Biomarkers of exposure in urine of active smokers, non-smokers, and vapers

The exposure to smoking related products has been evaluated through urine illness risk marker determination through the analysis of urine samples of smokers and vapers. Biomarkers and their metabolites such as N-acetyl-S-(2-cyanoethyl)-L-cysteine (CEMA), N-acetyl-S-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl)-L-cysteine (DHBMA), N-acetyl-S-[1-(hydroxymethyl)-2-propen-1-yl)-L-cysteine (MHBMA), N-acetyl-S-(3-hydroxypropyl)-L-cysteine (3HPMA), 2R-N-acetyl-S-(4-hydroxybutan-2-yl)-L-cysteine (HMPMA), and N-acetyl-S-(3-carboxy-2-propyl)-L-cysteine (CMEMA) together with nicotine and cotinine were identified and quantified by LC-HRMS and LC-MS/MS, and data found normalized to the creatinine level. One hundred two urine samples were collected from smokers, non-smokers, and vapers, spanning an age range from 16 to 79 years. Results obtained showed that CEMA was only detected in urine samples from smokers and MHBMA was in the same order of magnitude in all the urine samples analyzed. HMPMA was found in the urine of vapers at the same order of concentration as in non-smokers. 3HPMA in vapers was lower than in the urine of smokers, presenting an intermediate situation between smokers and non-smokers. On the other hand, DHBMA in vapers can reach similar values to those found for smokers, while CMEMA shows concentrations in the urine of vapers higher than in the case of non-smokers and traditional smokers, requiring new research to link this metabolite to the use of electronic cigarettes and possible alternative metabolomic routes. In general, this study seems to verify that traditional smoking practice constitutes a major source of carcinogenic chemicals compared with substitutive practices, although those practices are not free of potential harm.

A green methodology for the determination of cocaine in camouflaged samples

A methodology based on the ultrasound-assisted extraction with ethanol and the dry film attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (DF-ATR-FTIR) measurement of extracts has been developed for a fast evaluation of non-conventional ("exotic") solid-sized cocaine samples. The method provides quantitative results in less than three minutes with a limit of detection in the solid sample of 1.6 μg g-1 of cocaine with a variation coefficient lower than 7%. Results found for seized samples of different natures were compared with those obtained by a reference gas chromatography method and the greenness of the whole proposed procedure was evaluated and compared using the analytical eco-scale, green analytical procedure index (GAPI), and analytical greenness metric (AGREE). The green evaluation of the proposed methodology provided green scores by considering different evaluation criteria.

Date-rape evidence through fast determination of γ-butyrolactone in adulterated beverages

An infrared spectroscopy (IR) based methodology has been developed to determine γ-butyrolactone (GBL) in adulterated beverages. The proposed method permits the direct screening of GBL in beverages and involves a minimum sample treatment requiring less than 2 min for quantitative determination of GBL. Sensitivity of IR method was improved by using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) providing detection limits of 0.023 mg g^-1. Accuracy of the proposed methodology was evaluated through the analysis of soft beverages and alcoholic cocktails spiked with GBL at concentration levels ranging from 0.075 to 10 mg g^-1 providing recovery values from 91 to 100%. GBL was determined in twelve blind-spiked beverages, including from mineral water to wine and cocktails. Results obtained were statistically comparable to those provided by a liquid chromatography (LC) reference methodology and consistent with the spiked values. Therefore, the use of LLE-FTIR allowed a simple, sensitive and quantitative determination of GBL in soft beverages and alcoholic cocktails, thus evidencing its use for sex submission intention.

Partial least squares modelization of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence

As a proof of concept, a green methodology has been developed for the energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) determination of calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, aluminum, chromium, strontium, phosphorus and nickel in the peel of untreated kaki fruit (Diospyros kaki. L) samples. ED-XRF spectra of fifty-six kakis purchased in the local area of LLombay (Valencia) were obtained directly from samples without any previous treatment and without sample damage just after cleaning the fruit with distilled water. Inductively Couple Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used as a reference method to determine the mineral elements after microwave assisted acid digestion. XRF spectra and concentration values obtained by ICP-OES were processed using partial least squares (PLS) data treatment to build the corresponding chemometric models for prediction of mineral profile of samples. PLS-ED-XRF permits a direct and accurate determination of Ca and K in kaki peel. For Al, Fe, Mg, Ni and Sr screening semiquantitative results were obtained. Concentrations obtained directly by the internal calibration of instrument, using GeoChem Trace model, were also compared with data predicted by chemometric models being found that PLS models must replace the calibration of the instrument for thus kind of analysis.

Radiation Safety Aspects of Iodine-131 metaiodobenzylguanidine (131I mIBG) Therapy Program Startup

As a medical center without a pre-existing radiopharmaceutical therapy program, it was a daunting endeavor to implement a I metaiodobenzylguanidine (mIBG) high-dose treatment regimen. It took several years of planning with hospital administration, vendors, and Texas Department of Health Radiological Control regulators to establish a viable program. Effective communication between physicians, nursing, nuclear medicine, environmental services, maintenance, and other support staff is essential and paramount for the successful execution and continued sustainability of the mIBG therapy program. Besides providing an effective treatment for patients, an additional goal for the program is to keep radiation exposure As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) for staff and patient caregivers. As such, start-up presented many training, logistical, and radiation safety challenges. The location of the isolation room and shielding specifications were designed to keep radiation exposure to public access areas to less than 2 microsieverts per hour. Before the first patient was treated the policies and procedures for training, radiation safety, product quality control, and infusion process needed to be developed, tested, and approved by various committees. Furthermore, a similar process was required for developing room set-up, post therapy cleanup, and waste storage procedures. Throughout the maturation process of the program, the departments involved have found that our safety culture has continually improved by the re-enforcement of knowledge and lessons learned, as both the ancillary and treatment staff grew more confident in each other's ability during more patient treatments are performed. This article describes the process and lessons learned during the time leading up to the startup and early years of the mIBG therapy program.

Trace analysis by ion mobility spectrometry: From conventional to smart sample preconcentration methods. A review

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a rapid and high sensitive technique widely used in security and forensic areas. However, a lack of selectivity is usually observed in the analysis of complex samples due to the scarce resolution of the technique. The literature concerning the use of conventional and novel smart materials in the pretreatment and preconcentration of samples previous to IMS determinations has been critically reviewed. The most relevant strategies to enhance selectivity and sensitivity of IMS determinations have been widely discussed, based in the use of smart materials, as immunosorbents, aptamers, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), ionic liquids (ILs) and nanomaterial. The observed trend is focused on the development of IMS analytical methods in combination of selective sample treatments in order to achieve quick, reliable, sensitive, and selective methods for the analysis of complex samples such as biological fluids, food, or environmental samples.

Evaluation of the Content of Antimony, Arsenic, Bismuth, Selenium, Tellurium and Their Inorganic Forms in Commercially Baby Foods

Baby foods, from the Spanish market and prepared from meat, fish, vegetables, cereals, legumes, and fruits, were analyzed to obtain the concentration of antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), bismuth (Bi), and tellurium (Te) as toxic elements and selenium (Se) as essential element. An analytical procedure was employed based on atomic fluorescence spectroscopy which allowed to obtain accurate data at low levels of concentration. Values of 14 commercial samples, expressed in nanograms per gram fresh weight, ranged for Sb 0.66-6.9, As 4.5-242, Te 1.35-2.94, Bi 2.18-4.79, and Se 5.4-109. Additionally, speciation studies were performed based on data from a non-chromatographic screening method. It was concluded that tellurium and bismuth were mainly present as inorganic forms and selenium as organic form, and antimony and arsenic species depend on the ingredients of each baby food. Risk assessment considerations were made by comparing dietary intake of the aforementioned elements through the consumption of one baby food portion a day and recommended or tolerable guideline values.

Ion mobility spectrometry as a fast analytical tool in benzalkonium chloride homologs determination

A novel procedure is proposed for the determination by ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) of C₁₂, C₁₄ and C₁₆ benzalkonium chloride (BAC) homologs. The proposed method requires minimum sample treatment and the measurement was made in less than one minute. A high sensitivity was obtained for BAC determination by IMS with limit of detection values from 37 to 69µgL^-1. Accuracy of the proposed methodology was evaluated through the analysis of aqueous and alcoholic samples spiked with BAC at concentration levels from 0.002% to 20% (w/v), providing recovery values from 91% to 104%. BAC was determined in sanitary alcohols, nasal sprays, postharvest products, algaecides, and treated swimming pool water. Results obtained by the proposed IMS methodology were statistically comparable to those provided by a liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (LC-UV) reference methodology. The Green Certificate evaluation of the proposed IMS methodology provided 91 score points in the Eco-Scale as compared with 77 for LC-UV method.

Determination of total phenolic compounds in compost by infrared spectroscopy

Middle and near infrared (MIR and NIR) were applied to determine the total phenolic compounds (TPC) content in compost samples based on models built by using partial least squares (PLS) regression. The multiplicative scatter correction, standard normal variate and first derivative were employed as spectra pretreatment, and the number of latent variable were optimized by leave-one-out cross-validation. The performance of PLS-ATR-MIR and PLS-DR-NIR models was evaluated according to root mean square error of cross validation and prediction (RMSECV and RMSEP), the coefficient of determination for prediction (Rpred(2)) and residual predictive deviation (RPD) being obtained for this latter values of 5.83 and 8.26 for MIR and NIR, respectively.

A chemical status predictor. A methodology based on World-Wide sediment samples

As a consequence of the limited resources of underdeveloped countries and the limited interest of the developed ones, the assessment of the chemical quality of entire water bodies around the world is a utopia in the near future. The methodology described here may serve as a first approach for the fast identification of water bodies that do not meet the good chemical status demanded by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). It also allows estimating the natural background (or reference values of concentration) of the areas under study using a simple criterion. The starting point is the calculation the World-Wide Natural Background Levels (WWNBLs) and World-Wide Threshold Values (WWTVs), two indexes that depend on the concentration of seven elements present in sediments. These elements, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn, have been selected taking into account the recommendations of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency), that describe them as elements of concern with respect to environmental toxicity. The methodology has been exemplified in a case study that includes 134 sediment samples collected in 11 transitional water bodies from 7 different countries and 4 different continents. Six of the water bodies considered met the good chemical status demanded by the WFD. The rest of them exceeded the reference WWTVs, at least for one of the elements. The estuaries of the Nerbioi-Ibaizabal (Basque Country) and Cavado (Portugal), the sea inlet of Río San Pedro (Spain), the Sepetiba Bay (Brazil) and the Yucateco lagoon (Mexico) belong to that group.

Fast determination of fish mineral profile. Application to Vietnamese panga fish

A methodology, based on inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry after microwave-assisted digestion with HNO3/H2O2, was developed to determine the mineral profile of panga fish samples imported from Vietnam. A total of 42 essential and toxic elements were studied in seven samples taken from the local market. Preliminary studies were focused on selecting the best wavelength and the required dilution of samples in order to provide the highest sensitivity to maximize the number of analytes to be determined without spectral or matrix interferences. Adequate accuracy was assured by the analysis of certified reference material TORT-2. Mercury was also determined by a direct method based on atomic absorption spectrometry. Results obtained indicated a low mineral profile, fourteen elements were found at quantitatively levels, Na (6000 µg g(-1)) K (1800 µg g(-1)) Mg (173 µg g(-1)), Ca (80 µg g(-1)), Zn (2.44 µg g(-1)), Fe (1.6 µg g(-1)), Al (1.1 µg g(-1)), Sr (0.4 µg g(-1)) and B, Ba, Hg, Mn, V (under 0.1 µg g(-1)). Additionally data were compared with those previously reported in literature and an estimation of daily intake was calculated and compared with recommended or tolerable guidelines values. Levels of As, Cd, Pb and Hg were far below the established values by the European Community.

Preliminary results on the use of leather chrome shavings for air passive sampling

A new passive sampler based on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) layflat tube filled with chrome shavings from tannery waste residues was evaluated to determine volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor and outdoor areas. VOCs were directly determined by head space-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) without any pretreatment of the sampler and avoiding the use of solvents. Limit of detection values ranging from 20 to 75 ng sampler(-1) and good repeatability values were obtained for VOCs under study with relative standard deviation values from 2.8 to 9.6% except for carbon disulfide for which it was 22.5%. The effect of the amount of chrome shavings per sampler was studied and results were compared with those obtained using empty LDPE tubes, to demonstrate the capacity of chrome shavings to adsorb VOCs.

Direct Determination Methods Without Sample Preparation

The greenest alternatives to the traditional methods of analysis based on sample digestion and/or analyte extraction, are clearly those that permit the direct determination of as many analytes as possible without any sample pretreatment. This chapter deals with the main aspects and applications of remote sensing and teledetection systems, and the use of non-invasive methods of analysis, which permit a direct analysis of samples without any sample damage. In addition, the possibilities offered by several techniques to analyse solids directly without the use of reagents through the direct atomization of small portions of samples, the arc, spark or laser ablation of materials for their analysis by optical emission or mass spectrometry, are evaluated. This chapter attempts to provide a literature survey of all the aforementioned tools which have been evaluated from the perspective of greening analytical practices.

Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy Determination of Trace Element Composition of Argan Oil

A methodology based on inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) after microwave assisted acid digestion has been developed to determine the trace element content of Moroccan argan oil. Limit of detection values equal or lower than few mg/kg were obtained for all elements under study. To assure the accuracy of the whole procedure, recovery studies were carried out on argan oil samples spiked at different concentration levels from 10 to 200 µg/L. Quantitative average recovery values were obtained for all elements evaluated, demonstrating the suitability of this methodology for the determination of trace elements in argan oil samples. Aluminum, calcium, chromium, iron, potassium, lithium, magnesium, sodium, vanadium and zinc were quantitatively determined in Moroccan argan oils being found that their concentration is different of that found in other edible oils thus offering a way for authentication and for the evaluation of possible adulterations.

Searching the most appropriate sample pretreatment for the elemental analysis of wines by inductively coupled plasma-based techniques

Different sample preparation methods were evaluated for the simultaneous multielement analysis of wine samples by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Microwave-assisted digestion in closed vessel, thermal digestion in open reactor, and direct sample dilution were considered for the determination of Li, Be, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Y, Mo, Cd, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Tl, Pb, and Bi in 12 samples of red wine from Valencia and Utiel-Requena protected designation of origin. ICP-MS allows the determination of 17 elements in most of the samples, and using ICP-OES, a maximum of 15 elements were determined. On comparing the sample pretreatment methodology, it can be concluded that the three assayed procedures provide comparable results for the concentration of Li, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, and Sr by ICP-OES. Furthermore, ICP-MS data found for Cu, Pb, and Ba were comparable. Digestion treatment provides comparable values using both total decomposition in open system and microwave-assisted treatment for Cu by ICP-OES and for Cr, Ni, and Zn by ICP-MS. Open vessel total digestion provides excess values for Cr, Mn, Fe, and Zn by ICP-OES and defect values for Se. However, direct measurement of diluted wine samples provided uncomparable results with the digestion treatment for Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ba, and Bi by ICP-OES and for Mg, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Zn by ICP-MS. Therefore, it can be concluded that microwave-assisted digestion is the pretreatment procedure of choice for elemental analysis of wine by ICP-based techniques.

On-line gel permeation chromatography-attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared determination of lecithin and soybean oil in dietary supplements

Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectrometry detection has been proposed for the simultaneous determination of lecithin and soybean oil in dietary supplements. The method involves the extraction of analytes with dichloromethane in an ultrasound water bath and the injection of 2 ml of centrifuged and filtered extracts into the system integrated by two Envirogel GPC columns (19 mm x150 mm, 19 mm x 300 mm) coupled on-line. Dichloromethane was used as mobile phase. A method has been developed to select the most appropriated wavenumber to be used for the determination of each considered compound from the calculation of a factor which maximizes the analyte signal minimizing the interferent contributions, being selected the detection wavenumbers of 1034 and 1138 cm(-1) for lecithin and soybean oil, respectively in the first order derivative ATR-FTIR spectra. The method provides limits of detection of 2 and 4 mg ml(-1) for lecithin and soybean oil and repeatability values, measured as relative standard deviation, of 2.5% and 3.4% being extended the linear range till 100 mg ml(-1) for lecithin and up to 50 mg ml(-1) for soybean oil. Accurate results were found for 10 synthetic samples and 7 commercial dietary supplement preparations.

Determination of vinegar acidity by attenuated total reflectance infrared measurements through the use of second-order absorbance-pH matrices and parallel factor analysis

Univariate (zero-order), multivariate (first-order) and multiway (second-order) calibrations were assayed for the determination of vinegar acidity using a mechanized procedure based upon vibrational spectroscopy and the emerging multicommutation methodology. The second-order methodology relies on the use of a flow system based on multicommutation and binary sampling. The flow network comprises a set of three-way solenoid valves, computer-controlled to provide facilities to handle the sample and to generate a time-dependent pH gradient using two carrier solutions. The procedure is based on the volumetric fraction variation approach that maintains the same volume of sample solution and dynamically varies its pH. The analysis of second-order absorbance-pH matrices was performed using parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Results were compared with first-order absorbance data analyzed with linear calibration and partial least squares regression (PLS) and they were employed for a discussion of the relative advantages of the applied chemometric tools. As excellent accuracy is obtained without the need of any sample pre-treatment, the procedure can be fully mechanized (i.e., by means of an auto-sampler device). Accuracy of the different strategies assayed was assessed by comparing the results achieved with those obtained by titration reference procedure.

Determination of edible oil parameters by near infrared spectrometry

A chemometric method has been developed for the determination of acidity and peroxide index in edible oils of different types and origins by using near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) measurements. Different methods for selecting the calibration set, after an hierarchical cluster analysis, were applied. After discrimination of olive oils from maize, seed and sunflower, the prediction capabilities of partial least squares (PLS) multivariate calibration of NIR data were evaluated. Several preprocessing alternatives (first derivative, multiplicative scatter correction, vector normalization, constant offset elimination, mean centering and standard normal variate) were investigated by using the root mean square error of validation (RMSEV) and prediction (RMSEP), as control parameters. Under the best conditions studied, the validation set provides RMSEP values of 0.034 and 0.037% (w/w) for acidity in (I) olive oil group and (II) sunflower, seed and maize oils group. RMSEP values for peroxide in both sample groups, expressed as mequiv.O2 kg(-1), were, respectively 1.87 and 0.79. The limit of detection of the methodology developed was 0.03% for acidity in both groups of edible oils (I and II), and 0.9 and 0.8 mequiv.O2 kg(-1) for peroxide in the olive oil and other edible oils groups, respectively. In fact, the methodology developed is proposed for direct acidity quantification and for the screening of peroxide index in edible oils, requiring less than 30 s per sample without any previous treatment.