Analysis of Trace Drugs of Abuse by Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) Mass Spectrometry.

Analysis of trace amounts of drugs of abuse is important in a variety of situations, including forensic casework. Here, a method for the facile, rapid collection of traces of drugs from a variety of porous and nonporous surfaces, including fabrics, is detailed. A small amount of extraction solvent, including an internal standard, is applied to the fabric surface, followed by application of a patterned absorbent disk which resorbs much of the extraction solvent along with dissolved traces of any drug present.

Moisture vapor transport channels for the improved attachment of a medical device to the human body.

Attachment of a small, medical device to the human body for an extended period of time in an ambulatory setting requires the careful consideration of the physical form of the device and the physiological constraints limiting the time a device will stay on the skin. Factors such as the size of the device, the area of the device available for attachment to the skin, and the occlusive nature of the materials in the device are likely to affect adhesion. Here, plastic acrylic disks, 25 mm in diameter, containing a crisscross pattern of air-filled channels were tested on the forearm and abdomen using a moderately aggressive, unsupported, pressure-sensitive transfer adhesive in a pilot human clinical study.

Measurements of glucose on the skin surface, in stratum corneum and in transcutaneous extracts: implications for physiological sampling.

Obtaining representative physiological samples for glucose analysis remains a challenge especially when developing less invasive glucose monitoring systems for diabetic patients. In the present study the glucose content of the stratum corneum was compared with the amount of glucose obtained by short aqueous extractions from a site on the dorsal wrist, using high pressure liquid chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. Ten successive aqueous 1-minute extractions of the site yielded a total of 60 ng cm(-2).

Blood extraction from lancet wounds using vacuum combined with skin stretching.

Key factors and practical limits of blood extraction from lancet wounds on body sites other than the finger were determined by testing a large number of conditions. During these tests, the pain associated with lancing alternate body sites was rated as less painful than a fingerstick 98% of the time. Vacuum combined with skin stretching was effective in extracting an adequate volume of blood from the forearm for glucose testing, up to an average of 16 microl in 30 s.