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A new test allows easier detection of doping violations in sports

A new mass spectroscopic test could help doping inspectors find out if an athlete has used drugs that increase the body's natural steroid levels, it probably won't be used at the Beijing Olympics

Drug free sport
Drug free sport

A new mass spectroscopic test could help doping inspectors find out if an athlete has used drugs that increase the levels of natural steroids in his body. The test is more sensitive compared to previous alternative methods, and is better able to detect certain suspect chemicals in the body, quickly and in a manner suitable for normal drug testing laboratory equipment.

One of the functions of the male hormone testosterone is to increase the size and strength of the muscle. Taking a testosterone supplement, or another chemical that the body can use to produce testosterone, can therefore increase the athlete's performance. Because of this, any taking of supplements of the substance has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The exact level of testosterone varies considerably between different people, so a simple test of the total testosterone level in an athlete's urine cannot determine whether external testosterone supplementation has been given. However, there is a second chemical in the body called epitestosterone that is found naturally in an amount equal to the amount of testosterone. Comparing the ratios of the quantities between these two substances can indicate whether testosterone or its precursor was actually introduced into the body. The limitation is in the fact that it is not easy to measure these two substances, mainly because they are found in urine in very low concentrations.

A team of scientists from the Sports Medicine Research Institute at the University of Utah developed a test that uses liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectroscopy. This method has an extremely high sensitivity (up to 1 nanogram/millimeter) which strengthens the tools available to the inspectors in measuring the two substances in an athlete's sample. "Following the development of our method, we will be able to determine the exact ratio between testosterone and epitestosterone in a urine sample with a higher level of reliability and hence - we will be in a better position to point out drug use violations without falsely accusing innocent athletes," explains lead researcher Dr. Jonathan Danaceau. In addition to its higher sensitivity, the test is also much faster and more reliable, the researchers add.

Apparently, this is an experimental device and it is not clear if it will already be used in the Beijing Olympics, which are expected to open in a few weeks, on August 8, 2008.

to the notice of the researchers

Comments

  1. Qantas:
    Just an interesting play on words:
    "Amichai. She wanted to call his name.."
    That is, there was, it is said, a certain person or people.
    His name was Joseph.
    In other words - his name was Joseph.
    But she wanted to call his name by name, so she called him (Yosef) by the name Amichai.

  2. Well ..well..finally..the fuse is coming down..for happy-testosterone-3%
    In age, growing up..growing up..and the secret of linguistics.
    Therefore Diana took a pill...and a spoonful of royal jelly.
    Oops.. and in 1986.. Mount Scopus in Jerusalem.. in a wise decision.. from the underworld,
    Or the sky..?????of Jerusalem..the pilotz released it..Amichai. wanted to read
    For his name..
    Dash dash... to the tone.. and all the farts.. for intelligence games.. and Dean and Dan .. and not.. and yes.. to talk to the parents.!

  3. The truth is that I also feel uncomfortable with this restriction, but maybe that's because I don't know the considerations in depth.
    After all, theoretically someone could come tomorrow and say that the athlete using a certain type of food gives him an unfair advantage.
    I'm interested if anyone has ever tried to define exactly the line between food, lifestyle, training methods and drugs that are legitimate and those that are not.
    I used to think that the consideration of long-term damage could be appropriate, but it seems to me that this is not the consideration used in practice.

  4. HPLC-MS is an extremely powerful tool. I wish I had one. Who needs a standard when there is an empirical formula, spectral absorption, and elution time? 😀

    And in our case - everything can be bypassed.
    I am in favor of creating a logical partition between the sports in which natural athletes and steroid athletes will compete. Even on steroids it will be interesting to see where the body gains can go. It's dangerous, but we are mature people - those who want to harm their bodies (and athletes certainly harm their bodies because competitive sports are clearly unhealthy) so those who wish to use harmful supplements should be allowed to do so. Even when not allowed, then used - what's the difference? But at the same time as the seemingly natural sports, new and steroidal supers will develop that will break every natural human record and amaze the Guinness Book of Records.

  5. Disks have a part called "reader-writer head".
    It turns out that there are people with only a writing head.

  6. Then the athletes will take an equal amount of testosterone and epitestosterone supplements and this test will be worth nothing.

  7. Apparently it is a unit of nanograms per milliliter, or cubic millimeter.
    Because in a unit with only one dimension no mass enters.

    The joke: the athletes will also add epitestosterone in addition to testosterone, the ratio between them will be preserved and come to a redeeming mark.

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