Early feasibility study with an implantable near-infrared spectroscopy sensor for glucose, ketones, lactate and ethanol.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and performance of an implantable near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy sensor for multi-metabolite monitoring of glucose, ketones, lactate, and ethanol. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This is an early feasibility study (GLOW, NCT04782934) including 7 participants (4 with type 1 diabetes (T1D), 3 healthy volunteers) in whom the YANG NIR spectroscopy sensor (Indigo) was implanted for 28 days. Metabolic challenges were used to vary glucose levels (40-400 mg/dL, 2.2-22.2 mmol/L) and/or induce increases in ketones (ketone drink, up to 3.5 mM), lactate (exercise bike, up to 13 mM) and ethanol (4-8 alcoholic beverages, 40-80g). NIR spectra for glucose, ketones, lactate, and ethanol levels analyzed with partial least squares regression were compared with blood values for glucose (Biosen EKF), ketones and lactate (GlucoMen LX Plus), and breath ethanol levels (ACE II Breathalyzer). The effect of potential confounders on glucose measurements (paracetamol, aspartame, acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen, sorbitol, caffeine, fructose, vitamin C) was investigated in T1D participants. RESULTS: The implanted YANG sensor was safe and well tolerated and did not cause any infectious or wound healing complications. Six out 7 sensors remained fully operational over the entire study period. Glucose measurements were sufficiently accurate (overall mean absolute (relative) difference MARD of 7.4%, MAD 8.8 mg/dl) without significant impact of confounders. MAD values were 0.12 mM for ketones, 0.16 mM for lactate, and 0.18 mM for ethanol. CONCLUSIONS: The first implantable multi-biomarker sensor was shown to be well tolerated and produce accurate measurements of glucose, ketones, lactate, and ethanol. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trial identifier: NCT04782934.

Ethanol, acetaldehyde, and methanol in the gas phase and rainwater in different biomes and urban regions of Brazil.

In the context of the increasing global use of ethanol biofuel, this work investigates the concentrations of ethanol, methanol, and acetaldehyde, in both the gaseous phase and rainwater, across six diverse urban regions and biomes in Brazil, a country where ethanol accounts for nearly half the light-duty vehicular fuel consumption. Atmospheric ethanol median concentrations in São Paulo (SP) (12.3 ± 12.1 ppbv) and Ribeirão Preto (RP) (12.1 ± 10.9 ppbv) were remarkably close, despite the SP vehicular fleet being ∼13 times larger. Likewise, the rainwater VWM ethanol concentration in SP (4.64 ± 0.38 µmol L-1) was only 26 % higher than in RP (3.42 ± 0.13 µmol L-1). This work demonstrated the importance of evaporative emissions, together with biomass burning, as sources of the compounds studied. The importance of biogenic emissions of methanol during forest flooding was identified in campaigns in the Amazon and Atlantic forests. Marine air masses arriving at a coastal site led to the lowest concentrations of ethanol measured in this work. Besides vehicular and biomass burning emissions, secondary formation of acetaldehyde by photochemical reactions may be relevant in urban and non-urban regions. The combined deposition flux of ethanol and methanol was 6.2 kg ha-1 year-1, avoiding oxidation to the corresponding and more toxic aldehydes. Considering the species determined here, the ozone formation potential (OFP) in RP was around two-fold higher than in SP, further evidencing the importance of emissions from regional distilleries and biomass burning, in addition to vehicles. At the forest and coastal sites, the OFP was approximately 5 times lower than at the urban sites. Our work evidenced that transition from gasoline to ethanol or ethanol blends brings the associated risk of increasing the concentrations of highly toxic aldehydes and ozone, potentially impacting the atmosphere and threatening air quality and human health in urban areas.

Measurement uncertainty of ethyl alcohol concentration in the exhaled breath of drivers and determination of sobriety at the time of incident. / Niepewnosc pomiaru stezenia alkoholu etylowego w powietrzu wydychanym kierowców oraz ustalenia stanu trzezwosci w chwili zdarzenia.

The aim of the study was to determine the components of measurement uncertainty in the concentration of alcohol in exhaled breath and to determine the state of sobriety at the time of incident. Based on the literature review and the authors' experience in providing opinions for law enforcement and the judiciary, the influence of various factors on the final interpretation of sobriety state is described on the basis of measurement uncertainty of breath analyzers, uncertainty of retrospective and prospective calculations, and uncertainty related to the conversion of alcohol concentrations detected during breath and blood tests. The paper pays particular attention to interpreting the concentrations of ethanol in exhaled breath close to the legal limits of the state of sobriety and the state after alcohol use, or the state after alcohol use and the state of insobriety. Analyzing the results of an exhaled breath test concerning concentrations close to the values of 0.1 mg/dm3 and 0.25 mg/dm3, it is necessary to take into account the factors affecting the measurements obtained, including the measurement uncertainty of the determination of alcohol in exhaled breath, the processes of absorption, distribution and metabolism of ethyl alcohol, and the possibility of the presence of alcohol lingering in the oral cavity. The incorrect execution of measurements of the tested person's alcohol concentration is also a problematic issue. When determining sobriety state by means of retrospective and prospective calculations, it is important to remember that the uncertainty of the result is affected by a number of factors and depends, among other things, on the information provided by the suspect. Hence, the expert should draw conclusions particularly cautiously and any overestimation or underestimation of the components of uncertainty can lead to erroneous conclusions. Awareness of the uncertainties inherent in the results of a sobriety test or alcohol calculation allows for meaningful interpretation of test results and determination of the sobriety state of the person tested.

Comprehensive analysis of different solvent extracts of Ferula communis L. fruit reveals phenolic compounds and their biological properties via in vitro and in silico assays.

Although giant fennel is recognized as a "superfood" rich in phytochemicals with antioxidant activity, research into the antibacterial properties of its fruits has been relatively limited, compared to studies involving the root and aerial parts of the plant. In this study, seven solvents-acetone, methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, water, and hexane-were used to extract the chemical constituents of the fruit of giant fennel (Ferula communis), a species of flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae. Specific attributes of these extracts were investigated using in silico simulations and in vitro bioassays. High-performance liquid chromatography equipped with a diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD) identified 15 compounds in giant fennel extract, with p-coumaric acid, 3-hydroxybenzoic acid, sinapic acid, and syringic acid being dominant. Among the solvents tested, ethanol demonstrated superior antioxidant activity and phenolic and flavonoid contents. F. communis extracts showed advanced inhibition of gram-negative pathogens (Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis) and variable antifungal activity against tested strains. Molecular docking simulations assessed the antioxidative, antibacterial, and antifungal properties of F. communis, facilitating innovative therapeutic development through predicted compound-protein interactions. In conclusion, the results validate the ethnomedicinal use and potential of F. communis. This highlights its significance in natural product research and ethnopharmacology.

Effectiveness of stabilization methods for the immediate and short-term preservation of bovine fecal and upper respiratory tract genomic DNA.

Previous research on stabilization methods for microbiome investigations has largely focused on human fecal samples. There are a few studies using feces from other species, but no published studies investigating preservation of samples collected from cattle. Given that microbial taxa are differentially impacted during storage it is warranted to study impacts of preservation methods on microbial communities found in samples outside of human fecal samples. Here we tested methods of preserving bovine fecal respiratory specimens for up to 2 weeks at four temperatures (room temperature, 4°C, -20°C, and -80°C) by comparing microbial diversity and community composition to samples extracted immediately after collection. Importantly, fecal specimens preserved and analyzed were technical replicates, providing a look at the effects of preservation method in the absence of biological variation. We found that preservation with the OMNIgene®â€¢GUT kit resulted in community structure most like that of fresh samples extracted immediately, even when stored at room temperature (~20°C). Samples that were flash-frozen without added preservation solution were the next most representative of original communities, while samples preserved with ethanol were the least representative. These results contradict previous reports that ethanol is effective in preserving fecal communities and suggest for studies investigating cattle either flash-freezing of samples without preservative or preservation with OMNIgene®â€¢GUT will yield more representative microbial communities.

Enhancing the flavour quality of Laiyang pear wine by screening sorbitol-utilizing yeasts and co-fermentation strategies.

This study took a novel approach to address the dual challenges of enhancing the ethanol content and aroma complexity in Laiyang pear wine. It focused on sorbitol as a pivotal element in the strategic selection of yeasts with specific sorbitol-utilization capabilities and their application in co-fermentation strategies. We selected two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (coded as Sc1, Sc2), two Metschnikowia pulcherrima (coded as Mp1, Mp2), and one Pichia terricola (coded as Tp) due to their efficacy as starter cultures. Notably, the Sc2 strain, alone or with Mp2, significantly increased the ethanol content (30% and 16%). Mixed Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia terricola fermentation improved the ester profiles and beta-damascenone levels (maximum of 150%), while Metschnikowia pulcherrima addition enriched the phenethyl alcohol content (maximum of 330%), diversifying the aroma. This study investigated the efficacy of strategic yeast selection based on sorbitol utilization and co-fermentation methods in enhancing Laiyang pear wine quality and aroma.

Refermentation and maturation of lambic beer in bottles: a necessary step for gueuze production.

The production of gueuze beers through refermentation and maturation of blends of lambic beer in bottles is a way for lambic brewers to cope with the variability among different lambic beer batches. The resulting gueuze beers are more carbonated than lambic beers and are supposed to possess a unique flavor profile that varies over time. To map this refermentation and maturation process for gueuze production, a blend of lambic beers was made and bottled, whereby one of them was produced with the old wheat landrace Zeeuwse Witte. Through the use of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and high-throughput sequencing of bacterial and fungal amplicons, in combination with metabolite target analysis, new insights into gueuze production were obtained. During the initial stages of refermentation, the conditions in the bottles were similar to those encountered during the maturation phase of lambic beer productions in wooden barrels, which was also reflected microbiologically (presence of Brettanomyces species, Pediococcus damnosus, and Acetobacter lambici) and biochemically (ethanol, higher alcohols, lactic acid, acetic acid, volatile phenolic compounds, and ethyl esters). However, after a few weeks of maturation, a switch from a favorable environment to one with nutrient and dissolved oxygen depletion resulted in several changes. Concerning the microbiology, a sequential prevalence of three lactic acid bacterial species occurred, namely, P. damnosus, Lentilactobacillus buchneri, and Lactobacillus acetotolerans, while the diversity of the yeasts decreased. Concerning the metabolites produced, mainly those of the Brettanomyces yeasts determined the metabolic profiles encountered during later stages of the gueuze production.IMPORTANCEGueuze beers are the result of a refermentation and maturation process of a blend of lambic beers carried out in bottles. These gueuze beers are known to have a long shelf life, and their quality typically varies over time. However, knowledge about gueuze production in bottles is scarce. The present study provided more insights into the varying microbial and metabolite composition of gueuze beers during the first 2 years of this refermentation and maturation process. This will allow gueuze producers to gain more information about the influence of the refermentation and maturation time on their beers. These insights can also be used by gueuze producers to better inform their customers about the quality of young and old gueuze beers.

Investigation on screening, identification, and fermentation characteristics of Yunnan olive in the fermented liquid utilizing five strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Refined indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae can enhance refinement, sophistication, and subtlety of fruit wines by showcasing exceptional regional characteristics. In order to identify exceptional indigenous S. cerevisiae strains from Yunnan olive, this study isolated 60 yeast strains from wild Yunnan olive fermentation mash. The five S. cerevisiae strains were subjected to morphological and molecular biological identification, followed by evaluation of their fermentation performance, ethanol production capacity, ester production capacity, H2S production capacity, killing capacity, and tolerance. Strains LJM-4, LJM-10, and LJM-26 exhibited robust tolerance to 6% ethanol volume fraction, pH 2.8, sucrose concentration of 400 g/L, SO2 concentration of 0.3 g/L, glucose concentration of 400 g/L at both 40 °C and 15 °C. Additionally, strain LJM-10 demonstrated a faster fermentation rate compared to the other strains. Among the tested S. cerevisiae strains evaluated in this study for olive wine fermentation process in Yunnan region; strain LJM-10 displayed superior abilities in terms of ester and ethanol production while exhibiting the lowest H2S production levels. These findings suggest that strain LJM-10 holds great potential as an excellent candidate for optimizing fruit wine S. cerevisiae fermentation processes in Yunnan olive fruit wine.

Effects of Non-Saccharomyces Yeasts and Their Pairwise Combinations in Co-Fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the Quality of Chunjian Citrus Wine.

Non-Saccharomyces (NSc) yeasts have great potential in improving wine qualities. In this study, two NSc and two Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) samples were tested on their performance of mono-inoculated and composite culture in the fermentation of Chunjian citrus wine. The cell count, Brix degree, total sugar, total acidity, alcohol level, pH value, color intensity (CI), and tonality were determined to evaluate the contribution of NSc to the quality of citrus wine in the mixed fermentation. Volatile compounds were analyzed by HS-SPME-GC-MS, and sensory evaluation was carried out. During the 9-day fermentation, the mixed-culture wine exhibited a higher cell concentration than the pure culture. After the fermentation, mixed-culture wine specifically decreased the concentrations of unfavorable volatile compounds, such as isobutanol and octanoic acid, and increased favorable volatile compounds, including ethyl octanoate, ethyl decanoate, and phenylethyl acetate. The quality category of the citrus wine was improved compared with the Sc mono-inoculated wines, mainly in regard to aroma, retention, and sweetness. The study shows that the mixed fermentation of NSc and Sc has positive impacts on reducing alcohol level and total acidity and increasing CI. The present work demonstrates that the mixed fermentation of NSc and Sc has enormous beneficial impacts on improving the quality of citrus wine.

Post-mortem formation of ethanol: Is 1-propanol a reliable marker? A proof-of-concept study using an in vitro putrefactive environment setup.

Ethanol is the psychoactive substance identified most frequently in post-mortem specimens. Unfortunately, interpreting post-mortem ethanol concentrations can be difficult because of post-mortem alcohol redistribution and the possibility of post-mortem alcohol neogenesis. Indeed, in the time interval between death and sample collection, the decedent may be exposed to non-controlled environments for an extended period, promoting microbial colonization. Many authors report that in the presence of carbohydrates and other biomolecules, various species of bacteria, yeast, and fungi can synthesize ethanol and other volatile substances in vitro and in vivo. The aim of this study was to study the impact of several variables on microbial ethanol production as well as develop a mathematical model that could estimate the microbial-produced ethanol in correlation with the most significant consensual produced higher alcohol, 1-propanol. An experimental setup was developed using human blood samples and cadaveric fragments incubated under strictly anaerobic conditions to produce a novel substrate, "cadaveric putrefactive blood" mimicking post-mortem corpse conditions. The samples were analyzed daily for ethanol and 1-propanol using an HS-GC-FID validated method. The formation of ethanol was evaluated considering different parameters such as putrefactive stage, blood glucose concentration, storage temperature, and storage time. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney non-parametric test and simple linear regression. The results indicate that the early putrefactive stage, high blood glucose concentration, high temperature, and time of incubation increase microbial ethanol production. In addition, the developed mathematical equation confirms the feasibility of using 1-propanol as a marker of post-mortem ethanol production.

Superior high-efficiency and high-throughput volatile flavor extraction of Japanese fermented seasonings by solvent-assisted stir bar solid extraction with reverse extraction.

Fermented seasonings have pleasant flavors that stimulate our appetite. Their flavoring properties change depending on factors such as their materials and fermented conditions. Therefore, a comparative analysis of their flavor is important when evaluating their quality. However, seasonings contain high levels of various matrices such as sugars, proteins, lipids, and ethanol, making it difficult to extract aroma compounds efficiently from them. In this study, we verified a high-efficient and high-throughput volatile flavor analysis of fermented seasonings by solvent-assisted stir bar solid extraction (SA-SBSE) with reverse extraction. We applied SA-SBSE to Japanese fermented seasonings, soy sauce, miso (fermented beans), and mirin (sweet rice wine) and compared their profiles with those from other common extraction methods, headspace gas-solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), liquid extraction with solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (LE-SAFE), and conventional SBSE (C-SBSE). The aroma properties and profiles of extracts from SA-SBSE were close to those of the original sample, being similar to that of LE-SAFE. In addition, potent aroma compounds in each sample were extracted by SA-SBSE and LE-SAFE, which were far superior to those by C-SBSE. For quantification, SA-SBSE extracts showed a good standard curve by the standard addition method. We could quantify maltol, one of the most common potent aroma compounds in all samples, for various commercial samples by such high-throughput analysis.

Ester-related volatile compounds reveal the diversity and commonalities of different types of late-ripening peaches.

To recognize the key ester-related volatile compounds, 5 types of peaches including 54 late-ripening peach materials were examined by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and E-nose. Here, a large number of esters were identified to be released by ripe peach fruits and were mainly characterized by fruity, green, and fatty notes. The variety and content of esters had greatly changed within or between cultivars, indicating that the fruit volatiles were highly differentiated depending on the specific genotypes and cultivation conditions. The ester types showed that fatty acid-derived C6 alcohols and methyl-/ethyl- short-chain alcohol were the main ester precursors, which were more likely to be utilized and well selected by alcohol acyltransferases, whereas the preference of acyl donors was not observed. The common peach type, which exhibited a unique volatile profile, displayed broader diversity and more abundant characteristics in ester-related volatiles than the other four types. A total of 19 key esters were identified as the main components and the content of most esters showed no significant difference among different peach types. Some key esters had even been enriched in nectarines. Moreover, the multiple discriminant analysis revealed a possible relationship between peach types and the domestication of the peach evolution. This study investigated ester-related volatiles released by different types of peach fruits and can be further used to evaluate the peach qualities, providing an important reference for peach breeding and processing.

Establishing vitreous glucose and beta-hydroxybutyrate thresholds to assist in the diagnosis of hypothermia.

The post-mortem diagnosis of hypothermia is challenging to establish due to the lack of pathognomonic findings and the confounding problem that any comorbidity may account for death. A 4-year retrospective case-control study was performed to compare the vitreous glucose and beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations between hypothermia deaths and controls. Over the study period 34 cases of hypothermia and 39 controls were analyzed. Hypothermia deaths versus controls had higher mean vitreous glucose (2.93 mmol/L vs. 1.14 mmol/L; p < 0.0001), BHB (1.89 mmol/L vs. 1.35 mmol/L; p = 0.01), and combined glucose+BHB (4.83 mmol/L vs. 2.46 mmol/L; p < 0.0001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the best model for predicting hypothermia in all cases was a combined vitreous glucose+BHB threshold of 2.03 mmol/L (sensitivity 88.2 %; specificity 56.4 %). A sub-group analysis broken down by detectable levels of blood ethanol showed that cases of hypothermia with and without ethanol maintained higher median vitreous glucose relative to the controls (2.05 vs. 0.35 mmol/L and 2.70 vs. 0.65 mmol/L; p = 0.02), however median BHB was only significantly elevated when ethanol was absent (1.88 vs. 1.42 mmol/L; p < 0.0001). Subsequent ROC curve analysis demonstrated that a better model for predicting hypothermia was in cases when blood ethanol was absent. In those deaths vitreous BHB alone had the best area under the curve, with an optimum threshold of 1.83 mmol/L (sensitivity 83.3 %; specificity 96.3 %). This study shows that post-mortem vitreous glucose and BHB are useful ancillary studies to assist in the diagnosis of hypothermia. Ethanol however is a confounder and can alter the utility of vitreous BHB when diagnosing hypothermia in those who have consumed alcohol prior to death.

Selecting autochthonous lactic acid bacteria for co-inoculation in Chinese bayberry wine production: Stress response, starter cultures application and volatilomic study.

This study focused on isolating and characterising autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from spontaneously fermented Chinese bayberry (CB) and their potential application in CB wine fermentation in co-inoculation with yeast starter cultures. Numerous LAB, including Lactiplantibacillus (Lp.) plantarum (9), Limosilactobacillus (Lb.) fermentum (6), Lactococcus (Lc.) lactis (3), Enterococcus (Ec.) hirae (1), Leuconostoc (Le.) mesenteroides (1), and Weissella (Ws.) cibaria (1), were isolated and identified. The isolated strains Lp. plantarum ZFM710 and ZFM715, together with Lb. fermentum ZFM720 and ZFM722, adapted well to unfavourable fermentation environment, including ethanol, osmolality, and acidity stresses, were selected for producing CB wine by co-inoculation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. During fermentation, the presence of LAB promoted the development of S. cerevisiae, while the population dynamics of LAB in different groups at different stages showed strain-specific differences. Fermentation trials involving LAB yielded a lower ethanol concentration except for Lp. plantarum ZFM715. Compared to the pure S. cerevisiae fermented sample, the addition of LAB led to a clear modulation in organic acid composition. Lb. fermentum strains in co-fermentation led to significant decreases in each classified group of aroma compounds, while Lp. plantarum ZFM715 significantly increased the complexity and intensity of aroma compounds, as well as the intensities of fruity and floral notes. The study selects interesting strains for the design of starter cultures for use in CB wine production, underlining the interest in the selection of autochthonous LAB in fruit wines, with the aim of improving the adaptation of bacteria to specific environmental conditions and shaping the unique traits of the finished products.

Charentaise distillation of cognac. Part II: Process simulation and impact of recycling practices on the aroma composition of freshly distilled spirit.

A growing number of studies over the years has successfully employed computer simulation tools to understand, optimize and design spirit distillations. Amongst distilled spirits, cognac is a reputed wine spirit resulting from a double batch distillation process known as Charentaise distillation. This complex operation comprises the wine distillation (WD) and the brouillis distillation (BD), which are carried out in copper alembics. The distillate produced in each batch is fractionated and some of those fractions are recycled in subsequent batches. To improve the current understanding of the behavior of aroma compounds during the process, computer simulation modules were built in this work for a WD and a BD and the results were compared with experimental data. Of the 62 aroma compounds detected in the samples over time, 52 could be represented in the simulations, including 37 using the NRTL thermodynamic model to calculate vapor-liquid equilibria and another 15 with the UNIFAC model. Half of those had their concentration profiles and their partitioning accurately described by the simulation, most of which were modeled with NRTL. This highlights the need for reliable vapor-liquid equilibrium data for aroma compounds that were poorly represented or absent from the simulation as well as kinetic data for chemical reactions occurring during distillation. Furthermore, the impact of the recycling operation on the composition in aroma compounds of freshly distilled cognac was investigated. To represent a steady state, a mathematical model was employed to implement the recycling of distillate fractions during 8 successive Charentaise distillation cycles. The operation was shown to improve the extraction of ethanol and of all volatile compounds in the heart, reaching a pseudo steady state after 3 to 5 cycles. The recycling of the second fraction had a higher influence on the extraction of alcohols and terpenes, while for most esters and norisoprenoids the recycled head fractions played a bigger role.

Ultrasonic-ethanol pretreatment assisted aqueous enzymatic extraction of hemp seed oil with low Δ9-THC.

In this study, ultrasonic-ethanol pretreatment combined with AEE was developed for oil extraction from hemp seeds. The oil yield reached a maximum of 23.32 % at 200 W ultrasonic power and 30 min ultrasonic time, at this point, the degradation rate of Δ9-THC was 83.11 %. By determining the composition of hemp seed before and after pretreatment, it was shown that ultrasonic-ethanol pretreatment reduced the protein content of the raw material. An enzyme mixture consisting of pectinase and hemicellulase (1/1/1, w/w/w) was experimentally determined to be used, and the AEE extraction conditions were optimized using the Plackett-Burman design and the Box-Behnken. The optimal conditions were determined to be pH 5, total enzyme activity of 37,800 U/g, liquid-solid ratio of 10.4 mL/g, enzyme digestion temperature of 32 °C, enzymatic time of 189 min, and oil recovery of 88.38 %. The results of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the emulsion formed during ultrasonic ethanol pretreatment was not uniformly distributed, and the droplets appeared to be aggregated; and the irregular pores of hemp seed increased after pretreatment. The contents of Δ9-THC and CBN in the extracted oil samples were 9.58 mg/kg and 52.45 mg/kg, respectively. Compared with the oil extracted by Soxhlet extraction (SE), the oil extracted by this experimental method was of better quality and similar in fatty acid composition.

Influences of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) recovered from waste sludge on the ability of Jiaozhou Bay to self-remediate of diesel-polluted seawater.

The introduction of EPS recovered from waste sludge may have an impact on the process of microbial remediation of oil-contaminated seawater. This study investigated the effect of EPS on the self-remediation capacity of diesel-polluted seawater in Jiaozhou Bay. Hydrocarbon attenuation and microbial activity were monitored in seawater collected from five islands after diesel and N, P addition, with and without EPS, incubated under aerobic conditions. Compared to seawater without EPS, degradation of TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbon) doubled and improved degradation of non-volatile (C16-C24) hydrocarbons to some extent in EPS-added seawater. The introduction of EPS led to changes in microbiota richness and diversity, significantly stimulating the growth of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes phyla or Bacillus and Pseudomonas genera. RT-qPCR analysis indicated EPS caused higher increases in cytochrome P450 gene copies than alkB. Prediction of alkane decay genes from 16S rRNA sequencing data revealed that EPS addition obviously promoted genes related to ethanol dehydrogenation function in the microbial community. Additionally, EPS enhanced the enzymatic activities of alkane hydroxylase, ethanol dehydrogenase, phosphatase and lipase, but increased protease and catalase inconspicuously. The above outlook that environmental sustainability of EPS from waste sludge for diesel-contaminated seawater remediation may provide new perspectives for oil spill bioremediation.

Investigating alcohol consumption in China via wastewater-based epidemiology.

Alcohol abuse and addiction is a public health issue of global concern. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a forceful and effective complementary tool for investigating chemical consumption. This study examined alcohol consumption in major cities of China via WBE and compared WBE estimates with other data sources. A simple and valid ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the determination of two alcohol metabolites, ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) in wastewater. The optimized method was applied to 62 sewage samples collected from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in 31 provincial capital cities across China in the fourth quarter of 2020. The methodology established in this study was validated with the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) up to 0.1 µg/L, good linearity in the range of 0.1-50 µg/L, intra-day and inter-day precision less than 5.58% and 5.55%, respectively, and the recoveries of the extracts were higher than 97.14%. The consumption range of alcohol estimated via WBE was 6.09 ± 4.56 ethanol/person/day (EPD) in the capital cities of China. Alcohol consumption varies significantly between cities in China, with WBE estimating lower alcohol consumption than WHO and lower than foreign countries. Investing in alcohol consumption based on WBE has great potential to accurately and efficiently estimate alcohol consumption.

Origin of the First Handheld Breath Alcohol Analyzer Incorporating an Electrochemical Sensor.

Historical events leading to the development of the first handheld instrument for breath alcohol analysis using an electrochemical sensor are reviewed. The first prototype instrument, known as the Alcolmeter Pocket Model, became available in 1972 and weighed only 180 g and was about the size of a cellphone. By the mid-1970s, the Alcolmeter instrument was used by police forces in several countries as a preliminary roadside test of driver sobriety. Positive results in a roadside breath test were considered sufficient evidence to arrest a suspect for further evaluation and testing. This might entail an evidential-quality breath alcohol test or taking a sample of the driver's blood for analysis at a forensic laboratory. The main advantages of breath testing over blood testing are the non-invasive nature of the sampling procedure compared with sticking a needle in a vein to draw blood, and obtaining immediate information whether or not a person is in breach of the drunk driving legislation.