Speciation of chromium in environmental matrices.

Published methods for single and sequential extraction, separation and determination of chromium(III) and (VI) in sewage sludge, soil and dried plant material were critically evaluated. The results obtained illustrate the difficulties of speciation analysis in such complex matrices. A method based on single extraction with 0.43 mol L[-1] acetic acid followed by on-line ion chromatography with chemiluminescence detection was found to be simple, sensitive, free of interferences, and more importantly the integrity of the chromium species was maintained. Instrumental parameters affecting the sensitivity of the chemiluminscence signals were optimised using a multivariate optimisation approach. A linear calibration was obtained from 0.01 to 50 mug L[-1]. Limits of detection were found to be 0.002 mug L[-1] for both Cr(III) and Cr(VI). Limits of determination were found to be 0.02 mug L[-1] for both Cr(III) and Cr(VI). The precision, determined using a 10 mug L[-1] solution of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) was 10.6 +/- 0.52mug L[-1] (4.9%) for Cr(III) and 10.1 +/- 0.50 mug L[-1] (4.9%) for Cr(VI) (n=6). Validation of the method was carried out using two water reference materials certified for total chromium content; LGC CRM 6010 49 mug L[-1] +/- 4 mug L[-1] and NIST SRM 1643d 18.53 mug L[-1] +/- 0.20 mug L[-1]. Results obtained showed good agreement with the certified values; 49.21 mug L[-1] +/- 1.81 mug L[-1] and 19.03 mug L[-1] +/- 1.50 mug L[-1] respectively. The developed method was used to study the distribution of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) species in soils. The species extraction procedure was validated using a certified reference material (CRM): BCR CRM 483. The changes in the distribution of both species in soil that had been through similar pre-treatment steps as in the production of reference materials were studied. This investigation showed that contamination or chemical oxidation could alter the chromium species present within a natural sample during production steps such as milling, homogenisation and sieving. As a result the metal speciation in the product is different from that in the starting material. In order to limit the effect of oxidation jet rather than ball milling is recommended

The impact of obesity and bariatric surgery on the immune microenvironment of the endometrium

BACKGROUND: The incidence of endometrial cancer is rising in parallel with the obesity epidemic. Obesity increases endometrial cancer risk and weight loss is protective, but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. We hypothesise that the immune microenvironment may influence susceptibility to malignant transformation in the endometrium. The aim of this study was to measure the impact of obesity and weight loss on the immunological landscape of the endometrium. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of women with class III obesity (body mass index, BMI ≥ 40 kg/m(2)) undergoing bariatric surgery or medically-supervised low-calorie diet. We collected blood and endometrial samples at baseline, and two and 12 months after weight loss intervention. Serum was analysed for inflammatory markers CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α. Multiplex immunofluorescence was used to simultaneously identify cells positive for immune markers CD68, CD56, CD3, CD8, FOXP3 and PD-1 in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded endometrial tissue sections. Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to determine whether changes in inflammatory and immune biomarkers were associated with weight loss. RESULTS: Forty-three women with matched serum and tissue samples at all three time points were included in the analysis. Their median age and BMI were 44 years and 52 kg/m(2), respectively. Weight loss at 12 months was greater in women who received bariatric surgery (n = 37, median 63.3 kg) than low-calorie diet (n = 6, median 12.8 kg). There were significant reductions in serum CRP (p = 3.62 × 10(−6), r = 0.570) and IL-6 (p = 0.0003, r = 0.459), but not TNF-α levels, with weight loss. Tissue immune cell densities were unchanged except for CD8+ cells, which increased significantly with weight loss (p = 0.0097, r = −0.323). Tissue CD3+ cell density correlated negatively with systemic IL-6 levels (p = 0.0376; r = −0.318). CONCLUSION: Weight loss is associated with reduced systemic inflammation and a recruitment of protective immune cell types to the endometrium, supporting the concept that immune surveillance may play a role in endometrial cancer prevention

Homing endonuclease I-TevIII: dimerization as a means to a double-strand break

Homing endonucleases are unusual enzymes, capable of recognizing lengthy DNA sequences and cleaving site-specifically within genomes. Many homing endonucleases are encoded within group I introns, and such enzymes promote the mobility reactions of these introns. Phage T4 has three group I introns, within the td, nrdB and nrdD genes. The td and nrdD introns are mobile, whereas the nrdB intron is not. Phage RB3 is a close relative of T4 and has a lengthier nrdB intron. Here, we describe I-TevIII, the H–N–H endonuclease encoded by the RB3 nrdB intron. In contrast to previous reports, we demonstrate that this intron is mobile, and that this mobility is dependent on I-TevIII, which generates 2-nt 3′ extensions. The enzyme has a distinct catalytic domain, which contains the H–N–H motif, and DNA-binding domain, which contains two zinc fingers required for interaction with the DNA substrate. Most importantly, I-TevIII, unlike the H–N–H endonucleases described so far, makes a double-strand break on the DNA homing site by acting as a dimer. Through deletion analysis, the dimerization interface was mapped to the DNA-binding domain. The unusual propensity of I-TevIII to dimerize to achieve cleavage of both DNA strands underscores the versatility of the H–N–H enzyme family

Detecting Endometrial Cancer by Blood Spectroscopy: A Diagnostic Cross-Sectional Study

Endometrial cancer is the sixth most common cancer in women, with a rising incidence worldwide. Current approaches for the diagnosis and screening of endometrial cancer are invasive, expensive or of moderate diagnostic accuracy, limiting their clinical utility. There is a need for cost-effective and minimally invasive approaches to facilitate the early detection and timely management of endometrial cancer. We analysed blood plasma samples in a cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study of women with endometrial cancer (n = 342), its precursor lesion atypical hyperplasia (n = 68) and healthy controls (n = 242, total n = 652) using attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and machine learning algorithms. We show that blood-based infrared spectroscopy has the potential to detect endometrial cancer with 87% sensitivity and 78% specificity. Its accuracy is highest for Type I endometrial cancer, the most common subtype, and for atypical hyperplasia, with sensitivities of 91% and 100%, and specificities of 81% and 88%, respectively. Our large-cohort study shows that a simple blood test could enable the early detection of endometrial cancer of all stages in symptomatic women and provide the basis of a screening tool in high-risk groups. Such a test has the potential not only to differentially diagnose endometrial cancer but also to detect its precursor lesion atypical hyperplasia—the early recognition of which may allow fertility sparing management and cancer prevention

The development and validation of a scoring tool to predict the operative duration of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: The ability to accurately predict operative duration has the potential to optimise theatre efficiency and utilisation, thus reducing costs and increasing staff and patient satisfaction. With laparoscopic cholecystectomy being one of the most commonly performed procedures worldwide, a tool to predict operative duration could be extremely beneficial to healthcare organisations. Methods: Data collected from the CholeS study on patients undergoing cholecystectomy in UK and Irish hospitals between 04/2014 and 05/2014 were used to study operative duration. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was produced in order to identify significant independent predictors of long (> 90 min) operations. The resulting model was converted to a risk score, which was subsequently validated on second cohort of patients using ROC curves. Results: After exclusions, data were available for 7227 patients in the derivation (CholeS) cohort. The median operative duration was 60 min (interquartile range 45–85), with 17.7% of operations lasting longer than 90 min. Ten factors were found to be significant independent predictors of operative durations > 90 min, including ASA, age, previous surgical admissions, BMI, gallbladder wall thickness and CBD diameter. A risk score was then produced from these factors, and applied to a cohort of 2405 patients from a tertiary centre for external validation. This returned an area under the ROC curve of 0.708 (SE = 0.013, p  90 min increasing more than eightfold from 5.1 to 41.8% in the extremes of the score. Conclusion: The scoring tool produced in this study was found to be significantly predictive of long operative durations on validation in an external cohort. As such, the tool may have the potential to enable organisations to better organise theatre lists and deliver greater efficiencies in care

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Certification of Scandium Mass Fraction in Al-2.0%Sc Alloy.

Abstract not availableJRC.D-Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (Geel

Certification of Silver Mass Fraction in Al-0.1% Ag Alloy (IRMM-533)

Abstract not availableJRC.D-Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (Geel