Offline Solid-Phase Extraction and Separation of Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons and Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Edible Oils, and Analysis via GC with a Flame Ionization Detector.

A method was developed for the determination of mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) in edible oils, achieving similar limits of quantification than those obtained by online extraction methodologies, i.e., 0.5 mg/kg. The isolation of MOSH and MOAH was performed in a silver nitrated silica gel stationary phase prior to their analysis by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). To improve the sensitivity, the simulated on-column injection method, using a suitable liner, was optimized. The method was validated at 0.5, 10.0 and 17.9 mg/kg, and recoveries ranged from 80 to 110%. Intra and inter-day precision were evaluated at the same levels, and relative standard deviation (RSD) was lower than 20%. The method was applied to a total of 27 samples of different types of oil previously analyzed in an accredited laboratory, detecting MOSH up to 79.2 mg/kg and MOAH up to 22.4 mg/kg.

Does the human placenta express the canonical cell entry mediators for SARS-CoV-2?

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected over 3.8 million people, including pregnant women. To date, no consistent evidence of vertical transmission for SARS-CoV-2 exists. This new coronavirus canonically utilizes the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and the serine protease TMPRSS2 for cell entry. Herein, building upon our previous single cell study of the placenta (Pique-Regi, 2019), another study, and new single-cell/nuclei RNA-sequencing data, we investigated the expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 throughout pregnancy as well as in third-trimester chorioamniotic membranes. We report that co-transcription of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 is negligible, thus not a likely path of vertical transmission for SARS-CoV-2 at any stage of pregnancy. In contrast, receptors for Zika virus and cytomegalovirus which cause congenital infections are highly expressed by placental cell types. These data suggest that SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely to infect the human placenta through the canonical cell entry mediators; yet, other interacting proteins could still play a role in the viral infection.

Characteristic Changes in Decidual Gene Expression Signature in Spontaneous Term Parturition

BACKGROUND: The decidua has been implicated in the “terminal pathway” of human term parturition, which is characterized by the activation of pro-inflammatory pathways in gestational tissues. However, the transcriptomic changes in the decidua leading to terminal pathway activation have not been systematically explored. This study aimed to compare the decidual expression of developmental signaling and inflammation-related genes before and after spontaneous term labor in order to reveal their involvement in this process. METHODS: Chorioamniotic membranes were obtained from normal pregnant women who delivered at term with spontaneous labor (TIL, n = 14) or without labor (TNL, n = 15). Decidual cells were isolated from snap-frozen chorioamniotic membranes with laser microdissection. The expression of 46 genes involved in decidual development, sex steroid and prostaglandin signaling, as well as pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways, was analyzed using high-throughput quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Chorioamniotic membrane sections were immunostained and then semi-quantified for five proteins, and immunoassays for three chemokines were performed on maternal plasma samples. RESULTS: The genes with the highest expression in the decidua at term gestation included insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP1), galectin-1 (LGALS1), and progestogen-associated endometrial protein (PAEP); the expression of estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), homeobox A11 (HOXA11), interleukin 1β (IL1B), IL8, progesterone receptor membrane component 2 (PGRMC2), and prostaglandin E synthase (PTGES) was higher in TIL than in TNL cases; the expression of chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL2), CCL5, LGALS1, LGALS3, and PAEP was lower in TIL than in TNL cases; immunostaining confirmed qRT-PCR data for IL-8, CCL2, galectin-1, galectin-3, and PAEP; and no correlations between the decidual gene expression and the maternal plasma protein concentrations of CCL2, CCL5, and IL-8 were found. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that with the initiation of parturition, the decidual expression of anti-inflammatory mediators decreases, while the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators and steroid receptors increases. This shift may affect downstream signaling pathways that can lead to parturition.

Galectins: Double Edged Swords in the Cross-roads of Pregnancy Complications and Female Reproductive Tract Inflammation and Neoplasia

Galectins are an evolutionarily ancient and widely expressed family of lectins that have unique glycan-binding characteristics. They are pleiotropic regulators of key biological processes, such as cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, signal transduction, and pre-mRNA splicing, as well as homo- and heterotypic cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Galectins are also pivotal in immune responses since they regulate host-pathogen interactions, innate and adaptive immune responses, acute and chronic inflammation, and immune tolerance. Some galectins are also central to the regulation of angiogenesis, cell migration and invasion. Expression and functional data provide convincing evidence that, due to these functions, galectins play key roles in shared and unique pathways of normal embryonic and placental development as well as oncodevelopmental processes in tumorigenesis. Therefore, galectins may sometimes act as double-edged swords since they have beneficial but also harmful effects for the organism. Recent advances facilitate the use of galectins as biomarkers in obstetrical syndromes and in various malignancies, and their therapeutic applications are also under investigation. This review provides a general overview of galectins and a focused review of this lectin subfamily in the context of inflammation, infection and tumors of the female reproductive tract as well as in normal pregnancies and those complicated by the great obstetrical syndromes.

Development and validation of an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass-spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous determination of neurotransmitters in rat brain samples.

A simple method for the simultaneous determination of glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), choline, acetylcholine, dopamine, 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic (5-HIAA), serotonin, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) was developed by using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). These compounds are analysed in a single chromatographic run in less than 8 min, adding heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) in the mobile phase to improve the separation of the selected neurotransmitters. The analytes were detected using electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS/MS in positive mode with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). Good linearity was obtained (R² > 0.98) and the intra and inter-day precision of the method (expressed as relative standard deviation) were lower than 26%. Limits of quantification were lower than 2.440 µg/g of brain in all the cases, allowing the sensitive determination of these compounds in rat brain extracts. Therefore, the method was successfully applied for the quantitative determination of neurotransmitters in several rat brain regions (prefrontal cortex, striatum, nucleus accumbens and amygdala), detecting glutamate, GABA and choline at concentrations higher than 1000 µg/g, 30 µg/g and 100 µg/g respectively, whereas the other compounds were found at lower concentrations.

Fast determination of herbicides in waters by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

A rapid multiresidue method for the analysis of more than 40 herbicides (such as simazine, terbuthylazine and diuron) in waters has been developed and validated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS). Prior to chromatographic determination, the samples were extracted using a solid-phase extraction procedure. The analysis was performed on an Acquity UPLC BEH C(18) column using a gradient elution profile and a mobile phase consisting of methanol and an aqueous solution of formic acid (0.01%). Other chromatographic and MS/MS parameters were optimised in order to improve selectivity and sensitivity of the analytes. The analytes were detected using electrospray ionisation (ESI)-MS/MS in positive ion mode with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), optimising parameters such as voltage cone, capillary voltage, source and desolvation temperature, and desolvation and cone gas flow. The optimised method provides a rapid separation (less than 10 min) of the selected herbicides in the assayed matrices, and it was validated by the analysis of spiked blank matrix samples. Good linearity was obtained and the repeatability of the method was less than 20% for the lowest calibration point. The limits of detection ranged from 0.002 to 0.02 microg/L, and the limits of quantification from 0.005 to 0.05 microg/L, which were below the values specified by the European Union. Finally, the method was successfully applied to real environmental samples from Andalusia (southern Spain). Terbuthylazine, simazine, atrazine desisopropyl and desethyl terbuthylazine were the herbicides most frequently found in water samples.

Consideracoes sobre a loucura

A posicao do Autor e a de, atraves de uma retrospectiva das recentes tendencias do pensamento cientifico sobre a loucura, levar a critica deste mesmo pensamento, apresentando, como sugestao para a crise da ciencia psiquiatrica, uma Psiquiatria com abertura para a transcedencia (como a da Analise Existencial e da Logoterapia de Viktor Frankl), buscando o reencontro do Homem consigo mesmo.