A study on the bioactivity of chitosan/nano-hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

In order to increase the biocompatibility and bioactivity of chitosan, hydroxyapatite had been in situ combined into chitosan scaffolds. The bioactivity of the composite scaffolds was studied by examining the apatite formed on the scaffolds by incubating in simulated body fluid and the activity of preosteoblasts cultured on them. The apatite layer was assessed using scanning electronic microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-Transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and weight measurement. Composite analysis showed that after incubation in simulated body fluid on both of the scaffolds carbonate hydroxyapatite was formed. With increasing nano-hydroxyapatite content in the composite, the quantity of the apatite formed on the scaffolds increased. Compared with pure chitosan, the composite with nano-hydroxyapatite could form apatite more readily during the biomimetic process, which suggests that the composite possessed better mineralization activity. Furthermore, preosteoblast cells cultured on the apatite-coated scaffolds showed different behavior. On the apatite-coated composite scaffolds cells presented better proliferation than on apatite-coated chitosan scaffolds. In addition, alkaline phosphatase activities of cells cultured on the scaffolds in conditioned medium were assessed. The cells on composite scaffolds showed a higher alkaline phosphatase activity which suggested a higher differentiation level. The results indicated that the addition of nano-hydroxyapatite improved the bioactivity of chitosan/nano-hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds. On the other hand, that is to say composition of substrates could affect the apatite formation on them, and pre-loaded hydroxyapatite can enhance the apatite-coating. It will also be significant in preparation of apatite-coating polymer scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定茶叶中游离氨基酸成分

建立了使用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱（UHPLC-MS/MS）高效、快速直接测定茶叶中游离氨基酸的方法。通过对质谱、色谱条件及氨基酸提取条件的优化，以含0.2%（体积分数）甲酸的5 mmol/L乙酸铵水溶液和甲醇为流动相进行梯度洗脱，在电喷雾离子（ESI）源正离子扫描模式下检测，通过UHPLC-MS/MS测定，共解析了茶叶中的20种氨基酸。结果表明，茶氨酸（Thea）、Arg、Asn和Asp在50~500 μg/L范围内线性关系良好，其他氨基酸在10~250 μg/L范围内线性关系良好，相关系数均大于0.99；加标回收率为92.3%~109.2%，相对标准偏差为2.00%~9.88%，检出限为0.001~0.011 mg/L，定量限为0.010~0.053 mg/L。该方法灵敏、准确，具有良好的重复性和稳定性，可有效检测出茶叶中的20种氨基酸及氨基类成分。     

A new multi analytical approach for the identification of synthetic and natural dyes mixtures. The case of orcein-mauveine mixture in a historical dress of a Sicilian noblewoman of nineteenth century

Abstract

In this paper, the application of a multi-analytical approach for the characterisation of synthetic and natural dyes in a historical textile is presented. The work is focused on a historical dress of a Sicilian noblewoman, dating from about 1865–1870. Firstly, SERS on fibre was performed, in order to individuate the classes of dyes employed. The SERS spectra suggested the presence of two main dyes: mauveine and orcein. In order to confirm these preliminary results, two different extraction protocols were applied. The extracts obtained were analysed by ESI-MS, MALDI-ToF and UHPCL-MS analyses, confirming the SERS results. In particular, the application of the ammonia mild extraction technique allowed to selectively extract the phenoxazonic dyes, separating them already in the extraction step from the synthetic ones. Thanks to this multi-analytical approach, this dress could be considered as one of the first examples of employment of synthetic dyes in association with natural ones.     

Drying agents for water-free introduction of desorption solvent into a GC after on-line SPE of aqueous samples

Summary A small cartridge containing a drying agent is inserted between a solid phase extraction (SPE) column and a gas chromatograph (GC) to enable the introduction of water-free desorption solvent into the GC in on-line liquid chromatography (LC)-type enrichment of trace-level analytes from water samples. Some characteristics of the drying agents, such as their capacity to retain water and their re-usability after heating, have been tested. Possible interactions of the drying agent with the analytes, e.g., irreversible adsorption or catalyzed degradation, have been checked for a wide range of alkanes, alkylbenzenes chlorobenzenes, chlorophenols and phthalate esters. Using the on-line SPE-GC system with flame ionization detection (FID) and spiked samples containing different levels of the test compounds, the repeatability was shown to be satisfactory (6–17%). For 10 mL samples, the detection limits were lower than 0.1 g/L. The on-line SPE-GC-FID system here presented can be used for the repeated analysis of water samples without exchange of the dyring cartridge. The technique is applied to the analysis of tap water.     

On-line sorption preconcentration of metals based on mixed micelle cloud point extraction prior to their determination with micellar chemiluminescence: Application to the determination of chromium at ng l levels

The on-line incorporation of cloud point extraction (CPE) to flow injection analysis (FIA) is modified to extract and preconcentrate metal species rapidly, avoiding the formation of hydrophobic complexes, using a mixed micellar medium. Coupling the procedure with chemiluminescence (CL) detection based on the catalytic activity of metal species on the luminol-hydrogen peroxide reaction and enhancing the signal with the presence of a micellar carrier containing bromide ions produces a powerful tool for the preconcentration and determination of metal species at ng l⁻¹ levels. As an analytical demonstration ultratrace concentrations of chromium were conveniently detected and quantified in samples with a complex matrix such as seawater and wastewater. The figures of merit for the determination of chromium were: 0.9-1.6% R.S.D. (n=5) with detection and quantification limits 0.5 and 2.0 ng l⁻¹, respectively. The calibration graph was rectilinear from 2 to 200 ng l⁻¹ (r=0.9996, n=6). Several other metal ions were determined in ideal situations, with analogous results.     

Development of pressurized liquid extraction and cleanup procedures for determination of organochlorine pesticides in soils

The scope of this work is the development of a rapid, reliable and sensitive method for the analysis of organochlorine pesticides from soils by pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). The effect of four parameters (temperature, pressure, static time and cell volume) on the extraction efficiency was studied. The great extracting power of the PLE causes the extraction of numerous interfering substances, so a more efficient purification of this extract was necessary. In this work several sorbents have also been assayed to carry out the purification of soil samples: Florisil, silica, alumina, carbon, as well as combinations of them. Finally, the proposed analytical method was validated using a certified reference soil material (CRM804-050) and the results were compared with those obtained by other extraction techniques (Soxhlet and microwave-assisted extraction).     

环境水中甲基对硫磷、对硫磷和辛硫磷农药残留的SPE-HPLC分析

采用离线固相萃取 (SPE)富集 -高效液相色谱(HPLC)分离和紫外分光光度法检测 ,对环境水中甲基对硫磷、对硫磷和辛硫磷3种有机磷农药进行分析;固相萃取用C18 萃取柱 ,用甲醇洗脱 ,高效液相色谱分离以Shim_PackCLCODS柱(150mm×4.6mmid,5μm)为分离柱 ,流动相为甲醇 -水(体积比70∶30) ,紫外检测波长为280nm;该法稳定可靠 ,回收率高     

微波萃取花生壳天然黄色素及其稳定性研究

对福建产花生壳进行了微波萃取天然黄色素及其稳定性的研究 .研究表明微波萃取的工艺条件是 :以pH =3,体积分数 70 %的乙醇水溶液作提取剂 ,原料与提取剂配比为 1g∶5mL ,微波辐射功率为 12 0W ,辐射时间2 4 0s.对该色素稳定性研究结果表明 ,该色素为水溶性色素 ,属黄酮类色素 ,适用pH值范围比较宽 ,尤其碱性状态效果最佳 ,对光、热稳定性好 ,大多数食品添加剂对色素稳定性影响不大 ,对氧化剂H2 O2 的耐受能力较差 ,对还原剂Na2 SO3 的耐受能力强     

Surface derivatization of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) fiber designed for novel separation and extraction media

The surface derivatization of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) fiber was studied. The obtained surface-derivatized filaments were packed into a fused-silica capillary to evaluate its surface characteristics by using GC. As the stationary phase for GC the surface-derivatized fibers showed higher retention for alkanes and alkylbenzenes than that with the untreated Kevlar fiber. The improvements on the retention power and the peak shape were observed on the benzyl-modified fibrous stationary phase. The derivatized fibrous materials were also evaluated as the extraction medium in fiber-in-tube SPE, and the effect of the surface modification on the extraction power was compared to the parent fiber. The results indicated that the modified fiber possessed a higher extraction power than the untreated fiber. Based on the facts, the successful modification of the fiber surface was estimated.     

Coupling Cloud Point Extraction to Instrumental Detection Systems for Metal Analysis

The purpose of this article is to review and evaluate cloud point extraction of metals and its coupling to different contemporary instrumental methods of analysis. This review covers a selection of the literature published on this topic over the period mainly between 1997 and September 2005 (consisting of 50 publications). The current state of the art for CPE concerning metals and metal chelates is presented with special emphasis on the hyphenation of this interesting extraction/preconcentration approach mediated by surfactants to spectrophotometry, atomic spectroscopy and separation techniques. We present contemporary CPE developments concerning metal speciation and determination and their application to different environmental, clinical, geological and food samples. Strategies for method development as well as future perspectives are also covered.