Imaging mass spectrometry: a new way to distinguish dermal contact from administration of cocaine, using a single fingerprint.

Here we show a new and significant application area for mass spectrometry imaging. The potential for fingerprints to reveal drug use has been widely reported, with potential applications in forensics and workplace drug testing. However, one unsolved issue is the inability to distinguish between drug administration and contamination by contact. Previous work using bulk mass spectrometry analysis has shown that this distinction can only be definitively made if the hands are washed prior to sample collection. Here, we illustrate how three mass spectrometry imaging approaches, desorption electrospray ionisation (DESI), matrix assisted laser desorption ionisation (MALDI) and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) can be used to visualise fingerprints at different pixel sizes, ranging from the whole fingerprint down to the pore structure. We show how each of these magnification scales can be used to distinguish between cocaine use and contact. We also demonstrate the first application of water cluster SIMS to a fingerprint sample, which was the sole method tested here that was capable of detecting excreted drug metabolites in fingerprints, while providing spatial resolution sufficient to resolve individual pore structure. We show that after administration of cocaine, lipids and salts in the fingerprint ridges spatially correlate with the cocaine metabolite, benzoylecgonine. In contrast after contact, we have observed that cocaine and its metabolite show a poor spatial correlation with the flow of the ridges.

Self-hypnosis for intrapartum pain management in pregnant nulliparous women: a randomised controlled trial of clinical effectiveness.

OBJECTIVE: (Primary) To establish the effect of antenatal group self-hypnosis for nulliparous women on intra-partum epidural use. DESIGN: Multi-method randomised control trial (RCT). SETTING: Three NHS Trusts. POPULATION: Nulliparous women not planning elective caesarean, without medication for hypertension and without psychological illness. METHODS: Randomisation at 28-32 weeks' gestation to usual care, or to usual care plus brief self-hypnosis training (two × 90-minute groups at around 32 and 35 weeks' gestation; daily audio self-hypnosis CD). Follow up at 2 and 6 weeks postnatal. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary: epidural analgesia. Secondary: associated clinical and psychological outcomes; cost analysis. RESULTS: Six hundred and eighty women were randomised. There was no statistically significant difference in epidural use: 27.9% (intervention), 30.3% (control), odds ratio (OR) 0.89 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64-1.24], or in 27 of 29 pre-specified secondary clinical and psychological outcomes. Women in the intervention group had lower actual than anticipated levels of fear and anxiety between baseline and 2 weeks post natal (anxiety: mean difference -0.72, 95% CI -1.16 to -0.28, P = 0.001); fear (mean difference -0.62, 95% CI -1.08 to -0.16, P = 0.009) [Correction added on 7 July 2015, after first online publication: 'Mean difference' replaced 'Odds ratio (OR)' in the preceding sentence.]. Postnatal response rates were 67% overall at 2 weeks. The additional cost in the intervention arm per woman was £4.83 (CI -£257.93 to £267.59). CONCLUSIONS: Allocation to two-third-trimester group self-hypnosis training sessions did not significantly reduce intra-partum epidural analgesia use or a range of other clinical and psychological variables. The impact of women's anxiety and fear about childbirth needs further investigation.

Growth and characterization of ceria thin films and Ce-doped γ-Al2O3 nanowires using sol-gel techniques.

γ-Al(2)O(3) is a well known catalyst support. The addition of Ce to γ-Al(2)O(3) is known to beneficially retard the phase transformation of γ-Al(2)O(3) to α-Al(2)O(3) and stabilize the γ-pore structure. In this work, Ce-doped γ-Al(2)O(3) nanowires have been prepared by a novel method employing an anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) template in a 0.01 M cerium nitrate solution, assisted by urea hydrolysis. Calcination at 500 °C for 6 h resulted in the crystallization of the Ce-doped AlOOH gel to form Ce-doped γ-Al(2)O(3) nanowires. Ce(3+) ions within the nanowires were present at a concentration of < 1 at.%. On the template surface, a nanocrystalline CeO(2) thin film was deposited with a cubic fluorite structure and a crystallite size of 6-7 nm. Characterization of the nanowires and thin films was performed using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. The nanowire formation mechanism and urea hydrolysis kinetics are discussed in terms of the pH evolution during the reaction. The Ce-doped γ-Al(2)O(3) nanowires are likely to find useful applications in catalysis and this novel method can be exploited further for doping alumina nanowires with other rare earth elements.

Stainless steel surface functionalization for immobilization of antibody fragments for cardiovascular applications.

Stainless steel 316 L material is commonly used for the production of coronary and peripheral vessel stents. Effective biofunctionalization is a key to improving the performance and safety of the stents after implantation. This paper reports the method for the immobilization of recombinant antibody fragments (scFv) on stainless steel 316 L to facilitate human endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) growth and thus improve cell viability of the implanted stents for cardiovascular applications. The modification of stent surface was conducted in three steps. First the stent surface was coated with titania based coating to increase the density of hydroxyl groups for successful silanization. Then silanization with 3 aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) was performed to provide the surface with amine groups which presence was verified using FTIR, XPS, and fluorescence microscopy. The maximum density of amine groups (4.8*10(-5) mol/cm(2)) on the surface was reached after reaction taking place in ethanol for 1 h at 60 °C and 0.04M APTS. On such prepared surface the glycosylated scFv were subsequently successfully immobilized. The influence of oxidation of scFv glycan moieties and the temperature on scFv coating were investigated. The fluorescence and confocal microscopy study indicated that the densest and most uniformly coated surface with scFv was obtained at 37 °C after oxidation of glycan chain. The results demonstrate that the scFv cannot be efficiently immobilized without prior aminosilanization of the surface. The effect of the chemical modification on the cell viability of EPC line 55.1 (HucPEC-55.1) was performed indicating that the modifications to the 316 L stainless steel are non-toxic to EPCs.

Novel method for detecting micro-organisms in blood cultures.

A method for detecting the growth of micro-organisms in blood culture by a visual signal is described. The system utilises a single blood culture medium that has been specifically formulated to support growth of aerobic, anaerobic, and microaerophilic micro-organisms. The system is based on the principle that when micro-organisms grow in the medium in a sealed bottle their metabolic products create positive pressure. This positive pressure displaces the infected blood and broth into an upper chamber, which acts as a visual signal of microbial activity. All the test micro-organisms, when inoculated at less than 20 colony forming units into simulated human blood cultures, gave a positive signal.

The phenomenology of depressive illness in people with a learning disability and autism.

People with autism may develop new behaviours in adolescence or early adult life, in addition to those associated with the primary disorder. Some of these behaviours have been postulated to be symptoms of depressive disorder. This article notes the methodological problems of investigating depression in people with autism. The authors also attempt to clarify the symptoms that may be significant in diagnosing depression in this group, by using treatment response methods.

[Prolonged muscle weakness in intensive care patients with special attention to the so-called intensive care polyneuromyopathy]. / Prolongierte Muskelschwäche des Intensivpatienten unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der sog. Intensive-Polyneuromyopathie.

Generalized muscle weakness in critically ill patients can result in prolonged periods of artificial ventilation and longer stays in the intensive care unit. Both neuropathic (critical illness polyneuropathy) and myopathic (critical illness myopathy) abnormalities seem to play an important role for this prolonged weakness. This article reviews its complex differential diagnosis with special emphasis on the current understanding of the neuromuscular syndromes. An efficient diagnostic plan is necessary for the exclusion of other curable causes of prolonged muscle weakness even in the presence of polyneuromyopathic changes. Psychological support of the patient and prophylaxis of secondary complications of prolonged immobilization are crucial when specific therapy is not possible.

Carriage and transmission of group B streptococci among STD clinic patients.

High rates of carriage of group B streptococci were found among men (38%) and women (42.3%) attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. Swabs from the perineal/anorectal area gave the highest isolation rate and those from the urethra the lowest. The subpreputial sac was an important site for carriage of the organism, and there was a strong association between streptococcal isolation and balanitis. Of 92 couples studied, neither partner was colonised with group B streptococci in 36. In a further 36 one or other was colonised and in 20 both were colonised. Serotyping and phage typing showed that only three of these 20 couples were colonised with similar strains of the organism.

Surface characterization of aspirin crystal planes by dynamic chemical force microscopy.

Tapping mode (TM) atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been applied in a novel fashion to characterize and distinguish the (001) and (100) surfaces of individual aspirin crystals. The surface characterization was achieved by amplitude-phase, distance (a-p,d) measurements employing gold-coated AFM probes functionalized with self-assembled monolayers (SAM). Experiments using model probes coated with -CH3 and -COOH terminated SAMs have been performed on the two aspirin crystal planes (001) and (100). Results indicate that the hydrophobic -CH3 terminated AFM probes had a greater degree of interaction with the crystal plane (001), whereas the -COOH terminated AFM probes had a larger interaction with the crystal plane (100). Interpretation of these data, based upon the chemistries of the probes, correlates with current understanding of the crystal surface chemistry derived from X-ray diffraction data and dissolution rate studies.