Determination of carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT) with capillary electrophoresis: an inter laboratory comparison

Carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT) is currently the most specific laboratory marker of chronic or sustained alcohol abuse. CDT is increasingly being used as a diagnostic tool in the areas employment, traffic safety and forensic medicine. In recent times, capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been proposed as a convenient tool for rapid, precise and accurate CDT determination, not only for research but also for routine analyses. Quite recently, commercial kits have been introduced which, reportedly, could simplify and standardize CDT analysis with capillary electrophoresis. The present work was aimed at testing the ruggedness of a capillary electrophoretic method based on a commercial kit (CEofix, Analis), by comparing the results obtained with different instruments in different laboratories, on a panel of sera randomly collected and exchanged. The results showed, notwithstanding few outliers, excellent correlation of the results obtained in the two laboratories (R=0.974). Also high concordance was found when results were classified as positive or negative on the basis of a cut-off (1.25%) established from a control group of teetotalers. In conclusion the present data support the usefulness of capillary electrophoresis for CDT determination for clinical, forensic and administrative diagnosis of chronic alcohol abuse.     

Quantitative analysis of multiple illicit drugs in preserved oral fluid by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

We present a validated method for the simultaneous analysis of basic drugs which comprises a sample clean-up step, using mixed-mode solid-phase extraction (SPE), followed by LC–MS/MS analysis. Deuterated analogues for all of the analytes of interest were used for quantitation. The applied HPLC gradient ensured the elution of all the drugs examined within 14 min and produced chromatographic peaks of acceptable symmetry. Selectivity of the method was achieved by a combination of retention time, and two precursor-product ion transitions for the non-deuterated analogues. Oral fluid was collected with the Intercept^®, a FDA approved sampling device that is used on a large scale in the US for workplace drug testing. However, this collection system contains some ingredients (stabilizers and preservatives) that can cause substantial interferences, e.g. ion suppression or enhancement during LC–MS/MS analysis, in the absence of suitable sample pre-treatment. The use of the SPE was demonstrated to be highly effective and led to significant decreases in the interferences. Extraction was found to be both reproducible and efficient with recoveries >76% for all of the analytes. Furthermore, the processed samples were demonstrated to be stable for 48 h, except for cocaine and benzoylecgonine, where a slight negative trend was observed, but did not compromise the quantitation. In all cases the method was linear over the range investigated (2–200 μg/L) with an excellent intra-assay and inter-assay precision (coefficients of variation <10% in most cases) for QC samples spiked at a concentration of 4, 12 and 100 μg/L. Limits of quantitation were estimated to be at 2 μg/L with limits of detection ranging from 0.2 to 0.5 μg/L, which meets the requirements of SAMHSA for oral fluid testing in the workplace. The method was subsequently applied to the analysis of Intercept^® samples collected at the roadside by the police, and to determine MDMA and MDA levels in oral fluid samples from a controlled study.     

安徽省桔梗科药用植物资源调查

目的：研究安徽省桔梗科药用植物资源及其开发、利用价值。方法：野外资源调查和标本研究。结果：安徽省桔梗科药用植物共有7属12种3亚种，其中2种1亚种为安徽省分布新记录，另外，还有3个新分类群有待进一步研究。结论：安徽省桔梗科药用植物资源有进一步研究的价值。     

Intellectual property strategies for US security and privacy

Legal context. Some state legislatures are considering billswhich would require those applying for a driver’s licenceto provide one or more biometric identifiers. The US federalgovernment is tending towards eavesdropping on conversationsand investing in data mining efforts while on the other handanti "big-brother" technologies are also emerging to counterthis trend and protect privacy. The demand for technology toprotect privacy will no doubt increase as the demand for defenceand security spending increases. We also live in a world wherebioterrorist acts are a constant threat and therefore demandfor biological detection devices and nanotechnology is growingdaily. Key points. Current technology advances in biometrics, surveillance,biological detection and nanotechnology can be used both toprotect and to jeopardize the security and privacy of individuals.As such, the importance of intellectual property in these areascannot be underestimated. Practical significance. Companies are advised to ‘go onthe offensive’. All companies should aggressively protecttheir core technology in numerous facets such as patent protection,copyright, trade marks and trade secrets. In the high tech arenathis is especially important because the demand for securityand privacy necessitates the development of advanced applicationsand in turn the quality of protectable IP for the companiesthat develop the technology increases. Additionally, companiesshould also pursue an offensive strategy that includes analyzingemerging standards and competitor focus so that they can acquirea competitive advantage or secure cross-licensing of another’stechnology.