Determination of PAH Contamination in Breast Milk Samples from Hungarian Volunteering Mothers, Using HPLC-FLD.

(1) The evidence is mounting that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of hazardous organic compounds with established carcinogenic and toxic properties. Humans may be exposed to PAHs through several different routes, including diet, inhalation, and dermal contact. There is also a possibility that they could transfer into breast milk following maternal exposure, which could potentially endanger breastfeeding infants.

Correctness of the van 't Hoff analysis for homogeneous or heterogeneous retention.

It is already known that the physical meaning of the numerical values of the calculated enthalpy (ΔH) and entropy (ΔS) change in chromatography via the van 't Hoff plot analysis is rather questionable. In the former work of these authors, it has been demonstrated that by serially coupling two reversed-phase columns of the same inner diameter but of different retention mechanism, the obtained thermodynamic values are not related to the numerical results obtained on the individual columns respectively. Since surface heterogeneity of the stationary phase is intrinsically present in chiral chromatography (enantioselective and non-selective sites), the calculation of ΔH and ΔS should be revisited in that field.

Interactions of zearalenone and its reduced metabolites α-zearalenol and β-zearalenol with serum albumins: species differences, binding sites, and thermodynamics.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium species. ZEN mainly appears in cereals and related foodstuffs, causing reproductive disorders in animals, due to its xenoestrogenic effects. The main reduced metabolites of ZEN are α-zearalenol (α-ZEL) and β-zearalenol (β-ZEL).