High throughput quantitative analysis of the ß-lyase sulfur mustard metabolite, 1,1'-sulfonylbis[2-(methylsulfinyl)ethane] in urine via high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Sulfur Mustard (HD) has a 100year history of use as a chemical warfare agent and recent events in the Middle East are causing it to once again be a potential concern. We report a new high-throughput method for the determination of HD exposure by the analysis of the ß-lyase metabolite 1,1'-sulfonylbis[2-(methylsulfinyl)ethane] (SBMSE) in human urine. This method features a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) oxidative conversion of the ß-lyase metabolites to SBMSE, followed by sample extraction and concentration using solid phase extraction in 96-well plate format. Subsequent high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) analysis gave linear quantitation over a calibration range of 0.1-100ng/mL, with a method detection limit of 0.03ng/mL. Liquid chromatographic separation was achieved using a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column with an analyte retention time of 0.9min and method time of 1.5min (cycle time=2.0min). Users of this method could prepare and analyze approximately 650 samples in 24h which would be important for an emergency response.

A performance assessment of airborne infection isolation rooms.

BACKGROUND: Airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIRs) help prevent the spread of infectious agents in hospitals. The performance of 678 AIIRs was evaluated and compared with construction design guidelines. METHODS: The pressure differentials (DeltaP) between the isolation rooms and adjacent areas were measured, and ventilation and construction details were recorded for each room. Ultrafine particle concentrations were evaluated in the rooms, surrounding areas, and ventilation systems serving the rooms. Measurements were analyzed as a function of room parameters. RESULTS: Only 32% of the isolation rooms achieved the recommended DeltaP of -2.5 Pascals (Pa) relative to surrounding areas. AIIRs with solid ceilings had an average DeltaP of -4.4 Pa, which was significantly higher than the average DeltaP of -2.0 Pa for rooms with dropped ceilings (P = .0002). Isolation room ultrafine particle concentrations were more highly correlated with particle levels in surrounding areas (R(2) = 0.817) than in the ventilation systems serving the rooms (R(2) = 0.441). Almost all ventilation filters serving AIIRs collected fewer particles than anticipated. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that hospitals are not all maintaining AIIRs to correspond with current guidelines. The findings also support the contention that having tightly sealed rooms helps maintain appropriate pressure differentials.