Sorption of platinum on immobilized microorganisms for its on-line preconcentration and chemiluminescent determination in water samples

Fungi of the type Aspergillus sp. were immobilized on a cellulosic resin and used as a biosorbent for the on-line preconcentration and separation of Pt(IV) ions prior to their chemiluminescent determination via flow injection analysis. Biosorption and elution conditions were optimized, and the results compared to biosorbents based on the use of Chlorella vulgaris algae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast in terms of preconcentration and selective retention of Pt(IV). The immobilized fungi presented here have a high potential for use in platinum biosorption. The procedure exhibits the currently lowest limit of detection (0.02 ng mL−1 of Pt) and very high selectivity. The procedure was applied to the determination of Pt(IV) in river water, road run-off, and wastewater samples

Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Huntington's Disease.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive technique used routinely to image the body in both clinical and research settings. Through the manipulation of radio waves and static field gradients, MRI uses the principle of nuclear magnetic resonance to produce images with high spatial resolution, appropriate for the investigation of brain structure and function

Nanosilver : uses, migration and methods of determination

The rapid growth in the commercial application of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) will certainly increase the exposure to these metals among humans and in the environment. Nano-size silver particles have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and therefore are incorporated into various materials, including medical textiles, which claim to prevent infection, as well as more common textiles, like anti-odour sportswear, underwear, socks and gloves. On the market there is also a variety of home consumer products claiming to contain nanosilver, for example disinfecting sprays (to disinfect hard surfaces, towels, sheets, and clothing), kitchen cutting boards, washing machines, refrigerators, dishwashers, pillows and mattresses, toothbrushes, toilet seats, water filters, and cosmetics. Nanosilver is added to food contact materials to preserve the packaged food for a particularly long period of time by inhibiting the growth of microbes. There is a number of in vitro studies showing cytotoxic effects and genotoxic DNA damaging capacity of AgNPs to a variety of mammalian cell types [24]. However, there are only a few in vivo studies on their genotoxicity. Likely routes of human exposure to released nanoparticles include inhalation, ingestion and dermal penetration. Evaluation of the health impact of AgNPs requires information on how readily and in what forms this substance can be released from the material. At present, the availability of such data is limited (Tab. 1). Size of metal-based nanoparticles is an important factor determining their physical and chemical properties as well as their bioavailability and toxicity. The methods used for the size characterisation of AgNPs in different matrices (consumer products, biological and environmental samples) (Tab. 2), as well as for speciation analysis of various forms of silver, namely AgNPs and silver ions, are reviewed in this paper. Off-line methods such as centrifugal ultrafiltration, (ultra)centrifugation, dialysis, and cloud point extraction are used in order to distinguish between nanoparticles and dissolved forms of silver. Field-flow fractionation (FFF) in different modes is used for nanoparticle size dependent separation [50]. Size-resolved AgNPs fractions are further characterised by on-line detectors, such as UV-Vis, ICP OES or ICP MS. ICP MS in single-particle detection mode is used for simultaneous determination of nanosilver and silver ions [38]. The application of capillary electrophoresis [40] and liquid chromatography [41, 42] for the separation of nano and ionic forms of silver is also discussed in this work

Operationalizing compensation over time in neurodegenerative disease

In pre-clinical Huntington's disease, normal behaviour is maintained despite neurodegeneration, suggesting a mechanism of compensation. Gregory, Long et al. present two mathematical models of compensation over time and their operationalisation for neuroimaging