New BDNF and NT-3 Cyclic Mimetics Concur with Copper to Activate Trophic Signaling Pathways as Potential Molecular Entities to Protect Old Brains from Neurodegeneration.

A low level of Neurotrophins (NTs), their Tyrosine Kinase Receptors (Trks), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors (VEGFs) and their receptors, mainly VEGFR1 and VEGFR2, characterizes AD brains. The use of NTs and VEGFs as drugs presents different issues due to their low permeability of the blood-brain barrier, the poor pharmacokinetic profile, and the relevant side effects. To overcome these issues, different functional and structural NT mimics have been employed.

Arctic methylmercury cycling.

Anthropogenic mercury (Hg) undergoes long-range transport to the Arctic where some of it is transformed into methylmercury (MeHg), potentially leading to high exposure in some Arctic inhabitants and wildlife. The environmental exposure of Hg is determined not just by the amount of Hg entering the Arctic, but also by biogeochemical and ecological processes occurring in the Arctic. These processes affect MeHg uptake in biota by regulating the bioavailability, methylation and demethylation, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of MeHg in Arctic ecosystems.

Fast Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Tandem Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis of Vanillic and Syringic Acids in Ice Cores.

The development of new analytical systems and the improvement of the existing ones to obtain high-resolution measurements of chemical markers in samples from ice cores, is one of the main challenges the paleoclimatic scientific community is facing. Different chemical species can be used as markers for tracking emission sources or specific environmental processes. Although some markers, such as methane sulfonic acid (a proxy of marine productivity), are commonly used, there is a lack of data on other organic tracers in ice cores, making their continuous analysis analytically challenging.

Correction: Spatiotemporal distribution and speciation of silver nanoparticles in the healing wound.

Correction for 'Spatiotemporal distribution and speciation of silver nanoparticles in the healing wound' by Marco Roman , , 2020, , 6456-6469, DOI: 10.1039/D0AN00607F.

Spatiotemporal distribution and speciation of silver nanoparticles in the healing wound.

The medical application of nanomaterials is growing fast. Amongst the most widely used, silver nanoparticles are antimicrobial agents whose key application is the care of burns and chronic wounds. Still, their absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion behaviour in vivo has not yet been systematically investigated.

Source, timing and dynamics of ionic species mobility in the Svalbard annual snowpack.

Nearly all ice core archives from the Arctic and middle latitudes (such as the Alps), apart from some very high elevation sites in Greenland and the North Pacific, are strongly influenced by melting processes. The increases in the average Arctic temperature has enhanced surface snow melting even of higher elevation ice caps, especially on the Svalbard Archipelago. The increase of the frequency and altitude of winter "rain on snow" events as well as the increase of the length of the melting season have had a direct impact on the chemical composition of the seasonal and permanent snow layers due to different migration processes of water-soluble species, such as inorganic ions.

Ultra-trace determination of total mercury in Italian bottled waters.

Mercury (Hg) is a widespread, highly toxic persistent pollutant with adverse health effects on humans. So far, concentrations below the method detection limit have always been reported by studies on the concentration of mercury in bottled water when determined using instrumental analytical methods. These are often very expensive and are unaffordable for many laboratories.

Feedback mechanisms between snow and atmospheric mercury: Results and observations from field campaigns on the Antarctic plateau.

The Antarctic Plateau snowpack is an important environment for the mercury geochemical cycle. We have extensively characterized and compared the changes in surface snow and atmospheric mercury concentrations that occur at Dome C. Three summer sampling campaigns were conducted between 2013 and 2016.

Hydrodynamic chromatography coupled to single-particle ICP-MS for the simultaneous characterization of AgNPs and determination of dissolved Ag in plasma and blood of burn patients.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are increasingly used in medical devices as innovative antibacterial agents, but no data are currently available on their chemical transformations and fate in vivo in the human body, particularly on their potential to reach the circulatory system. To study the processes involving AgNPs in human plasma and blood, we developed an analytical method based on hydrodynamic chromatography (HDC) coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in single-particle detection mode. An innovative algorithm was implemented to deconvolute the signals of dissolved Ag and AgNPs and to extrapolate a multiparametric characterization of the particles in the same chromatogram.

Cross calibration between XRF and ICP-MS for high spatial resolution analysis of ombrotrophic peat cores for palaeoclimatic studies.

Ombrotrophic peatlands are remarkable repositories of high-quality climatic signals because their only source of nutrients is precipitation. Although several analytical techniques are available for analysing inorganic components in peat samples, they generally provide only low-resolution data sets. Here we present a new analytical approach for producing high-resolution data on main and trace elements from ombrotrophic peat cores.

Development and application of methods for the determination of silver in polymeric dressings used for the care of burns.

Open vessel and microwave digestion methods have been developed for the determination of total silver in six commercial dressing used for the treatment of skin burns. An extraction method using TMAH has also been developed to determine the amount of silver present in the exudates found on the surface after dressing removal so an estimation of the patient dose can be made. All microwave methods had a quantitative recovery, whereas the open vessel had recoveries that ranged from 80 to 100%.

Active silver nanoparticles for wound healing.

In this preliminary study, the silver nanoparticle (Ag NP)-based dressing, Acticoat™ Flex 3, has been applied to a 3D fibroblast cell culture in vitro and to a real partial thickness burn patient. The in vitro results show that Ag NPs greatly reduce mitochondrial activity, while cellular staining techniques show that nuclear integrity is maintained, with no signs of cell death. For the first time, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analyses were carried out on skin biopsies taken from a single patient during treatment.

Characterization and evaluation of silver release from four different dressings used in burns care.

For centuries silver and silver compounds have been in use to control infection and avoid septicaemia in the care of burns and chronic wounds. Renewed interest has resulted in a number of Ag based dressings that are now widely used in burns centres. Despite extensive use, a systematic study of the chemical composition, release kinetics and biochemical action of these products has yet to be published.

The use of cation exchange matrix separation coupled with ICP-MS to directly determine platinum group element (PGE) and other trace element emissions from passenger cars equipped with diesel particulate filters (DPF).

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry coupled with cation exchange matrix separation has been optimised for the direct determination of platinum group element (PGE) and trace element emissions from a diesel engine car. After matrix separation method detection limits of 1.6 ng g(-1) for Pd, 0.

Quantitative determination of un-derivatised amino acids in artistic mural paintings using high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

The tempera painting technique is one of the most common methods used throughout art history. Tempera is defined by the type of binders used and in this work we study protein-based temperas. Proteinaceous binders can be characterized by the chromatographic determination of the amino acids present where techniques are either based on gas chromatography or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to mass spectrometry.

Assessment of a procedure to determine trace and major elements in atmospheric aerosol.

The determination of trace elements in atmospheric particulate is affected by a number of problems that arise from some critical points such as the blank of the filters, sample heterogeneity and pre-analytical treatments. In the framework of a monitoring campaign conducted in the Venice Lagoon the analytical methodology for the determination of 20 trace elements (Al, As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, V, Zn) in atmospheric particulate samples by inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectroscopy (ICP-QMS) has been optimized taking into account the individual critical points. Tests were carried out to estimate the blank contributions, and minimize the detection limit (LOD), measurements were also carried out to evaluate the accuracy and the repeatability.