Comparative study between direct analysis in whole blood, oral fluid, and declaration of consumption for the prevalence of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen in ultratrail runners
Mashal et al.
The finding, in our words
Dried blood spots detected higher prevalence of anti-inflammatory drug use in ultratrail runners than oral fluid or self-report, indicating DBS is more reliable for drug surveillance at sporting events.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
This narrative review evaluates microsampling devices for therapeutic drug monitoring, concluding that techniques such as volumetric absorptive microsampling and dried blood spots offer reliable, less invasive alternatives to venous sampling when paired with high-sensitivity mass spectrometry, which supports implementation in routine clinical practice.
The analysis indicates that dried blood spots and volumetric absorptive microsampling enable minimally invasive monitoring of prohibited substances, with volumetric absorptive microsampling offering improved quantitative reliability over traditional dried spots.
A validated two-step LC-MS/MS protocol can identify 91 prohibited doping agents from a single dried blood spot collected on either cellulose cards or volumetric absorptive microsampling devices. This demonstrates robust multi-analyte screening from capillary blood, supporting decentralised anti-doping programmes where venous sampling is impractical.
This review highlights that microsampling techniques such as dried blood spots and volumetric absorptive microsampling offer superior alternatives to traditional sampling for the mass spectrometry detection of prohibited substances in anti-doping analysis. It provides guidance on selecting appropriate analytical methods and sample pretreatment strategies to ensure sensitive detection and reliable storage conditions.
Maykar et al., Critical reviews in analytical chemistry (paywalled) · source ↗
The authors validated a mass spectrometry method that simultaneously detects fifteen anabolic steroid esters and approximately eighty-five other prohibited substances from a single dried blood spot. Using a Tasso-M20 device, they detected testosterone undecanoate in authentic samples after oral administration, meeting World Anti-Doping Agency requirements. This reduces sample volume and simplifies workflows for decentralised anti-doping screening.
Sakellariou et al., Drug testing and analysis (paywalled) · source ↗