EarlyView Articles

Analysis of 1,3 dimethylamylamine concentrations in Geraniaceae , geranium oil and dietary supplements

Published: May 22, 2013

Author(s): Krista G. Austin, John Travis, Gerry Pace, Harris R. Lieberman

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

1,3‐Dimethylamylamine (DMAA) is a sympathomimetic compound currently incorporated into some dietary supplements. Significant controversy exists regarding the ‘natural’ origin of DMAA, as claimed by manufacturers of supplements. Manufacturers often refer to its presence by the name Geranamine® implying that DMAA is found in the plant species Geranium and Pelargonium known collectively as Geraniaceae. This study determined whether DMAA is present in...

Quantification of curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin in rodent brain by UHPLC/ESI‐Q‐TOF‐MS/MS after intra‐nasal administration of curcuminoids loaded PNIPAM nanoparticles

Published: May 22, 2013

Author(s): Niyaz Ahmad, Musarrat Husain Warsi, Zeenat Iqbal, Mohd Samim, Farhan Jalees Ahmad

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

An ultra high performance liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization‐synapt mass spectrometric method (UHPLC/ESI‐QTOF‐MS/MS) for the analysis of curcumin (Cur), demethoxycurcumin (DMC), bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC) in Wistar rat brain homogenate was developed and validated. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC™ BEH C18 (2.1mm × 100 mm; 1.7μm) column using isocratic mobile phase, consisting of...

Simultaneous measurements of fuel vapor concentration and temperature in a flash‐boiling propane jet using laser‐induced gratings

Published: May 22, 2013

Author(s): B. Roshani, A. Flügel, I. Schmitz, D. N. Kozlov, T. Seeger, L. Zigan, J. Kiefer, A. Leipertz

Journal: Journal of Raman Spectroscopy

To enhance the efficiency of direct injection engines, the understanding of the combustible mixture formation after a liquid fuel spray is injected is crucial; hence, the need is readily apparent for experimental methods that allow determining characteristic parameters such as fuel/air ratio and gas temperature. The paper demonstrates the potential of the laser‐induced grating technique to determine simultaneously the local vapor phase...

Acute intoxication by synthetic cannabinoids – Four case reports

Published: May 20, 2013

Author(s): Maren Hermanns‐Clausen, Stefan Kneisel, Melanie Hutter, Bela Szabo, Volker Auwärter

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

Body fluid and tissue analysis using filter paper sampling support prior to LC‐MS/MS: Application to fatal overdose with colchicine

Published: May 16, 2013

Author(s): Estelle Lauer, Christèle Widmer, François Versace, Christian Staub, Patrice Mangin, Sara Sabatasso, Marc Augsburger, Julien Déglon

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

Because of the various matrices available for forensic investigations, the development of versatile analytical approaches allowing the simultaneous determination of drugs is challenging. The aim of this work was to assess a liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) platform allowing the rapid quantification of colchicine in body fluids and tissues collected in the context of a fatal overdose. For this purpose, filter paper...

Nurse induced respiratory depression by succinylcholine – the ‘hero syndrome’

Published: May 15, 2013

Author(s): F. Musshoff, U. Kuepper, B. Madea

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

A nurse administered the neuromuscular blocking agent succinylcholine (SUX) to at least one patient and gave first aid in the therapy of unexpected respiratory depression. SUX is regarded as an undetectable and thus perfect poison due to its short half‐life and degradation to the endogenous compounds choline and succinic acid. However, SUX and especially its metabolite succinylmonocholine (SMC) were found in plasma and urine a few hours...

Cross‐reactivity of designer drugs, including cathinone derivatives, in commercial enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays

Published: May 15, 2013

Author(s): Madeleine J. Swortwood, W. Lee Hearn, Anthony P. DeCaprio

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

Since the introduction of synthetic heroin, designer drugs have been increasing in prevalence in the United States drug market over the past few decades. Recently, ‘legal highs’ sold as ‘bath salts’ have become a household term for one such class of designer drugs. While a number of federal and state bans have been enacted, the abuse of these designer drugs still continues. Few assays have been developed for the comprehensive detection of...

Polarization‐ and time‐resolved DFWM spectroscopy of the A ² Σ ⁺ − X ² Π (0,0) band transitions of nascent OH radicals generated by 266 nm laser photolysis of H ₂ O ₂

Published: May 15, 2013

Author(s): P. Maksyutenko, P. P. Radi, D. N. Kozlov, A. P. Kouzov

Journal: Journal of Raman Spectroscopy

The potential of a non‐linear spectroscopic technique – degenerate four‐wave mixing (DFWM) spectroscopy – for photo‐dissociation studies is investigated. By applying a carefully considered control of the input beam polarizations, the technique is used to measure the line shapes of specific rovibrational transitions in the A 2Σ+ − X 2Π (0,0) band of nascent OH radicals upon pulsed photo‐dissociation of H2O2. The photofragmentation is performed by...

2D‐IR spectroscopy: an additional dimension to investigate ultrafast structural dynamics

Published: May 15, 2013

Author(s): Manuela Lima, Marco Candelaresi, Paolo Foggi

Journal: Journal of Raman Spectroscopy

We describe the theory, some experimental details and the data analysis procedures of two‐dimensional infrared (2D‐IR) spectroscopy. A brief description of an application of the technique to the study of a dipeptide in solution is also reported. Like multi‐dimensional NMR spectroscopy, 2D‐IR can provide additional pieces of information hidden in the inhomogenously broadened bands observed in linear IR spectra. In addition, the presence of...

DTI of human skeletal muscle: the effects of diffusion encoding parameters, signal‐to‐noise ratio and T ₂ on tensor indices and fiber tracts

Published: May 14, 2013

Author(s): Martijn Froeling, Aart J. Nederveen, Klaas Nicolay, Gustav J. Strijkers

Journal: NMR in Biomedicine

In this study, we have performed simulations to address the effects of diffusion encoding parameters, signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and T2 on skeletal muscle diffusion tensor indices and fiber tracts. Where appropriate, simulations were corroborated and validated by in vivo diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of human skeletal muscle. Specifically, we have addressed: (i) the accuracy and precision of the diffusion parameters and eigenvectors at...

UPLC‐PDA‐TOF/MS coupled with multivariate statistical analysis to rapidly analyze and evaluate Ginkgo biloba leaves from different origin

Published: May 10, 2013

Author(s): Xin Yao, Guisheng Zhou, Yuping Tang, Sheng Guo, Yefei Qian, Chun Jin, Yong Qin, Dawei Qian, Jin‐ao Duan

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

In the present study, an ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detector and time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (UPLC‐PDA‐TOF/MS) was proposed and validated for rapidly analyzing and evaluating Ginkgo biloba leaves from different origins by using multivariate statistical analysis. Batches of these kinds of G. biloba leaves were subjected to UPLC‐PDA‐TOF/MS analysis, the datasets of retention time (RT)‐m/z pairs, ion intensities and...

A fatal case involving a caffeine‐containing fat burner

Published: May 9, 2013

Author(s): Ricarda Jantos, Kirsten Marion Stein, Christa Flechtenmacher, Gisela Skopp

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

Measuring anisotropic muscle stiffness properties using elastography

Published: May 3, 2013

Author(s): M. A. Green, G. Geng, E. Qin, R. Sinkus, S. C. Gandevia, L. E. Bilston

Journal: NMR in Biomedicine

Physiological and pathological changes to the anisotropic mechanical properties of skeletal muscle are still largely unknown, with only a few studies quantifying changes in vivo. This study used the noninvasive MR elastography (MRE) technique, in combination with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to measure shear modulus anisotropy in the human skeletal muscle in the lower leg. Shear modulus measurements parallel and perpendicular to the...

Non‐Markovian nature of the fluctuation of the polarizability in molecular liquids by time‐domain and frequency‐domain measurements

Published: Apr 29, 2013

Author(s): Yuji Sakai, Junji Watanabe, Shuichi Kinoshita

Journal: Journal of Raman Spectroscopy

We measured the low‐frequency regions of several molecular liquids at various temperatures using time‐domain and frequency‐domain spectroscopy to investigate the origin of the relaxation mode. We employed high‐resolution light scattering spectroscopy in the frequency domain and femtosecond optical Kerr effect spectroscopy in the time domain. By comparing the light scattering spectra of a relaxation mode with a Lorentzian function fitted...

Micro‐Raman spectroscopy identifies crocidolite and erionite fibers in tissue sections

Published: Apr 28, 2013

Author(s): Alessandro Croce, Maya Musa, Mario Allegrina, Caterina Rinaudo, Y. Izzettin Baris, A. Umran Dogan, Amy Powers, Zeyana Rivera, Pietro Bertino, Haining Yang, Giovanni Gaudino, Michele Carbone

Journal: Journal of Raman Spectroscopy

Exposure to asbestos or erionite is associated with malignant mesothelioma (MM) and other diseases. Micro‐Raman spectroscopy and Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy were used to identify mineral fibers in histological sections of various tissues taken from mice injected with crocidolite asbestos and erionite fibers. Routine diagnostic histopathological slides of biopsies from erionite‐exposed MM...

Accelerating hyperpolarized metabolic imaging of the heart by exploiting spatiotemporal correlations

Published: Apr 25, 2013

Author(s): Kilian Weiss, Andreas Sigfridsson, Lukas Wissmann, Julia Busch, Michael Batel, Marcin Krajewski, Matthias Ernst, Sebastian Kozerke

Journal: NMR in Biomedicine

Hyperpolarized 13C‐labeled pyruvate is a promising tool to investigate cardiac metabolism. It has been shown that changes in substrate metabolism occur following the induction of ischemia. To investigate the metabolic changes that are confined to spatial regions, high spatiotemporal resolution is required. The present work exploits both spatial and temporal correlations using k–t principal component analysis (PCA) to undersample the spatiotemporal...

Detection of diabetic metabolism disorders post‐mortem – forensic case reports on cause of death hyperglycaemia

Published: Apr 25, 2013

Author(s): C. Hess, K. Wöllner, F. Musshoff, B. Madea

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

Diabetic coma is the most severe form of hyperglycaemic metabolic disorders. The post‐mortem diagnosis of this disorder of glucose metabolism can be difficult and vague due to a lack of characteristic morphological findings. Six death cases caused by diabetic coma are described with special focus on biochemical (and histological) findings. The possible glycaemia markers glucose, lactate, HbA1c, fructosamine, anhydroglucitol, and ketone...

Normal and polar‐organic‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatographic enantioresolution of omeprazole, rabeprazole, lansoprazole and pantoprazole using monochloro‐methylated cellulose‐based chiral stationary phase and determination of dexrabeprazole

Published: Apr 25, 2013

Author(s): Shuchi Dixit, Rituraj Dubey, Ravi Bhushan

Journal: Biomedical Chromatography

ABSTRACT Enantioresolution of four anti‐ulcer drugs (chiral sulfoxides), namely, omeprazole, rabeprazole, lansoprazole and pantoprazole, was carried out by high‐performance liquid chromatography using a polysaccharide‐based chiral stationary phase consisting of monochloromethylated cellulose (Lux cellulose‐2) under normal and polar‐organic‐phase conditions with ultraviolet detection at 285 nm. The method was validated for linearity,...

A rare case of serial killing by poisoning

Published: Apr 24, 2013

Author(s): Erkki Vuori, Anna Pelander, Ilpo Rasanen, Mikko Juote, Ilkka Ojanperä

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

A case of serial killing by poisoning by a 59‐year‐old practical nurse is discussed. Following a report by an emergency‐room doctor of an attempted murder, police performed an investigation into all deaths of patients in the nurse's care. Earlier, a medico‐legal cause‐of‐death investigation had been performed on two of these cadavers, but in the other three cases the death certificate had been issued after a medical investigation only. In...

Immunoreactive LH in long‐term frozen human urine samples

Published: Apr 21, 2013

Author(s): Gurmeet Kaur Surindar Singh, Mark Jimenez, Ron Newman, David J. Handelsman

Journal: Drug Testing and Analysis

Urine provides a convenient non‐invasive alternative to blood sampling for measurement of certain hormones. Urinary luteinizing hormone (LH) measurements have been used for endocrinology research and anti‐doping testing. However, the commercially available LH immunoassays are developed and validated for human blood samples but not urine so that LH assays intended for use with urine samples need thorough validation. Therefore, the present...