Randomized, controlled, multicentre clinical trial of the antipyretic effect of intravenous paracetamol in patients admitted to hospital with infection.

Aim: No randomized study has been conducted to investigate the use of intravenous paracetamol (acetaminophen, APAP) for the management of fever due to infection. The present study evaluated a new ready-made infusion of paracetamol.

Methods: Eighty patients with a body temperature onset ≥38.

Advantages of automation in plasma sample preparation prior to HPLC/MS/MS quantification: application to the determination of cilazapril and cilazaprilat in a bioequivalence study.

An HPLC/MS/MS method characterized by complete automation and high throughput was developed for the determination of cilazapril and its active metabolite cilazaprilat in human plasma. All sample preparation and analysis steps were performed by using 2.2 mL 96 deep-well plates, while robotic liquid handling workstations were utilized for all liquid transfer steps, including liquid-liquid extraction.

Expanded newborn screening in Greece: 30 months of experience.

In Greece, the National Newborn Screening Program was initiated in 1974 and is performed by the Institute of Child Health (ICH). However, there is a complete absence of conditions that have high rates of mortality and a relatively high prevalence listed in the Catalogue of Disorders screened by the ICH. Our laboratory has expanded the existing NBS program to include newborn screening for inborn errors of metabolism, screening for cystic fibrosis (the most common congenital disorder in the Greek population), congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and for biotinidase deficiency.

An improved and fully validated LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantification of simvastatin and simvastatin acid in human plasma.

A fully automated high-throughput liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of simvastatin (SV) and simvastatin acid (SVA) in human plasma. Plasma samples were treated by acetonitrile (ACN) addition for protein precipitation (PP) and subsequent two-step liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) in 96-deepwell plates, using methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE) as the organic solvent. ACN addition step was proven to enhance method sensitivity, as well as producing cleaner samples for injection.

Application of a semi-automated 96-well format solid-phase extraction, column-switching, fluorescence detection protocol for the determination of alendronate in human urine samples obtained from a bioequivalence study.

In the current study, a semi-automated, 96-well format, solid-phase extraction (SPE), analytical column-switching method for alendronate determination in human urine is developed, validated and applied to a bioequivalence study. The current protocol was a substantial improvement of an existing classical method. A robotic liquid handling system was employed to simplify and reduce the time of sample preparation procedure.