Pork-derived products can contribute to the overall ochratoxin A (OTA) intake via carry-over from contaminated feed or via mould spoilage of meat products (salami, dry-cured ham, sausage). An analytical method using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and validated in accordance with the specifications laid down by European Commission. It offered quantification limits of 0.2 for kidney, liver and 0.4 μg/kg for black sausage. Spiking experiments of blank samples at 5-10 μg/kg showed recoveries ranging from 88 to 101%, 89 to 97% and 80 to 85% for kidney, liver and black sausage, respectively. The respective intra-laboratory repeatabilities ranged between 9.8-11.1%, 9.4-14.4% and 9.7-14.2%, and extended measurement uncertainties MU(k = 2) were 33%, 35% and 43% for kidney, liver and black sausage. Next, the validated method was applied to kidney (110), liver (20) and black sausage (20) samples collected in Belgium in the period 2012-2019. Neither liver nor black sausage samples were contaminated with OTA. Kidney samples (37.3%) were OTA contaminated at the mean level of 0.22 ± 0.25 μg/kg (up to 1.91 μg/kg). These data combined with the offal consumption in the Belgian population revealed average daily OTA exposures ranged from 0.167 and 0.319 ng/kg bw for 3 age groups (3-9, 10-17 and 18-64 years). Taking into account, the OTA non-neoplastic and neoplastic effects, risk characterization assessed via the margin of exposure for reference endpoints revealed no potential health risk for the consumers. As the presence of low OTA content in foods together with other mycotoxins or derivatives may interactively potentiate its toxicity, monitoring of OTA and its metabolites in meat and meat by-products is advised.Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), a binary cancer therapeutic modality, has moved to a new phase since development of accelerator-based neutron sources and establishment of BNCT centers in Finland and Japan.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/selonsertib-gs-4997.html  That stimulated efforts for better boron delivery agent development. As liposomes have shown effective boron delivery properties and sufficient tumor retention, fluorescent liposome labelling may serve as a rapid method to study initial ability of newly synthesized liposomes to be captured by tumor cells prior to experiments on boron accumulation and neutron irradiation. In this work, we studied the accumulation and biodistribution of pegylated liposomes with encapsulated borocaptate (BSH) and a fluorescent label (Nile Red) in U87 (human glioblastoma), SW-620 (human colon carcinoma), SK-MEL-28 (human melanoma), FetMSC (mesenchymal human embryo stem cells), and EMBR (primary embryocytes) cell lines as well as an orthotopic xenograft model of U87 glioma in SCID mice. Results indicate that fluorescent microscopy is effective at determining the intracellular localization of the liposomes using a fluorescent label. The synthesized, pegylated liposomes showed higher accumulation in tumors compared to normal cells, with characteristic concentration peaks in SW-620 and U87 cell lines, and provided in vivo tumor selectivity with several-fold higher tumor tissue fluorescence at the 6-h timepoint. Graphical abstract Fluorescent images of U-87 glioma cells after 24 hours of incubation with BSH-containing liposomes labeled with lipophilic Nile Red (red color)and water-soluble FITC-Dextran (green color); cell nuclei in blue color (DAPI-staining) (×400). Scale bar is 50 μm. Fluorescent labelling serves as anexpress method to study liposome delivery efficiency prior to boron accumulation evaluation and BNCT irradiation experiments.The lack of an appropriate methodology makes numerous important issues related to miniature paintings unresolved-despite the fact that the portrait miniatures of the seventeenth to the nineteenth century represent a highly specific and significant field of European fine art. One of these issues is represented by chemical degradation of miniatures and its analytical evidence. Fragility, variability of the employed materials, and detailed execution make their analysis highly challenging-since no sampling is usually allowed and any change on their surface is immediately noticeable. Therefore, this study focused on finding a fully non-invasive multi-analytical approach to describe degradation processes resulting from the interaction of lead pigments and oils. For this purpose, a representative set of miniature portraits on various supports (ivory, metal, glass) has been selected. For the first time, Pb carboxylates (lead soaps) have been evidenced in miniatures painted in oil and also in a combined technique (gum + oil). Their distribution and crystallinity was described by a combination of X-ray-based (X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction) and micro-spectroscopic methods. At the same time, a number of new findings about the employed painting technique and involvement of various pigments in the degradation processes were obtained. For example, a possible saponification of a mixed Pb-Sn-Sb yellow was indicated for the first time. Although the degradation is clearly at an advanced stage, it has not shown yet any visible symptoms that might warn restorers and curators. Therefore, without targeted analysis, it would remain overlooked.Ischemic stroke is one of the major causes of death and permanent disability in the world. However, the molecular mechanisms surrounding tissue damage are complex and further studies are needed to gain insights necessary for development of treatment. Prophylactic treatment by administration of cytosine-guanine (CpG) oligodeoxynucleotides has been shown to provide neuroprotection against anticipated ischemic injury. CpG binds to Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) causing initialization of an inflammatory response that limits visible ischemic damages upon subsequent stroke. Here, we use nanospray desorption electrospray ionization (nano-DESI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) to characterize molecular effects of CpG preconditioning prior to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion. By doping the nano-DESI solvent with appropriate internal standards, we can study and compare distributions of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) in the ischemic hemisphere of the brain despite the large changes in alkali metal abundances.