Publications by authors named "Astrid Fischer"

Assessing the dietary accumulation of nanoplastics in animals following very-low exposure concentrations is restricted due to analytical limitations. This study adapted a method for synthesising semi-stable C-PS NPs (through styrene polymerisation) in small volumes for deployment in environmental studies. The method was developed with non-labelled material where the final polystyrene product had a primary particle size of 35 ± 8 nm (as measured by transmission electron microscopy).

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Surface waters are widely used as drinking water sources and hence their quality needs to be continuously monitored. However, current routine monitoring programs are not comprehensive as they generally cover only a limited number of known pollutants and emerging contaminants. This study presents a risk-based approach combining suspect and non-target screening (NTS) to help extend the coverage of current monitoring schemes.

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With the growth in production and use of chemicals and the fact that many end up in the aquatic environment, there is an increasing need for advanced water treatment technologies that can remove chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) from water. The current lack of a homogenous approach for testing advanced water treatment technologies hampers the interpretation and evaluation of CEC removal efficiency data, and hinders informed decision making by stakeholders with regard to which treatment technology could satisfy their specific needs. Here a data evaluation framework is proposed to improve the use of current knowledge in the field of advanced water treatment technologies for drinking water and wastewater, consisting of a set of 9 relevance criteria and 51 reliability criteria.

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Water authorities and drinking water companies are challenged with the question if, where and how to abate contaminants of emerging concern in the urban water cycle. The most effective strategy under given conditions is often unclear to these stakeholders as it requires insight into several aspects of the contaminants such as sources, properties, and mitigation options. Furthermore the various parties in the urban water cycle are not always aware of each other's requirements and priorities.

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Background: Stored platelet (PLT) concentrates (PLCs) for transfusion develop a PLT storage lesion (PSL), decreasing PLT viability and function with profound lipidomic changes and PLT extracellular vesicle (PL-EV) release. High-density lipoprotein 3 (HDL3 ) improves PLT homeostasis through silencing effects on PLT activation in vivo. This prompted us to investigate HDL3 and apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) as PSL-antagonizing agents.

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Sulindac is a non-selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenases (COX) used to treat inflammation and pain. Additionally, non-COX targets may account for the drug's chemo-preventive efficacy against colorectal cancer and reduced gastrointestinal toxicity. Here, we demonstrate that the pharmacologically active metabolite of sulindac, sulindac sulfide (SSi), targets 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO), the key enzyme in the biosynthesis of proinflammatory leukotrienes (LTs).

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Leukotrienes constitute a group of bioactive lipids generated by the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) pathway. An increasing body of evidence supports an acute role for 5-LO products already during the earliest stages of pancreatic, prostate, and colorectal carcinogenesis. Several pieces of experimental data form the basis for this hypothesis and suggest a correlation between 5-LO expression and tumor cell viability.

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The oceans play a key role in climate regulation especially in part buffering (neutralising) the effects of increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and rising global temperatures. This chapter examines how the regulatory processes performed by the oceans alter as a response to climate change and assesses the extent to which positive feedbacks from the ocean may exacerbate climate change. There is clear evidence for rapid change in the oceans.

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