Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38656327›Full record

ArticleThe journal of applied laboratory medicine2024

Performance of a Norfentanyl Immunoassay in Specimens with Low Concentrations of Fentanyl and/or Norfentanyl.

Sacha Uljon, Nicole V Tolan, Grace K Mahowald, Tahira Khaliq, Elizabeth D Urwiller, Maria Daluz Fernandes, Sankha S Basu, Phillip Kang, Timothy B Erickson, Bryan D Hayes and 2 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of applied laboratory medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Interpol review of forensic drug chemistry, 2022-2025.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Sacha UljonDepartment of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-5190-6652
Nicole V TolanDepartment of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Grace K MahowaldDepartment of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-4541-4920
Tahira KhaliqDepartment of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.
Elizabeth D UrwillerDepartment of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.
Maria Daluz FernandesDepartment of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.
Sankha S BasuDepartment of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Phillip KangDepartment of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.
Timothy B EricksonDepartment of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Bryan D HayesDepartment of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Peter R ChaiDepartment of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Stacy E F MelansonDepartment of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Brigham and Women's Hospital · USHarvard University · USMassachusetts General Hospital · US

Funding

Smart Steps: A context-aware adherence intervention to improve PrEP adherence among men who have sex with men (MSM) with substance use disorderDP2DA056107 · NIDA · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI CHAI, PETER R · 2022 to 2022
$2.7M
NIDA NIH HHS DP2 DA056107
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMany fentanyl immunoassays are limited in their ability to detect norfentanyl. Urine specimens collected from individuals who have been exposed to fentanyl frequently have detectable concentrations of norfentanyl (≥2 ng/mL) but low concentrations of fentanyl (<2 ng/mL) by LC-MS/MS. The Lin-Zhi Fentanyl II Immunoassay (Lin-Zhi) claims 100% cross-reactivity with norfentanyl and therefore may detect exposure missed by other assays.

methodsIn addition to verifying the manufacturer's analytical sensitivity claims, we selected 92 urine specimens with low-positive Lin-Zhi results (1-99 absorbance units, lowest 10%) for analysis by the Immunalysis Health Equity Impact Assessment and ARK II fentanyl methods. The accuracy of the 3 immunoassays was compared to LC-MS/MS as the reference method.

resultsSpiking studies using purified fentanyl and norfentanyl and a set of 100 consecutive specimens confirmed the manufacturer's claims of limit of detection for fentanyl (3.8 ng/mL) and norfentanyl (5.0 ng/mL). However, the 92 low-positive patient specimens demonstrated concentrations of norfentanyl and fentanyl below 2.0 ng/mL by LC-MS/MS, with 47 (51%) having only norfentanyl detected. When comparing Lin-Zhi to the Immunalysis and ARK II immunoassays, only 27 (29%) of the 92 specimens were concordant. Fifty-two (57%) of the specimens were positive by LC-MS/MS and Lin-Zhi but false negative by one or both other immunoassays. Seven specimens (8%) were positive by Lin-Zhi but negative by the other immunoassays and had undetectable concentrations (<2 ng/mL) of fentanyl and norfentanyl by LC-MS/MS.

conclusionsThe clinical sensitivity of the Lin-Zhi exceeds the manufacturer's claims, providing results comparable to LC-MS/MS methods.

Indexed as

FentanylTandem Mass SpectrometryAnalgesics, OpioidChromatography, LiquidHumansImmunoassayLimit of DetectionReproducibility of ResultsSubstance Abuse DetectionAnalgesics, OpioidFentanylnorfentanyl

Identifiers

PMID38656327
PMCPMC11371532
OpenAlexW4395463975

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.