The present study employs a recently reported liquid chromatography-(time of flight) mass spectrometry procedure for the simultaneous analysis of 22 benzodiazepines in human urine specimens. The analysis focused on the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepines and/or their metabolites. Using this method, the limit of quantitation for the benzodiazepines tested ranged from 2 to 10 ng/mL, while th...

A procedure for the determination of oxycodone in meconium using direct ELISA microplate technology followed by electron impact gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is described for the first time. The abuse of oxycodone (OxyContin) has been widely discussed in mainstream media, and it has been described as a cheap form of heroin. Oxycodone has been reported as having a high degree of a...

A study on the rapid identification of phthalates in polymer materials has been conducted by employing gas chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled with a pyrolyzer (Py-GC/MS). Since Py-GC/MS does not require any complex solvent-extraction process, a rapid screening of phthalates should be possible. In this study, polymer samples were directly introduced into the pyrolyzer in order to thermally...

The characterization of ink on paper is of importance for dating and comparing questioned ink entries in forensic document examination. Inks are commonly characterized by their colorant profile that is identified by well-established analytical methods. Numerous ink formulations show identical colorant profiles, though. In order to differentiate inks that are not distinguishable by colorant anal...

Quantitative analyses of abscisic acid in the elongating zone of a single maize root (Zea mays L. cv LG 11) were performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using negative chemical ion ionization. Data showed that the more abscisic acid, the slower the growth, but a large dispersion of individual values was observed. We assume that abscisic acid is perhaps not correlated only to the growt...

A method for determination of imidacloprid in water and soil samples, previous hydrolysis in basic medium, followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and selected ion monitoring. A 250-ml sample water was previously heated in basic medium to give a hydrolysis compound of adequate volatility. The hydrolysis product which was extracted and isolated with chlorotorm was identified and found t...

Lipids typically exist in a state in which various fatty acids are bound to a backbone such as glycerol, sphingosine, cholesterol, etc. With recent advances in analytical techniques, especially those associated with mass spectrometry, identification of lipid components, including their molecular species, is becoming possible. However, it is still difficult to identify all the components of lipi...

It is well known that nikethamide (N,N-diethylnicotinamide, CoramineR) is metabolized very rapidly to nicotinamide. Hence, there is difficulty in proving that nikethamide has been used as a doping substance because nicotinamide is a normal physiological metabolite in the organism as well as a vitamin preparation. However, an intermediate metabolite (N-ethylnicotinamide) was found by us in the u...

AIMS To improve our understanding of the pharmacology of 'ecstasy' in recreational environments; in particular, to describe the composition of ecstasy pills, patterns of ecstasy use and the relationship between dose of 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and resulting plasma concentrations. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A naturalistic observational study of 56 experienced 'ecstasy' use...