Sex differences in the associations between maternal prenatal distress and infant cortisol reactivity and recovery.

Previous research suggests that maternal prenatal psychological distress (PPD) is related to altered cortisol reactivity in the exposed child. There are indications for the sex differences in vulnerability for prenatal adversities that depend on the exposure and child outcome. Still, it is not known whether the association between maternal PPD and infant cortisol stress response is moderated by sex.

Preservation of fatty acid signatures in three vertebrate species after six months of storage at various temperatures.

Fatty acid (FA) signatures (FAS) are important tools to assess the foraging ecology of wild animals. The present study was conducted to assess how well the general FAS and the proportions of individual FA are preserved in fat samples stored at different temperatures (-196, -80, -20, +4 and +20°C). Using three species (laboratory rat, American mink and rainbow trout), FAS were determined immediately upon sampling.

Co-exposure with fullerene may strengthen health effects of organic industrial chemicals.

In vitro toxicological studies together with atomistic molecular dynamics simulations show that occupational co-exposure with C60 fullerene may strengthen the health effects of organic industrial chemicals. The chemicals studied are acetophenone, benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, m-cresol, and toluene which can be used with fullerene as reagents or solvents in industrial processes. Potential co-exposure scenarios include a fullerene dust and organic chemical vapor, or a fullerene solution aerosolized in workplace air.

Matrix effect in the analysis of drugs of abuse from urine with desorption atmospheric pressure photoionization-mass spectrometry (DAPPI-MS) and desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (DESI-MS).

We have studied the matrix effect within direct analysis of benzodiazepines and opioids from urine with desorption electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) and desorption atmospheric pressure photoionization-mass spectrometry (DAPPI-MS). The urine matrix was found to affect the ionization mechanism of the opioids in DAPPI-MS favoring proton transfer over charge exchange reaction. The sensitivity for the drugs in solvent matrix was at the same level with DESI-MS and DAPPI-MS (LODs 0.

Microwave assisted acid cleavage for denaturation and proteolysis of intact human adenovirus.

Microwave assisted acid cleavage was applied directly to intact adenovirus type 5 to achieve denaturation and proteolysis in a single reaction. The speed of the digestion, coupled with the simplicity of MALDI analysis, allowed peptide products to be profiled in less than 5 min. Identification of peptides from a range of proteins by MALDI-TOF confirms that both denaturation and proteolysis were achieved using low concentrations of acetic acid (12.

Allosteric signaling in the biotin repressor occurs via local folding coupled to global dampening of protein dynamics.

The biotin repressor is an allosterically regulated, site-specific DNA-binding protein. Binding of the small ligand bio-5'-AMP activates repressor dimerization, which is a prerequisite to DNA binding. Multiple disorder-to-order transitions, some of which are known to be important for the functional allosteric response, occur in the vicinity of the ligand-binding site concomitant with effector binding to the repressor monomer.

Identification of beta-lactamase in antibiotic-resistant Bacillus cereus spores.

Beta-lactamase type I is reported for the first time to occur in the sporulated form in a penicillin-resistant Bacillus species. The enzyme was readily characterized from the B. cereus 5/B line (ATCC 13061) by mass spectrometry and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

A unique Mycobacterium ESX-1 protein co-secretes with CFP-10/ESAT-6 and is necessary for inhibiting phagosome maturation.

The ESX-1 secretion system plays a critical role in the virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. marinum. To date, three proteins are known to be secreted by ESX-1 and necessary for virulence, two of which are CFP-10 and ESAT-6.

The dependence of organohalogen compound concentrations on herring age and size in the Bothnian Sea, northern Baltic.

The concentrations and composition profiles of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polychlorinated naphthalenes were determined in herring individuals collected from the commercial catches of the Bothnian Sea, northern Baltic. The median age of herring was 5.0 years and in the muscle the median toxic equivalent concentration of PCDD/Fs was 5.

Photolysis of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans dissolved in vegetable oils: influence of oil quality.

Sunlight or ultraviolet light irradiation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in the presence of vegetable oil offers a potential method for the cleanup of contaminated soil. In this study, the effects of different types of vegetable oils on the photochemical degradation of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzofuran and heptachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF/HpCDD) were investigated in the laboratory. Using a blacklight lamp as a source of ultraviolet light, 93-100% of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF degraded in 60 min in rapeseed oil, extra virgin olive oil and olive oil.

Microbiology, chemistry and biofilm development in a pilot drinking water distribution system with copper and plastic pipes.

We studied the changes in water quality and formation of biofilms occurring in a pilot-scale water distribution system with two generally used pipe materials: copper and plastic (polyethylene, PE). The formation of biofilms with time was analysed as the number of total bacteria, heterotrophic plate counts and the concentration of ATP in biofilms. At the end of the experiment (after 308 days), microbial community structure, viable biomass and gram-negative bacterial biomass were analysed via lipid biomarkers (phospholipid fatty acids and lipopolysaccharide 3-hydroxy fatty acids), and the numbers of virus-like particles and total bacteria were enumerated by SYBR Green I staining.

Changes in post-source decay fragmentation behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate) polymers with increasing molecular weight studied by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

In order to investigate the systematic changes in fragmentation behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with increasing molecular weight, alkali-metal cationized PMMA 20-mer, 60-mer and 100-mer were selected for post-source decay (PSD) fragmentation study by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry. PMMA polymers were cationized with lithium, potassium and cesium cations to explore the influence of the cation size on the fragmentation behavior of the polymers. All PMMA polymers could be fragmented by MALDI-PSD and fragmentation of the MALDI ionized synthetic polymer of molecular weight 10 kDa is reported here for the first time.

Characterization of polyesters prepared from three different phthalic acid isomers by CID-ESI-FT-ICR and PSD-MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

Polyesters prepared from the same diol, 2-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propanediol, but different phthalic acid isomers, phthalic, isophthalic, and terephthalic acid, were characterized by collision-induced dissociation electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (CID-ESI-FT-ICR) and postsource-decay matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (PSD-MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Sodiated dihydroxyl-terminated polyester oligomers containing five repeating units at m/z 1634 were selected as precursor ions for dissociation studies. Two main mechanisms occurred in the fragmentation of all of the polyesters, since dissociation of the oligomers was initiated by hydrogen rearrangement or transesterification reactions.