Direct immersion solid-phase microextraction combined with ambient ionization tandem mass spectrometry to rapidly distinguish pesticides in serum for emergency diagnostics.

Despite the fact that carbamates and organophosphates cause acute poisoning via different mechanisms and require disparate management, they are indistinguishable by current clinical assays. Herein, direct immersion solid-phase microextraction (DI-SPME) plus thermal desorption-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (TD-ESI/MS/MS) was developed to discern them. Both pesticides spiked in human serum were extracted by SPME and analyzed by TD-ESI/MS/MS.

The Accuracy of Emergency Physicians' Suspicions of Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Objective: To investigate factors associated with recognition and delayed isolation of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).

Background: Precise identification of PTB in the emergency department (ED) remains challenging.

Methods: Retrospectively reviewed PTB suspects admitted via the ED were divided into three groups based on the acid-fast bacilli culture report and whether they were isolated initially in the ED or general ward.