High-resolution,imaging TOF-SIMS: novel applications in medical research

The use of high-resolution, imaging TOF-SIMS is described and examples are made to demonstrate the application of the method in medical research. Cytochemistry by TOF-SIMS is shown by localization of diacylglycerol (DG) in cryostat sections of hyaline cartilage and by localization of corticosterone in cryostat sections of the adrenal gland cortex. Quantitative measurements and comparison of groups is shown by comparing the lipid content of adipose tissue from two mouse strains, transgenic mouse expressing the FOXC2 gene and wild-type controls. Finally, biopsies made for histopathological diagnosis of infantile reversible cytochrome c oxidase deficiency myopathy were analyzed in order to define the chemical content of areas showing a pathological structure in the light microscope. The use of high-resolution, imaging TOF-SIMS in medical research allows analysis of intact tissue and probe-free localization of specific target molecules in cells and tissues. The TOF-SIMS analysis is not dependent on penetration of reagents into the sample and also independent of probe reactivity such as cross-reactivity or background staining. The TOF-SIMS method can be made quantitative and allows for analysis of specific target molecules in defined tissue compartments.     

Software tool for mining liquid chromatography/multi‐stage mass spectrometry data for comprehensive glycerophospholipid profiling

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) has emerged as an indispensable tool in the field of lipidomics. Despite the growing interest in lipid analysis, there are only a few software tools available for data evaluation, as compared for example to proteomics applications. This makes comprehensive lipid analysis a complex challenge. Thus, a computational tool for harnessing the raw data from liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) experiments was developed in this study and is available from the authors on request. The Profiler‐Merger‐Viewer tool is a software package for automatic processing of raw‐data from data‐dependent experiments, measured by high‐performance liquid chromatography hyphenated to electrospray ionization hybrid linear ion trap Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTICR‐MS and Orbitrap) in single and multi‐stage mode. The software contains three parts: processing of the raw data by Profiler for lipid identification, summarizing of replicate measurements by Merger and visualization of all relevant data (chromatograms as well as mass spectra) for validation of the results by Viewer. The tool is easily accessible, since it is implemented in Java and uses Microsoft Excel (XLS) as output format. The motivation was to develop a tool which supports and accelerates the manual data evaluation (identification and relative quantification) significantly but does not make a complete data analysis within a black‐box system. The software's mode of operation, usage and options will be demonstrated on the basis of a lipid extract of baker's yeast (S. cerevisiae). In this study, we focused on three important representatives of lipids: glycerophospholipids, lyso‐glycerophospholipids and free fatty acids. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Swimming in an inviscid fluid

We present a set of equations governing the motion of a body due to prescribed shape changes in an inviscid, planar fluid with nonzero vorticity. The derived equations, when neglecting vorticity, reduce to the model developed in Kanso et al. (J Nonlinear Sci 15:255–289, 2005) for swimming in potential flow, and are also consistent with the models developed in Borisov et al. (J Math Phys 48:1–9, 2007), Kanso and Oskouei (J Fluid Mech 800:77–94, 2008), Shasikanth et al. (Phys Fluids 14(3):1214–1227, 2002) for a rigid body interacting dynamically with point vortices. The effects of cyclic shape changes and the presence of vorticity on the locomotion of a submerged body are discussed through examples.     

Development and validation of an LC–MS/MS method for the quantification of artificial sweeteners in human matrices

Artificial sweeteners are widely used as substitutes for sugar. The sweeteners are generally considered safe, however their whereabouts during pregnancy and lactation and the effect on child development are poorly explored. There is a need for new tools to measure these substances during pregnancy and lactation. Here, we describe the development and validation of a sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous quantification of acesulfame, cyclamate, saccharin and sucralose in human plasma, umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid and breast milk. The samples were prepared by protein precipitation and separated on a Luna Omega Polar C₁₈ column (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.6 μm). Electrospray ionization in negative mode and multiple reaction monitoring were used to monitor the ion transitions. The validated concentration ranges were from 1 to 500 ng/ml (10–500 ng/ml for sucralose). Interassay precisions were all ≤15% and the accuracies were within ±15%. Stability, linearity, dilution integrity, carryover and recovery were also examined and satisfied the validation criteria. Finally, this analytical method was successfully applied on spiked samples of plasma, umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid and breast milk, proving its suitability for use in clinical studies on artificial sweeteners, including during pregnancy and lactation.     

Iron-modified zeolite BETA: efficient catalyst in methyllaurate, 2-hexyl-1,3-dioxolane, 4-methyl-2-propyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-ol and 4-methyl-2-phenyl-tetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-ol synthesis

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Several types of modified zeolite BETA38 with different iron loading were prepared. Prepared materials were characterized using different techniques (XRD, XRF,...