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1.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 121(37): e2408262121, 2024 Sep 10.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39226352

RESUMO

Truncating genetic variants of SORL1, encoding the endosome recycling receptor SORLA, have been accepted as causal of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, most genetic variants observed in SORL1 are missense variants, for which it is complicated to determine the pathogenicity level because carriers come from pedigrees too small to be informative for penetrance estimations. Here, we describe three unrelated families in which the SORL1 coding missense variant rs772677709, that leads to a p.Y1816C substitution, segregates with Alzheimer's disease. Further, we investigate the effect of SORLA p.Y1816C on receptor maturation, cellular localization, and trafficking in cell-based assays. Under physiological circumstances, SORLA dimerizes within the endosome, allowing retromer-dependent trafficking from the endosome to the cell surface, where the luminal part is shed into the extracellular space (sSORLA). Our results showed that the p.Y1816C mutant impairs SORLA homodimerization in the endosome, leading to decreased trafficking to the cell surface and less sSORLA shedding. These trafficking defects of the mutant receptor can be rescued by the expression of the SORLA 3Fn-minireceptor. Finally, we find that iPSC-derived neurons with the engineered p.Y1816C mutation have enlarged endosomes, a defining cytopathology of AD. Our studies provide genetic as well as functional evidence that the SORL1 p.Y1816C variant is causal for AD. The partial penetrance of the mutation suggests this mutation should be considered in clinical genetic screening of multiplex early-onset AD families.


Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer , Endossomos , Proteínas Relacionadas a Receptor de LDL , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras , Linhagem , Humanos , Doença de Alzheimer/genética , Doença de Alzheimer/metabolismo , Doença de Alzheimer/patologia , Endossomos/metabolismo , Proteínas Relacionadas a Receptor de LDL/genética , Proteínas Relacionadas a Receptor de LDL/metabolismo , Feminino , Masculino , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras/genética , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras/metabolismo , Mutação de Sentido Incorreto , Transporte Proteico , Multimerização Proteica , Idoso , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Células HEK293
2.
Cell Rep ; 42(11): 113310, 2023 11 28.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37864790

RESUMO

During the past two decades, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have been widely used to study human neural development and disease. Especially in the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD), remarkable effort has been put into investigating molecular mechanisms behind this disease. Then, with the advent of 3D neuronal cultures and cerebral organoids (COs), several studies have demonstrated that this model can adequately mimic familial and sporadic AD. Therefore, we created an AD-CO model using iPSCs derived from patients with familial AD forms and explored early events and the progression of AD pathogenesis. Our study demonstrated that COs derived from three AD-iPSC lines with PSEN1(A246E) or PSEN2(N141I) mutations developed the AD-specific markers in vitro, yet they also uncover tissue patterning defects and altered development. These findings are complemented by single-cell sequencing data confirming this observation and uncovering that neurons in AD-COs likely differentiate prematurely.


Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer , Presenilina-1 , Presenilina-2 , Humanos , Doença de Alzheimer/genética , Doença de Alzheimer/patologia , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/patologia , Mutação/genética , Neurônios , Organoides/patologia , Presenilina-1/genética , Presenilina-2/genética
3.
Mol Neurodegener ; 18(1): 38, 2023 06 06.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37280636

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 genotype is the most prevalent risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Although ApoE4 differs from its non-pathological ApoE3 isoform only by the C112R mutation, the molecular mechanism of its proteinopathy is unknown. METHODS: Here, we reveal the molecular mechanism of ApoE4 aggregation using a combination of experimental and computational techniques, including X-ray crystallography, site-directed mutagenesis, hydrogen-deuterium mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), static light scattering and molecular dynamics simulations. Treatment of ApoE ε3/ε3 and ε4/ε4 cerebral organoids with tramiprosate was used to compare the effect of tramiprosate on ApoE4 aggregation at the cellular level. RESULTS: We found that C112R substitution in ApoE4 induces long-distance (> 15 Å) conformational changes leading to the formation of a V-shaped dimeric unit that is geometrically different and more aggregation-prone than the ApoE3 structure. AD drug candidate tramiprosate and its metabolite 3-sulfopropanoic acid induce ApoE3-like conformational behavior in ApoE4 and reduce its aggregation propensity. Analysis of ApoE ε4/ε4 cerebral organoids treated with tramiprosate revealed its effect on cholesteryl esters, the storage products of excess cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: Our results connect the ApoE4 structure with its aggregation propensity, providing a new druggable target for neurodegeneration and ageing.


Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer , Apolipoproteína E4 , Humanos , Apolipoproteína E4/genética , Apolipoproteína E4/metabolismo , Doença de Alzheimer/tratamento farmacológico , Doença de Alzheimer/genética , Doença de Alzheimer/metabolismo , Apolipoproteína E3/genética , Mutação/genética , Apolipoproteínas E/genética
4.
Stem Cell Rev Rep ; 19(5): 1524-1539, 2023 07.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36918496

RESUMO

The involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in orchestrating self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells has been revealed in a number of recent studies. And while in human pluripotent stem cells, miRNAs have been directly linked to the core pluripotency network, including the cell cycle regulation and the maintenance of the self-renewing capacity, their role in the onset of differentiation in other contexts, such as determination of neural cell fate, remains poorly described. To bridge this gap, we used three model cell types to study miRNA expression patterns: human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), hESCs-derived self-renewing neural stem cells (NSCs), and differentiating NSCs. The comprehensive miRNA profiling presented here reveals novel sets of miRNAs differentially expressed during human neural cell fate determination in vitro. Furthermore, we report a miRNA expression profile of self-renewing human NSCs, which has been lacking to this date. Our data also indicates that miRNA clusters enriched in NSCs share the target-determining seed sequence with cell cycle regulatory miRNAs expressed in pluripotent hESCs. Lastly, our mechanistic experiments confirmed that cluster miR-17-92, one of the NSCs-enriched clusters, is directly transcriptionally regulated by transcription factor c-MYC.


Assuntos
MicroRNAs , Células-Tronco Neurais , Humanos , MicroRNAs/genética , MicroRNAs/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Embrionárias , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Diferenciação Celular/genética , Células-Tronco Neurais/metabolismo
5.
Environ Sci Atmos ; 3(1): 115-123, 2023 Jan 19.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36743126

RESUMO

OH scavengers are extensively used in studies of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) because they create an idealized environment where only a single oxidation pathway is occurring. Here, we present a detailed molecular characterization of SOA produced from α-pinene + O3 with a variety of OH scavengers using the extractive electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometer in our atmospheric simulation chamber, which is complemented by characterizing the gas phase composition in flow reactor experiments. Under our experimental conditions, radical chemistry largely controls the composition of SOA. Besides playing their desired role in suppressing the reaction of α-pinene with OH, OH scavengers alter the reaction pathways of radicals produced from α-pinene + O3. This involves changing the HO2 : RO2 ratio, the identity of the RO2 radicals present, and the RO2 major sinks. As a result, the use of the OH scavengers has significant effects on the composition of SOA, including inclusions of scavenger molecules in SOA, the promotion of fragmentation reactions, and depletion of dimers formed via α-pinene RO2-RO2 reactions. To date fragmentation reactions and inclusion of OH scavenger products into secondary organic aerosol have not been reported in atmospheric simulation chamber studies. Therefore, care should be considered if and when to use an OH scavenger during experiments.

6.
Mol Oncol ; 17(4): 647-663, 2023 04.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36744875

RESUMO

It is currently challenging to adequately model the growth and migration of glioblastoma using two-dimensional (2D) in vitro culture systems as they quickly lose the original, patient-specific identity and heterogeneity. However, with the advent of three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures and human-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cerebral organoids (COs), studies demonstrate that the glioblastoma-CO (GLICO) coculture model helps to preserve the phenotype of the patient-specific tissue. Here, we aimed to set up such a model using mature COs and develop a pipeline for subsequent analysis of cocultured glioblastoma. Our data demonstrate that the growth and migration of the glioblastoma cell line within the mature COs are significantly increased in the presence of extracellular matrix proteins, shortening the time needed for glioblastoma to initiate migration. We also describe in detail the method for the visualization and quantification of these migrating cells within the GLICO model. Lastly, we show that this coculture model (and the human brain-like microenvironment) can significantly transform the gene expression profile of the established U87 glioblastoma cell line into proneural and classical glioblastoma cell types.


Assuntos
Glioblastoma , Humanos , Glioblastoma/genética , Glioblastoma/metabolismo , Organoides/metabolismo , Encéfalo , Linhagem Celular , Técnicas de Cultura de Células/métodos , Microambiente Tumoral
7.
Nutrients ; 14(10)2022 May 12.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35631176

RESUMO

(1) Background: Autism, also known as autism-spectrum disorder, is a pervasive developmental disorder affecting social skills and psychological status in particular. The complex etiopathogenesis of autism limits efficient therapy, which leads to problems with the normal social integration of the individual and causes severe family distress. Injectable methylcobalamin was shown to improve the clinical status of patients via enhanced cell oxidative status and/or methylation capacity. Here we tested the efficiency of a syrup form of methylcobalamin in treating autism. (2) Methods: Methylcobalamin was administered daily at 500 µg dose to autistic children and young adults (n = 25) during a 200-day period. Clinical and psychological status was evaluated by parents and psychologists and plasma levels of reduced and oxidized glutathione, vitamin B12, homocysteine, and cysteine were determined before the treatment, and at day 100 and day 200 of the treatment. (3) Results: Good patient compliance was reported. Methylcobalamin treatment gradually improved the overall clinical and psychological status, with the highest impact in the social domain, followed by the cognitive, behavioral and communication characteristics. Changes in the clinical and psychological status were strongly associated with the changes in the level of reduced glutathione and reduced/oxidized glutathione ratio. (4) Conclusion: A high dose of methylcobalamin administered in syrup form ameliorates the clinical and psychological status of autistic individuals, probably due to the improved oxidative status.


Assuntos
Transtorno Autístico , Vitamina B 12 , Adolescente , Transtorno Autístico/tratamento farmacológico , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Dissulfeto de Glutationa/sangue , Humanos , Masculino , Vitamina B 12/administração & dosagem , Vitamina B 12/análogos & derivados , Adulto Jovem
8.
Stem Cell Rev Rep ; 18(2): 792-820, 2022 02.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35107767

RESUMO

During the past two decades, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have been widely used to study mechanisms of human neural development, disease modeling, and drug discovery in vitro. Especially in the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD), where this treatment is lacking, tremendous effort has been put into the investigation of molecular mechanisms behind this disease using induced pluripotent stem cell-based models. Numerous of these studies have found either novel regulatory mechanisms that could be exploited to develop relevant drugs for AD treatment or have already tested small molecules on in vitro cultures, directly demonstrating their effect on amelioration of AD-associated pathology. This review thus summarizes currently used differentiation strategies of induced pluripotent stem cells towards neuronal and glial cell types and cerebral organoids and their utilization in modeling AD and potential drug discovery.


Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas , Células-Tronco Neurais , Doença de Alzheimer/genética , Doença de Alzheimer/metabolismo , Doença de Alzheimer/terapia , Humanos , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Neurais/metabolismo , Neurônios/metabolismo , Organoides/patologia
9.
Chimia (Aarau) ; 76(1-2): 60-67, 2022 Feb 23.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38069750

RESUMO

Over the past decade, the technical requirements of analytical instrumentation have continuously risen driven by the demand for increasingly complex and demanding applications. TOFWERK, a Swiss company with the headquarters in Thun, has been at the forefront of this development by producing modular and ruggedized Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometers (TOFMS). They are often used to replace quadrupole mass analysers with more powerful TOF mass analysers. Starting with first customers in atmospheric sciences, TOFWERK TOFMS are now used across a wide range of research areas and lately also in industry. Here we present an overview of mobile applications in which Tofwerk TOFMS are in operation while moved around in space.

10.
Antioxidants (Basel) ; 10(10)2021 Sep 27.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34679668

RESUMO

The 'gold standard' treatment of severe neonatal jaundice is phototherapy with blue-green light, which produces more polar photo-oxidation products that are easily excreted via the bile or urine. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of bilirubin (BR) and its major photo-oxidation product lumirubin (LR) on the proliferation, differentiation, morphology, and specific gene and protein expressions of self-renewing human pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells (NSC). Neither BR nor LR in biologically relevant concentrations (12.5 and 25 µmol/L) affected cell proliferation or the cell cycle phases of NSC. Although none of these pigments affected terminal differentiation to neurons and astrocytes, when compared to LR, BR exerted a dose-dependent cytotoxicity on self-renewing NSC. In contrast, LR had a substantial effect on the morphology of the NSC, inducing them to form highly polar rosette-like structures associated with the redistribution of specific cellular proteins (ß-catenin/N-cadherin) responsible for membrane polarity. This observation was accompanied by lower expressions of NSC-specific proteins (such as SOX1, NR2F2, or PAX6) together with the upregulation of phospho-ERK. Collectively, the data indicated that both BR and LR affect early human neurodevelopment in vitro, which may have clinical relevance in phototherapy-treated hyperbilirubinemic neonates.

11.
Environ Sci Atmos ; 1(6): 434-448, 2021 Sep 23.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34604755

RESUMO

Aerosol particles negatively affect human health while also having climatic relevance due to, for example, their ability to act as cloud condensation nuclei. Ultrafine particles (diameter D p < 100 nm) typically comprise the largest fraction of the total number concentration, however, their chemical characterization is difficult because of their low mass. Using an extractive electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometer (EESI-TOF), we characterize the molecular composition of freshly nucleated particles from naphthalene and ß-caryophyllene oxidation products at the CLOUD chamber at CERN. We perform a detailed intercomparison of the organic aerosol chemical composition measured by the EESI-TOF and an iodide adduct chemical ionization mass spectrometer equipped with a filter inlet for gases and aerosols (FIGAERO-I-CIMS). We also use an aerosol growth model based on the condensation of organic vapors to show that the chemical composition measured by the EESI-TOF is consistent with the expected condensed oxidation products. This agreement could be further improved by constraining the EESI-TOF compound-specific sensitivity or considering condensed-phase processes. Our results show that the EESI-TOF can obtain the chemical composition of particles as small as 20 nm in diameter with mass loadings as low as hundreds of ng m-3 in real time. This was until now difficult to achieve, as other online instruments are often limited by size cutoffs, ionization/thermal fragmentation and/or semi-continuous sampling. Using real-time simultaneous gas- and particle-phase data, we discuss the condensation of naphthalene oxidation products on a molecular level.

12.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 118(32)2021 08 10.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34341119

RESUMO

Decades of air quality improvements have substantially reduced the motor vehicle emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Today, volatile chemical products (VCPs) are responsible for half of the petrochemical VOCs emitted in major urban areas. We show that VCP emissions are ubiquitous in US and European cities and scale with population density. We report significant VCP emissions for New York City (NYC), including a monoterpene flux of 14.7 to 24.4 kg ⋅ d-1 ⋅ km-2 from fragranced VCPs and other anthropogenic sources, which is comparable to that of a summertime forest. Photochemical modeling of an extreme heat event, with ozone well in excess of US standards, illustrates the significant impact of VCPs on air quality. In the most populated regions of NYC, ozone was sensitive to anthropogenic VOCs (AVOCs), even in the presence of biogenic sources. Within this VOC-sensitive regime, AVOCs contributed upwards of ∼20 ppb to maximum 8-h average ozone. VCPs accounted for more than 50% of this total AVOC contribution. Emissions from fragranced VCPs, including personal care and cleaning products, account for at least 50% of the ozone attributed to VCPs. We show that model simulations of ozone depend foremost on the magnitude of VCP emissions and that the addition of oxygenated VCP chemistry impacts simulations of key atmospheric oxidation products. NYC is a case study for developed megacities, and the impacts of VCPs on local ozone are likely similar for other major urban regions across North America or Europe.


Assuntos
Poluentes Atmosféricos/análise , Ozônio , Compostos Orgânicos Voláteis/análise , Poluentes Atmosféricos/química , Poluição do Ar , Cidades , Monitoramento Ambiental/métodos , Europa (Continente) , Humanos , Modelos Teóricos , Monoterpenos/análise , Cidade de Nova Iorque , Óxidos de Nitrogênio/análise , Óxidos de Nitrogênio/química , Odorantes/análise , Densidade Demográfica , Emissões de Veículos/análise , Compostos Orgânicos Voláteis/química
13.
Stem Cell Res ; 53: 102378, 2021 05.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34088007

RESUMO

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines were generated from patients with spontaneous late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) and three healthy control individuals. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were reprogrammed with Yamanaka factors (OSKM) using a commercially available Epi5 Reprogramming Kit. The pluripotency of iPSCs was confirmed by the expression of pluripotency factors and by their ability to differentiate to all three germ layers in vitro. Newly derived cell lines can be used to model Alzheimer's disease in vitro.


Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas , Diferenciação Celular , Reprogramação Celular , Camadas Germinativas , Humanos , Leucócitos Mononucleares
14.
Stem Cell Res ; 53: 102379, 2021 05.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34088008

RESUMO

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines were generated from primary human fibroblasts isolated from three patients with a familial form of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and three healthy control individuals. Two AD-iPSC lines carry a PSEN1 mutation A246E; the third cell line carries a PSEN2 mutation N141I. The fibroblasts were reprogrammed with Yamanaka factors (OSKM) using a commercially available Epi5 Reprogramming Kit. The pluripotency of iPSCs was confirmed by the expression of pluripotency factors and by their ability to differentiate to all three germ layers in vitro. Newly derived cell lines can be used to model Alzheimer's disease in vitro.


Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas , Doença de Alzheimer/genética , Diferenciação Celular , Linhagem Celular , Fibroblastos , Humanos , Mutação
15.
Environ Sci Technol ; 55(10): 6936-6943, 2021 05 18.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33961408

RESUMO

Atmospheric secondary organic aerosol (SOA) undergoes chemical and physical changes when exposed to UV radiation, affecting the atmospheric lifetime of the involved molecules. However, these photolytic processes remain poorly constrained. Here, we present a study aimed at characterizing, at a molecular level and in real time, the chemical composition of α-pinene SOA exposed to UV-A light at 50% relative humidity in an atmospheric simulation chamber. Significant SOA mass loss is observed at high loadings (∼100 µg m-3), whereas the effect is less prevalent at lower loadings (∼20 µg m-3). For the vast majority of molecules measured by the extractive electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometer, there is a fraction that is photoactive and decays when exposed to UV-A radiation and a fraction that appears photorecalcitrant. The molecules that are most photoactive contain between 4 and 6 oxygen atoms, while the more highly oxygenated compounds and dimers do not exhibit significant decay. Overall, photolysis results in a reduction of the volatility of SOA, which cannot be explained by simple evaporative losses but requires either a change in volatility related to changes in functional groups or a change in physical parameters (i.e., viscosity).


Assuntos
Poluentes Atmosféricos , Aerossóis , Monoterpenos Bicíclicos , Monoterpenos , Fotólise
16.
Environ Sci Technol ; 55(9): 5701-5710, 2021 05 04.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33826309

RESUMO

Smog chamber experiments were conducted to characterize the light absorption of brown carbon (BrC) from primary and photochemically aged coal combustion emissions. Light absorption was measured by the UV-visible spectrophotometric analysis of water and methanol extracts of filter samples. The single-scattering albedo at 450 nm was 0.73 ± 0.10 for primary emissions and 0.75 ± 0.13 for aged emissions. The light absorption coefficient at 365 nm of methanol extracts was higher than that of water extracts by a factor of 10 for primary emissions and a factor of 7 for aged emissions. This suggests that the majority of BrC is water-insoluble even after aging. The mass absorption efficiency of this BrC (MAE365) for primary OA (POA) was dependent on combustion conditions, with an average of 0.84 ± 0.54 m2 g-1, which was significantly higher than that for aged OA (0.24 ± 0.18 m2 g-1). Secondary OA (SOA) dominated aged OA and the decreased MAE365 after aging indicates that SOA is less light absorbing than POA and/or that BrC is bleached (oxidized) with aging. The estimated MAE365 of SOA (0.14 ± 0.08 m2 g-1) was much lower than that of POA. A comparison of MAE365 of residential coal combustion with other anthropogenic sources suggests that residential coal combustion emissions are among the strongest absorbing BrC organics.


Assuntos
Poluentes Atmosféricos , Carbono , Aerossóis/análise , Poluentes Atmosféricos/análise , Carbono/análise , Carvão Mineral , Material Particulado/análise , Água
17.
Environ Sci Technol ; 54(13): 7911-7921, 2020 07 07.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32515954

RESUMO

To better understand the role of aromatic hydrocarbons in new-particle formation, we measured the particle-phase abundance and volatility of oxidation products following the reaction of aromatic hydrocarbons with OH radicals. For this we used thermal desorption in an iodide-adduct Time-of-Flight Chemical-Ionization Mass Spectrometer equipped with a Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols (FIGAERO-ToF-CIMS). The particle-phase volatility measurements confirm that oxidation products of toluene and naphthalene can contribute to the initial growth of newly formed particles. Toluene-derived (C7) oxidation products have a similar volatility distribution to that of α-pinene-derived (C10) oxidation products, while naphthalene-derived (C10) oxidation products are much less volatile than those from toluene or α-pinene; they are thus stronger contributors to growth. Rapid progression through multiple generations of oxidation is more pronounced in toluene and naphthalene than in α-pinene, resulting in more oxidation but also favoring functional groups with much lower volatility per added oxygen atom, such as hydroxyl and carboxylic groups instead of hydroperoxide groups. Under conditions typical of polluted urban settings, naphthalene may well contribute to nucleation and the growth of the smallest particles, whereas the more abundant alkyl benzenes may overtake naphthalene once the particles have grown beyond the point where the Kelvin effect strongly influences the condensation driving force.


Assuntos
Hidrocarbonetos Aromáticos , Compostos Orgânicos Voláteis , Aerossóis , Gases , Volatilização
18.
Anal Chem ; 92(14): 9823-9829, 2020 07 21.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32520529

RESUMO

2,4,6-Trichloroanisole (TCA) contamination of wine determines huge economic losses for the wine industry estimated to amount to several billion dollars yearly. Over 50 years of studies have determined that this problem is often caused by TCA contamination of the cork stopper, which releases TCA into the wine. The human threshold for TCA is extremely low. A wine contaminated by 1-2 ng/L TCA can be perceived as tainted. Contaminations with <0.5 ng/L TCA are commonly considered negligible and are not perceivable. The possibility of prescreening cork stoppers for TCA contamination would be an enormous advantage. Therefore, the demand for a fast, nondestructive method capable of quantifying the TCA contamination in cork stoppers is impelling. Vastly used analytical methods have so far struggled to provide a fast and reliable solution, whereas sensory analysis by trained panelists is expensive and time-consuming. Here we propose a novel approach based on chemical ionization-time-of-flight (CI-TOF) mass spectrometry employing the "Vocus" ion source and ion-molecule reactor. The technique proved capable of nondestructively quantifying TCA contamination in a single cork stopper in 3 s, with a limit of quantification below the perception threshold. A real test on the industrial scale, quantifying TCA contamination in more than 10000 cork stoppers in a few hours is presented, representing the largest data set of TCA analysis on cork stoppers within the literature and proving the possibility to apply the technique in an industrial environment. The correlation with standard methods for releasable TCA quantification is also discussed.


Assuntos
Anisóis/química , Espectrometria de Massas/métodos , Vinho/análise , Contaminação de Alimentos/análise , Humanos , Paladar
19.
Nature ; 581(7807): 184-189, 2020 05.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32405020

RESUMO

A list of authors and their affiliations appears at the end of the paper New-particle formation is a major contributor to urban smog1,2, but how it occurs in cities is often puzzling3. If the growth rates of urban particles are similar to those found in cleaner environments (1-10 nanometres per hour), then existing understanding suggests that new urban particles should be rapidly scavenged by the high concentration of pre-existing particles. Here we show, through experiments performed under atmospheric conditions in the CLOUD chamber at CERN, that below about +5 degrees Celsius, nitric acid and ammonia vapours can condense onto freshly nucleated particles as small as a few nanometres in diameter. Moreover, when it is cold enough (below -15 degrees Celsius), nitric acid and ammonia can nucleate directly through an acid-base stabilization mechanism to form ammonium nitrate particles. Given that these vapours are often one thousand times more abundant than sulfuric acid, the resulting particle growth rates can be extremely high, reaching well above 100 nanometres per hour. However, these high growth rates require the gas-particle ammonium nitrate system to be out of equilibrium in order to sustain gas-phase supersaturations. In view of the strong temperature dependence that we measure for the gas-phase supersaturations, we expect such transient conditions to occur in inhomogeneous urban settings, especially in wintertime, driven by vertical mixing and by strong local sources such as traffic. Even though rapid growth from nitric acid and ammonia condensation may last for only a few minutes, it is nonetheless fast enough to shepherd freshly nucleated particles through the smallest size range where they are most vulnerable to scavenging loss, thus greatly increasing their survival probability. We also expect nitric acid and ammonia nucleation and rapid growth to be important in the relatively clean and cold upper free troposphere, where ammonia can be convected from the continental boundary layer and nitric acid is abundant from electrical storms4,5.

20.
Neurochem Res ; 45(1): 204-214, 2020 Jan.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31828497

RESUMO

Neurodegenerative disorders present a broad group of neurological diseases and remain one of the greatest challenges and burdens to mankind. Maladies like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, stroke or spinal cord injury commonly features astroglia involvement (astrogliosis) with signs of inflammation. Regenerative, paracrine and immunomodulatory properties of human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) could target the above components, thus opening new therapeutic possibilities for regenerative medicine. A special interest should be given to hMSCs derived from the umbilical cord (UC) tissue, due to their origin, properties and lack of ethical paradigms. The aim of this study was to establish standard operating and scale-up good manufacturing practice (GMP) protocols of UC-hMSCs isolation, characterization, expansion and comparison of cells' properties when harvested on T-flasks versus using a large-scale bioreactor system. Human UC-hMSCs, isolated by tissue explant culture technique from Wharton's jelly, were harvested after reaching 75% confluence and cultured using tissue culture flasks. Obtained UC-hMSCs prior/after the cryopreservation and after harvesting in a bioreactor, were fully characterized for "mesenchymness" immunomodulatory, tumorigenicity and genetic stability, senescence and cell-doubling properties, as well as gene expression features. Our study demonstrates an efficient and simple technique for large scale UC-hMSCs expansion. Harvesting of UC-hMSCs' using classic and large scale methods did not alter UC-hMSCs' senescence, genetic stability or in vitro tumorigenicity features. We observed comparable growth and immunomodulatory capacities of fresh, frozen and expanded UC-hMSCs. We found no difference in the ability to differentiate toward adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages between classic and large scale UC-hMSCs expansion methods. Both, methods enabled derivation of genetically stabile cells with typical mesenchymal features. Interestingly, we found significantly increased mRNA expression levels of neural growth factor (NGF) and downregulated insulin growth factor (IGF) in UC-hMSCs cultured in bioreactor, while IL4, IL6, IL8, TGFb and VEGF expression levels remained at the similar levels. A culturing of UC-hMSCs using a large-scale automated closed bioreactor expansion system under the GMP conditions does not alter basic "mesenchymal" features and quality of the cells. Our study has been designed to pave a road toward translation of basic research data known about human UC-MSCs for the future clinical testing in patients with neurological and immunocompromised disorders. An industrial manufacturing of UC-hMSCs next will undergo regulatory approval following advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP) criteria prior to clinical application and approval to be used in patients.


Assuntos
Reatores Biológicos , Transplante de Células-Tronco Mesenquimais , Células-Tronco Mesenquimais/fisiologia , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso/terapia , Cordão Umbilical/fisiologia , Proliferação de Células/fisiologia , Células Cultivadas , Humanos , Transplante de Células-Tronco Mesenquimais/tendências , Doenças do Sistema Nervoso/patologia , Cordão Umbilical/citologia , Cordão Umbilical/transplante , Geleia de Wharton/citologia , Geleia de Wharton/fisiologia , Geleia de Wharton/transplante
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