Determination of drugs of abuse in bovine dentin using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Drugs deposited in human teeth are well preserved; the spectrum of toxicological investigations may therefore be supplemented by an analysis method for drugs in teeth. A liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry assay for the detection and quantification of basic drugs of abuse in bovine dentin samples was developed and validated. The drugs and metabolites amphetamine, methamphetamine, methylenedioxymethylamphetamine, methylenedioxyethylamphetamine, codeine, morphine, cocaine and benzoylecgonine were extracted from 50 mg ground dentin powder by ultrasonication for 60 min in methanol 3 times. The extracts were analyzed on a triple-quadrupole mass-spectrometer in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The method was validated and proved to be accurate, precise, selective, specific and stable with good linearity within the calibration range and a lower limit of quantification of 10 to 20 pg/mg. To artificially load bovine dentin samples with drugs, the natural process of de- and remineralization in the oral cavity was mimicked by a pH-cycling experiment. The artificially drug-loaded dentin samples showed drug concentrations of 20 to 80 pg/mg. The method can be applied in further in vitro experiments as well as in post-mortem cases, especially where limited sample tissue is available.

Psychometric and descriptive perspectives of illness impact over the life span

This article describes the development of an instrument that quantifies illness over the course of life. The sample was comprised of 308 women, aged 50 to 70, who were alumnae of a master's program in nursing. Each submitted information concerning illness experienced during each decade of life. Each time period was then rated multidimensionally (Duration, Discomfort, Interference, Threat to Life) to reflect the impact of the various conditions and the means by decade (Decade Impact) were computed. In general, after the first two decades, magnitude of ratings increased with age, indicating greater disease impact. Interrater reliability and internal consistency reliability of the scale were high. Evidence for construct validity included substantial differences between those with and without specific illness conditions, as well as correlations with hospitalization history and health self-ratings. In cluster analysis of patterns across decades, five distinct patterns emerged into which subjects were grouped.

Perceptions of life-pattern disintegrity as a link in the relationship between stress and illness

The weak but significant association between stressful events and illness suggests the importance of understanding the specific conditions under which stress is likely to result in illness. The research was undertaken to determine whether a perception of disintegrity--a perception that life has not gone as it should have--may be such a link. Ninety-one master's-prepared nurses between the ages of 55 and 70 completed a measure of the extent to which they had experienced stress in balancing a career with other life involvements. They also assessed the extent of integrity-disintegrity in their life pattern and recorded the illnesses that had occurred during their middle years. In a path analysis, once the indirect path through disintegrity was considered, the direct path between stress and illness was so minimal that it was considered eliminated. This result suggests that unless stress leads to feelings of disintegrity, it is not likely to lead to illness.