Trends in extraction techniques for the determination of organic micropollutants in liver tissues of vertebrates.

Determining organic micropollutants in liver samples of apex species is of foremost importance for biomonitoring studies, as it can provide evidence of environmental pollution and exposure of living organisms to chemicals. This review aims to provide a 4-year overview and summarize the trends in the extraction methodologies to determine both polar and non-polar organic micropollutants in liver samples from organisms of higher trophic levels. The dominant extraction techniques including ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), Soxhlet, and QuEChERS, as well as additional steps and/or modifications applied in the reviewed studies, are presented and critically discussed.

Network analysis to reveal the most commonly detected compounds in predator-prey pairs in freshwater and marine mammals and fish in Europe.

Marine and freshwater mammalian predators and fish samples, retrieved from environmental specimen banks (ESBs), natural history museum (NHMs) and other scientific collections, were analysed by LIFE APEX partners for a wide range of legacy and emerging contaminants (2545 in total). Network analysis was used to visualize the chemical occurrence data and reveal the predominant chemical mixtures for the freshwater and marine environments. For this purpose, a web tool was created to explore these chemical mixtures in predator-prey pairs.

Characterization of scrubber water discharges from ships using comprehensive suspect screening strategies based on GC-APCI-HRMS.

An extended suspect screening approach for the comprehensive chemical characterization of scrubber discharge waters from exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCSs), used to reduce atmospheric shipping emissions of sulphur oxides, was developed. The suspect screening was based on gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) and focused on the identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their alkylated derivatives (alkyl-PAHs), which are among the most frequent and potentially toxic organic contaminants detected in these matrices. Although alkyl-PAHs can be even more abundant than parent compounds, information regarding their occurrence in scrubber waters is scarce.

High resolution mass spectrometric suspect screening, wide-scope target analysis of emerging contaminants and determination of legacy pollutants in adult black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa limosa in the Netherlands - A pilot study.

The Dutch breeding population of the black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa limosa has declined substantially over recent decades; the role of contaminants is unknown. We analysed liver samples from 11 adult birds found dead on their breeding grounds in SW Friesland 2016-2020, six from extensive, herb-rich grasslands, five from intensive grasslands. We carried out LC and GC wide-scope target analysis of more than 2400 substances, LC suspect screening for more than 60,000 substances, target analysis for Cd, Hg, Ni and Pb, organo-phosphate flame retardants (OPFRs), dechlorane plus compounds and selected polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants (PBDEs), and bioassay for polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDDs/PDBFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs).

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the wastewater of a Greek hospital: Combining consumption data collection and LC-QTOF-MS analysis.

In this article we applied drug consumption approach and chemical analysis in parallel to investigate the concentrations of a large number of pharmaceuticals in different streams of a General Hospital. Drugs consumption data was collected during two periods (Period 1, 2) and the predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) were estimated for the wastewater of a building housing specific medical services (Point A) and for the entire hospital (Point B). Hospital wastewater samples (HWW) samples were also collected from these points and periods and the measured environmental concentrations (MEC) were determined using UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS.

Assessment of contaminants of emerging concern in European apex predators and their prey by LC-QToF MS wide-scope target analysis.

Apex predators are good indicators of environmental pollution since they are relatively long-lived and their high trophic position and spatiotemporal exposure to chemicals provides insights into the persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) properties of chemicals. Although monitoring data from apex predators can considerably support chemicals' management, there is a lack of pan-European studies, and longer-term monitoring of chemicals in organisms from higher trophic levels. The present study investigated the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in 67 freshwater, marine and terrestrial apex predators and in freshwater and marine prey, gathered from four European countries.

Advanced throughput analytical strategies for the comprehensive HRMS screening of organic micropollutants in eggs of different bird species.

Raptors are ideal indicators for biomonitoring studies using wildlife in order to assess the environmental pollution in the terrestrial ecosystem, since they are placed in the highest trophic position in the food webs and their life expectancy is relatively long. In this study, 26 eggs of 4 bird species (Peregrine falcon, Eurasian curlew, Little owl and Eagle owl) collected in Germany, were investigated for the presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and thousands of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Generic sample preparation protocols were followed for the extraction of the analytes and the purification of the extracts, and the samples were analyzed both by liquid (LC) and gas chromatography (GC) coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), for capturing a wide range of organic micropollutants with different physicochemical properties.

Making use of apex predator sample collections: an integrated workflow for quality assured sample processing, analysis and digital sample freezing of archived samples.

Using monitoring data from apex predators for chemicals risk assessment can provide important information on bioaccumulating as well as biomagnifying chemicals in food webs. A survey among European institutions involved in chemical risk assessment on their experiences with apex predator data in chemical risk assessment revealed great interest in using such data. However, the respondents indicated that constraints were related to expected high costs, lack of standardisation and harmonised quality criteria for exposure assessment, data access, and regulatory acceptance/application.

Ecological and spatial variations of legacy and emerging contaminants in white-tailed sea eagles from Germany: Implications for prioritisation and future risk management.

The increasing use of chemicals in the European Union (EU) has resulted in environmental emissions and wildlife exposures. For approving a chemical within the EU, producers need to conduct an environmental risk assessment, which typically relies on data generated under laboratory conditions without considering the ecological and landscape context. To address this gap and add information on emerging contaminants and chemical mixtures, we analysed 30 livers of white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) from northern Germany with high resolution-mass spectrometry coupled to liquid and gas chromatography for the identification of >2400 contaminants.

Determination of 56 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in top predators and their prey from Northern Europe by LC-MS/MS.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of emerging substances that have proved to be persistent and highly bioaccumulative. They are broadly used in various applications and are known for their long-distance migration and toxicity. In this study, 65 recent specimens of a terrestrial apex predator (Common buzzard), freshwater and marine apex predators (Eurasian otter, harbour porpoise, grey seal, harbour seal) and their potential prey (bream, roach, herring, eelpout) from northern Europe (United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden) were analyzed for the presence of legacy and emerging PFAS, employing a highly sensitive liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method.

Mining Social Media Data to Study the Consequences of Dementia Diagnosis on Caregivers and Relatives.

Introduction: Caregivers for people with dementia face a number of challenges such as changing family relationships, social isolation, or financial difficulties. Internet usage and social media are increasingly being recognised as resources to increase support and general public health.

Objective: Using automated analysis, the aim of this study was to explore (i) the age and sex of people who post to the social media forum Reddit about dementia diagnoses, (ii) the affected person and their diagnosis, (iii) which subreddits authors are posting to, (iv) the types of messages posted, and (v) the content of these posts.

Nationwide surveillance of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus environmental isolates in Greece: detection of pan-azole resistance associated with the TR46/Y121F/T289A cyp51A mutation.

Background: Acquired azole resistance (AR) in Aspergillus fumigatus emphasizes the importance of the One Health multisectorial approach. The prevalence of azole-resistant A. fumigatus in the environment of Greece is unknown.

Correction to: Progress on bringing together raptor collections in Europe for contaminant research and monitoring in relation to chemicals regulation.

The correct affiliation of Sabrina Lo Brutto is shown in this paper.

Fabrication of optimized skin biomimics for improved interfacial retention of cosmetic emulsions.

Retention of hydrophobic active agents on human skin following the use of skin-care formulations is an important indication of the performance of the deposited product. We have developed a novel system which replicates the interaction between human skin and a cosmetic emulsion to systematically establish and characterize the key parameters driving the retention process at the interface. This included a comprehensive study of the skin's biology and physical properties which influenced the process, the fabrication of advanced, improved skin biomimics, the formulation of a cosmetic model-system emulsion, comprising a hydrophobic active agent i.

Knowledge discovery for Deep Phenotyping serious mental illness from Electronic Mental Health records.

Deep Phenotyping is the precise and comprehensive analysis of phenotypic features in which the individual components of the phenotype are observed and described. In UK mental health clinical practice, most clinically relevant information is recorded as free text in the Electronic Health Record, and offers a granularity of information beyond what is expressed in most medical knowledge bases. The SNOMED CT nomenclature potentially offers the means to model such information at scale, yet given a sufficiently large body of clinical text collected over many years, it is difficult to identify the language that clinicians favour to express concepts.

Repair of Intrapericardial Diaphragmatic Hernia during Aortic Surgery in a 78-Year-Old Woman.

Intrapericardial diaphragmatic hernias are reported very rarely. Those of congenital origin are most often diagnosed in neonates, and those caused by indirect blunt trauma occur chiefly in adults. The latter type can be asymptomatic; however, the results of a computed tomographic scan can yield a definitive diagnosis.

Characterisation of mental health conditions in social media using Informed Deep Learning.

The number of people affected by mental illness is on the increase and with it the burden on health and social care use, as well as the loss of both productivity and quality-adjusted life-years. Natural language processing of electronic health records is increasingly used to study mental health conditions and risk behaviours on a large scale. However, narrative notes written by clinicians do not capture first-hand the patients' own experiences, and only record cross-sectional, professional impressions at the point of care.

Novel psychoactive substances: An investigation of temporal trends in social media and electronic health records.

Background: Public health monitoring is commonly undertaken in social media but has never been combined with data analysis from electronic health records. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the emergence of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in social media and their appearance in a large mental health database.

Methods: Insufficient numbers of mentions of other NPS in case records meant that the study focused on mephedrone.

Treatment of High Flow Arteriovenous Fistulas after Successful Renal Transplant Using a Simple Precision Banding Technique.

Background: Observation versus ligation of a functional arteriovenous fistula (AVF) after successful renal transplantation (SRT) has been a controversial topic of debate. Congestive heart failure and pulmonary hypertension are common in dialysis patients, and more frequent when vascular access flow is excessive. Renal transplant failure may occur in up to 34% of patients after 5 years, therefore maintaining a moderate flow AVF appears warranted.