Atmospheric nitrate has been attracting increasing attention because it is one of the important components of PM2.5. Understanding the sources and formation mechanism of nitrate in PM2.5 is essential to take effective measures to prevent and control the emission of nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere and reduce the formation of haze. In this study, PM2.5 samples were collected from Ganzhou, an inland city in southeast China, during summer and winter. The concentrations of PM2.5 and NO3- were determined, and the isotopic compositions of NO3- (δ15N-NO3- and δ18O-NO3-) were analyzed in order to quantify the relative contributions of different emission sources and formation pathways of nitrate in PM2.5. The results showed that PM2.5 and NO3- concentrations were lower in summer (39.80 ± 11.10 μg·m-3 and 1.79 ± 0.70 μg·m-3) while higher in winter (69.85 ± 29.58 μg·m-3 and 10.83 ± 9.89 μg·m-3). The values of δ18O-NO3- and δ15N-NO3- ranged from 42.84‰ to 56.80‰ and from -11.17‰ to -2.08‰ in summer, while from 55.86‰ to 78.66‰ and from -10.63‰ to -1.88‰ in winter, respectively. The results of δ15N-NO3- combined with Bayesian isotope mixing model showed that the relative contributions of vehicle exhaust, soil microbial activity, biomass combustion and coal fired power plants were 59.3%, 28.5%, 8.7% and 3.4% in summer, while 65.1%, 20.1%, 10.6% and 4.1% in winter, respectively. The results of δ18O-NO3- combined with Bayesian isotope mixing model showed that the possible relative contributions of pathway 1 (P1) (NO2 + ·OH), pathway 2 (P2) (NO3 + HC) and pathway 3 (P3) (N2O5 + H2O) were 73.5%, 12.4% and 14.1% in summer, while 41.6%, 28.9% and 29.5% in winter, respectively. Moreover, P2 and P3 contributed more when NO3- concentrations were higher, suggesting that P2 and P3 were of significance to the formation of nitrate in PM2.5, especially during winter.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the main cause of irreversible blindness in people over 60 years of age, is an eye disease that evolves with loss of central vision. Although AMD manifests itself in the eye, blood is continuously flowing through the macular region, such that potential alterations in this region could be reflected in the composition of whole blood or plasma/serum. Therefore, the potential clinical relevance of analysis of serum samples was assessed because of the low degree of invasiveness of blood sampling. 40 initial samples (20 from controls and 20 from patients with the dry form of AMD) have been analysed in this work to investigate the possible occurrence of homeostatic alterations of essential mineral elements caused by the disease. Both major (Na, Mg, P and K) and trace (Fe, Cu and Zn) essential mineral elements were determined in blood serum using single-collector ICP-mass spectrometry. Also, the isotopic composition of Cu (an element proposed to be directly involved in the onset of AMD) was determined using multi-collector ICP-mass spectrometry. Unexpected light Cu isotopic compositions in three individuals assumed as controls, resulted in a re-evaluation of their clinical information and a later exclusion due to pathologies initially not accounted for. In this pilot study, a significant alteration in the δ65Cu value has been found between the two final cohorts (AMD patients: n = 20; controls n = 17), with lower δ65Cu values (i.e. an enrichment in the light 63Cu isotope) in the case of AMD. Also, higher serum concentrations of the elements P and Zn were established in AMD at a systemic level.