Biosensors for environmental pollutants and food contaminants

This review article provides an overview of the most recent literature on biosensors for environmental pollutants and food contaminants. Due to the large number of publications, only papers published between 2000 and January 2003 were considered. Also, while not all of the published literature could be reviewed here, over 200 references are cited to provide a good overview of research undertaken in the last two years. Older publications are covered by a number of earlier review articles. This article provides an introduction into the field including specific consideration of the application areas, describes the typical biosensor assay format used, and is subsequently structured according to the biorecognition elements used (i.e., nucleic acids, enzymes, whole cells, tissue and whole organisms, antibodies and receptors, and biomimetic materials). In addition, a section on microbiosensing systems is provided. Since only very few microbiosensors with applications in environmental and food systems have been published, enabling technology is also covered in this article.Abbreviations BOD biological oxygen demand - cfu colony forming units - DNP dinitrophenol - GFP green fluorescent protein - NASBA nucleic acid sequence-based amplification - PCR polymerase chain reaction - ppt parts per trillion - QCM quartz crystal microbalance - SPR surface plasmon resonance     

A kinetic approach to homogeneous Ziegler type polymerization. Steady state

In this paper we present a kinetic approach to the analysis of steady-state homogeneous Ziegler-Natta polymerization activity data. The influence of the number of monomeric species that are coordinated to the active site on the apparent rate law is discussed and the equations are fitted to the experimental results.     

Determination of uranium by XRF analysis following its preconcentration with some organic precipitants

The determination of uranium in natural waters by XRF analysis after its preconcentration with some organic precipitants is described.¹⁰⁹Cd source is used for the excitation of L-series X-rays of uranium. Separation yield, kinetics of coprecipitation and the possibility of preparing thin-layer samples for XRF analysis were studied in detail for uranium concentration with α-nitroso-β-naphtol, methylene blue with ammonium thiocyanate, tannin with urotropine and other precipitants. A procedure using coprecipitation of uranium with α-nitroso-β-naphtol from 500 ml samples of surface or waste, waters is proposed.     

Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis>-Carnitine on Sucrose-Induced Hyperlipidaemia

Summary. L-Carnitine, L-(−)-β-hydroxy-γ-trimethylaminobutyrate, plays an important role as a factor necessary for the transport of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria. In order to investigate the influence of L-carnitine on hyperlipidaemias, the experimental model of the sucrose-induced hypertriglyceridaemia of the rat was used. In these experiments L-carnitine in the dose of 11 mg per day and 100 g body weight (over the period of 1 week) was able to antagonize the sucrose-induced hypertriglyceridaemia and the increase of serum free fatty acid level in female rats of the Wistar strain. Carnitine administration did not change the activities of lipogenic enzymes and fatty acid synthesis in the liver. However, L-carnitine increases the rate of hepatic fatty acid oxidation. Our results indicate a hypotriglyceridemic and free fatty acid lowering effect of L-carnitine, and suggest the use of this compound in the therapy of hyperlipidaemias.     

Inclusion and fractionated release of nucleic acids using microcapsules made from plant cells.

The encapsulation and fractionated release of nucleic acids on vesicular packing (VP) materials have been investigated. The earlier described dependence of the permeation of nucleic acid molecules through the vesicle membranes on the salt concentration is a necessary precondition for both encapsulation and fractionation. Encapsulation is achieved by applying a suitable sample onto a VP column that has been equilibrated with a high-salt buffer. In that buffer the sample molecules are permeable. Immediately after sample application, elution is started with a low-salt buffer, from which the sample molecules are excluded. At the front between the two buffers the permeability changes, and some of the sample molecules distributed inside the vesicles cannot pass through the membranes. These encapsulated molecules can be released by increasing the salt concentration in the eluent. If the encapsulated nucleic acid sample is polydisperse, a stepwise or linear increase in the salt concentration leads to a fractionated release. The fractions obtained differ in their molecular size composition.     

Quantitative analysis of tricyclic antidepressants in serum from psychiatric patients

A method for the quantitative analysis of tricyclic antidepressants in the serum of psychiatric patients is described. The method can be used for determining amitriptyline, nortriptyline, imipramine, demethyllimipramine, clomipramine, demethylclomipramine, trimipramine and protriptyline. The method consists in a series of extraction steps followed by gas chromatography with flame-ionization detector. The drugs are determined in their native state. The internal standard method is used for the quantitation.     

Microemulsion photopolymerization of methacrylates stabilized with sodium dodecyl sulfate and poly(N-acetylethylenimine) macromonomers

Methyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate were polymerized in oil-in-water microemulsions that were stabilized by sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). A poly(N-acetylethylenimine) (PNAEI) macromer was also included in the recipe, as a cosurfactant and a comonomer. Polymerizations were initiated by UV-irradiation. The average diameters of latex particles, obtained by STM, were in the range of 17-200 nm. The experimental data evidenced that the particle size was mainly dependent on the SDS/PNAEI ratio. Polymerization yields were around 75-85%. The synthesized copolymers have viscosity average molecular weights in the range of 2.1-2.4×10⁶ and glass transition temperatures of 38.0-43.5°C, lower than those obtained without using PNAEI. The investigation by means of FTIR and 1H-NMR techniques revealed that PNAEI was incorporated into the nanoparticles.     

Application of Discrete Wavelet Transform in the Analysis of Nonlinear Chemical System

Oscillations of species concentration are phenomena accompanying several types of electrochemical and purely chemical processes. Importance of analyzing of such processes results from both scientific and practical reasons. In the paper the authors deal with investigation of time dependent spectra of various stages of Belousov-Zhabotinsky type chemical oscillations. As the analytical tool the discrete wavelet transform is proposed.     

Experimental observation of light-induced solitary waves of analyte bands in capillary electrophoresis.

The phenomenon of electrophoresis in free solution has been studied theoretically down to the molecular level for decades. In addition, intermolecular photo-induced proton transfer reactions, which occur in a wide class of molecules (phenols and aminoarenes) as well as proteins (green fluorescent protein), were also studied extensively. However, the study of the effect of light-induced electrophoretic mobility changes of the analytes in electrophoresis was begun only recently. In the present work, capillary zone electrophoresis was chosen as the environment to measure the magnitude of these electrophoretic mobility shifts induced by light. Background electrolytes (running electrolytes) with high refractive indices were developed, allowing the capillary to work like an optical fiber. The experimental conditions for obtaining stable coupling and guided laser light along the liquid core are discussed. Experimental evidence of band compression is observed, leading to a solitary wave behavior of the analyte band (2-naphthol). These solitary waves result from competition between thermal diffusion (dispersion mechanism) and a nonlinear (band compression) effect due to the combined electrophoresis phenomenon and absorption of guided light by the molecules of the band (which are subjected to a "reversible intermolecular proton transfer reaction" as one of their decay routes). The possibilities of applying this effect to different methods and techniques are also discussed.