Environmental Management of Equine Asthma.

Environmental practices related to the inhalation of airborne dust have been identified as the main cause of equine asthma (EA) and reasonably, they are truly relevant in its treatment and control, especially for horses with its severe form. Vast research regarding environmental recommendations has been conducted in recent years. However, no recent exhaustive reviews exist that gather all this new evidence. The aim of this review is to report and compare the most pertinent information concerning the environmental management of EA. The main findings highlight the importance of the type of forage used for feeding but also its method of production and possible contamination during manufacture and/or storage. Procedures to reduce this, such as soaking and steaming hay, improve its hygienic quality, although they also decrease forage's nutritional value, making dietetic supplementation necessary. Regarding stabling, despite some conflicting results, avoiding straw as bedding and improving barn ventilation continue to be the common recommendations if turning to pasture is not feasible. Finally, owners' compliance has been identified as the most critical point in correct environmental control. Educating owners about the genuine benefits of these measures should be a cornerstone of EA management.

Micro solid-phase derivatization analysis of low-molecular mass aldehydes in treated water by micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

A MEKC method was developed for the determination of aliphatic and aromatic low-molecular mass aldehydes (LMMAs) in treated water samples. The method involves the precapillary derivatization and extraction of the aldehydes on a Telos™ENV µ-SPE column impregnated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine . After elution of the hydrazones with ACN, the derivatives were analyzed using MEKC-DAD. Resolution of the MEKC procedure was studied by changing the pH and the concentration of the buffer, the type, and the concentration of surfactant, and the organic modifier content in the BGE. A running buffer consisting of a phosphate buffer (pH 7.2, 75 mM) with CTAB (50 mM) and ACN (30%) gave the best results. Linearity was established over the concentration range 0.5-500 µg/L and LODs from 65 to 775 ng/L; the interday precision was expressed as the RSD of the aldehydes ranging from 6.6 to 8.4%. Matrix effects were shown to be negligible by comparing the response factors obtained in ultrapure and treated waters. Aldehydes were readily determined at 1.1-8.4 µg/L levels in ozonated and chlorinated water samples, the method proposed being the first CE contribution developed for the systematic analysis of both aliphatic and aromatic LMMAs in water samples.

Trace determination of low-molecular-mass substituted benzaldehydes in treated water using micro solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric detection.

Aldehydes are a class of water disinfection by-products (DBPs) that are an object of special attention due to their high toxicity and carcinogenic effect. While aliphatic low-molecular-mass aldehydes (LMMAs) are often measured in waters, there is little information on the occurrence of aromatic LMMAs. This paper reports the development of a simple, rapid and sensitive method for the quantitative determination of six LMM substituted benzaldehydes (BAs) as DBPs in treated water. The method is based on the continuous in situ derivatisation/extraction of aldehydes on a Telos™ ENV µ-solid-phase extraction (µ-SPE) column impregnated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH). After elution of the hydrazones with acetonitrile (ACN), the derivatives are analysed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Under optimum conditions, limits of detection (LODs) were obtained between 15 and 25ng/L and the inter-day precision expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD) ranged from 6.1% to 7.7%. Matrix effects were shown to be negligible by comparing the response factors (RFs) obtained in ultra-pure and treated waters. The proposed method is the first contribution developed for the analysis of LMM substituted BAs as DBPs in waters by LC-MS. Some of the aromatic LMMAs identified had not previously been reported for swimming pool water.

Simple and sensitive determination of low-molecular-mass aromatic aldehydes in swimming pool water by LC-diode array detector.

This work reports the development of a simple method for the quantitative determination of aromatic and aliphatic low-molecular-mass aldehydes (LMMAs) as disinfection by-products (DBPs) in indoor swimming pool waters after chlorination with a simplified SPE sample treatment. The method is based on the continuous in situ derivatization/preconcentration of the aldehydes with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) on a Lichrolut EN column in the presence of ß-CD. After elution, the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine derivatives were separated on an RP-C(18) analytical column using gradient of ACN-water at 60-80%. The optimized sample treatment described here allowed the direct analysis of large volumes of water in order to improve the sensitivity of the method; LODs in the 60-120 ng/L range were achieved for aromatic LMMAs by using a volume of 50 mL of water, precision being 7.5% or better at a concentration level of 5 µg/L. These results indicate that the ensuing method is a useful choice for the determination of LMMAs in water samples that provides better results than reported LC alternatives in terms of the LOD (except for MS/MS detection), sample requirements for analysis and cost.

Improved solid-phase extraction/micellar procedure for the derivatization/preconcentration of benzaldehyde and methyl derivatives from water samples.

A simple, rapid and sensitive method has been developed for the determination of aromatic low-molecular mass aldehydes (LMMAs) such as benzaldehyde (BA) and methyl derivatives in water samples through the use of liquid chromatography-diode array detection (LC-DAD). The method is based on the continuous in situ derivatization of the aldehydes with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) on a LiChrolut EN solid-phase extraction (SPE) column in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles. After elution, hydrazones were successfully separated on a RP-C(18) column using a linear gradient mobile phase of acetonitrile (ACN)-water at 75-95% ACN for 10 min. Linearity was established over the concentration range 0.4-200 µg L(-1) and limits of detection (LODs) from 120 to 200 ng L(-1); the inter-day precision expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the aldehydes ranged from 3.0% to 3.5%. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of aromatic and aliphatic LMMAs in water samples with average recoveries ranging between 93.6% and 99.5%. The proposed method surpasses other chromatographic alternatives in terms of LODs, sample requirements for analysis and cost.