New sensitive liquid chromatography method coupled with tandem mass spectrometric detection for the clinical analysis of vinorelbine and its metabolites in blood, plasma, urine and faeces

A new sensitive and specific liquid chromatographic method coupled with tandem mass spectrometric detection was set up and validated for the simultaneous quantitation of vinorelbine, its main metabolite, 4-O-deacetylvinorelbine and two other minor metabolites, 20'-hydroxyvinorelbine and vinorelbine 6'-oxide. All these compounds, including vinblastine (used as internal standard) were deproteinised from blood, plasma and faeces (only diluted in urine), analysed on a cyano column and detected on a Micromass Quattro II system in the positive ion mode after ionisation, using an electrospray ion source. Under tandem mass spectrometry conditions, the specific product ions led one to accurately quantify vinorelbine and its metabolites in all biological fluids. In whole blood, linearity was assessed up to 200 ng/ml for vinorelbine and up to 50 ng/ml for the metabolites. The limit of quantitation was validated at 250 pg/ml for both vinorelbine and 4-O-deacetylvinorelbine. In the other biological media, the linearity was assessed within a same range and the limit of quantitation was adjusted according to the expected concentrations of each compound. This method was initially developed in order to identify the metabolite structures and to elucidate the metabolic pathway of vinorelbine. Thanks to its high sensitivity, this method has enabled the quantitation of vinorelbine and all its metabolites in whole blood over 168 h (i.e., 4-5 elimination half lives) whilst the previous liquid chromatographic methods allowed their measurement for a maximum of 48-72 h. Therefore, using this method has improved the reliability of the pharmacokinetic data analysis of vinorelbine.     

Studies on synthetic inorganic ion exchangers-V: preparation, properties and ion-exchange behaviour of amorphous and crystalline thorium tungstate

Amorphous and crystalline thorium tungstate have been prepared by mixing 0.1M thorium nitrate and 0.1M sodium tungstate under different conditions. The physico-chemical properties, chemical stability, composition, TGA, DTA, X-ray, infrared absorption and ion-exchange behaviour of thorium-tungstate are reported and discussed. Distribution coefficients of metal ions on thorium tungstate have been determined at pH 2-3 and 5.5-6.5. Selective ion-exchange separations of bismuth and mercury from other metal ions have been achieved on a column of thorium tungstate.     

Coupling of narrow-bore liquid chromatography to thin-layer chromatography : Part I. Interfacing

The coupling of liquid chromatography (l.c.) on narrow-bore columns to thin-layer chromatography (t.l.c.) is described. The effluent from a l.c. column can be deposited on a t.l.c. plate after a normal-phase or reversed-phase separation without serious loss of chromatographic information. Both silica and alkyl-modified silica plates can be used for storage. The interface is a fused silica capillary which connects the column outlet to the spray jet assembly of a Linomat applicator for t.l.c. The stored chromatogram can serve as starting point for a new separation, but also allows the use of detection principles which are normally not compatible with l.c. The chromatography of some polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons is used to illustrate the possibilities of the combinations.     

Generalized quadrangles in finite projective spaces

If a pointset of the projective spacePG(d,q), together with a lineset ofPG(d,q) form a generalized quadrangleS, thenS is of classical type. This beautiful theorem was proved by F. Buekenhout and C. Lefèvre. In this paper we give a simple proof of this theorem in the cased 4 (we suppose that the result is established ford = 3). We remark that in our proof a central role is played by the theory of subquadrangles.     

On the isomer shifts of129I impurities implanted in semiconductors

Mössbauer spectra of the 27.8 keV transition in¹²⁹I have been measured with sources of^129mTe implanted in - and -tin and - and -SiC. The spectra mainly show two single line components, just as those obtained in earlier investigations with sources of^129mTe implanted in diamond, silicon and germanium. The component with isomer shift corresponding to a decreased s-electron density relative to the I^– ion is attributed to the substitutionally implanted impurities, that with shift corresponding to an increased s-electron density to interstitial impurities. Plots of the shifts of both component show a linear dependence on the lattice constant for diamond, silicon and germanium and -tin. For SiC, however, the shifts are considerably smaller than expected on the basis of this linear dependence. All shifts can be quantitatively understood on the basis of a simple model that attributes the shifts of the interstitial impurities to a compression in the host lattice and shifts of the substitutional impurities to the combined effect of compression and hybridized bonding.     

Research on heterocyclic compounds. XXIII. Phenyl derivatives of fused imidazole systems

The reaction of various heteroarylamines with ethyl 2-benzoyl-2-bromoacetate was used to obtain some imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines, imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines, imidazo[2,1-b]thiazoles and imidazo[2,1-b]benzothiazoles characterized by the presence of a phenyl moiety on the imidazole ring. In the case of thiazole and benzothiazole derivatives, unexpected by-products were isolated and their structures elucidated.     

Highly stereoselective addition of stannylcuprates to alkynones

The addition of stannylcuprate reagents such as (Bu3Sn)(PhS)CuLi to alkynones has been found to proceed in high yield and with excellent stereoselectivity for the Z isomer of the product (>95%). The behavior of the stannylcuprates is thus very different from that of their "carbocuprate" counterparts such as Me2CuLi or Me2Cu(CN)Li2 which are nonstereoselective. Furthermore, in contrast to the reactions of (R3Sn)(PhS)CuLi with the corresponding alkynoates, the presence of a proton source in the reaction medium has no effect on the stereoselectivity of the reaction of alkynones.     

Mass spectometry of aralkyl compounds with a functional group—VI1: Mass spectra of 1-phenylethyanol-1, 2-phenylethanol-1 and 1-phenylpropanol-2

Mass spectra of 1-phenylethanol-1 and its analogues, specifically deuterated in the aliphatic chain, suggest that the [M? CH₃]⁺ ion is represented partly by an α-hydroxybenzyl fragment. Moreover, the molecular ion loses successively—after scrambling of all hydrogen atoms, except those of CH₃? a hydrogen atom and C₆H₆, generation the CH₃CO⁺ ion. Diffuse peaks, found in the spectra of of 2-phenylethanol-1 and its analogues, specifically deuterated in the aliphatic chain and in the phenyl ring, show that the molecular ion loses C₂H₄O, possibly via a four-center mechanism, after an exchange of aromatic and hydroxylic hydrogens. Mass spectra of 1-phenylpropanol-2 and its analogues, specifically, deuterated in the aliphatic chain, demonstrate that in the molecular ion exclusively the hydroxyl hydrogen atom is transferred to one of the ortho-positions of the phenyl ring via a McLafferty rearrangement, generating the [M ? C₂H₄O]⁺ ion. Furtherore, an eight-membered ring structure is proposed for the [M ? CH₃]⁺ ion to explain the loss of H₂O and C₂H₂O from this ion after an extensive scrambling of hydrogen atoms.     

Effects of ultrasonic irradiation in flow-injection systems

The effects of ultrasonic irradiation on transport and reactions in several flow-injection manifolds are described. The influences of ultrasound on the physical dispersion of the injected plug is considered. Its effects on systems involving homogeneous (catalytic and non-catalytic) and heterogeneous (liquid/liquid extraction, precipitation) reactions are critically evaluated. In general, greater sensitivity is obtained, especially for heterogeneous systems, slow reactions and low analyte concentrations. Finally, practical considerations and potential uses of the combination of ultrasonic irradiation with flow-injection analysis are discussed.     

Comparative study of measured and critically evaluated resonance intergral to thermal cross-section ratios. Part I

For 13 isotopes, the resonance integral to thermal crosssection ratio was studied. The results of two different methods, applied in two different laboratories, are compared. One method consists in a direct determination of I₀/π₀-values from Cd-ratio measurements, the other is based on the evaluation of literature data, using accurately determined k₀-factors from two irradiation channels with largely different thermal-to-epithermal flux ratios.