Assay of vecuronium in plasma using solid-phase extraction, high-performance liquid chromatography and post-column ion-pair extraction with fluorimetric detection

An assay has been developed and validated for the routine monitoring of vecuronium in plasma. It consists of solid-phase extraction using C18 disposables as sample pre-treatment, high-performance liquid chromatography and post-column ion-pair extraction with fluorimetric detection. The fluorescent anion 9,10-dimethoxyanthracene-2-sulphonate (DAS) is used as the counter ion. The detection limit is ca. 5 ng/ml in plasma with a signal-to-noise ratio of 10. The assay is also applicable for monitoring vecuronium and its potential metabolites in other biological media, e.g., urine, bile and tissue (liver, kidney) homogenates.     

Bulk and microprobe analysis for trace elements with synchrotron radiation

Blood serum samples were irradiated by monochromatic synchrotron radiation (15 keV) and by 2.4-MeV protons to compare their performance for the detection of trace elements by x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry. Absolute concentration assignment was based on the addition of an internal standard and on a method which uses the incoherent and coherent radiation as a flux monitor of the incoming beam. Preliminary experiments with a synchrotron XRF microprobe are reported.     

Towards molecular-scale electronics and biomolecular self-assembly

This paper provides an overview of recent research developments in the field of nanoelectronics with organic materials such as carbon nanotubes and DNA-templated nanowires. Carbon nanotubes and gold electrodes are chemically functionalized in order to contact carbon nanotubes by self-assembly. The transport properties of these nanotubes are dominated by charging effects and display clear Coulomb blockade behaviour. A different approach towards nanoscale electronics is based on the molecular recognition properties of biomolecules such as DNA. As an example, DNA is stretched between electrodes using a molecular combing technique. A two-step metallization procedure leads to the formation of highly conductive gold nanowires.     

Quantitative Bestimmung der Chinaalkalo?de

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Study on the Binding Characteristic of S-Naproxen Imprinted Polymer and the Interactions between Templates and Monomers

S-naproxen imprinted polymer was prepared with acrylamide as a functional monomer, 1,4-butanediyl diacrylate as a new kind of crossliner, and 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphenyl-phosphinic acid ethyl ester as photoinitiator. Their UV and IR spectra were applied to study the interactions between the template and the monomer. Binding experiments showed that the S-naproxen imprinted polymer had better recognition capability for the template than that of a blank polymer. The adsorption distribution coefficient KD of S-naproxen on molecularly-imprinted polymer was 153.2 g/mL, and the separation factor was 1.95 when the initial concentration of substrate was 2.0 mmol/L. Scatchard curves suggested that there were two classes of binding sites in the imprinted polymer and only one class in the blank polymer. Computer simulation using Hyperchem showed the existence of the interactions between the template and the functional monomer as well as the models of the complexes formed by the template and the monomer.     

Implementation of an integrated glucose POCT system

In response to a change of the Belgian National Directives whereby hospital laboratories became responsible for all point-of-care testing (POCT) performed within hospital walls a standardized and automated POC glucose-testing system was implemented in our hospital. The system consists of 50 AccuCheck Inform instruments (Roche Diagnostics, Vilvoorde, Belgium), 50 docking stations, a DataCare Server, and connections to the medical laboratory information system (MOLIS, Sysmex, Barchon, Belgium) and to the hospital information system. Implementation involved many parties and extensive preparation and communication. Key issues were bar-coded patient and user identification, training, and responsibilities. One year after the hospital wide implementation of this system the quality of POC glucose testing has significantly increased, thereby improving patient safety. This study describes a stepwise change over involving the medical laboratory and with a focus on hands-on quality.Presented at the ninth conference on Quality in the Spotlight, 18–19 March 2004, Antwerp, Belgium.     

Metallo‐supramolecular block copolymer micelles: Improved preparation and characterization

Micelles prepared from amphiphilic block copolymers in which a poly(styrene) segment is connected to a poly(ethylene oxide) block via a bis‐(2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine‐ruthenium) complex have been intensely studied. In most cases, the micelle populations were found to be strongly heterogeneous in size because of massive micelle/micelle aggregation. In the study reported in this article we tried to improve the homogeneity of the micelle population. The variant preparation procedure developed, which is described here, was used to prepare two “protomer”‐type micelles: PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₇₀ and PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₃₇₅. The dropwise addition of water to a solution of the compounds in dimethylformamide was replaced by the controlled addition of water by a syringe pump. The resulting micelles were characterized by sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium analyses in an analytical ultracentrifuge and by transmission electron microscopy of negatively stained samples. Sedimentation analysis showed virtually unimodal size distributions, in contrast to the findings on micelles prepared previously. PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₇₀ micelles were found to have an average molar mass of 318,000 g/mol (corresponding to 53 protomers per micelle, which is distinctly less than after micelle preparation by the standard method) and an average hydrodynamic diameter (d_h) of 18 nm. For PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₃₇₅ micelles, the corresponding values were M = 603,000 g/mol (31 protomers per micelle) and d_h = 34 nm. The latter particles were found to be identical to the “equilibrium” micelles prepared in pure water. Both micelle types had a very narrow molar mass distribution but a much broader distribution of s values and thus of hydrodynamic diameters. This indicates a conformational heterogeneity that is stable on the time scale of sedimentation velocity analysis. The findings from electron microscopy were in disagreement with those from the sedimentation analysis both in average micelle diameter and in the width of the distributions, apparently because of imperfections in the staining procedure. The preparation procedure described also may be useful in micelle formation from other types of protomers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4458–4465, 2004     

Effect of the particle size distribution on the low shear viscosity of high‐solid‐content latexes

The production of high‐solid‐content, low‐viscosity latexes is an active field in both industry and academia. The viscosity of polymer dispersions has a clear dependence on the particle size distribution (PSD). An example is the rule of thumb that a bimodal PSD enables the reduction of the viscosity with respect to monomodal systems. Despite important progress in theoretical work, not much has been done to quantitatively predict the low shear viscosity of aqueous polymer dispersions as a function of the complex PSD. In this work, the capability of a low‐shear‐viscosity equation to quantitatively account for the influence of both the PSD and the physicochemical characteristics of the dispersions is experimentally assessed. An analysis, consistent with theoretical concepts, of the data with semiempirical correlations is proposed. Next, with values of the parameters of the viscosity equation obtained experimentally, the effect of a latex with a 70% solid content on the low shear viscosity is examined. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3936–3946, 2004     

Dynamic boundary stabilization of a Reissner–Mindlin plate with Timoshenko beam

This paper is concerned with well‐posedness results for a mathematical model for the transversal vibrations of a two‐dimensional hybrid elastic structure consisting of a rectangular Reissner–Mindlin plate with a Timoshenko beam attached to its free edge. The model incorporates linear dynamic feedback controls along the interface between the plate and the beam. Classical semigroup methods are employed to show the unique solvability of the coupled initial‐boundary‐value problem. We also show that the energy associated with the system exhibits the property of strong stability. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.