Biology subjects

Benson, L. S.

Publications and source records attributed to Benson, L. S..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Prenatal cannabis exposure affects human fetal neurodevelopment: anintegrated multi-omics study

Prenatal cannabis use is on the rise, and observational studies suggest that such use results in neurodevelopmental deficits in the offspring. Because observational studies can be confounded by unaccounted factors, we studied the neurodevelopmental consequences, at the molecular level, of prenatal cannabis use. We applied an integrated multi-omics approach, combining transcriptomics and global proteomics, to first trimester (T1) and second trimester (T2) human fetal brains from pregnancies with and without documented maternal cannabis exposure and no use of drugs of abuse. Prenatal cannabis exposure produced minimal molecular effects in female T1 fetal brains but induced pronounced system-level disruption in male T2 fetal brains. These disrupted pathways have molecular signatures linked to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia-related pathology, and disorders of cortical connectivity, raising significant concerns of prenatal cannabis use.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Dynamic Exchange of Bacteria and Carbapenem Resistance Genes between Sewer Biofilms and Wastewater

Sewer biofilms represent dynamic interfaces for exchange of bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes between biofilms and the overlying wastewater. Using inline, biofilm reactors, the movement of bacteria and 16S rRNA and carbapenemase genes (blaKPC, blaVIM, blaNDM, blaOXA-48-like, and blaIMP) between wastewater and sewer biofilms was investigated. Established, complex biofilms without these {beta}-lactamase (bla) genes, absorbed resistant bacteria within two minutes of exposure to high concentrations of resistant cultures in lab settings. Carbapenem-resistant organisms from these high-concentration source biofilms transferred to downstream biofilms over 60 minutes of representative sewer shear flows. Mass balances of bacteria and genes in biofilms versus wastewater under representative shear flow showed that biofilms exposed to resistant cultures contributed more to the wastewater than to the downstream biofilms. In field studies, established, complex biofilms without target carbapenem-resistant bacteria and genes from wastewater within hours and then stabilized between 2 to 15 days, not varying by more than 0.5 MPN/cm2 or 0.5 log gene copies (GC)/cm2. In contrast, metagenomic profiles of the bacterial community species continued to change up to 21 days. Established biofilms with resistant bacteria and genes exposed to tertiary-treated wastewater without target carbapenemase genes or meropenem antibiotics did not lose resistant genes or bacteria over nine days of exposure (i.e., < 1 log GC/cm2 reduction). Results show that sewer biofilms contribute to the resistance-gene signal found in sewer wastewater by absorbing and releasing bacteria and genes. Consideration of sewer biofilm dynamics is essential for more accurately interpreting wastewater bacterial concentrations in wastewater-based epidemiology studies. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=77 SRC="FIGDIR/small/726639v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (27K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@19f6ce0org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1a507c8org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1a2013dorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@ff8613_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2025

Evaluation of Detection Methods for Wastewater Surveillance of Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria from Healthcare Facilities

Carbapenem resistance is an urgent public health threat. Wastewater surveillance could support antimicrobial resistance monitoring at long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Feasibility of wastewater sampling (via composite or passive sampler, and sewer biofilm swabs) for carbapenemase genes (blaKPC, blaVIM, blaOXA-48-like, blaNDM, and blaIMP) detected by qPCR or GeneXpert(R) Carba-R from a LTCF was assessed over 16 months and compared to clinical infections. blaKPC, blaOXA-48-like, and blaVIM were routinely detected in composite wastewater samples (6.4{+/-}0.8 log10 gene copy (GC)/ml (100% of 61 samples), 5.5{+/-}0.8 (98%), and 5.9{+/-}1.3 (34%), respectively), passive samples (8.2{+/-}0.5 log10 GC/g (31% of 55), 6.6{+/-}0.5 (96%), and 6.6{+/-}0.7 (31%)) and sewer biofilm (6.0{+/-}0.7 log10 GC/cm2 of pipe (100% of 17), 5.0{+/-}0.7 (100%), and 5.8{+/-}2.7 (24%)). Resistomes of wastewater and sewer biofilms differed, but both contained blaKPC, blaVIM, and blaIMP. Passive sampling may be a suitable alternative to composite sampling. Wastewater surveillance is a promising addition to carbapenemase monitoring.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2025

The Impact of Delayed Evacuation on the Quality of Human Fetal Tissue

BackgroundDigoxin and other agents are frequently administered to arrest fetal circulation before the evacuation of human fetal tissue (HFT) in pregnancy terminations to address concerns about fetal viability. However, the impact of delayed evacuation on HFT quality remains unknown. Analyzing HFT is critical for diagnosing pregnancies affected by fetal abnormalities and for driving progress in biomedical research. ObjectiveThis study aims to assess the effects of delayed evacuation following fetal circulation cessation on the quality of HFT for both diagnostic and research purposes. Study DesignHFT samples were collected from second-trimester dilation and evacuation (D&E) procedures, with and without agent injection approximately 24 hours prior, as per standard care protocols. We assessed multiple parameters relevant to diagnostics and research, including: 1) cell morphology, 2) cell proliferation, 3) apoptosis, 4) cell viability in culture, and 5) nucleic acid quality. To simulate in utero conditions and determine the timeline for tissue degradation, we incubated brain tissue obtained from D&E without induced demise at 37{degrees}C for up to 18 hours. ResultsWe analyzed 18 HFT samples from D&E procedures performed 19-25 hours after digoxin or potassium chloride (KCl) injection and compared them to 26 HFT samples from immediate evacuations without prior injection. Induced fetal demise resulted in 1) disrupted cell morphology, 2) decreased cell proliferation, 3) increased apoptosis, 4) reduced cell viability in culture, and 5) lower RNA quality. Despite these findings, all samples yielded DNA of sufficient quality for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). ConclusionD&E procedures performed after fetal demise induced by digoxin or KCl lead to decreased HFT quality, limiting its diagnostic and research potential beyond gross tissue evaluation and DNA extraction. Limiting the time between fetal circulation arrest and evacuation may improve HFT quality for clinical and research applications.

pathology↗