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In the present work, a novel workflow based on complementary gas-phase separations for the identification of isomeric PAHs from complex mixtures is described. This is the first report on the coupling of gas chromatography (GC), atmospheric pressure laser ionization (APLI), and trapped ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (TIMS-MS) for the characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Over a hundred known unknowns are uniquely identified based on the molecular ion retention indices I (5%), mobility (RSD < 0.6% and R = 50-90 with Sr = 0.18 V/ms), mobility-based theoretical candidate assignment (

Diapause is one of the major strategies for insects to prepare for and survive harsh seasons. In females, the absence of juvenile hormone (JH) is a hallmark of adult reproductive diapause, a developmental arrest, which is much less characterized in males. Here we show that juvenile hormone III skipped bisepoxide (JHSB

Methyl farnesoate (MF) plays hormonal regulatory roles in crustaceans. An epoxidated form of MF, known as juvenile hormone (JH), controls metamorphosis and stimulates reproduction in insects. To address the evolutionary significance of MF epoxidation, we generated mosquitoes completely lacking either of the two enzymes that catalyze the last steps of MF/JH biosynthesis and epoxidation, respectively: the JH acid methyltransferase (JHAMT) and the P450 epoxidase CYP15 (EPOX). jhamt(−/−) larvae lacking both MF and JH died at the onset of metamorphosis. Strikingly, epox(−/−) mutants, which synthesized MF but no JH, completed the entire life cycle. While epox(−/−) adults were fertile, the reproductive performance of both sexes was dramatically reduced. Our results suggest that although MF can substitute for the absence of JH in mosquitoes, it is with a significant fitness cost. We propose that MF can fulfill most roles of JH, but its epoxidation to JH was a key innovation providing insects with a reproductive advantage.

The mobilization of nutrient reserves into the ovaries of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes after sugar-feeding plays a vital role in the female’s reproductive maturation. In the present work, three-dimensional secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging (3D-SIMS) was used to generate ultrahigh spatial resolution (~1 μm) chemical maps and study the composition and spatial distribution of lipids at the single ovarian follicle level (~100 μm in size). 3D-Mass Spectrometry Imaging (3D-MSI) allowed the identification of cellular types in the follicle (oocyte, nurse and follicular cells) using endogenous markers, and revealed that most of the triacyglycerides (TGs) were compartmentalized in the oocyte region. By comparing follicles from water-fed and sugar-fed females (n=2), 3D-MSI-Time of Flight-SIMS showed that TGs were more abundant in ovarian follicles of sugar-fed females; despite relative sample reproducibility per feeding condition, more biological replicates will better support the trends observed. While the current 3D-MSI-TOF-SIMS does not permit MS/MS analysis of the lipid species, complementary LC-MS/MS analysis of the ovarian follicles aided tentative lipid assignments of the SIMS data. The combination of these MS approaches is giving us a first glimpse of the distribution of functionally relevant ovarian lipid molecules at the cellular level. These new tools can be used to investigate the roles of different lipids on follicle fitness and overall mosquito reproductive output.

In the present work, a fast separation, identification and quantification workflow based on liquid chromatography coupled to trapped ion mobility in tandem with mass spectrometry (LC-TIMS-MS) is described for the analysis of common isomeric drugs of abuse and their metabolites in human urine. In particular, the analytical performance of LC-TIMS-MS is shown for identification based on retention time, collision cross section and accurate mass for three sets of common isomeric opioids and their deuterated analogs in urine. The LC-TIMS-MS analysis provided limits of detection of 1.4-35.2 ng/mL with demonstrated linearity up to 500 ng/mL, enabling discovery and targeted monitoring (DTM) of opioids in urine, with high precision in retention times (RT) ( 0.3%), collision cross sections (CCS) ( 0.6%) and mass accuracy ( 1 ppm) across multiple measurements using external calibration. A good agreement was observed between theoretical and experimental CCS from candidate structures optimized at the DFT/B3LYP level. The need for complementary liquid and mobility separations prior to mass analysis is shown for the analysis of complex mixtures, with mobility resolving power of 80-130. The reproducibility and high speed of LC-TIMS-MS analysis provides a powerful platform for drug and metabolite screening in biological matrices with higher precision and confidence than traditional LC-multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) approaches.

Interactions between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and different physical-chemical forms of iron (Fe) represent important biogeochemical processes in the organic carbon cycle. Due to the effect of climate change and anthropogenic activities such as land-use change, the loading of terrestrial DOM into aquatic systems is increasing, and thus, enhancing the organic matter-based acidity in aquatic ecosystems. While complexation of Fe with DOM and the sorption of DOM on iron oxides and (oxy)hydroxides have been reported, less is known about how co-precipitation processes might affect by DOM composition. Here the co-precipitation of two DOM standards, namely the Suwannee River Standard Humic Acid Standard II (SRHA) and Nordic Aquatic Fulvic Acid Reference (NAFA), with Fe was investigated in a pH range of 4.0–8.0. The DOM remaining after co-precipitating with Fe was systematically characterized by various analytical methods to reveal the molecular fractionation of DOM. The co-precipitation of SRHA or NAFA with Fe was enhanced by decreasing the pH, where at pH 4.0, about 70~80% DOC of SRHA or NAFA was removed at Fe(III)/C ratios higher than 0.12. The decrease in SUVA254 and the humification index (HIX) during the co-precipitation process suggests that DOM with high aromatic character was preferentially co-precipitated with Fe. DOM molecular weight influenced the selectivity to co-precipitation, with high molecular weight (HMW) DOM showing a stronger affinity. DOM co-precipitation with Fe was clearly dependent on DOM composition, showing an affinity order of terrestrial humic-like> ubiquitous humic-like> microbial humic-like components. The difference in the reactivity and the relative abundances of excitation emission matrix fluorescence combined with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) components explained the difference in DOC removal efficiency between SRHA and NAFA. This study provides direct insights into the effects of DOM composition on its fractionation specifically through co-precipitation with Fe, and suggests that for aquatic systems rich in iron-based (oxy)hydroxides, and for environmental redox interfaces, co-precipitation of DOM with iron might affect optical properties of the aqueous phase, and represent an important sink for terrestrially-derived organic matter.

Juvenile hormones (JHs) are sesquiterpenoids synthesized by the corpora allata (CA). They play critical roles during insect development and reproduction. The first JH was described in 1934 as a "metamorphosis inhibitory hormone" in Rhodnius prolixus by Sir Vincent B. Wigglesworth. Remarkably, in spite of the importance of R. prolixus as vectors of Chagas disease and model organisms in insect physiology, the original JH that Wigglesworth described for the kissing-bug R. prolixus remained unidentified. We employed liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to search for the JH homologs present in the hemolymph of fourth instar nymphs of R. prolixus. Wigglesworth's original JH is the JH III skipped bisepoxide (JHSB3), a homolog identified in other heteropteran species. Changes in the titer of JHSB3 were studied during the 10-day long molting cycle of 4th instar nymph, between a blood meal and the ecdysis to 5th instar. In addition we measured the changes of mRNA levels in the CA for the 13 enzymes of the JH biosynthetic pathway during the molting cycle of 4th instar. Almost 90 years after the first descriptions of the role of JH in insects, this study finally reveals that the specific JH homolog responsible for Wigglesworth's original observations is JHSB3., Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

PURPOSE Firefighters around the world are exposed to physical hazards and toxic chemical agents during fire incident response. Occupational epidemiologic studies of the firefighter workforce have documented an excess cancer risk for brain, digestive, genitourinary, and lymphohematopoietic organs compared with the general population. Despite the elevated cancer risk, little is known about what specific types of carcinogenic chemicals first responders encounter during a typical work shift, particularly in low-resources settings, like the Dominican Republic. This pilot study characterizes objective measurements of carcinogenic exposure using passive sampling silicone-based wristbands among Dominican firefighters. METHODS Firefighters from a metropolitan fire service in the Dominican Republic were asked to wear a silicone-based wristband during one typical 24-hour shift. A pre- and postshift survey was administered to the firefighter to assess their self-reported sociodemographic, employment, and work shift characteristics. Wristbands were collected after their 24-hour shift and processed for the type and quantity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a family of known carcinogenic compounds, to which firefighters were exposed. RESULTS Among 15 firefighters who wore a wristband during their 24-hour shift, 73.3% responded to a fire with an average of 3.7 calls during the shift. Fire incident responses included structural fires (54.5%), outside and other fires (36.4%), and vehicle fires (9.1%). Total PAH exposure was significantly higher among Dominican firefighters who responded to a fire compared with firefighters with no fire during their shift (261 parts per billion [ppb] v 117 ppb, respectively; P = .003). Among the 19 PAHs quantified, low-molecular-weight phenanthrene was present in the highest concentration (32 ppb) among firefighters not responding to fires. CONCLUSION Passive objective sampling of PAHs using silicone-based wristbands among Dominican firefighters showed direct exposure to carcinogenic compounds during a typical 24-hour firefighter shift. Firefighters not attending a fire had lower levels of PAHs, suggesting carcinogenic contaminants are present at the fire station.

Lipids are a major class of molecules that play key roles in different biological processes. Understanding their biological roles and mechanisms remains analytically challenging due to their high isomeric content (e.g., varying acyl chain positions and/or double bond locations/geometries) in eukaryotic cells. In the present work, a combination of liquid chromatography (LC) followed by high resolution trapped ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (TIMS-MS) was used to investigate common isomeric glycerophosphocholine (PC) and diacylglycerol (DG) lipid species from human plasma. The LC dimension was effective for the separation of isomeric lipid species presenting distinct double bond locations or geometries but was not able to differentiate lipid isomers with distinct acyl chain positions. High resolution TIMS-MS resulted in the identification of lipid isomers that differ in the double bond locations/geometries as well as in the position of the acyl chain with resolving power ( R) up to ∼410 ( R ∼ 320 needed on average). Extremely small structural differences exhibiting collision cross sections (CCS) of less than 1% (down to 0.2%) are sufficient for the discrimination of the isomeric lipid species using TIMS-MS. The same level of performance was maintained in the complex biological mixture for the biologically relevant PC 16:0/18:1 lipid isomers. These results suggest several advantages of using complementary LC-TIMS-MS separations for regular lipidomic analysis, with the main emphasis in the elucidation of isomer-specific lipid biological activities.

Anophelinae mosquitoes are vectors of human malaria, a disease that infects hundreds of millions of people and causes almost 600,000 fatalities annually. Despite their medical importance, laboratory studies on key aspects of Anophelinae reproductive biology have been limited, and in particular, relatively little is known about the role of juvenile hormone (JH) in the control of female reproduction. The study presented here attempts to fill a gap of knowledge in our understanding of the JH control of ovarian development in female Anophelinae mosquitoes, using Anopheles albimanus as a model. Our studies revealed that JH controls the tempo of maturation of primary follicles in An. albimanus in a similar manner to that previously described in Aedes aegypti. At adult eclosion JH hemolymph titer was low, increased in 1-day old sugar-fed insects, and decreased in blood fed individuals. JH titers decreased if An. albimanus females were starved, and were reduced if insects emerged with low teneral reserves, precluding previtellogenic ovarian development. However, absolute hemolymph titers were lower than Ae. aegypti. Decapitation experiments suggested that if teneral reserves are sufficient, factors from the head activate JH synthesis by the corpora allata (CA) during the first 9–12 h after adult emergence. In conclusion, our studies support the hypothesis that JH controls previtellogenic ovarian development in female An. albimanus mosquitoes, in a similar manner that have been described in Culicinae.

Background: Prosigna's ROR score was demonstrated as a strong predictor of response to NAC in a representative cohort of EBC patients including HR+/HER2- N0-N1 patients.1 Given that the ROR score is partially derived from the correlation of the tumor's expression profile to that of the four prototypical intrinsic subtypes, we determined the relative strength of the association between each subtype correlation and the likelihood of response to NAC. Methods: We analyzed 294 FFPE breast cancer samples from pts treated with NAC (anthracyclines and taxanes) in a multi-center Spanish cohort. The Prosigna Assay was performed on the NanoString nCounter® Dx Analysis System at HU Virgen de la Victoria de Málaga/CIMES-UMA. Pathologic complete response (pCR) was used as the primary endpoint for this study and was determined using the Miller and Payne scoring criteria. Results: Mean patient age in this population was 50 (±11yr). Apart from targeted therapy, all patients received a standard neoadjuvant treatment regimen consisting of 8-12 cycles of anthracyclines and taxanes. 58% of patients were HR+/HER2- while 24% were classified as HER2+ and 18% were TNBC patients. Of the 311 pts samples previously tested, subtype correlation data was available for 294. Overall subtype concordance between IHC and Prosigna was 72% (K=0.66). The overall pCR rate in this population was 24.9%. Prosigna subtype breakdown in the full study population was 60 Luminal A, 118 Luminal B, 69 HER2-enriched and 47 Basal-like with response rates of 7.2%, 7.2%, 46.2% and 57.4%, respectively. We found that in all study populations, subtype correlation was a strong predictor of response to NAC. Tumors with expression profiles that correlated well with the Luminal prototypical centroids were found to be largely unresponsive to NAC (Luminal A Odds ratio=0.074 per unit increase, p 1Rodriguez B, Lavado Fernandez A, Ribelles N, et al. Prosigna (PAM50) to predict response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in HR+/HER2- early breast cancer (EBC) patients. J Clin Oncol 33, 2015 (suppl; abstr 11049). Citation Format: Chica Parrado R, Jiménez-Rodríguez B, Sánchez Rovira P, Álvarez M, Vicioso L, Fernandez AI, de Luque V, José Lozano M, Villar E, Zarcos I, Ramírez C, González-Hermoso C, Jeiranian A, Dowidar N, Schaper C, Buckingham W, Ferree S, Ribelles N, Rodrigo I, Prat AP, Alba E. Prosigna® subtype correlation is a strong predictor of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in early breast cancer (EBC) study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-07-15.

Background: The role of the HER2-enriched (HER2E) subtype determined by the Prosigna Assay in the neoadjuvant setting has remained largely uncharacterized. In this study, we examine whether Prosigna can identify a subgroup of HER2+ patients for whom combination neoadjuvant therapy that includes trastuzumab (Herceptin) is associated with a greater likelihood of pathological complete response (pCR). Methods: In this single-arm retrospective analysis, 75 patients determined to be HER2+ by IHC were treated with a neoadjuvant regimen (NAC) consisting of 8-12 cycles of anthracyclines and taxanes as well as Herceptin. The Prosigna Assay was performed on the NanoString nCounter® Dx Analysis System at HU Virgende la Victoria de Málaga/CIMES-UMA. pCR was used as the endpoint for this study and was determined using the Miller & Payne scoring criteria. Results: Mean patient age for this study population was 49 (±11.1yr) and all patients were determined to be HER2+ by IHC. The overall pCR rate in this patient population was 46.2%. Of the 75 patient samples analyzed for this study, 59 (78.6%) were HER2E, 4 (5.3%) were Luminal A and 12 (16.1%) were Luminal B, as identified by the Prosigna Assay. Of the 16 tumors classified as Luminal (A or B) by Prosigna within this HER2+ population, only 2 (12.5%) responders were observed. Categorical analysis revealed that Prosigna subtype predicted response to a NAC regimen combined with Herceptin (Odds ratio [Her2E vs. non-Her2E]=6.4, p=0.023). Further analysis of the Her2E subtype revealed that tumors with profile expression that correlated well with the prototypical Her2E centroid were significantly more likely to respond to combination NAC and Herceptin (Odds ratio [Unit increase of 1 in Her2E correlation]=88.2, p=0.004). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that HER2+ patients with greater correlations to the HER2E subtype have an increased likelihood of response to combination neoadjuvant regimens that included HER2-targeted therapy. Citation Format: Santonja Á, Ribelles N, Jiménez-Rodríguez B, Sánchez Rovira P, Álvarez M, Vicioso L, Isabel Fernandez A, de Luque V, Fernández de Sousa C, Villar E, Zarcos I, Ramírez C, González-Hermoso C, Jeiranian A, Dowidar N, Schaper C, Buckingham W, Ferree S, Jiménez A, Prat A, Alba E. Prosigna® intrinsic subtyping predicts response to neoadjuvant combination therapy in study that includes herceptin within HER2+ (IHC) patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-07-14.

An online SPE-LC-HRMS method was developed to monitor the consumption of 18 drugs of abuse (DOAs) including amphetamines, opioids, cocainics, cannabinoids, lysergics, and their corresponding metabolites in a well characterized college campus setting via wastewater analysis. Filtered and diluted (10×) sewage water samples (5 mL inj.) were automatically pre-concentrated and analyzed in 15 min using a Thermo EQuan MAX online SPE system equipped with a HyperSep™ Retain PEP (20×2.1 mm×12 μm) SPE column and a Hypersil Gold™ aQ (150×2.1 mm×3 μm) analytical column. A Q Exactive™ Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap HRMS was used in full scan mode (R=140,000) for positive identification, and quantitation of target compounds. Method detection limits for all analytes ranged between 0.6 and 1.7 ng/L in sewage. A total of 14 DOAs were detected from two different locations (dorms and main college campus) within a one-year period. Most frequently detected drugs throughout the entire study were amphetamine (>96%) and THC's metabolite 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ-9-THC (>100%) with maximum concentrations of 5956 and 2413 ng/L respectively. Daily doses per 1000 people were determined in order to assess consumption of THC, amphetamine, heroin and cocaine, in both dorms and main campus.

RATIONALE There is a need for fast, post-ionization separation during the analysis of complex mixtures. In this study, we evaluate the use of a high-resolution mobility analyzer with high-resolution and ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry for unsupervised molecular feature detection. Goals include the study of the reproducibility of trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS) across platforms, applicability range, and potential challenges during routine analysis. METHODS A TIMS analyzer was coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF MS) and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) instruments for the analysis of singly charged species in the m/z 150-800 range of a complex mixture (Suwannee River Fulvic Acid Standard). Molecular features were detected using an unsupervised algorithm based on chemical formula and IMS profiles. RESULTS TIMS-TOF MS and TIMS-FT-ICR MS analysis provided 4950 and 7760 m/z signals, 1430 and 3050 formulas using the general Cx Hy N0-3 O0-19 S0-1 composition, and 7600 and 22 350 [m/z; chemical formula; K; CCS] features, respectively. CONCLUSIONS TIMS coupled to TOF MS and FT-ICR MS showed similar performance and high reproducibility. For the analysis of complex mixtures, both platforms were able to capture the major trends and characteristics; however, as the chemical complexity at the level of nominal mass increases with m/z (m/z >300-350), only TIMS-FT-ICR MS was able to report the lower abundance compositional trends.

Juvenile hormone (JH) is a major hormonal regulator in insects. In Aedes aegypti females, JH signals the completion of the ecdysis to the adult stage and initiates reproductive processes. Although the regulation of JH synthesis and titer in Ae. aegypti females has been extensively studied, relatively little is known about changes of JH synthesis and titers in male mosquitoes, as well as on the roles of JH controlling male reproductive biology. A better understanding of male mosquito reproductive biology, including an improved knowledge of the hormonal control of reproduction, could increase the likelihood of success of male-targeting vector control programs. Using a high performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry method, we measured JH biosynthesis and hemolymph levels in male mosquitoes during pupal and adult stages. Our results revealed tightly concomitant changes in JH biosynthesis and JH hemolymph titers. Synthesis of JH III was very low in late pupae , significantly increased during the first 24 h after adult eclosion , and then remained relatively constant during the first six days after adult eclosion. Feeding high sugar diets resulted in an increase of JH synthesis and titers, and starvation significantly decreased JH synthesis, but this effect could be reversed by changing the males back to a high sugar diet. JH synthesis rates were similar in virgin and mated males, but hemolymph JH levels were different in well-nourished virgin and mated males. Starvation resulted in a significant reduction in insemination rates; with well-nourished males inseminating 2 times more females than water-fed. Giving a 20% sugar meal for 24 h to those mosquitoes that were previously starved for 6 days, caused a significant rise in insemination rates, restoring them to levels similar to those recorded for 20% fed males. These results suggest that nutrition plays a role on male fecundity, and this effect might be mediated by JH.

Routine monitoring of environmental pollution demands simplicity and speed without sacrificing sensitivity or accuracy. The development and application of sensitive, fast and easy to implement analytical methodologies for detecting emerging and traditional water and airborne contaminants in South Florida is presented. A novel method was developed for quantification of the herbicide glyphosate based on lyophilization followed by derivatization and simultaneous detection by fluorescence and mass spectrometry. Samples were analyzed from water canals that will hydrate estuarine wetlands of Biscayne National Park, detecting inputs of glyphosate from both aquatic usage and agricultural runoff from farms. A second study describes a set of fast, automated LC-MS/MS protocols for the analysis of dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DOSS) and 2-butoxyethanol, two components of Corexit ® . Around 1.8 million gallons of those dispersant formulations were used in the response efforts for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010. The methods presented here allow the trace-level detection of these compounds in seawater, crude oil and commercial dispersants formulations. In addition, two methodologies were developed for the analysis of well-known pollutants, namely Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and airborne particulate matter (APM). PAHs are ubiquitous environmental contaminants and some are potent carcinogens. Traditional GC-MS analysis is labor-intensive and consumes large amounts of toxic solvents. My study provides an alternative automated SPE-LC-APPI-MS/MS analysis with minimal sample preparation and a lower solvent consumption. The system can inject, extract, clean, separate and detect 28 PAHs and 15 families of alkylated PAHs in 28 minutes. The methodology was tested with environmental samples from Miami. Airborne Particulate Matter is a mixture of particles of chemical and biological origin. Assessment of its elemental composition is critical for the protection of sensitive ecosystems and public health. The APM collected from Port Everglades between 2005 and 2010 was analyzed by ICP-MS after acid digestion of filters. The most abundant elements were Fe and Al, followed by Cu, V and Zn. Enrichment factors show that hazardous elements (Cd, Pb, As, Co, Ni and Cr) are introduced by anthropogenic activities. Data suggest that the major sources of APM were an electricity plant, road dust, industrial emissions and marine vessels.

In the present work, the potential of trapped ion mobility spectrometry coupled to TOF mass spectrometry (TIMS-TOF MS) for discovery and targeted monitoring of peptide biomarkers from human-in-mouse xenograft tumor tissue was evaluated. In particular, a TIMS-MS workflow was developed for the detection and quantification of peptide biomarkers using internal heavy analogs, taking advantage of the high mobility resolution (R = 150-250) prior to mass analysis. Five peptide biomarkers were separated, identified, and quantified using offline nanoESI-TIMS-CID-TOF MS; the results were in good agreement with measurements using a traditional LC-ESI-MS/MS proteomics workflow. The TIMS-TOF MS analysis permitted peptide biomarker detection based on accurate mobility, mass measurements, and high sequence coverage for concentrations in the 10-200 nM range, while simultaneously achieving discovery measurements of not initially targeted peptides as markers from the same proteins and, eventually, other proteins. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

This study reports the development and application of a liquid chromatography method coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the identification and quantification of the five most common juvenile hormone (JH) homologs and methyl farnesoate (MF). The protocol allows the simultaneous analysis in a single LC run of JH I, JH II, JH III, JH III bisepoxide (JHB3) and JH III skipped bisepoxide (JHSB3). The identification of JHs is based on multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), using two of the most abundant fragmentation transitions for each hormone. Addition of deuterated JH III as an internal standard permits the absolute quantification of the different JHs. The JH homologs common structural features led to similar chromatographic behavior, as well as related fragmentation patterns, which facilitated the simultaneous detection of all the homologs in a single LC-MS/MS run. The protocol detects JHs in the low femtomole range, allowing often the analysis of JH in individual insects. Fragmentation of each of the JH homologs generates unique diagnostic ions that permitted the identification and quantification of JHs from samples of different species of Diptera, Lepidoptera, Heteroptera and Hymenoptera. Having a simple protocol, which can undisputedly determine the identity of the homologs present in a particular species, provides us with the opportunity to identify and quantify JHs existing in insects that are pests, vector of diseases or important research models.

Dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DOSS) is one of the main components of Corexit® EC9500A, a chemical dispersant formulation used at the surface and at depth during the response to the Deepwater Horizon incident. Despite being a high volume use chemical, data on its environmental stability are scarce. Hydrolysis and photodegradation of DOSS in both pure water and seawater were reported in the present study. DOSS photodegraded much faster under ultraviolet light source (254 nm, with half-life in hours) compared to relevant environmental light sources i.e., 350 nm and solar simulator (with half-lives in days). LC/MS-MS analysis of hydrolysis and photo-irradiated samples showed the presence of a common degradation product. MS/MS fragmentation of that product indicated a substitution of an octyl group by a hydroxyl group with a corresponding formula of C12H21O7S, which was confirmed by HRMS detection (Q-TOF, m/z 309.1017, +1.29 ppm).

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous compounds that enter the environment from natural and anthropogenic sources, often used as markers to determine the extent, fate, and potential effects on natural resources after a crude oil accidental release. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) after liquid-liquid extraction (LLE+GC-MS) has been extensively used to isolate and quantify both parent and alkylated PAHs. However, it requires labor-intensive extraction and cleanup steps and generates large amounts of toxic solvent waste. Therefore, there is a clear need for greener, faster techniques with enough reproducibility and sensitivity to quantify many PAHs in large numbers of water samples in a short period of time. This study combines online solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography (LC) separation with dopant-assisted atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) and tandem MS detection, to provide a one-step protocol that detects PAHs at low nanograms per liter with almost no sample preparation and with a significantly lower consumption of toxic halogenated solvents. Water samples were amended with methanol, fortified with isotopically labeled PAHs, and loaded onto an online SPE column, using a large-volume sample loop with an auxiliary LC pump for sample preconcentration and salt removal. The loaded SPE column was connected to an UPLC pump and analytes were backflushed to a Thermo Hypersil Green PAH analytical column where a 20-min gradient separation was performed at a variable flow rate. Detection was performed by a triple-quadrupole MS equipped with a gas-phase dopant delivery system, using 1.50 mL of chlorobenzene dopant per run. In contrast, LLE+GC-MS typically use 150 mL of organic solvents per sample, and methylene chloride is preferred because of its low boiling point. However, this solvent has a higher environmental persistence than chlorobenzene and is considered a carcinogen. The automated system is capable of performing injection, online SPE, inorganic species removal, LC separation, and MS/MS detection in 28 min. Selective reaction monitoring was used to detect 28 parent PAHs and 15 families of alkylated PAHs. The methodology is comparable to traditional GC-MS and was tested with surface seawater, rainwater runoff, and a wastewater treatment plant effluent. Positive detections above reporting limits are described. The virtual absence of sample preparation could be particularly advantageous for real-time monitoring of discharge events that introduce PAHs into environmental compartments, such as accidental releases of petroleum derivates and other human-related events. This work covers optimization of APPI detection and SPE extraction efficiency, a comparison with LLE+GC-MS in terms of sensitivity and chromatographic resolution, and examples of environmental applications.

After the incident on the Deepwater Horizon platform, around 1.8 million gallons of dispersants were used in the field as part of the response cleanup efforts. This study describes an online solid phase extraction-liquid chromatography (LC)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method and a direct-injection LC-MS/MS method for the analysis of dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DOSS; a component in Corexit® EC9500A) in seawater at trace levels, with method detection limits (MDLs) of 7.0 and 440 ng/L and run times of 7 and 17 min, respectively. Stability and preservation studies demonstrated that samples at 4.7 μg/L could be preserved for up to 150 days without loss of analyte when stored with 33 % acetonitrile in glass containers. Data acquisition was performed by heated electrospray ionization (ESI) MS/MS operating in negative mode. Methods were validated in terms of percent recovery in fortified blank and matrix samples and to evaluate carryover. A simple modification of the direct-injection method allowed quantitation of 2-butoxyethanol, a dispersant component specific to the Corexit® EC9527A formulation. This method was used to simultaneously quantify DOSS and 2-butoxyethanol in two Corexit® formulations and extracts from an MC-252 source oil standard. MDLs in crude oil were 0.723 and 4.46 mg/kg, respectively, with recoveries of (92 ± 9)% for DOSS and (104 ± 8)% for 2-butoxyethanol. Detection of both indicators was achieved in a single chromatographic run by ESI-MS/MS operating sequentially in positive and negative mode. Corexit® EC9500A and Corexit® EC9527A were found to contain (21 ± 2)% and (22 ± 5)% w/w DOSS and 0 and (37 ± 2)% w/w 2-butoxyethanol, respectively.

In the present work, a new protocol for fast separation and quantification of JH III from biological samples using liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry is described. In particular, the proposed protocol improves existing methodologies by combining a limited number of sample preparation steps with fast LC-MS/MS detection, providing lower limits of detection and demonstrated matrix effect control, together with high inter and intraday reproducibility. A limit of detection of 8pg/mL (0.32pg on column) was achieved, representing a 15-fold gain in sensitivity with respect to previous LC-MS based protocols. The performance of the LC-MS/MS protocol is comparable to previously described JH III quantitation protocol based on fluorescence detection, with the added advantage that quantification is independent of the availability of fluorescent tags that are often unavailable or show quite diverse responses on a batch-to-batch basis. Additionally, a detailed description of the JH III fragmentation pathway is provided for the first time, based on isolation of the molecular ion and their intermediate fragments using in-source MS/MS, MS/MS(n) and FT-ICR MS/MS measurements. The JH III workflow was evaluated as a function of developmental changes, sugar feeding and farnesoic acid stimulation in mosquitoes and can be applied to the detection of other juvenile hormones.

Because of its widespread consumption and its persistence during wastewater treatment, the artificial sweetener sucralose has gained considerable interest as a proxy to detect wastewater intrusion into usable water resources. The molecular resilience of this compound dictates that coastal and oceanic waters are the final recipient of this compound with unknown effects on ecosystems. Furthermore, no suitable methodologies have been reported for routine, ultra-trace detection of sucralose in seawater as the sensitivity of traditional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis is limited by a low yield of product ions upon collision-induced dissociation (CID). In this work, we report the development and field test of an alternative analysis tool for sucralose in environmental waters, with enough sensitivity for the proper quantitation and confirmation of this analyte in seawater. The methodology is based on automated online solid-phase extraction (SPE) and high-resolving-power orbitrap MS detection. Operating in full scan (no CID), detection of the unique isotopic pattern (100:96:31 for [M-H](-), [M-H+2](-), and [M-H+4](-), respectively) was used for ultra-trace quantitation and analyte identification. The method offers fast analysis (14 min per run) and low sample consumption (10 mL per sample) with method detection and confirmation limits (MDLs and MCLs) of 1.4 and 5.7 ng/L in seawater, respectively. The methodology involves low operating costs due to virtually no sample preparation steps or consumables. As an application example, samples were collected from 17 oceanic and estuarine sites in Broward County, FL, with varying salinity (6-40 PSU). Samples included the ocean outfall of the Southern Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) that serves Hollywood, FL. Sucralose was detected above MCL in 78% of the samples at concentrations ranging from 8 to 148 ng/L, with the exception of the WWTP ocean outfall (at pipe end, 28 m below the surface) where the measured concentration was 8418 ± 3813 ng/L. These results demonstrate the applicability of this monitoring tool for the trace-level detection of this wastewater marker in very dilute environmental waters.

A novel method was developed for the analysis of the herbicide glyphosate and its main metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) based on lyophilization. Sample preparation steps are limited to fortification with aspartic acid as internal standard and water removal by lyophilization (3-4 days for 72 samples), followed by suspension of dry residues in borate buffer (pH=9.0) and addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate (FMOC-Cl) for pre-column derivatization. The obtained derivatization mixture was injected on a highly endcapped C18 column where a basic pH gradient separation of the anionic analytes from neutral derivatization byproducts was achieved, with simultaneous quantitation by fluorescence and compound confirmation by tandem mass spectrometry. Method detection limits (for 20 mL samples) were 0.058 μg/L and 0.108 μg/L for glyphosate and AMPA, respectively. The method had a high dynamic range (0.1-50.0 μg/L) which allowed quantitation at both background and high levels of the herbicide. As a case study, the methodology was successfully applied to detect the occurrence of these compounds in water canals managed by the South Florida Water Management District. These canals will be used as freshwater source to hydrate estuarine wetlands of Biscayne National Park under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project, in order to decrease ecosystem stress from hypersaline conditions caused by anthropogenic reduction of historical freshwater flow towards the Biscayne Bay. Method development, validation, advantages, limitations and measured environmental concentrations are discussed. This methodology has minimal requirements in terms of materials, instruments and analyst training, which could represent a desirable tool for laboratories interested in the monitoring of glyphosate in surface waters.