Salting-out homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction for the determination of azole drugs in human urine: Validation using total error concept

A salting-out homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction was proposed for the quantification of four azole drugs in human urine prior to high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The procedure involved the mixing of the sample with acetonitrile in appropriate volumes followed by the addition of sodium sulfate solution in order to facilitate phase separation. The parameters influencing the extraction performance were studied and optimized using a two-step experimental design. The analytical procedure was thoroughly validated using the accuracy profiles as a graphical decision-making tool. The β-expectation tolerance intervals did not exceed the acceptance criteria of ±15% meaning that 95% of future results will be included in the defined bias limits. The limits of detection of the procedure were satisfactory, ranging between 0.01 and 0.03 μg/mL. The mean analytical bias in the spiking levels was satisfactory and ranged between -10.3 and 4.2% while the relative standard deviation was lower than 5.6%. Monte-Carlo simulations followed by capability analysis were employed to investigate the ruggedness of the sample preparation protocol. The developed method offers advantages compared to previously reported approaches for the same type of analysis including extraction efficiency and scaling down of the sample volume and extraction time.

Patient risk stratification and tailored clinical management of post‐transplant CMV‐, EBV‐, and BKV‐infections by monitoring virus‐specific T‐cell immunity

Background

Despite routine post‐transplant viral monitoring and pre‐emptive therapy, viral infections remain a major cause of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation‐related morbidity and mortality.

Objective

We here aimed to prospectively assess the kinetics and the magnitude of cytomegalovirus‐(CMV), Epstein Barr virus‐(EBV), and BK virus‐(BKV)‐specific T cell responses post‐transplant and evaluate their role in guiding therapeutic decisions by patient risk‐stratification.

Study design

The tri‐virus‐specific immune recovery was assessed by Elispot, in 50 consecutively transplanted patients, on days +20, +30, +60, +100, +150, +200 post‐transplant and in case of reactivation, weekly for 1 month.

Results

The great majority of the patients experienced at least one reactivation, while over 40% of them developed multiple reactivations from more than one of the tested viruses, especially those transplanted from matched or mismatched unrelated donors. The early reconstitution of virus‐specific immunity (day +20), favorably correlated with transplant outcomes. Εxpanding levels of CMV‐, EBV‐, and BKV‐specific T cells (VSTs) post‐reactivation coincided with decreasing viral load and control of infection. Certain cut‐offs of absolute VST numbers or net VST cell expansion post‐reactivation were determined, above which, patients with CMV or BKV reactivation had >90% probability of complete response (CR).

Conclusion

Immune monitoring of virus‐specific T‐cell reconstitution post‐transplant may allow risk‐stratification of virus reactivating patients and enable patient‐tailored treatment. The identification of individuals with high probability of CR will minimize unnecessary overtreatment and drug‐associated toxicity while allowing candidates for pre‐emptive intervention with adoptive transfer of VSTs to be appropriately selected.

Development and validation of a rapid ultra high pressure liquid chromatographic method for the determination of methylxanthines in herbal infusions

An ultra high pressure liquid chromatographic method coupled with diode array detector (UHPLC-DAD) has been developed and validated for the fast separation and determination of three major methylxanthines, i.e., caffeine, theophylline and theobromine, in various herbal beverages. Isocratic elution using 0.1vol% formic acid/CH3OH (92.5:7.5, v/v) enabled the completion of the separation cycle in less than 3min using a flow rate of 0.7mL/min and a column temperature of 50°C. Validation of the method included linearity (0.5-50mg/L), limits of detection (12-35μg/L) and quantification (40-120μg/L), precision, matrix effect and accuracy. The percent recoveries ranged between 90 and 108%.

Flow and sequential injection methods for the spectrofluorimetric determination of aluminium in pharmaceutical products using chromotropic acid as chromogenic reagent

This work reports rapid and sensitive FI and SI spectrofluorimetric methods for the determination of aluminium in pharmaceutical formulations. The methods are based on the reaction of aluminium with chromotropic acid (CA) in acidic medium to form a water-soluble complex (lambdaex.=360 nm, lambdaem.=385 nm). The proposed methods were validated in terms of linearity, repeatability, detection limit, accuracy and selectivity. The calibration curves were linear over the range of 0.03-2.0 and 0.1-4.0mg/l of aluminium using the FI and SI assays, respectively. The repeatabilities (sr=0.8% and 1.1% at 1mg/l aluminium using the FI and the SI assay, respectively, n=12) were satisfactory. The FI and SI methods proved to be adequately selective and sensitive with respective 3sigma limits of detection equal to cL=0.01 and 0.03 mg/l Al(III). The sampling rates were 120 and 72 h(-1) with the FI and SI assay. The methods were applied successfully to the analysis of pharmaceutical formulations (tablets and suspensions). The results were in good agreement with those by an official reference method and the nominal values of the pharmaceutical products.

Flow-injection manifold for the simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of Fe(II) and Fe(III) using 2,2'-dipyridyl-2-pyridylhydrazone and a single-line double injection approach

A simple and rapid flow-injection (FI) method is reported for the simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of Fe(II) and Fe(III) in pharmaceutical products. The method is based on the reaction of Fe(II) with 2,2'-dipyridyl-2-pyridylhydrazone (DPPH) in acidic medium to form a water-soluble reddish complex (lambdamax=535 nm). Fe(III) reacts with DPPH under flow conditions only after its on-line reduction by ascorbic acid (AsA). Both analytes were determined in the same run via a double-injection valve, which enabled the simultaneous injection of two sample volumes in the same carrier stream (,,single-line double-injection" approach). The two well-defined peaks produced corresponded to total iron [Fe(II)+Fe(III)] and Fe(II). Speciation of the analytes in their mixtures was achieved by multiple regression analysis. The calibration curves obtained were linear over the ranges 0-30 and 0-50 mg L(-1) for Fe(II) and Fe(II), respectively, and the precision [s(r)=1.0% for Fe(II) and 1.5% for Fe(III)] was satisfactory. The method proved to be selective and adequately sensitive (cL=0.25 and 0.17 mg L(-1) for Fe(III) and Fe(II), respectively, in mixtures). Application of the method to the analysis of pharmaceutical samples resulted in excellent accuracy; the percent mean recoveries were in the range 99.0-102.0% for both Fe(II) and Fe(III) and the mean relative error was e(r)=1.0%.