A method based on microwave-induced combustion (MIC) was applied for digestion of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and subsequent determination of bromine and iodine by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Ten APIs including amoxicillin, atenolol, clavulanic acid, clonazepan, diltiazem, haloperidol, imipramine, nimesulide, propranolol and sodium diclofenac were decomposed by MIC. Combustion of 500 mg of each API was possible in less than 30 s using 20 bars of oxygen as initial pressure. A single and diluted solution (50 mmol L À1 (NH 4 ) 2 CO 3 ) was used for the absorption of both analytes and a reflux step of 5 min was applied to improve analyte recoveries. Final digests were suitable to Br and I determination by ICP-MS. Accuracy was evaluated using certified reference materials and agreement better than 95 and 97% for Br and I was obtained, respectively. Results were also compared with those obtained by ion chromatography (IC). The carbon content in digests obtained after decomposition was lower than 500 mg L À1 avoiding interferences in the determination step for both techniques. With the use of MIC, up to eight samples could be processed simultaneously and only diluted solutions are required, minimizing reagent consumption and waste generation. The limits of detection for Br and I by ICP-MS were 0.02 and 0.001 mg g À1 , respectively, that were considered suitable for the determination of these elements in the investigated active pharmaceutical ingredients.

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Background. This study investigates the effects of Brazil nut ingestion on serum lipid profile in healthy volunteers. Methods. Ten healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Each subject was tested 4 times in a randomized crossover in relation to the ingestion of different serving sizes of the Brazil nut: 0, 5, 20, or 50 g. At each treatment point, peripheral blood was drawn before and at 1, 3, 6, 9, 24, and 48 hours and 5 and 30 days. Blood samples were tested for total cholesterol, high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c and LDL-c, resp.), triglycerides, selenium, aspartate and alanine aminotransferases, albumin, total protein, alkaline phosphatase, gamma GT, urea, creatinine, and C-reactive protein. Results. A significant increase of the plasma selenium levels was observed at 6 hours within the groups receiving the nuts. Serum LDL-c was significantly lower, whereas HDL-c was significantly higher 9 hours after the ingestion of 20 or 50 g of nuts. The biochemical parameters of liver and kidney function were not modified by ingestion of nuts. Conclusions. This study shows that the ingestion of a single serving of Brazil nut can acutely improve the serum lipid profile of healthy volunteers.

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