HPTLC assay of nicotine and cotinine in biological samples

This study presents the development of a simple high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for the determination of nicotine and its metabolite cotinine in human plasma and urine. The following mobile phases: methanol: ammonia (100:1.5, v:v), chloroform: acetone: ammonia (48.75: 48.75: 2.5, v:v:v), methanol: chloroform: ammonia (48.75: 48.75: 0.5, v:v:v) and glass plates precoated with silicagel 60 F254 (20x20) as a stationary phase were used. Densitometric scanning was performed at 263 nm. Two different extraction procedures have been applied: liquid-liquid extraction using dichloromethane at alkaline pH and solid-phase extraction using C18 cartridges. Preliminary tests in order to establish the system of solvents for development, as well as the range of linearity, were conducted. The best separation of nicotine and cotinine was obtained by using methanol: chloroform: ammonia (48.75: 48.75: 0.5, v:v:v) as the mobile phase. The liquid-liquid extraction technique led to better results than solid phase extraction. The regression curves were linear (with a corresponding correlation coefficient higher than 0.99) in the quantities range of 200 ng–1000 ng/spot for both nicotine and cotinine. The UV spectra confirm the identification of nicotine and cotinine both in the standards and in the extracts after liquid-liquid extraction. The proposed method can be applied for the simultaneous evaluation of nicotine and cotinine in biological samples at toxic/lethal levels. Thus, the method may be applicable in lethal nicotine intoxication cases in forensic toxicological analysis

Assessment of the risks associated with the invasive weed Ambrosia artemisiifolia in urban environments in Romania

Ambrosia artemisiifolia (ragweed) is an invasive weed with rapid spread during the last decades in many European countries, representing an important problem for environment and for public health, due to its highly allergenic pollen. Data from the European Aeroallergen Network (EAN) confirm the continuous increase of infested areas and of the amospheric ragweed pollen load. Ambrosia is responsible for significant health and economic impact in the most infested areas from Central Europe, mainly Hungary and neighbouring countries, including Romania. Despite generally occurring in dry and abandoned fields, along railways and roadsides, Ambrosia is now recognized as part of urban vegetation in some big cities, contributing to increase risk of air pollution and of respiratory diseases. The aim of our paper is to review the data regarding spread and problematic of Ambrosia in some big cities of Romania, mainly the capital and the actual public activities undertaken to reduce its consequences. Our data showed that Ambrosia is a real and increasing danger for human health in Romania, mainly due to its rapid spread in urban environment and increasing number of affected persons. There is an urgent need for more coordinated efforts and sustainable management of this problem, to reduce impact of Ambrosia in urban environment, to establish a national aerobiology network and to continue collaboration with European institutions and specialists in this field

Polymer Architectures for Optical and Photonic Applications

The last decade of the last century is marked by a revolution in the synthesis of materials for optical and photonic applications, against the background of the growing need for new high-performance materials to increase the efficiency, reliability and speed of response linked to environmental aspects. The diversity of requirements and the optimization of the responses has led to a major dispute over the structure and composition of these materials: Inorganic or Organic, Natural or Synthetic, Hybrid or Pure, which has stimulated interest in the development of various architectures. Special attention shall be paid to establishing a fundamental relationship to correlate the non-linear optical response and chemical structure, especially for the category of organic materials- particularly polymers- distinguished by structural/compositional versatility and suitable for processing by simple technique which allows serial production. In fact, optical nonlinearity (NLO) is not an exotic phenomenon. Indeed, all materials are optically nonlinear if light is sufficiently intense. The synthesis of functional photonic organic materials is a major challenge of contemporary community of material scientists to imagine new functional materials based of “collective” phenomena by virtue of the “engineered” molecule- molecule interactions and spatial relationships. In this context, this paper aims to highlight the most important features concerning the structural - compositional relationship of polymeric materials used in optoelectronic and photonic applications

Blood\u27s Concentration of Lead and Arsenic Associated with Anemia in Peruvian Children

This exploratory, descriptive cohort study (N = 60) determined lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) blood concentrations in Peruvian children and their association with hematological parameters of iron-deficient anemia (IDA) and anthropometric measurement. The mean age of children was 10.8 months (SD = 4.7) and ranged from 3 to 24 months old. Anemia (Hb levels below 10.5 g/dL) was found in 20% of this cohort. Additionally, microcytosis (MCV \u3c 70 fL) was present in 54%, and hypochromia (MCH \u3c 23 pg) in 42% of the group of children. Chi-square analysis showed that 88% of the children with anemia also had microcytosis and hypochromia (p \u3c 0.001). Pb and As were detected in 100% of the infants’ blood samples, and the concentrations were significantly higher in older infants than in younger ones. Pb and As were not associated with the sex, anthropomorphic parameters, or infant hemogram changes. Infants who received iron supplementation were 87% less likely to have low Hb compared with those who did not (OR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.02–0.88, p = 0.04). Herbal tea intake was significantly associated with microcytosis and hypochromia. Our finding uncovered that hematological parameters for anemia are modified in Peruvian children with high levels of microcytosis and hypochromia. Concentrations of Pb and As were above method detection limits in all Peruvian children, but these were not associated with IDA or anthropometric measurements. A large study, including other variables, would benefit from allowing a more complex model predicting anemia in Peruvian children