bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The detection and quantification of lorazepam and its 3‐O‐glucuronide in fingerprint deposits by LC‐MS/MS
Authors: Goucher Edward , Kicman Andrew , Smith Norman , Jickells Sue 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe use of fingerprints as an alternative biological matrix to test for the presence of drugs and/or their metabolites is a novel area of research in analytical toxicology. This investigation describes quantitative analysis for the benzodiazepine lorazepam and its 3‐O‐glucuronide conjugate in fingerprints following the oral administration of a single 2 mg dose of lorazepam to five volunteers. Creatinine was also measured to investigate whether the amount of drug relative to that of creatinine would help to account for the variable amount of secretory material deposited. Fingerprints were deposited on glass cover slips and extracted by dissolving them in a solution of dichloromethane/methanol, containing tetradeuterated lorazepam as an internal standard. The samples were evaporated, reconstituted with mobile phase and analysed by LC‐MS/MS. Chromatography was achieved using an RP (C18) column for the analysis of lorazapem and its glucuronide, and a hydrophilic interaction column (HILIC) for the analysis of creatinine. Lorazepam and its glucuronide were only detected where ten prints had been combined, up to 12 h following drug administration. In every case, the amount of lorazepam glucuronide exceeded that of lorazepam, the peak amounts being 210 and 11 pg, respectively. Adjusting for creatinine smoothed the elimination profile. To our knowledge, this represents the first time a drug glucuronide has been detected in deposited fingerprints.
General unknown screening procedure for the characterization of human drug metabolites: Application to loratadine phase I metabolism
Authors: Picard Nicolas , Dridi Dorra , Sauvage François‐Ludovic , Boughattas Naceur A. , Marquet Pierre 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis article describes the application of a recently developed general unknown screening (GUS) strategy based on LC coupled to a hybrid linear IT‐triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (LC‐MS/MS‐LIT) for the simultaneous detection and identification of drug metabolites following in vitro incubation with human liver microsomes. The histamine H1 receptor antagonist loratadine was chosen as a model compound to demonstrate the interest of such approach, because of its previously described complex and extensive metabolism. Detection and mass spectral characterization were based on data‐dependent acquisition, switching between a survey scan acquired in the ion‐trapping Q3 scan mode with dynamic subtraction of background noise, and a dependent scan in the ion‐trapping product ion scan mode of automatically selected parent ions. In addition, the MS3 mode was used in a second step to confirm the structure of a few fragment ions. The sensitivity of the ion‐trapping modes combined with the selectivity of the triple quadrupole modes allowed, with only one injection, the detection and identification of 17 phase I metabolites of loratadine. The GUS procedure used in this study may be applicable as a generic technique for the characterization of drug metabolites after in vitro incubation, as well as probably in vivo experiments.
Separation and sensitive detection of D‐amino acids in biological matrices
Authors: Kirschner Daniel L. , Green Thomas K. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe increase in our understanding of D‐amino acid function and distribution in mammals is in many ways a result of the initial development of sensitive enantioselective separation strategies that allow for quantification in real biological samples. This article reviews progress on the development of chiral selective separation and detection of D‐amino acids including enzyme‐based microbiosensors, GC/MS, HPLC/fluorescence, HPLC/MS‐MS, cEKC/fluorescence, and MEKC/fluorescence. Only methods capable of analyzing D‐isomers in biological matrices are given here and significant effort is made to highlight approaches that offer speed, resolution, high sensitivity, and versatility.
Non‐targeted metabolite fingerprinting of oriental folk medicine Angelica acutiloba roots by ultra performance liquid chromatography time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry
Authors: Tianniam Sukanda , Bamba Takeshi , Fukusaki Eiichiro 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe potential of ultra‐performance (UP)LC‐TOF‐MS based metabolite fingerprinting was explored in the attempt to establish a standard methodology for the quality control of dried angelica roots (Angelica acutiloba) in commercial markets. Accurate mass chromatographic fingerprints of positive and negative ion modes were collected simultaneously at a high‐throughput manner with high resolution and sensitivity, where analysis of hydrophobic, low molecular weight compounds, which includes secondary metabolites, could be achieved. The comparison of various metabolite profiles was performed through the use of chemometric technique, in which distinct partitioning of root samples was effectively achieved by principal component analysis. The discrimination was illustrated to have been subjective to cultivation area and was reported to be an important influential factor for quality determination. Further insights to the chemical constituents in relation to quality were attained where some ion markers significantly linked to dissociation of angelica roots were tentatively identified as some secondary metabolites. Reliable classification models by partial least square discriminant analysis gave good capability in categorizing test set samples. Overall, through the utilization of UPLC‐TOF‐MS, analysis could be attained with great sufficiency and accuracy for angelica root discrimination.
Fast liquid chromatography separation and multiple‐reaction monitoring mass spectrometric detection of neurotransmitters
Authors: Hammad Loubna A. , Neely Matthew , Bridge Bob , Mechref Yehia 
Published: June 2009

AbstractWe describe here the fast LC‐MS/MS separation of a mixture of neurotransmitters consisting of dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, 3,4‐dihydroxybenzylamine (DHBA), salsolinol, serotonin, and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA). The new UltiMate® 3000 Rapid Separation system (RSLC) was successfully coupled to the 4000 QTRAP mass spectrometer operating in multiple‐reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The separation was attained using a 100 mm length, 2.2 μm particle size Acclaim column at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The column back pressure was 350 bar, while the total run time including column re‐equilibration was 5.2 min. The peak resolution was minimally affected by the fast separation. The RSLC‐MRM separation was found to have a precision range based on peak area for 50 replicate runs of 2–5% CV for all analytes, and the reproducibility of the retention time for all analytes was found to range from 0–2% CV. The described method represents an almost seven times shorter analysis time of neurotransmitters using LC/MRM which is very useful in screening large quantities of biological samples for various neurotransmitters.
Suitability of silica hydride stationary phase, aqueous normal phase chromatography for untargeted metabolomic profiling of Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Weisenberg Scott A. , Butterfield Tiffany R. , Fischer Steven M. , Rhee Kyu Y. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractWe report the robustness of silica hydride stationary phase, aqueous normal phase (ANP) chromatography to the chemical complexity of the intracellular metabolomes of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium. We specifically demonstrate that the chromatographic behavior of known metabolites is unaffected by the intracellular chemical matrix of these microbes and that this method enables untargeted profiling of their intracellular metabolites using accurate mass‐retention time (AMRT) identifiers. We further demonstrate the ability of AMRT‐based metabolite profiling to differentiate bacteria along genetic and phenotypic lines. Overall, these data commend the utility of ANP‐based chromatography for untargeted metabolomics‐based studies of microbial physiology and antibiotic resistance.
Analysis of hydrophilic metabolites in physiological fluids by HPLC‐MS using a silica hydride‐based stationary phase
Authors: Pesek Joseph J. , Matyska Maria T. , Loo Joseph A. , Fischer Steven M. , Sana Theodore R. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractAqueous normal‐phase chromatography was used for the analysis of metabolites in human saliva and urine samples. The column was packed with a silica hydride type separation material. Several gradients were tested with different mobile phase additives in order to produce retention for amino acids, small organic acids, and carbohydrates. Detection was done by TOF MS. In some cases the relative concentration levels of various metabolites in human saliva were compared for normal patients and patients with pancreatic cancer or pancreatitis. The reproducibility of retention of individual metabolites in these complex matrices was tested for several compounds.
Post‐fire land degradation of Pinus sylvestris L. woodlands after 14 years
Authors: Pérez‐Cabello F. , Ibarra P. , Echeverría M. T. , de la Riva J. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis study analysed medium‐term degradation in Pinus sylvestris L. woodland affected by wildfire. To investigate recovery, a range of pedological (including thickness of the organic horizon, soil structure and texture, organic matter content, pH and the percentage of carbonates), geomorphological and vegetation parameters were assessed in comparable burnt and control plots. Main findings suggest that fire in the medium‐term leads to severe degradation of P. sylvestris L. woodland ecosystems. The main consequences of the passage of fire are: (1) transformation of P. sylvestris L. woodlands into shrublands dominated by Genista scorpius (L.) DC, Buxus sempervirens L. and herbaceous species; (2) decrease in the thickness of the O horizon and its degradation and (3) increase in soil erosion features, due to the detachment of soil particles by rain‐splash or overland flow and their transport downslope. These results could help to provide guidelines for the restoration of burnt areas to minimise the effects of wildfires. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Edaphic indicators for assesment of soil erosion in karst regions, province of Havana, Cuba
Authors: Febles J. M. , Tolón A. , Vega M. B. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractNo sustainability indicator reports have as yet been published reflecting the dynamics of morphogenetic processes in red ferralitic soils (Ferralsol Rhodic in the World Reference Base) in the karstic regions of Havana Province, which have led to sequential degradation of the most productive soils of Cuba. This article proposes an edaphic indicator system, through which the sustainability threshold of these soils are specified for reference localities based on research carried out over more than two decades by means of a combination of qualitative and quantitative data in three key time periods of Cuban agriculture. These indicators generally show a trend towards degradation of soil properties, especially in 1980s, due to the indiscriminate use of agricultural machinery, overgrazing and intensive farming practices that have led to dense compaction with thresholds of apparent density exceeding 1·34 Mg m−3, at 0–30 cm levels in soil. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gully erosion, land use and topographical thresholds during the last 60 years in a small rangeland catchment in SW Spain
Authors: Gutiérrez Álvaro Gómez , Schnabel Susanne , Contador Francisco Lavado 
Published: June 2009

AbstractGully erosion plays an important role in degradation processes of Mediterranean environments. In this paper aerial orthophotographs were used for (i) analysing the evolution of a valley bottom gully and its relation with land use and vegetation cover, (ii) exploring the role of land use and vegetation cover on the coefficients of the equation S = aA −b (where S is slope at the headcut and A is drainage area), which is based on the topographical threshold concept and is commonly used to predict gully initiation. The study was carried out in a small catchment (99·5 ha) located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Gullies and headcuts were mapped together with land use and vegetation cover using aerial photographs for the years 1945, 1956, 1989, 1998, 2002 and 2006, which had to be digitized and orthorectified in advance. The results showed an increase of the area affected by gullying from 695 m2 in 1945–1009 m2 in 2006, reaching a maximum of 1560 m2 in 1956. Gullying was closely related with land use, especially with the amount of cultivated areas within the catchment and also with grazing intensity. No clear relationship was found between the evolution of the gullied area and rainfall amounts. Finally, the values of the exponent b obtained for different headcuts and different dates (close to 0·4) were similar to those proposed by other authors for gully erosion caused by Hortonian overland flow in semiarid environments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Community participation in the rehabilitation of a sand dune environment in Kenya
Authors: Olukoye G. A. , Kinyamario J. I. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis study aims to document various community efforts in land rehabilitation and assess their potential. Data were captured using interviews and focus group with 150 community members. A public participation index was used to establish the extent of community efforts in land rehabilitation. The study revealed that in the absence of proper management and dune stabilisation, large areas covered with mobile sand dunes continue to be a threat to grazing lands in northern Kenya. In recognition of this threat, the people of North Horr have launched several initiatives to contain the problem. Environmental and non‐environmental group members scored participation rates (PP) of 87·5 and 50%, respectively. These include tree planting on both communal and individual plots and the management of Suaeda monoica through natural regeneration. Although the survival rates of most planted trees on group plots were low, Azadirachta indica that were planted on individual homesteads appeared to be performing comparatively well. Natural regeneration of indigenous plant species such as Suaeda monoica has the potential to perform important economic and ecological functions. The study concludes that in order to effectively arrest the process of desertification on the pastoral drylands of northern Kenya and to restore productivity and biodiversity, it is important to take actions that incorporate both biophysical and human considerations. Linking sociology to ecology is thus paramount in any sustainable dune stabilisation (SDS) programme. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Deserts and desertification: Challenges but also opportunities
Authors: Safriel Uriel 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe UN decision to couple ‘deserts’ and ‘desertification’ in addressing the year 2006 (as well as the following decade) as ‘Year (or Decade) of Deserts and Desertification’ sends several wrong messages regarding both the nature of deserts as natural ecosystems and of desertification as a human‐driven process that reduces the provision of ecosystem services of soil conservation and of biological productivity, specifically in non‐desert areas, more than in desert ones. A new approach to addressing sustainable development in the drylands was presented in an international conference that took place at the end of the ‘International Year’ and hosted by the Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research in Sede Boqer, Israel. This approach (a) qualifies drylands as ecosystems whose biological productivity is constrained by water and hence it is naturally low compared to that of most other terrestrial ecosystems; (b) qualifies desertification as a further persistent reduction of productivity in the drylands brought about mainly through human impact mostly driven by population increase; (c) observes that within the drylands natural productivity linearly declines with aridity, and suggests that sensitivity to impact linearly increases with aridity; (d) further suggests that population density generates the impact, and observes that population density in drylands increases exponentially as aridity declines; and (e) suggests that the product of the linear sensitivity and the exponential impact generates a desertification peak at the transition between non‐desert drylands (where desertification and poverty are high) and the desert drylands (where both are very low). Given these, the Sede Boqer approach suggests that (a) rather than be construed as an adversity, desert drylands offer opportunities to their inhabitants since their environmental conditions are conducive for livelihoods mostly independent of the desert's very low productivity; this includes solar energy development and tourism, but also (counterintuitively!) desert aquaculture; (b) non‐desert drylands, on the other hand, face a serious challenge of becoming desertified, mainly due to increasing population; and (c) global climate change further increases the success of alternative livelihoods in deserts, may create opportunities in some of the non‐desert drylands too, but amplifies the challenges facing non‐desert drylands people. Caution and prudence are required to meet these challenges, especially since currently socio‐political measures are in shorter supply than technological fixes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Phytogenic resources of halophytes of Central Asia and their role for rehabilitation of sandy desert degraded rangelands
Authors: Toderich K. N. , Shuyskaya E. V. , Ismail S. , Gismatullina L. G. , Radjabov T. , Bekchanov B. B. , Aralova D. B. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractBased on soil characteristics, watertable level, mineral composition of plant biomass, morphological/reproductive traits and carbon discrimination values, a new concept for the classification of halophytes was developed. Six main groups of halophytes have been described within the desert flora of Central Asia. Significant changes on chemical contents of ions: Cl−, SO, HCO, Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+among 23 studied halophytic forage species were revealed. Alhagi pseudoalhagi, Poaceae spp., Artemisia diffusa containing minimum concentration of mineral ions were categorised as relatively more palatable and valuable feed for livestock on open grazing and as hay. Fresh biomass of forage species growing under highly saline soils sharply decreased with increasing of salinity gradient. Potassium concentration was found highest in Kochia scoparia, Agropyron desertorum, closely followed by Atriplex nitens, Suaeda salsa, while annuals Salsola spp., Bromus tectorum, Aeluropus littoralis, Tamarix hispida, Eremopyrum orientale, Agropyron desertorum contain low amount of mineral ions because excess of salts are exuded through salt glands present abundantly on the surface of the epidermis. Native and exotic, both C3 and C4, halophytes are suitable for reclamation of degraded lands have been proven very useful in demonstration trials. The fresh biomass of investigated C3 plants sharply decreased with the increasing of soil salinity gradient. An integrated Biosaline Agriculture model for sustainable and integrated use of marginal mineralised water resources and salt‐affected soils through involvement of food–feed salt/drought tolerant crops and forage legumes to improve food security, alleviate poverty and enhance ecosystem health in smallholder crop–livestock systems has been demonstrated. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of Motif‐Programmed Artificial Proteins on the Calcium Uptake in a Synthetic Hydrogel
Authors: Chirila Traian V. , Minamisawa Tamiko , Keen Imelda , Shiba Kiyotaka 
Published: June 2009

AbstractMotif‐programmed artificial proteins with mineralization‐related activity were covalently immobilized onto the surface of a hydrogel, poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA). We investigated the influence of assaying conditions upon the ability of three selected proteins (PS64, PS382 and PS458) to modulate calcification in vitro. A long‐term assay measuring the real amount of calcium phosphate phase in the protein‐modified PHEMA showed that all proteins enhanced the uptake of calcium by the hydrogel. For PS382 and PS458, this is a behaviour opposite to that displayed when the same proteins were tested in a free state by a rapid solution assay. Such difference may be attributed to a restricted mobility of the proteins due to immobilization.magnified image
Anionic Ring‐Opening Polymerization of a Germanium‐Bridged [1]Ferrocenophane: Synthesis and Morphology of Well‐Defined Polyferrocenylgermane Homopolymers and Block Copolymers
Authors: Ieong Nga Sze , Manners Ian 
Published: June 2009

AbstractWell‐defined poly(ferrocenyldimethylgermane) homopolymers PFDMG [$\overline M _{\rm n} $ = 18 800–33 700, degree of polymerization ($\overline {DP} _{\rm n} $) = 66–117, polydispersity index (PDI) = 1.02–1.05] and polyisoprene‐block‐poly(ferrocenyldimethylgermane) diblock copolymers (PIx‐b‐PFDMGy, for 6, x/y = 359:23, volume fraction, ϕPFDMG = 0.14, PDI = 1.04; for 7, x/y = 337:56, ϕPFDMG = 0.29, PDI = 1.04) have been prepared by anionic ring‐opening polymerization. The polymer morphology and thermal transition behaviour of PFDMG 5 ($\overline M _{\rm n} $ = 18 800, $\overline {DP} _{\rm n} $ = 66, PDI = 1.02) have been investigated by wide‐angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. Both studies suggest that PFDMG 5 possesses similar crystallization behaviour to its Group 14 analogue, poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the solid state thin films of the diblock copolymers 6 (ϕPFDMG = 0.14) and 7 (ϕPFDMG = 0.29) show microphase separated structures of spherical or cylindrical PFDMG domains in a PI matrix respectively. Furthermore, these morphologies can be preserved after selective plasma etching of the PI block.magnified image
Natural Brazilian Amazonic (Curauá) Fibers Modified with Polyaniline Nanoparticles
Authors: Souza Fernando G. , Oliveira Geiza E. , Rodrigues Cezar H. M. , Soares Bluma G. , Nele Márcio , Pinto José Carlos 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe surface of natural Brazilian amazonic fibers (curauá, Ananas erectifolius) was modified with polyaniline nanoparticles, through in situ preparation of polyaniline nanoparticles in presence of the curauá fibers. This allowed for a significant increase in the electrical conductivity of the fibers (≈2 500 times). As the electrical resistivity of the modified fibers is a function of the applied external pressure, the produced composites can be used as a cheap pressure‐sensing material. The modified materials were also characterized by FT‐IR, XPS and SAXS, and the obtained results were used to explain some of the observed characteristics of the materials.magnified image
Supramolecular Self‐Assembly of Nonlinear Amphiphilic and Double Hydrophilic Block Copolymers in Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Ge Zhishen , Liu Shiyong 
Published: June 2009

AbstractSupramolecular self‐assembly of block copolymers in aqueous solution has received ever‐increasing interest over the past few decades due to diverse biological and technological applications in drug delivery, imaging, sensing and catalysis. In addition to relative block lengths, molecular weights and solution conditions, chain architectures of block copolymers can also dramatically affect their self‐assembling properties in selective solvents. This feature article mainly focuses on recent developments in the field of supramolecular self‐assembly of amphiphilic and double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBCs) possessing nonlinear chain topologies, including miktoarm star polymers, dendritic–linear block copolymers, cyclic block copolymers and comb‐shaped copolymer brushes.magnified image