Article
Engineering, Environmental
Maya E. Morales-McDevitt, Jitka Becanova, Arlene Blum, Thomas A. Bruton, Simon Vojta, Melissa Woodward, Rainer Lohmann
Summary: The study reveals the widespread presence of volatile PFAS, specifically fluorotelomer alcohols, in indoor environments. In Californian kindergarten classrooms, 6:2 FTOH was the dominant species with concentrations ranging from 9 to 600 ng m(-3), followed by 8:2 FTOH. Concentrations of volatile PFAS in air, carpet, and dust were closely related, indicating carpets and dust as major sources of FTOHs in air.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2021)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Maude M. David
Summary: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex disorder influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Studies have suggested a role of the gut microbiome in modulating ASD phenotype, but results remain inconsistent. Future research will require new experimental methodologies to better understand this relationship.
Editorial Material
Clinical Neurology
Ellen Zhang
Summary: During an urgent situation, doctors discovered a patient's brain hemorrhage through a CT scan and took immediate surgical interventions. Although experienced, it was still difficult for them to tell the patient's wife that she may not see her husband again. However, the doctors persisted in communicating with her, providing comfort and support.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pawel Mochalski, Julian King, Chris A. Mayhew, Karl Unterkofler
Summary: Researchers often search for specific patterns of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in different sources of biomarkers, but they are not aware that these patterns change depending on the source used. To address this issue, we have created a simple model to demonstrate that the distribution patterns of VOCs in fat, mixed venous blood, alveolar air, and end-tidal breath are different.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Lu Zhang, Xinyue Li, Haoxuan Chen, Zhijun Wu, Min Hu, Maosheng Yao
Summary: This study investigated the use of breath-borne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for monitoring the health effects of haze pollution on humans, identifying potential biomarkers and a model for detecting haze exposure.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Lu Zhang, Xinyue Li, Haoxuan Chen, Zhijun Wu, Min Hu, Maosheng Yao
Summary: In this study, the use of breath-borne VOCs for monitoring air pollution health effects on humans was investigated. The research showed significant differences in six VOC species between pre-, on-, and post-exposure to haze pollution. The machine learning model GBM demonstrated high precision in distinguishing between pre- and on-exposure to haze pollution. Correlation analysis identified several factors that played important roles in the changes in breath-borne VOC fingerprints following haze air pollution exposure.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lucy Fitzgerald, Luis Lopez Ruiz, Joe Zhu, John Lach, Daniel Quinn
Summary: Piezoelectric materials are widely used for converting mechanical deformation into electric charge or vice versa. In this study, we explore the possibility of sub-resonant self-powered by design (SPD) flow sensing in the human airway. We propose a physical model of piezoelectric sensing/harvesting in the airway, which we validate through benchtop experiments. Our work provides a model-based roadmap for implantable SPD sensing solutions and proposes a new form of SPD sensing that can detect broadband flow information.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dapeng Chen, Noella A. Bryden, Wayne A. Bryden, Michael McLoughlin, Dexter Smith, Alese P. Devin, Emily R. Caton, Caroline R. Haddaway, Michele Tameris, Thomas J. Scriba, Mark Hatherill, Sophia Gessner, Digby F. Warner, Robin Wood
Summary: Human breath contains trace amounts of non-volatile organic compounds (NOCs) which could be used as markers of individual health. In this study, metabolites and lipids in exhaled breath aerosol (EBA) samples were analyzed to identify molecular signatures of active tuberculosis (TB). Thirteen metabolite and nine lipid markers were identified with statistically different values between individuals with active TB and healthy controls. Importantly, EBA lipid profiles can effectively distinguish the two sample types, indicating the diagnostic potential of the identified molecules.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tatiana Kimakova, Daria Kondrakhova, Evgeni Ovodok, Marya Ivanovskaya, Valentina Kormosh, Serhii Vorobiov, Maksym Lisnichuk, Vitalij Bilanych, Vladimir Komanicky
Summary: The properties of planar sensors based on tin dioxide and indium oxide for detecting acetone vapors have been studied. The sensors exhibit high sensitivity to low concentrations of acetone in humid environments, and the addition of a small amount of Au-III ions significantly enhances the sensor response.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoyan Yang, Dongqun Xu, Bo Wen, Jian Ji, Zeyu Zhang, Li Li, Shaoping Zhang, Hong Zhi, Jian Kong, Chong Wang, Jun Wang, Hongjie Ruan, Ming Zhang, Lan Wei, Bin Dong, Qin Wang
Summary: This study found that metabolites in exhaled breath condensate mediated the effect of PM on schoolchildren's pulmonary function. Metabolomics analysis of samples from 60 schoolchildren revealed that lipid peroxidation-related and energy metabolism-related metabolites mediated the effects of PM, with different metabolites playing a role in boys versus girls.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Tim Coulson
Summary: Ecological systems are not always in equilibrium, with the natural world mostly being stable but experiencing occasional periods of change. Moving away from a stable state does not mean we should completely abandon the concept of equilibrium when studying the dynamics of the natural world.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Filip T. Szczypinski, Steven Bennett, Kim E. Jelfs
Summary: The discovery of materials is crucial for new technologies, but it is slow. Computational screening helps identify promising candidates, but there are challenges in realizing them in the lab.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valentina Vassilenko, Pedro Catalao Moura, Maria Raposo
Summary: The assessment of volatile breath biomarkers has gained significant attention in the scientific and medical communities for its potential in accurately diagnosing diseases in a painless and non-invasive manner. This paper reviews relevant literature sources and identifies volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that have been identified as potential cancer biomarkers. It also discusses future trends in using volatile breath biomarkers for the detection of other forms of cancer. The future of this diagnostic tool relies on the development of more advanced collection and analysis techniques, as well as certification for its utilization in real clinical settings.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ximeng Liu, Bin Hu
Summary: Human exhaled breath is being recognized as a potential clinical resource for noninvasive disease diagnosis. The use of mask devices for filtering exhaled substances has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper reviews the developments and applications of mask samplers for collecting exhaled substances and summarizes their couplings with different analytical approaches. The limitations and future trends of mask samplers are also discussed.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael W. DeGregorio, Gregory T. Wurz, Edward Montoya, Chiao-Jung Kao
Summary: The legalization of cannabis for medicinal and recreational use is expanding globally, but there is still a lack of an accurate recent use test. Research has shown that by studying breath and blood samples of subjects, recent cannabis use within the impairment window after smoking can be determined.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
