1,720,966 research outputs found
Banca dati tossicologica delle sostanze rinvenibili nel suolo, schede tossicologiche: finalità e applicazioni
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Detection of cocaine and morphine in hair by Cozart Rapiscan oral fluid test
No full textnot availabl
Validity of The Cozart Rapiscan Test for drug of abuse screening in hair by GC/MS Confirmation
No full textThis presentation will impact the forensic community and/or humanity by providing information on the testing of drugs of abuse in hair.
This project was carried out to evaluate the performance characteristic of the immunoassay Cozart Rapiscan oral fluid Test® for drugs of abuse screening in hair extracts.
The Cozart Rapiscan oral fluid Test® revealed good sensitivity and maximum specificity, proving to be a valid method of screening. To ensure the legal validity, confirmation analysis with chromatographic techniques (GC/MS or HPLC/MS) is required
Self-Administration of Anesthetic (Propofol and Midazolam) and Psychotropic (Amitriptyline and Zolpidem) Drugs: Recreational Abuse and Suicidal Manner in an Anesthetist
No full textAfter attending this presentation, attendees will understand that
forensic investigations are based on a multidisciplinary approach in
which autopsy findings and toxicological results often result in
association with circumstances and crime scene investigations.
This presentation will impact the forensic science community by
demonstrating how recreational abuse of anesthetic and sedative agents
in health care practitioners, especially anesthesiologists is an increasing
event. This presentation will also show an unusual case of suicide in
which the manner and means of suicide was dependent upon the
occupation of the victim.
Presented is a case of a 50-year-old man, anesthetist at the main
local hospital, who was found dead in the house where he lived alone
since separating from his wife. On the previous evening he was found
on the landing’s floor with an occipital bruise injury and treated in the
Emergency Department. The next day his brother, alerted by his
colleagues that tried in vain to contact him, went to his house. He found
that the front door had been left ajar, with a piece of furniture behind it. When he entered the flat, he noticed the corpse of the brother, supine on
the living room’s floor near a piece of furniture. There were two drips
with intravenous tubes almost empty (approximately 1 ml). One drip
was still inserted in the dorsum of the victim’s right hand with tube for
intravenous drip totally open. On the glass of this drip there was written
“Miclela Caput” (meaning “Caput Mixture,” written incorrectly). On the
glass of the other drip there was written “500 TPS+200 DIPR” (meaning
Sodium Thiopental+Diprivan). In the house there were some empty
blisters of Zolpidem, more than 20 packs of different drugs (some of
them empty), an ash-tray containing white liquid, several empty
ampoules of Propofol, Midazolam and Thiopental, and several new and
used syringes. In the bedroom there were two knapsacks containing
pornographic materials and four plastic phalli.
External examination revealed abundant livor mortis, numerous
recent needle marks with fresh and older hemorrhages in both arms, and
a sutured occipital injury.
Autopsy and histological findings were pulmonary and brain
oedema, moderate fatty liver, acute poly-visceral congestion,
hemorrhagic pancreatitis.
Systematic toxicological analysis was performed on biological and
non biological samples for alcohol, drugs of abuse and pharmaceuticals.
Blood toxicological examination by GC/MS revealed lethal
concentration of Zolpidem (0.86 μg/ml) and high therapeutic blood
concentrations of Propofol (0.30 μg/ml), Midazolam (0.08 μg/ml),
Amitriptyline (0.07 μg/ml), and low concentration of Thiopental (0.03
μg/ml). Zolpidem was also found in gastric content while Thiopental
was found in urine. Hair segment analysis (0 – 2 cm) revealed Propofol
(4,7 μg/mg) and the presence of Zolpidem, Amitriptyline
and Ketoprofen.
Residual’s toxicological analysis of the inserted drip (“Caput
mixture”) revealed Propofol and Midazolam (approximately 1,9 and
0,08 mg/ml). Analysis of the non-inserted drip, showed Propofol and
Thiopental (approximately 2 and 5 mg/ml). The low blood concentration
of Thiopental suggests a self administration of the non-inserted drip at
least 12 hours before death.
The blood Propofol level was lower than or within the commonly
accepted therapeutic range of 1.3– 6.8 μg/ml after a standard anesthetic
induction dose. Published reports indicate that in most cases, the
postmortem Propofol concentrations were at therapeutic levels. It should
be pointed out that especially for those agents used in anesthesia; the
therapeutic concentrations refer to patients being supported respiratorywise,
while in non-supported or non-intubated patients such
concentrations may be lethal. Most of those deaths are thought to have
occurred because of the rapidity of Propofol’s injection which led to
apnea and death. A mere interpretation of the blood and tissue
concentrations of Propofol in the toxicological analysis may be of
limited diagnostic significance without taking into account the before
mentioned reports. Toxicological analysis of hair confirmed the
recreational abuse of Propofol.
These anesthetic and sedative drugs are often used in combination
for anesthesia’s induction. All of these act synergistically in combination
and may induce respiratory depression. This effect depends on
individual susceptibility, on dose used and, especially for Propofol and
Midazolam, infusion’s rapidity.
In conclusion, the victim was administered a solution of anesthetic
drugs, rapidly infused in a lethal combination and simultaneously a
hypnotic drug in lethal dose
Performance characteristics of Cozart Rapiscan oral fluid testing following controller dental anhestetics infiltration
No full textSimultaneous extraction of pesticides from human adipose tissues and GC/MS detection
No full textA modified method is presented1 for the efficient extraction of pesticides from human adipose tissue. The procedure combines purification, extraction on Extrelut column and GC/MS analysis.
This extraction procedure for pesticides in human adipose tissue was evaluated on the basis of accuracy, reproducibility, and chromatographic profile. The method is simple and rapid and produces relatively clean extracts, suitable for gas chromatography/mass spectrometry full scan EI analysis. The acidic purification/solid-phase extraction provided best compromise between recovery and chromatographic profile
Detection of morphine, methadone, cocaine and metabolites in post-mortem adipose tissue
No full textIn this study we report on five higly significant cases regarding drugs of abuse addicts, confirmed either from knowledge of case circumstances, evidence at the scene or the detection of drugs and their metabolites in conventional specimens (blood, urine). We present the importance of adipose tissue analysis, which has gained an interesting significance in forensic toxicology if utilized as an alternative or complement to usual samples to evaluate the pharmacological story. Real samples analyzed in this study were obtained from autopsies performed atthe University of Bari (Italy) from January 2010 to February 2013 and frozen for subsequent analysy
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Methadone overdose in patients following methadone maintenance treatment:A three years overview in the district of Bari (South-Italy)
Full text linkBackground. Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is recognized as a reference treatment for opioid dependence. According to Italian Law, at the beginning of the treatment patients must receive medication under the supervision of a physician, to avoid overdose. After a period of stability, patients could be allowed to take methadone at home in pre-arranged and personalized concentrations, in order to empower their self-responsibility. The aim of the present investigation is to underline the presence of a “glitch in the system” of the MMT. Methods. In the last three years, 7 forensic autopsies and toxicological analysis on corpses of regular opioid users were performed into the Institute of Legal Medicine of Bari. Results. In all these cases very high methadone concentration in blood were found. All the 7 subjects were following a MMT in a Public Health Institute and the cause of death was respiratory depression by overdose of methadone in 6 cases. Conclusion. Therefor an improvement of the MMT's guideline is needed to reduce methadone overdose deaths in future
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