PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Mark Lowry

Publications and source records attributed to Mark Lowry.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

An organic white light-emitting fluorophore.

The synthesis of new benzo[a]- and [b]xanthene dye frameworks is described. A unique benzo[a]xanthene, seminaphtho[a]fluorone (SNAFR-1), is studied in a variety of media. The optimization of solution parameters and excitation wavelengths allows SNAFR-1 to display red, green, and blue emission bands of approximately equal intensities and also to produce white light. Ratiometric red (anion) and green (neutral) emissions are observed upon varying solution pH. A pH-independent violet-blue emission band is due to the addition of nucleophiles to the benzylic carbon of SNAFR-1.

Cell Line↗
PubMed2005

Detection of homocysteine and cysteine.

At elevated levels, homocysteine (Hcy, 1) is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, neural tube defects, and osteoporosis. Both 1 and cysteine (Cys, 3) are linked to neurotoxicity. The biochemical mechanisms by which 1 and 3 are involved in disease states are relatively unclear. Herein, we describe simple methods for detecting either Hcy or Cys in the visible spectral region with the highest selectivity reported to date without using biochemical techniques or preparative separations. Simple methods and readily available reagents allow for the detection of Cys and Hcy in the range of their physiologically relevant levels. New HPLC postcolumn detection methods for biological thiols are reported. The potential biomedical relevance of the chemical mechanisms involved in the detection of 1 is described.

Aldehydes↗
PubMed2005

Probing strong adsorption of solute onto C18-silica gel by fluorescence correlation imaging and single-molecule spectroscopy under RPLC conditions.

Understanding molecular adsorption at a chromatographic interface is of great interest for addressing the tailing problem in chemical separations. Single-molecule spectroscopy and confocal fluorescence correlation imaging are used to study the adsorption sites of C(18) silica beads under RPLC chromatographic conditions. The experiments show that cationic molecule rhodamine 6G laterally diffuses through the chromatographic interface of a C(18) hydrocarbon monolayer and acetonitrile with occasional reversible strong adsorptions. Fluorescence correlation imaging extracts the rare strong adsorption events from large data sets, revealing that the strong adsorption sites are randomly distributed throughout the silica beads. Virtually every imaging pixel of silica beads adsorbs molecules. Single-molecule spectroscopy of the 584 strong adsorption events observed indicates that the strong adsorptions persist on the time scales from several milliseconds to seconds, having an average desorption time of 61 ms. The strong adsorption events are rare, comprising 0.3% of the total observation time. The sizes of strong adsorption sites are within the optical resolution of confocal imaging.

Acetonitriles↗
PubMed2005

Direct observation of frits and dynamic air bubble formation in capillary electrochromatography using confocal fluorescence microscopy.

Confocal fluorescence microscopy has been used to study the capillary electrochromatography (CEC) frits and dynamic air bubble formation under real chromatographic conditions. Confocal fluorescence microscopy provides a nondestructive way to view the three-dimensional structure of the frits with high spatial resolution. Frits prepared with four different procedures were studied: (1) sintering bare silica beads with sodium silicate; (2) sintering bare silica beads wetted with water; (3) sintering C18 beads wetted with water; and (4) sintering C18 beads wetted with water and then surfaced-recovered with C18. Frits prepared with sintering silicate-wetted beads have a high degree of heterogeneity, while the other three types of frits have similar, more homogeneous packing structures. Confocal fluorescence microscopy also provides sufficient temporal resolution for in situ observation of the dynamic processes in air bubble formation. In this study, air bubble formation is imaged during the reorganization process of the packing bed and is shown to occur close to the border between the packing bed and the outlet frit. Confocal fluorescence microscopy opens a new avenue in studying dynamic processes in situ in CEC separations.

Chromatography, Micellar Electrokinetic Capillary↗
PubMed2005

Investigation of the stability of polyelectrolyte multilayer coatings in open-tubular capillary electrochromatography using laser scanning confocal microscopy.

A simple polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) coating procedure was used for the development of stable modified capillaries. PEM coatings were constructed in fused-silica capillaries using alternating rinses of cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes. The multilayer coatings investigated in this study consisted of two and twenty layer pairs, or bilayers. A bilayer is one layer of a cationic polymer and one layer of an anionic polymer. Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) was used as the cationic polymer, and the polymeric surfactant poly(sodium N-undecanoyl-L-leucylvalinate) was used as the anionic polymer. Previous studies for both chiral and achiral separations have shown that PEM-coated capillaries have excellent reproducibilities, remarkable endurance, and strong stabilities against extreme pH values when used in open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC). In this study, the stability of the coatings was further investigated after exposure to 0.1 M and 1.0 M NaOH. Structural changes of these coatings were monitored using laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) after flushing the capillaries with NaOH. This technique allowed observation of the degradation of the coatings. Observations are discussed in terms of separations using OT-CEC. Electropherograms obtained from the chiral separation of 1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-dihydrogenphosphate in OT-CEC showed a decrease in selectivity and an increase in electroosmotic mobility after long exposure to NaOH. The ability to recover the capillaries by exposure to NaOH was also demonstrated. Measurements of electroosmotic mobility and selectivity showed that 2-bilayer and 20-bilayer PEM coatings could be completely removed from the capillary surface after approximately 3.5 and 9.5 h, respectively, of continuous exposure to 1 M NaOH.

Chromatography, Micellar Electrokinetic Capillary↗
PubMed2005

Capillary electrochromatography using polyelectrolyte multilayer coatings.

This review covers recent progress in polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) coatings applied to analytical separations using open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC). The simple preparation procedure involved in the PEM approach has provided some attractive features over other modes of capillary electrophoresis-based separations including packed column capillary electrochromatography (PC-CEC) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). PEM coatings have been used to alleviate the adsorption of basic analytes, to improve separations, and to improve the stability of the electroosmotic flow. Fundamental aspects of PEM coatings on surfaces and analytical separation platforms are briefly outlined in this review. In addition, applications of PEM coatings to fused-silica capillaries or microchip separation devices for the separation of small achiral or chiral analytes, as well as large biomolecules, are discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Imaging solute distribution in capillary electrochromatography with laser scanning confocal microscopy.

A method for the direct observation of solute molecules interacting with a C18 stationary phase under real separation conditions in capillary electrochromatography (CEC) is investigated. The experiments were performed in a capillary electrochromatographic mode; however, the method and findings are useful both in CEC and revered-phase liquid chromatography. The distribution of solute molecules in the packed capillary is directly imaged with laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy. Conventional imaging techniques produce images where the C18 silica beads cannot be distinctively identified as a result of the deep depth of field. The optical sectioning capability of confocal imaging overcomes this problem to afford clearly defined images of the stationary-phase packing and the surrounding mobile phase. Fluorescein molecules are preferentially distributed in the mobile phase under reversed-phase chromatographic conditions. Nile Red and rhodamine 6G molecules prefer the environments of the porous C18 beads. Intensity distributions over time for areas within the stationary-phase beads differ from distributions of areas outside the beads in the mobile phase. Images taken at different depths into the capillary probe the internal structure of the C18 beads. While the internal structures of most beads are porous, confocal images show a small fraction (2%) of the silica beads have porous shells and nonporous cores. The capability of imaging the stationary phase distinctively from the mobile phase opens the possibilities of studying the quality of stationary phase, the structure of the column packing, and the mechanisms of separation.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Early newborn discharge: a tale of two hospitals.

This study reviews physician documentation of compliance with The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy RE9539 regarding early newborn hospital discharge and follow-up. All pediatricians in Kalamazoo, MI, were educated at a grand rounds regarding the AAP early newborn discharge policy. Newborns are seen at 2 community hospitals. One of them simultaneously instituted a Quality Improvement/Feedback (QI/F) program regarding early newborn discharge, (intervention) and the other 1 did not (control). This is a retrospective chart analysis that compares performance of 4 pediatric practices seeing newborns at each hospital. Each practice was compared at each hospital for appropriateness of discharge orders before and after the educational grand rounds and the QI/F initiative. Statistical analysis was done using the chi square test and the Breslow-Day test for homogeneity, and the Fisher's Exact Test. Odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval based on Taylor's approximation were used. There were no significant differences between the pediatric practices' performance before and after the educational initiative at the control hospital. There were significant differences before and after the educational initiative in the intervention hospital with the QI/F initiative. There was a significant reduction in variation among the practices after the QI/F initiative at the intervention hospital. When both hospitals were compared after the educational initiative, there was a significant difference between compliance among the same practices at each hospital, with better compliance at the intervention hospital with the QI/F initiative. There were significant differences in physicians' performance at the intervention hospital before and after the educational and QI/F initiatives. However, it was noted that the very same physicians did not comply as well in the control hospital without the QI/F initiative, thus still raising questions as to whether QI measures alter physician "culture." It is possible that the driving force for change in physician behavior was more intragroup peer pressure than an external QI/F initiative.

Case-Control Studies↗