Liquid chromatographic isolation of individual carbohydrates from environmental matrices for stable carbon analysis and radiocarbon dating.

Carbohydrates are among the most abundant organic molecules in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems; however, very few studies have addressed their isotopic signature using compound-specific isotope analysis, which provides additional information on their origin (δC) and fate (ΔC). In this study, semi-preparative liquid chromatography with refractive index detection (HPLC-RI) was employed to produce pure carbohydrate targets for subsequent offline δC and ΔC isotopic analysis. δC analysis was performed by elemental analyzer-isotope ratio mass spectrometer (EA-IRMS) whereas ΔC analysis was performed by an innovative measurement procedure based on the direct combustion of the isolated fractions using an elemental analyzer coupled to the gas source of a mini carbon dating system (AixMICADAS).

Silver effects on silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are known as a noble metal, and owing to their exclusive properties, their use is widespread in consumer products and they are mostly incorporated into food packaging and food contact products. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of direct ingestion of Ag-NPs through food to assess their toxicity effects on the growth and development of silkworms at different concentrations (1 mg·L to 100 mg·L), in addition to the examination of the distribution of Ag-NPs in the silkworm body and midgut histopathological analysis. RNA sequencing was performed to investigate the transcriptomic responses to Ag-NPs exposure.

[Patient education in psychiatry: Representations of caregivers, patients and their families].

Introduction: Why do caregivers working in psychiatry seem to wonder about their practices, in front of the recent mediatisation of patient education in France? Do our educational practices meet the needs and the expectations of patients and their families? These questions led us to carry out this qualitative and prospective study concerning the representations of patient education of the main actors in psychiatry.

Objective: This work aims to assess the representations of patient education of the main actors in psychiatry, in particular to assess convergences and divergences.

Methods: This is a qualitative and prospective study.

In vivo translocation and toxicity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes are regulated by microRNAs.

We employed an in vivo Caenorhabditis elegans assay system to perform SOLiD sequencing analysis to identify the possible microRNA (miRNA) targets of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Bioinformatics analysis on targeted genes for the identified dysregulated miRNAs in MWCNT exposed nematodes demonstrates their involvement in many aspects of biological processes. We used loss-of-function mutants for the identified dysregulated miRNAs to perform toxicity assessment by evaluating functions of primary and secondary targeted organs, and found the miRNA mutants with susceptible or resistant property towards MWCNT toxicity.

Carboxylic acid functionalization prevents the translocation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes at predicted environmentally relevant concentrations into targeted organs of nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Carboxyl (-COOH) surface modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH) can be used for targeted delivery of drugs and imaging. However, whether MWCNTs-COOH at environmentally relevant concentrations exert certain toxic effects on multicellular organisms and the underlying mechanisms are still largely unclear. In the present study, we applied the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to evaluate the properties of MWCNTs-COOH at environmentally relevant concentrations by comparing the effects of MWCNTs and MWCNTs-COOH exposure on C.