The role of atomic fluorescence spectrometry in the automatic environmental monitoring of trace element analysis

Considerable attention has been drawn to the environmental levels of mercury, arsenic, selenium and antimony in the last decade. Legislative and environmental pressure has forced levels to be lowered and this has created an additional burden for analytical chemists. Not only does an analysis have to reach lower detection levels, but it also has to be seen to be correct. Atomic fluorescence detection, especially when coupled to vapour generation techniques, offers both sensitivity and specificity

Arsenic speciation in beverages by direct injection-ion chromatography hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

The procedure developed allows the direct speciation of arsenic in these samples with good sensitivity, selectivity, precision and accuracy. Detection limits determined using the optimized conditions were found to be between 0.16 and 2.9ng ml−1 for arsenite, dimethylarsinic acid, monomethylarsonic acid and arsenate, while standard addition studies showed that the procedure is free from matrix interferences. As no certified reference materials are available for these analytes or matrices, validation was carried out by studying spike recoveries and by comparison of results with an alternative technique

An accurate fast screening for total and inorganic arsenic in rice grain using hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS)

Two novel methods based on hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry for the accurate screening of total and inorganic arsenic (As) in rice grain digests in 5 and 2 minutes, respectively, are proposed here.</p

Automated cold vapour flow-injection analysis of mercury at high concentrations

Continuous-flow cold vapour- atomic fluorescence spectrometry is shown to be an extremely sensitive technique for the determination of mercury with detection limits typically below 0.01 μg l-1. Linear calibration ranges were found to be at least four orders of magnitude (i.e. up to 0.1 mg l-1). Samples with concentrations exceeding the linear range are susceptible to self-absorption, and may, in severe cases, cause carry-over problems between samples. The flow-injection approach has been utilized to extend the upper limit of the linear calibration range allowing determinations up to 10 mg l-1 of mercury. A range of certified reference materials and zinc battery anodes have been successfully analysed with a minimal number of sample dilutions

Quick and robust method for trace determination of MeHg in rice and rice products without derivatisation

Peer reviewedPostprin

Mechanotransduction is required for establishing and maintaining mature inner hair cells and regulating efferent innervation

In the adult auditory organ, mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channels are essential for transducing acoustic stimuli into electrical signals. In the absence of incoming sound, a fraction of the MET channels on top of the sensory hair cells are open, resulting in a sustained depolarizing current. By genetically manipulating the in vivo expression of molecular components of the MET apparatus, we show that during pre-hearing stages the MET current is essential for establishing the electrophysiological properties of mature inner hair cells (IHCs). If the MET current is abolished in adult IHCs, they revert into cells showing electrical and morphological features characteristic of pre-hearing IHCs, including the re-establishment of cholinergic efferent innervation. The MET current is thus critical for the maintenance of the functional properties of adult IHCs, implying a degree of plasticity in the mature auditory system in response to the absence of normal transduction of acoustic signals

Neurogenic mechanisms in bladder and bowel ageing

The prevalence of both urinary and faecal incontinence, and also chronic constipation, increases with ageing and these conditions have a major impact on the quality of life of the elderly. Management of bladder and bowel dysfunction in the elderly is currently far from ideal and also carries a significant financial burden. Understanding how these changes occur is thus a major priority in biogerontology. The functions of the bladder and terminal bowel are regulated by complex neuronal networks. In particular neurons of the spinal cord and peripheral ganglia play a key role in regulating micturition and defaecation reflexes as well as promoting continence. In this review we discuss the evidence for ageing-induced neuronal dysfunction that might predispose to neurogenic forms of incontinence in the elderly

Helios is a key transcriptional regulator of outer hair cell maturation

The sensory cells that are responsible for hearing include the cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs) and outer hair cells (OHCs), with the OHCs being necessary for sound sensitivity and tuning1. Both cell types are thought to arise from common progenitors; however, our understanding of the factors that control the fate of IHCs and OHCs remains limited. Here we identify Ikzf2 (which encodes Helios) as an essential transcription factor in mice that is required for OHC functional maturation and hearing. Helios is expressed in postnatal mouse OHCs, and in the cello mouse model a point mutation in Ikzf2 causes early-onset sensorineural hearing loss. Ikzf2cello/cello OHCs have greatly reduced prestin-dependent electromotile activity, a hallmark of OHC functional maturation, and show reduced levels of crucial OHC-expressed genes such as Slc26a5 (which encodes prestin) and Ocm. Moreover, we show that ectopic expression of Ikzf2 in IHCs: induces the expression of OHC-specific genes; reduces the expression of canonical IHC genes; and confers electromotility to IHCs, demonstrating that Ikzf2 can partially shift the IHC transcriptome towards an OHC-like identity