Profiling Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers in Blood Serum
November 20th 2014Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodenerative disorders worldwide. It is a progressive disorder characterized by gradual loss of mental ability associated with the death of brain cells, and is diagnosed using a combination of physical, neurological, and laboratory tests. Although there are no curative treatments available, early treatment can reduce the rate of the disease progression. Scientists from the University of Huelva and the Neurological Service from the Hospital Juan Ramon Jim?nez in Spain, began collaborating four years ago to develop new strategies to identify biomarkers that could be used to speed up diagnosis of the disease. In a new study published in the journal Electrophoresis, the team present a metabolomics approach based on ultrafiltration followed by capillary electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry (CE–ESI–MS) for the fingerprinting of polar metabolites in blood serum.
The Development of Bioanalytical Methods for Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research
November 20th 2014The production of new drugs continues to increase, placing pressure on analytical scientists to develop new bioanalytical methods to characterize and ensure quality control and safety. Bethany Degg of The Column spoke to Lucie Novakova of Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, about the development, optimization, and challenges of bioanalytical methods as well as future emerging research areas.
Trace-Level Quantitation of Tear Gas Lachrymators in Complex Matrices
November 20th 2014GC?GC–TOF-MS is used in forensic analysis for the analysis of tear gas lachrymators. In this article the analysis of a lachrymator standard is shown first, followed by the detection of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin at trace levels in a complex extract from contaminated clothing.
Monitoring Plastic Exposure in Seabirds
November 20th 2014Researchers from CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship in Hobart, Australia, have published a new approach to monitoring plastic exposure in live birds. Featured in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution, the study describes the sampling of preen oil collected from seabirds using a simple swabbing method for gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis.1
The LCGC Blog: Are we scared to properly explore selectivity options in HPLC?
November 18th 2014Much has been written about options for increasing efficiency in HPLC ? primarily through the use of core shell and sub 2 ?m particles, which have been used to increase efficiency, speed up separations or increase peak capacity. However, many separations can only be effectively improved, by optimising selectivity ? resolution is a function of selectivity, efficiency and retention, with selectivity being the most effective at achieving good resolution.
The LCGC Blog: Intact Protein Separations: Some Education Is Missing
November 12th 2014I will preface this blog installment by saying that I am not an expert on separation of proteins, but I am learning. What I do understand are the fundamentals of chromatography for small molecules. This information abounds, but it is much more difficult to find the same level of information for biomacromolecule chromatography.
Flavour and Fragrance Analysis: Wondrous Vanilla
November 7th 2014There are over 100 different types of vanilla, all characterized by different aroma profiles. To determine vanilla origin, and for quality control purposes, laboratories typically rely on headspace or thermal desorption techniques used in combination with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). This article explains more.
HPLC–MS–MS Analysis of Zebrafish Embryos
November 7th 2014Scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany, have developed a high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS–MS) method to determine the internal concentrations of 34 test compounds in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos.
Georges Guiochon: Chromatography Pioneer Passes Away Aged 83
November 6th 2014Professor Georges Guiochon, Distinguished Professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, USA sadly passed away last week on October 21st 2014 at the age of 83. Professor Guiochon was a famous and flamboyant figure in the chromatography community with a prolific output that led to a deeper understanding of the separation mechanisms involved in chromatography.