Uncertainty Evaluation for the Quantification of Urinary Amphetamine and 4-Hydroxyamphetamine Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Comparison of the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement Approach and the Monte Carlo Method with R.

Estimating the measurement uncertainty (MU) is becoming increasingly mandatory in analytical toxicology. This study evaluates the uncertainty in the quantitative determination of urinary amphetamine (AP) and 4-hydroxyamphetamine (4HA) using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method based on the dilute-and-shoot approach. Urine sample dilution, preparation of calibrators, calibration curve, and method repeatability were identified as the sources of uncertainty. To evaluate the MU, the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) approach and the Monte Carlo method (MCM) were compared using the R programming language. The MCM afforded a smaller coverage interval for both AP (94.83, 104.74) and 4HA (10.52, 12.14) than that produced by the GUM (AP (92.06, 107.41) and 4HA (10.21, 12.45)). The GUM approach offers an underestimated coverage interval for Type A evaluation, whereas the MCM provides an exact coverage interval under an abnormal probability distribution of the measurand. The MCM is useful in complex settings where the measurand is combined with numerous distributions because it is generated from the uncertainties of input quantities based on the propagation of the distribution. Therefore, the MCM is more practical than the GUM for evaluating the MU of urinary AP and 4HA concentrations using LC-MS/MS.

Urinary tract infection after radiation therapy or radical prostatectomy on the prognosis of patients with prostate cancer: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess the trends in urinary tract infections (UTIs) and prognosis of patients with prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy (RP) and radiation therapy (RT) as definitive treatment options. METHODS: The data of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2007 and 2016 were collected from the National Health Insurance Service database. The incidence of UTIs was evaluated in patients treated with RT, open/laparoscopic RP, and robot-assisted RP. The proportional hazard assumption test was performed using the scaled Schoenfeld residuals based on a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model. Kaplan-Meier analysis were performed to assess survival. RESULTS: A total of 28,887 patients were treated with definitive treatment. In the acute phase (< 3 months), UTIs were more frequent in RP than in RT; in the chronic phase (> 12 months), UTIs were more frequent in RT than in RP. In the early follow-up period, the risk of UTIs was higher in the open/laparoscopic RP group (aHR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.44-1.83; p < 0.001) and the robot-assisted RP group (aHR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.11-1.43; p < 0.001), compared to the RT group. The robot-assisted RP group had a lower risk of UTIs than the open/laparoscopic RP group in the early (aHR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.77-0.78; p < 0.001) and late (aHR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.89-0.91; p < 0.001) follow-up periods. In patients with UTI, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, primary treatment, age at UTI diagnosis, type of UTI, hospitalization, and sepsis from UTI were risk factors for overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: In patients treated with RP or RT, the incidence of UTIs was higher than that in the general population. RP posed a higher risk of UTIs than RT did in early follow-up period. Robot-assisted RP had a lower risk of UTIs than open/laparoscopic RP group in total period. UTI characteristics might be related to poor prognosis.

Effects of light-, self-, and tack-curing on degree of conversion and physical strength of dual-cure resin cements.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the polymerization degree of conversion (DC) and physical strength of dual-cure cements with tack-curing, and compare them to those with light-curing and self-curing resins. METHODS: Four dual-cure resin cements were evaluated by DC and diametral tensile strength (DTS) tests with three different polymerization methods: Light-cure (photo-polymerization 40 seconds, self-curing 30 minutes); Self-cure (self-curing 30 minutes); and Tack-cure (photo-polymerization 3 seconds, self-curing 30 minutes). Polymerization degree of conversion was determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and calculated based on the ratio changes of aliphatic-to-aromatic C=C IR absorption peaks before and after polymerized. Specimens for DTS (n = 10) were prepared using circular molds (6.0 mm in diameter and 3.0 mm in height) and tested after 24-hour water storage. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA. Multiple post-hoc pairwise comparisons were performed by t-test when significant effects were found across the factors (α = 0.05). Results: The Self-cure groups had slow initial curing rate, resulting in the lower DC than both the Light-cure and Tack-cure groups. After 30 minutes of polymerization, only in the RelyX Ultimate group, light-curing resulted in higher DC than tack-curing, which resulted in higher DC than self-curing (P < 0.05). The self-cure of resin cements resulted in a significantly lower DTS only for RelyX Ultimate cement (P < 0.05). There was no significantly different DTS between the Tack-cure and Light-cure groups for all of the resin cements. For all of the three curing modes, RelyX Ultimate cements had the lowest DTS among the four cements tested in this study.