1,720,975 research outputs found
Detection of JWH-073 and Cannabis Congeners in Hair: Application in Pediatric Patient
No full textAbstract not availabl
Monitoring people at risk of drinking by a rapid urinary ethyl glucuronide test
No full textAlcohol and illicit drug abuse are major public health problems worldwide. Since alcohol is the predominant substance of choice in polydrug abusers, monitoring its use, along with urinary drug screening in patients in rehabilitation programs, appeared to be crucial in identifying patients at risk of alcohol disorders leading to impaired quality of life. Ethyl β-D-6-glucuronide, a non-oxidative, non-volatile, stable and minor direct ethanol metabolite, has a 6h to 4 day window of detection in urine after the last alcohol intake. Each of the 119 subjects (85 males, 34 females) registered with the Public Health Service for Drug Dependence Treatment provided a urine sample for ethylglucoronide (EtG) determination in an immunochemical test with a 500 ng/ml cutoff. All results were evaluated with confirmation criteria of a fully validated gas chromatography/mass spectrometry assay. The diagnostic performance of the EtG immunochemical test was assessed using Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve analysis. The immunochemical test specificity was 100% for EtG urinary values above 500 ng/ml. No false positive results were found. With levels below 500 ng/ml, 12% of the samples were classified as negative. The average consumption of the incorrectly classified subjects was 171 ng/ml, with a misclassification error of 6.5% to 18.5%. High agreement between EtG as determined in an immunochemical test and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, suggests that the rapid EtG test is a reliable, cost-effective alcohol monitoring assay for patient management in many non-forensic settings, such as drug rehabilitation programs
A Direct Immersion Solid-Phase Microextraction Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry Method for the Simultaneous Detection of Levamisole and Minor Cocaine Congeners in Hair Samples From Chronic Abusers
No full textBackground: Because levamisole has been increasingly found as a component of illicit drugs, a robust method to detect its presence in hair samples is needed. However, no systematic research on the detection of levamisole in hair samples has been published. The method presented here uses direct immersion solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (DI-SPME-GC/MS) to detect levamisole and minor cocaine congeners in hair samples using a single-extraction method.
Methods: Fifty hair samples taken in the last 4 years were obtained from cocaine abusers, along with controls taken from drug-free volunteers. Sampling was performed using direct immersion with a 30-μm polydimethylsiloxane fused silica/stainless steel fiber. Calibration curves were prepared by adding known amounts of analytes and deuterated internal standards to the hair samples taken from drug-free volunteers. This study focused on the adulterant levamisole and some minor cocaine congeners (tropococaine, norcocaine, and cocaethylene).
Results: Levamisole was detected in 38% of the hair samples analyzed; its concentration ranged from 0.2 to 0.8 ng/mg. The limit of quantification and limit of detection for levamisole, tropococaine, norcocaine, and cocaine were 0.2 and 0.1 ng/mg, respectively.
Conclusions: DI-SPME-GC/MS is a sensitive and specific method to detect the presence of levamisole and cocaine congeners in hair samples
Diatoms in drowning cases in forensic veterinary context: a preliminary study
No full textIn this preliminary study, a digestive method used in forensic context to extract diatoms has been applied in organs taken from ten wildlife animals belonging three species of mammals (a deer, a roe and five otters) and one species of birds (two magpies). Only four carcasses were recovered from aquatic environments (bath trough for animals, bathtub irrigation, river) and only in three cases out of ten that the cause of death was ruled out as drowning. In seven cases, the death was due to other causes: gunshot injuries for one otter, blunt trauma for a magpie, and traumatic injuries followed by motor vehicle collision in other four otters and a roe. Post-mortem examination was performed in all carcasses. The diatom test protocol was performed according to the Italian guidelines for analysis of benthic diatoms for ecological status assessment of inland waters. Five grams of lung, liver, and kidney was taken from all the animal carcasses. In some cases, additional tissue samples were also available among which brain, heart, spleen, and bone marrow. In all four cases found in water, the drowning medium was also available. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) digestion was performed, and identification of 21 genera of diatoms was obtained. The method proved to be suitable for the identification of diatoms in the organs of the animals drowned supporting the final diagnosis of drowning. Only in otters, all died for causes other than drowning, diatoms did not prove to be suitable for the diagnosis of drowning since their presence in the internal organs was mainly related to their main diet based on fishmeal. The authors believe that this first trial is very promising, and the results suggest that diatom test can be easily applied in forensic veterinary context
Erratum to: Evaluation of two methods for the use of diatoms in drowning cases
No full textIn this study, we compare digestive methods used in a forensic context to extract diatoms (37 % hydrochloric acid) to a method recently described in Italian protocols for analysis of benthic diatoms for ecological assessment of surface water (hydrogen peroxide digestion). The two digestive methods were performed using 5 g of brain, lung, liver, kidney, and bone marrow taken from the bodies of 10 drowning victims recovered from three different aquatic environments (ocean, lakes, and rivers). Postmortem examination was performed on all bodies, but aquatic samples were only analyzed in two cases. Tissue digestion was equal by both methods. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) digestion resulted in better diatom preservation, enabling identification of nine genera in all samples examined versus three obtained using hydrochloride digestion. The ideal digestive method to provide evidence for corroboration of a diagnosis of drowning still needs to be established. However, the benthic diatoms protocol can be useful because it is less chemically hazardous to the laboratory operator and supports better diatom preservation for reliable taxonomic analysis
Evaluation of two methods for the use of diatoms in drowning cases
No full textIn this study, we compare digestive methods used in a forensic context to extract diatoms (37 % hydrochloric acid) to a method recently described in Italian protocols for analysis of benthic diatoms for ecological assessment of surface water (hydrogen peroxide digestion). The two digestive methods were performed using 5 g of brain, lung, liver, kidney, and bone marrow taken from the bodies of 10 drowning victims recovered from three different aquatic environments (ocean, lakes, and rivers). Postmortem examination was performed on all bodies, but aquatic samples were only analyzed in two cases. Tissue digestion was equal by both methods. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) digestion resulted in better diatom preservation, enabling identification of nine genera in all samples examined versus three obtained using hydrochloride digestion. The ideal digestive method to provide evidence for corroboration of a diagnosis of drowning still needs to be established. However, the benthic diatoms protocol can be useful because it is less chemically hazardous to the laboratory operator and supports better diatom preservation for reliable taxonomic analysi
Sweat testing to monitor drug exposure
No full textIt may be advantageous to use sweat, rather than blood or urine, to monitor individuals' drug exposure for the purposes of drug treatment programs, employment initiatives, and forensic investigations. Forty-eight patients receiving methadone at the Public Service for the Treatment of Drug Dependence of Perugia (Italy) were monitored for 14 days by the analysis of methadone and cocaine present in two sweat patches, each worn for 7 days. The results were compared to those from the analysis of urine samples collected at the beginning of the study and after 7 days, as well as those from the analysis of hair collected on the fourteenth day. Sweat patch analysis was positive for methadone and its metabolite EDDP in 100% of patients. Some individuals were positive for cocaine in urine, sweat, and hair while others were positive for cocaine in only one of those samples. Results suggest analysis of a sweat patch indicates an individual's drug use or drug washout for the previous week, and provides an alternative to blood or urine analyses
Acute intoxication by triazolam and promazine: a case report
No full textA fatality due to ingestion of triazolam and promazine is reported. Triazolam is a benzodiazepine widely prescribed as a hypnotic drug for the treatment of sleep disorders. Promazine is a neuroleptic drug. There is no previous evidence in the literature of death due to an overdose related to the contemporaneous intake of these two drugs. In this report the authors present the case of a 76-year-old woman who was found deceased at home with no evidence of trauma or asphyxia; near the body several empty pharmaceutical boxes containing triazolam and promazine were noticed. Toxicological analyses were performed and drug levels measured by means of gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The triazolam concentration in each specimen was as follows: blood 1100ng/ml; gastric content 1300ng/ml; the promazine concentration in blood and in gastric content was 3450ng/ml and 5800ng/ ml respectively. Based on the autopsy findings, patient history and toxicological results, the cause of death was determined to be acute intoxication due to the effect of triazolam and promazine and the manner of suicide
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