Analyst Blog

Because of their use in food producing animals, the risk of occurrence of unwanted residues in edible products exists.

Read this critical review from our sister journal, Analytical Methods,  on sample preparation methods for the determination of veterinary residues in food matrices by porous monolith microextraction-based techniques. Several porous monolith microextraction formats, including in-tube solid-phase extraction, stir bar sorptive extraction and stir rod sorptive extraction modes, are described.  One referee commented that the review will be ‘a very useful guide for future study and application of correlative techniques.’

This is an important area of research as veterinary drugs are regularly administered via drinking water and feed with the aim of hindering the spread of disease amongst animals.  However, even low levels of these drugs, including antibiotics and pesticides, can cause health issues in humans.

You can access the critical review for free until 28th June.

Methods of sample preparation for determination of veterinary residues in food matrices by porous monolith microextraction-based techniques
Fang Wei and Yu-Qi Feng
Anal. Methods, 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C1AY05079F

Why not take a look at some of the papers we’ve published this year on veterinary drug residue analysis

Semi-targeted residue screening in complex matrices with liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry: current possibilities and limitations
Anton Kaufmann, Patrick Butcher, Kathryn Maden, Stephan Walker and Miryam Widmer
Analyst, 2011, 136, 1898-1909
DOI: 10.1039/C0AN00902D

Assessment of terahertz spectroscopy to detect antibiotic residues in food and feed matrices
Albert Redo-Sanchez, Gerard Salvatella, Regina Galceran, Eva Roldós, José-Antonio García-Reguero, Massimo Castellari and Javier Tejada
Analyst, 2011, 136, 1733-1738
DOI: 10.1039/C0AN01016B

High-throughput chemical residue analysis by fast extraction and dilution flow injection mass spectrometry
Sergio C. Nanita
Analyst, 2011, 136, 285-287
DOI: 10.1039/C0AN00720J

And one more from Analytical Methods:

Development and validation (according to the 2002/657/EC regulation) of a method to quantify sulfonamides in porcine liver by fast partition at very low temperature and LC-MS/MS
Renata Pereira Lopes, Daniella Vasconcellos Augusti, Leonardo Francisco de Souza, Flávio Alves Santos, Josefa Abucater Lima, Eugênia Azevedo Vargas and Rodinei Augusti
Anal. Methods, 2011, 3, 606-613
DOI: 10.1039/C0AY00587H

Read this critical review for the theoretical background of dielectric barrier discharges (DBD) and an introduction to the application of DBD in analytical chemistry.  DBD refers to a kind of gas discharge in which plasma is separated from one or two electrodes by a dielectric barrier.

In contrast to usual discharges with direct current, the plasma is separated from one or two electrodes by a dielectric barrier. This gives rise to two main features of the dielectric barrier discharges: it can serve as a dissociation and excitation device and as an ionization mechanism, respectively.

One referee commented that ‘as a discharge method at ambient pressure and using low power, the DBD is becoming increasingly attractive in various areas of analytical chemistry.’

Dielectric barrier discharges in analytical chemistry

The paper will be free to access to until 1st June.

Dielectric barrier discharges in analytical chemistry
C. Meyer, S. Müller, E. L. Gurevich and J. Franzke
Analyst
DOI: 10.1039/C0AN00994F

The results preliminarily revealed that modifications of metabolism and associated pathways accounted for metabolic perturbation of the rats that was induced by indomethacin.

Read this HOT paper which combines the use of high-throughput mass spectrometry based metabolomics and ingenuity pathway analysis, a powerful chemomatric approach, to address drug side-effects.   By using differentiated global metabolic profiling of urine to phenotype the side effects of indomethacin on specific tissue systems it will elucidate the harmful effects of indomethacin in the kidney and liver, a key obstacle to widening the clinical use of the drug.

The paper will be free to access to until 24th May.

Metabolomic analysis characterizes tissue specific indomethacin-induced metabolic perturbations of rats
Haitao Lv, Lian Liu, Gustavo Palacios and Xi Chen
Analyst, 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1AN15126F

Scientists from Fuzhou University, China, report the proof-of-concept of an enzyme-free amperometric immunoassay that uses gold nanoflower-labeled detection antibodies in this communication.  The gold nanoflowers achieve signal amplification by causing catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol and redox cycling of p-aminophenol to p-quinone imine.

Immunoassay using gold nanoflower-labeled detection antibodies

Interested in knowing more? Read the article for free until April 29th.

A graphene-based Au(111) platform for electrochemical biosensing based catalytic recycling of products on gold nanoflowers
Bingqian Liu, Dianping Tang, Juan Tang, Biling Su, Qunfang Li and Guonan Chen
Analyst, 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C0AN00921K

Read this communication by Stefan Glöggler and colleagues on an application of low-field NMR combined with Signal Amplification by Reversible-Exchange (SABRE) to detect traces of drugs.  They were able to selectively enhance the signal of drug molecules in proton rich standard solutions that would otherwise mask the ¹H NMR signal of the drug.

The article will be free to access until the 18th March.  How do you think mobile NMR machines will be used for trace drug detection and differentiation in the future?  Leave your comments below or tweet us @analystrsc.

Selective drug trace detection with low-field NMR
Stefan Glöggler, Meike Emondts, Johannes Colell, Rafael Müller, Bernhard Blümich and Stephan Appelt
Analyst, 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C0AN01048K

Polymer chips embossed with micropillars enhance the distribution of fluorescently labelled fibrinogen, which can be used to determine the onset of clotting in response to anticoagulants.

Read this HOT paper from Anthony J. Killard and colleagues describing a technique for identifying the onset of in vivo clot formation.  One referee decribed it as a ‘clever yet practical approach’.
The paper will be free to access until the end of the month.

Development of a fluorescent method for detecting the onset of coagulation in human plasma on microstructured lateral flow platforms
Magdalena M. Dudek, Nigel J. Kent, Pan Gu, Z. Hugh Fan and Anthony J. Killard
Analyst, 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C0AN00907E