Growth in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is posing increasing problems of waste management, partly resulting from its plastic content. WEEE plastics include a range of polymers, ...some of which can be sorted and extracted for recycling. However a nonrecyclable fraction remains containing a mixture of polymers contaminated with other materials, and pyrolysis is a potential means of recovering the energy content of this. In preparation for a life cycle assessment of this option, described in part 2 of this paper set, data were collected from trials using experimental pyrolysis equipment representative of a continuous commercial process operated at 800 °C. The feedstock contained acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and high impact polystyrene with high levels of additives, and dense polymers including polyvinylchloride, polycarbonate, polyphenylene oxide, and polymethyl methacrylate. On average 39% was converted to gases, 36% to oils, and 25% remained as residue. About 35% of the gas was methane and 42% carbon monoxide, plus other hydrocarbons, oxygen and carbon dioxide. The oils were almost all aromatic, forming a similar mixture to fuel oil. The residue was mainly carbon with inorganic compounds from the plastic additives and most of the chlorine from the feedstock. The results showed that the process produced around 70% of the original plastic weight as potential fuel.
Background Anti–IL-5 might be a useful therapeutic agent for eosinophilic disorders, yet its immunologic consequences have not been well characterized. Objective We sought to characterize the ...hematologic and immunologic effects of anti-IL-5 in human subjects. Methods The effects of 3-month infusions of mepolizumab were assessed in 25 patients with a variety of eosinophilic syndromes. Samples with increased IL-5 levels after therapy were analyzed by using size exclusion filtration. Immunoreactive IL-5 fraction and plasma samples were subsequently precipitated with saturating concentrations of protein A/G. Results Twenty-three patients responded to anti–IL-5 therapy with a decrease in blood eosinophil counts and a reduced percentage of CCR3+ cells by 20- and 13-fold, respectively ( P < .0001). Responsiveness was not related to the levels of baseline plasma IL-5 or the presence of FIP1L1-PDGFRA fusion gene. Persistently decreased blood eosinophilia remained for 3 months after final infusion in 76% of subjects. Therapy was associated with a large increase in blood IL-5 levels, likely because of a circulating IL-5/mepolizumab complex precipitated with protein A/G, a significant increase in eosinophil IL-5 receptor α expression, and increased percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ cells producing intracellular IL-5 ( P < .05). Additionally, anti-IL-5 therapy decreased eotaxin-stimulated eosinophil shape change ex vivo. Conclusions Anti–IL-5 therapy induces a dramatic and sustained decrease in blood eosinophilia (including CCR3+ cells), decreased eosinophil activation, and increased circulating levels of IL-5 in a variety of eosinophilic disorders. Increased levels of IL-5 receptor α and lymphocyte IL-5 production after anti–IL-5 therapy suggest an endogenous IL-5 autoregulatory pathway.
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is characterized by high numbers of eosinophils in the esophagus and epithelial hyperplasia, and is being increasingly recognized. IL-5 promotes eosinophil trafficking ...to the esophagus, and positively regulates eosinophil growth, activation, survival, and tissue recruitment.
We hypothesized that the humanized monoclonal IgG
1 antibody against human IL-5 (mepolizumab) may be useful in the control of EE.
An open-label phase I/II safety and efficacy study of anti–IL-5 in 4 adult patients with EE and longstanding dysphagia and esophageal strictures was conducted. Patients received 3 infusions of anti–IL-5 (750 mg intravenously monthly) without change in their current therapy. The levels of plasma IL-5, peripheral blood eosinophils, and CCR3
+ cells in blood, quality of life measurements, and histological analysis of esophageal biopsies were determined before and 1 month after treatment.
Peripheral blood eosinophilia and percent of CCR3
+ cells decreased by 6.4-fold and 7.9-fold (
P < .05), respectively, after anti–IL-5 treatment. Notably, mean and maximal esophageal eosinophilia decreased from 46 to 6 and from 153 to 28 eosinophils/high-power field (×400; average, 8.9-fold,
P < .001, and 6-fold,
P < .05), respectively. Patients reported a better clinical outcome and improved quality of life (
P = .03). Therapy was generally well tolerated, and responsiveness to anti–IL-5 therapy did not correlate with plasma IL-5 levels.
Anti–IL-5 therapy is associated with marked decreases in peripheral blood and esophageal eosinophilia (including the number of CCR3
+ blood cells) in patients with EE and improved clinical outcomes.
Anti–IL-5 is a promising therapeutic intervention for EE.
2-(2E)-3-(4-tert-Butylphenyl)-2-methylprop-2-enylidenemalononitrile (DCTB) is a nonpolar, aprotic matrix and was used in the analysis of a variety of compounds by matrix-assisted laser ...desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). The classes of compounds include coordination compounds, organometallics, conjugated organic compounds (including porphyrins and phthalocyanines), carbohydrates, calixarenes, and macrocycles. For some samples, comparisons are made with spectra acquired with the use of 1,8,9-trihydroxyanthracene (dithranol), 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, and 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone matrixes. Traditionally, the majority of these compounds would have been analyzed by fast-atom bombardment (FAB), liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry (LSIMS), or electrospray techniques, but this work shows that MALDI-TOFMS using DCTB has advantages over these techniques, particularly FAB and LSIMS. Certain limitations of DCTB are noted, for example, in the analysis of water-soluble compounds such as peptides, proteins, and oligonucleotides, and good working practices for the use of the matrix are also outlined.
Nanostructure-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (NALDI-TOFMS) has been developed recently as a matrix-free/surface-assisted alternative to matrix-assisted laser ...desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). The NALDI surface of silicon nanowires is already very effective for the analysis of small to medium sized, polar organic molecules in positive ion mode. The current study examined this technology for the analysis of several nonpolar organic, organometallic, and ionic compounds in positive ion mode, as well as a fluorinated compound and various acids in negative ion mode. NALDI data are compared and contrasted with MALDI data for the same compounds, and the higher sensitivity of NALDI is highlighted by the successful characterization of two porphyrins for a sample amount of 10 amol per spot.
Organic and organometallic compounds have been analyzed using NALDI-TOFMS, with acquired data indicating multiple, analyte-dependant, ionization pathways may be utilized from this surface.
An investigation of various solvent-free matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) sample preparation methods for the characterization of ...organometallic and coordination compounds is described. Such methods are desirable for insoluble materials, compounds that are only soluble in disadvantageous solvents, or complexes that dissociate in solution, all of which present a major “difficulty” to most mass spectrometry techniques. First-row transition metal acetylacetonate complexes, which have been characterized previously by solution preparation MALDI-TOFMS, were used to evaluate the various solvent-free procedures. These procedures comprise two distinct steps: the first being the efficient “solids mixing” (the mixing of sample and matrix), and the second being the effective transfer of the sample/matrix mixture to the MALDI target plate. This investigation shows that vortex mixing is the most efficient first step and that smearing using a microspatula is the most effective second step. In addition, the second step is shown to be much more critical than the first step in obtaining high-quality data. Case studies of truly insoluble materials highlight the importance of these techniques for the wider chemistry community.
Objective: Human atherosclerotic lesions of different stages have quantitative differences in cholesterol and oxysterol content, but information on the oxysterol profile in fatty streaks is limited. ...This study aims to provide more detailed oxysterol quantification in human fatty streaks, as well as normal aorta and advanced lesions.
Methods: A newly adapted method was used, including oxysterol purification by means of a silica cartridge; and it was ensured that artifactual oxysterol formation was kept to a minimum. Cholesterol and oxysterols were estimated by GC and identification confirmed by GC-MS in samples of normal human arterial intima, intima with near-confluent fatty streaks and advanced lesions, in necropsy samples.
Results: The oxysterols 7α-hydroxycholesterol, cholesterol-5β, 6β-epoxide, cholesterol-5α, 6α-epoxide, 7β-hydroxycholesterol, 7-ketocholesterol and 27-hydroxycholesterol (formerly known as 26-hydroxy-cholesterol) were found in all the lesions, but were at most very low in the normal aorta, both when related to wet weight and when related to cholesterol. Most components of the normal artery showed some cross-correlation on linear regression analysis, but cross-correlations were weaker in the fatty streaks and advanced lesions. However, in fatty streak there was a marked positive correlation between 27-hydroxycholesterol and cholesterol.
Conclusion: The findings confirm that oxysterols are present in fatty streaks and advanced lesions and may arise from different cholesterol oxidation mechanisms, including free radical-mediated oxidation and enzymatic oxidation.
Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis of methanol extracts of
Oenanthe crocata roots revealed that oenanthotoxin co-eluted with another major polyalkyne, 2,3-dihydro-oenanthotoxin, ...using the existing high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method (isocratic elution from C18 with aqueous methanol) for investigating
Oenanthe poisoning. Positive ES or APCI gave (M
+
H)–H
2O
+ and its methanol adduct as major ion species for oenanthotoxin, whereas 2,3-dihydro-oenanthotoxin formed M
+
H
+ and its methanol adduct. The two polyalkynes could be chromatographically resolved on C18 by gradient elution with aqueous acetonitrile. This provides superior analysis for oenanthotoxin using HPLC with photodiode array (PDA) detection alone, but for LC–MS/MS aqueous acetonitrile was less suitable due to poor ionisation and, with APCI, an increase in the relative abundance of a M-1
+ species, which could confuse compound assignment. HPLC–PDA and LC–MS/MS methods using an aqueous acetonitrile or aqueous methanol mobile phase, respectively, were successful when applied to the analysis of the stomach contents of a pony suspected to have eaten
O. crocata. Relevant product ion spectra, by ion trap MS/MS, accurate mass data and complete sets of
1H and
13C NMR spectral assignments are given for the two compounds.
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