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Chronic kidney disease or kidney complication resulting from another systematic disorder can impact the organ’s blood filtering capability resulting in the passage of blood-born proteins through the kidneys and into urine.  Clinical analyses for blood proteins in urine are performed to assess proper kidney function or to monitor a diagnosed disorder.  Serum albumin is a common target in these clinical assays and detection of elevated SA levels in urine is termed Albuminuria. Because of normal variability in urine content and volume multiple measurements are often made in comparison to creatitine levels within the same urine sample and reported as a ratio (ACR).  Demonstrated here is a novel means for quantifying albumin and creatinine directly from the same urine sample using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.  Standard addition of albumin and deuterated creatinine (d3) into control urine produced a linear and quantitative response (R2 = 0.99 and 0.98) and is used to quantify both analytes across their clinically relevant ranges. This MS-based method represents a simple, fast, attractive alternative to currently clinical methods.

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Chronic kidney disease or kidney complication resulting from another systematic disorder can impact the organ’s blood filtering capability resulting in the passage of blood-born proteins through the kidneys and into urine.  Clinical analyses for blood proteins in urine are performed to assess proper kidney function or to monitor a diagnosed disorder.  Serum albumin is a common target in these clinical assays and detection of elevated SA levels in urine is termed Albuminuria. Because of normal variability in urine content and volume multiple measurements are often made in comparison to creatitine levels within the same urine sample and reported as a ratio (ACR).  Demonstrated here is a novel means for quantifying albumin and creatinine directly from the same urine sample using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.  Standard addition of albumin and deuterated creatinine (d3) into control urine produced a linear and quantitative response (R2 = 0.99 and 0.98) and is used to quantify both analytes across their clinically relevant ranges. This MS-based method represents a simple, fast, attractive alternative to currently clinical methods.

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This application note details a GC-MS-based analytical method for the qualitative and quantitative determination of Irganox 1076 and 1010 in polyethylene.

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Dr Adam J. Hopkins, Metrohm, highlights the capabilities of the OMNIS near-infrared technology platform for more efficient and advanced sampling of liquids and solids.

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A discussion of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) selection, drug product development, and mass spectrometry instrumentation

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At SciX 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Society for Applied Spectroscopy sponsored the special session “Analytical Chemists Easing World Poverty.” This session was founded in 2011 by SAS Past-President Diane Parry to highlight unmet measurement needs in developing nations. With the support of sponsors like the SAS, Spectroscopy magazine, and ChromAfrica, it has evolved into a popular session that examines a variety of topics ranging from technical solutions to instrumentation problems to cultural challenges of Westerners working in developing nations.

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Libraries of pre-computed ATR-FTIR mixture spectra and conventional ATR-FTIR polymer spectra were used to rapidly identify three major components from an ATR-FTIR spectrum of a sample labeled “EVA”.

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Portable instrumentation for Raman spectroscopy has rapidly evolved over the last decade, where sample testing that once occurred in the laboratory is now executed in the field (e.g. warehouse).   Portable Raman spectroscopy is a powerful technique for the rapid identification of diversely sourced raw materials used in pharmaceutical processing.  In addition to portability; reduced cost, rapid data acquisition and ease of use make this powerful technique attractive and accessible to both expert spectroscopists and non-specialists.  In most cases, the method development can be easily accomplished in the laboratory after which the instrument and methods are transferred to field for sample analysis or warehouse areas for inspection of incoming raw material.  Qualitative Raman methods for identification of raw materials typically utilize spectral libraries for sample to standard comparison.  When developing Raman spectral libraries for raw material identification, great care is required when considering critical factors (e.g. instrument type, Raman capability, container type, container interference, background interference, material variability) that can potentially influence the identity of the material.  This paper discusses portable Raman techniques and approaches for raw material identification, as well as key considerations for developing and validating Raman spectral libraries.

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Excitation-emission spectroscopy provides information of multiple sites in luminescent materials. As a wavelength selective technique, however, it may lead to prolonged acquisition times when high resolution is required. In this application note we demonstrate how this can be done faster, whilst maintaining high resolution.

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Most plants used in traditional Chinese medicine must be processed before their medicinal usage; hence the effective ingredients may differ from those in the freshly harvested plant extracts. In this work, we present a fast and generic approach using sub-2-?m liquid chromatography–time-of-flight–mass spectrometry (sub-2-?m-LC–TOF-MS) coupled with multivariate statistical data analysis to systematically profile ingredient changes between fresh and processed samples of huang jing.

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Most plants used in traditional Chinese medicine must be processed before their medicinal usage; hence the effective ingredients may differ from those in the freshly harvested plant extracts. In this work, we present a fast and generic approach using sub-2-?m liquid chromatography–time-of-flight–mass spectrometry (sub-2-?m-LC–TOF-MS) coupled with multivariate statistical data analysis to systematically profile ingredient changes between fresh and processed samples of huang jing.

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Measuring silver (Ag) in seawater is challenging. A sensitive analytical procedure, using a simple automated flow injection system online coupled with ICP-MS, which is easy to be installed in an ordinary ICP-MS lab, is reported in this paper. Parameters including flow rate and duration, and the effects of the pH and dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentration and salinity were investigated. The standard addition method was used for the quantification. The linear range of the method was up to 1000 ng kg-1. For samples with various salinities the RSDs were

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Measuring silver (Ag) in seawater is challenging. A sensitive analytical procedure, using a simple automated flow injection system online coupled with ICP-MS, which is easy to be installed in an ordinary ICP-MS lab, is reported in this paper. Parameters including flow rate and duration, and the effects of the pH and dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentration and salinity were investigated. The standard addition method was used for the quantification. The linear range of the method was up to 1000 ng kg-1. For samples with various salinities the RSDs were

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Portable instrumentation for Raman spectroscopy has rapidly evolved over the last decade, where sample testing that once occurred in the laboratory is now executed in the field (e.g. warehouse).   Portable Raman spectroscopy is a powerful technique for the rapid identification of diversely sourced raw materials used in pharmaceutical processing.  In addition to portability; reduced cost, rapid data acquisition and ease of use make this powerful technique attractive and accessible to both expert spectroscopists and non-specialists.  In most cases, the method development can be easily accomplished in the laboratory after which the instrument and methods are transferred to field for sample analysis or warehouse areas for inspection of incoming raw material.  Qualitative Raman methods for identification of raw materials typically utilize spectral libraries for sample to standard comparison.  When developing Raman spectral libraries for raw material identification, great care is required when considering critical factors (e.g. instrument type, Raman capability, container type, container interference, background interference, material variability) that can potentially influence the identity of the material.  This paper discusses portable Raman techniques and approaches for raw material identification, as well as key considerations for developing and validating Raman spectral libraries.

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How to spot carboxylic acids in your IR spectra

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Mid-infrared (MIR, 3-20 µm) sensor platforms are increasingly adopted in chem/bio analytics, and applied in areas ranging from process monitoring to medical diagnostics. Due to the inherent access to molecule-specific fingerprints via well-pronounced fundamental vibrational, rotational, and roto-vibrational transitions, quantitative information at ppm to ppb concentration levels and beyond is achievable in solids, liquids, and gases. In particular, the combination of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with correspondingly tailored waveguide technologies serving as optical transducers – thin-film waveguides for liquid/solid phase analysis, and substrate-integrated hollow waveguides for gaseous samples – facilitates miniaturizable and integrated optical chem/bio sensors and diagnostics applicable in, e.g., exhaled breath analysis, food safety, and environmental monitoring.

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Mid-infrared (MIR, 3-20 µm) sensor platforms are increasingly adopted in chem/bio analytics, and applied in areas ranging from process monitoring to medical diagnostics. Due to the inherent access to molecule-specific fingerprints via well-pronounced fundamental vibrational, rotational, and roto-vibrational transitions, quantitative information at ppm to ppb concentration levels and beyond is achievable in solids, liquids, and gases. In particular, the combination of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with correspondingly tailored waveguide technologies serving as optical transducers – thin-film waveguides for liquid/solid phase analysis, and substrate-integrated hollow waveguides for gaseous samples – facilitates miniaturizable and integrated optical chem/bio sensors and diagnostics applicable in, e.g., exhaled breath analysis, food safety, and environmental monitoring.

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Mid-infrared (MIR, 3-20 µm) sensor platforms are increasingly adopted in chem/bio analytics, and applied in areas ranging from process monitoring to medical diagnostics. Due to the inherent access to molecule-specific fingerprints via well-pronounced fundamental vibrational, rotational, and roto-vibrational transitions, quantitative information at ppm to ppb concentration levels and beyond is achievable in solids, liquids, and gases. In particular, the combination of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with correspondingly tailored waveguide technologies serving as optical transducers – thin-film waveguides for liquid/solid phase analysis, and substrate-integrated hollow waveguides for gaseous samples – facilitates miniaturizable and integrated optical chem/bio sensors and diagnostics applicable in, e.g., exhaled breath analysis, food safety, and environmental monitoring.

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Mid-infrared (MIR, 3-20 µm) sensor platforms are increasingly adopted in chem/bio analytics, and applied in areas ranging from process monitoring to medical diagnostics. Due to the inherent access to molecule-specific fingerprints via well-pronounced fundamental vibrational, rotational, and roto-vibrational transitions, quantitative information at ppm to ppb concentration levels and beyond is achievable in solids, liquids, and gases. In particular, the combination of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with correspondingly tailored waveguide technologies serving as optical transducers – thin-film waveguides for liquid/solid phase analysis, and substrate-integrated hollow waveguides for gaseous samples – facilitates miniaturizable and integrated optical chem/bio sensors and diagnostics applicable in, e.g., exhaled breath analysis, food safety, and environmental monitoring.

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Mid-infrared (MIR, 3-20 µm) sensor platforms are increasingly adopted in chem/bio analytics, and applied in areas ranging from process monitoring to medical diagnostics. Due to the inherent access to molecule-specific fingerprints via well-pronounced fundamental vibrational, rotational, and roto-vibrational transitions, quantitative information at ppm to ppb concentration levels and beyond is achievable in solids, liquids, and gases. In particular, the combination of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with correspondingly tailored waveguide technologies serving as optical transducers – thin-film waveguides for liquid/solid phase analysis, and substrate-integrated hollow waveguides for gaseous samples – facilitates miniaturizable and integrated optical chem/bio sensors and diagnostics applicable in, e.g., exhaled breath analysis, food safety, and environmental monitoring.

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This study showcases PCRS as a powerful method for combining particle analysis and chemical ID, offering insight into drug performance across dosage forms.

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This application note demonstrates the performance of a Milli-Q® ultrapure water system for the quality control of metals in food and water samples in regulated labs.

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After weathering the economic downturn of 2009, the analytical instrumentation industry's business appears to have made a U-turn in 2010, primarily due to the burgeoning requirements of the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries and substantial demands from the chemical and petrochemical industries, in addition to growing environmental concerns. The analytical instrumentation industry managed the economic downturn better than most other industries even though some of its primary revenue streams, such as the replacement market, were hurt by procurement postponements.

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This is a brief tutorial review on the use of the Raman OH stretching bands of water for biomedical applications.

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Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are an emerging category of biotherapeutic products based on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) coupled to powerful cytotoxic drugs. The production of ADCs entails the formation of species with different number of conjugates drugs. The heterogeneity of ADCs species add to the complexity originating from the mAbs microvariability. Sheathless capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (sheathless CE-MS) using complementary approaches was used to perform a detail characterization of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris, Seattle Genetics). Sheathless CE-MS instrument used as nanoESI infusion platform was involved to perform the intact and middle-up analysis in native MS conditions. The nanoESI infusion approaches enabled estimation of the average drug to antibody ratio (DAR) alongside to drug load distribution. Sheathless CZE-MS/MS method developed was used to obtain from a single injection the characterization of the amino acid sequence with complete sequence coverage. In addition glycosylation and drug-loaded peptides could be identified from MS/MS spectra revealing robust information regarding their localizations and abundances. Drug-loaded peptide fragmentation mass spectra study demonstrated drug-specific fragments reinforcing the identifications confidence. Results reveal the ability of sheathless CZE-MS/MS method to characterize ADCs primary structure in a single experiment.

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Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are an emerging category of biotherapeutic products based on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) coupled to powerful cytotoxic drugs. The production of ADCs entails the formation of species with different number of conjugates drugs. The heterogeneity of ADCs species add to the complexity originating from the mAbs microvariability. Sheathless capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (sheathless CE-MS) using complementary approaches was used to perform a detail characterization of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris, Seattle Genetics). Sheathless CE-MS instrument used as nanoESI infusion platform was involved to perform the intact and middle-up analysis in native MS conditions. The nanoESI infusion approaches enabled estimation of the average drug to antibody ratio (DAR) alongside to drug load distribution. Sheathless CZE-MS/MS method developed was used to obtain from a single injection the characterization of the amino acid sequence with complete sequence coverage. In addition glycosylation and drug-loaded peptides could be identified from MS/MS spectra revealing robust information regarding their localizations and abundances. Drug-loaded peptide fragmentation mass spectra study demonstrated drug-specific fragments reinforcing the identifications confidence. Results reveal the ability of sheathless CZE-MS/MS method to characterize ADCs primary structure in a single experiment.

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A summary of the most recent advances in sample preparation, instrumentation, and data-processing techniques for MALDI-IMS

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Simultaneous, enantiomer-specific identification of chiral molecules in multi-component mixtures is extremely challenging. Many established techniques for single-component analysis fail to provide selectivity in multi-component mixtures and lack sensitivity for dilute samples. Mass spectrometry is chirally blind, and so cannot directly distinguish the two enantiomers of chiral molecules. Here we discuss how enantiomers may be differentiated by Mass Spectrometry correlated with PhotoElectron Circular Dichroism (MS-PECD) using an electron–ion coincidence imaging spectrometer. Following an ionizing circular polarized laser pulse, ions and electrons are detected in coincidence on their respective time- and position sensitive detectors. The MS-PECD asymmetry measured on electrons tagged by the mass of their corresponding parent ion directly reveals that the compound with identified mass is chiral without the need for any prior enantiomeric separation or enantiomer-selective complexation. MS-PECD enables direct enantiomeric excess measurement of multi-component chiral samples in a table-top mass spectrometer.