In vitro germicidal activity of teat dips against Nocardia asteroides and other udder pathogens.

Nine commercial teat dip formulations containing 1.94% linear dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid, or 1% available iodine from nonylphenoxypoly (ethyleneoxy) ethanol-iodine complex, or .5% chlorhexidine acetate were tested for contamination with aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and their in vitro germicidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Escherichia coli, and Nocardia asteroides. All products were free of bacteria when neutralized samples were tested on blood agar or liquid thioglycollate media. To test for in vitro efficacy, each teat dip preparation was mixed with a suspension of one of the pathogenic test organisms containing 10(8) bacteria/ml (final concentration) for .5 to 15 min. Viable bacteria were evaluated by direct plating of neutralized aliquots and by filtration techniques. All products were effective against E. coli, Staph. aureus, and Strep. agalactiae. With N. asteroides, the direct plating method gave equivocal results. The filtration experiments indicated that all teat dips containing dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid and nonylphenoxypoly (ethyleneoxy) ethanol-iodine complex were effective against all four pathogens. Three of the teat dips containing chlorhexidine acetate were ineffective against N. asteroides. The fourth teat dip, containing chlorhexidine acetate and an emollient, was partially effective.

Separation, identification and determination of lumichrome in swine feed and kidney.

During surveillance of hog carcasses from Manitoba for antibiotic residues by the Health of Animals Laboratory, Agriculture Canada, Saskatoon, an unknown substance was found which produced tetracycline-like results with the methods used. This same substance was found in an implicated swine feed premix. Using various HPLC systems and columns, UV spectroscopy, reverse-phase TLC, and mass spectrometry, the substance was isolated from the feed premix, and identified as lumichrome, a photodegradation product of riboflavin. Traces of the same substance were found in riboflavin standard. Analysis of swine kidney, previously found to contain the unknown, showed the same substance was present at a level of about 1 ppm.

Assay of oxolinic acid residues in salmon muscle by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection: interlaboratory study.

A previously developed method that uses a simplified sample preparation and fluorometric detection of liquid chromatographic eluates for the determination of oxolinic acid in salmon muscle has been collaboratively studied. Five laboratories participated in the study to analyze, in quintuplicate, blank salmon muscle fortified at 10, 20, 50, and 100 micrograms/kg (ppb), and 2 incurred samples from salmon given feed with medicated oxolinic acid. The tissue, 2 g mixed with 2 g Na2SO4, is extracted with ethyl acetate and centrifuged, and the solvent is evaporated. The residue is partitioned in a mixture of hexane and 0.01 M oxalic acid, and the aqueous phase is chromatographed using fluorescence detection at 327 nm excitation and 369 nm emission. Mean recoveries ranged from 77.2 to 84.5% in spiked samples with reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSDR) ranging from 11.5 to 18.3%. Treated salmon were found to contain 8.71 and 53.8 micrograms/kg with RSDR of 18.6 and 16.7%, respectively. The corresponding repeatability relative standard deviations (RSDR) were 5.8-12.2%, and 7.7 and 6.2%. The method is recommended for regulatory purposes in Canada.

The identification and assay of 2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole in pigs treated with dimetridazole.

An unidentified metabolite of dimetridazole (DMZ), found in pig plasma, muscle and kidney, was shown by chromatography and spectroscopy to be 2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole (2-MNI), resulting from N-demethylation of DMZ. This route of degradation competes with the oxidation pathway previously described. The concentration of 2-MNI in the plasma of pig fed medicated diet (DMZ 0.0125%) ranged from 29 to 83 ppb, 2 hours after the morning meal, similar to DMZ, but lower than that of the major metabolite, 2-hydroxymethyl-1-methyl-5-nitroimidazole (HMMNI). Its elimination profile in plasma was biphasic, similar to those of HMMNI and DMZ. Early and terminal half lives were 2.6 and 9.1 h respectively. None of the metabolites could be detected in any of the tissues studied 49 hours after withdrawal.

Determination of oxolinic acid residues in salmon muscle tissue by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

The present paper describes a method for determination of oxolinic acid in salmon muscle tissue. Tissue (0.5-2 g) mixed with 2 g anhydrous sodium sulfate is extracted twice with ethyl acetate, centrifuged, and the extract evaporated. The residue is partitioned in a mixture of hexane and 0.01M oxalic acid and the aqueous phase chromatographed using fluorescence detection at 327 nm excitation and 369 nm emission. Calibration and standard curves are linear from 10-200 ppb and 100-2000 ppb at different sensitivity settings. Recoveries ranged from 71-83% in spiked blanks, with a CV of 4-10.3% over a 2-week period. Preliminary results in treated salmon were variable, possibly because some fish refused to eat medicated feed.

Sulfamethazine (sulfadimidine) residues in Canadian consumer milk.

A survey on the presence of sulfamethazine (sulfadimidine) residues in consumer milk has been conducted in 10 cities across Canada. In each city, homogenized milk was purchased at 3 different retail outlets, each supplied by different processing plants. A total of 30 samples was analyzed by a liquid chromatographic method. The limit of quantitation was 5 ppb. In addition to automatic integration, visual inspection of the chromatograms was required to distinguish between low concentrations of sulfamethazine and 2 unknown interfering peaks. Two samples, from different cities, contained 11.4 and 5.24 ppb of the drug. Drug identity was confirmed by mass spectrometry. All other samples appeared to be free of the drug.

Use of liquid chromatography in the synthesis of isoluminol-labeled medroxyprogesterone acetate and zeranol.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for monitoring the syntheses of two isoluminol-labelled drugs, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and zeranol, has been developed. MPA and the ketone derivative of zeranol, zearalanone, were conjugated to N-(4-aminobutyl)-N-ethylisoluminol through the carboxymethyloxime derivative of the drug by using the N-succinimide ester as an intermediary. Reaction mixtures were sampled periodically and chromatographed directly by HPLC on a silica gel column, by using isocratic elution with mixtures of hexane-ethanol-acetic acid in several different proportions. The degree of reaction completion was determined by comparison of the peak area of the initial reactant to that present at sampling time. MPA oxime production was found to be complete after 15 min; 97.0% of the oxime was converted to succinimide ester in 24 h; 99.0% of the available ester reacted within 2.5 h to form the final labelled product. Zearalanone oxime production was found to be complete after 2 h; 93.3% of the oxime was converted to the activated ester within 24 h; 89.6% of available ester had reacted in 30 min to form the final labelled product. The chromatography can be performed in real time, permitting modification in the conditions of the reaction while in progress.

Dimetridazole residues in pork tissue. I. Assay by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detector.

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method with electrochemical detection in the reductive mode was developed for the quantitative determination of dimetridazole (DMZ) and its major metabolite (HMMNI) at residue levels in pork tissue. For blood plasma, a sample is precipitated with 2 volumes of acetonitrile and centrifuged, and a diluted aliquot of the supernatant liquid is chromatographed. For muscle, a 10 g sample is extracted 3 times with dichloromethane. After evaporation of the combined extracts, the residue is redissolved in a mixture of hexane and mobile phase (0.3% TEA in 0.6M ammonium acetate pH 5.0 and acetonitrile, 85 + 15) and centrifuged, and an aliquot of the lower phase is chromatographed. Chromatography is accomplished using valve switching with 2 liquid circuits, employing the same mobile phase for both. The sample is deaerated by sparging with helium under slight positive pressure to prevent rediffusion of the oxygen. The sample is first loaded into a deoxygenator and the flow is stopped for complete deoxygenation. The flow is then resumed to transfer the sample into the first, low back-pressure column (ODS, 10 microns, 4.6 x 200 mm). Switching the valve at this point removes the deoxygenator from the circuit and connects the first column to a second one (ODS, 5 microns, 4.6 x 150 mm) in tandem. After the effluent is passed through a second deoxygenator to reduce the residual oxygen in the mobile phase, it is monitored by an electrochemical detector with a screened wall jet cell and a gold mercury electrode, set at -1.2 V.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Dimetridazole residues in pork tissue. II. Application of liquid chromatographic method to monitor elimination of drug and its major metabolite.

A study was conducted to monitor the elimination of dimetridazole (DMZ) and its major metabolite 2-hydroxymethyl-1-methyl-5-nitroimidazole (HMMNI) in swine plasma and tissue, using a liquid chromatographic method with electrochemical detector sensitive to 0.5 ppb. The study consisted of 2 experiments. In the preliminary experiment, one young female piglet was fed medicated ration containing 125 ppm dimetridazole (DMZ) for 2 weeks, followed by a withdrawal period using regular ration for 5 days. Another, control, piglet was given regular diet throughout. Plasma concentrations of DMZ and its most important residue, HMMNI, were measured daily at 2 h after the morning feeding and, on days 8 and 15, several times during the day. The 2 h concentrations after 3 days loading ranged from 47 to 77 ppb for DMZ and 424 to 1081 ppb for HMMNI. A daily cycle in the plasma levels was seen for both substances. Upon withdrawal of medication, elimination of drug and metabolite was biexponential with a terminal half-life of 6.7 h. In the second experiment, 5 piglets were medicated as above and slaughtered 2, 6, 12, 25, and 49 h after withdrawal of the medication; the concentration of DMZ and HMMNI was measured in plasma, muscle, kidney, and liver. DMZ in the plasma amounted to 22 and 1.8 ppb at 2 and 6 h, while HMMNI declined from 535 ppb at 2 h to 0.75 ppb at 25 h. Most values for both substances found in muscle were close to those in the plasma; in kidney they amounted to 9-17% of the plasma levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Systemic absorption of metronidazole by the vaginal route.

A study was designed to compare the systemic absorption of metronidazole by the oral and vaginal routes. Nine subjects received single 500-mg doses of the oral, vaginal insert, and vaginal cream preparations on three occasions. Approximately 20% bioavailability was demonstrated from both vaginal forms. Mean peak plasma concentrations were 15.56 micrograms/mL for the oral form, 1.86 micrograms/mL for the cream, and 1.89 micrograms/mL for the insert. The mean times to peak concentration were 1.23 hours for the oral dose and 11.11 hours and 20.11 hours for the cream and insert, respectively. The data demonstrate that some vaginal absorption occurs from both the cream and insert preparations of metronidazole.

Influence of the method of application on pharmacokinetics of nitroglycerin from ointment in humans.

A study was designed to test the influence of surface area on the percutaneous absorption of nitroglycerin from a commercial ointment formulation, using a simple crossover design. On separate occasions, three volunteers were given 16 mg of nitroglycerin (2%) over a 25- and 100-cm2 area. Plasma nitroglycerin concentration was measured at 30, 45, 60, and 90 min using a sensitive capillary GLC-electron-capture detection method capable of quantitating to 150 pg/ml. Plasma concentrations at all times increased at least twofold with the increased surface area; highest observed concentrations were 0.17 and 0.41 ng/ml, respectively. A fourth volunteer received 16 and 32 mg of nitroglycerin over 100 cm2. Doubling the dose increased the 0-90-min AUC by only 76% but caused a 3.5-fold increase in the 90-min plasma concentration. These results suggest that the surface area of application significantly influences the pharmacokinetics of nitroglycerin ointment.

The assay and absorption kinetics of oral theophylline-7-acetic acid in the human.

A sensitive and specific method for the estimation of theophylline-7-acetic acid in plasma by high performance liquid chromatography is described. Acidified plasma is extracted with chloroform-n-butanol (85: 15), back extracted with phosphate buffer (0.5 mmol-1, pH 6.5), and finally the acidified aqueous phase extracted again with chloroform-butanol. After evaporation of the extract the residue is redissolved in the chromatographic mobile phase (hexane-dichloromethane-ethanol-acetic acid, 10 : 86 : 3 : 1) and chromatographed on silica gel. The method was used to follow the plasma theophylline-7-acetic acid concentrations in two volunteers after single oral doses of 1.0 g of the drug. The results confirm previous reports, based on urine data and on plasma data following intravenous administration, that the drug is poorly absorbed (apparent bioavailability of 1 and 2 per cent), rapidly eliminated (half-life of 1.0 and 2.4 h) and not converted to theophylline.

Quantitation of acetazolamide in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A method for estimating acetazolamide concentrations in human plasma is described. Buffered plasma (pH 4.8) containing chlorothiazide as an internal standard is extracted twice with ethyl acetate. The extract is evaporated, redissolved, and chromatographed on silica gel with hexane-chloroform-methanol-acetic acid (65:25:10:0.25) as the mobile phase. The extraction efficiencies were greater than 90%, the coefficients of variation at 1 and 30 micrograms/ml of plasma were 3.5 and 2.0%, respectively, and the calibration curves were linear and had an intercept of essentially zero. The suitability of the method for pharmacokinetic studies was verified in a normal volunteer dosed with 250-mg (solution) and 500-mg (sustained-release tablet) acetazolamide formulations.

Effects of varying irrelevant information on adult age differences in problem solving.

Sixty young (M = 20.6), middle-aged (M = 52.4), and elderly (M = 72.6) men and women solved problems which required them to match one of two stimulus arrays to a standard. On each problem one dimension (color, form, number, or position) was relevant to correct matching, and three dimensions, which were either variable or constant, were irrelevant to solution. Age and the number of variable irrelevant dimensions were the best predictors of reaction time and error scores. Young were significantly faster than middle-aged and the middle-aged were faster than the elderly. The elderly made most errors, but the young and middle-aged were not significantly different from each other. Reaction times and errors increased as the number of variable irrelevant dimensions increased. For the elderly there was a disproportionate increase in both reaction times and errors as levels of irrelevancy increased. No reliable differences were found with regard to gender. The results were discussed in terms of an age-related decline in the ability to ignore irrelevant information.

The estimation of quinidine in human plasma by ion pair extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography.

A rapid, sensitive, accurate method for determination of quinidine in plasma has been developed using ion-pair extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography. The method, which is capable of distinguishing between quinidine and dihydroquinidine, involves acidification of plasma with perchloric acid, extraction with methyl isobutyl ketone and chromatography of the carbonate-washed extract on a silica gel column with a mobile phase of methylene chloride-hexane-methanol--perchloric acid (60:35:5.5:0.1) followed by fluorometric detection. The procedure is sensitive to below 50 ng/ml (coefficient of variation 6.6%) and compares favourably with a standard spectrofluorometric method when tested with plasma from volunteer subjects.