New Library-Based Methods for Nontargeted Compound Identification by GC-EI-MS.

While gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has long been used to identify compounds in complex mixtures, this process is often subjective and time-consuming and leaves a large fraction of seemingly good-quality spectra unidentified. In this work, we describe a set of new mass spectral library-based methods to assist compound identification in complex mixtures. These methods employ mass spectral uniqueness and compound ubiquity of library entries alongside noise reduction and automated comparison of retention indices to library compounds.

EchoTilt: An Acoustofluidic Method for the Capture and Enrichment of Nanoplastics Directed Toward Drinking Water Monitoring.

Micro- and nanoplastics have become increasingly relevant as contaminants to be monitored due to their potential health effects and environmental impact. Nanoplastics, in particular, have been shown to be difficult to detect in drinking water, requiring new capture technologies. In this work, we applied the acoustofluidic seed particle method to capture nanoplastics in an optimized, tilted grid of silica clusters even at the high flow rate of 5 mL/min.

Hearing Loss and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Gretta is a 3.5-year-old girl with a history of congenital cytomegalovirus, congenital bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), and bilateral vestibular dysfunction, resulting in frequent falls. She underwent cochlear implantation at 12 months of age and was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at 2.

EchoGrid: High-Throughput Acoustic Trapping for Enrichment of Environmental Microplastics.

The health hazards of micro- and nanoplastic contaminants in drinking water has recently emerged as an area of concern to policy makers and industry. Plastic contaminants range in size from micro- (5 mm to 1 μm) to nanoplastics (<1 μm). Microfluidics provides many tools for particle manipulation at the microscale, particularly in diagnostics and biomedicine, but has in general a limited capacity to process large volumes.

Bridge-to-transplant temporary mechanical circulatory support and risk of allosensitization.

Introduction: Since the 2018 change in the US adult heart allocation policy, more patients are bridged-to-transplant on temporary mechanical circulatory support (tMCS). Previous studies indicate that durable left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) may lead to allosensitization. The goal of this study was to assess whether tMCS implantation is associated with changes in sensitization.