This newly described association between AMCase polymorphisms and asthma adds further evidence supporting the involvement of AMCase in the development of asthma.

Since January 2014, the anti-anginal drug trimetazidine [1-(2,3,4-trimethoxybenzyl)-piperazine] has been classified as prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), necessitating specific and robust detection methods in sports drug testing laboratories. In the present study, the implementation of the intact therapeutic agent into two different initial testing procedures based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is reported, along with the characterization of urinary metabolites by electrospray ionization-high resolution/high accuracy (tandem) mass spectrometry. For GC-MS analyses, urine samples were subjected to liquid-liquid extraction sample preparation, while LC-MS/MS analyses were conducted by established 'dilute-and-inject' approaches. Both screening methods were validated for trimetazidine concerning specificity, limits of detection (0.5-50 ng/mL), intra-day and inter-day imprecision (<20%), and recovery (41%) in case of the GC-MS-based method. In addition, major metabolites such as the desmethylated trimetazidine and the corresponding sulfoconjugate, oxo-trimetazidine, and trimetazidine-N-oxide as identified in doping control samples were used to complement the LC-MS/MS-based assay, although intact trimetazidine was found at highest abundance of the relevant trimetazidine-related analytes in all tested sports drug testing samples. Retrospective data mining regarding doping control analyses conducted between 1999 and 2013 at the Cologne Doping Control Laboratory concerning trimetazidine revealed a considerable prevalence of the drug particularly in endurance and strength sports accounting for up to 39 findings per year.

Anastrozole (2,2'-[5-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl)-1.3-phenylene]bis(2-methylpropionitrile)) and exemestane (6-methylenandrostan-1,4-diene-3,17-dione) are therapeutically used to treat hormone-sensitive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. For doping purposes they may be used to counteract adverse effects of an extensive abuse of anabolic androgenic steroids (gynaecomastia) and to increase plasma testosterone concentrations. Excretion study urine samples and spot urine samples from women suffering from metastatic breast cancer, being treated with anastrozole or exemestane, were collected and analyzed to develop/optimize a detection system for anastrozole and exemestane to allow the identification of athletes who do not comply with the internationally prohibited use of these cancer drugs. The assay was based on liquid-liquid extraction after enzymatic hydrolysis following liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Anastrozole, exemestane and its main metabolite (17-dihydroexemestane) were identified in urine by comparison of mass spectra and retention times with respective reference substances. An assay validation for the analysis of anastrozole and exemestane was performed regarding lower limits of detection (anastrozole: 0.02 ng/mL; exemestane: 3.1 ng/mL; dihydroexemestane: 0.5 ng/mL), interday precisions (6.6-11.1%, 4.9-9.1% and 5.6-8.3% for low [10 ng/mL], medium [50 ng/mL] and high [100 ng/mL] concentration) and recoveries (ranged from 85-97%).

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