Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coastal sediments from the Porto region (Portugal) by microwave-assisted extraction, followed by SPME and GC-MS.

A simple low-cost, analytical method based on microwave-assisted extraction of sediments, followed by solid phase micro-extraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry, was developed and validated for the quantification of sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marine and estuarine sediment samples. The PAHs were those included in the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) priority list. Method detection limits were between 0.07 and 0.76 µg/kg dry weight (dw), which makes the current method suitable for environmental analysis. Sediments screened for PAHs from the Douro River estuary and the Porto seacoast exhibit total concentrations that ranged from 58.98 to 156.45 µg/kg dw, and from 51.98 to 54.79 µg/kg dw, respectively. The presence of almost all human carcinogenic PAHs in the analyzed areas indicate that these sediments can be considered polluted, suggesting that future monitoring programs together with an effective coastal management program must be implemented to guarantee the safe usage of the current areas for fishing and bathing.

Drug delivery systems: Advanced technologies potentially applicable in personalized treatments.

Advanced drug delivery systems (DDS) present indubitable benefits for drug administration. Over the past three decades, new approaches have been suggested for the development of novel carriers for drug delivery. In this review, we describe general concepts and emerging research in this field based on multidisciplinary approaches aimed at creating personalized treatment for a broad range of highly prevalent diseases (e.g., cancer and diabetes). This review is composed of two parts. The first part provides an overview on currently available drug delivery technologies including a brief history on the development of these systems and some of the research strategies applied. The second part provides information about the most advanced drug delivery devices using stimuli-responsive polymers. Their synthesis using controlled-living radical polymerization strategy is described. In a near future it is predictable the appearance of new effective tailor-made DDS, resulting from knowledge of different interdisciplinary sciences, in a perspective of creating personalized medical solutions.