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Chiareiy Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Chiareiy Liu.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

One step and highly sensitive headspace solid-phase microextraction sample preparation approach for the analysis of methamphetamine and amphetamine in human urine.

A fiber-stable, repeatable and highly sensitive headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method was developed for the analysis of methamphetamine (MA) and amphetamine (AM) in urine using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the selected ion monitoring mode. For sample preparation, the test specimen was placed in a 7 ml vial along with the additives (KOH and NaCl) and the internal standards (d8-MA and d8-AM), a glass insert containing heptafluorobutyric anhydride (HFBA) and heptafluorobutyric chloride (HFBCl) as derivatizing reagents was inserted into the vial, the vial was then sealed tightly. A SPME device with a 100 microm polydimethylsiloxane fiber was inserted into the vial and the fiber was exposed to the headspace in the insert, then the vial was heated and stirred at 100 degrees C and 600 rpm for 20 min for evaporation/adsorption/derivatization. The vaporized analytes (AM and MA) in the vial diffused into the glass insert though the holes on the insert, they absorbed onto the fiber, and then interacted with the vapor of the derivatizing reagent. Some of the analytes in the headspace of the glass insert may react with the vapor of the derivatizing reagent first, and then adsorb onto the fiber. The needle was finally removed and inserted into the injection port to desorb the analytes with the fiber exposed to the liner of the GC-MS system for analysis. By combining HFBCl and HFBA as derivatizing reagents and placing them in an insert, the HS-SPME method achieves high sensitivity for the analysis of AM and MA. Correlation coefficients derived from typical calibration curves in the 1.0-1700 ng ml(-1) range are 0.998 for MA and 0.994 for AM. The limits of detection and the limits of quantitation using a sample size of 1 ml are 0.3 and 1.0 ng ml(-1), respectively, for both MA and AM in urine specimens. Because the water hydrolysis of derivatizing reagent is much faster than the acylation reaction of the primary and secondary amines with the derivatizing reagent, the amphetamines cannot be acylated effectively over heated aqueous solution, and therefore this study provides a new acylation design in moisture surroundings. The proposed process also simplifies the procedure for urine sample preparation, and makes the automation of SPME possible.

Amphetamine↗

Improved screen and confirmation test of 7-aminoflunitrazepam in urine specimens for monitoring flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) exposure.

Confirmed and alleged misuses of flunitrazepam (FM2, Rohypnol) have brought about serious interest in the development of an analytical methodology that can be effectively used for preliminary screen and confirmatory test of FM2 (or its metabolites) in urine specimens under high-volume settings. Reported methods do not serve this need well for the following reasons: (1) common benzodiazepine (BZ) immunoassays (IAs) have broad cross-reactivities toward widely prescribed BZs (and their metabolites) and are therefore likely to generate an unacceptable number of false positives and (2) because FM2 is typically used at low doses (1-4 mg), IAs with low cross-reactivities toward FM2 (and its metabolites) are likely to generate false-negative results. In this current study, a familiar and effective two-step IA/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) approach is successfully developed and applied to clinical specimens. Cross-reacting characteristics of the following BZ IAs toward various BZs (and their metabolites) are evaluated focusing on their effectiveness in serving as the preliminary test reagent in a two-step testing protocol: TDx, Beckman, CEDIA, Roche Cobas Integra, Emit II Plus, and Cozart ELISA. Although other IAs show broad cross-reactivities toward various BZs and their metabolites, diazepam is the only non-FM2 derived compound that exhibits noticeable cross-reactivity toward Cozart ELISA reagent. Cross-reactivity data and data derived from studies conducted on a limited number of clinical specimens demonstrate that, when used to monitor FM2 exposure in a large population group (including those exposed to other BZs), Cozart ELISA has the potential of being as effective as (or better than) those currently used in various workplace drug-testing programs for monitoring respectively targeted drugs. Data derived from this study further suggest that 50 ng/mL apparent 7-aminoflunitrazepam (Cozart ELISA) and 30 ng/mL free 7-aminoflunitrazepam (GC-MS) are potentially effective preliminary test and confirmation test cut-offs. To maximize efficiency, it is further suggested that urine specimens are first diluted by a factor of 5 for the preliminary test in which a 10-ng/mL 7-aminoflunitrazepam standard is used as the assay's cut-off standard.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗