Lead electrocapture on hydroxyapatite coated electrodes

Hydroxyapatite coated electrodes were made by a hydrolysis reaction involving silanes and hydroxyapatite particles on stainless steel. Aqueous lead ions were captured on the coatings with or without electromigration. Results depend on coating thickness, supporting electrolyte and the presence of the electric field. It was found that this new electrocapture method can remove lead from solutions down to ppb levels.     

Fetal cerebral hemorrhage due to X-linked GATA1 gene mutation

We report a multiplex family with a GATA1 gene mutation responsible for a massive fetal cerebral hemorrhage occurring at 36 weeks. Two other stillbirth cousins presented with fetal hydrops and congenital hemochromatosis' phenotype at 37 and 12 weeks of gestation. Molecular screening revealed the presence of a c.613G>A pathogenic allelic variation in exon 4 of GATA1 gene in the 3 male siblings and their carrier mothers. The diagnosis of a GATA1 gene mutation may be suspected in cases of male fetuses with intracerebral bleeding, particularly if a history of prior fetal loss(es) and mild maternal thrombocytopenia are also present.     

Unconventional tools for the study of the flow properties of concrete equivalent mortar based on recycled concrete aggregates

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The self-compacting concrete (SCC) mix design is much more complex than that of ordinary concrete. Increased testing on fresh concrete and a...     

Hexavalent chromium removal by a novel Serratia proteamaculans isolated from the bank of Sebou River (Morocco)

The novel Serratia proteamaculans isolated from a chromium-contaminated site was tolerant to a concentration of 500 mg Cr(VI)/l. The optimum pH and temperature for reduction of Cr(VI) by S. proteamaculans were found to be 7.0 and 30 °C, respectively. The Cr(VI) reduction rate decreased with the increase in Cr(VI) concentration from 100 to 400 mg/l, suggesting the enzymatic chromium reduction. Resting and permeabilised cell assays provided the better evidence that chromate reduction in S. proteamaculans is enzymatic. Reduction by cell-free filtrate shows no extracellular chromate-reducing activity, revealing that this activity may be associated to membrane fraction and/or cytosolic fraction. Assays conducted with cytosolic and particulate fraction of S. proteamaculans confirmed the role of membrane-bound proteins in Cr(VI) reduction. Furthermore, chromium reduced by heat-treated cells suggests that membrane-associated chromate reductase activity of S. proteamaculans is preceded by its adsorption on the cell surface.     

Fate and effects of metal-based nanoparticles in two marine invertebrates,the bivalve mollusc Scrobicularia plana and the annelid polychaete Hediste diversicolor

The objective of this paper is to synthesize results from seven published research papers employing different experimental approaches to evaluate the fate of metal-based nanoparticles (Ag NPs, Au NPs, CuO NPs, CdS NPs, ZnO NPs) in the marine environment and their effects on two marine endobenthic species, the bivalve Scrobicularia plana and the ragworm Hediste diversicolor. The experiments were carried out under laboratory (microcosms) conditions or under environmentally realistic conditions in outdoor mesocosms. Based on results from these seven papers, we addressed the following research questions: (1) How did the environment into which nanoparticles were released affect their physicochemical properties?, (2) How did the route of exposure (seawater, food, sediment) influence bioaccumulation and effects?, (3) Which biomarkers were the most responsive? and (4) Which tools were the most efficient to evaluate the fate and effects of NPs in the marine environment? The obtained results showed that metal‐based NPs in general were highly agglomerated/aggregated in seawater. DGT tools could be used to estimate the bioavailability of metals released from NPs under soluble form in the aquatic environment. Both metal forms (nanoparticulate, soluble) were generally bioaccumulated in both species. Among biochemical tools, GST and CAT were the most sensitive revealing the enhancement of anti-oxidant defenses in both species exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of metal-based NPs. Apoptosis and genotoxicity were frequently observed.     

Development of an analytical strategy based on liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry for measuring perfluorinated compounds in human breast milk: application to the generation of preliminary data regarding perinatal exposure in France

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are man-made chemicals for which endocrine disrupting properties and related possible side effects on human health have been reported, particularly in the case of an exposure during the early stages of development, (notably the perinatal period). Existing analytical methods dedicated to PFCs monitoring in food and/or human fluids are currently based on liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, and were recently demonstrated to present some limitations in terms of sensitivity and/or specificity. An alternative strategy dedicated to the analysis of fourteen PFCs in human breast milk was proposed, based on an effective sample preparation followed by a liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry measurement (LC-HRMS). This methodology confirmed the high interest for HRMS after negative ionization for such halogenated substances, and finally permitted to reach detection limits around the pg mL(-1) range with an outstanding signal specificity compared to LC-MS/MS. The proposed method was applied to a first set of 30 breast milk samples from French women. The main PFCs detected in all these samples were PFOS and PFOA with respective median values of 74 (range from 24 to 171) and 57 (range from 18 to 102) pg mL(-1), respectively. These exposure data appeared in the same range as other reported values for European countries.