Quantitation of atenolol, metoprolol, and propranolol in postmortem human fluid and tissue specimens via LC/APCI-MS

Hypertension is a growing medical concern in the United States. With the number of Americans suffering from hypertension increasing, the use of antihypertensives such as beta-blockers is increasing as well. In fact, three beta-blockers - atenolol, metoprolol and propranolol - were among the 200 most prescribed medications in the United States in 2003. Pilots that successfully manage their hypertension can remain certified to fly. The Federal Aviation Administration currently designates approximately 8% of active pilots as "hypertensive with medication". The Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) performs toxicological evaluation on victims of fatal aviation accidents. At CAMI beta-blockers are analyzed using gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. We have, however, recently developed a liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (LC/MS) method for the simultaneous quantitation of three commonly prescribed beta-blockers, atenolol, metoprolol and propranolol. One advantage of our LC/MS method is the specificity provided by an ion trap MS. Utilizing an ion trap MS, we were able to conduct MS/MS and MS/MS/MS on each analyte. This method also eliminates the time-consuming and costly derivitization step necessary during GC/MS analysis. Additionally, by utilizing this novel method, any concerns about beta-blocker metabolite and/or sample matrix interference are eliminated. The limits of detection for this method ranged from 0.39 to 0.78 ng/mL and the linear dynamic range was generally 1.6-3200 ng/mL. The extraction efficiencies for each analyte ranged from 58% to 82%. This method was successfully applied to postmortem fluid and tissue specimens obtained from victims of three separate aviation accidents.     

New Federalism and Midwestern Cities: 1981-1985

President Ronald Reagan introduced a major new domestic initiativeduring his first term. The intent was to reduce the size andscope of the federal government and to increase the fiscal responsibilityof local governments. Mail questionnaires were sent to mayors,city managers, and finance officers in cities over 25,000 populationin Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin asking the respondentsto indicate their perception of the impact the Reagan programhad had on their cities in the previous year and their perceptionof its anticipated impact. Response rates were nearly 50 percentfor each survey. The respondents consistently overestimatedthe impact the Reagan program would have on their cities. Thefollowing analysis explores the relationship between perceivedeffects and city and respondent characteristics, such as size,partisan identification, and state. While the Reagan policieshave had a substantial impact on these cities, the impact isnot as negative as the respondents originally thought.