Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is characterized by risk of nosocomial transmission; however, the extent of environmental contamination and its potential contribution of environmental contamination to SARS-CoV-2 transmission are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate whether environmental contamination may play a role in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Methods: Air samples were collected by natural precipitation, and environmental surface samples were collected by conventional surface swabbing. SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection was performed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: Viral RNA was not detected in the 44 air samples. The positive rates in 200 environmental surface samples in medical areas (24.83%) was higher than that in living quarters (3.64%), with a significant difference (P < .05). The positive rates were 25.00% and 37.50% for the general isolation ward and intensive care unit, respectively, and no significant difference was observed between them (P = .238). The top 5 sampling sites with a positive rate in medical areas were beepers (50.00%), water machine buttons (50.00%), elevator buttons (42.86%), computer mouses (40.00%), and telephones (40.00%). Conclusions: Most of the touchable surfaces in the designated hospital for COVID-19 were heavily contaminated, suggesting that the environment is a potential medium of disease transmission. These results emphasize the need for strict environmental surface hygiene practices and enhanced hand hygiene to prevent the spread of the virus.

Small RNAs are widespread in plants and animals. They largely include microRNAs (miRNAs) and short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and they play key roles in gene and chromatin regulations. Here we describe in detail the method for an effective construction of the recently developed short tandem target mimic (STTM) technology to block small RNA functions in plants and animals. STTM is a powerful technology complementing the previous target mimic (TM) in plants and the miRNA sponge, as well as the recently defined endogenous competing RNA (CeRNA) in animals. We expect STTM will not only be effective in blocking small RNA functions in plants but will also become a popular approach in animals.

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The studied phenotype, the low-voltage electroencephalogram (LVEEG), is characterized by the absence of an alpha rhythm from the resting EEG. In previous studies, evidence was found for a simple autosomal-dominant mode of inheritance of the LVEEG. Such a polymorphism in brain function can be used as a research model for the stepwise elucidation of the molecular mechanism involved in those aspects of neuronal activity that are reflected in the EEG. Linkage with the variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) marker CMM6 (D20S19) and localization of an LVEEG (EEGV1) gene on 20q have previously been reported, and genetic heterogeneity has been demonstrated. This latter result has been corroborated by studying new marker (MS214). The phenotype of the LVEEG is described here in greater detail. Its main characteristic is the absence of rhythmic alpha activity, especially in occipital leads, whereas other wave forms such as beta or theta waves may be present. Analysis of 17 new families (some of them large), together with 60 previously described nuclear families, supports the genetic hypothesis of an autosomal-dominant mode of inheritance. Problems connected with the analysis of linkage heterogeneity, exclusion mapping, and the study of multipoint linkage are discussed. A possible explanation of the localization of LVEEG in the close vicinity of another gene influencing synchronization of the normal EEG, the gene for benign neonatal epilepsie, is given.

Diabetes is characterized by high levels of blood glucose due to either the loss of insulin-producing beta-cells in the pancreas, leading to a deficiency of insulin in type 1 diabetes, or due to increased insulin resistance, leading to reduced insulin sensitivity and productivity in type 2 diabetes. There is an increasing need for new options to treat diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes at its early stages due to the ineffective control of its development in patients. Recently, a novel class of small noncoding RNAs, termed microRNAs (miRNAs), found to play a key role as important transcriptional and posttranscriptional inhibitors of gene expression in fine-tuning the target messenger RNAs (mRNAs). miRNAs are implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetes and have become an intriguing target for therapeutic intervention. This review focuses on the dysregulated miRNAs discovered in various diabetic models and addresses the potential for miRNAs to be therapeutic targets in the treatment of diabetes.