Potential of optical spectral transmission measurements for joint inflammation measurements in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Frequent monitoring of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients enables timely treatment adjustments and improved outcomes. Currently this is not feasible due to a shortage of rheumatologists. An optical spectral transmission device is presented for objective assessment of joint inflammation in RA patients, while improving diagnostic accuracy and clinical workflow.

Determination of amines in the presence of excess ammonia by ion chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A new method for the simultaneous determination of several amines in the presence of an excess of ammonia by ion chromatography-mass spectrometry detection was developed. Current methods using ion chromatography with suppressed conductivity detection are not selective enough to determine small amines at the required level of 10 microg/L or preferably lower in the presence of a large excess of ammonia (approximately 1 mg/L) without resorting to time-consuming sample pre-treatment techniques. By using mass spectrometric detection, which is capable of resolving eluting compounds on their m/z values, an additional dimension of confirmation is added to the analysis.