Solid-phase Microextraction with Benzoxy-calix[6]arene Fiber Coupled to Gas Chromatography for the Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Water

Headspace solid-phase microextraction(HS-SPME) with sol-gel calix[6]arene-containing fiber followed by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector was used to examine the composition and distribution of seven polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) in water. The novel SPME fiber exhibited higher extraction efficiency to PAHs compared with poly(dimethylsiloxane) and other calixarene-containing fibers. Extraction/retention mechanism based on the interactions between calixarenes and PAHs was discussed. Owing to the good selectivity and high extraction capability of this calixarene fiber, low detection limits were obtained in a range of 0.34-6.50 ng/L and the relative standard deviation values were≤12.3% for all of the analytes. The linear ranges of the proposed method were five orders of magnitude for the tested compounds, with linear correlation coefficients(r) greater than 0.998. The method was applied to the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in nine water sources in Wuhan City, China. Standard addition method was selected for the quantification and the recovery values were in a satisfactory range. Total PAHs concentrations in the nine surface water samples were found to vary between undetectable and 8.840 μg/L with two-and three-ring PAHs predominating.     

Bioelectrochemical monitoring of phenols and aromatic amines in flow injection using novel plant peroxidases

An amperometric flow system combined with a glucose oxidase-mutarotase reactor was optimized and used to determine aromatic amines and phenols using peroxidase-modified graphite electrodes. An increase in currents upon injection of the analyzed substrate was shown to be approximated by a Michaelis-Menten type dependence. The detection limit was calculated as 3 times the noise, and the sensitivity was calculated as Imax/K(m)app. Commercially available horseradish peroxidase was compared with tobacco anionic and peanut cationic peroxidases for determination of aromatic amines and phenols. Detection limits of 10 nM for determination of o-aminophenol and o- and p-phenylenediamine achieved with a tobacco peroxidase-modified electrode give a promise for further improvements in sensitivities and detection limits of biosensors.     

Determination of carbonyl compounds in water by derivatization-solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatographic analysis

The solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique was evaluated for the determination of 23 carbonyl compounds in water. The carbonyl compounds in water were derivatized with omicron-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)-hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA), extracted with SPME from liquid or headspace and analyzed by GC with electron capture detection (GC-ECD). The effects of agitation techniques and the addition of salt (NaCl) on extraction, the absorption-time and absorption-concentration profiles were examined. The precision of the SPME technique for the determination of carbonyl compounds was evaluated with spiked bidistilled water, ozonated drinking water, and rain water. The relative standard deviations obtained from different spiked water matrix were similar, and in the range of 5.7-21.1%. The precision can be further improved by using an internal standard. With 4 ml of water sample, the limits of detection for most of the tested carbonyl compounds using liquid or headspace SPME-GC-ECD were similar and in the range of 0.006-0.2 micrograms/l, except for glyoxal and methylglyoxal, which showed low sensitivity when using headspace SPME. In the analysis of an ozonated drinking water sample, the SPME techniques gave comparable results to those of the conventional liquid-liquid extraction method.     

Determination of cannabinoids in water and human saliva by solid-phase microextraction and quadrupole ion trap gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is applied to the determination of cannabidiol, delta 8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 8-THC), delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9-THC), and cannabinol in pure water and human saliva. The inherent extraction behavior of the cannabinoids in pure water is evaluated along with optimization of the method in human saliva. The commercially available poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) SPME fibers were found to be the best class for the cannabinoid analysis. Partition coefficients were found to be extremely large for all of the cannabinoids (log K > 4.0). Equilibrium times for the 7- and 30-micron PDMS fibers were 50 and 240 min, respectively. A shorter extraction time of 10 min with the 30-micron PDMS fiber may be used for multiple extractions from the same vial, thus conserving the sample necessary for analysis and speeding up the total analysis time. Recoveries for the cannabinoids in saliva, relative to pure water, were dramatically improved by a method developed in our laboratory involving addition of glacial acetic acid to the sample vial prior to performing SPME. Using this method, recoveries relative to SPME in pure water ranged from 21 to 47% depending on the cannabinoid. The linear range for spiked saliva samples was established at 5-500 ng/mL (r2 > 0.994) with precisions between 11 and 20% RSD. The ultimate level of detection by SPME for the cannabinoids in saliva was 1.0 ng/mL, with signal-to-noise values of > or = 12. A saliva sample collected 30 min after marijuana smoking was subject to SPME and traditional liquid-liquid extraction analysis. Internal standard quantitation results for delta 9-THC by both methods yielded comparable results, indicating that the SPME method of analysis is highly accurate and precise. The level of delta 9-THC by SPME was found to be 9.54 ng/mL for the saliva sample.     

Primary aromatic amines from side-stream cigarette smoke are common contaminants of indoor air

A very sensitive mass-spectrometry method has been developed for the analysis of aromatic amines in tobacco smoke and in indoor air. Cigarettes were smoked with a smoking machine; the amines from the smoke were trapped in a 5% HCl water solution containing internal standards and detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in the selected-ion-monitoring (SIM) mode. The amines measured were the following: aniline, 2-toluidine, 3-toluidine, 4-toluidine, 2-ethylaniline, 3-ethylaniline, 4-ethylaniline, 2,3-dimethylaniline, 2,4-dimethylaniline, 2,5-dimethylaniline, 2,6-dimethylaniline, 1-naphthylamine, 2-naphthylamine, 2-methyl-1-naphthylamine, 2-aminobiphenyl, 3-aminobiphenyl and 4-aminobiphenyl. We analyzed nine brands of cigarettes sold commercially in Italy (Gauloise, Nazionali, Marlboro, Camel, MS, MS mild and MS lights), with and without filter. Main-stream smoke contained a lower amount of aromatic amines than side-stream smoke: the total level of these amines in main-stream smoke ranged from 200 to 1300 ng/cigarette, whereas the level of aromatic amines in side-stream smoke varied from 20,000 to 30,000 ng/cigarette. The smoke of black-tobacco cigarettes had higher levels of aromatic amines compared to light-tobacco cigarettes and the filters significantly reduced aromatic amines in main-stream smoke. We also determined the levels of aromatic amines in ambient air, offices and houses. Some aromatic amines (aniline and toluidine) were detected in ambient air, as well as in rooms of non-smokers. Most measurements showed a considerable contamination of aromatic amines derived from side-stream smoke, which was detected also in parts of the buildings in which smoking was not allowed.     

Expression and estrogen regulation of the HEM45 MRNA in human tumor lines and in the rat uterus

The combination of manual and automated extraction procedures using low sample volumes (5-50 ml) with large-volume oncolumn injection (LVI) (200 microliters) in capillary gas chromatography with flame photometric detection (GC-FPD) has allowed the determination of 16 organophosphorus pesticides in clean water samples at the low ng l-1 level with an important simplification in the sample preparation step. A simple and fast offline liquid-liquid microextraction procedure (2-5 ml water/l ml methyl tert.-butyl ether) has been applied to spiked groundwater samples (containing 0.5 ng of each pesticide) with good recoveries (over 80%) and precision (better than 10%), giving detection limits between 5 and 100 ng l-1 using 200 microliters injections in the GC-FPD system. The application of an inline automated liquid-liquid microextraction-LVI-GC procedure (2 ml water/2 ml methyl tert.-butyl ether: injection of 200 microliters in GC-FPD) using the autosampler ASPEC XL led to lower recoveries (> 50%) as a result of the low efficiency for mixing organic and aqueous phases, although with very satisfactory coefficients of variation (lower than 7%) and detection limits between 20 and 200 ng l-1. Manual and automated solid-phase extraction procedures using the well known C18 cartridges and the new Oasis HLB have been applied to groundwater samples (5-50 ml) spiked with 1 ng of each pesticide. Results obtained for both the manual and the automated procedures were satisfactory (recoveries over 80%) and the limits of detection for 50 ml sample volume ranged from 1 to 6 ng l-1.     

trans-2-phenylcyclopropylamine is a substrate for and inactivator of horseradish peroxidase

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is well known for mediating the electron-transfer oxidation of electron-rich aromatic 'donors' such as phenols and anilines, but has not been described to oxidize aliphatic amines. We here confirm the inability of HRP to oxidize typical aliphatic amines, even those which would exist significantly as free bases at the operative pH. In contrast, trans-2-phenylcyclopropylamine (2-PCPA) is both a substrate (turnover product is cinnamaldehyde) and a time-dependent inactivator of HRP. These activities of 2-PCPA are consistent with either a concerted or rapid sequential one-electron-oxidation/ring-opening to give an intermediate capable of covalent binding to the enzyme. 2-PCPA is the first known example of a simple aliphatic amine which serves as a substrate for HRP under turnover conditions.     

Analysis of aromatic sulfonates in water by solid-phase extraction and capillary electrophoresis

The separation of 14 different aromatic sulfonates of environmental concern by capillary (zone) electrophoresis (CZE) is presented. A new off-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) enrichment procedure, that is compatible with CE analysis, was developed, using the styrene-divinylbenzene adsorbent LiChrolut EN. The combined method of SPE and CE allows the determination of aromatic sulfonates in water samples in the low microgram/l range. Separations are performed with a simple sodium borate buffer at pH 9.3. Analytes are detected by UV absorbance and fluorescence emission with a Xe-lamp excitation source, and both principles are compared. The recoveries for most of the sulfonates are > 70% for the extraction from spiked tap and river water. The average method precision is < 20% for replicate analyses. Very hydrophilic sulfonates cannot be extracted by this method. The detection limit of the combined method of SPE enrichment and CE analysis is approximately 0.1 microgram/l for 200-ml water samples. The performance of the method was checked with the analysis of river and contaminated seepage water.     

Solid phase micro extraction coupled with semi-microcolumn high performance liquid chromatography for the analysis of benzodiazepines in human urine

SPME/semi-microcolumn HPLC (SPME/LC) was investigated to analyze benzodiazepines in human urine samples. SPME conditions such as extraction time, extraction temperature, salt concentration and pH of matrix, flush volume and desorption time were optimized by extracting various drugs from a prepared water matrix. Combination of adding saturated salts to the matrix and controlling pH ranged from neutral to weakly alkaline conditions makes the increase of extraction efficiency. Under optimal condition SPME/LC is more sensitive than direct HPLC analysis without the SPME process. The limits of detection (LODs) was several ppb level and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was < 15% when human urine samples were analyzed by this analytical system. The system is very useful and is enough to assay benzodiazepines in a human urine sample without tedious and complex analytical procedures. In this paper the applicability of SPME/LC to the analysis of benzodiazepines in human urine samples was reported. In addition, the extension to the evaluation of SPME/LC/MS system was also described.     

Simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of pentoxifylline in human plasma

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method using ultraviolet detection was developed for the determination of pentoxifylline in human plasma. Prior to analysis, pentoxifylline and the internal standard (chloramphenicol) were extracted from plasma sample using dichloromethane. The mobile phase comprised 0.02 M phosphoric acid adjusted to pH 4, methanol and tetrahydrofuran (55:45:1, v/v). Analysis was run at a flow-rate of 1.4 ml/min with the detector operated at a wavelength of 273 nm. The method was specific and sensitive with a detection limit of approximately 3.0 ng/ml at a signal to noise ratio of 3:1, while the limit of quantification was 12.5 ng/ml. Mean recovery value of the extraction procedure was about 99.9%, while the within-day and between-day coefficient of variation and percent error values of the assay method were all less than 10.0%. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 12.5-400.0 ng/ml.     

Tiagabine: a novel antiepileptic drug

Reproductive management is a major financial concern of the dairy industry, with missed estrus detection a main cause of lost income. A biosensor was developed for on-line measurement of progesterone in bovine milk and detection of estrus. The biosensor used an enzyme immunoassay format for molecular recognition, which was developed to run in approximately eight minutes. The sensor was designed to operate on-line in a dairy parlor using microinjection pumps and valves for fluid transport, fiber optics and photodiodes for light measurement, and a control computer for sequencing. Calibration showed a dynamic response between 0.1 and 5 ng/ml progesterone in milk. The reusability of the test well was evaluated. Thiocyanate (0.5 M, pH 5.1) quickly regenerated the antibody surface while maintaining antibody activity for 15-20 cycles, but noise from the residual enzyme limited reusability.     

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of enoxacin and 4-oxo-enoxacin in human plasma and prostatic tissue. Application to a pharmacokinetic study

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of enoxacin and 4-oxo-enoxacin in plasma and prostatic tissue. The work-up procedure involves a liquid-liquid extraction step followed by isocratic chromatography on a reversed-phase analytical column, with ultraviolet absorbance detection (lambda = 340 nm). Using a mobile phase of 20.9% (v/v) acetonitrile buffer (pH 2.1), adequate retention time and separation among the analytes has been obtained using tetrabutylammonium hydroxide included in the eluent. Retention times are 5.2 min for enoxacin, 6.8 min for pefloxacin and 12 min for 4-oxo-enoxacin. For plasma and prostatic tissue, the precision of the assay was below 9%. The percent recovery from the nominal values for accuracy ranged from 94 to 108%. The limits of quantitation were 20 ng/ml for plasma and 50 ng/g for tissue (precision < 18%). The detection limits were 10 ng/ml and 25 ng/g, respectively. The calibration curves were linear from 20 to 1000 ng/ml for plasma and from 50 to 2500 ng/g for tissue. In plasma, the extraction recoveries averaged 52% for enoxacin and 63% for 4-oxo-enoxacin. In prostatic tissue, they were 57 and 76% for the two analytes, respectively. This method has been employed for the determination of enoxacin and 4-oxo-enoxacin in plasma and prostatic tissue samples from patients following repeated oral administration of enoxacin (400 mg twice a day for four days).     

Benign intracranial cysts and certain congenital neoplasms

Carzelesin (U80,244, I) is a cyclopropylpyrroloindole prodrug analog. The compound exerts its cytotoxic activity after conversion, via U-76,073 (II) to U-76,074 (III) by binding to the DNA minor groove in a sequence selective fashion. In pre-clinical investigations the drug displayed a broad spectrum activity against human xenografts in mice. To enable pharmacokinetic monitoring during the phase I clinical trials, we have developed a selective and sensitive assay for the parent compound and its two metabolites. Sample pre-treatment has been automated by using the ASPEC system and involves solid-phase extraction of the diluted plasma sample (1:3 in 20% v/v acetic acid) on an SPE-C18 precolumn followed by two consecutive washings with water and acetonitrile. The compounds are eluted with 600 microliters of dimethylacetamide and 500 microliters is injected on a Spherisorb-CN column. The sample is chromatographed using a linear gradient from 24% to 60% (v/v) acetonitrile in 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.5). The eluate fraction containing the three compounds is heart-cutted in a 2-ml sample loop, switched onto a Spherisorb-ODS column and separation is accomplished using a mobile phase of acetonitrile-20 mM phosphate buffer pH 6.5 (64:36, v/v). UV detection is used with absorbance monitored at 360 nm. This highly selective method offers a lower limit of detection of less than 1 ng/ml for each of the compounds using 1000 microliters of plasma and enables the quantification of the analytes with an acceptable precision and accuracy over a range of 1 to 50 ng/ml. The assay has been implemented in a phase I clinical trial.     

Fiber optic-based biosensor for ricin

We report on an evanescent wave fiber-optic biosensor for detecting a potently toxic protein, ricin, in the picograms per milliliter range. A sandwich immunoassay scheme was used to detect ricin. First, an anti-ricin IgG was immobilized onto the surface of an optical fiber in two different ways. In the first method, the antibody was directly coated to the silanized fiber using a crosslinker. Second, avidin-coated fibers were incubated with biotinylated anti-ricin IgG to immobilize the antibody using an avidin-biotin bridge. The assay using the avidin-biotin linked antibody demonstrated higher sensitivity and wider linear dynamic range than the assay using antibody directly conjugated to the surface. The linear dynamic range of detection for ricin in buffer using the avidin-biotin chemistry is 100 pg/ml-250 ng/ml. The limits of detection for ricin in buffer solution and river water are 100 pg/ml and 1 ng/ml, respectively. At higher concentrations of ricin (> 50 ng/ml), we observe a strong interaction of ricin with the avidin coated on the surface of the fibers. We have demonstrated that this interaction is primarily due to the lectin activity of ricin and is significantly reduced using fibers coated with neutravidin or by adding galactose to the ricin samples.     

铬(Ⅲ)和铬(Ⅵ)的离子交换纤维柱分离和电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法测定

比较了强酸性、强碱性、弱酸性、弱碱性和两性等5种离子交换纤维对Cr(Ⅲ)和Cr(Ⅵ)的分离能力,结果表明,强酸性和强碱性离子交换纤维对Cr(Ⅲ)和Cr(Ⅵ)的分离效果最好。分离后的Cr(Ⅲ)和Cr(Ⅵ)可用电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法(ICP-AES)测量。优化了纤维柱分离Cr(Ⅲ)和Cr(Ⅵ)的条件。pH 3.0的含铬试液以2~6 mL/min的流速上柱,当采用强酸性纤维柱进行分离时,用10 mL pH 1.0的硝酸预淋洗Cr(Ⅵ),再用10 mL 2.0mol/L硝酸洗脱Cr(Ⅲ);当采用强碱性纤维柱进行分离时,试液需先加入5 mL 0.005 mol/LEDTA溶液掩蔽Cr(Ⅲ)后上柱,用10mL pH 1.0的稀盐酸预淋洗Cr(Ⅲ),再用10 mL 3.0mol/L硫酸洗脱Cr(Ⅵ)。采用强酸性纤维柱时Cr(Ⅲ)和Cr(Ⅵ)检出限分别为1.06 ng/mL和0.60 ng/mL;采用强碱性纤维柱时Cr(Ⅲ)和Cr(Ⅵ)检出限分别为1.03 ng/mL和1.15ng/mL。该方法成功应用于分离和测定管网水、池塘水样和土壤提取液中的Cr(Ⅲ)和Cr(Ⅵ)。加标回收实验表明,采用强酸性纤维柱进行分离时,Cr(Ⅲ)的回收率为90.0%~108%,相对标准偏差为0.3%~5.3%,Cr(Ⅵ)的回收率为91.7%~107%,相对标准偏差为0.3%~4.4%;采用强碱性纤维柱进行分离时,Cr(Ⅲ)的回收率为93.1%~105%,相对标准偏差为0.4%~5.0%,Cr(Ⅵ)的回收率93.8%~105%,相对标准偏差为0.1%~6.2%。     

Laparoscopic surgery in varicocele: description of the technique and preliminary data

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with selected-ion monitoring (GC/MS-SIM) method were used to analyze 23 selected phenols in natural and drinking waters by an in situ acetylation technique. This method was suitable for determining phenol concentrations at the ng/L level because of less background interference and better recoveries. The application range for all these phenols was from 0.01 or 0.04 to 10 micrograms/L, using a 800 ml water sample. The levels of trace phenols in four Taiwan water treatment plants were in the range of 12-312 ng/L. The polychlorinated phenols, namely 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol, and pentachlorophenol, were evaluated for their ability to induce deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage using a DNA precipitation assay employing mouse embryonic fibroblast cells (C3H10T1/2) with or without a liver microsomal activation system. These agents exhibited a weak positive response when microsomal activation enzymes were present in this assay. When the tetrachlorohydroquinone, a toxic metabolite of pentachlorophenol, was measured by the same method without the activation system, a significant and dose-dependent DNA damage was found. This result indicates that in the evaluation of the carcinogenic potential of these agents, their corresponding metabolites should be taken into consideration. DNA strand breakage caused by these active metabolites may play an important role in the tumorigenetic process of polychlorinated phenols.     

Neuroendocrine responses of flight cadets during midterm tests and of fighter pilots during tail chase sorties

Following detailed study, a rapid and sensitive assay for ethmozine in human plasma has been developed using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Plasma samples were prepared for analysis by addition of internal standard (5-chloro-2-amino-benzophenone) followed by protein precipitation using acetonitrile. Analytical column was a C18 Spherisorb. The mobile phase consisted of mathanol-water-triethylamine (70:30:0.4, v/v/v, pH 6.5). The column effluent was monitored at 268 nm. The calibration curve was linear in the range from 20 ng/ml to 4000 ng/ml with r = 0.9994. The detection limit of this method was 3 ng/ml. The method showed good precision and the analytical recovery of ethmozine from plasma was 90-105%. The relative standard deviations for within-day and between-day were 2.4-6.3% and 4.5-10.2% respectively. The plasma drug concentration-time course in man after oral administration of 400 mg after conformed to a 1-compartment open model with a first order absorption phase. Mean T1/2 value was 1.75 +/- 0.45 h.     

Application of solid-phase extraction in the method development for determination of SEPA, an acronym for soft enhancement of percutaneous absorption, in human, rat, and rabbit serum using GC-FID method

A new nonaqueous topical minoxidil formulation containing SEPA (2-n-nonyl-1,3-dioxolane) for enhancement of percutaneous absorption was under evaluation. SEPA does not have chromophore for either ultraviolet or fluorescence detection using liquid chromatography and has no functional groups for derivatization. Therefore, a direct gas-chromatographic method with flame-ionization detection (GC-FID) was developed. Owing to the limited detection response of the FID detection, it needs a selective and concentrated extract for GC-FID analysis to improve the assay sensitivity to meet the requirement for pharmacokinetic evaluation after topical application. In addition, SEPA is a very volatile compound. Any extraction procedures involving evaporation will result in a poor recovery. The application of solid-phase extraction (SPE) makes it possible to achieve a selective and a 10-fold concentrated extract with an absolute extraction recovery of approximately 90%, which greatly improved the assay sensitivity. This method involved the extraction of SEPA and the internal standard (2-n-heptyl-1,3-dioxolane) from serum (0.1-1 ml) with 100 microliter of hexane-chloroform (1:1, v:v) using a 50 mg 1.0 ml-1 phenyl SPE column (Varian, Harbor City, CA, USA), followed by direct GC-FID analysis on a fused-silica column chemically bonded with cross-linked methyl silicone gum phase (Hewlett Packard Ultra-1, 12 m x 0.2 mm x 0.33 micron, Avondale, PA, USA). The assay demonstrated a lower limit of quantitation of 2.5 ng ml-1 and a linear range of 2.5 to 250 ng ml-1 with intra- and inter-assay precision and accuracy of < or = 10%.     

Automated determination of levodopa and carbidopa in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection using an on-line flow injection analysis sample pretreatment unit

This method describes the determination of propiomazine by direct injection of rat plasma into a chromatography system based on coupled reversed-phase columns. An extraction column, packed with porous silica particles with covalent-bound alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), was used to separate the plasma proteins from the analyte. After isolation the analyte was transferred to the analytical column for separation and detection. Propiomazine was detected by an electrochemical detector and the limit of quantification was 2.0 ng/ml (100 pg injected). The absolute recovery was 80.9+/-2.4% at 9.0 ng/ml level. The inter-day and intra-day precision was 10.9% (5.6 ng/ml) and 2.8% (9.0 ng/ml), respectively.     

Is plaque formation in the common carotid artery representative for plaque formation and luminal stenosis in other atherosclerotic peripheral arteries? A post mortem study

A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of ranitidine in human plasma. Prior to analysis, ranitidine and the internal standard (metoprolol) were extracted from alkalinized plasma samples using dichloromethane. The mobile phase was 0.05 M potassium dihydrogenphosphate-acetonitrile (88:12, v/v) adjusted to pH 6.5. Analysis was run at a flow-rate of 1.3 ml/min and at a detection wavelength of 229 nm. The method is sensitive with a detection limit of 1 ng/ml at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1, while the quantification limit was set at 15 ng/ml. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 15-2000 ng/ml. Mean recovery value of the extraction procedure was about 90%, while the within-day and between-day coefficients of variation and percent error values of the assay method were all less than 15%.