Nano-LC: An updated review

Low-flow chromatography has a rich history of innovation but has yet to reach widespread implementation in bioanalytical applications. Improvements in pump technology, microfluidic connections, and nano-electrospray sources for MS have laid the groundwork for broader application, and innovation in this space has accelerated in recent years. This article reviews the instrumentation used for nano-flow LC, the types of columns employed, and strategies for multidimensionality of separations, which are key to the future state of the technique to the high-throughput needs of modern bioanalysis. An update of the current applications where nano-LC is widely used, such as proteomics and metabolomics, is discussed. But the trend toward biopharmaceutical development of increasingly complex, targeted, and potent therapeutics for the safe treatment of disease drives the need for ultimate selectivity and sensitivity of our analytical platforms for targeted quantitation in a regulated space. The selectivity needs are best addressed by mass spectrometric detection, especially at high resolutions, and exquisite sensitivity is provided by nano-electrospray ionization as the technology continues to evolve into an accessible, robust, and easy-to-use platform.     

Chemical imaging in biology and medicine using ion microscopy

The ability to quantitatively map the distribution of elements on the micrometer scale and smaller with high sensitivity and isotopic discrimination is unique to ion microscopy. The information contained in ion images can be crucial to the study of the solid state, where chemical heterogeneity is often directly related to observed behavior. The tools of digital image processing allow the extraction of quantitative information from the image data. These techniques coupled with improved instrumentation for the detection of ion images drastically increase the problem solving capabilities of the ion microscope. The use of such methods and instrumentation in the ion microscopic analyses of cell cultures and tissues of biological and biomedical relevance will be discussed.     

Two methods for semi-automated quantification of changes in ventricular volume and their use in schizophrenia

Two semi-automated methods for quantification of ventricular volume change from baseline and follow-up magnetic resonance imaging scans have been developed. Technique 1 employs direct segmentation of the ventricles from both the scans using thresholding and contour extraction. Technique 2 operates on difference images produced by voxel based intensity subtraction of the baseline from the registered follow-up images. Here, all voxels with intensities above a noise threshold and in a restricted area are monitored to compute volumetric changes. In phantom measurements the first technique was accurate to 0.0046%, the second to 0.167% of the phantom volume. Results from normal volunteers was that the average ventricular volume changed by 1.52% and 1.54% for images acquired within 9 months using techniques 1 and 2, respectively. With schizophrenic patients mean change of 10.78% and 9.43% were found employing the first and second procedures, respectively. All measurements agreed with a radiologist’s visual grading of the changes. Robust, objective, fast, easy-to-use, and fairly accurate procedures have been developed and validated to quantify volumetric changes.     

Quantitation of amorphicity by microcalorimetry

The amorphous state of solids is characterized by a higher chemical and physical reactivity and a hygroscopic behaviour. Furthermore processing of amorphous powders is often difficult, because of the instability. Fast crystallizations, precipitations and milling favour the formation of the amorphous state. Galenical processes like granulation, drying, lyophilization, mixing, may also induce amorphous regions in the drug products.X-ray diffraction techniques can be used for the determination of the amorphicity of drug raw materials or drug products. Unfortunately, 10% is the detection limit, which in normal cases can be attained. Amorphous substances undergo an exothermic crystallization at temperatures above the glass transition point. Water which is a plasticizer decreases the temperature of the glass transition point, allowing the crystallization to occur at lower temperatures. The crystallization energy is measure of by microcalorimetry.Examples show the influence of the choice of the experimental conditions, especially the influence of the amorphicity on the kinetic of the reaction. Critical steps are discussed for three different drug substances. Limits of detection in the magnitude of 1 % are possible using microcalorimetry.     

氢谱在甾醇类化合物定量和纯度分析中的应用

用^1HNMR谱可定量确定繁茂膜海绵(Hymeniacidon perleve)中分离得到的结构类似的甾醇类化合物的含量，这种方法是对鉴定分析组成复杂而性质很相近的天然甾醇化合物的新思路。     

Analysis of Chlorogenic Acid in Herbal Medicines by Capillary Electrophoresis

Atpresent,thecommonlyusedmethodforanalyzingherbalmedicinesishighperformanceliquidchromatography(HPLC).However,theuseofHPLCisrestrictedformanyreasons.Themostseriousproblemisthatthechromatographiccolumniseasilycontaminated.ComparedwithHPLC,capillaryelectrophoresis(CE)ischaracterizedwithhighefficiency,rapidity,lowcostandmultiplemodestobechosen.Inaddition,thecapillarycanbeeasilyregenerated.SoCEisidealforanalyzing"dirty"samples,suchasChineseherbalmedicines.Infact,studiesintheareaarebecoming…     

Quantitative surface analysis by Auger and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Recent developments in quantitative surface analysis by Auger (AES) and x-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopies are reviewed and problems relating to a more accurate quantitative interpretation of AES/XPS experimental data are discussed. Special attention is paid to consideration of elementary physical processes involved and influence of multiple scattering effects on signal line intensities. In particular, the major features of core-shell ionization by electron impact, Auger transitions and photoionization are considered qualitatively and rigorous approaches used to calculate the respective transition probabilities are analysed. It is shown that, in amorphous and polycrystalline targets, incoherent scattering of primary and signal Auger and photoelectrons can be described by solving analytically a kinetic equation with appropriate boundary conditions. The analytical results for the angular and energy distribution, the mean escape depth, and the escape probability as a function of depth of origin of signal electrons as well as that for the backscattering factor in AES are in good agreement with the corresponding Mote Carlo simulation data. Methods for inelastic background subtraction, surface composition determination and depth-profile reconstructions by angle-resolved AES/XPS are discussed. Examples of novel techniques based on x-ray induced photoemission are considered.     

Development of an RPLC-based Method for Measurement of Indoprofen Stability and Validation of the Method

A method for quantitative measurement of the photochemical decomposition of the anti-inflammatory agent, indoprofen （INP） is descriped. An RPLC-based assay that could determine the extent of degradation of INP in a rapid, sensitive, and accurate manner was developed. The method was validated under photoirradiation. Quantitation was monitored with an Inertsil ODS-3V column using a mobile phase of acetonitril and 1% HOAc solution in deionized H2O. Statistics relevant to the system criteria, peak integrity and resolution among the parent drug and its degradation products were performed. From the intra- and inter-day tests, the coefficients of variation were found to range from 0.59% to 4.25% for the former and from 0.71% to 4.86% for the latter. The good selectivity and specificity of this RPLC-based procedure render it suitable for measurements of INP stability.     

Simultaneous determination of capecitabine and its metabolite 5-fluorouracil by column switching and liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric method was developed and validated for the quantitation of capecitabine and its metabolite 5-fluorouracil in human plasma. The simultaneous determination of both analytes was achieved by a column switching method using a trapping column and two analytical columns with different stationary phases. Isocratic elution was used for the separation of capecitabine on a C18 column whereas 5-fluorouracil was separated using gradient elution on an non-polar carbon phase. The calibration curves were linear for both compounds with a correlation factor (R2) > 0.9993 for 5-fluorouracil and >0.9942 for capecitabine. The assay was validated in the concentration range 5.00-1000 ng ml(-1) for both compounds. The intra-day precision was better than 10% for 5-fluorouracil and better than 11% for capecitabine whereas the inter-day precision was better than 8% for 5-fluorouracil and better than 14% for capecitabine.     

Determination of three compounds in Aloe vera by capillary electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoretic assay for determining aloe-emodin (AE), methyl p-coumarate (MC), and 3,4-dihydro-6,8-dihydroxyl-[(3s)-2'-acetyl-3'-hydroxyl-5'-methoxy-benzyl]-isocoumarin (DDI) in Aloe vera has been developed. Baseline separation was achieved within 15 min using a running buffer of 20 mm borax containing 10% (v/v) acetonitrile at pH 10.5. A linear relationship between the peak area and the concentration of the analytes was found in the ranges 5-500, 10-1000 and 2-1000 micro g/mL for AE, MC and DDI, respectively, with correlation coefficients of 0.9992-0.9998. The relative standard deviations of migration time and peak area were within 0.17-0.19 and 1.52-3.37%, respectively. The recoveries of AE, MC and DDI were 105, 102 and 96.4%. The contents of AE, MC and DDI in Aloe vera were measured to be 5.13, 0.768 and 1.30 mg/g, respectively.