Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry analysis reveals differences in chemotherapeutic drug distribution in surgically resected pleural mesothelioma.

Aims: Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is a highly aggressive thoracic tumour with poor prognosis. Although reduced tissue drug accumulation is one of the key features of platinum (Pt) resistance, little is known about Pt distribution in human PM.

Methods: We assessed Pt levels of blood samples and surgically resected specimens from 25 PM patients who had received neoadjuvant Pt-based chemotherapy (CHT).

A Combined Deep Eutectic Solvent-Ionic Liquid Process for the Extraction and Separation of Platinum Group Metals (Pt, Pd, Rh).

Recovery of platinum group metals from spent materials is becoming increasingly relevant due to the high value of these metals and their progressive depletion. In recent years, there is an increased interest in developing alternative and more environmentally benign processes for the recovery of platinum group metals, in line with the increased focus on a sustainable future. To this end, ionic liquids are increasingly investigated as promising candidates that can replace state-of-the-art approaches.

"Variances" and "in-variances" in hierarchical porosity and composition, across femoral tissues from cow, horse, ostrich, emu, pig, rabbit, and frog.

It is very well known that bone is a hierarchically organized material produced by bone cells residing in the fluid environments filling (larger) vascular pores and (smaller) lacunar pores. The extracellular space consists of hydroxyapatite crystals, collagen type I molecules, and water with non-collageneous organics. It is less known to which extent the associated quantities (mineral, organic, and water concentrations; vascular, lacunar, and extracellular porosities) vary across species, organs, and ages.

Toxic trace metals in size-segregated fine particulate matter: Mass concentration, respiratory deposition, and risk assessment.

To characterise the mass concentration, size-distribution, and respiratory deposition of selected trace metals (Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ba, and Pb) in size-segregated PM, a long-term monitoring campaign was undertaken at an urban background site in Como (Northern Italy). 96-h aerosol samples were collected weekly, from May 2015 to March 2016, using a 13-stage low pressure impactor and analysed via laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Significantly higher levels of trace metals were generally found during the heating season (two to more than four times) compared to the non-heating period at all size ranges, especially for concentrations in PM.

Multi-element analysis of size-segregated fine and ultrafine particulate via Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry.

In this study a novel and reliable Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) measurement protocol for the elemental characterization of size-segregated particulate was developed. Special efforts were made to improve and optimize sample pre-treatment steps and LA operating conditions to avoid some critical drawbacks encountered during analysis and to make the particulate samples suitable for an accurate and reproducible LA-ICP-MS analysis, regardless of the mass loading on each filter. For example, a new approach for dust-fixation on the sample-carrier was developed using a glycerol coverage, which allowed to overcome problematic sample losses during the ablation process.

Photosynthetic poly-β-hydroxybutyrate accumulation in unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6714.

Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) production from CO has the potential to reduce the production cost of this biodegradable polyesters, and also to make the material more sustainable compared to utilization of sugar feedstocks. In this study the unicellular cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6714 has been identified as an unexplored potential organism for production of PHB.

Combining Dispersed Particle Extraction with Dried-Droplet Laser Ablation ICP-MS for Determining Platinum in Airborne Particulate Matter.

A combination of analyte pre-concentration using dispersed particle extraction (DPE) and dried-droplet laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was developed with the aim to quantify Pt and Pd in urban particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM). The PM aerosol was collected on cellulose ester filters during a sampling period of three days, with sampling intervals of 4 h only.

Self-aliquoting micro-grooves in combination with laser ablation-ICP-mass spectrometry for the analysis of challenging liquids: quantification of lead in whole blood.

We present a technique for the fast screening of the lead concentration in whole blood samples using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The whole blood sample is deposited on a polymeric surface and wiped across a set of micro-grooves previously engraved into the surface. The engraving of the micro-grooves was accomplished with the same laser system used for LA-ICP-MS analysis.

Extraction and pre-concentration of platinum and palladium from microwave-digested road dust via ion exchanging mesoporous silica microparticles prior to their quantification by quadrupole ICP-MS.

We report on the use of mesoporous silica microparticles (μPs) functionalized with quarternary amino groups for the isolation of platinum and palladium tetrachloro complexes from aqueous road dust digests. The μPs have a size ranging from 450 to 850 nm and are suspended directly in the aqueous digests, upon which the anionic Pt and Pd complexes are retained on the cationic surface. Subsequently, the μPs are separated by centrifugation.

Recent advances in quantitative LA-ICP-MS analysis: challenges and solutions in the life sciences and environmental chemistry.

Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is a widely accepted method for direct sampling of solid materials for trace elemental analysis. The number of reported applications is high and the application range is broad; besides geochemistry, LA-ICP-MS is mostly used in environmental chemistry and the life sciences. This review focuses on the application of LA-ICP-MS for quantification of trace elements in environmental, biological, and medical samples.

Radial line-scans as representative sampling strategy in dried-droplet laser ablation of liquid samples deposited on pre-cut filter paper disks.

Nebulising liquid samples and using the aerosol thus obtained for further analysis is the standard method in many current analytical techniques, also with inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-based devices. With such a set-up, quantification via external calibration is usually straightforward for samples with aqueous or close-to-aqueous matrix composition. However, there is a variety of more complex samples.