PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 523 records · Page 29Linked to original sources

Effect of moisture on the extraction efficiency of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from soils under atmospheric pressure by focused microwave-assisted extraction.

The effects of the moisture content in the original, air-dried and re-moistened matrices as well as solvent have been studied on the recovery of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soil by a focused microwave-assisted extraction (FMAE) method. Solvents selected for the extractions were cyclohexane-acetone (1:1), hexane-acetone (1:1) and dichloromethane. On the extraction of 20-day aged spiked soil, the highest recovery was found by applying hexane-acetone mixture. Spiked soil sample, quality control sample and real soil sample were used for the evaluation of moisture effect. It indicated that the presence of water in the soil is important for the recovery enhancement of PAHs and with this presence it is possible to avoid drying step with the FMAE technique. A comparison between microwave and 16-h Soxhlet methods has been made. It evidenced that the microwave-assisted extraction under ambient atmospheric pressure is a suitable alternative to Soxhlet extraction for the analysis of PAHs in soils.

Atmospheric Pressure↗

Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry method to improve the determination of dansylated polyamines.

Determination of polyamine pools is still a step impossible to circumvent in studies aimed at determining the pathophysiological role of natural polyamines. In addition, polyamine measurement in biological fluids and tissues may have clinical relevance, especially in cancer patients. Among the wide panel of analytical methods developed for the quantification of polyamines, high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) separation of polyamines after derivatization with dansyl chloride remains the most commonly used method. In this work, we show that atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (MS) can be used to detect and quantify biologically relevant polyamines after dansylation, without chromatographic separation. Positive-ion mass spectra for each dansylated polyamine were generated after optimization by flow injection analysis (FIA). FIA coupled with MS detection by selected ion monitoring greatly increased the sensitivity of the polyamine detection. The method is linear over a wide range of polyamine concentrations and allows detection of quantities as low as 5 fmol. The FIA/MS method is about 50-fold more sensitive than the conventional HPLC/fluorimetry procedure. A good correlation (r>0.98) between these two methods was observed. The FIA/MS method notably reduces the time of analysis per sample to 1.5 min and turns out to be rapid, efficient, cost saving, reproducible, and sufficiently simple to allow its routine application.

Animals↗

Determination of glibenclamide in human plasma by liquid chromatography and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/MS-MS detection.

A simple and fast method intended for large-scale bioequivalence studies for the determination of glibenclamide in plasma samples is presented. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a monolithic octadecyl chemically modified silicagel column and a mobile phase containing 42% aqueous 0.1% HCOOH solution (v/v) and 58% acetonitrile, at a flow rate of 1 mL/min, in isocratic conditions. Preparation of plasma samples was based on protein precipitation with acetonitrile. Gliquidone was used as internal standard. The target analytes were transferred into an ion trap mass analyzer via an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface. The precursor ions with mass 494 a.m.u. for glibenclamide and 528 a.m.u. for gliquidone were isolated, while in the second MS stage product ions 369 a.m.u. and 403 a.m.u., respectively, were monitored. The analytical process was characterized by a low limit of quantitation of 1.5 ng/mL. The mean recovery for glibenclamide was 98.1+/-2.8% over a concentration interval ranging from 1 to 500 ng/mL. Intra-day and inter-day precision calculated over 2-400 ng/mL concentration interval ranged from 15.4% to 3.4%. Inter-sequence accuracy expressed as % bias from theoretical concentration values over the concentration interval of 10-400 ng/mL fall within -13.9% and +14.6%. The method was applied for evaluation of the bioequivalence between two formulations containing 3.5mg glibenclamide per dose.

Atmospheric Pressure↗

Determination of pramipexole (U-98,528) in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

A highly sensitive and selective HPLC-MS-MS method was developed for the determination of pramipexole in human plasma. The analytes, pramipexole and BHT-920 (internal standard), were extracted from plasma at basic pH with methyl tert.-butyl ether (MTBE). MTBE was evaporated to dryness and reconstituted in 100 microliters of (95:5) methanol-water. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Zorbax SB-CN column with a mobile phase of (15:5:80) water-0.1 M ammonium acetate-methanol. The analytes were detected utilizing HPLC in conjunction with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS). The assay was linear in the concentration ranges of 50 to 5000 pg/ml. The analysis of pooled quality controls (150, 750, and 3000 pg/ml) demonstrated excellent precision with relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) (n = 18) of 7.2%, 5.3% and 5.2%, respectively. The method is accurate with all intra-day (n = 6) and overall (n = 18) mean values being less than 11.7% from theoretical.

Administration, Oral↗

On-line characterization of organic aerosols formed from biogenic precursors using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

A method to investigate the chemical composition of organic aerosols formed from biogenic hydrocarbon oxidation using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI/MS) is described. The method involves the direct introduction of aerosol particles into the ion source of the mass spectrometer. Using this technique, reaction monitoring experiments of alpha-pinene ozonolysis show the formation of hetero- and homomolecular cluster anions (dimers) of the primary oxidation products (multifunctional carboxylic acids). Since the formation of dimers plays a profound role in new particle formation processes by homogeneous nucleation in the atmosphere and, at the same time, is an intrinsic feature of APCI, it is essential to differentiate between both processes when on-line APCI/MS is applied. In this paper, we compare the results from the investigations of organic aerosols and artificially generated dimer cluster ions of the same compounds using identical ionization conditions. The clusters and their formation processes are characterized by varying the analyte concentration, investigating the thermal stability of dimers, and studying collisional activation properties of both ion species. The investigations show a significant difference in ion stability: dimer anions measured on-line have an estimated stability that is 20 kJ mol(-1) higher than that of the corresponding artificially generated cluster ions. Hence, the technique provides the possibility to accurately characterize dimers as ionized reaction products from biogenic hydrocarbon oxidation and allows an insight into the process of new-particle formation by homogeneous nucleation.

Aerosols↗

Simultaneous determination of hydroxycinnamates and catechins in human urine samples by column switching liquid chromatography coupled to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

A quantitative liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methodology with online sample clean up by column switching is described for the simultaneous determination of the hydroxycinnamates, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid, and of the catechins, epicatechin and catechin in human urine samples. Enzymatically treated urine samples were directly injected onto the LC-MS system, where sample clean up was performed by a reversed-phase Zorbax 300SB C(3) column and selective elution of the target compounds onto a Zorbax SB C(18) column resulted in final separation prior to detection by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) MS using single ion monitoring (SIM) in negative mode. Linear calibration graphs were achieved in the dynamic range of 10-1000 ng/ml urine. The inter- and intraassay coefficients of variation (C.V.%) for the analysis of the four compounds in quality control urine samples were between 7.8 and 10.9, n=17 (reproducibility), and the repeatability of the assay was between 2.5 and 5.0% (n=12). Analyses of urine samples from a human dietary intervention study with intake of 600 g of fruits and vegetables were demonstrated. To our knowledge, this is the first method described that allows simultaneous determination of both hydroxycinnamates and catechins in biological samples.

Atmospheric Pressure↗

Determination of phenolic derivatives of antipyrine in plasma with solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

This manuscript describes a method to determine antipyrine and its phenolic derivatives in plasma by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (RP-HPLC-MS). The sample pretreatment consisted of a C18 solid-phase extraction (SPE), to remove the salts and proteins. The retention behavior of antipyrine and its phenolic derivatives in the SPE procedure was estimated by the k values determined on a C18 HPLC column at different pH values and with different buffer compositions. Recoveries of antipyrine and its phenolic products were 90% in water and 100% in plasma. Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) was used to introduce the components into the mass spectrometer. The mass spectrometer was operated in the single ion monitoring mode (SIM mode) as well as in the selective reaction (SR) mode. The SR mode or tandem MS resulted in the best signal-to-noise ratio, with a detection limit for antipyrine of 6 pg in 20 microl. For the different phenolic antipyrines, different target ions were used and conditions were optimized for each.

Antipyrine↗

A silica-based monolithic column in capillary HPLC and CEC coupled with ESI-MS or electrospray-atmospheric-pressure laser ionization-MS.

We describe the successful coupling of CEC and capillary HPLC with the recently developed atmospheric-pressure laser ionization (APLI) method. APLI is suitable for selectively and sensitively ionizing nonpolar aromatic compounds at ambient pressure for subsequent mass-selective detection. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons used as analytes are first separated either by CEC on a silica-based monolithic column or by capillary HPLC. The eluent, along with a sheath flow, is volatilized by microelectrospray and then selectively ionized by excimer laser (KrF*) radiation via two-photon excitation. A QTOF-MS is used as mass-selective detector. This interface combination makes soft ionization of thermally labile nonpolar aromatic analytes possible.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Atmospheric pressure photoionization mechanisms. 2. The case of benzene and toluene.

Benzene and toluene have been proposed previously as dopants in atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) experiments on compounds exhibiting ionization energies higher than the energy of photons used for irradiation. Their low ionization energies lead to their easy photoionization and the ions so formed lead to the ionization of analytes through charge exchange. However, some measurements have shown that some protonation reactions also take place, and a series of experiments was undertaken to investigate this unexpected behavior. It was shown that, when benzene is irradiated in the APPI source, the odd-electron molecular ions of phenol, diphenyl ether and phenoxyphenol are produced in high yield, together with protonated diphenyl ether and protonated phenoxyphenol. These results have been confirmed by deuterium labelling and MS(n) experiments. A possible mechanism is proposed, based on a radical attack by benzene molecular ions on oxygen molecules present inside the APPI source, analogous to that proposed in the literature for phenyl radicals. Similar results have been obtained with toluene, proving that APPI is able to activate a series of reactions leading to highly reactive species which are highly effective in promoting ionization of molecules with ionization energies higher than the photon energy.

Journal Article↗

Use of flow injection atmospheric pressure photoionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for fast olive oil fingerprinting.

The recently introduced technique of an atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) source coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QqTOFMS) has been applied to fast olive oil fingerprinting on the basis of the accurate mass measurements obtained with this instrumentation. The key compounds can be characterized as [M+H]+ (produced by proton transfer) or as [M]+* (by charge transfer) ions in the mass spectra. [M+H]+ ions, however, show higher abundance, especially for triacylglycerols. Other ions present in APPI-MS are the acylium ion [RiCO]+ and [RiCO-H2O]+. This latter ion is absent in the electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS spectra, and this represents valuable complementary information. Several critical parameters in the APPI source were optimized such as LC eluent composition, ion spray voltage and, especially, declustering potential. APPI-QqTOFMS allows easy discrimination among different edible oils: olive, extra virgin olive, olive-pomace, hazelnut, sunflower, corn and several mixed oils, with high throughput (approximately 1 min per sample). Cluster analysis was applied to obtain the best experimental conditions for oil discrimination on the basis of declustering potential. Principal components analyses of these APPI-MS spectra show that the approach can be used for studies of olive oil adulteration with other oils, even in the case of hazelnut oil that exhibits a high chemical similarity with olive oil.

Corylus↗

Investigating the potential of high-performance liquid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry as an alternative method for the speciation analysis of organotin compounds.

Liquid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-APCI-MS) was applied for the determination of butyl- and phenyltin compounds. Chromatography was performed on a 30 x 2 mm, 3 microm C18 column, enabling the separation of mono-, di- and trisubstituted butyl- and phenyltin compounds in less than 10 min using a water/1% trifluoroacetic acid/methanol gradient. While satisfactory retention and resolution is achieved for the di- and trisubstituted butyl- and phenyltin compounds, monobutyltin and monophenyltin cannot be resolved chromatographically. Depending on the parameter values of the interface, APCI-MS detection allows both specific detection of the molecular ion or cluster ion at low to intermediate fragmentor voltages or quasi-element specific detection of the Sn+ ion released from the organotin compounds at high fragmentor voltages. The sensitivity of MS detection is similar for butyl- and phenyltin compounds, but varies largely from mono- to trisubstituted organotin compounds with tributyl- and triphenyltin being the most sensitively detectable compounds. Detection limits are in the 20-65 pg (abs.) range in SIM mode and in the 750-2000 pg (abs.) range in the scan mode for tributyl- and triphenyltin and for dibutyl- and diphenyltin, respectively. Monobutyl- and monophenyltin can be detected with much lower sensitivity which, together with their unfavorable chromatographic behavior, accounts for the fact that they cannot be analyzed at environmentally relevant concentrations. Although LC-APCI-MS is generally less sensitive than comparable GC methods, it is applicable to the analysis of environmental samples as demonstrated by the analysis of the PACS-2 sediment certified reference material. Although the derivatization of the ionic organotin compounds, which particularly in real samples is a potential source of error, is circumvented when LC-APCI-MS is used, the extraction step is still critical and may lead to underestimation when quantitation is not done by the method of standard addition.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Identification of milk fat triacylglycerols by capillary supercritical fluid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

Identification of milk fat triacylglycerols was accomplished by capillary supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) combined with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry [(APCI)MS]. Supercritical carbon dioxide was the carrier fluid in SFC. Ionization was achieved by introducing vapor of ammonia in methanol into the ionization chamber which resulted in the formation of abundant [M + 18]+ and [M - RCCO]+ ions of triaclyglycerols. These ions defined both the molecular weight and the fatty acid constituents of a triacylglycerol, respectively. SFC on a nonpolar stationary phase provided an efficient separation of triacylglycerols according to the combined number of carbon atoms in the acyl chains a molecule. In addition to the identification of the major chromatographic peaks representing molecules with 26-54 acyl carbons, minor peaks representing triacylglycerols with an odd number of acyl carbons were separated and identified. Furthermore, compositional information on partially separated isobaric triacylglycerols, which differed substantially in the chain length of the fatty acyl residues, was achieved within some of the peaks. A new finding of the present study was the formation of abundant [M + 18]+ ions of saturated triacylglycerols in addition to diagnostic fragment ions,being of primary importance in structure elucidation. This extends the applicability of capillary SFC-(APCI)MS in the analysis of both saturated and unsaturated triacylglycerols.

Animals↗

Application of atmospheric pressure ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography for the characterization of in vitro drug metabolites.

Atmospheric pressure ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was used to characterize the in vitro metabolites of glyburide. Metabolic products formed in vitro by human microsomes were separated using a C18 column with gradient elution at a flow rate of 200 microL/min without postcolumn splitting. In-source collision-induced dissociation (CID) by automated nozzle potential switching was employed to obtain both abundant protonated molecules and characteristic fragments whose accurate masses were measured simultaneously by internal mass calibration, performed by continuous postcolumn infusion of two reference standards. The mass errors were within 9 ppm for all ions measured, whose abundance was greater than 5%, relative to the most abundant isotopic "A" ion. Exact mass differences between the parent drug and metabolite(s) were determined and these values corresponded to a unique elemental composition. The elemental compositions of all metabolite fragment ions were generated based upon the known compositional elements of the protonated molecule. The structures of metabolites and their fragment ions were proposed based on the determined elemental composition and in-source CID spectra. The elemental composition and fragmentation pathways of four cyclohexyl hydroxylation metabolites and one ethylhydroxy metabolite are discussed.

Animals↗

Quantitative analysis of selegiline and three metabolites (N-desmethylselegiline, methamphetamine, and amphetamine) in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-tandem mass spectrometry.

This report describes a sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method for the detection of subnanogram concentrations of selegiline and its three principle metabolites, N-desmethylselegiline, methamphetamine, and amphetamine, in human plasma. The assay has a dynamic range of 0.1-20 ng/mL for selegiline and N-desmethylselegiline (norselegiline) and 0.2-20 ng/mL for methamphetamine and amphetamine. The inter- and intra-assay precision and accuracy varied by less than 11% for all analytes at 0.3, 2.5, and 15 ng/mL and less than 16% at the lower limit of quantitation (0.1 ng/mL for selegiline and norselegiline; and 0.2 ng/mL for methamphetamine and amphetamine). Selegiline and its metabolites showed no significant loss in quantitative accuracy after three freeze/thaw cycles or after up to 6 h at room temperature prior to extraction. Extracted plasma samples retained quantitative accuracy after storage for at least 7 days at -20 degrees C or up to 70 h at room temperature. Methanolic stock solutions were stable for at least 6 h when kept at room temperature or at least 90 days when kept at -20 degrees C.

Amphetamine↗

Application of liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry to the differentiation of stereoisomeric C19-norditerpenoid alkaloids.

High-performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-APCI-MS) was successfully applied to stereoisomeric C19-norditerpenoid alkaloids at position 1. APCI-MS allowed the easy and precise control of the energy deposition by varying the drift voltage. Comparison of the breakdown curves, observed by changing the potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode of the APCI ion source, revealed stereochemical dependence of different fragmentations. The APCI spectra of alkaloids were predominantly the [M+H]+ ion and major fragment ion, corresponding to the [M+H-H2O]+ ion or the [M+H-CH3COOH]+ ion, and comparison of the spectra showed that the abundance of fragment ions was significantly higher for C-1 beta-form alkaloids than for C-1 alpha-form alkaloids. The characteristic fragment ions were formed by the loss of a water, acetic acid or methanol molecule at position 8. The fragmentation mechanisms depending on the stereochemistry of the precursor ion could be discerned by recording the spectra in a deuterated solvent system of 0.05 M ammonium acetate in D2O-acetonitrile-tetrahydrofuran. Loss of D2O from the precursor ion gave the fragment ion. This result indicated that the proton of protonation was included in the leaving water molecule. The peak intensity ratio R=[M+H]+/[M+H-H2O]+ manifested the stereochemical differentiation of alkaloids at position 1.

Alkaloids↗

Measurements of absolute CH concentrations by cavity ring-down spectroscopy and linear laser-induced fluorescence in laminar, counterflow partially premixed and nonpremixed flames at atmospheric pressure.

We report quantitative, spatially resolved measurements of methylidyne concentration ([CH]) in laminar, counterflow partially premixed and nonpremixed flames at atmospheric pressure by using both cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) and linear laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) in the A-X (0, 0) band. Three partially premixed (phiB = 1.45, 1.6, 2.0) flames plus a single nonpremixed methane-air flame are investigated at a global strain rate of 20 s(-1). These quantitative measurements are compared with predictions from an opposed-flow flame code when utilizing two GRI chemical kinetic mechanisms (versions 2.11 and 3.0). The LIF measurements of [CH] are corrected for variations in the electronic quenching rate coefficient by using predicted major species concentrations and temperatures along with quenching cross sections for CH that are available in the literature. The peak CH concentration obtained by CRDS is used to calibrate the quenching-corrected LIF measurements. Excellent agreement is obtained between CH concentration profiles measured by using the CRDS and LIF techniques. The spatial location of the CH layer is very well predicted by GRI 3.0; moreover, the measured and predicted CH concentrations are in good agreement for all the flames of this study.

Journal Article↗

Determination of steroid hormones, hormone conjugates and macrolide antibiotics in influents and effluents of sewage treatment plants utilising high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation.

In this study we present a high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS) method which has been elaborated to analyse steroid hormones, hormone conjugates, oral contraceptives and macrolide antibiotics unchanged in unfiltered influents and effluents of sewage treatment plants (STPs). HPLC separation of the steroid hormones was achieved in 35 min, as well as those of the antibiotics. The analytes were extracted by solid-phase extraction, followed by clean-up using size exclusion chromatography (SEC). For the final quantification HPLC/MS/MS was used. The two ionisation modes, electrospray ionisation (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI), in HPLC/MS/MS were compared for the analysis of steroid hormones. For quantitative results drastic matrix effects were observed while using ESI. These effects were less pronounced while using APCI. These pitfalls were additionally reduced by clean-up using SEC as well as isotope dilution. Additionally, two multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions per compound were used to prevent false positive results. Recovery experiments with spiked tap water with concentrations varying from 1 to 1000 ng/L gave constant recovery rates: The recovery rates for the hormones and conjugates ranged from 58 to 107%, those of the contraceptives ranged from 83 to 109%. The relative standard deviation was found to be 7 to 24% and the limits of detection were 0.1 to 4.5 ng/L. The recovery rates of the macrolide antibiotics ranged from 76 to 103%, while the relative standard deviation was found to be 7 to 14% and the limits of detection ranged from 0.6 to 1.8 ng/L. The maximum concentrations found in influents of a STP was 470 ng/L for estriol and 1200 ng/L for erythromycin.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

An objective definition of air mass types affecting Athens, Greece; the corresponding atmospheric pressure patterns and air pollution levels.

This work aims at defining characteristic air mass types that dominate in the region of Athens, Greece during the cold (November-March) and the warm (May-September) period of the year and also at evaluating the corresponding concentration levels of the main air pollutants. For each air mass type, the mean atmospheric pressure distribution (composite maps) over Europe and the Mediterranean is estimated in order to reveal the association of atmospheric circulation with air pollution levels in Athens. The data basis for this work consists of daily values of thirteen meteorological and six pollutant parameters covering the period 1993-97. The definition of the characteristic air mass types is attempted objectively by using the methods of Factor Analysis and Cluster Analysis. The results show that during the cold period of the year there are six prevailing air mass types (at least 3% of the total number of days) and six infrequent ones. The examination of the corresponding air pollution concentration levels shows that the primary air pollutants appear with increased concentrations when light or southerly winds prevail. This is usually the case when a high pressure system is located over the central Mediterranean or a low pressure system lays over south Italy, respectively. Low levels of the primary pollutants are recorded under northeasterly winds, mainly caused by a high pressure system over Ukraine. During the warm period of the year, the southwestern Asia thermal low and the subtropical anticyclone of the Atlantic Ocean affect Greece. Though these synoptic systems cause almost stagnant conditions, four main air mass types are dominant and ten others, associated with extreme weather, are infrequent. Despite the large amounts of total solar radiation characterizing this period, ozone concentrations remain at low levels in central Athens because of its destruction by nitric oxide.

Air Movements↗