Blood is a major contributor of evidence in investigations involving violent crimes because of the unique composition of proteins and low molecular weight compounds present in the circulatory system, which often serve as biomarkers in clinical diagnostics. It was recently shown that biomarkers present in blood can also identify characteristics of the originator, such as ethnicity and biological sex. A biocatalytic assay for on-site forensic investigations was developed to simultaneously identify the age range of the blood sample originator and the time since deposition (TSD) of the blood spot. For these two characteristics to be identified, the levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), a marker commonly used in clinical diagnostics corresponding to old and young originators, were monitored after deposition for up to 48 h to mimic a crime scene setting. ALP was chosen as the biomarker due to its age-dependent nature. The biocatalytic assay was used to determine the age range of the originator using human serum samples. By means of statistical tools for evaluation and the physiological levels of ALP in healthy people, the applicability of this assay in forensic science was shown for the simultaneous determination of the age of the originator and the TSD of the blood spot. The stability of ALP in serum allows for the differentiation between old and young originators up to 2 days after the sample was left under mimicked crime scene conditions.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), particularly the perfluorinated ones, are recalcitrant to biodegradation. By integrating a reductively defluorinating enrichment culture with biocompatible electrode materials in an electrochemical system, deeper defluorination of a C6 perfluorinated unsaturated PFAS was achieved compared to the biological or electrochemical system alone. Two types of synergies in the bioelectrochemical system were identified: (i) the microbial-electrochemical in-series defluorination and (ii) the electrochemically enabled microbial defluorination of intermediates at the cathode. Specific cathode microorganisms were enriched, which likely involved in the electrochemically enhanced biodefluorination. The synergies at the material-microbe interface surpassed the limitation of microbial defluorination and further turned the biotransformation end-products into deeper defluorination products, which could be more biodegradable in the environment. It reveals a strong promise of the sustainable material-microbe hybrid system, which could be driven by renewable electricity in PFAS bioremediation and warrants future research to optimize the system and maximize its performance.
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