Dr Shanlin Fu

Fu, S. & Stojanovska, N. 2013, 'Designer Drugs' in Jay A. Siegel and Pekka J. Saukko (eds), Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences, Academic Press, Waltham, pp. 36-44.

Fu, S., Davies, M.J. & Dean, R.T. 1998, 'Molecular aspects of free radical damage to proteins' in Aruoma OI; Halliwell B (eds), Molecular biology of free radicals in humans diseases, OICA International, USA, pp. 29-56.

Kuzhiumparambil, U. & Fu, S. 2013, 'Effect of oxidizing adulterants on human urinary steroid profiles', Steroids, vol. 78, no. 2, pp. 288-296.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>

Steroid profiling is the most versatile and informative technique adapted by doping control laboratories for detection of steroid abuse. The absolute concentrations and ratios of endogenous steroids including testosterone, epitestosterone, androsterone, etiocholanolone, 5a-androstane-3a,17¯-diol and 5¯-androstane-3a,17¯-diol constitute the significant characteristics of a steroid profile. In the present study we report the influence of various oxidizing adulterants on the steroid profile of human urine. Gas chromatography+mass spectrometry analysis was carried out to develop the steroid profile of human male and female urine. Oxidants potassium nitrite, sodium hypochlorite, potassium permanganate, cerium ammonium nitrate, sodium metaperiodate, pyridinium chlorochromate, potassium dichromate and potassium perchlorate were reacted with urine at various concentrations and conditions and the effect of these oxidants on the steroid profile were analyzed. Most of the oxidizing chemicals led to significant changes in endogenous steroid profile parameters which were considered stable under normal conditions. These oxidizing chemicals can cause serious problems regarding the interpretation of steroid profiles and have the potential to act as masking agents that can complicate or prevent the detection of the steroid abuse

Lewis, J., Shimmon, R. & Fu, S. 2013, 'Pethidinic acid: Corroboration of a doctor's denial of pethidine re-use', Journal of Analytical Toxicology, vol. 37, pp. 179-181.
View/Download from: Publisher's site

Molnar, A., Lewis, J. & Fu, S. 2013, 'Recovery of spiked 9-tetrahydrocannabinol in oral fluid from polypropylene containers', Forensic Science International, vol. 227, pp. 69-73.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>

Oral fluid is currently used by Australian and international law enforcement agencies and employers to detect recent use of cannabis and other drugs of abuse. The main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is highly lipophilic and losses occur when in contact with plastic, possibly due to its adsorption onto the plastic surface. This study aims to investigate factors governing the interaction of THC with plastic and search for ways of overcoming such interaction so to improve THC recovery. As polypropylene is one of the most common types of plastic used in collection devices, it was the focus of this study. All experiments were done by preparing neat oral fluid samples spiked with THC in 2-mL polypropylene centrifuge tubes. Samples were transferred with or without prior addition of Triton« X-100 (0.25%) to glass tubes containing d3-THC as internal standard and 0.1M phosphate buffer was then added. Samples were extracted by liquid+liquid extraction using hexane/ethyl acetate (9:1, v/v), dried and analysed by gas chromatography+mass spectrometry (GC+MS) after derivatisation. No significant difference was found in terms of THC loss to plastic when the concentration ranged from 25 to 1000ng/mL in the same volume of oral fluid. Varying the oral fluid volume (0.5+1.5mL) while keeping THC at a constant concentration showed an upward trend with more loss associated with lower volumes. The use of Triton« X-100 significantly decreased the adherence of THC to the plastic tubes and increased the THC transfer (>96%) at all volumes tested. Degradation of THC during storage was also studied over a 4-week period and it was found that azide did not seem to play a significant role in preserving THC in oral fluid.

Stojanovska, N., Fu, S., Tahtouh, M., Kelly, T.L., Beavis, A.B. & Kirkbride, K.P. 2013, 'A review of impurity profiling and synthetic route of manufacture of methylamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine, amphetamine, dimethylamphetamine and p-methoxyamphetamine', Forensic Science International, vol. 224, pp. 8-26.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>

Amphetamine-type substances (ATS), like other synthetically derived compounds, can be produced by a multitude of synthetic pathways using a variety of precursors and reagents, resulting in a large number of possible contaminants (by-products, intermediates and impurities). This review article describes the common contaminants found in preparations of methylamphetamine (MA), 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA), amphetamine (AP), N,N-dimethylamphetamine (DMA) and p-methoxyamphetamine (PMA) synthesised via common synthetic pathways including reductive amination, Leuckart method, Nagai method, Emde method, Birch reduction, +Moscow+ method, Wacker process, +Nitrostyrene+ method and the Peracid oxidation method. Contaminants can facilitate identification of the synthetic route, origin of precursors and may suggest information as to the location of manufacture of these illicit drugs. Contaminant profiling can provide vital intelligence for investigations in which linking seizures or identifying the synthetic pathway is essential. This review article presents an accessible resource; a compilation of contaminants resulting from a variety of manufacturing methods used to synthesise the most common ATS. It is important for research in this field to continue as valuable information can be extracted from illicit drug samples, increasing discrimination amongst ATS, and in turn, leading to an increase in evidential value and forensic drug intelligence from forensic drug samples.

Allsop, D.J., Copeland, J., Norberg, M.M., Fu, S., Molnar, A., Lewis, J. & Budney, A.J. 2012, 'Quantifying the clinical significance of cannabis withdrawal', PLoS One, vol. 7, no. 9, p. e44864.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>

Abstract: Background and Aims: Questions over the clinical significance of cannabis withdrawal have hindered its inclusion as a discrete cannabis induced psychiatric condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV). This study aims to quantify functional impairment to normal daily activities from cannabis withdrawal, and looks at the factors predicting functional impairment. In addition the study tests the influence of functional impairment from cannabis withdrawal on cannabis use during and after an abstinence attempt. Methods and Results: volunteer sample of 49 non-treatment seeking cannabis users who met DSM-IV criteria for dependence provided daily withdrawal-related functional impairment scores during a one-week baseline phase and two weeks of monitored abstinence from cannabis with a one month follow up. Functional impairment from withdrawal symptoms was strongly associated with symptom severity (p = 0.0001). Participants with more severe cannabis dependence before the abstinence attempt reported greater functional impairment from cannabis withdrawal (p = 0.03). Relapse to cannabis use during the abstinence period was associated with greater functional impairment from a subset of withdrawal symptoms in high dependence users. Higher levels of functional impairment during the abstinence attempt predicted higher levels of cannabis use at one month follow up (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Cannabis withdrawal is clinically significant because it is associated with functional impairment to normal daily activities, as well as relapse to cannabis use. Sample size in the relapse group was small and the use of a non-treatment seeking population requires findings to be replicated in clinical samples. Tailoring treatments to target withdrawal symptoms contributing to functional impairment during a quit attempt may improve treatment outcomes.

Charlton, N. & Fu, S. 2012, 'Effect of selected oxidising agents on the detection of 11-nor-9- carboxy--9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in spiked urine', TIAFT Bulletin, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 33-36.

Li, X. & Fu, S. 2012, 'A sensitive gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the determination of patulin in apple juice', Journal of AOAC International, vol. 95, no. 6, pp. 1709-1712.
View description>>

A simple and sensitive GC/MS method was developed for the detection of patulin in apple juice. The method utilized a common laboratory chemical, 3-nitrobenzyl alcohol, as an internal standard. The calibration curve, ranging from 5 to 100 Ág/L, showed good linearity with a correlation coefficient of 0.999. The LOD and LOQ were 2 and 5 Ág/L, respectively. The significant advantage of the method was removal of the need for in-house synthesis of appropriate internal standards as reported by other researchers. The method also eliminated the need for careful sample preparation procedures, as outlined in some AOAC methods in which no internal standard was utilized. The streamlined extraction process and the improved sensitivity warrant the developed method to be a useful alternative for drug testing laboratories, especially those with large specimen volume and throughput to determine patulin levels in apple juice.

Luong, S., Shimmon, R., Hook, J.M. & Fu, S. 2012, '2-Nitro-6-Monoacetylmorphine: Potential Marker For Monitoring The Presence Of 6-Monoacetylmorphine In Urine Adulterated With Potassium Nitrite', Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, vol. 403, no. 7, pp. 2057-2063.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>

6-Monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), being a unique metabolite of heroin, is routinely tested in urine samples to monitor heroin use. However, detection of 6-MAM-related opiates such as morphine is known to be affected by in vitro urine adulteration using oxidi

Molnar, A., Lewis, J., Doble, P.A., Hansen, G., Prolov, T. & Fu, S. 2012, 'A Rapid And Sensitive Method For The Identification Of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol In Oral Fluid By Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry', Forensic Science International, vol. 215, no. 1-3, pp. 92-96.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>

A fast and sensitive method was developed for detecting delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in oral fluid by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The method is suitable for samples of small volume and low concentration. For method de

Allsop, D.J., Norberg, M.M., Copeland, J., Fu, S. & Budney, A.J. 2011, 'The Cannabis Withdrawal Scale development: Patterns and predictors of Cannabis withdrawal and distress', Drug and Alcohol Dependence, vol. 119, no. 1-2, pp. 123-129.
View/Download from: UTSePress | Publisher's site
View description>>

Background Rates of treatment seeking for cannabis are increasing, and relapse is common. Management of cannabis withdrawal is an important intervention point. No psychometrically sound measure for cannabis withdrawal exists, and as a result treatment developments cannot be optimally targeted. The aim is to develop and test the psychometrics of the Cannabis Withdrawal Scale and use it to explore predictors of cannabis withdrawal. Methods A volunteer sample of 49 dependent cannabis users provided daily scores on the Cannabis Withdrawal Scale during a baseline week and 2 weeks of abstinence. Results Internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91), test+retest stability (average intra-class correlation = 0.95) and content validity analysis show that the Cannabis Withdrawal Scale has excellent psychometric properties. Nightmares and/or strange dreams was the most valid item (Wald ?2 = 105.6, P < 0.0001), but caused relatively little associated distress (Wald ?2 = 25.11, P = 0.03). Angry outbursts were considered intense (Wald ?2 = 73.69, P < 0.0001) and caused much associated distress (Wald ?2 = 45.54, P < 0.0001). Trouble getting to sleep was also an intense withdrawal symptom (Wald ?2 = 42.31, P < 0.0001) and caused significant associated distress (Wald ?2 = 47.76, P < 0.0001). Scores on the Severity of Dependence Scale predicted cannabis withdrawal. Conclusions The Cannabis Withdrawal Scale can be used as a diagnostic instrument in clinical and research settings where regular monitoring of withdrawal symptoms is required.

Fu, S., Molnar, A., Bowron, P., Lewis, J. & Wang, H. 2011, 'Reduction of temazepam to diazepam and lorazepam to delorazepam during enzymatic hydrolysis', Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, vol. 400, no. 1, pp. 153-164.
View/Download from: UTSePress | Publisher's site
View description>>

It has been previously reported that treatment of urinary oxazepam by commercial ¯-glucuronidase enzyme preparations, from Escherichia coli, Helix pomatia and Patella vulgata, results in production of nordiazepam (desmethyldiazepam) artefact. In this study, we report that this unusual reductive transformation also occurs in other benzodiazepines with a hydroxyl group at the C3 position such as temazepam and lorazepam. As determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, all three enzyme preparations were found capable of converting urinary temazepam into diazepam following enzymatic incubation and subsequent liquid+liquid extraction procedures. For example, when H. pomatia enzymes were used with incubation conditions of 18 h and 50 ¦C, the percentage conversion, although small, was significant+approximately 1% (0.59+1.54%) in both patient and spiked blank urines. Similarly, using H. pomatia enzyme under these incubation conditions, a reductive transformation of urinary lorazepam into delorazepam (chlordesmethyldiazepam) occurred. These findings have both clinical and forensic implications. Detection of diazepam or delorazepam in biological samples following enzyme treatment should be interpreted with care.

Fu, S., Lewis, J., Wang, H., Keegan, J.T. & Dawson, M. 2010, 'A Novel Reductive Transformation Of Oxazepam To Nordiazepam Observed During Enzymatic Hydrolysis', Journal Of Analytical Toxicology, vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 243-251.
View/Download from: UTSePress | Publisher's site
View description>>

¯-Glucuronidase is an enzyme often employed to de-conjugate ¯-glucuronides during urinary drug testing for benzodiazepines. It is commonly accepted that use of ¯-glucuronidase is a preferred method of hydrolysis over acid-catalyzed hydrolysis, which is known to induce benzodiazepine degradation and transformation. Literature to date, however, has not reported any cases of benzodiazepine transformation initiated by commercial ¯-glucuronidase products. In this study, urine specimens containing either oxazepam or oxazepam glucuronide were incubated with ¯-glucuronidase enzymes obtained from Escherichia coli, Helix pomatia, and Patella vulgata under various incubation conditions. After liquid-liquid extraction, the extract was analyzed by both liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the presence of benzodiazepines. All three enzyme preparations examined were capable of reducing oxazepam or oxazepam glucuronide into nordiazepam (desmethyldiazepam). Nordiazepam formation was positively correlated with incubation temperature, incubation time, oxazepam concentration, and enzyme concentration. Under all enzymatic hydrolysis conditions investigated, the percentage of nordiazepam formation is < 2.5% relative to the amount of oxazepam present in the system. The findings of this study have both clinical and forensic implications, and it is clear that the detection of nordiazepam in biological samples subjected to testing involving enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis should be interpreted with care.

Koelsch, M., Mallak, R., Graham, G., Kajer, T., Milligan, M.K., Nguyen, L.Q., Newsham, D.W., Keh, J.S., Kettle, A.J., Scott, K.F., Ziegler, J.B., Pattison, D.I., Fu, S., Hawkins, C.L., Rees, M.D. & Davies, M.J. 2010, 'Acetaminophen (paracetamol) inhibits myeloperoxidase-catalyzed oxidant production and biological damage at therapeutically achievable concentrations', Biochemical Pharmacology, vol. 79, no. 8, pp. 1156-1164.
View/Download from: UTSePress | Publisher's site
View description>>

The heme peroxidase enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO) is released by activated neutrophils and monocytes, where it uses hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to catalyze the production of the potent oxidants hypochlorous acid (HOCl), hypobromous acid (HOBr) and hypothiocyanous acid (HOSCN) from halide and pseudohalide (SCN-) ions. These oxidants have been implicated as key mediators of tissue damage in many human inflammatory diseases including atherosclerosis, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis and some cancers. It is shown here that acetaminophen (paracetamol), a phenol-based drug with analgesic and antipyretic actions, is an efficient inhibitor of HOCl and HOBr generation by isolated MPO+H2O2+halide systems. With physiological halide concentrations, acetaminophen concentrations required for 50% inhibition of oxidant formation (IC50) were 77 ¦ 6 ÁM (100 mM Cl-) and 92 ¦ 2 ÁM (100 mM Cl- plus 100 ÁM Br-), as measured by trapping of oxidants with taurine. The IC50 for inhibition of HOCl generation by human neutrophils was ca. 100 ÁM. These values are lower than the maximal therapeutic plasma concentrations of acetaminophen (=150 ÁM) resulting from typical dosing regimes. Acetaminophen did not diminish superoxide generation by neutrophils, as measured by lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence. Inhibition of HOCl production was associated with the generation of fluorescent acetaminophen oxidation products, consistent with acetaminophen acting as a competitive substrate of MPO. Inhibition by acetaminophen was maintained in the presence of heparan sulfate and extracellular matrix, materials implicated in the sequestration of MPO at sites of inflammation in vivo. Overall, these data indicate that acetaminophen may be an important modulator of MPO activity in vivo.

Fu, S. & Lewis, J.M. 2008, 'Novel automated extraction method for quantitative analysis of urinary 11-nor-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH)', Journal Of Analytical Toxicology, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 292-297.
View/Download from: UTSePress | Publisher's site
View description>>

An automated extraction method for extracting the major urinary metabolite of cannabis, 11-nor-?9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH) was developed on the four-probe Gilson ASPEC XL4? solid-phase extraction (SPE) system. The method works on liquid-liquid extraction principles but does not require the use of SPE cartridges. The limits of detection and quantitation and the upper limit of linearity (ULOL) of the developed method were found to be 1, 2, and 1500 ng/mL, respectively. There was no detectable carry over after 10,000 ng/mL analyte. For a batch of 76 samples, the process uses less than 100 mL methanol, 450 mL extracting solvent hexane/ethyl acetate (5:1, v/v) and 1 L rinsing solvent, 30% methanol in water. The automated extraction process takes 5 h to complete. Precision and accuracy of the method are comparable to both manual liquid-liquid extraction and automated SPE methods. The method has proven to be a simple, speedy, and economical alternative to the currently popular automated SPE method for the quantitative analysis of urinary THC-COOH.

Rodgers, K.J., Wang, H., Fu, S. & Dean, R.T. 2002, 'Biosynthetic incorporation of oxidized amino acids into proteins and their cellular proteolysis', Free Radical Biology & Medicine, vol. 32, no. 8, pp. 766-775.
View/Download from: UTSePress | Publisher's site
View description>>

We demonstrate that oxidized amino acids can be incorporated into proteins by protein synthesis. The level of incorporation into protein was dependent on the concentration of oxidized amino acid supplied to the cells. At low levels of incorporation, the oxidized amino acids examined increased the degradation rate of the cell proteins. Degradation of certain proteins containing high levels of DOPA (but not ortho or meta tyrosine) was decreased to below the basal degradation rates suggesting that DOPA may contribute to proteins becoming resistant to proteolysis. Changes in the degradation rates of the oxidized amino acid-containing proteins was shown to have no impact on the degradation rates of native proteins, indicating that the activity of the degradative machinery was not affected. We demonstrate that oxidized proteins are selectively degraded by the proteasomes and provide evidence to suggest that the proteasomes and the endosomal-lysosomal systems may act in sequence as well as in parallel. The incorporation approach, unlike cell studies in which an exogenous oxidant is used, allows the degradation rates of the oxidatively modified proteins to be selectively measured, offering a greater sensitivity as well as greatly reducing toxicity to the cell and avoiding oxidative modification of other cell components.

Fu, S., Wang, H., Davies, M.J. & Dean, R.T. 2000, 'Reactions of hypochlorous acid with tyrosine and peptidyl-tyrosyl residues give dichlorinated and aldehydic products in addition to 3-chlorotyrosine', Journal Of Biological Chemistry, vol. 275, no. 15, pp. 10851-10858.

Bruce, D., Fu, S., Armstrong, S. & Dean, R.T. 1999, 'Human apo-lipoprotein B from normal plasma contains oxidised peptides', International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, vol. 31, pp. 1409-1420.

Davies, M.J., Fu, S., Wang, H. & Dean, R.T. 1999, 'Stable markers of oxidant damage to proteins and their application in the study of human disease', Free Radical Biology & Medicine, vol. 27, no. 11/12, pp. 1151-1163.

Sanni, L.A., Fu, S., Dean, R.T., Bloomfield, G., Stocker, R., Chaudhri, G., Dinauer, M.C. & Hunt, N.H. 1999, 'Are reactive oxygen species involved in the pathogenesis of murine cerebral malaria?', Journal of Infectious Diseases, vol. 179, pp. 217-222.

Fu, S., Davies, M.J., Stocker, R. & Dean, R.T. 1998, 'Evidence for roles of radicals in protein oxidationin advanced human atherosclerotic plaque', Biochemical Journal, vol. 333, pp. 519-525.

Fu, S., Fu, M., Baynes, J.W., Thorpe, S. & Dean, R.T. 1998, 'Presence of dopa and amino acid hydroperoxides inproteins modified with advanced glycation end products (AGEs): amino acid oxidation products as a possible source of oxidative stress induced by AGE proteins', Biochemical Journal, vol. 330, no. 1, pp. 233-239.

Fu, S., Dean, R.T., Southan, M. & Truscott, R. 1998, 'The hydroxyl radical in lens nuclear cataractogenesis', Journal Of Biological Chemistry, vol. 273, no. 44, pp. 28603-28609.

Morin, B., Bubb, W.A., Davies, M.J., Dean, R.T. & Fu, S. 1998, '3-hydroxylysine, a potential marker for studying radical-induced protein oxidation', Chemical Research in Toxicology, vol. 11, pp. 1265-1273.

Dean, R.T., Fu, S., Stocker, R. & Davies, M.J. 1997, 'Biochemistry and pathology of radical-mediated protein oxidation', Biochemical Journal, vol. 324, no. 1, pp. 1-18.

Fu, S., Davies, M.J. & Dean, R.T. 1997, 'Protein-bound hydroxylated amino acid levels are elevated in human atherosclerolic plaque', Atherosclerosis, vol. 134, pp. 221-221.
View description>>

It is well established that macromolecule oxidation, especially lipoprotein oxidation is a key and early event responsible for the loading of lipid into atherosclerotic foam cells and possibly many other features of atherogenesis. There have been many studies concerning protein oxidation and its contribution to the pathology. This study examined oxidized amino acid residues which may result from hydroxyl radical damage [Fu et al. 1995a. Free Rad Biol Med 19, 281-292; 1995b. Biochem. J. 311, 821-827; 1997. Biochem. J. in press] on intimal proteins isolated from normal human ateries and human atherosclerotic plaques. Normal iliac arteries (n = 6) were obtained from liver transplant donors and human plaques (n = 9) from patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. Proteins were obtained from the intima samples after homogenization and delipidation and subquently subjected to acid-catalysed hydrolysis. Protein hydrolysates were analysed by several HPLC methods for the presence of oxidation products (characteristic of hydroxyl radical attack) of tyrosine (DOPA, dityrosine), phenylalnine (o- and m-tyrosine), valine (?-hydroxyvaline), and leucine (?-hydoxyleucine). Results are expressed as mmol oxidized amino acid/mol parent amino acid and are summarized in the table below. It shows that all of the oxidized amino acids measured are elevated in the plaque samples compared to those in the normal controls, suggesting that hydroxyl radicals may be an important factor for atherogenesis

Fu, S. & Dean, R.T. 1997, 'Structural characterisation of the products of hydroxyl-radical damage to leucine and their detection on proteins', Biochemical Journal, vol. 324, no. 1, pp. 41-48.

Mar, r.I., Carver, J.A., Sheil, M., Boschenok, J., Fu, S. & Shaw, D. 1996, 'Primary structure of Trypsin inhibitors from Sicyos Australis', Phytochemistry, vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 1265-1274.

Davies, M.J., Fu, S. & Dean, R.T. 1995, 'Protein hydroperoxides can give rise to reactive free radicals', Biochemical Journal, vol. 305, pp. 643-649.

Fu, S., Gebicki, S., Jessup, W., Gebicki, J. & Dean, R.T. 1995, 'Biological fate of amino acid peptide and protein hydroperoxides', Biochemical Journal, vol. 311, pp. 821-827.

Fu, S., Hick, L.A., Sheil, M. & Dean, R.T. 1995, 'Structural identification of valine hydroperoxides and hydroxides on radical-damaged amino acid peptide and protein molecules', Free Radical Biology & Medicine, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 281-292.

Cheung, H., Fu, S. & Smal, M. 1994, 'Inhibition of Platelet aggregation by diterpene acids from pinus massoniana resin', Arzneimittel-Forschung, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 17-25.

Fu, S., Carver, J.A. & Kane-Maguire, L.A. 1994, 'The use of [(C6 H7) Fe(CO)3]+ as a recoverable protecting group in peptide synthesis', Journal of organometallic chemistry, vol. 454, pp. C11-C12.

Blackman, A.J. & Fu, S. 1989, 'A #-Phenylethylamine-derived possible biosynthetic precursor to the amathamides, alkaloids from the Bryozoan Amathia wilsoni', Journal of Natural Products, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 436-438.

Pei-Gen, X. & Fu, S. 1986, 'Traditional Antiparasitic drugs in China', Parasitology Today, vol. 2, no. 12, pp. 353-355.

Fu, S., Molnar, A., Bowron, P., Wang, H., Dawson, M. & Lewis, J. 2011, 'Reductive transformation of temazepam and lorazepam during b-glucuronidase treatment of urine specimens', The International Association of Forensic Toxicologist (TIAFT) 2010 Meeting, Germany, August 2010 in TIAFT Bulletin, ed Dimitri Gerostamoulos; Jochen Beyer, GI Printing & Graphics, Australia, pp. 53-55.
View description>>

B-Glucuronidase is on enzyme often employed to deconjugate B-glucuronides during urinary drug testing for benzodiozepines. It is commonly accepted that use of B-glucuronidase is a preferred method of hydrolysis over acid-catalyzed hydrolysis, which is known to induce benzodiozepine degradation and transformation. Very recently, we have reported that B-glucuronidase catalyzed hydrolysis is also a source of artefact production. We found that either oxazepam glucuronide present in patient urine or free oxazepam added in blank urine could be reduced to nordiozepom (desmethyldiozepom) during incubation with commercial B-glucuronidase enzymes. Formation of nordiozepom artefact was positively correlated with incubation temperature, incubation time, oxazepam concentration and enzyme concentration.

Molnar, A., Fu, S., Doble, P.A. & Lewis, J. 2011, 'A sensitive method to detect and quantify delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol in oral fluid by liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry', The international Association of Forensic Toxicologist (TIAFT) 2010 Meeting, Bonn, Germany, August 2010 in TIAFT Bulletin, ed Dimitri Gerostamoulos; Jochen Beyer, GI Printing & Graphics, Australia, pp. 45-47.
View/Download from: UTSePress
View description>>

Delta9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the major psychoactive constituent of cannabis. It causes a decrease in motor function and concentration making it hazardous for an individual to drive whilst under the inftuence of this drug. Roadside testing procedures for cannabis are therefore necessary since it is the most widely used illicit drug in Australia and around the world and is commonly implicated in drug-driving offences.

Pham, A.Q., Fu, S., Dawson, M. 2011, 'Oxidation of MDMA in urine after exposure to bleach', The international Association of Forensic Toxicologist (TIAFT) 2010 Meeting, Bonn, Germany, August 2010 in TIAFT Bulletin, ed Dimitri Gerostamoulos; Jochen Beyer, GI Printing & Graphics, Australia, pp. 49-51.
View/Download from: UTSePress
View description>>

For the drug testing of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or 'ecstasy') and other drugs of abuse, urine is generally the matrix of choice. However, the main issue concerned with urine drug testing is the lack of sample integrity due to acts of urine adulteration. A novel approach in the fight against urine adulteration is researched in this article, involving the use of LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry) to study and identify stable reaction products between the chemical reaction of MDMA and hypochlorite. Samples were analysed on an X Bridge C 18 column ( 150mm x 4.6mm, 3.51-Jm, Waters). Chromatographic separation was achieved at a tlow rate of 0.3ml/min using gradient elution involving 2mM ammonium formate solution in Milli-Q water and acetonitrile as the mobile phases. Kinetic experiments were performed whereby 11-JL of urinary reaction mixture was injected every 30min of reaction. One major reaction product, N-chloroMDMA, was formed and found to be unstable at room temperature (20¦C), possibly reverting back into MDMA. It is suggested that bleach may possibly be able to oxidise a low dosage of MDMA to below cutoff concentration values and thus, conceal MDMA use. However, more research is required.