ABSTRACT
Cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) has been covalently immobilized onto polyaniline-carboxymethyl cellulose (PANI-CMC) nanocomposite film deposited onto indium-tin-oxide (ITO) coated glass plate using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic and electrochemical studies have been used to characterize the PANI-CMC/ITO nanocomposite electrode and ChOx/PANI-CMC/ITO bioelectrode. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies reveal the formation of PANI-CMC nanocomposite fibers of size approximately 150 nm in diameter. The ChOx/PANI-CMC/ITO bioelectrode exhibits linearity as 0.5-22 mM, detection limit as 1.31 mM, sensitivity as 0.14 mA/mM cm2, response time as 10 s and shelf-life of about 10 weeks when bioelectrode is stored at 4 degrees C. The low value of Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)) obtained as 2.71 mM reveals high affinity of immobilized ChOx for PANI-CMC/ITO nanocomposite electrode.
Subject(s)
Aniline Compounds/chemistry , Biosensing Techniques/methods , Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium/chemistry , Cholesterol/analysis , Nanocomposites/chemistry , Cholesterol/metabolism , Cholesterol Oxidase/chemistry , Cholesterol Oxidase/metabolism , Dielectric Spectroscopy , Enzymes, Immobilized/chemistry , Enzymes, Immobilized/metabolism , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Linear Models , Microscopy, Electron, Scanning , Particle Size , Polymerization , Sensitivity and Specificity , Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared , Tin Compounds/chemistryABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water has the potential to cause adverse pregnancy outcomes, although the association has not been demonstrated conclusively. This cross-sectional study assessed the association between arsenic in drinking water and spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, and neonatal death. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 533 women were interviewed. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, drinking water use, and adverse pregnancy outcomes was obtained through a structured pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire. The respondents reported use of a total of 223 tube wells; for 208 wells, water samples were measured using an ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry method, whereas 15 were measured by flow-injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (FIHG-AAS). RESULTS: Excess risks for spontaneous abortion and stillbirth were observed among the participants chronically exposed to higher concentrations of arsenic in drinking water after adjusting for participant's height, history of hypertension and diabetes, and (for neonatal death only) age at first pregnancy. Comparing exposure to arsenic concentration of greater than 50 microg/L with 50 microg/L or less, the odds ratios were 2.5 (95% confidence interval=1.5-4.3) for spontaneous abortion, 2.5 (1.3-4.9) for stillbirth, and 1.8 (0.9-3.6) for neonatal death. CONCLUSIONS: These study findings suggest that chronic arsenic exposure may increase the risk of fetal and infant death.
