Reference measurement procedure for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in serum
An isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (ID-GC/MS) reference measurement procedure for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in serum was developed and validated. The method complies with the concept of a ratio primary reference measurement procedure. The uncertainty was determined for two concentrations of THC in serum (1 ng/mL and 2.4 ng/mL). The calculation procedure is based on the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM). The relative expanded uncertainty was found to be less than 2% for both concentration levels, corresponding to a 95% confidence interval. For the reference method, it was shown that the measurement of THC within the concentration range covered by the current threshold values is very accurate. The method has the potential to provide traceability for the methods used in practical forensics.
Validation of the quantitative determination of tetrahydrocannabinol and its two major metabolites in plasma by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry according to the total error approach.
In Belgium, driving under the influence (DUI) of cannabis is prohibited and has severe legal consequences for the driver if the blood plasma concentration of Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exceeds 1 µg/L. A method to quantify low concentrations of THC and its hydroxylated (THC-OH) and carboxylated (THC-COOH) metabolites in plasma was developed for DUI but also for other applications. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry seems to be a very convenient method to combine fast chromatographic separation and good sensitivity. The method was validated according to total error approach. Chromatographic separation was achieved in a 3-min total run time. The limits of quantitation were lower or equal to 1 µg/L for all compounds. The linearity of the method was acceptable in the validated range of concentrations (from 0.5 to 50 µg/L for THC, from 0.9 to 50 µg/L for THC-OH and from 1.1 to 100 µg/L for THC-COOH). The biases were lower than 13%, and the relative standard deviations for repeatability and intermediate precision did not exceed 15%. Lower and upper β-expectation tolerance limits did not exceed the acceptance limits of 20% for concentrations higher than 2 µg/L for THC and THC-OH and higher than 4 µg/L for THC-COOH. The acceptance limits were 30% for THC and THC-OH concentrations lower than 2 µg/L and for THC-COOH concentrations lower than 4 µg/L.
Serum testosterone measurement in men: Evaluation of modern immunoassay technologies
Accurate measurement of serum testosterone (T) is essential for proper diagnosis of androgen deficiency. There are now several modern assay technologies, including automated ones, for measurement of T. In this study, we compared analytical performance of five modern immunoassay technologies commonly used for measurement of total T: Vitros ECi (Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics; normal range (n.r.) 4.6–34 nmol/L); Architect (Abbott Laboratories; n.r. 9.7–34 nmol/L); Access (Beckman Coulter; n.r. 5.3–23 nmol/L); Delfia (Perkin-Elmer; n.r. 9.3–34 nmol/L); and manual EIA DRG kits (n.r. 8.3–42 nmol/L), with the classical RIA (3H–T), after extraction (n.r. 11–33 nmol/L), as a reference method. Total T was measured using all above-mentioned methods in serum samples from 100 male patients, aged 16–65 years. Mean T concentrations in these 100 serum samples assayed by all non-isotopic methods were statistically significantly higher than those obtained by RIA. Delfia showed the highest T levels (19.3 nmol/L versus 12.1 nmol/L by RIA) with a positive bias 60–100%. Almost similar results were obtained using Architect, with a positive bias 40–70%. The closest correlation in results was found between Vitros ECi and RIA (12.7 nmol/L versus 12.1 nmol/L). In the studied samples, the median of differences ranged from minimal (−0.4 nmol/L for Vitros ECi) to maximal (−7.25 nmol/L for Delfia). For all non-isotopic methods, with the exception of Vitros ECi, differences in subjects with low T level (<10 nmol/L) were statistically significantly larger than in the subjects with high T (T > 10 nmol/L). All other methods showed different degrees of dissimilarities with the RIA, especially in the range of low testosterone concentrations, which is of importance in the clinical assessment of women and pubertal boys.