Speciation analysis of orthophosphate and myo-inositol hexakisphosphate in soil- and plant-related samples by high-performance ion chromatography combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

A novel method based on high-performance ion chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry employing strong anion exchange chromatography with HNO3 gradient elution for simultaneous analysis of orthophosphate and myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6 ) in soil solution and plant extracts is presented. As inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis of phosphorus at m/z 31 is hampered by N-based interferences, (31)P was measured as (31)P(16)O(+) at m/z 47 employing dynamic reaction cell technique with O2 as reaction gas. Orthophosphate and IP6 were separated within a total chromatographic run-time of 12 min revealing a limit of detection of 0.3 μmol/L. The coefficients of determination obtained in a working range of 1-100 and 1-30 μmol/L were 0.9991 for orthophosphate and 0.9968 for IP6, respectively. The method was successfully applied to extracts from three different soils as well as root and shoot extracts of Brassica napus L. The precision of three independently prepared soil extracts was in the range of 4-10% relative standard deviation for PO4 (3-) and 3-8% relative standard deviation for IP6. Soil adsorption/desorption kinetics for IP6/orthophosphate were performed for investigating the sorption behavior of the two P species in the experimental soils

Vitamin D deficiency and health-related quality of life in chronic hepatitis C

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Lipopolysaccharide induces platelet activation in HIV patients. The role of different viral load patterns

Objectives: This study aimed to assess whether gut-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could affect platelet function in HIV-1 patients with residual viral load. Methods: In 23 HIV-1 patients on effective antiretroviral treatment, 10 treatment-naïve HIV-1 subjects and 20 healthy subjects (HS), LPS, zonulin, markers of platelet activation and oxidative stress were evaluated. In vitro, platelets from HS were exposed to plasma from HIV-1-infected treated and untreated patients. Results: Compared with HS, LPS was higher in treated and treatment-naïve subjects with HIV-1 (7.7 ± 2.9, 80.9 ± 13.7 and 75.3 ± 22.6 pg/mL, P < 0.001 vs. HS) as well as serum zonulin (1.3 ± 0.5, 6.1 ± 1.5 and 5.3 ± 1.7 ng/mL, P < 0.001 vs. HS). LPS and zonulin were correlated in HIV patients (Spearman correlation coefficient (rS) = 0.73, P < 0.0001). Levels of soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L), soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin) and thromboxane B2 (TxB2) were higher in HIV-1-treated and treatment-naïve subjects compared with HS as well as NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) activation and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production. In vitro, sCD40L, sP-selectin and TxB2 production, NOX2 activation and p47phox phosphorylation were higher in platelets exposed to plasma from HIV-1 patients with different viral load compared with the exposure to plasma from HS. This effect was blunted in platelets pre-treated with TLR4 or TLR7 inhibitors. Conclusions: Low-grade endotoxaemia and persistent viraemia increase platelet function with a mechanism mediated by NOX2 in patients with HIV-1 infection

Chemometrics based on the mineral content as a tool for the assessment of the pollution of top soils

This is the first research of this type which includes the wider area of Kosovo taking into account the mineral wealth. The concentrations of 20 elements: Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Se, Si, V, and Zn were determined using ICP-OES. The ranges of concentrations of toxic elements are lead (Pb) 0.044-14.98 g/kg, arsenic (As) 0.007-0.33 g/kg, cadmium (Cd) 0.004-0.044 g/kg, and chromium (Cr) 0.053-0.245 g/kg. The spatial distribution of toxic elements was described using distribution maps. Principal component and cluster analyses were performed to reveal grouping of samples