Comparison of Sample Preparation and Detection Methods for the Quantification of Synthetic Musk Compounds (SMCs) in Carp Fish Samples.

This study deals with the separation and detection methods for 12 synthetic musk compounds (SMCs), which are some of the emerging contaminants in fish samples, are widely present in environmental media, and can be considered serious risks due to their harmful effects. For the separation of co-extracted substances and the target SMCs in fish samples after ultrasonic extraction, four solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents were investigated. The recoveries of SMCs from 10 mL of eluent, as optimized by the elution profile, were within the acceptable range of 80-120% in all SPE types, and it was found that nitro musk and polycyclic musk compounds were separated more clearly in Florisil SPE than others (Aminopropyl, Alumina-N, PSA).

Statistical comparison for assessing agreement between two mass spectrometric methods for the analysis of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDDs/Fs) in contaminated soils.

A gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HR/MS) has been used as the standard method for the quantification of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDDs/Fs), which are regulated at screening and action levels in the environment. However, several alternative methods have been attempted due to the disadvantage of its high cost. Although a gas chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-QqQ-MS/MS) has been used in a wide variety of sample matrices, showing that they are interchangeable, there has been a lack of comprehensive studies on statistical agreement with GC-HR/MS.

Tumor suppression effect of ultrasound-sensitive nanoparticles with focused ultrasound in a pancreas cancer xenograft model.

Background: We investigated the tumor suppression effect of an ultrasound-sensitive doxorubicin-loaded liposome-based nanoparticle, IMP301, to enhance the synergistic effect with focused ultrasound (FUS) in an animal model of pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Thirty nude mice with xenografts of PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells were randomly and prospectively allocated to 6 different groups (5 per group) each for Study-1 (dose-response test) and Study-2 (synergistic effect test). Study-1 consisted of control, gemcitabine, Doxil with FUS, and three different doses of IMP301 (2, 4, 6 mg/kg) with FUS groups.

Efficacy of convenience meal-type foods designed for diabetes in the management of metabolic syndrome based on a 3-week trial.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effect of meal-type food for diabetes on improving metabolic syndrome risk factors in adults.

Methods: The participants were adult men and women aged 40-55 y with 1 or more risk factors for metabolic syndrome. They were provided with a diabetic diet (a meal-type food) and general diet in the form of home meal replacement for 3 wk.

Developing an Improved Strategy for the Analysis of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins/Furans and Dioxin-like Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Contaminated Soils Using a Combination of a One-Step Cleanup Method and Gas Chromatography with Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry.

Soils contaminated with polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like (dl) polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have garnered global attention because of their toxicity and persistence in the environment. The standard method for target analytes has been used; however, it is an obstacle in large-scale sample analysis due to the comprehensive sample preparation and high-cost instrumental analysis. Thus, analytical development of inexpensive methods with lower barriers to determine PCDDs/Fs and dl-PCBs in soil is needed.

[Development and Validation of a Dignity in Care Scale of Terminally Ill Patients for Nurses].

Purpose: This study aimed to develop an instrument to showcase Dignity in Care of Terminally Ill Patients for Nurses and to examine its validity and reliability.

Methods: A total of 58 preliminary items on dignity in care of terminally ill patients for nurses were selected using content validity analysis and expert opinions on 97 candidate items derived through a literature review and qualitative focus group interviews. Questionnaires were administered to 502 nurses caring for terminally ill cancer patients at hospice and palliative care institutions.

Universal Emission Characteristics of Upconverting Nanoparticles Revealed by Single-Particle Spectroscopy.

Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been extensively investigated for nanophotonics and biomedical applications. However, establishing a unified view of their emission characteristics to elucidate the underlying photophysics and expand the application fields of these materials is a great challenge due to their sophisticated internal energy transfer and lack of standardized single-particle spectroscopy (SPS) platform. Here, we present an SPS technique called multiband single-particle irradiance-dependent imaging (multiband SPIDI).

Gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry as a cost-effective method for the determination of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans in contaminated soils.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of gas chromatography (GC)-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (QqQ, MS/MS) as an alternative to the standard GC-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HR/MS) for soils contaminated with polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). GC-QqQ (MS/MS) using a dynamic multiple reaction monitoring (dMRM) mode was optimized for the quantitative analysis of 17 PCDD/Fs. A comparative study between GC-QqQ (MS/MS) and GC-HR/MS was carried out to validate the results of actual field soil samples.

Particulate Nitrosamines and Nitramines in Seoul and Their Major Sources: Primary Emission versus Secondary Formation.

Seven nitrosamines and three nitramines in particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than or equal to 2.5 μm (PM) collected in 2018 in Seoul, South Korea, were quantified. Annual mean concentrations of the sum of nitrosamines and nitramines were 9.

Determination of atmospheric amines at Seoul, South Korea via gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

Due to their important roles in salt-producing acid-base reactions, new particle formation (NPF), and as precursors in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) producing reactions, the atmospheric concentrations of particulate volatile amines (dimethylamine (DMA), ethylamine, diethylamine (DEA), propylamine, and butylamine) at Seoul were analyzed and evaluated. To quantify the presence of volatile amines in particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than or equal to a nominal 2.5 μm (PM), an efficient and rapid analytical method based on in-matrix ethyl chloroformate (ECF) derivatization followed by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) was developed and validated using gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode.

Development of non-equilibrium rapid replacement aptamer assay for ultra-fast detection of phthalic acid esters.

In this paper, we developed a non-equilibrium rapid replacement aptamer (NERRA) assay that performed ultra-fast (in 30 s) quantitative detection of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) without waiting for the reaction to reach equilibrium. NERRA assay employed fluorescence PoPo3 dye intercalated in an ssDNA aptamer to selectively detect and quantify the PAEs in water. As the intercalated dye was replaced by the PAEs and quenched in the water, the rate of fluorescence change became proportional to PAEs concentration.

Synergistic Effects of Pulsed Focused Ultrasound and a Doxorubicin-Loaded Microparticle-Microbubble Complex in a Pancreatic Cancer Xenograft Mouse Model.

The synergistic effects of a doxorubicin (Dox)-loaded microparticle-microbubble complex (DMMC) and focused ultrasound (FUS) with a short duty cycle (5%) were evaluated in a pancreatic cancer xenograft model established by inoculating immunodeficient mice with CFPAC-1 cells. The efficacy of the DMMC with FUS (study 1), the effect of conjugating the particles as opposed to mixing them (study 2) and the levels of tumor apoptosis and intracellular Dox (study 3) were evaluated. The DMMC with FUS exhibited the lowest tumor growth rate (30.

Rapid Characterization and Discovery of Chemical Markers for Discrimination of Xanthii Fructus by Gas Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry.

Xanthii Fructus (XF) is known as a medicinal plant. It has been used as a traditional medicine because of its high biological efficacy. However, there have been few comprehensive studies on the specific chemical composition of the plant and consequently, the information is lacking for the mechanism of the natural product metabolites in humans.

Discrimination of Platycodon grandiflorum and Codonopsis lanceolata using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach.

Species of herbaceous flowering perennial plant of the family Campanulaceae such as Platycodon grandiflorum (P. grandiflorum) and Codonopsis lanceolata (C. lanceolata) widely used in traditional medicine to treat different diseases.

Inter-Laboratory Validation of Method to Determine Residual Enrofloxacin in Chicken Meat.

An inter-laboratory study was performed to evaluate the performance of a method developed for the quantification of enrofloxacin in chicken meat. Liquid-liquid extraction combined with a clean-up procedure based on solid-phase extraction followed by a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method was used by three individual laboratories. All the investigated results of calibration curves and limits of quantification were within the acceptable range for regulatory testing of enrofloxacin.

Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Ambient Aerosols by Using One-Dimensional and Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Combined with Mass Spectrometric Method: A Comparative Study.

Advanced separation technology paired with mass spectrometry is an ideal method for the analysis of atmospheric samples having complex chemical compositions. Due to the huge variety of both natural and anthropogenic sources of organic compounds, simultaneous quantification and identification of organic compounds in aerosol samples represents a demanding analytical challenge. In this regard, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) has become an effective analytical method.

The regulation of combined treatment-induced cell death with recombinant TRAIL and bortezomib through TRAIL signaling in TRAIL-resistant cells.

Background: Multiple trials have attempted to demonstrate the effective induction of cell death in TRAIL-resistant cancer cells, including using a combined treatment of recombinant TRAIL and various proteasome inhibitors. These studies have yielded limited success, as the mechanism of cell death is currently unidentified. Understanding this mechanism's driving forces may facilitate the induction of cell death in TRAIL-resistant cancer cells.

Development and Validation of Gas Chromatography-Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometric Method for Quantitative Determination of Regulated Plasticizers in Medical Infusion Sets.

A method for the quantitative determination of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP), dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), and diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP) in medical infusion sets was developed and validated using gas chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Solvent extraction with polymer dissolution for sample preparation was employed prior to GC-MS/MS analysis. Average recoveries of the eight target analytes are typically in the range of 91.

In vivo study of enhanced chemotherapy combined with ultrasound image-guided focused ultrasound (USgFUS) treatment for pancreatic cancer in a xenograft mouse model.

Objectives: This study was designed to investigate whether focused ultrasound (FUS) treatment with a higher mechanical index (MI) can enhance the effects of combined chemotherapy more than with a lower MI, and to evaluate the feasibility of the chemotherapy combined with FUS at a higher MI as an alternative treatment protocol.

Methods: Mice in the first study were divided into six groups: control, chemotherapy only (GEM), two groups treated with FUS only at two different MIs, and two groups treated with chemotherapy and FUS (GEM + FUS). Mice were treated with a single-session treatment; one session consisted of three weekly treatments and 1 week of follow-up monitoring.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans levels in piglet liver with various diseases.

This study deals with the levels of toxic polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and furan congeners (PCDD/Fs) in the livers of piglets affected by infectious diseases using isotope dilution high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). Seventeen toxic congeners in the liver samples infected with bacterial and viral diseases were compared. For porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) samples, the North American- and European-type PRRS diseases were observed.

Identification and Characterization of Diploid and Tetraploid in Platycodon grandiflorum.

Platycodon grandiflorum (PG), a species of herbaceous flowering perennial plant of the family Campanulaceae, has been used as a traditional oriental medicine for bronchitis, asthma, pulmonary tuberculosis, diabetes, hepatic fibrosis, bone disorders and many others similar diseases and as a food supplement. For the primary profiling of PG gas chromatography coupled with high resolution - time of flight mass spectrometry (GC/HR-TOF MS) was used as an analytical tool. A comparison of optimal extraction of metabolites was carried out with a number of solvents [hexane, methylene chloride, methanol, ethanol, methanol: ethanol (70:30, v:v)].

The development of a mobile u-Health program and evaluation for self-diet management for diabetic patients.

Background/objectives: This study aims to develop a mobile nutritional management program for integration into the already developed web-based program, Diabetes Mellitus Dietary Management Guide (DMDMG) for diabetic patients. Further, we aim to evaluate the amended DMDMG program.

Subjects/methods: The mobile application based on an Android operating system includes three parts: 1) record of diet intake, which allows users to take pictures of the meal and save to later add diet records into DMDMG; 2) an alarm system that rings at each meal time, which reminds users to input the data; 3) displays the diet record and the results of nutrient intake, which can be also viewed through the web program.

Identification and quantification of seven volatile n-nitrosamines in cosmetics using gas chromatography/chemical ionization-mass spectrometry coupled with head space-solid phase microextraction.

An analytical method was developed for the identification and quantification of seven volatile n-nitrosamines (n-nitrosodimethylamine [NDMA], n-nitrosoethylmethylamine [NMEA], n-nitrosodiethylamine [NDEA], n-nitrosodipropylamine [NDPA], n-nitrosodibutylamine [NDBA], n-nitrosopiperidine [NPIP], and n-nitrosopyrrolidine [NPYR]) in water insoluble cream type cosmetics. It was found that the head space-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) was suitable for extraction, clean up, and pre-concentration of n-nitrosamines in the cream type samples so its optimal conditions were investigated. Identification and quantification of n-nitrosamines using single quadrupole gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in chemical ionization (CI) mode were carried out with accurate mass measurements.