Matrix Effect-Free Analytical Methods for Determination of Perfluorinated Carboxylic Acids in Environmental Matrixes

Perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) are persistent chemicals that have been found widely in the environment. Their accurate determination in environmental matrixes, particularly soil, sediment, and sludge, at low levels presents significant analytical challenges. The commercialization of electrospray interfaces for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis facilitated analysis of PFCAs at low levels, but issues with quantitative analysis due to matrix suppression or enhancement still persist. The methods described in this study utilize simple and rapid sample purification procedures to remove matrix components sufficiently so that errors due to coeluting matrix peaks are negligible and recoveries of PFCAs are consistently and reproducibly quantitative. Extracts from solid samples (soil and sediment) and liquid bacterial sludge are purified using dispersive solid-phase extraction. Recovery values generally are in the 70-120% range, with limits of quantitation of 1 ppb. The method utilizes an extraction solvent previously shown to release and recover aged residues of PFCAs. A confirmatory method using two precursor to product ions is also provided and demonstrated.

Fluorotelomer alcohol biodegradation-direct evidence that perfluorinated carbon chains breakdown

There is increasing scientific interest to understand the environmental fate of fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) and fluorotelomer-based products which may break down to FTOHs. Both are expected to enter aqueous waste streams, which would be processed in a wastewater treatment plant and therein subject to microbial biodegradation. We investigated the biodegradation of 3-14C, 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecanol [CF3(CF2)6(14)CF2CH2CH2OH, 14C-8-2 FTOH] in mixed bacterial culture and activated sludge. 14CO2 and 14C-organic volatiles in the headspace of the sealed bottles and bottles with continuous air flow were analyzed up to 4 months. After sample extraction with acetonitrile, 14C-labeled biotransformation products (metabolites) were quantified by LC/ARC (on-line liquid chromatography/ accurate radioisotope counting) and identified by quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometry and GC/MSD (mass selective detector). Three metabolites not yet reported in the literature have been identified as CF3(CF2)6(14)CHOHCH3 (7-2 sFTOH), CF3(CF2)6(14)CH=CHCOOH (7-3 unsaturated acid or 7-3 u acid), and CF3(CF2)6(14)CH=CHCONH2 (7-3 u amide) along with five previously reported metabolites [CF3(CF2)6(14)CF2CH2CHO (8-2 FTAL), CF3(CF2)6 (14)CF2CH2COOH (8-2 acid), CF3(CF2)6(14)CF=CHCOOH (8-2 u acid), CF3(CF2)6(14)CH2CH2COOH (7-3 acid), and CF3(CF2)6(14)COOH (PFOA)]. No CF3(CF2)6(14)CF2COOH (14C-PFNA) was observed, indicating that alpha-oxidation does not take place. It was found that strong adsorption to the activated sludge and subsequent transformation, even under continuous air flow, greatly reduced partitioning of 8-2 FTOH or any transformation products to air. CF3(CF2)4COOH (PFHA; perfluorohexanoic acid) was observed and increased in mixed bacterial culture over 28 days and accounted for about 1% of the initial 14C-8-2 FTOH concentration from day 28 to day 90. 14CO2 accounted for 1% of initial 14C in activated sludge with continuous air flow at day 1 and increased over time. In closed bottles, 14CO2 in the headspace of activated sludge medium increased to 12% of the available 14C over 135 days with periodic addition of ethanol, as compared to 3% when no additional ethanol was added. These results show that replenishment of organic carbon enhanced microbial mineralization of multiple--CF2--groups in the fluorocarbon chain of 14C-8-2 FTOH. At day 90 the net increase of fluoride ion in the mixed bacterial culture was 93 microg L(-1), equivalent to 12% of total mineralization (destruction) of the 14C-8-2 FTOH. These results demonstrate that perfluorinated carbon bonds of 14C-8-2 FTOH are defluorinated and mineralized by microorganisms under conditions which may occur in a wastewater treatment plant, forming shorter fluorinated carbon metabolites.

Evaluation of the reproductive and developmental toxicity of a fluoroalkylethanol mixture

The objective of these studies was to evaluate the reproductive and developmental toxicity of a commercial fluoroalkylethanol mixture, which is an intermediate in the production of fluorotelomers. The test substance was administered daily by gavage to Sprague-Dawley rats as a suspension in 0.5% aqueous methylcellulose. In a one-generation reproductive toxicity study, rats (20 per sex per group) were given dosages of 0, 25, 100, or 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for a period of 74 days prior to cohabitation, and during mating, gestation, and lactation. Body weights, feed consumption, clinical signs, gross pathology, sperm parameters, estrous cyclicity, and reproductive performance were evaluated for the P1 generation. The F1 offspring were.evaluated during the lactation period for growth and survival and given a gross pathology examination at weaning. A subset of the offspring were retained; body weights, feed consumption, clinical signs, and age at onset of vaginal opening and preputial separation were evaluated, and gross pathology was performed on postnatal day 60. In the developmental toxicity study, groups of time-mated Sprague-Dawley female rats were given the test substance as a suspension in 0.5% aqueous methylcellulose at daily dosages of 0, 50, 200, or 500 mg kg(-1) day(-1) by gavage on gestation days 6-20. During the in-life portion of the study, growth parameters and clinical observations were made. On gestation day 21, dams were euthanized, and the thoracic and abdominal viscera were examined. The uterine contents were removed and examined, and fetuses were evaluated for any alterations. In the reproduction study, litter size at birth, number of live pups per litter on day 0 and 4 of lactation, and pup weights during lactation were reduced in groups administered > or =100 mg kg(-1) day(-1). No other reproductive parameters were affected. There were no adverse reproductive effects observed at 25 mg kg(-1) day(-1). In the developmental toxicity study, reduced maternal body weight parameters, increased perineal fur staining, and increased fetal skeletal alterations were observed at 500 mg kg(-1) day(-1). There was no maternal or developmental toxicity at 50 or 200 mg kg(-1) day(-1). Under the conditions of the studies, the no-observed adverse effect levels for this mixture were 25 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for subchronic toxicity and reproductive parameters and 200 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for developmental toxicity end points. No functional reproductive or developmental effects were observed at dose levels that did not adversely affect adult animals.

Subchronic toxicity of a fluoroalkylethanol mixture in rats

The objective of this study was to evaluate the subchronic toxicity of a commercial fluoroalkylethanol mixture, which is an intermediate in the production of fluoroorganic compounds that are used as protectants and surfactants. The test substance was administered daily by gavage to Sprague-Dawley rats as a suspension in aqueous methylcellulose. The dosages were 0, 25, 100, or 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1). A 1- and 3-month recovery period was included to evaluate the reversibility of toxic effects. No test substance-related mortality or neurotoxicity occurred. Body weights and/or nutritional parameters were significantly reduced at 100 and 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1), and these effects were reversible. Broken and absent teeth were observed in rats dosed with 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1), and microscopic tooth lesions (ameloblast degeneration/disorganization) occurred at 100 and 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1) and persisted with decreased severity throughout recovery. Decreased red cell mass parameters occurred at 90 days in the 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1) group, but red cell counts were normal thereafter during recovery. A persistent elevation of liver weights was seen in groups given > or =100 mg kg(-l) day(-1). The increased weights correlated with microscopic hepatocellular hypertrophy only in males and females administered 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1). Hepatic beta-oxidation was increased in a dose-dependent manner and persisted through 1 month of recovery at 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1). Increased kidney weights were observed at 25 (females only), 100, and 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1). These elevated weights persisted in the high dose after recovery and correlated with microscopic tubular hypertrophy (males only). Thyroid follicular hypertrophy was present at 100 and 250 mg kg(-1) day(-1) but was not present after recovery. Total fluorine in whole blood increased with continuous dosing and achieved steady state in approximately 42 days. Both plasma and urine fluoride levels were elevated in a dose-dependent manner. Under the conditions of the study, the no-observed adverse effect level for this mixture was 25 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for subchronic toxicity.

Vapor Pressure and Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonding in Fluorotelomer Alcohols

Vapor pressure and aqueous solubility are important parameters used to estimate the potential for transport of chemical substances in the atmosphere. For fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), currently under scrutiny by environmental scientists as potential precursors of persistent perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs), vapor pressure is the more significant property since these compounds are only very sparingly soluble in water. We have measured the vapor pressures of a homologous series of fluorotelomer alcohols, F(CF2CF2)nCH2CH2OH (n = 2-5), in the temperature range 21-250 degrees C by three independent methods: (a) a method suitable for very low vapor pressures at ambient temperatures (gas-saturation method), (b) an improved boiling point method at controlled pressures (Scott method), and (c) a novel method, requiring milligram quantities of substance, based on gas-phase NMR, a technique largely unfamiliar to chemists and holding promise for studies of relevance to environmental chemistry. The concordant values obtained indicate that recently published vapor pressure data overestimate the vapor pressure at ambient temperature, and therefore the volatility, of this series of fluorinated compounds. It was suggested that substantial intramolecular -O-H...F- hydrogen bonding between the hydroxylic proton and the two fluorines next to the ethanol moiety was responsible for their putative high volatility. Therefore, we have used gas-phase NMR, gas-phase FTIR, 2D NMR heteronuclear Overhauser effect measurements, and high-level ab initio computations to investigate the intramolecular hydrogen bonding in fluorotelomer alcohols. Our studies unequivocally show that hydrogen bonding of this type is not significant and cannot contribute to and cause unusual volatility. The substantially lower vapor pressure at ambient temperatures than previously reported resulting from our work is important in developing a valid understanding of the environmental transport behavior of this class of compounds.

Exposure assessment and risk characterization for perfluorooctanoate in selected consumer articles

An exposure assessment and risk characterization was conducted to better understand the potential human health significance of trace levels of perfluorooctanoate (PFO) detected in certain consumer articles. PFO is the anion of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Concentrations of PFO in the consumer articles were determined from extraction tests and product formulation information. Potential exposures during consumer use of the articles were quantified based on an assessment of behavior patterns and regulatory guidance. Health benchmarks were developed and then compared to the exposure estimates to yield margins of exposure (MOEs). A simple one-compartment model was also developed to estimate contributions of potential consumer exposures to PFO concentrations in serum. While there are considerable uncertainties in this assessment, it indicates that exposures to PFO during consumer use of the articles evaluated in this study are not expected to cause adverse human health effects in infants, children, adolescents, adult residents, or professionals nor result in quantifiable levels of PFO in human serum.

Aerobic biotransformation of 14C-labeled 8-2 telomer B alcohol by activated sludge from a domestic sewage treatment plant

This study investigated the biodegradation potential of 3-(14)C,1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecanol [CF3(CF2)6(14)CF2CH2CH2OH, 14C-labeled 8-2 telomer B alcohol or 14C-labeled 8-2 TBA] by diluted activated sludge from a domestic wastewater treatment plant under aerobic conditions. After sample extraction with acetonitrile, biotransformation products were separated and quantified by LC/ARC (on-line liquid chromatography/accurate radioisotope counting) with a limit of quantification about 0.5% of the 14C counts applied to the test systems. Identification of biotransformation products was performed by quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Three transformation products have been identified: CF3(CF2)6(14)CF2CH2COOH (8-2 saturated acid); CF3(CF2)6(14)CF=CHCOOH (8-2 unsaturated acid); and CF3(CF2)6(14)COOH (perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOA), representing 27, 6.0, and 2.1% of the initial 14C mass (14C counts applied) after 28 days, respectively. A transformation product, not yet reported in the literature, has also been observed and tentatively identified as CF3(CF2)6(14)CH2CH2COOH (2H,2H,3H,3H-perfluorodecanoic acid); it accounted for 2.3% of the mass balance after 28 days. The 2H,2H,3H,3H-perfluorodecanoic acid is likely a substrate for beta-oxidation, which represents one of the possible pathways for 8-2 telomer B alcohol degradation. The 8-2 saturated acid and 8-2 unsaturated acid cannot be directly used as substrates for beta-oxidation due to the proton deficiency in their beta-carbon (C3 carbon) and their further catabolism may be catalyzed by some other still unknown mechanisms. The 2H,2H,3H,3H-perfluorodecanoic acid may originate either from the major transformation product CF3(CF2)6(14)CF2CH2COOH or from other unidentified transformation products via multiple steps. Approximately 57% of the starting material remained unchanged after 28 days, likely due to its strong adsorption to the PTFE (poly(tetrafluoroethylene)) septa of the test vessels. No CF3(CF2)6(14)CF2COOH (perfluorononanoic acid) was observed, indicating that alpha-oxidation of CF3(CF2)6(14)CF2CH2COOH did not occur under the study conditions. Several 14C-labeled transformation products that have not yet been identified (each less than 1% of the mass balance) were also observed and together accounted for 7% of the total 14C mass balance after 28 days. It is not clear whether these unidentified transformation products were resulting from further metabolism of 8-2 saturated acid or 8-2 unsaturated acid. The results suggest that perfluorinated acid metabolites such as perfluorooctanoic acid account for only a very small portion of the transformation products observed. Also, the observed volatility and bioavailability of 14C-labeled 8-2 TBA for microbial degradation was markedly decreased as a result of the presence of a strongly adsorbing matrix such as PTFE in the experimental systems. It is apparent that the biological fate of 8-2 telomer B alcohol is determined by multiple degradation pathways, with neither beta-oxidation nor any other enzyme-catalyzed reactions as a single dominant (principal) mechanism under the study conditions.

Determination of extractable perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in water, sweat simulant, saliva simulant, and methanol from textile and carpet samples by LC/MS/MS

Methods were developed to quantify the amount of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) extracted from textile and carpet samples through contact with water, methanol, and sweat and saliva simulants using LC/MS/MS. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) for samples extracted in water and sweat simulant is 1 ppb (ng PFOA (g sample)(-1)) while the limits of quantitation for samples extracted in saliva simulant and methanol were 3 ppb and 2.5 ppb, respectively. Method validation results are provided for a polyester control textile sample that was extracted in water on two different days by different analysts, which gave an overall recovery of 103% and standard deviation of 5.3% for 30 analyses. However, for routine application of these methods to a large number of sample sets differing in chemical and physical compositions, a complete validation for each sample type is not practical or possible since control samples for fortifications are often not available. Instead, suitable analytical methods and acceptance criteria are described which ensure accurate PFOA quantitation in each of the solvent extract types. During routine use of these methods, post-extraction spike recoveries for the different sample types and solvents are 100 +/- 15% using a dual isotopically labeled (13)C-PFOA internal standard to correct for matrix effects. A comparison of extraction solvent versus time using a wrist action shaker for textile and carpet samples demonstrates that the total extractable amount of PFOA is similar for each of the solvent types. However, as expected the rate of extraction in water and simulants is significantly less than that of methanol. Finally, a comparison of 2 h and 24 h wrist action shaker extractions with a 1.5 h pressurized fluid extraction (PFE) in methanol reveals that the 24 h wrist action shaker yields the highest results. The 2 h wrist action shaker results are similar to those of the 1.5 h PFE extraction.

Collagen fibril diameter in the common carotid artery of the rat

The diameter of collagen fibrils has been measured in electron micrographs of the tunica media and adventitia of the common carotid artery of 14 rats (19,262 counts). The fibrils of the media were measured in each of its three interlamellar spaces. The mean fibril diameters in the innermost space and the middle space are not different (29.7 and 30.7 nm). However, the diameter of the fibrils is larger in the outermost space of the media than in the inner two spaces. With a diameter of 37.4 nm, the difference from the other medial spaces is highly significant. The adventitial fibril diameter of 66.1 nm is significantly different from the values for any of the medial spaces. The only cells present in all three spaces of the tunica media of the rat common carotid artery are smooth muscle cells, which presumably synthesize similar procollagen throughout the media. The larger diameter collagen fibrils of the outer interlamellar space may be an adaptation to greater mechanical stress in the outer media, or possibly the activity of the fibroblasts in the adjoining adventitia may affect fibril growth in this space of the media.

Ultrastructural features of rectal epithelium of the mouse during the early phases of migration to repair a defect

Observations were made by scanning and transmission electron microscopy on the migrating epithelial cells of the mouse rectum at intervals up to 24 h after stripping the epithelium off the mucosa. Resurfacing of the denuded basal lamina proceeded by the centrifugal migration of the columnar cells of the crypts. Changes in these cells occurred very rapidly. In less than 20 min a flat leading lamella developed and extended out on the basal lamina. The leading lamella could be recognized easily in scanning electron micrographs by the absence of microvilli, although these were retained on the cell body, gradually getting less regular and sparser than normal. Many zeiotic blebs appeared on the free margin of these cells. The features of migrating epithelium which are displayed in the in vivo repair of rectal mucosa are shared with migrating epithelia cultured in vitro. Goblet cells appeared not to be active in resurfacing the lesions. They disappeared from the surface epithelium, but were evident again by 18 and 24 h. The method of producing these lesions can also be used to study the cells that are removed.

Ultrastructure of conjunctival epithelium replacing corneal epithelium

After corneas of mice had been totally denuded of their epithelium by the application of n-heptanol, the new epithelium which grew over the corneas was studied by electron microscopy at intervals up to 7 months. The purpose was to compare the basal attachment of the new cells, derived from conjunctiva, with that of true corneal epithelial cells growing on the same type of substratum, and studied previously. Goblet cells appeared after 2 weeks amid the squamous type of epithelial cells which had resurfaced the cornea in about 1 week. Goblet cells increased up to at least 6 weeks, but had decreased by 3 months. They persisted, however, for the entire 7 months of the study. Goblet cells had only a small area of contact with the basal lamina, and they had few desmosomes or hemidesmosomes. Basal cells of the squamous type had complex features of their basal attachment quite different from those of normal or repairing corneal epithelial cells studied previously. Flat cytoplasmic extensions of squamous cells underlay most of the goblet cell basal pole which therefore had only a small area on the basal lamina. Numerous filaments inserted into desmosomes and hemidesmosomes of squamous cells, and prominent bundles of these filaments lay just above the basal plasma membrane. They were orientated parallel to the radial axis of the cornea. Closely spaced corrugations of the basal plasma membrane were also orientated in this axis, as well as rows of hemidesmosomes. Even after a period of 7 months, the morphological features of conjunctival cells did not come to resemble those of normal corneal epithelium. The radial arrangement of fibers, hemidesmosome rows, and corrugations is interpreted as a reflection of the continued centripetal migration of the epithelium.

Measurement of centripetal migration of normal corneal epithelial cells in the mouse

Fine punctate marks were made in normal corneas of mice using a needle rotating in a mixture of India ink and thorium dioxide. After 7 days, the marker was visible in the stroma and also in epithelial cells which had moved away from the stromal marks and towards the center of the cornea. The mean distance between these labels at the end of 7 days was 94 microns +/- 14 (SEM). The median distance migrated was about 17 microns per day. This figure represents the distance through which superficial and wing cells had migrated; the distance migrated by basal cells was not determined.

Ultrastructural characteristics associated with the anchoring of corneal epithelium in several classes of vertebrates

The electron microscopic examination of the basal cells of corneal epithelium certain species of Mammalia, Avia, Reptilia, Amphibia and Pisces was directed particularly towards the hemidesmosomes. Sections cut normal to the basal lamina and sections cut parallel to it were studied in order to establish the number, shape and distribution of the hemidesmosomes. Four basic types of hemidesmosome distribution were recognised among a limited representation of the classes studied. (1) Linear chains of hemidesmosomes (Mammalia, Rana, Bufo). (2) Rosette arrangement of hemidesmosomes surrounding pockets of basal plasma membrane (Avia, Anolis, Xenopus). (3) Punctate hemidesmosomes with no arrangement (Thamnophis). (4) Absence of hemidesmosomes (Carassius). All animals showed a basal lamina, basal pinocytotic vesicles, anchoring filaments, tonofilaments, and interdigitating foot-processes. It is suggested that anchoring filaments deserve to be studied more thoroughly in certain other types of epithelia which do not have focal hemidesmosomes, but require firm anchorage to a basal lamina.

Behavior of vascular smooth muscle cells during repeated stretching of the substratum in vitro

Smooth muscle cells derived from rat aortic media were established in subcultures and seeded from suspensions on smooth silicone rubber substrata in tissue culture flasks. Each flask contained two substrata, one stationary and one that was stretched and allowed to recoil at 15-s intervals. After 48 h or longer, the cells were fixed and their pattern on the 2 substrata examined by light or scanning electron microscopy. All stretched substrata showed 75% or more of cells lying within 45 degrees of a line drawn at right angles to the direction of stretch and recoil. Cells on the stationary substrata showed a random orientation. The results suggest that stretching of the internal elastic lamina by arterial pulsation may be a factor in creating the characteristic longitudinal orientation of smooth muscle cells that appear in the subendothelial space after injury, diffuse intimal thickening or atherosclerosis.

Hemidesmosomes of normal and regenerating mouse corneal epithelium

Hemidesmosomes of normal mouse corneal epithelium observed in tangential thin sections, occupy 14% of the basal plasma membrane. They consist of linear chains of densities with an orientation that is not random with respect to the radial axis of the cornea, tending to parallel it. During the repair of a small epithelial defect, cells of the corneal epithelium peripheral to the defect show chains of hemidesmosomes arranged parallel to the direction of migration of the epithelial sheet. This is parallel to the radius, like the orientation of the normal chains. Cells of the area that was denuded of epithelium, and is being resurfaced, show no hemidesmosomes. During repair of a large defect of the corneal epithelium hemidesmosomes are present on the cells covering the denuded area but they are small, few in number compared to the normal, and many are not arranged in chains. These small hemidesmosomes appear to be points of attachment of very fine basal filaments, possibly actin.

The influence of contact guidance on the orientation of colonies of subcultured vascular smooth muscle cells

Subcultures of smooth muscle cells derived from rat thoracic aorta were grown on plane plastic substrata and on plastic substrata having ridges molded in them by a heated, ruled template. The cells were found to have a very high degree of contact guidance when distributed sparsely on the ridged substrata. When the cell density increased multilayered, elongated colonies formed. On plane substrata these were irregular, curved, and disposed in all directions. On the ridged substrata, however, the colonies were straight, evenly spaced, and positioned at right angles to the ridges.

Comparison of the degree of contact guidance between tumor cells and normal cells in vitro

A comparison was made between the degree of contact guidance produced by grooved or ridged substrata in cultures of normal mouse embryonic fibroblasts and in fibrosarcoma EMT6 cells or cells of a dibenzanthracene-induced fibrosarcoma. Normal mouse mammary epithelial cells were also compared with cells of C3HBA mammary tumor. All types of cell showed a highly significant orientation in the direction of the grooves or ridges, but there were significantly lower proportions of aligned tumor cells than of their normal counterparts. Fibroblasts showed more alignment than did normal mammary epithelial cells, and the sarcoma cells showed more alignment than did the C3HBA tumor cells. Scanning electron microscopy of cells growing on ridged substrata revealed that all types of cells adhere to the ridges rather than to flat areas between ridges. The difference between normal and malignant cells appears to indicate a real difference in a behavioral characteristic, namely, that tumor cells are less responsive to the topographical features of the substratum that are their normal counterparts. The local infiltration of tissues by tumor cells is due to factors other than contact guidance, for it occurs in spite of their lower contact guidance compared to that of normal cells.

Cell migration in repair of mouse corneal epithelium

The repair of wounds of the cornea made by removing the full thickness of epithelium was studied in mice, both in vivo and in organ cultures. Repair of wounds 1 to 1.4 mm diameter was complete in 12 to 16 hr. Elongated epithelial cells were arranged radially about the margins of these small circular wounds. In large, irregularly shaped wounds, the cells frequently lay with their long axes at a tangent to the wound margin. On cells with this arrangement, leading lamellae and numberous short filopodia were present, but they were not on the radially arranged cells. The tangential orientation of the epithelial cells, usually seen at convex parts of the margins, was believed to be associated with arrest of the advance of these areas. Participation of the cells of the peripheral cornea in the movement of the epithelium was evident by the movement of India ink markers placed in them and also by the piling up of cells at incisions made across the direction of movement of the epithelium. The concept of cells rolling over each other at the edge of the wound was not supported. They appeared to move as a mass without significant changes in their relative positions.

Epidermal migration during the healing of suction blisters in rat skin: a scanning and transmission electron microscopic study

Fluid-filled blisters, created on the skin of the inner surface of the pinna of heparinized rats by the application of suction, showed an intact basal lamina through which protruded hairs and remnants of hair follicles. The origin of epithelial cells and their spreading over the basal lamina were studied at intervals over 36 hours using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The majority of epidermal cells arose from the outer root sheath of hair follicles and began to spread radially before 12 hours. By 36 hours the cells were confluent over most of the blister base. Inflammatory cells were few in number and rested mainly on the bare basal lamina rather than on the resurfacing cells. Some elongated epidermal cells showing tapering foot processes appeared to be migrating in from the epidermis at the edge of the blisters. The cells spreading from hair follicles were flat and polygonal. On these sheets of cells a few small folds and many filopodia were present at intercellular junctions and at the free margin of the leading cells. Large numbers of short microvilli covered the surface of some of the epidermal cells, especially at 24 and 36 hours; other epidermal cells were relatively smooth.

Regeneration of endothelium in rat aorta after local freezing. A scanning electron microscopic study

Immediately after freezing the abdominal aorta of rats by applying a cold probe, the endothelium is desquamated or necrotic and platelets adhere to desquamated areas (at the earliest observable time) but not to necrotic endothelium or endothelium adjacent to the injury. Preferential adhesion of platelets to fenestrations of the internal elastic laimina appears to lead to their active migration into the media, where a large number may be present up to 8 days after injury. Platelets seems to be removed from the surface by the action of the advancing edge of the regenerating endothelium, moving at a maximum mean rate of 590 mu daily. An increase in area of individual cells appears to relate better than an increase in their number to the advance of the edge of the regenerating sheet.

Intercellular bridges of chick blastoderm studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy

Chick blastoderms were studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy to identify by both methods a type of thread-like structure lying on the epiblast. The structure was identified by transmission microscopy as a long telophase bridge containing mid-body and spindle remnant. It appears to provide cytoplasmic continuity between only 2 cells.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF CEREBRAL ARTERIES: THE CONCENTRATION OF LIPIDS AND MINERALS COMPARED WITH THOSE IN THE INTERNAL CAROTID

The concentration of total cholesterol, free cholesterol, total phospholipid, nonlipid phosphorus, calcium, and fat-free dry residue was determined in the internal carotid and cerebral arteries obtained at autopsy from a series of 14 male subjects ranging in age from 40 to 85 yr. From these figures the concentration of cholesterol ester and percentage of the total cholesterol in the ester form was calculated.In terms of wet weight, there was, in general, no significant difference between the mean concentration of lipids in the internal carotid arteries and that in the cerebral arteries. On the other hand, the mean concentration of calcium and nonlipid phosphorus was much greater in the internal carotid arteries than in the cerebral arteries.By the method of rank correlation it was found that for both vessels the concentration of total, free, and ester cholesterol was significantly correlated with both age and the severity of the atherosclerosis. Ester cholesterol expressed as a percentage of total cholesterol was also significantly correlated with age and the severity of the disease process.For the internal carotid artery, the concentration of calcium and nonlipid phosphorus was correlated with both age and the severity of the atherosclerosis. This was in contrast to the cerebral arteries in which the concentration of calcium and nonlipid phosphorus was extremely low and was found to be correlated neither with age nor the severity of the disease process.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF CEREBRAL ARTERIES: THE CONCENTRATION OF LIPIDS AND MINERALS COMPARED WITH THOSE IN THE INTERNAL CAROTID

The concentration of total cholesterol, free cholesterol, total phospholipid, nonlipid phosphorus, calcium, and fat-free dry residue was determined in the internal carotid and cerebral arteries obtained at autopsy from a series of 14 male subjects ranging in age from 40 to 85 yr. From these figures the concentration of cholesterol ester and percentage of the total cholesterol in the ester form was calculated.In terms of wet weight, there was, in general, no significant difference between the mean concentration of lipids in the internal carotid arteries and that in the cerebral arteries. On the other hand, the mean concentration of calcium and nonlipid phosphorus was much greater in the internal carotid arteries than in the cerebral arteries.By the method of rank correlation it was found that for both vessels the concentration of total, free, and ester cholesterol was significantly correlated with both age and the severity of the atherosclerosis. Ester cholesterol expressed as a percentage of total cholesterol was also significantly correlated with age and the severity of the disease process.For the internal carotid artery, the concentration of calcium and nonlipid phosphorus was correlated with both age and the severity of the atherosclerosis. This was in contrast to the cerebral arteries in which the concentration of calcium and nonlipid phosphorus was extremely low and was found to be correlated neither with age nor the severity of the disease process.