Synthesis of novel 1‐substituted [1,3]thiazolo[3,2‐a]‐[1,5]benzodiazepine derivatives from 1,5‐benzodiazepine‐2‐thiones and α‐halogen carbonyl compounds

A number of substituted 4H,5H,6H‐thiazolo[3,2‐a][1,5]benzodiazepinium salts 2a‐h, 5, 9 , which are based on the novel thiazolobenzodiazepine system, were prepared by condensation‐cyclization of 1,5‐benzodiazepine‐2‐thiones 1a‐f, h, 4 with α‐haloketones, as well as with α‐bromoacetaldehyde diethyl acetal. The structure and stereochemistry of the ring system obtained were investigated by ¹H and ¹³C nmr spectroscopy: the additional heterocyclic nucleus was found to appreciably influence the conformational mobility of the heptatomic ring. Upon treatment of salt 2d with alkali the presence of the base enamine structure in solution has been postulated.     

Direct determination of codeine-6-glucuronide in plasma and urine using solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A sensitive and selective method was developed for the direct determination of codeine-6-glucuronide in plasma and urine using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. Codeine-6-glucuronide was synthesised and its purity estimated using acid and enzyme hydrolysis. The hydrolysis of codeine-6-glucuronide by beta-glucuronidase was incomplete and urine reduced the extent of hydrolysis. Codeine-6-glucuronide was recovered from plasma using a solid-phase extraction column and separated on a reversed-phase C18 HPLC column. The assay showed good reproducibility and accuracy (within 10%), and standard curves were linear between 32 and 1600 ng/ml in plasma and between 0.32 and 160 micrograms/ml in urine. The assay has been applied to the study of the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of codeine in patients.     

Simultaneous quantification of multiple classes of phenolic compounds in blood plasma by liquid chromatography–electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A method using high performance liquid chromatography–electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI-MS/MS) in positive ion mode was developed for the simultaneous analysis of 30 phenolic compounds, including four estrogens, bisphenol A (BPA), 10 hydroxylated polybrominated dephenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) and 15 bromophenols (BRPs), in blood plasma. In the present method, derivatization with dansyl chloride was employed, and all the derivertized target compounds were well resolved on a 100 mm Xbridge C18 column with acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid as the mobile phases. Purification procedures, such as liquid–liquid extraction and silica-gel chromatography, were applied to reduce matrix effects in the sample extract and remove excess derivatizing reagents, thus permitting selective and sensitive detection of the target phenolic compounds. The limit of quantification for all analytes, with a signal-to-noise ratio of ∼10, was 2–30 pg/g (plasma weight) except for 6-OH-BDE-137 (30 pg/g) and 3-BRP (60 pg/g). The method was validated for recoveries (68–100%), accuracy (84–110%) and precision (3.7–11%) using charcoal-stripped bovine blood plasma spiked with all target compounds (500 and 5000 pg/mL). Finally, the method was applied to analyze six blood plasma samples from frogs and cormorants, where two natural estrogens, one BPA, one OH-PBDE and four BRPs were detected. The greatest total concentrations of estrogens coincided with the least total concentrations of other phenolic compounds for both species. The proposed method based on derivatization followed by LC–MS/MS provides a novel method to simultaneously monitor multiple groups of phenolic compounds in blood plasma.     

Simultaneous Determination of Safingol and d-erythro-Sphinganine in Human Plasma by LC with Fluorescence Detection

l-threo-Sphinganine (safingol) is a putative synthetic sphingosine kinase inhibitor currently being tested in clinical trials as an anticancer agent. To enable defining the pharmacokinetic properties of safingol in humans, we developed a sensitive analytical method to simultaneously quantitate safingol and its naturally-occurring diastereomer, d-erythro-sphinganine in human plasma. Of the two different fluorogenic derivatization agents (NDA and OPA) and several pH conditions compared for the derivatization, we found that NDA derivatization achieved more than 20 times greater sensitivity compared with OPA derivatization, and pH 9.0 showed the highest sensitivity for both compounds. An analytical method for liquid chromatography (LC) with a fluorescence detector (FLD) was developed and validated with calibration curve ranges of 20–1,000 ng mL⁻¹ for safingol and d-erythro-sphinganine. Our LC-FLD method using NDA-derivatization enabled simultaneous quantification of safingol and its naturally-occurring diastereomer, d-erythro-sphinganine with satisfactory sensitivity in human plasma.

     

Comparison of TEVA<Superscript>®</Superscript> resin beads,PAN fibers,and ePTFE membranes as a solid support for Aliquat-336 in immobilized liquid extraction chromatography for separation of actinides

The following paper covers a comparison of two new systems to traditional TEVA^® resin systems for the analytical separation of actinides by immobilized liquid–liquid extraction using Aliquat-336. The new systems are using expanded polytetrafluroethane (ePTFE) membrane or polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers as the solid support. The systems are compared in two ways. First in how much Aliquat-336 they contain with the Vs, ratio of volume of Aliquat-336 to volume of polymeric support, being 0.158, 0.483, and 0.590 for the TEVA^® resin, PAN fibers, and the ePTFE systems, respectively. The second comparison is in their performance capacity of extraction of uranyl chloride anion complex. The fiber and resins systems show similar capacities, and the membrane system being an order of magnitude less than the other systems. A cost comparison demonstrates the savings advantages of using a fiber based support compared with resin and membrane support systems.     

A novel nib-like design for microfabricated nanospray tips

We present here novel tips for nanoelectrosray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) applications. These ionization sources have a planar geometry in the shape of a nib. Their functioning is based on a principle much akin to that of a fountain pen in that fluids are actuated by capillarity. Once a voltage is applied, an electrospray is formed at the nib tip. The nib fabrication relies on micromachining techniques using the epoxy-based negative photoresist SU-8 and a double exposure photolithographic process. Two types of nib-like sources were fabricated; they were made either conductive by metallization with a nickel layer or non-conductive but hydrophilic by covering them with a SiO(2) layer. In the latter case, the HV was applied via a Pt wire inserted into the reservoir feature of the nib. The nib-like sources were tested on an ion trap mass spectrometer using Gramicidin S samples at concentrations as low as 1 microM and ionization voltages as low as 1.2 kV. We have observed a good overall stability of the spray during the tests with no marked decrease in the signal intensity even under extreme conditions.     

Identification and quantitation of trace impurities in fatty alcohol ethoxylates using HPLC and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

A two-step HPLC separation that combines isocratic and gradient elution has been developed for the analysis of trace impurities in fatty alcohol ethoxylates (FAEs). Quantitative estimates of the early eluting impurities were obtained from a calibration curve based on the responses of an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD). Isocratic conditions were used to elute the impurities and gradient conditions for the main FAE components. In this manner, an acceptable compromise was obtained between resolution and analysis time. Fractions were collected and the impurities identified using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.     

Hodge Theory on Metric Spaces

Hodge theory is a beautiful synthesis of geometry, topology, and analysis which has been developed in the setting of Riemannian manifolds. However, spaces of images, which are important in the mathematical foundations of vision and pattern recognition, do not fit this framework. This motivates us to develop a version of Hodge theory on metric spaces with a probability measure. We believe that this constitutes a step toward understanding the geometry of vision.