https://www.selleckchem.com/products/2-2-2-tribromoethanol.html Microscopes are used in virtually every biological and medical laboratory. Previous cultivation-based studies have suggested that direct contact with microscope eyepieces increases the risk of eye infections. To obtain a deeper insight into the microbiota on oculars, we analysed 10 recently used university microscopes. Their left oculars were used for a cultivation-based approach, while the right oculars served for massive gene sequencing. After cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, the oculars were re-sampled and analysed again. All oculars were found to be contaminated with bacteria, with a maximum load of 1.7 × 103 CFU cm-2. MALDI Biotyping revealed mainly Cutibacterium (68%), Staphylococcus (14%) and Brevibacterium (10%), with the most abundant species being Cutibacterium acnes (13%) and Staphylococcus capitis (6%). Cleaning reduced the microbial load by up to 2 log scales. Within 10 uncleaned and 5 cleaned samples, 1480 ASVs were assigned to 10 phyla and 262 genera. The dominant genera before cleaning were Cutibacterium (78%), Paracoccus (13%), Pseudomonas (2%) and Acinetobacter (1%). The bacteriota composition on the cleaned oculars was similar; however, it probably largely represented dead bacteria. In summary, used oculars were significantly contaminated with skin and environmental bacteria, including potential pathogens. Regular cleaning is highly recommended to prevent eye and skin infections.Cancer is a disease associated with aging. As the US population ages, the number of older adults with cancer is projected to dramatically increase. Despite this, older adults remain vastly underrepresented in research that sets the standards for cancer treatments and, consequently, clinicians struggle with how to interpret data from clinical trials and apply them to older adults in practice. A combination of system, clinician, and patient barriers bar opportunities for trial participation for many older patien