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- Isetun, Sindra, 1966-
(författare)
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Solid-phase Microextraction and Detection of Organophosphate Triesters in Indoor air
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the work underlying this thesis solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was evaluated as a passive sampling technique for organophosphate triesters in indoor air. These compounds are used on a large scale as flame-retarding and plastizicing additives in a variety of materials and products, and have proven to be common pollutants in indoor air. The main objective of this work was to develop an accurate method for measuring the volatile fraction. Such a method can be used in combination with active sampling to obtain information regarding the vapour/particulate distribution in different indoor environments. SPME was investigated under both equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions and parameters associated with these different conditions were estimated. In Paper I, time-weighted average (TWA) SPME under dynamic conditions was investigated in order to obtain a fast air sampling method for organophosphate triesters. Among the investigated SPME coatings, the absorptive PDMS polymer had the highest affinity for the organophosphate triesters and was consequently used in all further work. Since the sampling rate is dependent on the agitation conditions, the linear airflow rates had to be carefully considered. Sampling periods as short as 1 hour were shown to be sufficient for measurements in the ng-μg m-3 range when using a PDMS 100-μm fibre and a linear flow rate above 7 cm s-1 over the fibre. SPME under equilibrium conditions is rather time-consuming, even under dynamic conditions, for slowly partitioning compounds such as organophosphate triesters. Nevertheless, this method has some significant advantages. For instance, the limit of detection is much lower compared to 1 h TWA sampling. Furthermore, the sampling time can be ignored as long as equilibrium has been attained. In Paper II, SPME under equilibrium conditions was investigated and evaluated for organophosphate triester vapours. Since temperature and humidity are closely associated with the distribution constant a simple study of the effect of these parameters was performed. The obtained distribution constants were used to determine the air levels in a common indoor environment. SPME and parallel active sampling on filters yielded similar results, indicating that the detected compounds were almost entirely associated with the vapour phaseTo apply dynamic SPME method in the field a sampler device, which enables controlled linear airflow rates to be applied, was constructed and evaluated (Paper III). This device was developed for application of SPME and active sampling in parallel.A GC/PICI-MS/MS method was developed and used in combination with active sampling of organophosphate triesters in indoor air (Paper IV). The combination of MS/MS and the soft ionization achieved with methanol as reagent gas yielded high selectivity and detection limits comparable to those provided by GC with nitrogen-phosphorus detection (NPD). The method limit of detection, when sampling 1.5 m3 of air, was in the range 0.1-1.4 ng m-3. In Paper V, the developed MS method was used in combination with SPME for indoor air measurements.The levels detected in the investigated indoor environments range from a few ng to μg m-3. Tris(2-chloropropyl) phosphate was detected at a concentration as high as 7 μg m-3 in a newly rebuilt lecture room.
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| 2. |
- Nilsson, Ulrika K., 1969-
(författare)
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Lysophosphatidic acid : Physiological effects and structure-activity relationships
- 2002
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Lipids havepreviously been considered primarily as building blocks of the cell membrane, but are now also recognized as important cell signaling molecules. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a glycerophospholipid consisting of a phosphate head group, a linker region, and a lipophilic tail. LPA has earlier been shown to exert a diversity of cellular effects such as aggregation, apoptosis, contraction, migration, and proliferation. The effects of LPA are elicited by activation of its cognate G protein-coupled receptors LPA1, LPA2, and LPA3. In the present study we have used cultures of human smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and erythroleukemia cells (HEL), and isolated human platelets to characterize physiological effects of LPA compared with adrenaline and noradrenaline as well as structure-activity relationships of LPA. SMCs were isolated from biopsies of human myometrium obtained at cesarean sections. We show that cultured myometrial SMCs express multiple LPA and α2-adrenergic receptor subtypes. Treatment of SMCs with LPA and noradrenaline resulted in increases in proliferation. However, LPA elicits a much more pronounced stimulatory effect than noradrenaline. The ability to increase calcium might be one explanation why LPA is more effective. Further studies indicated that several pathways mediate the growth stimulatory effect of LPA where transactivation of epidermal growth factor receptors through matrix metalloproteinases as well as calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases appears to be important. LPA enantiomers and LPA analogues were synthesized and characterized due to their capacity to increase calcium in HEL cells. Our study is the first to show that both natural (R) and unnatural (S) LPA enantiomers are capable of stimulating cells, suggesting LPA receptors are not stereoselective. Moreover, we have synthesized a LPA analogue with higher maximal effect than LPA by reducing the hydrocarbon chain length. In platelets we demonstrated that LPA is a weak calciumelevating compound which failed to stimulate aggregation. However, in combination with adrenaline, another weak platelet agonist, a complete aggregatory response was obtained in blood from some healthy individuals. These results are important since platelet activation is a key step in distinguishing normal from pathological hemostasis. Since LPA is present at high concentrations in atherosclerotic lesions, the synergistic effect of LPA and adrenaline might be a new risk factor for arterial thrombosis.
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| 3. |
- Nilsson, Ulrika
(författare)
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Kampen om Kvinnan : Professionalisering och konstruktioner av kön i svensk gynekologi 1860-1925
- 2003
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis investigates how gynaecology was established as a medical speciality in Sweden in the 1860s and onwards. Gender, power, professionalisation and the production of scientific knowledge are central themes. While previous research has shown that gynaecology as a discipline depends upon notions of Woman as radically different from Man, I show how this was manifested within Swedish gynaecology, an initially all male environment. Of special interest is institutionalisation, early career-paths and the development of therapy methods and theory. I argue that gynaecology reproduced and contributed to notions of sex-difference and a gender complementary way of thinking.While gynaecology was formed as a surgically interventionist speciality with strong manly connotations, an education reform aiming at opening higher education to women was simultaneously discussed and eventually carried out during the 1860s and 70s. The advocates of this reform portrayed women as especially fit for becoming teachers and physicians, particularly treating women and children. Thus, two opposing gendered professional ideals operated. By focusing an elite group of early women physicians, I outline how the gynaecological construction of womanliness related to women physicians and how women physicians engaged with this notion: what strategies they used to enter a profession as manly as gynaecology had become; and how women gynaecologists engaged with their men colleagues’ therapeutic methods and views on patients and women.
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| 4. |
- Nordqvist, Yvonne, 1975-
(författare)
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Development and Evaluation of a Denuder-Filter System Designed for Sampling Diisocyanate Aerosols
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- There are many occupational environments in which isocyanates or PUR-products are used, produced or processed. During these operations there is always a risk of isocyanate exposure, which may lead to severe health problems. Isocyanates principally affect the respiratory system and they are the main cause of occupational asthma. The prevalence of asthma among exposed workers is generally 5-10%, according to most studies, but figures as high as 30% have been reported.The most commonly used isocyanates may occur in both vapour and particulate forms. Their physical state may affect both their deposition in the airways and their impact on health. Nevertheless, the occupational exposure limit for isocyanates applies to the total amount of isocyanates present, regardless of their physical state. Setting different exposure limits for vapour and particles would require the air sampling step to be capable of separating and independently measuring the phases. This is not straightforward, since every sampling method may be affected by a number of possible sampling artefacts. To minimize such biases, a profound knowledge of the sampling system and its behaviour is required.In this thesis a chemosorptive cylindrical denuder and filter, connected to a sampling pump, has been developed for personal exposure measurements of isocyanates. The model compounds for the investigation and evaluation were some of the most commonly used diisocyanates in industry: toluene diisocyanate (TDI), hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). Using a combination of dimethylpolysiloxane (SE-30) and dibutylamine (DBA) as a chemosorptive coating on both the inner wall of the denuder tube and the filter, the derivatisation was shown to be fast enough for efficient collection of the isocyanates. The repeatability of the air measurements was high, with variabilities generally between 5-10% in the measured concentration range. 15-min samplings were performed of both vapour and aerosols of nm-size, from below the OEL (5ppbv) up to 235 ppbv, without exceeding the coating capacity or causing breakthrough due to chromatographic movement. At the applied airflow rates, between 50 and 500 ml/min, the breakthrough, i.e. the percentage of the TDI vapour that passes through the denuder tube ending up on the filter, was shown to be consistent with amounts predicted by the Gormley-Kennedy equation. For isocyanate aerosols, extensive gas-stripping was shown to occur inside the denuder tube at the lower end of the investigated flow range. This phenomenon was minimized when a flow rate between 300 and 500 ml/min was applied (Papers III-IV).The great advantage of a denuder sampler compared to wet methods, such as the commonly used impinger method, is its suitability for personal exposure measurements. Due to its small size and absence of solvent it is more convenient to carry during a work shift. Furthermore, the results in Paper II indicate that 8-hour denuder measurements can be performed without detectable breakthrough of the vapour phase. The derivatives formed during the sampling of isocyanates were shown to be stable in the samplers for several days after the measurements were finished, provided both the denuder tubes and filters were stored in the freezer and in solvent containing excess reagent. Furthermore, filters and tubes could be prepared at least 4 d prior to sampling, without loss of performance. This is highly relevant to the applicability of the method for field measurements.Both LC-ESI-MS (Paper II-IV) and LC-APCI-MS (Paper I) were used to determine the analytes in the air samples. The former method exhibited the lowest detection limit for the isocyanate-DBA derivatives. Using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) the obtained method detection limit for the investigated compounds was below 10 ng/m3.
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