Chemical products : basic guide on labelling and safety data sheets

Hazardous chemical products have to comply with, amongst others, the provisions of a correct classification of danger, labelling and compilation of the safety data sheets. The aim is to protect people's health and the environment from exposure to hazardous chemicals- especially the health and safety of direct users, professionals or not, and the general public, via environmental exposure. This publication is intended to contribute to the knowledge of the objectives and basic aspects of these legal provisions, and thereby increase their degree of compliance in Andalusia and other european regions. This Guide is directed toward those people who, in the development of their professional activities, are in one way or another in contact with dangerous chemical products.

Chemical products : basic guide on labelling and safety data sheets

Hazardous chemical products have to comply with, amongst others, the provisions of a correct classification of danger, labelling and compilation of the safety data sheets. The aim is to protect people's health and the environment from exposure to hazardous chemicals- especially the health and safety of direct users, professionals or not, and the general public, via environmental exposure. This publication is intended to contribute to the knowledge of the objectives and basic aspects of these legal provisions, and thereby increase their degree of compliance in Andalusia and other european regions. This Guide is directed toward those people who, in the development of their professional activities, are in one way or another in contact with dangerous chemical products.

Toxic cardenolides: chemical ecology and coevolution of specialized plant-herbivore interactions.

CONTENTS: Summary 28 I. Historic background and introduction 29 II. Diversity of cardenolide forms 29 III. Biosynthesis 30 IV. Cardenolide variation among plant parts 31 V. Phylogenetic distribution of cardenolides 32 VI. Geographic distribution of cardenolides 34 VII. Ecological genetics of cardenolide production 34 VIII. Environmental regulation of cardenolide production 34 IX. Biotic induction of cardenolides 36 X. Mode of action and toxicity of cardenolides 38 XI. Direct and indirect effects of cardenolides on specialist and generalist insect herbivores 39 XII. Cardenolides and insect oviposition 39 XIII. Target site insensitivity 40 XIV. Alternative mechanisms of cardenolide resistance 40 XV. Cardenolide sequestration 41 Acknowledgements 42 References 42 SUMMARY: Cardenolides are remarkable steroidal toxins that have become model systems, critical in the development of theories for chemical ecology and coevolution. Because cardenolides inhibit the ubiquitous and essential animal enzyme Na(+) /K(+) -ATPase, most insects that feed on cardenolide-containing plants are highly specialized. With a huge diversity of chemical forms, these secondary metabolites are sporadically distributed across 12 botanical families, but dominate the Apocynaceae where they are found in > 30 genera. Studies over the past decade have demonstrated patterns in the distribution of cardenolides among plant organs, including all tissue types, and across broad geographic gradients within and across species. Cardenolide production has a genetic basis and is subject to natural selection by herbivores. In addition, there is strong evidence for phenotypic plasticity, with the biotic and abiotic environment predictably impacting cardenolide production. Mounting evidence indicates a high degree of specificity in herbivore-induced cardenolides in Asclepias. While herbivores of cardenolide-containing plants often sequester the toxins, are aposematic, and possess several physiological adaptations (including target site insensitivity), there is strong evidence that these specialists are nonetheless negatively impacted by cardenolides. While reviewing both the mechanisms and evolutionary ecology of cardenolide-mediated interactions, we advance novel hypotheses and suggest directions for future work.

Chemical composition and antiprotozoal activities of Colombian Lippia spp essential oils and their major components

The chemical composition and biological activities of 19 essential oils and seven of their major components were tested against free and intracellular forms of Leishmania chagasi and Trypanosoma cruzi parasites as well as Vero and THP-1 mammalian cell lines. The essential oils were obtained from different species of Lippia, a widely distributed genus of Colombian plants. They were extracted by microwave radiation-assisted hydro-distillation and characterised by GC-FID and GC-MS. The major components were geranial, neral, limonene, nerol, carvacrol, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, carvone and thymol. The essential oil of Lippia alba exhibited the highest activity against T. cruzi epimastigotes and intracellular amastigotes with an IC50 of 5.5 μg/mL and 12.2 μg/mL, respectively. The essential oil of Lippia origanoides had an IC50 of 4.4 μg/mL in L. chagasi promastigotes and exhibited no toxicity in mammalian cells. Thymol (IC50 3.2 ± 0.4 μg/mL) and S-carvone (IC50 6.1 ± 2.2 μg/mL), two of the major components of the active essential oils, were active on intracellular amastigotes of T. cruziinfected Vero cells, with a selective index greater than 10. None of the essential oils or major components tested in this study was active on amastigotes of L. chagasi infected THP-1 cells.

Use of accuracy profile for the validation of a gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry method: quantification of ethyl glucuronide in hair

Introduction: Ethylglucuronide (EtG) is a direct and specific metabolite of ethanol. Its determination in hair is of increasing interest for detecting and monitoring alcohol abuse. The quantification of EtG in hair requires analytical methods showing highest sensitivity and specificity. We present a fully validated method based on gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (GC-NCI-MS/MS). The method was validated using French Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Techniques (SFSTP) guidelines which are based on the determination of the total measurement error and accuracy profiles. Methods: Washed and powdered hair is extracted in water using an ultrasonic incubation. After purification by Oasis MAX solid phase extraction, the derivatized EtG is detected and quantified by GC-NCI-MS/MS method in the selected reaction monitoring mode. The transitions m/z 347 / 163 and m/z 347 / 119 were used for the quantification and identification of EtG. Four quality controls (QC) prepared with hair samples taken post mortem from 2 subjects with a known history of alcoholism were used. A proficiency test with 7 participating laboratories was first run to validate the EtG concentration of each QC sample. Considering the results of this test, these samples were then used as internal controls for validation of the method. Results: The mean EtG concentrations measured in the 4 QC were 259.4, 130.4, 40.8, and 8.4 pg/mg hair. Method validation has shown linearity between 8.4 and 259.4 pg/mg hair (r2 > 0.999). The lower limit of quantification was set up at 8.4 pg/mg. Repeatability and intermediate precision were found less than 13.2% for all concentrations tested. Conclusion: The method proved to be suitable for routine analysis of EtG in hair. GC-NCI-MS/MS method was then successfully applied to the analysis of EtG in hair samples collected from different alcohol consumers.

Avenços en l'estudi de la litiasi renal: mètodes de chemical imaging i intel·ligencia artificial (ANN) per la caracterització de càlculs renals

La litiasi urinària és un trastorn que implica la formació de precipitats en qualsevol part del tracte urinari. Aquest és un desordre comú que afecta aproximadament a una desena part de la població de la Unió Europea al llarg de la seva vida. A més, durant els cinc anys posteriors a un episodi litiàsic el percentatge de recurrència dels pacients és del 45 al 75%. Aquest trastorn urinari està influït per una gran quantitat de variables, d’origen fisiològic, psicològic i ambiental. Els episodis litiàsics, es poden solucionar espontàniament, amb l’expulsió del càlcul renal, o bé a través de diverses intervencions mèdiques. Els tractaments mèdics derivats de la litiasi urinària; és a dir, la fragmentació del càlcul, intervencions quirúrgiques i tractaments posteriors generen unes grans despeses als sistemes mèdics. Pels motius exposats, la identificació del desordre que ha originat l’episodi litiàsic és de radical importància, per tal de minimitzar el risc de reincidència. Els mètodes més usuals per determinar les causes que desencadenen la formació del càlcul renal són les anàlisis d’orina i l’estudi del càlcul generat. La correcta descripció de la composició i, especialment, l’estructura del càlcul renal pot aportar informació clau sobre les possibles causes de la seva formació, tant de l’inici de nucleació del càlcul com de les successives etapes de creixement cristal·lí. Tenint en compte aquest darrer aspecte, el present estudi s’ha dirigit a la caracterització de càlculs urinaris mitjançant l’aplicació de metodologies d’imatge química (Hyperspectral Imaging), el que va contribuir a determinar les principals característiques espectrals de cada compost majoritari als càlculs renals. D’altra banda, la utilització de mostres de composició coneguda ha possibilitat la creació d’un model amb Xarxes Neuronals Artificials, que permet la classificació de noves mostres de composició desconeguda, de manera més ràpida que el procediment actual. Aquest treball constitueix una nova contribució a la comprensió de l’estructura de les pedres de ronyó, així com les condicions de la seva formació. Els resultats obtinguts destaquen les possibilitats que presenten les tècniques emprades al camp de la litiasi renal, que permeten complementar els coneixements existents enfocats a millorar la qualitat de vida dels pacients.

Superoxide dismutases and glutaredoxins have a distinct role in the response of Candida albicans to oxidative stress generated by the chemical compounds menadione and diamide

To cope with oxidative stress, Candida albicans possesses several enzymes involved in a number of biological processes, including superoxide dismutases (Sods) and glutaredoxins (Grxs). The resistance of C. albicans to reactive oxygen species is thought to act as a virulence factor. Genes such as SOD1 and GRX2, which encode for a Sod and Grx, respectively, in C. albicans are widely recognised to be important for pathogenesis. We generated a double mutant, Δgrx2/sod1, for both genes. This strain is very defective in hyphae formation and is susceptible to killing by neutrophils. When exposed to two compounds that generate reactive oxygen species, the double null mutant was susceptible to menadione and resistant to diamide. The reintegration of the SOD1 gene in the null mutant led to recovery in resistance to menadione, whereas reintegration of the GRX2 gene made the null mutant sensitive to diamide. Despite having two different roles in the responses to oxidative stress generated by chemical compounds, GRX2 and SOD1 are important for C. albicans pathogenesis because the double mutant Δgrx2/sod1 was very susceptible to neutrophil killing and was defective in hyphae formation in addition to having a lower virulence in an animal model of systemic infection.

Microstructural, chemical and isotopic evidence for the origin of late neolithic leather recovered from an ice field in the Swiss Alps

Archaeological leather samples recovered from the ice field at the Schnidejoch Pass (altitude 2756 m amsl) in the western Swiss Alps were studied using optical, chemical molecular and isotopic (delta(13)C and delta(15)N of the bulk leather, and compound-specific delta(13)C analyses of the organic-solvent extracted fatty acids) methods to obtain insight into the origin of the leather and ancient tanning procedures. For comparison, leathers from modern native animals in alpine environment (red deer, goat, sheep, chamois, and calf/cow) were analyzed using the same approach. Optical and electron microscopically comparisons of Schnidejoch and modern leathers showed that the gross structure (pattern of collagen fibrils and intra-fibrils material) of archaeological leather had survived essentially intact for five millennia. The SEM studies of the hairs from the most important archaeological find, a Neolithic leather legging, show a wave structure of the hair cuticle, which is a diagnostic feature for goatskins. The variations of the bulk delta(13)C and delta(15)N values, and delta(13)C values of the main fatty acids are within the range expected for pre-industrial temperate C(3) environment. The archaeological leather samples contain a mixture of indigenous (from the animal) and exogenous plant/animal lipids. An important amount of waxy n-alkanes, n-alkan-1-ols and phytosterols (beta-sitosterol, sitostanol) in all samples, and abundant biomarker of conifers (nonacosan-10-01) in the legging leathers clearly indicate that the Neolithic people were active in a subalpine coniferous forest, and that they used an aqueous extract of diverse plant material for tanning leather. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection, Determination of Chemical Composition and Chemical Profiling of Counterfeit Medicines by Raman Spectroscopy.

Raman spectroscopy has become a widespread technique for the analysis ofpharmaceutical solid forms. The application proposed here is the investigationof counterfeit medicines. This serious global issue requires quick and accurateidentification methods to fight against this phenomenon. Thanks to its chemicalselectivity, rapidity of analysis and potential of generating repeatable spectralprofiles, Raman spectroscopy presents distinct advantages for the analysis ofcounterfeits. Combined with chemometric tools, the technique enablesthe detection, the determination of chemical composition and the profiling ofmedicine counterfeits.

In vivo antileishmanial activity and chemical profile of polar extract from Selaginella sellowii

The polar hydroethanolic extract from Selaginella sellowii(SSPHE) has been previously proven active on intracellular amastigotes (in vitro test) and now was tested on hamsters infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis (in vivo test). SSPHE suppressed a 100% of the parasite load in the infection site and draining lymph nodes at an intralesional dose of 50 mg/kg/day × 5, which was similar to the results observed in hamsters treated with N-methylglucamine antimonate (Sb) (28 mg/Kg/day × 5). When orally administered, SSPHE (50 mg/kg/day × 20) suppressed 99.2% of the parasite load in infected footpads, while Sb suppressed 98.5%. SSPHE also enhanced the release of nitric oxide through the intralesional route in comparison to Sb. The chemical fingerprint of SSPHE by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection and tandem mass spectrometry showed the presence of biflavonoids and high molecular weight phenylpropanoid glycosides. These compounds may have a synergistic action in vivo. Histopathological study revealed that the intralesional treatment with SSPHE induced an intense inflammatory infiltrate, composed mainly of mononuclear cells. The present findings reinforce the potential of this natural product as a source of future drug candidates for American cutaneous leishmaniasis.

The chemical variability at the surface of Mars: implications for exogenic processes

The chemical composition of sediments and rocks, as well as their distribution at theMartian surface, represent a long term archive of processes, which have formed theplanetary surface. A survey of chemical compositions by means of Compositional DataAnalysis represents a valuable tool to extract direct evidence for weathering processesand allows to quantify weathering and sedimentation rates. clr-biplot techniques areapplied for visualization of chemical relationships across the surface (“chemical maps”).The variability among individual suites of data is further analyzed by means of clr-PCA,in order to extract chemical alteration vectors between fresh rocks and their crusts andfor an assessment of different source reservoirs accessible to soil formation. Bothtechniques are applied to elucidate the influence of remote weathering by combinedanalysis of several soil forming branches. Vector analysis in the Simplex provides theopportunity to study atmosphere surface interactions, including the role andcomposition of volcanic gases

Chemical analyses of organic residues in archaeological pottery from Arbon Bleiche 3, Switzerland - evidence for dairying in the late Neolithic

Fatty acids distribution and stable isotope ratios (bulk delta(13)C. delta(15)N and delta(13)C of individual fatty acids) of organic residues from 30 potsherds have been used to get further insights into the diet at the Late Neolithic (3384-3370 BC) site of Arbon Bleiche 3. Switzerland. The results are compared with modern equivalents of animal and vegetable fats, which may have been consumed ill a mixed ecology community having agrarian, breeding, shepherd, gathering, hunting, and fishing activities. The used combined chemical and isotopic approach provides valuable information to complement archaeological indirect evidence about the dietary trends obtained from the analysis of faunal and plant remains. The small variations of the delta(13)C and delta(15)N values within the range expected for degraded animal and plant tissues, is consistent with the archaeological evidence of animals, whose subsistence was mainly based on C(3) plants. The overall fatty acid composition and the stable carbon isotopic compositions of palmitic, stearic and oleic acids of the organic residues indicate that the studied Arbon Bleiche 3 sherds contain fat residues of plant and animal origin, most likely ruminant (bovine and ovine). In several vessels the presence of milk residues provides direct evidence for dairying during the late Neolithic in central Europe. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microstructural, chemical and textural records during growth of snowball garnet

The growth history of two populations of snowball garnet from the Lukmanier Pass area (central Swiss Alps) was examined through a detailed analysis of three-dimensional geometry, chemical zoning and crystallographic orientation. The first population, collected in the hinge of a chevron-type fold, shows an apparent rotation of 360 degrees. The first 270 degrees are characterized by spiral-shaped inclusion trails, gradual and concentric Mn zoning and a single crystallographic orientation, whereas in the last 90 degrees, crenulated inclusion trails and secondary Mn maxima centred on distinct crystallographic garnet domains are observed. Microstructural, geochemical and textural data indicate a radical change in growth regime between the two growth sequences. In the first 270 degrees, growth occurred under rotational non-coaxial flow, whereas in the last 90 degrees, garnet grew under a non-rotational shortening regime. The second population, collected in the limb of the same chevron-type fold structure, is characterized by a spiral geometry that does not exceed 270 degrees of apparent rotation. These garnet microstructures do not record any evidence for a modification of the stress field during garnet growth. Concentric Mn zoning as well as a single crystallographic orientation are observed for the entire spiral. Electron backscatter diffraction data indicate that nearly all central domains in the snowball garnet are characterized by one [001] axis oriented (sub-)parallel to the symmetry axis and by another [001] axis oriented (sub-)parallel to the orientation of the internal foliation. These features suggest that the crystallographic orientation across the garnet spiral is not random and that a relation exists among the symmetry axis, the internal foliation and the crystallographic orientation.