Scientists discover how salt in tumors could help diagnose and treat breast cancer

 Analyzing sodium levels in breast cancer tumors can give an accurate indication of how aggressive a cancer is and whether chemotherapy treatments are taking effect, new research has shown.

In a study, by the universities of York and Cambridge and funded by charities Cancer Research UK and Breast Cancer Now, researchers developed a technique using sodium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect salt levels in breast cancer tumors in mice.

Using this technique, the researchers looked at breast cancer tumors and discovered that salt (sodium) was being accumulated inside cancer cells and that more active tumors accumulate more sodium.

The researchers then took a group of 18 tumors and targeted some of them with chemotherapy treatment. When they scanned the tumors a week later they found that sodium levels had reduced in the tumors treated with chemotherapy.

There are currently around 55,920 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the UK each year and it is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide.

Imaging salt levels could be a vital new tool to help diagnose and monitor breast cancer, the researchers say. The team is now conducting an observational study to see if their results can be replicated in human breast cancer patients.

Senior author of the study, Dr. William Brackenbury from the Department of Biology at the University of York, said: "We have known for a while that solid tumors are high in salt, but this research brings us a step closer to understanding why. Our findings show that the high levels of sodium in breast cancer tumors is coming from inside the cancer cells rather than the surrounding tissue fluid, meaning that there is something strange about their metabolic activity which leads to them accumulating more salt than healthy cells do.

"There are currently only a handful of sodium MRI scanners across the country, but our study paves the way for them to be used as a new technique for diagnosing breast cancer, monitoring the success of treatments and improving survival rates for patients."

According to the authors of the study, there is also the potential for the development of drugs to block sodium channels in cancer cells, slowing the growth and spread of tumors. Previous research led by Dr. Brackenbury identified a drug currently used to treat epilepsy which showed promise in targeting sodium channels and slowed cancer progression in laboratory models of breast cancer.

The researchers would also like to explore ways to improve the resolution of sodium MRI, which currently produces a relatively pixelated image in comparison to a normal MRI scan. The team wants to develop new technologies—such as the design of new radiofrequency coils and associated cooling systems—to improve the signal quality of sodium imaging. This would enable them to do further research including investigating whether there are sodium hotspots in tumors where growth is most active.

Clinical co-author on the study, Professor Fiona Gilbert from the University of Cambridge said,: "We are excited about using these techniques in the clinic."

Dr. Charles Evans, Research Information Manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "This interesting study demonstrates that using sodium MRI could be a powerful new way to improve detection of breast cancers. The technique also holds the potential to provide us with deeper insights into how breast cancers respond to treatments. What's more, these techniques could be applied to other cancer types. The study is at an early stage, however, and more research will be needed before sodium MRI can begin to benefit patients."'

Dr. Simon Vincent, Breast Cancer Now's Director of Research, Support and Influencing, said: "It's vital breast cancer is diagnosed quickly and accurately, and its response to treatment closely monitored, to ensure patients receive the best possible care. This innovative early-stage research into sodium MRI has the potential to improve patient care, giving medical teams more in-depth information. We look forward to scientists building on this discovery to understand how it can work in practice to benefit patients in the clinic. The way that breast cancer can accumulate sodium should also be investigated further as it may help discover new ways to treat this devastating disease."

"Sodium accumulation in breast cancer predicts malignancy and treatment response" is published in the the British Journal of Cancer insert link once published. The study was also supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

More information: Andrew D. James et al, Sodium accumulation in breast cancer predicts malignancy and treatment response, British Journal of Cancer (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41416-022-01802-w

TGA

 Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is a common thermal analysis technique that provides composition information for polymeric materials. Most often, we associate TGA with quantitative data. However, I was reminded during a recent material analysis that TGA can also provide insight into the qualitative analysis.

I was analyzing a rubber O-ring. My first test, as usual, was Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The FTIR indicated that the material was a nitrile rubber (NBR) compound. Additional absorption bands associated with aluminum silicate clay were also present. Weak bands indicated an ester-based plasticizer. The general form of the spectrum was suggestive of a moderate loading of carbon black.

I conducted the TGA analysis and found all of the expected weight loss events for the quantification of the plasticizer, polymer, and carbon black, as well as the residue for the mineral filler. However, one additional weight loss stood out. A weight loss of 4.4% centered at approximately 280 C. The temperature and relatively sharp nature of the weight loss were characteristic of dehydrohalogenation – in this case, the evolution of HCl from poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). PVC is often added to NBR rubber compounds to modify the mechanical properties of the rubber and increase the ozone resistance and improve the weathering resistance.

This example illustrates the power of thermogravimetric analysis, both quantitative and qualitative. 

Study shows everyday plastic products release trillions of microscopic particles into water

Plastics surround us, whether it's the grocery bags we use at the supermarket or household items such as shampoo and detergent bottles. Plastics don't exist only as large objects, but also as microscopic particles that are released from these larger products. These microscopic plastics can end up in the environment, and they can be ingested into our bodies.

Now, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have analyzed a couple of widely used consumer products to better understand these microscopic plastics. They found that when the plastic products are exposed to hot water, they release trillions of nanoparticles per liter into the water.

The NIST researchers published their findings in the scientific journal Environmental Science and Technology.

"The main takeaway here is that there are plastic particles wherever we look. There are a lot of them. Trillions per liter. We don't know if those have bad health effects on people or animals. We just have high confidence that they're there," said NIST chemist Christopher Zangmeister.

There are many different types of plastic materials, but they are all made up of polymers, natural or human-made substances composed of large molecules linked together. Scientists have found microscopic particles from these larger plastics in the oceans and many other environments. Researchers categorize them into two groups: micro and nanoplastics.

Microplastics are generally considered smaller than 5 millimeters in length and could be seen by the naked eye, while nanoplastics are smaller than one-millionth of a meter (one micrometer) and most can't even be seen with a standard microscope. Recent studies have shown some consumer products that hold liquids or interact with them, such as polypropylene (PP) baby bottles and nylon plastic tea bags, release these plastic particles into the surrounding water.

In their study, the NIST researchers looked at two types of commercial plastic products: food-grade nylon bags, such as baking liners—clear plastic sheets placed in baking pans to create a nonstick surface that prevents moisture loss—and single-use hot beverage cups, such as coffee cups. The beverage cups they analyzed were coated with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), a soft flexible plastic film often used as a liner.

The LDPE-lined beverage cups were exposed to water at 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20 minutes.

To analyze the nanoparticles released from these plastic products, the researchers first needed to determine how to detect them. "Imagine having a cup of water in a generic to-go coffee cup. It could have many billions of particles, and we would need to figure out how to find these nanoplastics. It's like finding a needle in a haystack," Zangmeister said.

So, he and his colleagues had to use a new approach. "We used a way of taking the water that's in the cup, spraying it out into a fine mist, and drying the mist and all that's left within the solution," said Zangmeister. Through this process, the nanoparticles are isolated from the rest of the solution.

The technique itself has previously been used to detect tiny particles in the atmosphere. "So, we're not reinventing the wheel but applying it to a new area," said Zangmeister.

After the mist was dried, the nanoparticles in it were sorted by their size and charge. Researchers could then specify a particular size, for example nanoparticles around 100 nanometers, and pass them into a particle counter. The nanoparticles were exposed to a hot vapor of butanol, a type of alcohol, then cooled down rapidly. As the alcohol condensed, the particles swelled from the size of nanometers to micrometers, making them much more detectable. This process is automated and run by a computer program, which counts the particles.

Researchers could also identify the chemical composition of the nanoparticles by placing them on a surface and observing them with techniques known as scanning electron microscopy, which takes high-resolution images of a sample using a beam of high-energy electrons, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, a technique that captures the infrared-light spectrum of a gas, solid or liquid.

All these techniques used together provided a fuller picture of the size and composition of the nanoparticles.

In their analysis and observations, the researchers found that the average size of the nanoparticles was between 30 nanometers and 80 nanometers, with few above 200 nanometers. Additionally, the concentration of nanoparticles released into hot water from food-grade nylon was seven times higher compared with single-use beverage cups.

"In the last decade, scientists have found plastics wherever we looked in the environment. People have looked at snow in Antarctica, the bottom of glacial lakes, and found microplastics bigger than about 100 nanometers, meaning they were likely not small enough to enter a cell and cause physical problems," said Zangmeister.

"Our study is different because these nanoparticles are really small and a big deal because they could get inside of a cell, possibly disrupting its function," said Zangmeister, who also stressed that no one has determined that would be the case.

The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the plastics that touch the food we eat or the water we drink. The agency has standards and safety measures in place to determine what's safe. The FDA's researchers run rigorous tests on these plastics and measure how much plastic mass is lost when exposed to hot water. For example, the FDA has determined that food-grade nylon (such as that used in tea bags) can safely lose up to 1% of its mass under high-temperature conditions. In the NIST study using their new technique, the researchers found one-tenth of a percent of the mass was lost, which is significantly below current FDA limits for what's considered safe.

Zangmeister noted there isn't a commonly used test for measuring LDPE that is released into water from samples like coffee cups, but there are tests for nylon plastics. The findings from this study could help in efforts to develop such tests. In the meantime, Zangmeister and his team have analyzed additional consumer products and materials, such as fabrics, cotton-polyester, plastic bags, and water stored in plastic pipes.

The findings from this study, combined with those from the other types of materials analyzed, will open new avenues of research in this area going forward. "Most of the studies on this topic are written toward educating fellow scientists. This paper will do both: educate scientists and perform public outreach," said Zangmeister.

More information: DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c06768

Ultra-light liquid hydrogen tanks promise to make jet fuel obsolete

 A revolutionary cryogenic tank design promises to radically boost the range of hydrogen-powered aircraft – to the point where clean, fuel-cell airliners could fly up to four times farther than comparable planes running on today's dirty jet fuel.

Weight is the enemy of all things aerospace – indeed, hydrogen's superior energy storage per weight is what makes it such an attractive alternative to lithium batteries in the aviation world. We've written before about HyPoint's turbo air-cooled fuel cell technology, but its key differentiator in the aviation market is its enormous power density compared with traditional fuel cells. For its high power output, it's extremely lightweight.

Now, it seems HyPoint has found a similarly-minded partner that's making similar claims on the fuel storage side. Tennessee company Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories (GTL) has been working for many years now on developing ultra-lightweight cryogenic tanks made from graphite fiber composites, among other materials.

GTL claims it's built and tested several cryogenic tanks demonstrating an enormous 75 percent mass reduction as compared with "state-of-the-art aerospace cryotanks (metal or composite)." The company says they've tested leak-tight, even through several cryo-thermal pressure cycles, and that these tanks are at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6+, where TRL 6 represents a technology that's been verified at a beta prototype level in an operational environment.

This kind of weight reduction makes an enormous difference when you're dealing with a fuel like liquid hydrogen, which weighs so little in its own right. To put this in context, ZeroAvia's Val Miftakhov told us in 2020 that for a typical compressed-gas hydrogen tank, the typical mass fraction (how much the fuel contributes to the weight of a full tank) was only 10-11 percent. Every kilogram of hydrogen, in other words, needs about 9 kg of tank hauling it about.

Liquid hydrogen, said Miftakhov at the time, could conceivably allow hydrogen planes to beat regular kerosene jets on range. "Even at a 30-percent mass fraction, which is relatively achievable in liquid hydrogen storage, you'd have the utility of a hydrogen system higher than a jet fuel system on a per-kilogram basis," he said.

GTL claims the 2.4-m-long, 1.2-m-diameter (7.9-ft-long, 3.9-ft-diameter) cryotank pictured at the top of this article weighs just 12 kg (26.5 lb). With a skirt and "vacuum dewar shell" added, the total weight is 67 kg (148 lb). And it can hold over 150 kg (331 lb) of hydrogen. That's a mass fraction of nearly 70 percent, leaving plenty of spare weight for cryo-cooling gear, pumps and whatnot even while maintaining a total system mass fraction over 50 percent.

If it does what it says on the tin, this promises to be massively disruptive. At a mass fraction of over 50 percent, HyPoint says it will enable clean aircraft to fly four times as far as a comparable aircraft running on jet fuel, while cutting operating costs by an estimated 50 percent on a dollar-per-passenger-mile basis – and completely eliminating carbon emissions.

HyPoint gives the example of a typical De Havilland Canada Dash-8 Q300, which flies 50-56 passengers about 1,558 km (968 miles) on jet fuel. Retrofitted with a fuel cell powertrain and a GTL composite tank, the same plane could fly up to 4,488 km (2,789 miles). "That's the difference between this plane going from New York to Chicago with high carbon emissions versus New York to San Francisco with zero carbon emissions," said HyPoint co-founder Sergei Shubenkov in a press release.

There's not a sector in the aviation world that shouldn't be pricking up its ears at this news. From electric VTOLs to full-size intercontinental airliners, there aren't a lot of operators that wouldn't want to dramatically boost flight range, reduce costs, eliminate carbon emissions or simply just reduce weight to increase cargo or passenger capacity.

It won't be simple – there's a ton of work to be done yet on green hydrogen production, transport, and logistics, not to mention developing these tanks and aircraft fuel cells to the point where they're airworthy, certified, and well-enough tested to be considered a no-brainer. But with these kinds of numbers on the table as carrots, and the aviation sector's enormous emissions profile acting as a stick, these tanks should surely get a chance to prove themselves.

Source: HyPoint/GTL

Hexagon Purus acquires stake in cryogenic hydrogen storage technology company, adding future complementary capabilities to its portfolio

 (Oslo, 21 April 2022) Hexagon Purus, a world-leading supplier of zero-emission mobility solutions, has entered into an agreement to acquire 40% of Cryoshelter GmbH’s (“Cryoshelter”) liquid hydrogen business. The transaction is in conjunction with Hexagon Composites’ acquisition of a 40% stake in Cryoshelter’s liquid natural gas (LNG) business.

Cryoshelter’s liquid hydrogen tank technology is in the early stage of development and builds on superior and differentiated LNG technology that provides more fuel capacity and higher hold times (a critical requirement for cryogenic storage) than competing offerings. The transaction brings early-stage expertise in liquid hydrogen tank technology for zero-emission mobility applications and could potentially result in a future complimentary offering to Hexagon Purus’ market-leading compressed hydrogen cylinder technology.

Key terms and structure of the transaction
An initial investment of EUR 3.5 million for 40% of the shares in Cryoshelter’s liquid hydrogen business.
The transaction contemplates a split of Cryoshelter into separate legal entities for the liquid hydrogen and liquid natural (renewable) gas businesses, enabling Hexagon Purus’ direct investment in early-stage liquid hydrogen tank technology.
The separation of Cryoshelter’s liquid hydrogen and liquid natural gas businesses recognizes the different phases of market and product development – there is an established market for liquid natural gas mobility solutions and Cryoshelter’s technology is already at a pre-commercial stage, while the market and products for liquid hydrogen storage are in the early stage of development with a longer runway to commercialization.
Synergies between the separated business entities are expected to be maintained in key functional areas, sharing resources where possible.

Hexagon Purus and Cryoshelter will further develop the technology and business over the next few years.
Hexagon Purus has options to buy the remaining interests in Cryoshelter over the next 5 -10 years.
The closing of the transaction is expected to take place in the third quarter of 2022, subject to the fulfillment of certain closing conditions and customary regulatory approvals.

Source: Hexagon Purus

Tailored Fiber Plaplacement cement (TFP) i

📢Time to Get Technical...📢

Tailored Fiber Plaplacement cement (TFP) is an embroidery-based tow-steering process that enables complete control over fiber and directionality in a composite preform. During the process, continuous tow is stitched to a backing material using numerical control. The result is highly engineered composite structures that take full advantage of the anisotropic nature of fiber reinforcement.

Several fibrous materials like carbon, glass, basalt, aramid, natural, thermoplastic, ceramic fibers, or metallic threads can be placed in a near-net shape on a carrier material by TFP. Even the placement of different materials at the same time or one after another can be proceeded by TFP. Especially while using the TFP technology for the placement of carbon rovings to create

preforms for composite parts, a high degree of freedom is an advantage. The rovings can be placed exactly according to the distribution of forces within a structural component. This leads to a higher force absorption with fewer stacked layers. 100% reproducibility speaks for itself and is accomplished by the following:

- Automatic perform production.

- Low mass tolerance.

- High dimensional accuracy.

- Reliable identical laying roving.

This cost-effective process is driven by high stitching speed on one hand and multiple laying heads on a machine. In comparison to other textile technologies, the expensive loss of materials is kept to a minimum because of the near-net-shape production of the product. Accordingly, the problem of waste disposal is very little.

Source: University of Dayton Research Institute and ZSK Technical Embroidery Systems.

#managingcomposites

Hexagon Purus receives an order to deliver high-performance hydrogen distribution systems to a leading global industrial gas company

 (Oslo, 20 April 2022) Hexagon Purus, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Wystrach GmbH (“Wystrach”), a leading hydrogen systems supplier, has received a follow-on order worth approximately EUR 1.5 million (approx. NOK 14 million) to deliver hydrogen distribution systems to a leading global industrial gas company. This order can be viewed in conjunction with the announcement on February 4, 2022, of a separate order with a value of approximately EUR 5.7 million (approx. NOK 58 million). Wystrach’s hydrogen distribution systems with Hexagon Purus’ type 4 cylinders will be used to deliver hydrogen for industrial and mobility applications in the Netherlands.

Source:hexagon Purus