This review provides a concise survey of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-TMS) as an emerging technology in clinical chemistry. The combination of two mass spectrometers with an interposed collision cell characterizes LC-TMS as an analytical technology on its own and not just as a more specific detector for HPLC compared with conventional techniques. In LC-TMS, liquid chromato...

Because of the lack of a UV chromophore and their much smaller abundances in comparison with the major component, the minor components in erythromycin estolate preparations are difficult to analyze by high performance liquid chromatography ultraviolet (HPLC-UV). Tentative assignment of the major and minor components can be achieved with the combination of full scan and ZoomScan using an ion tra...

A viable, quick, and reliable method for determining urinary creatinine by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed and used to evaluate spot urine samples collected for the Washington Environmental Biomonitoring Survey (WEBS): part of the Washington State Department of Health, Public Health Laboratories (PHL). 50 µL of urine was mixed with a 1 : 1 acetonitrile/wa...

A high-performance liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC– MS–MS) method was developed for the determination of chloramphenicol (CAP) in milk products. Mass spectral acquisition was done using electrospray ionization in the negative ion mode applying multiple reaction monitoring of two diagnostic transition reactions for CAP (m/z 321→152 and m/z 321→257). Milk samples were extra...

embedding a fast-response microthermocouple inside a PCR reaction tube, we were able to study the thermodynamic process from the block via the tube to the PCR sample in more detail. This physical evaluation allowed us to distinguish accurate performers (category 1 and 2 cyclers) from less accurate performers (category 3 cyclers). At the denaturation step, during the first 15 s the thermal inhom...

Clinical laboratory medicine has seen the introduction and evolution of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in routine clinical laboratories over the last 10-15 years. There still exists a wide diversity of assays from very esoteric and highly specialist manual assays to more simplified kit-based assays. The technology is not static as manufacturers are continually making improvement...

Dried blood spots (DBS), collected as part of the newborn screening program (NSP) in the USA, is a valuable resource for studies on environmental chemical exposures and associated health outcomes in newborns. Nevertheless, determination of concentrations of environmental chemicals in DBS requires assays with great sensitivity, as the typical volume of blood available on a DBS with 16-mm diamete...

A new analytical method employing liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) with a column-switching system was developed for quantitative determination of leukotriene E4 (LTE4) in human urine. A column-switching system using a trapping column, which concentrates the analyte and removes salts and other water-soluble contaminants, allowed direct injection of human urine. Because s...