Direct and quantitative in-situ analysis of third-hand smoke in and on various matrices by ambient desorption corona beam ionization mass spectrometry

3D composite SERS substrate constructed by Au-Ag core-satellite NPs and polystyrene sphere for ultrasensitive ratiometric Raman detection of cotinine

To enhance the efficacy of Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), noble metal nanoparticles (NMNPs) can be organized onto three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical nanostructures. This study involved constructing a 3D solid SERS substrate by layering Au-Ag core-satellite nanoparticle monolayer films (MF) on a polystyrene sphere (PS) array, termed Au-Ag core-satellite NPs-MF-PS. Optimizing the PS size was essential to maximize SERS substrate activity, with the 500 nm PS providing the best SERS enhancement factor of 1.03 × 107 a two-fold increase over Au-Ag core-satellite NPs MF alone. Additionally, cotinine detection was improved by using a ratio between the target molecules and internal Raman signals from the SERS substrate. Compared to conventional methods relying on the target molecule's Raman signal, this ratiometric SERS method expanded the detection range from 10-8 - 10-1 M to 10-9 - 10-1 M and reduced the detection limit from 3.67 × 10-9 M to 1.68 × 10-10 M. This approach represents a novel direction in creating ultra-sensitive SERS platforms with broad applications, suggesting that ratiometric SERS could further promote SERS technology advancements.

Analysis of Assessment Methods for Detecting Nicotine Residue and Its Impact on Humans: A Systematic Review

INTRODUCTION

Thirdhand smoke (THS) was first identified by Graham and colleagues in 1953, and nicotine was detected in household dust from smokers in 1991. Thirdhand smoke (THS) consists of toxic nicotine residues that persist on surfaces long after tobacco use, posing a significant public health concern. Individuals can be exposed to thirdhand smoke through skin contact or inhalation, particularly affecting children and infants who are most vulnerable to tobacco contaminants. This review aims to assess the effectiveness of different methods for measuring nicotine THS residues to evaluate their accuracy across various age groups.

METHODS

Relevant literature was sourced from databases including ProQuest (Ovid), Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. The timeframe for included studies ranged the last 25 years, from 1999 to 2024. Eligible participants consisted of human populations exposed to thirdhand smoke residue. For this review, the animal studies were excluded. There were no restrictions regarding age, sex, ethnicity, or nationality for participant selection. For data management and screening, the Covidence systematic tool was utilized. Data extraction was performed independently by two reviewers. This protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024574140).

RESULTS

A total of 394 studies were retrieved from 5 databases for the initial screening. A total of 67 studies included in full-text screening, and ultimately, 36 studies were selected for full review. The studies were classified into four categories based on assessment methods: (1) analysis of human secretions, including salivary or urinary tests; (2) cellular analysis utilizing cellulose substrates or paper-based materials; (3) environmental assessments, which examined outdoor surfaces, vehicles, residential spaces, and fabrics; and (4) epidemiological assessments, employing surveys or questionnaires. Non-invasive matrices such as saliva and urine were frequently utilized for biomarker analysis. The studies collectively investigated nicotine and its metabolites in human biological samples, environmental surface contamination, and thirdhand smoke (THS) exposure. They employed a diverse range of assessment tools including surveys, machine learning technique, and cellulose-based substrates.

CONCLUSIONS

This review identified various selective testing methods for detecting thirdhand smoke (THS) from nicotine. These assessment methods have advantages and disadvantages and underscores the need for further research. Improving these techniques for assessment of THS could significantly improve our understanding of the impact THS has on human health.

Plasma-based ambient mass spectrometry: Recent progress and applications

Ambient mass spectrometry (AMS) has grown as a group of advanced analytical techniques that allow for the direct sampling and ionization of the analytes in different statuses from their native environment without or with minimum sample pretreatments. As a significant category of AMS, plasma-based AMS has gained a lot of attention due to its features that allow rapid, real-time, high-throughput, in vivo, and in situ analysis in various fields, including bioanalysis, pharmaceuticals, forensics, food safety, and mass spectrometry imaging. Tens of new methods have been developed since the introduction of the first plasma-based AMS technique direct analysis in real-time. This review first provides a comprehensive overview of the established plasma-based AMS techniques from their ion source configurations, mechanisms, and developments. Then, the progress of the representative applications in various scientific fields in the past 4 years (January 2017 to January 2021) has been summarized. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and propose the future directions of plasma-based AMS from our perspective.

Rapid in-situ analysis of phthalates in face masks by desorption corona beam ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Phthalates (PAEs) are known as endocrine disruptors that can have adverse effects on human hormonal balance and development. Due to PAEs being semi-volatile chemical compounds, they can sustainably emit from the surfaces of objects containing PAEs. Face masks are commonly used to safeguard human health especially during periods of high prevalence of infectious diseases. As masks come into direct contact with the human respiratory system, PAEs from masks will enter the human body directly from the respiratory system thus potentially threatening human health. In this study, the desorption corona beam ionization (DCBI)-MS/MS method for the rapid in-situ detection of PAEs in face masks was established, which could perform ultra-fast, high-throughput identification and quantitative analysis on 13 kinds of PAEs, and the limits of detection (LODs) were 0.7 μg m^-2 for DAP, BBP, DBP, DPP, DHXP, DEHP, DINP and DDP, 1.4 μg m^-2 for DMEP, DEP, DPhP, DBEP and DNOP. Compared with the traditional liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, this study shows that the DCBI-MS/MS method has the following advantages: 1) short analysis time, less than 1 min; 2) small solvent consumption, less than 10 μL; 3) the PAEs in face masks can be quickly in-situ screened.