Authenticating bioplastics using carbon and hydrogen stable isotopes - An alternative analytical approach.

RATIONALE: A combination of stable carbon (δ13 C) and hydrogen (δ2 H) isotope ratios and carbon content (% C) was evaluated as a rapid, low-cost analytical approach to authenticate bioplastics, complementing existing radiocarbon (14 C) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analytical methods. METHODS: Petroleum- and bio-based precursor materials and in-market plastics were analysed and their δ13 C, δ2 H and % C values were used to establish isotope criteria to evaluate plastic claims, and the source and biocontent of the samples. 14 C was used to confirm the findings of the isotope approach and FTIR analysis was used to vertify the plastic type of the in-market plastics. RESULTS: Distinctive carbon and hydrogen stable isotope ratios were found for authentic bio-based and petroleum-based precursor plastics, and it was possible to classify in-market plastics according to their source materials (petroleum, C3, C4, and mixed sources). An estimation of C4 biocontent was possible from a C4-petroleum isotope mixing model using δ13 C which was well correlated (R2 = 0.98) to 14 C. It was not possible to establish a C3-petroleum isotope mixing model due to δ13 C isotopic overlap with petroleum plastics; however, the addition of δ2 H and % C was useful to evaluate if petroleum-bioplastic mixes contained C3 bioplastics, and PLS-DA modelling reliably clustered each plastic type. CONCLUSIONS: A combined dual stable isotope and carbon content approach was found to rapidly and accurately identify C3 and C4 bio-based products from their petroleum counterparts, and identify instances of petroleum and bio-based mixes frequently found in mislabelled bioplastics. Out of 37 in-market products labelled as bioplastic, 19 were found to contain varying amounts of petroleum-based plastic and did not meet their bio-based claims.

A bacterial index to estimate lake trophic level: National scale validation.

Lakes and their catchments have been subjected to centuries to millennia of exploitation by humans. Efficient monitoring methods are required to promote proactive protection and management. Traditional monitoring is time consuming and expensive, which limits the number of lakes monitored. Lake surface sediments provide a temporally integrated representation of environmental conditions and contain high microbial biomass. Based on these attributes, we hypothesized that bacteria associated with lake trophic states could be identified and used to develop an index that would not be confounded by non-nutrient stressor gradients. Metabarcoding (16S rRNA gene) was used to assess bacterial communities present in surface sediments from 259 non-saline lakes in New Zealand encompassing a range of trophic states from alpine microtrophic lakes to lowland hypertrophic lakes. A subset of lakes (n = 96) with monitoring data was used to identify indicator amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) associated with different trophic states. A total of 10,888 indicator taxa were identified and used to develop a Sediment Bacterial Trophic Index (SBTI), which signficantly correlated (r2 = 0.842, P < 0.001) with the Trophic Lake Index. The SBTI was then derived for the remaining 163 lakes, providing new knowledge of the trophic state of these unmonitored lakes. This new, robust DNA-based tool provides a rapid and cost-effective method that will allow a greater number of lakes to be monitored and more effectively managed in New Zealand and globally. The SBTI could also be applied in a paleolimnological context to investigate changes in trophic status over centuries to millennia.

Management of chronic myeloid leukemia during pregnancy among patients treated with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor: a single-Center experience.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are teratogenic. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is increasingly identified in younger patients who wish to conceive, the management of CML during pregnancy is challenging. We reviewed 51 pregnancies involving 37 patients (30 women, 10 with >1 pregnancy and 7 men) who were either diagnosed with CML during pregnancy or receiving TKI at the time of conception. Ten women were involved in >1 pregnancies. Fifteen women were diagnosed with CML during pregnancy: 10 were treated with hydroxyurea (n = 5), interferon-alfa (n = 3), leukapheresis (n = 1), or nilotinib (n = 1). There were 14 (82%) healthy babies born on term including 2 sets of twins, 2 spontaneous miscarriages (12%), and 1 elective abortion (6%). Within 1 month of delivery or abortion, all women started TKI and achieved MR4.5 (n = 6) and MMR (n = 8) within 3-48 months. One patient, treated with interferon during pregnancy, died of blast phase within 2 months. Four of the 14 remaining women later conceived 5 other pregnancies while on TKI (3 unplanned, 2 planned). Twenty-six patients (7 men; 19 women) conceived while on TKI, with a total of 36 pregnancies. Fifteen women had 20 unplanned pregnancies while receiving TKI and discontinued immediately upon recognition of pregnancy. The median time of TKI exposure was 3 weeks (range, 2-11). Five pregnancies ended in miscarriages and 3 in elective abortion. All 7 men fathered 7 full-term healthy babies. Of 20 babies born to men and women (including one set of twins), 1 had minor abnormality. Seven women lost their responses during pregnancy but at the end of pregnancy all but 2 resumed TKI and regained responses. Seven women involved in 9 planned pregnancies discontinued TKI prior to conception for a median of 4 months (range, 1-20); 3 lost responses during pregnancy. Only 5 patients resumed therapy after delivery. Outcomes were 6 full-term healthy babies, one premature, and two miscarriages. Conception among CML patients while on TKI could be uncomplicated. While patients may lose response following treatment interruption, nearly all regain response upon resuming therapy. Therapy during pregnancy is rarely needed.

Inotuzumab ozogamicin in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Over 90% of leukemic blasts in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia express the marker CD22. Inotuzumab ozogamicin (INO) is a CD22-directed humanized monoclonal antibody conjugated to the potent cytotoxin, calicheamicin, via an acid labile linker. INO has shown high rates of response in the treatment of relapsed and refractory (R/R) ALL in single-agent studies, with fewer adverse effects than traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. Given this experience, studies are now being done to evaluate INO in combination with low-intensity chemotherapy as frontline treatment for older adults with ALL and patients with R/R disease. Herein we will discuss the use of INO in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Which tyrosine-kinase inhibitor to use first in chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia?

INTRODUCTION: Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative disorder distinctly characterized by the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome, which results from a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 [t(9;22)]. The resulting translocation leads to the development of the BCR-ABL1 oncogene, a constitutively active fusion protein, which leads to uncontrolled cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis and has a clear association with driving the malignant activity of CML cells. AREAS COVERED: Given that the BCR-ABL1 oncogene is a known key cause of CML, it has led to the development of numerous small molecule tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which target the specific oncogene mutation in CML. Presently, there are three FDA-approved TKI agents, imatinib, dasatinib and nilotinib, for the treatment of frontline CML. Herein, we review the frontline options for the management of patients with CML and how to best choose these agents. EXPERT OPINION: Imatinib, dasatinib and nilotinib are all effective at yielding hematological, molecular and cytogenetic responses in patients with newly diagnosed CML. Frontline therapy may depend on physician experience, patient age and ability to tolerate therapy, and with the lack of data comparing all three agents alongside each other, imatinib, dasatinib, or nilotinib may all be suitable frontline choices.