High mass resolution breath analysis using secondary electrospray ionization mass spectrometry assisted by an ion funnel

In this study, we used secondary electrospray ionization mass spectrometry assisted by an ion funnel (IF) operating at ambient pressure to find compounds in the mass range of 100–500 m/z in online breath fingerprinting experiments. In low‐resolution experiments conducted on an ion trap instrument, we found that pyridine is present in breath of individuals long after drinking coffee. In high‐resolution experiments conducted on a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance, we found more than 30 compounds in the mass range of 100–500 m/z in analogous online breath experiments. More than a third of these compounds have molecular weights above 200 Daltons and have not been mentioned in previous studies. In low‐resolution experiments as well as experiments without the IF, these compounds could not be detected. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multipumping Nitrite Determination in Exhaled Breath Condensate

Abstract

A flow system based on multicommutation is proposed for the rapid, clean, and inexpensive determination of nitrites in small volumes of breath condensates. The procedure exploits the colorimetric detection of nitrite with the Griess reagent [0.03% naphthylethylene diamine dihydrochloride (NED), 0.5% sulpfhanilamide, and 3.0% phosphoric acid] in acidic medium at 540 nm correcting the variations of the baseline with measurements at 424 nm. The flow system was designed with a set of solenoid micropumps to minimize sample and reagent consumption and waste generation. The detection limit was estimated as 3.8 ng mL^?1 (99.7% confidence level) with a linear response ranging up to 500 ng mL^?1. The coefficient of variation was estimated as 0.7% for a solution containing 300 ng mL^?1 nitrite (n=9). Approximately 144 determinations can be carried out per hour, consuming only 678.4 µg Griess reagent and generating 1.184 mL of effluent per determination, thus providing an environmentally friendly alternative and a nonexpensive method. The procedure was successfully applied to determine nitrite in breath condensates.     

慢性咳嗽患儿呼出气一氧化氮与特应性体质及血清总免疫球蛋白E水平的相关性研究

目的研究慢性咳嗽患儿呼出气一氧化氮（fractional exhaled nitric oxide ,FeNO）与特应性体质及血清总免疫球蛋白E（TIgE）水平的相关性。方法对91例慢性咳嗽的患儿进行FeNO、血TIgE的检测及变应原皮肤点刺试验并进行分组对比。结果特应性体质组FeNO值为（29.74±14.24）ppb,TIgE为（483.95±384.57）IU/ml,非特应性体质组FeNO值为（13.82±7.91） ppb,TIgE为（154.09±143.42）IU/ml,差异均有统计学意义（均P＜0.05）。血清TIgE增高患儿FeNO值为（29.15±15.30）ppb,血清IgE正常患儿FeNO值为（16.22±9.75）ppb,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。相关性分析发现FeNO水平与过敏原数目不存在相关（P=0.278）。结论特应性体质可使慢性咳嗽患儿FeNO水平明显升高,而FeNO与皮肤过敏原阳性数目无明显相关性,在诊断哮喘时应注意特应性体质的存在。     

聚苯乙烯-co-聚(2,3,4,5,6-五氟苯乙烯)共聚物: 合成及其多孔薄膜的制备

利用原子转移自由基聚合(ATRP)方法, 分别在三氟甲苯、含氟离子液体以及三氟甲苯/含氟离子液体混合溶剂体系中合成了聚苯乙烯-co-聚(2,3,4,5,6-五氟苯乙烯)(PS-co-PPFS)共聚物, 通过¹H NMR、¹⁹F NMR、元素分析以及凝胶渗透色谱法(GPC)对所得聚合物的分子链结构和组成进行了分析和表征. 随后, 利用静态呼吸图法分别在CS₂, CHCl₃ 和CH₂Cl₂ 中制备了有序多孔薄膜, 用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察其表面形貌, 并与利用分子量大小相当的聚苯乙烯均聚物(PS)制备的多孔薄膜进行了对比. 研究结果表明: 在三氟甲苯和含氟离子液体溶剂体系中, 均可利用ATRP 聚合方法获得窄分子量分布的PS-co-PPFS 共聚物(M_n＝5200～7900 g·mol^-1, i>M_w/M_n＝1.12～1.22). 对聚合物薄膜的扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察和分析显示: 分别以CS₂, CHCl₃ 和CH₂Cl₂ 作为溶剂, 利用静态呼吸图法均可制备出PS-co-PPFS 共聚物多孔薄膜. 然而, 与在CHCl₃ 和CH₂Cl₂ 中制备的PS 均聚物多孔薄膜的表面形貌不同的是, PS-co-PPFS 共聚物多孔薄膜呈现出无序排列、平均孔径大小不同的两种孔结构; 在CHCl₃ 中制备所得薄膜的孔结构有序性相对较好, 两种孔的平均孔径分别为0.75 和0.37 μm.     

纳米材料在用于癌症诊断的呼出气挥发性有机物检测中的应用

细胞新陈代谢的变化会导致挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）类型及含量发生变化,因此可通过分析某些标志性VOCs简立起多种疾病早期诊断的模型. 人体呼出物中特征VOCs的检测作为一种非侵入性、无损的检测手段,近些年在疾病检测领域已成为世界范围内的研究热点. 其中,纳米材料可用于增强传感器性能,并使传感器便携式小型化,推进检测传感器进入临床. 在这篇综述中,作者将种类繁多的传感器中用到的纳米材料归纳总结为金属、金属氧化物、碳基、复合物和MOFs基纳米材料等几类,并讨论了不同类纳米材料在VOCs检测中的优劣势. 本文所建立起的分析方法及讨论有助于进一步了解检测技术的优越性与局限性. 最后,作者对利用VOCs的检测实现癌症早期筛选的研究及发展提出了个人观点.     

Porous Microstructured Surfaces with pH‐Triggered Antibacterial Properties

New antibacterial films are designed with the capability to reversibly regulate their killing and repelling functions in response to variations in environmental pH. These systems consist of porous polystyrene surfaces as the main components and a copolymer bearing pH‐sensitive thiazole and triazole groups as the minor components. These pH‐sensitive groups, located on the surfaces, can be partially protonated at acidic pH levels, increasing the positive charge density of the surfaces and their antibacterial activity. Similarly, their bacterial adhesion and killing efficiencies in response to changes in pH are evaluated by analyzing the bacterial viability of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria on the surfaces under acidic and neutral pH values. It is demonstrated that after only 1 h of incubation with the bacterial suspension in acidic conditions, the surfaces killed the bacteria, while at pH = 7.4, some of the adhered bacteria are removed. Furthermore, the surface topography exerts an important role by intensifying this response.     

Polystyrene‐b‐poly(2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl acrylate)‐b‐polystyrene copolymers: Synthesis and fabrication of their hydrophobic porous films,spheres, and fibers

New block copolymers Polystyrene‐b‐poly (2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl acrylate)‐b‐Polystyrene (PS‐PTFEA‐PS) with controlled molecular weight (M_n=5000‐11000 g?mol^?1) and narrow molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n=1.13‐1.17) were synthesized via RAFT polymerization. The molecular structure and component of PS‐PTFEA‐PS block copolymers were characterized through ¹H NMR, ¹⁹F NMR, GPC, FT‐IR and elemental analysis. The porous films of such copolymers with average pore size of 0.80‐1.34 μm and good regularity were fabricated via a static breath‐figure (BF) process. The effects of solvent, temperature, and polymer concentration on the surface morphology of such film were investigated. In addition, microstructured spheres and fibers of such block copolymers were fabricated by electrospinning process and observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the hydrophobicity of porous films, spheres, and fibers was investigated. The porous film showed a good hydrophobicity with the water‐droplet contact angles of 129°, and the fibers showed higher hydrophobicity with the water‐droplet contact angles of 142°. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 678–685     

Determination of pentane in human breath by gas chromatography

A new procedure, requiring expired sample volumes of approximately 2L, has been developed for the quantitative determination of n-pentane in human breath. The methodology capitalizes on the superior resolving power and separating efficiency of the open tubular capillary column and incorporates an effective prechromatographic cryofocusing technique. Molecular sieve is used to simultaneously remove moisture and carbon dioxide from breath samples which are “spiked” with an internal standard to optimize the validity of analysis. Reproducible data for both internal standard spiking (CV = 5.8%) and sample n-pentane level (CV = 3.2%) have been obtained, together with a mean recovery of 104%. Preliminary data show n-pentane levels in normal female subjects (n = 10) to range from 0.62 to 3.16 nmole/L (mean 1.76 nmole/L) and in males (n = 10) from 3.20 to 8.76 nmole/L (mean 5.66 nmole/L).     

Formation of honeycomb‐structured,porous films via breath figures with different polymer architectures

Honeycomb‐structured, porous films with pore sizes ranging from 200 nm to 7 μm were prepared with breath figures. The regularity of the hexagonal array and the pore size was influenced by the polymer architecture and the casting conditions. A nanoscaled suborder next to the microarray was obtained with amphiphilic block copolymers. These films were shown to be suitable as surfaces for cell growth. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2363–2375, 2006     

Exhaled Breath and Oxygenator Sweep Gas Propionaldehyde in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Background: Oxidative stress-induced lipid peroxidation (LPO) due to neutrophil-derived reactive oxygen species plays a key role in the early stage of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Monitoring of oxidative stress in this patient population is of great interest, and, ideally, this can be done noninvasively. Recently, propionaldehyde, a volatile chemical compound (VOC) released during LPO, was identified in the breath of lung transplant recipients as a marker of oxidative stress. The aim of the present study was to identify if markers of oxidative stress appear in the oxygenator outflow gas of patients with severe ARDS treated with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Methods: The present study included patients with severe ARDS treated with veno-venous ECMO. Concentrations of acetone, isoprene, and propionaldehyde were measured in inspiratory air, exhaled breath, and oxygenator inflow and outflow gas at corresponding time points. Ion-molecule reaction mass spectrometry was used to measure VOCs in a sequential order within the first 24 h and on day three after ECMO initiation. Results: Nine patients (5 female, 4 male; age = 42.1 ± 12.2 year) with ARDS and already established ECMO therapy (pre-ECMO PaO₂/FiO₂ = 44.0 ± 11.5 mmHg) were included into analysis. VOCs appeared in comparable amounts in breath and oxygenator outflow gas (acetone: 838 (422–7632) vs. 1114 (501–4916) ppbv; isoprene: 53.7 (19.5–244) vs. 48.7 (37.9–108) ppbv; propionaldehyde: 53.7 (32.1–82.2) vs. 42.9 (24.8–122) ppbv). Concentrations of acetone, isoprene, and propionaldehyde in breath and oxygenator outflow gas showed a parallel course with time. Conclusions: Acetone, isoprene, and propionaldehyde appear in breath and oxygenator outflow gas in comparable amounts. This allows for the measurement of these VOCs in a critically ill patient population via the ECMO oxygenator outflow gas without the need of ventilator circuit manipulation.