Human hair as a marker of pollution by chemical elements emitted by a thermoelectric power plant

A preliminary study was undertaken to assess the risk posed to the environment and health of residents by trace elements released by fuel combustion in the thermoelectric power plant of Pian de’ Gangani (Montalto di Castro, Latium, Italy). In this context, analysis of human hair can be considered as an advantageous approach to monitor the exposure of population to the adverse effects of the power plant, which is now fully operative. To this purpose 92 healthy children (aged 9–10 years) were selected from two primary schools of Montalto di Castro and Pescia Romana. The young age of the donors guarantees that the effects of cosmetic treatment and occupational exposure on the representativeness of data are minimized. Hair samples were collected, washed and digested as prescribed by already well-established procedures. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) were employed for the determination of the trace and minor elements of interest (As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, Sb, Se, Tl, V and Zn). The entire analytical procedure was checked for both measurement precision and accuracy by using the Certified Reference Material BCR No. 397 Human Hair. The mean values obtained were (in μg g⁻¹): As, 0.159±0.044; Ca, 393±187; Cd, 0.047±0.055; Co, 0.040±0.038; Cr, 0.704±0.208; Cu, 12.0±10.3; Fe, 12.1±10.8; Mg, 40.6±27.7; Mn, 0.383±0.296; Ni, 0.868±1.331; P, 141±138; Pb, 1.64±1.63; Sb, 0.041±0.058; Se, 0.430±0.135; Tl, 0.001±0.001; V, 0.185±0.158; and Zn, 177±173. These experimental figures can be assumed to be the baseline values prior to the full operation of the power plant. Within the next 4–5 years it is planned to conduct a similar study with a new group of subjects, comparable for age, sex, style of life and exposure mode, to the present ones so as to detect possible trends in the bioaccumulation of the above elements.     

Understanding interactions in zeolite colloidal suspensions: A review

Over the last five years significant progress has been made in understanding interactions in zeolite colloidal suspensions by elucidating the molecular interactions between zeolite crystal surface and species such as water, cations, and organic templates. This is the outcome of multidisciplinary work involving the generation of experimental data concerning the magnitude of ζ-potential, the theoretical and experimental identification of the zeolite crystal surface structure, combined with theoretical models spanning different length scales.     

Analytical methods for human biomonitoring of pesticides. A review

Biomonitoring of both currently-used and banned-persistent pesticides is a very useful tool for assessing human exposure to these chemicals. In this review, we present current approaches and recent advances in the analytical methods for determining the biomarkers of exposure to pesticides in the most commonly used specimens, such as blood, urine, and breast milk, and in emerging non-invasive matrices such as hair and meconium. We critically discuss the main applications for sample treatment, and the instrumental techniques currently used to determine the most relevant pesticide biomarkers. We finally look at the future trends in this field.     

A review of zinc oxide mineral beneficiation using flotation method

In recent years, extraction of zinc from low-grade mining tailings of oxidized zinc has been a matter of discussion. This is a material which can be processed by flotation and acid-leaching methods. Owing to the similarities in the physicochemical and surface chemistry of the constituent minerals, separation of zinc oxide minerals from their gangues by flotation is an extremely complex process. It appears that selective leaching is a promising method for the beneficiation of this type of ore. However, with the high consumption of leaching acid, the treatment of low-grade oxidized zinc ores by hydrometallurgical methods is expensive and complex. Hence, it is best to pre-concentrate low-grade oxidized zinc by flotation and then to employ hydrometallurgical methods. This paper presents a critical review on the zinc oxide mineral flotation technique. In this paper, the various flotation methods of zinc oxide minerals which have been proposed in the literature have been detailed with the aim of identifying the important factors involved in the flotation process. The various aspects of recovery of zinc from these minerals are also dealt with here. The literature indicates that the collector type, sulfidizing agent, pH regulator, depressants and dispersants types, temperature, solid pulp concentration, and desliming are important parameters in the process. The range and optimum values of these parameters, as also the adsorption mechanism, together with the resultant flotation of the zinc oxide minerals reported in the literature are summarized and highlighted in the paper. This review presents a comprehensive scientific guide to the effectiveness of flotation strategy.     

Three-step drug extraction from a single sub-millimeter segment of hair and nail to determine the exact day of drug intake

Hair and nails are often used to prove drug intake over several months. However, it is impossible to determine the day of drug intake by conventional segmental analysis of bulk samples. To improve this segmental analysis, we prepared accurate 0.4-mm hair and 0.2-mm nail segments, which correspond to their respective growth rates of 1–2 days, using a tissue slicer. The aim of this study was to develop an efficient method to extract drugs from a single sub-millimeter segment of hair and nail. Hair and nails were collected from a subject who was administered a single dose of chlorpheniramine. Four drug extraction methods based on different principles such as sonication, microwaves, micropulverization, and alkaline dissolution were compared. Short-duration sonication followed by long-duration soaking served the aim. Drug extraction from a sub-millimeter segment was performed in three steps as follows: a segment was first washed, followed by sonication for 10 min soaking in the extraction solution for 24 h. The drug concentrations in the three extracts from each segment were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Each concentration was displayed on a single hair strand and a single nail block so that the first, second, and third extracts corresponded to components on the surface, in the outer layer, and within the sample, respectively. The distribution of chlorpheniramine in a hair successfully reflected the intake history. This method can be used in the future to measure the detailed distribution of drugs in a single hair and nail.     

Recent advances in osmotic microbial fuel cell technology: A review

Integration of Forward Osmosis (FO) and Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) technology is called Osmotic Microbial Fuel Cell (OMFC). It has several advantages, including improved performance in electricity generation and drinking water recovery compared to MFC. Making OMFC efficient for treatment and resource recovery, basic concepts of MFC and FO must be properly understood and implemented. Various researchers have focused on its components, degradation of wastewater, electron and proton transport mechanism, designs, the role of draw solution, etc. Recent publications have also shown growth in FO membrane composition and OMFC design. Utilizations of an efficient draw solution for better compatibility of anodic bacteria along with its recovery are also a big challenge. The aim of this review paper is to compile all the scattered information on the above aspects and present it in a more logical way in one place for the easy understanding of researchers. The paper also focuses on encouraging OMFC technology for commercial use by developing cost-effective FO membranes and electrodes, improving bacterial metabolic activity for energy production, and enhancing draw solution and cost-effective draw solution recovery methods. Therefore, OMFC technology seems the ultimate solution for wastewater treatment, electricity generation, and freshwater recovery in the coming future.     

Parameters affecting the adhesion strength between a living cell and a colloid probe when measured by the atomic force microscope

In this study, we used the colloid probe atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique to investigate the adhesion force between a living cell and a silica colloid particle in a Leibovitz's L-15 medium (L-15). The L-15 liquid maintained the pharmaceutical conditions necessary to keep the cells alive in the outside environment during the AFM experiment. The force curves in such a system showed a steric repulsion in the compression force curve, due to the compression of the cells by the colloid probe, and an adhesion force in the decompression force curve, due to binding events between the cell and the probe. We also investigated for the first time how the position on the cell surface, the strength of the pushing force, and the residence time of the probe at the cell surface individually affected the adhesion force between a living cell and a 6.84 μm diameter silica colloid particle in L-15. The position of measuring the force on the cell surface was seen not to affect the value of the maximum adhesion force. The loading force was also seen not to notably affect the value of the maximum adhesion force, if it was small enough not to pierce and damage the cell. The residence time of the probe at the cell surface, however, clearly affected the adhesion force, where a longer residence time gave a larger maximum force. From these results, we could conclude that the AFM force measurements should be made using a loading force small enough not to damage the cell and a fixed residence time, when comparing results of different systems.     

Analytical method for biomonitoring of endocrine-disrupting compounds (bisphenol A,parabens, perfluoroalkyl compounds and a brominated flame retardant) in human hair by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

In this paper, a method for the determination of four groups of endocrine-disrupting compounds in human hair is proposed. Target compounds were a plastic monomer (bisphenol A), three parabens commonly used as preservatives (methylparaben, ethylparaben and propylparaben), six perfluoroalkyl compounds commonly used as water, oil and dirt repellents (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and five perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids, with alkyl chains from four to eight carbon atoms) and a brominated flame retardant (hexabromocyclododecane). All of them are of especial concern to human health because they are utilized in many everyday products. The method is based on hair incubation with methanol/acetic acid solution (85:15, v/v), extraction with acetone for 15 min in an ultrasonic bath and analysis by liquid chromatography-electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry in negative ionization mode. Limits of quantification in hair samples ranged from 0.6 ng g⁻¹ to 6.1 ng g⁻¹, except for hexabromocyclododecane (36 ng g⁻¹). Recoveries were higher than 69%. Intra-day and inter-day precision, expressed as relative standard deviation, were lower than 15% and 10%, respectively. The applicability of the method was proven by analyzing the target compounds in hair samples from six volunteers. High frequencies of detection and concentrations were obtained for bisphenol A (83% of samples; concentrations up to 158 ng g⁻¹) and parabens (100% of samples; concentrations up to 624 ng g⁻¹). Lower concentrations were detected for the perfluoroalkyl compounds (up to 13 ng g⁻¹). Hexabromocyclododecane was not detected.     

炔醇选择加氢催化剂研究进展

炔醇选择加氢制备相应的烯醇在医药、农药、食品添加剂、香精、香料和聚合物单体等众多高端精细化学品合成中是一个非常重要的化工过程.通过一系列复杂的平行和连续的反应,炔醇可加氢生产若干个关键中间体.提高对烯醇的选择性和保持催化剂的效率是工业生产的关键,也是一个巨大的挑战.迄今为止,各种有效的贵金属和非贵金属催化剂得到了广泛的发展,尤其是钯基和镍基多相催化剂取得了显著进展.从经典的Lindlar催化剂和Raney-Ni催化剂到生物基金属催化新材料,本文系统综述了近几十年炔醇选择加氢催化剂的设计,从催化剂本身的金属活性中心、助剂(第二金属、有机配体和稳定剂)的作用、载体的性质(孔结构、酸碱性、金属与载体强相互作用)以及反应条件等因素对催化活性、目标产物的选择性和稳定性的影响进行了系统的综述.借助先进的表征技术、理论计算和实验研究,本文还阐述了炔醇选择加氢反应的机理.研究发现:(1)在所有贵金属催化剂中,Pd基催化剂对炔醇半加氢制烯醇的效率最高,且选择性最好.稳定剂和抑制剂的加入可以提高中间体的选择性,但在一定程度上降低了催化活性.此外,Zn,In和Cu等第二金属的掺杂可以调节金属Pd的几何效应和电子结构,从而调节底物和中间产物的吸附,并抑制过度加氢.与传统的Lindlar型催化剂相比,这种Pd基合金或金属间化合物可广泛应用于炔醇的选择性加氢反应,显著提高烯醇的选择性,且不需要引入有毒添加剂.(2)Ni基材料作为可替代贵金属催化剂,可分别实现炔醇的高选择性加氢制备烯醇或烷醇.然而,与贵金属催化剂相比,其反应条件相对苛刻.炔醇加氢产物分布很大程度上取决于助剂的引入和载体的酸性.此外,碳物种易沉积在Ni表面造成活性位点被覆盖,且在水热环境下Ni颗粒因团聚而失活,因此,用于炔醇选择加氢反应的镍基催化剂稳定性仍有待提高.尽管炔醇选择加氢反应在学术界和工业界都有广泛研究,但对于这些催化体系,特别是催化剂的结构性能关系和反应机理,仍有待进一步明确.(1)原位表征技术和理论计算的发展,将有助于人们理解炔醇选择性加氢的催化过程,并指导研究者根据炔醇加氢的特点设计出具有良好选择性的高效催化剂.(2)烯醇类产品一般应用于医药中间体和高分子单体,对产品纯度要求较高.因此,在不引入有毒添加剂的情况下,设计高效、高选择性催化剂至关重要.(3)水相或醇相中炔醇选择加氢反应对催化剂的水热稳定性有很高的要求.通过锚定和包覆来增强金属与载体的相互作用,抑制金属纳米粒子的聚集和流失是一种有效的手段.此外,在炔醇选择加氢反应中引入耐水载体可以有效提高催化剂的稳定性.(4)短碳链炔醇催化选择加氢反应一直是研究的热点.然而,关于长碳链炔醇的选择加氢反应过程,国内外报道相对较少.基于长碳链炔醇底物分子的空间位阻效应,有必要设计具有特殊孔道结构的选择加氢催化剂.(5)目前,绝大多数炔醇选择加氢过程还处于间歇性操作.随着市场对烯醇的需求不断增加,为了获得高品质的产品,连续化操作将是一个必然趋势.     

Repeatability and reproducibility of germicide tests: a literature review

The results of a quantitative antimicrobial assay can be summarized by the log reduction value. For an assay to be proposed as a standard method, it is usually necessary to conduct a collaborative study to demonstrate that the repeatability and reproducibility standard deviations (SDs) of the log reduction values are sufficiently small. It is not clear, however, precisely how small those SDs should be. This paper describes the results of a literature review conducted to determine the range of repeatability and reproducibility SDs for standard quantitative antimicrobial assays. The underlying premise is that, for an assay to have been accepted as a standard method, its repeatability and reproducibility SDs must have been sufficiently small. This premise implies that the repeatability and reproducibility SDs of standard assays establish de facto guidelines for acceptability. The survey comprised papers where the SDs could be extracted directly or where they could be calculated from accessible data. Papers describing suspension tests as well as hard surface tests were included. For the standard antimicrobial assays reviewed, repeatability SDs ranged from 0.25 to 1.21 and the reproducibility SDs ranged from 0.31 to 1.54.     

Exploring lead exposure in ancient Chilean mummies using a single strand of hair by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)

Lead exposure has received increased attention over the past few decades since it has been shown to have adverse effects on physical and intellectual development in humans. The use of biological tissues such as blood, teeth, hair, and bone for assessment of lead exposure has been previously demonstrated. While analysis of blood for trace metals provides information concerning recent exposure, hair offers insight into a period of several months, and is preferable since it is non-invasively collected and easily stored. The present study analyzed total of 49 ancient hair samples for lead (Pb_H) using LA-ICP-MS. Samples belonged to an ancient fisher hunter–gatherer culture called the “Chinchorro,” and who occupied regions of the Atacama Desert on the northern coast of Chile from approximately 5000–1500 B.C. and practiced the first-known form of artificial mummification. Several samples from a post-Chinchorro agricultural community (n = 12) ca. 1000–1400 A.D. were also analyzed. A suite of hair standards was developed using contemporary hair from the same region and was subsequently used to make linear calibration functions for lead determination in single strands of hair using LA-ICP-MS. Three linear scans ranged from 500 to 1000 μm were performed for each sample and signal intensities were normalized over ¹³C. The distribution of lead in the central medulla in a 100 μm cross-section scan of hair strand demonstrated minimal exogenous contamination. Hair lead (Pb_H) concentrations ranged between 2.2 μg/g and 12.8 μg/g could be accurately quantified with these standards. Twenty one out of 49 samples (43%) showed Pb_H concentrations higher than the average value of 5 μg/g for unexposed individuals (range 1.1–228.0 μg/g). Median hair lead concentrations by burial sites and are shown in order of decreasing concentration: Morro (13.8 μg/g) > Iquique (6.6 μg/g) > Azapa (4.5 μg/g) > Yungay (4.1 μg/g) > Camarones (2.7 μg/g). Most of the burial sites showed Pb_H concentrations greater than the normal value for unexposed individuals and outliers heavily influenced average concentrations. The results suggest that the Chinchorro and later agro-pastoral populations were not widely exposed to naturally elevated lead.     

Element profiles of mouse hair: A concern for using hair as a timetable repository

Element profile patterns of growth and nongrowth phase hair were obtained for the C57L/J male mouse using a proton microprobe. Growth phase hair profiles of Cl, S, K and P show that these elements are concentrating in regions of higher pigmentation. Calcium is restricted to the medulla region in the hair shaft. For nongrowth phase hair, the profiles of Cl and S are essentially unchanged, whereas K and P are depleted in the hair shaft and are concentrating in the cornified root sheath. The element patterns found for the nongrowth phase profiles of mouse hair show striking similarities to previously reported patterns for growth phase profiles of human hair.     

Sample preparation methods for determination of drugs of abuse in hair samples: A review

Hair analysis has assumed increasing importance in the determination of substances of abuse, both in clinical and forensic toxicology investigations. Hair analysis offers particular advantages over other biological matrices (blood and urine), including a larger window of detection, ease of collection and sample stability.     

Organs on microfluidic chips: A mini review

Microfluidic technology provides opportunities to create in vitro models with physiological microenvironment for cell study. Introducing the identified key aspects, including tissue-tissue interfaces, spatiotemporal chemical gradients, and dynamic mechanical forces, of living organs into the microfluidic system, “organs-on-chips” display an unprecedented application potential in a lot of biological fields such as fundamental physiological and pathophysiological research, drug efficacy and toxicity testing, and clinical diagnosis. Here, we review the recent development of organs-on-chips and briefly discuss their future challenges.     

Structural chemistry of organotin carboxylates: a review of the crystallographic literature

This review describes the structural chemistry of organotin carboxylates, covering data acquired for mono-, di- and tri-organotin compounds and complexes. A brief discussion is given for organotin amino-acid derivatives.     

Recent advances in the development of single cell analysis—A review

Development of techniques for the analysis of the content of individual cells represents an important direction in modern bioanalytical chemistry. While the analysis of chromosomes, organelles, or location of selected proteins has been traditionally the domain of microscopic techniques, the advances in miniaturized analytical systems bring new possibilities for separations and detections of molecules inside the individual cells including smaller molecules such as hormones or metabolites. It should be stressed that the field of single cell analysis is very broad, covering advanced optical, electrochemical and mass spectrometry instrumentation, sensor technology and separation techniques. The number of papers published on single cell analysis has reached several hundred in recent years. Thus a complete literature coverage is beyond the limits of a journal article. The following text provides a critical overview of some of the latest developments with the main focus on mass spectrometry, microseparation methods, electrophoresis in capillaries and microfluidic devices and respective detection techniques for performing single cell analyses.     

Analytical techniques for wine analysis: An African perspective; a review

Analytical chemistry is playing an ever-increasingly important role in the global wine industry. Chemical analysis of wine is essential in ensuring product safety and conformity to regulatory laws governing the international market, as well as understanding the fundamental aspects of grape and wine production to improve manufacturing processes. Within this field, advanced instrumental analysis methods have been exploited more extensively in recent years. Important advances in instrumental analytical techniques have also found application in the wine industry. This review aims to highlight the most important developments in the field of instrumental wine and grape analysis in the African context. The focus of this overview is specifically on the application of advanced instrumental techniques, including spectroscopic and chromatographic methods. Recent developments in wine and grape analysis and their application in the African context are highlighted, and future trends are discussed in terms of their potential contribution to the industry.     

选择加氢催化剂结构与性能的研究进展

选择加氢催化剂是石油化工领域一类重要的催化剂,广泛应用于各类乙烯装置中C2、C3、C4等组分以及裂解汽油中炔烃和二烯烃的脱除等领域.本文从制备与处理方法、助剂、载体、活性中心结构形态、反应机理、非Pd催化剂6个方面,对近5年来选择加氢催化剂,特别是炔烃和二烯烃选择加氢催化剂结构与性能的研究进行了评述.