of this pollinator behavior and its importance to natural and agricultural systems, the evolutionary histor...