Occurrence, dispersal, and associated environmental risk assessment of pesticides and their transformation products in small water bodies of Northeastern France.

The widespread use of pesticides, specifically plant protection products (PPPs), has led to their transformation products (TPs) being increasingly detected in various environmental compartments, notably surface waters. This study integrates field-detected TPs into an environmental risk assessment of lentic small water bodies (LSWBs). For this purpose, measured environmental concentrations (MECs) of PPPs and TPs in 12 LSWBs, influenced by tributaries under varying agricultural pressures, were collected.

Unravelling large-scale patterns and drivers of biodiversity in dry rivers.

More than half of the world's rivers dry up periodically, but our understanding of the biological communities in dry riverbeds remains limited. Specifically, the roles of dispersal, environmental filtering and biotic interactions in driving biodiversity in dry rivers are poorly understood. Here, we conduct a large-scale coordinated survey of patterns and drivers of biodiversity in dry riverbeds.

Metabolic flux regulates growth transitions and antibiotic tolerance in uropathogenic .

Unlabelled: Reducing growth and limiting metabolism are strategies that allow bacteria to survive exposure to environmental stress and antibiotics. During infection, uropathogenic (UPEC) may enter a quiescent state that enables them to reemerge after the completion of successful antibiotic treatment. Many clinical isolates, including the well-characterized UPEC strain CFT073, also enter a metabolite-dependent, quiescent state that is reversible with cues, including peptidoglycan-derived peptides and amino acids.

Glioblastoma multiforme influence on the elemental homeostasis of the distant organs: the results of inter-comparison study carried out with TXRF method.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor which invades the nearby brain tissue but generally does not spread to the distant organs. Nonetheless, if untreated, GBM can result in patient death in time even less than few months from the diagnosis. The influence of the tumor progress on organs other than brain is obvious but still not well described.

DGKα/ζ inhibitors combine with PD-1 checkpoint therapy to promote T cell-mediated antitumor immunity.

Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint blockade therapy has revolutionized cancer treatment. Although PD-1 blockade is effective in a subset of patients with cancer, many fail to respond because of either primary or acquired resistance. Thus, next-generation strategies are needed to expand the depth and breadth of clinical responses.

Chemical occurrence of pesticides and transformation products in two small lentic waterbodies at the head of agricultural watersheds and biological responses in caged Gasterosteus aculeatus.

Recent monitoring campaigns have revealed the presence of mixtures of pesticides and their transformation products (TP) in headwater streams situated within agricultural catchments. These observations were attributed to the use of various agrochemicals in surrounding regions. The aim of this work was to compare the application of chemical and ecotoxicological tools for assessing environmental quality in relation to pesticide and TP contamination.

Metabolic flux regulates growth transitions and antibiotic tolerance in uropathogenic .

Reducing growth and limiting metabolism are strategies that allow bacteria to survive exposure to environmental stress and antibiotics. During infection, uropathogenic (UPEC) may enter a quiescent state that enables them to reemerge after completion of successful antibiotic treatment. Many clinical isolates, including the well characterized UPEC strain CFT073, also enter a metabolite-dependent, quiescent state in vitro that is reversible with cues, including peptidoglycan-derived peptides and amino acids.

The right coronary artery in the heart of chinchilla (Chinchilla laniger Molina).

The pattern of normal coronary vascularization in a mammalian heart includes the presence of both right and left coronary arteries. According to the literature data, the presence of single major coronary arteries is mainly related to cardiac abnormalities. Previously it has been reported that the right coronary artery is absent in the coronary vascularization of the heart in the chinchilla.

Distribution of pesticides and some of their transformation products in a small lentic waterbody: Fish, water, and sediment contamination in an agricultural watershed.

More than 20 years after the Water Framework Directive was adopted, there are still major gaps in the sanitary status of small rivers and waterbodies at the head of basins. These small streams supply water to a large number of wetlands that support a rich biodiversity. Many of these waterbodies are fishponds whose production is destined for human consumption or for the restocking of other aquatic environments.

Properties of polycapillary optics dedicated to low-energy parallel-beam wavelength-dispersive spectrometers for synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence study.

The main advantage of wavelength-dispersive spectrometers applied in X-ray study is their high energy resolution. The design and construction of spectrometer, usually dedicated to the specific experimental systems, for example synchrotron based setups, need information about the characteristics of the main elements of the spectrometer such as X-ray optics elements, crystals and detectors. Such information can be obtained using Monte-Carlo simulations.

Miniaturization of an extraction protocol for the monitoring of pesticides and polar transformation products in biotic matrices.

Monitoring pesticides in the environment requires the use of sensitive analytical methods. However, existing methods are generally not suitable for analyzing small organisms, as they require large matrix masses. This study explores the development of a miniaturized extraction protocol for the monitoring of small organisms, based on only 30 mg of matrix.

Studies of Element Concentration in the Lymphocytes, Erythrocytes, and Plasma of Healthy Human Donors Using Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence.

In this article, the total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) analysis was used for determination of element concentrations in three isolated peripheral blood components: lymphocytes, erythrocytes, and plasma, collected from 36 healthy donors (15 men and 21 women) from eastern Poland. The studied blood components were isolated from whole peripheral blood using Histopaque-1077 density gradient centrifugation. In the lymphocytes, the following elements were measured: P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Fe, Zn, Br, Sr, and Pb.

Determination of Crystal-Field Splitting Induced by Thermal Oxidation of Titanium.

The electronic structure of transition-metal oxides is a key component responsible for material's optical and chemical properties. Specifically for metal-oxide structures, the crystal-field interaction determines the shape, strength, and occupancy of electronic orbitals. Consequently, the crystal-field splitting and resulting unoccupied state populations can be foreseen as modeling factors of the photochemical activity.

Surface Properties of Halloysite-Carbon Nanocomposites and Their Application for Adsorption of Paracetamol.

Analysis of surface properties of halloysite-carbon nanocomposites and non-modified halloysite was carried out with surface sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and inverse gas chromatography (IGC). The XPS spectra were measured in a wide range of the electron binding energy (survey spectra) and in the region of C 1s photoelectron peak (narrow scans). The IGC results show the changes of halloysite surface from basic for pure halloysite to acidic for carbon-halloysite nanocomposites.

Study of chromium, selenium and bromine concentrations in blood serum of patients with parenteral nutrition treatment using total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis.

Total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis (TXRF) was used to determine chromium, selenium and bromine concentrations in blood serum samples of 50 patients with parenteral nutrition treatment. The concentrations were measured two times, namely in the first day (I measurement) of the treatment and the seventh day (II measurement) after the chromium and selenium supplementation. For comparison purposes also serum samples of 50 patients without nutritional disorders, admitted to a planned surgical procedure to remove the gall bladder (cholecystectomy), were analyzed and treated as the control group.

Silver Nanomaterials for Wound Dressing Applications.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have recently become very attractive for the scientific community due to their broad spectrum of applications in the biomedical field. The main advantages of AgNPs include a simple method of synthesis, a simple way to change their morphology and high surface area to volume ratio. Much research has been carried out over the years to evaluate their possible effectivity against microbial organisms.

Development of a simple multiresidue extraction method for the quantification of a wide polarity range list of pesticides and transformation products in eggs by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry.

Waterfowl populations have been decreasing in Europe for the last years and pollution appears to be one of the main factors. This study was conducted to develop a single sensitive and robust analytical method for the monitoring of 2 fungicides, 15 herbicides, 3 insecticides and 24 transformation products in wild bird eggs. One of the major challenges addressed was the characterization of chemicals with large logP range (from -1.

In situ observation of charge transfer and crystal field formation via high energy resolution X-ray spectroscopy during temperature programmed oxidation.

Herein, it has been demonstrated how resonant X-ray emission spectroscopy can be employed to study the charge transfer dynamics in real-time during the temperature-induced oxidation of metallic tungsten. Application of high energy resolution schemes allowed distinguishing charge transfer to separate orbitals resulting from crystal field splitting. Based on the time-resolved studies, it was possible to determine the corresponding charge transfer rates.

Autoimmune pathways in mice and humans are blocked by pharmacological stabilization of the TYK2 pseudokinase domain.

TYK2 is a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase involved in adaptive and innate immune responses. A deactivating coding variant has previously been shown to prevent receptor-stimulated activation of this kinase and provides high protection from several common autoimmune diseases but without immunodeficiency. An agent that recapitulates the phenotype of this deactivating coding variant may therefore represent an important advancement in the treatment of autoimmunity.

A DuMond-type crystal spectrometer for synchrotron-based X-ray emission studies in the energy range of 15-26 keV.

The design and performance of a high-resolution transmission-type X-ray spectrometer for use in the 15-26 keV energy range at synchrotron light sources is reported. Monte Carlo X-ray-tracing simulations were performed to optimize the performance of the transmission-type spectrometer, based on the DuMond geometry, for use at the Super X-ray absorption beamline of the Swiss Light Source at the Paul Scherrer Institute. This spectrometer provides an instrumental energy resolution of 3.