EarlyView Articles

Therapeutic potential of cannabinoid medicines

Published: Sep 4, 2013

Author(s): P. J. Robson

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

Cannabis was extensively used as a medicine throughout the developed world in the nineteenth century but went into decline early in the twentieth century ahead of its emergence as the most widely used illicit recreational drug later that century. Recent advances in cannabinoid pharmacology alongside the discovery of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) have re‐ignited interest in cannabis‐based medicines. The ECS has emerged as an important...

Prostate cancer detection and diagnosis: the role of MR and its comparison with other diagnostic modalities – a radiologist's perspective

Published: Sep 3, 2013

Author(s): Tobias Penzkofer, Clare M. Tempany‐Afdhal

Journal: NMR in Biomedicine

It is now universally recognized that many prostate cancers are over‐diagnosed and over‐treated. The European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer from 2009 evidenced that, to save one man from death from prostate cancer, over 1400 men need to be screened, and 48 need to undergo treatment. The detection of prostate cancer is traditionally based on digital rectal examination (DRE) and the measurement of serum prostate‐specific...

Rapid hybrid encoding for high‐resolution whole‐brain fluid‐attenuated imaging

Published: Sep 3, 2013

Author(s): Hoonjae Lee, Chul‐Ho Sohn, Jaeseok Park

Journal: NMR in Biomedicine

Single‐slab three‐dimensional (3D) turbo spin‐echo (TSE) imaging combined with inversion recovery (IR), which employs short, spatially non‐selective refocusing pulses and signal prescription based variable refocusing flip angles (VFA) to increase imaging efficiency, was recently introduced to produce fluid‐attenuated brain images for lesion detection. Despite the advantages, the imaging efficiency in this approach still remains limited...

An LC‐MS/MS method for determination of curculigoside with anti‐osteoporotic activity in rat plasma and application to a pharmacokinetic study

Published: Sep 2, 2013

Author(s): Guang Zhao, Fusheng Yuan, Jiajun Zhu

Journal: Biomedical Chromatography

ABSTRACT A rapid, simple, selective and sensitive LC‐MS/MS method was developed for the determination of curculigoside in rat plasma. The analytical procedure involves extraction of curculigoside and syringin (internal standard, IS) from rat plasma with a one‐step extraction method by protein precipitation. The chromatographic resolution was performed on an Agilent XDB‐C18 column (4.6 × 50 mm, 5 µm) using an isocratic mobile phase of methanol...

Identification and characterization of human UDP‐glucuronosyltransferases responsible for the in vitro glucuronidation of bergenin

Published: Sep 2, 2013

Author(s): Haojing Song, Jin Wang, Rui Zhang, Xiaoyan Liu, Guiyan Yuan, Chunmin Wei, Benjie Wang, Ruichen Guo

Journal: Biomedical Chromatography

ABSTRACT Glucuronidation plays critical role in the elimination of bergenin; however the metabolic mechanism of UDP‐glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) in the process remains to be investigated. In this study, the kinetics of bergenin glucuronidation by pooled human liver microsomes (HLMs) and 12 recombinat UGT isozymes were investigated. The glucuronidation of bergenin can be shown in HLMs with a Km value of 231.62 ± 14.08 µm and a...

Determination of 4‐bromo‐2,5‐dimethoxy‐N‐[(2‐methoxyphenyl)methyl]‐benzeneethanamine (25B‐NBOMe) in serum and urine by high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry in a case of severe intoxication

Published: Sep 2, 2013

Author(s): Justin L. Poklis, Carol R. Nanco, Michelle M. Troendle, Carl E. Wolf, Alphonse Poklis

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

We present a case of 4‐bromo‐2,5‐dimethoxy‐N‐[(2‐methoxyphenyl)methyl]‐benzeneethanamine (25B‐NBOMe), an N‐benzyl phenethylamines derivative, intoxication and a high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐MS/MS) method for detection and quantification of 25B‐NBOMe. A 19‐year‐old male was found unresponsive with generalized grand mal seizure activity. On the second day of hospitalization, a friend admitted...

Simultaneous quantification of acetaminophen and structurally related compounds in human serum and plasma

Published: Sep 2, 2013

Author(s): Caroline Bylda, Roland Thiele, Uwe Kobold, Dietrich A. Volmer

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

The method described in this study allows the simultaneous quantification of acetaminophen (APAP) and nine structurally related compounds, namely acetaminophen metabolites and structurally similar analogs (acetaminophen‐glucuronide [APG], ‐sulfate [APS], mercapturate [APM], ‐cysteine [APC], p‐phenetidine, phenacetin), antidote (N‐acetylcysteine, NAC), and two tricyclic antidepressants (imipramine and amitryptiline). Due to the relatively...

Improved methods for fluorescence background subtraction from Raman spectra

Published: Sep 2, 2013

Author(s): P. J. Cadusch, M. M. Hlaing, S. A. Wade, S. L. McArthur, P. R. Stoddart

Journal: Journal of Raman Spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy has attracted interest as a non‐invasive optical technique to study the composition and structure of a wide range of materials at the microscopic level. The intrinsic fluorescence background can be orders of magnitude stronger than the Raman scattering, and so, background removal is one of the foremost challenges for quantitative analysis of Raman spectra in many samples. A range of methods anchored in instrumental and...

Simultaneous HPLC determination of ergosterol and 22,23‐dihydroergosterol in Flammulina velutipes sterol‐loaded microemulsion

Published: Sep 2, 2013

Author(s): Shanshan Tong, Hui Zhong, Chengxue Yi, Xia Cao, Caleb Kesse Firempong, Qianfeng Zheng, Yingshu Feng, Jiangnan Yu, Ximing Xu

Journal: Biomedical Chromatography

ABSTRACT An efficient HPLC method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of ergosterol and 22,23‐dihydroergosterol in Flammulina velutipes sterol‐loaded microemulsions (FVSMs). The different chromatographic conditions for in vitro and in vivo determinations were investigated, with the application examined by tissue distribution. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an Inertsil ODS‐SP (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) analytical...

Prostate MR: current status, challenges and future directions

Published: Aug 30, 2013

Author(s): Naranamangalam R. Jagannathan

Journal: NMR in Biomedicine

Assessment of diffusion parameters by intravoxel incoherent motion MRI in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Published: Aug 30, 2013

Author(s): Simona Marzi, Francesca Piludu, Antonello Vidiri

Journal: NMR in Biomedicine

The objectives of this study were to assess the diffusion parameters derived from intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) MRI in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and to investigate the agreement between different methods of tumor delineation and two numerical methods to extract the perfusion fraction f. Thirty‐seven untreated patients with histopathologically confirmed primary HNSCC were included retrospectively in the study. The...

Intolerability of cobalt salt as erythropoietic agent

Published: Aug 30, 2013

Author(s): Bastian Ebert, Wolfgang Jelkmann

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

Unfair athletes seek ways to stimulate erythropoiesis, because the mass of haemoglobin is a critical factor in aerobic sports. Here, the potential misuse of cobalt deserves special attention. Cobalt ions (Co2+) stabilize the hypoxia‐inducible transcription factors (HIFs) that increase the expression of the erythropoietin (Epo) gene. Co2+ is orally active, easy to obtain, and inexpensive. However, its intake can bear risks to health. To elaborate this...

Q‐ball imaging with PROPELLER EPI acquisition

Published: Aug 29, 2013

Author(s): Ming‐Chung Chou, Teng‐Yi Huang, Hsiao‐Wen Chung, Tsyh‐Jyi Hsieh, Hing‐Chiu Chang, Cheng‐Yu Chen

Journal: NMR in Biomedicine

Q‐ball imaging (QBI) is an imaging technique that is capable of resolving intravoxel fiber crossings; however, the signal readout based on echo‐planar imaging (EPI) introduces geometric distortions in the presence of susceptibility gradients. This study proposes an imaging technique that reduces susceptibility distortions in QBI by short‐axis PROPELLER EPI acquisition. Conventional QBI and PROPELLER QBI data were acquired from two 3T MR...

Comparative evaluation of brain neurometabolites and DTI indices following whole body and cranial irradiation: a magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy study

Published: Aug 29, 2013

Author(s): Mamta Gupta, Poonam Rana, Richa Trivedi, B. S. Hemanth Kumar, Ahmad Raza Khan, Ravi Soni, R. K. S. Rathore, Subash Khushu

Journal: NMR in Biomedicine

Understanding early differential response of brain during whole body radiation or cranial radiation exposure is of significant importance for better injury management during accidental or intentional exposure to ionizing radiation. We investigated the early microstructural and metabolic profiles using in vivo diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) following whole body and cranial radiation exposure of 8 Gy...

Determination of the appropriate b value and number of gradient directions for high‐angular‐resolution diffusion‐weighted imaging

Published: Aug 29, 2013

Author(s): J.‐Donald Tournier, Fernando Calamante, Alan Connelly

Journal: NMR in Biomedicine

High‐angular‐resolution diffusion‐weighted imaging (HARDI) is one of the most common MRI acquisition schemes for use with higher order models of diffusion. However, the optimal b value and number of diffusion‐weighted (DW) directions for HARDI are still undetermined, primarily as a result of the large number of available reconstruction methods and corresponding parameters, making it impossible to identify a single criterion by which to...

Fluoropolymer‐based clear and white paint coatings composition analysis by X‐Ray fluorescence

Published: Aug 29, 2013

Author(s): P. Ricou, K. Wood

Journal: X-Ray Spectrometry

A new method for the quantification of organic and inorganic phase fractions was developed for fluoropolymer/acrylic‐blend paints – clear and white paint coatings – on aluminum panels by using wavelength dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (WDXRF). The method was developed for clear coat samples (only containing fluoropolymer and acrylic phases) as well as white paint samples by also measuring silica and titanium dioxide levels....

Combined quantification of paclitaxel, docetaxel and ritonavir in human feces and urine using LC‐MS/MS

Published: Aug 29, 2013

Author(s): Jeroen J. M. A. Hendrikx, Hilde Rosing, Alfred H. Schinkel, Jan H. M. Schellens, Jos H. Beijnen

Journal: Biomedical Chromatography

ABSTRACT A combined assay for the determination of paclitaxel, docetaxel and ritonavir in human feces and urine is described. The drugs were extracted from 200 μL urine or 50 mg feces followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis coupled with positive ionization electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The validation program included calibration model, accuracy and precision, carry‐over, dilution test, specificity and...

2D Raman spectroscopy study of dolomite and cyanobacterial extracellular polymeric substances from Khor Al‐Adaid sabkha (Qatar)

Published: Aug 29, 2013

Author(s): Carlos Paulo, Maria Dittrich

Journal: Journal of Raman Spectroscopy

Dolomite precipitation, limited at low temperature, appears to be impacted by microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The presence of dolomites has been reported in the extreme environments of Arabian Gulf sabkhas. Many of these sites are characterized by extensive growth of cyanobacterial mats that are recognized as key producers of EPS. However, no information has been gathered on the cyanobacterial EPS involvement in...

Simultaneous determination of six C ₂₁ steroids of Xiao‐Ai‐Ping injection in rat plasma by LC‐MS/MS

Published: Aug 28, 2013

Author(s): Qinghua Zeng, Feng Zhang, Shouhong Gao, Liang Sun, Bo Jiang, Wansheng Chen

Journal: Biomedical Chromatography

ABSTRACT Xiao‐Ai‐Ping injection (XAPI) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been widely used to treat cancer. Modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated that C21 steroids are the main active compounds in XAPI. In this study, a sensitive and specific liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated the first time for simultanenous determination of three isomeric pregnane genins...

Bioanalysis of tolvaptan, a novel AVP‐V2 receptor antagonist in human plasma by a novel LC‐ESI‐MS/MS method: a pharmacokinetic application in healthy South Indian male subjects

Published: Aug 28, 2013

Author(s): Venkata Ramu Derangula, Nageswara Rao Pilli, Babu Rao Bhukya, Chalapathi Rao Pulipati, Vinayender Adireddy, Venkateswarlu Ponneri

Journal: Biomedical Chromatography

ABSTRACT A simple, rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐ESI‐MS/MS) assay method is proposed for the determination of tolvaptan in human plasma samples using tolvaptan d7 as internal standard (IS). Analyte and the IS were extracted from 100 μL of human plasma via simple liquid–liquid extraction. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 column using a mixture of methanol and...