Prolongation of the QT interval related to cisapride-diltiazem interaction

A liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of nanogram quantities of 5 broad-spectrum structurally related beta-lactam antibiotics (cefazolin, cefadroxil, cephalexin, cephradine, and ampicillin) in solution. The method uses a C18 reversed-phase column, UV absorption (240 nm) detection, and an aqueous mobile phase containing isopropyl alcohol and acetic acid. Relative resolution between the antibiotic peaks ranged from 1.7 to 5.9 for all peaks. Chromatographic retention times were 2.97, 3.92, 4.57, 5.37, and 6.56 min for cefazolin, cefadroxil, cephalexin, ampicillin, and cephradine, respectively. Accuracy, precision, linearity, and long term analytical reproducibility were determined by statistical analysis. Use of the proposed method to evaluate the degradation of cephradine solutions stored at room temperature illustrated its potential as a stability-indicating assay.     

Analysis of minocycline by high-performance liquid chromatography in tissue and serum

A sensitive and rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography assay can be used to accurately determine serum and tissue minocycline concentrations. Minocycline is a broad spectrum tetracycline derivative with many applications. Tissue and serum samples were obtained from guinea pigs that had received either topical or intravenous minocycline. Samples were extracted using a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge and were injected into a microBondapak C18 column with an isocratic methanol mobile phase. Samples were analyzed using UV detection and produced sharp peaks with a retention time of 2.5 min. The lower limit of detection was 100 ng and drug recovery was 61%. This method greatly facilitated the analysis of minocycline while allowing for sensitivity.     

UV-spectrophotometric determination of ampicillin sodium and sulbactam sodium in two-component mixtures

A simple spectrophotometric method is used for the resolution of the binary mixtures of ampicillin sodium and sulbactam sodium. In aqueous solution, zero-order spectra are subject to interference, so first-derivative spectrophotometry was used to enhance the spectral details allowing the determination of ampicillin sodium from the signal at the zero-crossing point for sulbactam sodium at 268 nm. In 0.1 N sodium hydroxide, sulbactam sodium was determined from the absorbance at 260 nm with negligible contribution from ampicillin sodium. Also, sulbactam sodium was determined without interference using first- and second-derivative spectra in 0.1 N sodium hydroxide at 276 nm (peak-height) and 262-284 nm (peak-to-peak), respectively. The method is rapid, simple, does not require a separation step and allows the determination of each drug without interference from the other. The proposed method has been applied successfully to the assay of these drugs in mixtures and in commercial injections.     

Evaluation of matrix scaffolds for tissue engineering of articular cartilage grafts

The release of endogenous glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) from rat brain tissue slices was studied using a tissue slice assay in which detectable amounts of the amino acids were released from 1-2 mg of tissue. An improved method of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection was employed to measure both glutamate and GABA after derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde and sulphite in a single isocratic HPLC analysis. The non-endogenous amino acid, homoglutamine, was used as an internal standard in verifying the consistent derivatization of amino acids and in quantifying amounts of glutamate and GABA released from the caudate-putamen tissue. The derivatized amino acids (1-30 pmol) were detected as chromatographic peaks eluting at baseline level and free of significant interfering co-eluates in a 25-30 min analysis time.     

A validated method for the determination of paracetamol and its glucuronide and sulphate metabolites in the urine of HIV+/AIDS patients using wavelength-switching UV detection

Paracetamol is a safe drug which has been used as an in-vivo probe to determine phase II metabolism in a HIV+/AIDS population. Due to the biohazard nature of HIV-infected samples, a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay which offers minimal sample manipulation and maximal specificity was developed. This reverse-phase HPLC method uses wavelength-switching UV detection for the simultaneous determination of paracetamol and its glucuronide and sulfate metabolites in HIV-infected urine samples. The solvent systems involves a simple isocratic elution with a composition of 50 mM sodium acetate buffer, pH adjusted to 3.5; acetonitrile (96:4 v/v) modified with 0.35% trifluroacetic acid. The validated method is highly reproducible with an inter-assay variation of < 7%. This method also shows good precision and sensitivity, making it an ideal assay for phenotyping studies to determine the extent of glucurondiation and sulfation activities.     

Pubertal growth, sexual maturation, and final height in children with IDDM. Effects of age at onset and metabolic control

The effects of free ampicillin, microencapsulated ampicillin anhydrate (MEAA) and antibiotic-free microspheres on the cell-mediated immune response in Balb/c mice were measured by lymphoproliferation assay, delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) and cytokine production. Injection into mice for seven consecutive days with equivalent subcutaneous doses of ampicillin, MEAA or placebo microspheres did not produce any consistent change in lymphocyte proliferation nor did it affect DTH responses or interleukin-2 production. Although the production of interleukin-4 in mice treated with ampicillin or MEAA increased compared with the control mice, this increase was not statistically significant. These results indicate that ampicillin and MEAA have similar effects on cell-mediated immunity in mice.     

Activity assays for characterizing the thrombolytic protein fibrolase

Characterization of the thrombolytic agent fibrolase was accomplished employing specific proteolytic and thrombolytic assays. This paper describes a method to measure enzyme proteolytic activity using the oxidized beta-chain of insulin as a substrate. Advantages of this method include a short incubation time for substrate cleavage followed by an isocratic HPLC method with a retention time of approx. 5 min. Proteolytic activity can be rapidly and easily quantitated with this procedure. An azocasein assay was also used to quantitate proteolytic activity. This method was optimized with respect to substrate concentration and incubation time allowing for the rapid quantitation of fibrolase activity. A thrombolytic assay is described which employs fibrin plate clearance and has the advantage of rapid and accurate quantitation compared with previously described methods. It also allows for the standardization of fibrolase in plasmin-equivalent units.     

Delivery of salbutamol to nonventilated preterm infants by metered-dose inhaler, jet nebulizer, and ultrasonic nebulizer

An isocratic reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with ultraviolet detection at 230 nm has been developed for the determination of paclitaxel in human plasma. Plasma samples were prepared by a selective one-step liquid-liquid extraction involving a mixture of acetonitrile-n-butyl chloride (1:4, v/v). Paclitaxel and the internal standard docetaxel were separated using a column packed with ODS-80A material, and a mobile phase consisting of water-methanol-tetrahydrofuran-ammonium hydroxide (37.5:60:2.5:0.1, v/v). The calibration graph for paclitaxel was linear in the range 10-500 ng/ml, with a lower limit of quantitation of 10 ng/ml, using 1 ml plasma samples. The extraction recoveries of spiked paclitaxel and docetaxel to drug-free human plasma were 89.6+/-8.52 and 93.7+/-5.0%, respectively. Validation data showed that the assay for paclitaxel is sensitive, selective, accurate and reproducible. The assay has been used in a single pharmacokinetic experiment in a patient to investigate the applicability of the method in vivo.     

提高火试金法可操作性的探讨

火试金法是检验首饰含金量的国家标准方法。但该方法冗长，影响因素多，特别是要求平行样品称量精确相等，要求粗知试样的组成含量，增加了其操作难度。通过试样纯度估计值偏差及平等样品称量不等对测试结果影响的试验与分析，放宽了方法对样品称量的苛刻要求，定量掌握试样纯度估计值偏差对测试结果的影响，提高了火试金法的可操作性。     

电感耦合等离子体质谱法分析高纯金属银中痕量杂质元素

高纯金属纯度分析时为了克服基体效应的影响,常采用分离基体的方法对其中痕量杂质元素进行分析测定,不仅前处理过程较为复杂,且易造成样品污染。实验以硝酸(1+1)溶解样品,在利用电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)半定量法确定高纯银中杂质种类的基础上,通过选择适当的同位素克服了质谱干扰,采用标准加入法绘制校准曲线,在不分离基体的前提下消除了银基体对痕量杂质元素测定的基体效应影响,最终实现了ICP-MS对高纯金属银中铅、砷、铜、镍、锑、锡、钯、铋8种痕量金属杂质的直接定量测定。同时在采用ICP-MS法对高纯金属银中8种痕量金属杂质元素测定后,可根据国标方法GB/T 21198.5—2007中差减法最终计算得到银的纯度。方法的检出限为0.09~1.1 μg/L,将实验方法应用于高纯金属银的实际样品分析,加标回收率为96%~106%,相对标准偏差(RSD,n=6)不大于5.0%。     

Determination of PNU 153429, a new polysulphonated derivative of distamycin A, in rat plasma by reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

A rapid and selective ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the determination of 2,2'-(carbonylbis(imino-N-methyl-4,2-pyrrole carbonylimino (N-methyl-4,2-pyrrole)carbonylimino)) -bis(1,5-naphtalenedisulphonic acid), tetrasodium salt (PNU 153429,I) in rat plasma has been developed. I is a new drug currently under investigation for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Aliquots of 100 microliters of plasma spiked with 10 microliters of internal standard solution (PNU 145156E, I.S.) were added to 100 microliters of acetonitrile and vortex mixed. After centrifugation, diluted aliquots of the supernatant were transferred to autosampler vials and analyzed by reversed-phase ion-pair liquid chromatography under isocratic conditions. The retention times of I.S. and I were approximately equal to 8 and 12 min, respectively. Quantitation was achieved by ultraviolet detection at 323 nm. The assay had a limit of quantitation of 0.1 micrograms ml-1 when 100 microliters of plasma were analyzed. The linearity, precision and accuracy of the method were evaluated. No interference from blank rat, mouse, dog, monkey and human plasma was observed. The suitability of the method for in vivo samples was checked by analysis of plasma samples drawn from three cannulated male rats that had received a single 100 mg kg-1 i.v. dose of the test compound.     

Purification of two murine monoclonal antibodies of the IgM class by hydroxylapatite chromatography and gel filtration

A two-step method using hydroxylapatite chromatography and gel filtration is described for the purification of two murine monoclonal antibodies of the IgM class. Ascites fluid from each hybridoma was diluted in sodium phosphate buffer (0.01 M, pH 6.8), loaded onto a hydroxylapatite column and eluted with a stepwise sodium phosphate gradient. The immunoreactive protein peaks were concentrated and subjected to gel filtration using either Sephadex G-200 or Sephacryl S-200HR. The biological activity of the end-products was confirmed by complement lysis assay and by indirect immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. The purity of the end-products as assessed by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and densitometry was at least 90%. The methods described produced immunoreactive material with a high level of purity. The procedure for each antibody was reproducible and provides a reliable method for purification of monoclonal antibodies of the IgM class.     

Fluorimetric determination of monobromobimane and o-phthalaldehyde adducts of gamma-glutamylcysteine and glutathione: application to assay of gamma-glutamylcysteinyl synthetase activity and glutathione concentration in liver

The reversed-phase HPLC separation of fluorescent o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) derivatives has been applied to the assay of hepatic gamma-glutamylcysteine and glutathione (GSH) levels and the enzymes producing these peptides. The method has been compared to the assay using monobromobimane (MB) as the derivatizing agent. The OPA method has the advantage of faster derivatization, the lack of need to adjust the pH, isocratic separation and selectivity for GSH and gamma-glutamylcysteine. The MB method requires pH adjustment following derivatization and gradient elution chromatography. MB is also non-selective, yielding fluorescent derivatives of all biological thiols and more interfering peaks on the chromatogram. MB-based analyses are also approximately sixty times more expensive per sample. MB yields fluorescent degradation products on exposure to light. OPA adducts are stable for up to ten days when stored at -20 degrees C. OPA detection is sensitive to 12.5 pmol in the sample, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 2.5. The two methods correlate well. Hepatic gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase in the same liver preparation was found to be 4.85 +/- 0.47 nmol min-1 mg-1 protein by the OPA method and 4.42 +/- 0.52 nmol min-1 mg-1 protein by the MB method. GSH concentrations were found to be 90.4 +/- 6.5 nmol/mg protein for the OPA method and 92.5 +/- 3.4 for the MB method.     

Development of monkey C-reactive protein (CRP) assay methods

Monkey-specific C-reactive protein (CRP) assay methods (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA)) were developed. The anti-monkey CRP serum was prepared by immunization of rabbits with the immune complex formed between the acute-phase serum from turpentine oil-inoculated monkeys and goat anti-human CRP serum. The specificity of the rabbit anti-monkey CRP serum was confirmed by immunoelectrophoresis and Western blotting. The purity of monkey CRP prepared by chromatography procedures was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The serum CRP levels in nine normal monkeys, as measured by sandwich ELISA were ranged from 0.26 to 1.42 microg/ml (mean 0.71+/-0.37). The CRP levels in five acute-phase sera of turpentine oil-inoculated monkeys were 248-451 microg/ml (mean 371.2+/-73.8). This monkey-specific CRP assay method was found more sensitive than the human-specific CRP assay method in detecting monkey CRP by TIA.     

Isolated working heart: description of models relevant to radioisotopic and pharmacological assessments

Agar diffusion techniques are used widely to assay plant extracts for antimicrobial activity, but there are problems associated with this technique. A micro-dilution technique was developed using 96-well microplates and tetrazolium salts to indicate bacterial growth. p-Iodonitrotetrazolium violet [0.2 mg/ml] gave better results than tetrazolium red or thiazolyl blue. The method is quick, worked well with Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli and with non-aqueous extracts from many different plants. The method gave reproducible results; required only 10-25 microliters of extract to determine minimal inhibitory concentrations, distinguished between microcidal and microstatic effects, and provided a permanent record of the results. Using S. aureus, and a Combretum molle extract, the technique was 32 times more sensitive than agar diffusion techniques and was not sensitive to culture age of the test organism up to 24 hours. The S. aureus culture could be stored up to 10 days in a cold room with little effect on the assay results. This method was useful in screening plants for antimicrobial activity and for the bioassay-guided isolation of antimicrobial compounds from plants. MIC values determined for sulfisoxazole, norfloxacin, gentamicin, and nitrofuratoin were similar to values indicated in the literature but values obtained with trimethroprim and ampicillin were higher with some bacteria.     

Release of ouabain-like compound (OLC) from the intact perfused rat adrenal gland

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of ACTH on release of OLC from the intact isolated rat adrenal, perfused in situ. OLC was measured by EIA. The limit of detection of the assay was 23 pmol/10 minutes. Basal levels of OLC varied from 240 to <23 pmol/10 min. Basal corticosterone levels were generally higher than OLC while aldosterone were generally lower. In 3 of the 5 perfusions the addition of ACTH was followed by rapid increases in both OLC and corticosterone secretion rates within 10 minutes of stimulation. Stimulated levels of OLC were 2 to 4-fold and of corticosterone were 3 to 7-fold those found in basal samples. OLC was found to co-elute with authentic ouabain under isocratic HPLC analysis whilst perfusion medium itself contained no detectable OLC immunoreactivity. These preliminary data suggest that the intact perfused rat adrenal preparation is a useful model for investigating the acute regulation of OLC secretion.     

Conductimetric titrimetry for assay of selected antibiotics in non-aqueous media

In this study, a conductimetric titration method is proposed for the determination of some commonly used antibiotics. The conductimetric titration of three antibiotics, namely ampicillin, amoxycillin trihydrate and rifampin, was carried out in acetic acid using perchloric acid as titrant. Ciproflaxacin hydrochloride, however, was titrated after being dissolved in acetic acid containing an excess of mercury(II) acetate. For the titration of netilmicin sulphate, barium acetate prepared in acetic acid was used as titrant. The method was found to be highly accurate and precise, having a relative standard deviation of less than 1.0% for all antibiotics studied. It was also shown that the conductimetric titrimetry could be successfully applied to the assay of commercial preparations containing the above-mentioned antibiotics. The validity of the method was tested by the recovery studies of standard addition to pharmaceuticals and the results were found to be satisfactory.     

Structure of the gene encoding the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ubcm4, characterization of its promoter, and chromosomal location

An improved method for the simultaneous determination of underivatized biogenic amines, cadaverine, putrescine, spermidine, histamine, tyramine and some amino acids precursors, histidine and tyrosine, in food products, based on ion-exchange chromatography (IC) with integrated pulsed amperometric detection (IPAD) has been developed. The method was successfully used for the analysis of biogenic amines and amino acids in food both of vegetable (kiwi, Actinidia chinensis) and animal origin, (fish, pilchard), as well as in fermented foods, such as cheese (Emmenthal) and dry sausages (salami). The method was also successfully used to study the changes in biogenic amines during the ripening of dry fermented sausages (salami). The analytes were extracted from foods with perchloric acid and the extracts were purified by liquid-liquid partition using n-hexane. Determination of biogenic amines was performed through cation-exchange chromatography with isocratic elution and IPAD. The detection limits for the analytes under investigation were found to range from 1.25 to 2.50 ng, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1. Average recoveries ranged from 85.5 to 97.4% and R.S.D. values ranged from 3.4 to 8.8. The proposed method offers a number of advantages over our previous IPAD method, such as the application to a larger number of analytes and matrices, a simpler extraction procedure and clean-up, isocratic elution using low acid and base concentrations, an improved chromatographic separation and a lower detection limit.     

基于电感耦合等离子技术测定高纯氧化镁产品中酸溶硅含量

高纯氧化镁产品纯度达到99.9%,杂质硅含量是评价高纯氧化镁产品等级的重要指标之一,对其进行准确测定显得尤为重要。常规的标准曲线法无法克服镁的基体效应,国内同行常规使用基体匹配法来克服基体效应,但是难以找到含杂元素与高纯氧化镁产品相近且纯度更高的金属镁。采用标准加入法作为技术手段,优点是非常适合高镁基体浓度中（超）痕量元素的分析,准确度高。本研究以盐酸溶解样品,以标准加入法为技术手段,采用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱技术,建立了一种简单、快速、准确的测定方法。该方法在分析谱线251.611 nm处,有良好的线性关系,方法的检出限为0.018 3 μg/mL,测定下限为0.061 0 μg/mL。在实际高纯氧化镁产品测试中,加标回收率在97.86%~103.80%之间,适合高纯氧化镁产品中酸溶硅的测定,为解决盐湖化工企业氧化镁产品中酸溶硅含量的测定提供了技术支撑。