Bone Sialoprotein Immobilized in Collagen Type I Enhances Bone Regeneration In vitro and In vivo.

The use of bioactive molecules is a promising approach to enhance the bone healing properties of biomaterials. The aim of this study was to define the role of bone sialoprotein (BSP) immobilized in collagen type I in various settings. In vitro studies with human primary osteoblasts in mono- or in co-culture with endothelial cells demonstrated a slightly increased gene expression of osteogenic markers as well as an increased proliferation rate in osteoblasts after application of BSP immobilized in collagen type I.

Explosives compounds from sea-dumped relic munitions accumulate in marine biota.

Relic munitions are a hazardous legacy of the two world wars present in coastal waters worldwide. The southwest Baltic Sea has an especially high prevalence of unexploded ordnance and dumped munition material, which represent a large potential source of toxic explosive chemicals (munition compounds, MC). In the current study, diverse biota (plankton, macroalgae, tunicate, sponge, mollusc, echinoderm, polychaete, anemone, crustacea, fish) were collected from the Kiel Bight and a munitions dumpsite at Kolberger Heide, Germany, to evaluate the potential bioaccumulation of explosives and their derivatives (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, TNT; 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene and 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene, ADNT; 2,4-diamino-6-nitrotoluene and 2,6-diamino-4-nitrotoluene, DANT; 1,3-dinitrobenzene, DNB; and 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane, RDX).

Quantification of munition compounds in the marine environment by solid phase extraction - ultra high performance liquid chromatography with detection by electrospray ionisation - mass spectrometry.

As a consequence of World War II, large amounts of munition have been deposited in coastal waters. Deterioration of the mines and bombs is resulting in a release of munition compounds (MCs) like trinitrotoluene to the surrounding marine environment, with potential implications to ecosystems. Analytical methods have thus far been unable to detect these compounds reliably in seawater.

In Situ Measurements of Explosive Compound Dissolution Fluxes from Exposed Munition Material in the Baltic Sea.

Underwater munitions containing millions of tons of toxic explosives are present worldwide in coastal marine waters as a result of unexploded ordnance and intentional dumping. The dissolution flux of solid explosives following corrosion of metal munition housings controls the exposure of biological receptors to toxic munition compounds (MC), including TNT: 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, RDX: 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane, and DNB: 1,3-dinitrobenzene. Very little is known about the dissolution behavior of MC in the marine environment.

HS events in the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone facilitate enhanced dissolved Fe concentrations.

Dissolved iron (DFe) concentrations in oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) of Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems are enhanced as a result of high supply rates from anoxic sediments. However, pronounced variations in DFe concentrations in anoxic coastal waters of the Peruvian OMZ indicate that there are factors in addition to dissolved oxygen concentrations (O) that control Fe cycling. Our study demonstrates that sediment-derived reduced Fe (Fe(II)) forms the main DFe fraction in the anoxic/euxinic water column off Peru, which is responsible for DFe accumulations of up to 200 nmol L.

Inter-laboratory study for the certification of trace elements in seawater certified reference materials NASS-7 and CASS-6.

Certification of trace metals in seawater certified reference materials (CRMs) NASS-7 and CASS-6 is described. At the National Research Council Canada (NRC), column separation was performed to remove the seawater matrix prior to the determination of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Mo, Ni, U, V, and Zn, whereas As was directly measured in 10-fold diluted seawater samples, and B was directly measured in 200-fold diluted seawater samples. High-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICPMS) was used for elemental analyses, with double isotope dilution for the accurate determination of B, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mo, Ni, U, and Zn in seawater NASS-7 and CASS-6, and standard addition calibration for As, Co, Mn, and V.

Automated preconcentration of Fe, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb, Co, and Mn in seawater with analysis using high-resolution sector field inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

A rapid, automated, high-throughput analytical method capable of simultaneous analysis of multiple elements at trace and ultratrace levels is required to investigate the biogeochemical cycle of trace metals in the ocean. Here we present an analytical approach which uses a commercially available automated preconcentration device (SeaFAST) with accurate volume loading and in-line pH buffering of the sample prior to loading onto a chelating resin (WAKO) and subsequent simultaneous analysis of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), cobalt (Co) and manganese (Mn) by high-resolution inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS). Quantification of sample concentration was undertaken using isotope dilution for Fe, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd and Pb, and standard addition for Co and Mn.

Hydrogen peroxide in deep waters from the Mediterranean Sea, South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans.

Hydrogen peroxide (HO) is present ubiquitously in marine surface waters where it is a reactive intermediate in the cycling of many trace elements. Photochemical processes are considered the dominant natural HO source, yet cannot explain nanomolar HO concentrations below the photic zone. Here, we determined the concentration of HO in full depth profiles across three ocean basins (Mediterranean Sea, South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans).

Zooplankton Gut Passage Mobilizes Lithogenic Iron for Ocean Productivity.

Iron is an essential nutrient for phytoplankton, but low concentrations limit primary production and associated atmospheric carbon drawdown in large parts of the world's oceans [1, 2]. Lithogenic particles deriving from aeolian dust deposition, glacial runoff, or river discharges can form an important source if the attached iron becomes dissolved and therefore bioavailable [3-5]. Acidic digestion by zooplankton is a potential mechanism for iron mobilization [6], but evidence is lacking.

Facets of diazotrophy in the oxygen minimum zone waters off Peru.

Nitrogen fixation, the biological reduction of dinitrogen gas (N2) to ammonium (NH4(+)), is quantitatively the most important external source of new nitrogen (N) to the open ocean. Classically, the ecological niche of oceanic N2 fixers (diazotrophs) is ascribed to tropical oligotrophic surface waters, often depleted in fixed N, with a diazotrophic community dominated by cyanobacteria. Although this applies for large areas of the ocean, biogeochemical models and phylogenetic studies suggest that the oceanic diazotrophic niche may be much broader than previously considered, resulting in major implications for the global N-budget.

Seasonal ITCZ migration dynamically controls the location of the (sub)tropical Atlantic biogeochemical divide.

Inorganic nitrogen depletion restricts productivity in much of the low-latitude oceans, generating a selective advantage for diazotrophic organisms capable of fixing atmospheric dinitrogen (N2). However, the abundance and activity of diazotrophs can in turn be controlled by the availability of other potentially limiting nutrients, including phosphorus (P) and iron (Fe). Here we present high-resolution data (∼0.