Efficient Extraction and Detection of Aromatic Toxicants from Crude Oil and Tar Balls Using Multiple Cyclodextrin Derivatives

Herein we report the efficient extraction of aromatic analytes from crude oil and tar balls using multiple cyclodextrin derivatives. The known propensity of the cyclodextrins to bind hydrophobic guests in their hydrophobic interiors enhanced the extraction of aromatic analytes from the oil layer to the aqueous layer, with methyl-β-cyclodextrin and β-cyclodextrin providing the most significant enhancement in extraction efficiencies of aromatic toxicants (69% aromatic toxicants in aqueous layer in the presence of methyl-β-cyclodextrin compared to 47% in cyclodextrin-free solution for tar ball oil extraction), and provide optimal tunability for developing efficient extraction systems. The cyclodextrin derivatives also promoted efficient energy transfer in the aqueous solutions, with up to 86% efficient energy transfer observed in the presence of γ-cyclodextrin compared to 50% in the absence of cyclodextrin for oil spill oil extraction. Together, this dual function extraction followed by detection system has potential in the development of environmental remediation systems

Efficient Detection of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Polychlorinated Biphenyls via Three-Component Energy Transfer

Reported herein is the detection of highly toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) via proximity-induced non-covalent energy transfer. This energy transfer occurs in the cavity of γ-cyclodextrin, and is efficient even with the most toxic PAHs and least fluorescent PCBs. The low limits of detection and potential for selective detection using array-based systems, combined with the straightforward experimental setup, make this new detection method particularly promising

Detection of Medium-Sized Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons via Fluorescence Energy Transfer

Reported herein is the use of proximity-induced non-covalent energy transfer for the detection of medium-sized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This energy transfer occurs within the cavity of γ-cyclodextrin in various aqueous environments, including human plasma and coconut water. Highly efficient energy transfer was observed, and the efficiency of the energy transfer is independent of the concentration of γ-cyclodextrin used, demonstrating the importance of hydrophobic binding in facilitating such energy transfer. Low limits of detection were also observed for many of the PAHs investigated, which is promising for the development of fluorescence-based detection schemes

Cyclodextrin-Enhanced Extraction and Energy Transfer of Carcinogens in Complex Oil Environments

Reported herein is the use of γ-cyclodextrin for two tandem functions: (a) the extraction of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from oil samples into aqueous solution, and (b) the promotion of highly efficient energy transfer from the newly extracted PAHs to a high-quantum yield fluorophore. The extraction proceeded in moderate to good efficiencies, and the resulting cyclodextrin-promoted energy transfer lead to a new, brightly fluorescent signal in the aqueous solution. The resulting dual-function system (extraction followed by energy transfer) has significant relevance in the environmental detection and cleanup of oil spill-related carcinogens

Rapid and Efficient Pesticide Detection via Cyclodextrin-Promoted Energy Transfer

Cyclodextrins facilitate non-covalent fluorescence energy transfer from a variety of pesticides to high quantum-yield fluorophores, resulting in a rapid, sensitive detection scheme for these compounds with detection limits as low as two micromolar. Such a facile detection tool has significant potential applications in agriculture and public health research

Array-Based Detection of Persistent Organic Pollutants via Cyclodextrin Promoted Energy Transfer

We report herein the selective array-based detection of 30 persistent organic pollutants via cyclodextrin-promoted energy transfer. The use of three fluorophores enabled the development of an array that classified 30 analytes with 100% accuracy and identified unknown analytes with 96% accuracy, as well as identifying 92% of analytes in urine

A Fatal Case of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Community-Acquired Pneumonia in an Immunocompetent Patient: Clinical and Molecular Characterization and Literature Review

Rare cases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa community-acquired pneumonia (PA-CAP) were reported in non-immunocompromised patients. We describe a case of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) necrotizing cavitary CAP with a fatal outcome in a 53-year-old man previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, who was admitted for dyspnea, fever, cough, hemoptysis, acute respiratory failure and a right upper lobe opacification. Six hours after admission, despite effective antibiotic therapy, he experienced multi-organ failure and died. Autopsy confirmed necrotizing pneumonia with alveolar hemorrhage. Blood and bronchoalveolar lavage cultures were positive for PA serotype O:9 belonging to ST1184. The strain shares the same virulence factor profile with reference genome PA01. With the aim to better investigate the clinical and molecular characteristics of PA-CAP, we considered the literature of the last 13 years concerning this topic. The prevalence of hospitalized PA-CAP is about 4% and has a mortality rate of 33–66%. Smoking, alcohol abuse and contaminated fluid exposure were the recognized risk factors; most cases presented the same symptoms described above and needed intensive care. Co-infection of PA-influenza A is described, which is possibly caused by influenza-inducing respiratory epithelial cell dysfunction: the same pathophysiological mechanism could be assumed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Considering the high rate of fatal outcomes, additional studies are needed to identify sources of infections and new risk factors, along with genetic and immunological features. Current CAP guidelines should be revised in light of these results