Exploiting Synchrotron “Light” to Study Chemistry of Trace Elements in Soils and Plants

Biogeochemical studies often require characterization of elemental abundances and speciation in samples that are chemically and physically heterogeneous at the micrometer scale. Synchrotron radiation sources are ideal for developing high intensity, highly-focused X-ray probes for interrogating the speciation, transport, and reactions of trace elements in heterogeneous earth and biological materials with detection sensitivities in the attogram range and spatial resolutions less than 1 micrometer. X-ray Fluorescence Microprobe (XFM) is a new, multi-modal X-ray fluorescence microscope recently installed at the National Synchrotron Light Source-II (NSLS-II) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. XFM has capabilities for X- ray micro-fluorescence (μ-XRF) imaging and tomography, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (μ-XAS), and X-ray microdiffraction (μ-XRD). Micro-XRF allows one to image and quantify the distribution of trace elements in heterogeneous samples. Micro-XAS analysis allows one to interrogate oxidation state and chemical speciation of the trace elements. Coupled XRF-, XAS-, XRD- microanalysis allows one to quantify the abundance and speciation of elements at trace concentrations and evaluate the mineralogy to which they are adsorbed or bound in soil. Such information is crucial in understanding the toxicity, mobility and containment of toxic metals in the environment and the mechanisms of nutrient uptake and partitioning in plants. Examples will be given of how these instruments are applied in the Plant and Soil Sciences

Exploiting Synchrotron “Light” to Study Chemistry of Trace Elements in Soils and Plants

Biogeochemical studies often require characterization of elemental abundances and speciation in samples that are chemically and physically heterogeneous at the micrometer scale. Synchrotron radiation sources are ideal for developing high intensity, highly-focused X-ray probes for interrogating the speciation, transport, and reactions of trace elements in heterogeneous earth and biological materials with detection sensitivities in the attogram range and spatial resolutions less than 1 micrometer. X-ray Fluorescence Microprobe (XFM) is a new, multi-modal X-ray fluorescence microscope recently installed at the National Synchrotron Light Source-II (NSLS-II) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. XFM has capabilities for X- ray micro-fluorescence (μ-XRF) imaging and tomography, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (μ-XAS), and X-ray microdiffraction (μ-XRD). Micro-XRF allows one to image and quantify the distribution of trace elements in heterogeneous samples. Micro-XAS analysis allows one to interrogate oxidation state and chemical speciation of the trace elements. Coupled XRF-, XAS-, XRD- microanalysis allows one to quantify the abundance and speciation of elements at trace concentrations and evaluate the mineralogy to which they are adsorbed or bound in soil. Such information is crucial in understanding the toxicity, mobility and containment of toxic metals in the environment and the mechanisms of nutrient uptake and partitioning in plants. Examples will be given of how these instruments are applied in the Plant and Soil Sciences

Unraveling mysteries associated with cat-scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, and related syndromes.

The search for the infectious agents responsible for cat-scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, and related syndromes has a long and often circuitous history. Recognition of the etiologic agents and a new understanding of the fundamental features of the epidemiology and natural history of modern day Bartonella (formerly Rochalimaea)-associated diseases culminate a multipartite story that combines clinical medicine, traditional microbiology, and novel technological approaches to solve a long-standing enigma

A clinical assessment tool for midwives undertaking the Newborn Infant Physical Examination

The role of midwives has evolved over the last two decades, and in the United Kingdom midwives and advanced neonatal nurse practitioners undertake roles that traditionally were undertaken by junior doctors. The Newborn Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) is performed within the first 72 hours of birth (Lanlehin, 2011), and enables midwives to provide a holistic assessment of neonates and their mothers, as well as confirming normality, identifying abnormalities, and providing early intervention for at risk neonates. The aim of this paper is to discuss the usefulness of the Newborn and Infant Assessment Tool (NIAT) which was originally used as an oral assessment tool for a health professional undertaking the NIPE course. However, it became clear over the course of 10 years that not only is this a framework for assessing students' application of theoretical knowledge to practice scenarios, it is also an assessment tool that can be used by trained midwives, medical staff, and student nurses to enhance clinical decision-making when faced with an unwell baby

The possibility of identifying brain hemorrhage in putrefied bodies with PMCT

This paper aims to demonstrate that post-mortem CT (PMCT) can locate intracranial hemorrhages, even in decomposed cases. This is of relevance in that post-mortem decomposition is particularly damaging to the brain tissue’s consistency, resulting in great difficulties to reliably diagnose and locate intracranial hemorrhages. We searched our case database of the last 11 years to find cases with decomposition of the body, where PMCT and an autopsy had been performed. We identified eleven cases according to these criteria. Postmortem interval ranged from 2 days to 2 weeks, and post-mortem radiological alteration index (RAI) was at or above 49. Eight out of eleven cases showed an intraparenchymal hemorrhage whereas the hemorrhage was extra-axial in the remaining three cases. Autopsy validated the presence of intracranial hemorrhage in all eleven cases, but location could not be confirmed due to liquid state of the brain. PMCT identified and localized intracranial hemorrhages in decomposed bodies, and in all of these cases, autopsy validated their presence. The actual cause of the hemorrhage (e.g. tumor, metastasis, vascular malformation, hypertensive hemorrhage) remained obscure. From this case series, it can be concluded that PMCT may add relevant information pertaining to localization of intracranial hemorrhages in decomposed bodies

Desenredando los misterios asociados con la enfermedad por rasguño de gato, angiomatosis bacilar, y síndromes relacionados

La búsqueda de los agentes infecciosos responsables de la enfermedad por rasguño de gato, la angiomatosis bacilar, y síndromes relacionados tiene una larga y frecuentemente tortuosa historia. El reconocimiento de los agentes etiológicos y una nueva comprensión de los aspectos fundamentales de la epidemiología e historia natural de las enfermedades asociadas a Bartonella (anteriormente Rochalimaea) culminan una historia multipartita que combina medicina clínica, microbiología tradicional, y enfoques tecnológicos nuevos para resolver un enigma de larga data.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Desenredando los misterios asociados con la enfermedad por rasguño de gato, angiomatosis bacilar, y síndromes relacionados

La búsqueda de los agentes infecciosos responsables de la enfermedad por rasguño de gato, la angiomatosis bacilar, y síndromes relacionados tiene una larga y frecuentemente tortuosa historia. El reconocimiento de los agentes etiológicos y una nueva comprensión de los aspectos fundamentales de la epidemiología e historia natural de las enfermedades asociadas a Bartonella (anteriormente Rochalimaea) culminan una historia multipartita que combina medicina clínica, microbiología tradicional, y enfoques tecnológicos nuevos para resolver un enigma de larga data.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria