When subcellular chemical imaging enlightens our understanding on intestinal absorption, intracellular fate and toxicity of PFOA in vitro.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a persistent organic pollutant that accumulates in the human body, leading to major health issues. Upon oral uptake, the gastrointestinal tract is the first biological barrier against PFOA. However, the localization of PFOA and its impact on the intestinal wall are largely unknown.

Mercury speciation in selenium enriched wheat plants hydroponically exposed to mercury pollution.

Mercury (Hg) pollution in agricultural soils and its potential pathway to the human food chain can pose a serious health concern. Understanding the pathway of Hg in plants and how the speciation may change upon interaction with other elements used for biofortification can be critical to assess the real implications for the final plant-based product. In that respect, selenium (Se) biofortification of crops grown in Se-poor soil regions is becoming a common practice to overcome Se deficient diets.

First insight in element localisation in different body parts of the acanthocephalan Dentitruncus truttae using TEM and NanoSIMS.

Acanthocephalans, intestinal parasites of vertebrates, are characterised by orders of magnitude higher metal accumulation than free-living organisms, but the mechanism of such effective metal accumulation is still unknown. The aim of our study was to gain new insights into the high-resolution localization of elements in the bodies of acanthocephalans, thus taking an initial step towards elucidating metal uptake and accumulation in organisms under real environmental conditions. For the first time, nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) was used for high-resolution mapping of 12 elements (C, Ca, Cu, Fe, N, Na, O, P, Pb, S, Se, and Tl) in three selected body parts (trunk spines, inner part of the proboscis receptacle and inner surface of the tegument) of Dentitruncus truttae, a parasite of brown trout (Salmo trutta) from the Krka River in Croatia.

Direct and indirect selenium speciation in biofortified wheat: A tale of two techniques.

Wheat can be biofortified with different inorganic selenium (Se) forms, selenite or selenate. The choice of Se source influences the physiological response of the plant and the Se metabolites produced. We looked at selenium uptake, distribution and metabolization in wheat exposed to selenite, selenate and a 1:1 molar mixture of both to determine the impact of each treatment on the Se speciation in roots, shoots, and grains.

High spatial resolution imaging of subcellular macro and trace element distribution during phagocytosis.

The bioavailability of trace elements in the course of evolution had an essential influence on the emergence of life itself. This is reflected in the co-evolution between eukaryotes and prokaryotes. In this study, the influence and cellular distribution of bioelements during phagocytosis at the host-pathogen interface were investigated using high-resolution nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) and quantitative inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Comprehensive Speciation Analysis of Residual Gadolinium in Deep Cerebellar Nuclei in Rats Repeatedly Administered With Gadoterate Meglumine or Gadodiamide.

Purpose: Several preclinical studies have reported the presence of gadolinium (Gd) in different chemical forms in the brain, depending on the class (macrocyclic versus linear) of Gd-based contrast agent (GBCA) administered. The aim of this study was to identify, with a special focus on insoluble species, the speciation of Gd retained in the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) of rats administered repeatedly with gadoterate or gadodiamide 4 months after the last injection.

Methods: Three groups (N = 6/group) of healthy female Sprague-Dawley rats (SPF/OFA rats; Charles River, L'Arbresle, France) received a cumulated dose of 50 mmol/kg (4 daily intravenous administrations of 2.

Development of Mercury Analysis by NanoSIMS for the Localization of Mercury-Selenium Particles in Whale Liver.

Nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) is a dynamic SIMS technique, which offers high spatial resolution allowing the mapping of chemical elements at the nanometer scale combined with high sensitivity. However, SIMS for mercury analysis is a challenging issue due to the low secondary ion yield and has never been done on NanoSIMS. The introduction of an rf plasma oxygen primary ion source on NanoSIMS enabled higher lateral resolution and higher sensitivity for electropositive elements such as most metals.

Risk stratification of ventricular arrhythmias in repaired tetralogy of Fallot.

Introduction And Objectives: Risk stratification of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF) remains unresolved. We aimed to identify right ventricular (RV) electrophysiological parameters potentially associated with a higher risk of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with rTOF.

Methods: We included all consecutive patients with rTOF who underwent RV electroanatomical mapping at a single tertiary center.

Pregnancy Outcomes in Women After Arterial Switch Operation for Transposition of the Great Arteries: Results From ROPAC (Registry of Pregnancy and Cardiac Disease) of the European Society of Cardiology EURObservational Research Programme.

Background In the past 3 decades, the arterial switch procedure has replaced the atrial switch procedure as treatment of choice for transposition of the great arteries. Although survival is superior after the arterial switch procedure, data on pregnancy outcomes are scarce and transposition of the great arteries after arterial switch is not yet included in the modified World Health Organization classification of maternal cardiovascular risk. Methods and Results The ROPAC (Registry of Pregnancy and Cardiac disease) is an international prospective registry of pregnant women with cardiac disease, part of the European Society of Cardiology EURObservational Research Programme.

A general covalent binding model between cytotoxic selenocompounds and albumin revealed by mass spectrometry and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Selenocompounds (SeCs) are promising therapeutic agents for a wide range of diseases including cancer. The treatment results are heterogeneous and dependent on both the chemical species and the concentration of SeCs. Moreover, the mechanisms of action are poorly revealed, which most probably is due to the detection methods where the quantification is based on the total selenium as an element.

Rapid and Robust Quantification of p-Xyleneselenocyanate in Plasma via Derivatization.

p-Xyleneselenocyanate (p-XSC) is one of the most investigated selenium compounds in cancer-prevention and -therapy. Despite the potent anticancer property, there is still no proper method to perform the quantitative analysis of p-XSC in plasma. In this investigation, we aimed at developing a method based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for the measurement of p-XSC in plasma.

Unusual case of new-onset heart failure due to cor triatriatum sinister.

We report the case of a 30-year old man who came to the emergency department of our hospital with acute left heart failure, and was diagnosed with a rare congenital anomaly (cor triatriatrum sinister), which can mimic a severe mitral stenosis. Cor triatriatum sinister is a rare anomaly (0.1% of all cases of congenital heart disease) that is seldom diagnosed in adult patients.

Long term outcome of mechanical valve prosthesis in the pulmonary position.

Objectives: Assessment of the long term outcome of mechanical valve prosthesis at pulmonary position in a population of grown-up congenital heart disease patients from a tertiary referral center.

Methods: From 1977 to 2007, 22 consecutive patients underwent a total of 25 pulmonary valve replacements with mechanical prosthesis. The most frequent underlying cardiac condition was tetralogy of Fallot (n=16, 64%) and the mean age at the time of pulmonary valve replacement was 32 ± 11 years (range 14-50 years).

[Standards of care in pulmonary hypertension. Consensus statement of the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR) and the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC)].

Substantial progress in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with pulmonary hypertension in recent years has led to significant improvement in survival. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines issued by scientific societies reflect these new developments. However, certain clinically relevant issues have not been covered in consensus guidelines because of the lack of conclusive scientific evidence.

[Standards of care in pulmonary hypertension. Consensus Statement of the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR) and the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC)].

Substantial progress in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with pulmonary hypertension in recent years has led to significant improvement in survival. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines issued by scientific societies reflect these new developments. However, certain clinically relevant issues have not been covered in consensus guidelines because of the lack of conclusive scientific evidence.

Standards of care in pulmonary hypertension.

Consensus Statement of the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR) and the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC). Substantial progress in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with pulmonary hypertension in recent years has led to significant improvement in survival. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines issued by scientific societies reflect these new developments.

[Detection and quantification of myocardial fibrosis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance].

Introduction And Objectives: Severity of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has been associated with the amount of myocardial fibrosis in autopsy studies. Cardio-vascular magnetic resonance allows, by means of the delayed contrast-enhancement technique, an in vivo detection of focal myocardial fibrosis. Our aim was to study myocardial fibrosis in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by means of contrast-enhance cardio-vascular magnetic resonance.