Interaural difference of thresholds might be the most useful parameters. Adjustment using average muscle tonus is not necessary when the subject is able to get sufficient muscle tonus.

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Nitrosothiols (RS-NOs) appear to be critically involved in various signal transduction mechanisms. We describe here a specific and highly sensitive quantification method for RS-NOs by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with a flow reactor system. RS-NOs were applied to an HPLC system of C18-reverse phase or a gel filtration column and eluted with 10 mM sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.5) plus 0.5 mM diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid with or without either 0-7% methanol or 0.15 M NaCl. The eluate from the HPLC column was mixed with a solution containing 1.75 mM HgCl2 or 1.75 mM CuSO4 for RS-NO decomposition in a reaction coil via a three-way connector. NO2- generated via the metal-induced RS-NO decomposition was then reacted with Griess reagent, which was infused through a second three-way connector, yielding a diazo-compound detected at 540 nm. In a separate experiment, a copper particle-loaded column was used for RS-NO degradation instead of the metal-ion flow reactor. In all RS-NOs tested, i.e., nitrosoglutathione (GS-NO), nitroso-L-cysteine, and nitrosoalbumin, the nitroso- group was converted to NO2- by the Hg2+-reaction system as well as copper-loaded column, and the recovery was almost 100%. The Cu2+-solution flow reaction system, however, yielded only 30% recovery of RS-NOs as NO2-. Also, the RS-NOs could be identified at nanomolar concentrations: detection limit, 3.0 nM in a 150-microl aliquot. These RS-NOs showed well-resolved elution profiles even in the presence of NO2- and NO3-. More importantly, biological generation of GS-NO was quantitatively demonstrated with RAW264 cells in culture incorporating free GSH in the medium. In conclusion, our novel RS-NO assay will be useful to examine the formation and functions of RS-NOs in biological systems.

A highly selective on-line, real-time monitoring system is proposed for amperometric assay of glucose, L-glutamate, and acetylcholine. The system includes a microdialysis probe, immobilized enzyme reactor, and poly( 1,2-diaminobenzene)-coated platinum electrode. The analyte in the dialysate from the microdialysis probe is enzymatically converted to produce hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide is detected selectively at a poly(l,2-diaminobenzene)-coated platinum electrode, without any interference from oxidizable species and proteins. The present method can be successfully applied to in vitro assay of glucose and in vivo monitoring of glucose in rat brains. However, the sensitivity is not sufficient for in vivo monitoring of trace amounts of [--glutamate and acetylcholine in rat brains.