Pillai et al. look at whether exposure to Schistosoma mansoni, a parasitic blood fluke, has any relation to peanut allergies. They found that cockroaches exposed to an antigen found in S. mansoni eggs exhibited an allergic reaction to peanuts.

Asthma affects over 334 million people worldwide and is triggered by inhalation of environmental stimuli. The authors of this study characterized the effect of exposure to common spoilage yeast, Pichia kidriavzevii on alveolar epithelial cells. A direct correlation between infection duration and asthmatic status of these cells was found, indicating the potential for this yeast to be an environmental stimulus of asthma and warranting further study.

In this study, the authors investigated the biological mechanism underlying the actions of a traditional medicinal plant, Astragalus membranaceus. Using C. elegans as an experimental model, they tested the effects of AM root on heat stress responses. Their results suggest that AM root extract may enhance the activity of endogenous pathways that mediate cellular responses to heat stress.

Microwave energy (ME) is used in the medical field to denature protein structures, resulting in inactivation or destruction of abnormal cells. Identifying the extent of destruction of abnormal tissue (cancer tissue or tissue with abnormal electrical activity) is essential for accomplishing successful therapy and reducing collateral damage. Our study was an ex vivo assessment of the changes on ultrasound scans (US) in chicken tissue exposed to ME. We hypothesized that any changes in tissue structures would be recognized on the reflected ultrasound waves. Ultrasound scans of tissues change with exposure to microwaves with increasing reflection of ultrasound waves. With exposure to microwaves, surface level brightness on the ultrasound scans increases statistically significantly. The findings could be used in heat related (ME and radiofrequency) procedures where clinicians would be able to actively assess lesions in real-time. Further studies are required to assess changes in tissue during active exposure to different types of energies.

Here, the authors recognized the tendency of bacteria to form biofilms, where this behavior offers protection against threats such as antibiotics. To investigate this, they observed the effects of sublethal exposure of the antibiotic ampicillin on E. coli biofilm formation with an optical density crystal violet assay. They found that exposure to ampicillin resulted in the favored formation of biofilms over time, as free-floating bacteria were eradicated.

With increased screen time and exposure to blue light, an increasing number of people have sleep deprivation. Blue light suppresses the release of melatonin and hinders sleep at night. We hypothesized that people could get a greater amount of sleep by controlling the blue light exposure from screen time before bedtime. BBG’s effect on reducing time to fall asleep was significant within the teenage group, but not significant in the adult group. This indicated that BBG could improve the time taken to sleep for young teenagers post screen time in the evening.

Food spoilage happens when food is not kept in a good storage condition. Qualitatively estimating the shortened shelf life of food could reduce food waste. In this study, we tested the impact of heat on milk shelf life. Our results showed that an exposure at room temperature (25°C) for 3.2 hours will decrease the shelf life of milk by one day.

In this study, the authors were interested in developing a hydrophobic surface that will extend the lifespan of metals by reducing water exposure and other damage. The used a zinc coating on steel to pursue this effort.

Reducing paint drying time is an important step in improving production efficiency and reducing costs. The authors hypothesized that decreased humidity would lead to faster drying, ultraviolet (UV) light exposure would not affect the paint colors differently, white light exposure would allow for longer wavelength colors to dry at a faster rate than shorter wavelength colors, and substrates with higher roughness would dry slower. Experiments showed that trials under high humidity dried slightly faster than trials under low humidity, contrary to the hypothesis. Overall, the paint drying process is very much dependent on its surrounding environment, and optimizing the drying process requires a thorough understanding of the environmental factors and their interactive effects with the paint constituents.

Alcohol is known to cause various developmental diseases including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Here the authors investigate the effect of ethanol on the development of zebrafish beta cells, the part of the pancreas associated with Type 1 Diabetes. They find that exposure to ethanol does adversely affect beta-cell development, suggesting that alcohol ingestion during pregnancy may be linked to diabetes in newborns.