Proficiency testing in analytical chemistry, microbiology and laboratory medicine: working discussions on current practice and future directions

A summary of the working group (WG) discussions on proficiency testing (PT) and external quality assessment (EQA) held at the Eurachem Workshop, Rome, 5–7 October 2008 is provided. The eight WG’s covered a range of issues concerned with current practice and future directions; how frequently should laboratories participate in PT/EQA? (WG1); developments in PT/EQA within the EU—what is required in future? (WG2); what issues do developing countries face with regards to PT/EQA? (WG3), what issues are specific to microbiology PT/EQA? (WG4); what new fields are emerging for PT/EQA? (WG5); what will be the impact of the new ISO/IEC 17043 standard? (WG6); do current PT/EQA schemes meet the needs of participants? (WG7); and what are the issues that affect the quality of proficiency test items? (WG8). Delegates with different backgrounds were on each WG in order to capture a range of views and experience from a number of different sectors. Working group representatives included PT/EQA providers, participants in PT/EQA schemes and end users of PT results such as accreditation bodies and regulatory authorities, from countries around the world.     

LC Analysis of Histamine and Other Biogenic Amines in Digesta Cultures

In the intestine, microbial protein degradation to histamine and other biologically active amines is believed to be relevant to the health of species. An LC method with fluorescence detection has been developed for analysis of histamine, phenylethylamine, isoamylamine, putrescine, cadaverine, tyramine, and spermidine. After pre-column derivatisation with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate, amines were separated on a reversed-phase C₁₈ polyamine column with a mobile phase gradient. Validation of the method included calibration experiments, determination of amine recovery, and repeatability tests. The method proved especially useful for detection of histamine, phenylethylamine, putrescine, and cadaverine at relevant concentrations in caecum cultures from horses. The limits of quantification for these four amines ranged between 80 nM (histamine) and 400 nM (phenylethylamine).     

Visualization of Protein‐Specific Glycosylation inside Living Cells

Protein glycosylation is a ubiquitous post‐translational modification that is involved in the regulation of many aspects of protein function. In order to uncover the biological roles of this modification, imaging the glycosylation state of specific proteins within living cells would be of fundamental importance. To date, however, this has not been achieved. Herein, we demonstrate protein‐specific detection of the glycosylation of the intracellular proteins OGT, Foxo1, p53, and Akt1 in living cells. Our generally applicable approach relies on Diels–Alder chemistry to fluorescently label intracellular carbohydrates through metabolic engineering. The target proteins are tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the EGFP and the glycan‐anchored fluorophore is detected with high contrast even in presence of a large excess of acceptor fluorophores by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM).     

Preparations and Reactions of SF(5) -Substituted Aryl and Heteroaryl Derivatives via Mg and Zn Organometallics

Polyfunctional SF(5) -substituted cycles: Several organometallic sequences using zinc, copper, and magnesium intermediates were developed to prepare a broad range of SF(5) -substituted aromatic and heterocyclic compounds of potential interest for pharmaceutical applications.     

Genetically encoded photocrosslinkers as molecular probes to study G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)

The genetic code was expanded with orthogonal pairs to introduce photoactivatable amino acids into G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in a noninvasive manner. In this way the receptor surface could be mapped by searching for specific ligand interaction sites and the complex dynamics could be studied. This method is also useful for probing the structure of GPCR complexes in living cells.     

The microwave cavity perturbation technique for contact-free and in situ electrical conductivity measurements in catalysis and materials science

We have developed a noncontact method to probe the electrical conductivity and complex permittivity of single and polycrystalline samples in a flow-through reactor in the temperature range of 20-500 °C and in various gas atmospheres. The method is based on the microwave cavity perturbation technique and allows the simultaneous measurement of microwave conductivity, permittivity and of the catalytic performance of heterogeneous catalysts without any need for contacting the sample with electrodes. The sensitivity of the method towards changes in bulk properties was proven by the investigation of characteristic first-order phase transitions of the ionic conductor rubidium nitrate in the temperature range between 20 and 320 °C, and by studying the temperature dependence of the complex permittivity and conductivity of a niobium(V)-doped vanadium-phosphorous-oxide catalyst for the selective oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride. Simultaneously, the catalytic performance was probed by on line GC analysis of evolving product gases making the technique a real in situ method enabling the noninvasive investigation of electronic structure-function relationships.     

The polarizability model for ferroelectricity in perovskite oxides

This article reviews the polarizability model and its applications to ferroelectric perovskite oxides. The motivation for the introduction of the model is discussed and nonlinear oxygen ion polarizability effects and their lattice dynamical implementation outlined. While a large part of this work is dedicated to results obtained within the self-consistent-phonon approximation, nonlinear solutions of the model are also handled, which are of interest to the physics of relaxor ferroelectrics, domain wall motions, and incommensurate phase transitions. The main emphasis is to compare the results of the model with experimental data and to predict novel phenomena.