The laboratory anti-doping services during XXII Winter Olympic and XI Paralympic games in Sochi in 2014 were provided by a satellite laboratory facility located within the strictly secured Olympic Park. This laboratory, established and operated by the personnel of Antidoping Center, Moscow, has been authorized by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to conduct doping control analyses. The 4-floor building accommodated the most advanced analytical instrumentation and became a place of attraction for more than 50 Russian specialists and 25 foreign experts, including independent observers. In total, 2134 urine and 479 blood samples were delivered to the laboratory and analyzed during the Olympic Games (OG), and 403 urine and 108 blood samples - during the Paralympic Games (PG). The number of erythropoietin tests requested in urine was 946 and 166 at the OG and PG, respectively. Though included in the test distribution plan, a growth hormone analysis was cancelled by the Organizing Committee just before the Games. Several adverse analytical findings have been reported including pseudoephedrine (1 case), methylhexaneamine (4 cases), trimetazidine (1 case), dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (1 case), clostebol (1 case), and a designer stimulant N-ethyl-1-phenylbutan-2-amine (1 case).

The signal transduction pathways triggering apoptotic mechanisms after ischemia/reperfusion may involve TNF-alpha secretion, ceramide generation, and initiation of lipid peroxidation. In the present study involvement of the TNF-alpha, sphingomyelin cycle, and lipid peroxidation in the initiation of apoptosis induced in liver cells by ischemia and reperfusion was investigated. Wistar rats were subjected to total liver ischemia (for 15, 30 min, and 1 h) followed by subsequent reperfusion. Ischemia caused sharp decrease of neutral sphingomyelinase activity. Activity of acidic sphingomyelinase initially decreased (during 15-30 min ischemia) but then increased (after 1 h of ischemic injury). Reperfusion of the ischemic lobe of the liver caused increase in neutral sphingomyelinase activity and decrease in acidic sphingomyelinase activity. A small amount of TNF-alpha detected by immunoblotting analysis was accumulated in the ischemic area of liver rapidly and the content of this cytokine dramatically increased after the reperfusion. TNF-alpha is known to induce free radical production. We found that the accumulation of TNF and increase of sphingomyelinase activity during the development of ischemic/reperfusion injury coincided with increase in content of lipid peroxidation products (conjugated dienes) and DNA degradation detected by gel electrophoresis. Recently it was shown that superoxide radicals are used as signaling molecules within the sphingomyelin pathway. This suggests the existence of cross-talk between the oxidation system and the sphingomyelin cycle in cells, which may have important implications for the initial phase and subsequent development of post-ischemic injury.

Objectives. Over the last decade, hematopoietic stimulants have grown increasingly popular in elite sports. This is supported by the growing number of high-profile doping scandals linked to their use. A group of these stimulants includes cobalt salts, which cause an increase in the oxygen capacity of the blood as well as a powerful stimulation of metabolic processes, resulting innoticeable competitive advantages. The use of cobalt salts is regulated according to the Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Currently, only a few works have been dedicated to solving the problem of detecting the abuse of cobalt salts in anti-doping control. Only a few laboratories have included cobalt salt determination in their methodological bases. The purpose of this review is to attract the attention of the scientific community to the toxicity of cobalt compounds, consequences of their intake, and pharmacokinetics, as well as the problems in their detection methods due to their widespread availability in the modern market and the growing number of abuse cases.Results. The main biological functions of cobalt, cellular levels of exposure, toxicity, and symptoms of cobalt salt poisoning are presented in detail in this review article. The data from the literature on the main methods for detecting cobalt as a doping agent have been generalized and systematized. There is a major focus on the amount of cobalt in dietary supplements that could cause an athlete to test positive for cobalt when they are consumed.Conclusions. After analyzing promising cobalt detection approaches and methods, it was determined that high-performance liquid chromatography in combination with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry has an undeniable advantage for detecting cobalt as a doping agent. The lack of explicit WADA requirements for detection methods and the lack of its obligation to determine cobalt make it tempting for unscrupulous athletes to use its salts. Therefore, antidoping laboratories must implement the abovementioned method as soon as possible.

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