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This investigation was aimed at the improvement of the compounding of alum hematoxylin. The advantages and disadvantages of the prevalent versions of Carazzi alum hematoxylin compoundings are analyzed. A novel modification of the Carazzi hematoxylin compounding is proposed, which is optimal for hematoxylin and eosin staining and for counterstaining of immunocytochemical preparations.
The removal of natural organic matter (NOM) from drinking water supplies can be achieved by different processes, among them coagulation and adsorption. Synthetic waters made from concentrates of humic substances from reservoir and river waters were tested in the laboratory for ease of removAl of NOM by coagulation with cationic organic polymers and with alum, and by adsorption on anion exchangers. For polymers such as high molecular weight polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (polyDADMAC) and cationic polyacrylamides of high charge, performance was nearly as effective as alum, with colour removals 86-100% of those obtained for alum. Ion exchange using the best commercially available resins designed for this purpose, a gel polystyrene and a macroporous acrylic resin, was more effective than alum treatment for two of the natural waters studied, but inferior for a third. The resins were overall superior to cationic polymers. The NOM was separated into four fractions based on hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties. Alum was not as effective as ion exchange for the elimination of individual ionic NOM fractions. It was better than cationic polymers for removal of humic and fulvic acids, although polyDADMAC was as good for one water. For the removal of charged compounds alum then polyDADMAC were the best performers for that water. Unequivocal evidence was obtained that coagulants remove material that is not adsorbed by resins, and vice versa. A combination of coagulation with a cationic polymer and adsorption by an anion exchanger removed essentially all of the NOM. The preference of the coagulants was for the larger, more hydrophobic molecules, and of resins for smaller highly charged hydrophilic molecules. Each fraction had trihalomethane formation potentials in the range 11-24 microg/mg, except for one water that was more reactive. Hence, the actual amount of each fraction in the original water becomes a crucial factor.
Vaccination to protect against human infectious diseases may be enhanced by using adjuvants that can selectively stimulate immunoregulatory responses. In a murine model, a novel nanoparticulate adjuvant composed of calcium phosphate (CAP) was compared with the commonly used aluminum (alum) adjuvants for its ability to induce immunity to herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections. Results indicated that CAP was more potent as an adjuvant than alum, elicited little or no inflammation at the site of administration, induced high titers of immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a) antibody and neutralizing antibody, and facilitated a high percentage of protection against HSV-2 infection. Additional benefits of CAP include (i) an insignificant IgE response, which is an important advantage over injection of alum compounds, and (ii) the fact that CAP is a natural constituent of the human body. Thus, CAP is very well tolerated and absorbed. These studies were performed with animal models. By virtue of the potency of this CAP adjuvant and the relative absence of side effects, we believe that this new CAP formulation has great potential for use as an adjuvant in humans.
We have previously described a synthetic peptide (T1-SP10) derived from two noncontiguous regions of HTLVIIIB envelope gp120 (T1, amino acids 428-443; SP10, amino acids 303-321) that induced type-specific anti-HIV neutralizing antibodies and T cell proliferative responses against native HIV gp120 when used as a carrier-free immunogen in goats. In this study, HTLVIIIB T1-SP10 synthetic peptides were used to immunize rhesus monkeys to determine if the peptides were capable of eliciting HIV-specific neutralizing antibody and proliferative responses in primates. Four compounds (alum, polyA:polyU, threonyl-muramyldipeptide (MDP) and IFA) were also compared for efficacy as adjuvants in this system. Rhesus monkeys immunized with T1-SP10 peptides generated high titers of antibodies against the immunogens and also against HTLVIIIB gp120. Sera from all four animals given T1-SP10 in IFA or threonyl-MDP neutralized infection by HTLVIIIB and blocked virus-dependent cell fusion events. A peak neutralization titer of 1:940 was seen in one animal given IFA (19600) and a titer of 1:900 was seen in one of the monkeys (17371) given threonyl-MDP. Proliferative responses of immune rhesus PBMC to T1-SP10 appeared after the first injection. After eight immunizations, two of eight monkeys (one injected with peptides in threonyl-MDP and one given peptides in IFA) had PBMC proliferative responses to native HTLVIIIB gp120. These data demonstrate that the carrier-free T1-SP10 synthetic peptide construct can induce high titers of neutralizing anti-HIV antibody responses and PBMC proliferative responses to HIV in primates.
Astringency of aqueous solutions of phenolic compounds (grape seed tannins, tannic acid, catechin and gallic acid) increased upon addition of citric acid, whereas the astringency of alum was reduced. Astringency of alum was decreased equivalently by addition of equi-sour levels of lactic acid, citric acid or hydrochloric acid. The difference between alum and the phenolic compounds is speculated to result from chemical modifications affecting binding of the astringents with oral proteins rather than cognitive differences. Chelation of the aluminum ion in alum by acids reduces its availability for interacting with salivary proteins or epithelial proteins. In contrast, the increased astringency produced upon acidification of phenolic compounds is speculated to result from the pH driven increase in the affinity of the phenols for binding with proteins. These results suggest that alum cannot be used interchangeably with phenolic astringents in psychophysical studies.
The impacts of alum coagulation on the distribution of disinfection by-products (DBPs), trihalomethanes (THMs), and haloacetic acids (HAAs) were evaluated under controlled chlorination conditions using four surface waters. Among the nine HAAs found in waters, dihaloacetic acids (X2AAs) have been found to be the dominant species in all of the raw and alum treated waters. Alum coagulation tends to remove more monohaloacetic acids (XAAs) and trihaloacetic acids (X3AAs) precursors than that of dihaloacetic acids (X2AAs). Alum coagulation treated water had a lower HAA9/TTHM ratio compared with that of the raw water. The increase of THM bromine incorporation factors (BIFalpha) value of alum treated water was statistically significant in comparison with the raw water. On average, BIFalpha increased by 54% after the alum coagulation process in these four different waters. This indicated that THM speciations shifted in favor of the more brominated compounds. However, alum coagulation treatment process had less effect on HAA bromi ne incorporation factors (BIFbeta)than it did on BIFalpha. Bromine incorporation factor (BIF) values decreased with time in the THM and HAA formation processes, especially within the first 10 h of the reaction time. This suggested that brominated THMs or HAAs formed faster than the chlorinated species in the initial period.
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The present study examines the influence of Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) injections on sensitized PVG rats with respect to serum levels of IgE and IgG2 alpha antibodies and total IgE (all assessed by radioimmunoassays) and the capacity of serosal mast cells to release histamine on challenge in vitro with 'immunological' secretagogues (specific antigen, anti-IgE, concanavalin A) or with compound 48/80. The rats were immunized with 10 micrograms ovalbumin (OA); alum, Bordetella pertussis vaccine, or silica gel were employed as adjuvants. Treatment with FCA was performed by single intraperitoneal injections 3, 2, or 1 week(s) before or 1 or 2 weeks after sensitization. Tests were conducted 3 weeks after sensitization. The results show that the effect of FCA treatment varied reproducibly with the adjuvant employed for sensitization and with the timing of the FCA administration. FCA treatment could either increase, fail to affect, or decrease total serum IgE and OA-IgG2 alpha antibody levels as well as serosal mast cell responsiveness, whereas OA-IgE antibody responses were decreased or not affected. Moreover, serum levels of OA-IgE and OA-IgG2 alpha antibodies and total IgE were affected by FCA treatment independently of each other. Finally, serosal mast cell responsiveness to a given secretagogue could be influenced by the FCA treatment apparently independently of that to other secretagogues. A salient finding was that effects of FCA treatment on mast cell responsiveness did not necessarily conform to effects on antibody synthesis. Collectively, these data support the opinion that the mechanisms of action of the IgE-promoting adjuvants employed differ and suggest that the expression of serosal mast cell responsiveness to each examined secretagogue can be regulated separately. They also suggest that the serosal mast cell sensitizing capacity of homocytotropic antibodies may not be adequately quantified by immunochemical methods employing reagents prepared against IgE and IgG2 alpha protein.
Aluminum compounds are used as adjuvants in certain types of vaccines, toxoids and allergenic extracts for human use. The most common Al compounds used in biological products to enhance the immune response are aluminum potassium sulphate (alum), aluminum hydroxide and aluminum phosphate. This study describes an atomic absorption spectrometric method for the determination of the Al content of Al adsorbed toxoid preparations and allergenic extracts at levels of less than 0.85 mg of Al per half millilitre human dose. Aliquots of the samples which contained Al suspensions were acid digested with nitric and sulphuric acid and analysed in the nitrous oxide-acetylene flame of an atomic absorption spectrometer. The 396.2 nm Al line was used for analysis. The Al content of the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) Standard Reference Material No. 1075a aluminum 2- ethylhexanoate was determined to within 1% of the NBS certificate value by this method. Atomic absorption results for the Al content of tetanus toxoids containing aluminum potassium sulphate and aluminum phosphate were compared with polarographic and inductively coupled argon plasma (ICP) emission spectrometry results. Reproducibility and recovery data for Al are tabulated for a variety of biological products containing aluminum phosphate, aluminum potassium sulphate and aluminum hydroxide adjuvants. In addition, ICP has been used to characterize the Al and P compositions of the precipitates and supernatant solutions which resulted from centrifuging toxoid suspensions that contained the three different Al adjuvants.
The potential occurrence of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) as well as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in drinking water supplies raises concern over the removal of these compounds by common drinking water treatment processes. Three drinking water supplies were spiked with 10 to 250 ng/L of 62 different EDC/ PPCPs; one model water containing an NOM isolate was spiked with 49 different EDC/PPCPs. Compounds were detected by LC/MS/MS or GC/MS/MS. These test waters were subjected to bench-scale experimentation to simulate individual treatment processes in a water treatment plant (WTP). Aluminum sulfate and ferric chloride coagulants or chemical lime softening removed some polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) but removed <25% of most other EDC/ PPCPs. Addition of 5 mg/L of powder activated carbon (PAC) with a 4-h contact time removed 50% to >98% of GC/ MS/MS compounds (more volatile) and 10% to >95% of LC/ MS/MS compounds (more polar); higher PAC dosages improved EDC/PPCP removal. EDC/PPCP percentage removal was independent of the initial compound concentration. Octanol-water partition coefficients served as a reasonable indicator of compound removal under controlled PAC test conditions, except for EDC/PPCPs that were protonated or deprotonated at the test pH and some that contained heterocyclic or aromatic nitrogen. Separate chlorine or ozone experiments decreased the EDC/PPCP initial concentration by <10% to >90%; EDC/PPCPs were likely transformed to oxidation byproducts. Ozone oxidized steroids containing phenolic moieties (estradiol, ethynylestradiol, or estrone) more efficiently than those without aromatic or phenolic moieties (androstenedione, progesterone, and testosterone). EDC/PPCP reactivity with oxidants were separated into three general groups: (1) compounds easily oxidized (>80% reacted) by chlorine are always oxidized at least as efficiently by ozone; (2) 6 of the -60 compounds (TCEP, BHC, chlordane, dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, musk ketone) were poorly oxidized (<20% reacted) by chlorine or ozone; (3) compounds (24 of 60) reacting preferentially (higher removals) with ozone rather than chlorine. Conventional treatment (coagulation plus chlorination) would have low removal of many EDC/PPCPs, while addition of PAC and/or ozone could substantially improve their removals. Existing strategies that predict relative removals of herbicides, pesticides, and other organic pollutants by activated carbon or oxidation can be directly applied for the removal of many EDC/PPCPs, but these strategies need to be modified to account for charged (protonated bases or deprotonated acids) and aliphatic species. Some compounds (e.g., DEET, ibuprofen, gemfibrozil) had low removals unless ozonation was used. Other compounds had low removals by all the WTP processes considered (atrazine, iopromide, meprobamate, TCEP), and removal processes capable of removing these types of compounds should be investigated.
More knowledge on the composition of aqueous extracts of broiler litter amended for Water Soluble P (WSP) reduction would help to understand how amendments work. We measured pH, concentrations of Ca, Mg, Fe, Al, Cu, Mn, Zn, Molybdate Reactive P (MRP), and Dissolved Unreactive P (DUP) in water extracts of broiler litter treated with aluminum sulfate (ALS), ferrous sulfate (FES), ferric chloride (FEC), and gypsum (GYP) at 0, 5, 15, and 25% w/w. In order to study the effects of acidification, the same properties were measured in aqueous extracts of broiler litter suspensions that were titrated to end-points 3, 4, or 6 with 0.5N HCl. Concentrations of MRP, DUP, Ca and Mg, were 61%, 53%, 3.8 times, and 2.6 times greater in extracts from suspensions acidified to pH 6 than at the original pH of 8.9. ALS, FES, and FEC reduced pH, and showed similar effects on WSP concentrations, which were greater than with GYP. The magnitude of the reductions in WSP by ALS, FES, and FEC is uncertain because the actual amount of WSP immobilized cannot be determined. This is because of two opposite effects: 1) Through adsorption, soluble aluminum and iron remove phosphates from solution, and 2) Through acidification, iron and aluminum compounds release phosphates to solution.
Adjuvants are compounds that, when combined with an antigen, potentiate an immune response in an immunized species. There are numerous pathogens for which there are no protective vaccines and since alum is the only adjuvant licensed for use in humans, there is a clear need for more effective adjuvant preparations. In this study we describe the immunopotentiating properties of three novel molecular aggregate formulations based on tomatine (RAM1), a glycosylamide lipid (RAM2) and a fifth generation dendrimeric polymer (RAM3) respectively. These formulations were evaluated for their ability to augment antigen-specific antibody responses when administered with a soluble protein antigen. All three adjuvants were shown to be nontoxic to mice and elicited antigen-specific antibody responses. Of the three formulations, RAM1 was found to induce the highest titers of antibody; these were substantially higher than those induced by reference control adjuvants. RAM1 elicited antibodies of the IgG1 and IgG2a subclasses indicating, indirectly, that this adjuvant can stimulate Th2 and Th1 type immunity.
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Ferrate is an excellent water treatment agent for its multi-functions in oxidation, disinfection, coagulation and adsorption, but its coagulation ability depends on its dosage and is after its oxidation. This paper focuses on preparing a new kind of ferrate combined with alum to enhance its coagulation function for water purification. An effective electrolysis reactor was designed and employed in the test. Some key parameters in the process of electrolysis concerning the preparation efficiency, such as the current density, temperature and alkalinity were also investigated. The proper conditions for ferrate-alum preparation were determined. Under the condition of 5 V given voltage, 6 h electrolyzing interval, below 2% alum concentration (in weight), a combined liquid ferrate-alum products was successfully prepared, which contained 0.0294 mol/L FeO4(2-) and 0.0302 mol/L total soluble ferron with 2% Al2O3. There was no insoluble ferron produced by controlling an optimum electrochemical condition.
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The capability of some metal compounds for inducing micronuclei (MN) in human lymphocytes was studied. In this investigation, Al (III), Cd (II), Hg (II), Sb (V), Te (VI), and Tl (I) salts were considered. The FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) technique with a centromeric probe was coupled with the MN assay in binucleated cells in order to detect both centromere-positive MN (C+ MN) due to malsegregation phenomena and centromere-negative MN (C- MN) due to chromosome breakage. The blood of two young nonsmoking male donors was employed for all experiments. In both donors, all the tested metal compounds, with the exception of Tl(2)SO(4), showed a statistically significant increase of MN compared to controls, at least at one dose. FISH analysis revealed an increase in the fraction of C+ MN for Al, Cd, and Hg compounds, and of C- MN for the Sb salt; however, this was not a statistically significant increase. A different efficiency was observed for the different metal compounds, in particular, KSbO(3) and CH(3)HgCl, which were highly genotoxic, whereas the others showed minimal effects.
BACKGROUND: Xiao zhi ling (XZL), which consists of Chinese nutgalls and aluminium potassium sulphate, is used as a local injection for the treatment of internal haemorrhoids in China. It is also used for endoscopic sclerotherapy of oesophageal varices. To date, however, it has not been compared with other sclerosants with regard to its safety and efficacy. METHODS: In the present study, the effect on the endothelium and the haemolytic and thrombosing effects of XZL were compared with those of 5% ethanolamine oleate and 1% polidocanol, using an endothelial cell line and red blood cells taken from rats and the dorsal marginal ear vein of rabbits. In addition, XZL was injected into the area surrounding varices in rats and its efficacy was studied endoscopically and histologically. RESULTS: Xiao zhi ling reduced the size of varices in rats after causing severe damage in the injected region. Compared with the other two sclerosants, however, XZL had little effect on the endothelium and was the least haemolytic compound. Furthermore, XZL did not cause thrombosis in the injected vein of a rabbit. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that XZL is another type of sclerosant with astringent rather than detergent properties. This compound should be used to treat oesophageal varices by paravariceal injection in smaller doses than 5% ethanolamine oleate and 1% polidocanol.
Xylitol, a sweetener comparable to sucrose, is anticariogenic and can be consumed by diabetics. This sugar has been employed successfully in many foods and pharmaceutical products. The discovery of microorganisms capable of converting xylose present in lignocellulosic biomass into xylitol offers the opportunity of producing this poliol in a simple way. Xylitol production by biotechnological means using sugar cane bagasse is under study in our laboratories, and fermentation parameters have already been established. However, the downstream processing for xylitol recovery is still a bottleneck on which there is only a few data available in the literature. The present study deals with xylitol recovery from fermented sugar cane bagasse hydrolysate using 5.2 g/l of aluminium polychloride associated with activated charcoal. The experiments were performed at pH 9, 50 degrees C for 50 min. The results showed that aluminium polychloride and activated charcoal promoted a 93.5% reduction in phenolic compounds and a 9.7% loss of xylitol from the fermented medium, which became more discoloured, facilitating the xylitol separation.