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Comparison of Spectroscopic Techniques Combined with Chemometrics for Cocaine Powder Analysis J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-12-04 Eliaerts J, Meert N, Dardenne P, et al.
AbstractSpectroscopic techniques combined with chemometrics are a promising tool for analysis of seized drug powders. In this study, the performance of three spectroscopic techniques [Mid-InfraRed (MIR), Raman and Near-InfraRed (NIR)] was compared. In total, 364 seized powders were analyzed and consisted of 276 cocaine powders (with concentrations ranging from 4 to 99 w%) and 88 powders without cocaine
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Toxic Metals in Liquid and Aerosol from Pod-Type Electronic Cigarettes J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-12-23 Naudia Gray; Mary Halstead; Liza Valentin-Blasini; Clifford Watson; R Steven Pappas
High-quality, accurate data on liquid contents and aerosol emissions from electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS, e.g., e-cigarettes) are crucial to address potential health concerns as these devices evolve and mature. Metals are an important class of ENDS constituents that merit attention as they have various health implications. Proper sampling, handling and aerosol trapping materials are essential
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Alpha-Methylfentanyl and Beta-Hydroxyfentanyl LC–MS-MS Quantification in Rat Plasma after Long-Term Ethanol Exposure J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-25 Lyu L, Chen R, Li L, et al.
AbstractFentanyl and its analogues are highly abused drugs that dominate the illicit drug trade. alpha-Methylfentanyl (A-F) and beta-hydroxyfentanyl (B-F) are two fentanyl analogues that require the development of rapid detection technologies. The current study established and validated a rapid and high-sensitivity liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS-MS) method to measure A-F and
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LC-MS-MS Determination of 25 Antipsychotic Drugs and Metabolites in Urine for Medication Compliance Monitoring†. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-11 Seon Yeong Kim,Hee Seung Kim,Jae Chul Cheong,Jin Young Kim
AbstractA liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS-MS) method was developed for 25 antipsychotic drugs and their metabolite in urine for monitoring medication compliance of mentally disordered criminals on probation. Target compounds were extracted with a solid-phase extraction technique using a newly developed hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced sorbent to remove interferences and minimize
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A Comprehensive HPLC-MS-MS Screening Method for 77 New Psychoactive Substances, 24 Classic Drugs and 18 Related Metabolites in Blood, Urine and Oral Fluid. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-20 Annagiulia Di Trana,Giulio Mannocchi,Filippo Pirani,Nunzia La Maida,Massimo Gottardi,Simona Pichini,Francesco Paolo Busardò
AbstractTo date, more than 800 molecules are classified as New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), and it is reported that this number increases every year. Whereas several cases of polydrug consumption that led to acute intoxication and death are reported, a lack of effective analytical screening method to detect NPS and classical drug of abuse in human matrices affects the prompt identification of the
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Methyl-4-hydroxybutyrate and Ethyl-4-hydroxybutyrate as Potential Markers for Simultaneous Consumption of GHB/GBL and Alcohol: Preliminary Investigations. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-11 Theresa Küting,Niklas Beier,Michael Krämer,Burkhard Madea
Abstractγ-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and its corresponding lactone γ-butyrolactone (GBL) are misused as knock out (k.o.) drugs. The short detection window and the major inter- and intra-individual variations of endogenous GHB concentrations in commonly used matrices such as blood and urine complicate the analytical proof of an exogenous GHB/GBL administration. We searched for an alternative way to prove
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Identification and Quantification of Antipsychotics in Blood Samples by LC-MS-MS: Case Reports and Data from Three Years of Routine Analysis. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-11 Paula Proença,Carla Monteiro,Carla Mustra,Alda Claro,João Franco,Francisco Corte Real
AbstractAntipsychotic drugs (AP) are widely prescribed for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis. The pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia is often performed with the simultaneous use of two or more antipsychotic agents to achieve the desired control of psychotic symptoms Available AP include both conventional (typical) and new (atypical) antipsychotic medications. Atypical AP, such as
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Ultraviolet-Visible and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for the Identification of Cyclopropyl-Fentanyl in the First Fatal Case in Spain. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-07-23 Jose Manuel Matey,Carmen García Ruíz,Gemma Montalvo García,Juan Carlos Gomez Soro,Daniel Gutiérrez Delicado,Jovita Rodriguez Gallardo,María Martínez
AbstractHere we report the identification and quantitation of cyclopropyl-fentanyl in a fatality casework occurred due to a poly-drug toxicity in Spain in December 2017. The cyclopropyl-fentanyl was identified in non-biological (paraphernalia) and biological samples (whole-blood, vitreous humor and urine). Conventional techniques (GC–MS) and the UV-Vis spectral allowed differencing between the two
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A Novel Bioanalytical Method for the Determination of Opioids in Blood and Pericardial Fluid. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-06-09 Elisa Ferreira,Francisco Corte Real,Teresa Pinho E Melo,Cláudia Margalho
AbstractOpioids are the drugs most commonly detected in overdose deaths and the second most consumed worldwide. An analytical methodology has been optimized and fully validated for the determination of codeine, morphine, 6-acetylmorphine, 6-acetylcodeine, oxycodone, oxymorphone and fentanyl in whole blood and pericardial fluid. The internal standards used were codeine-d3, morphine-d3, 6-acetylmorphine-d3
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Influence of Pain Killers on the Urinary Anabolic Steroid Profile. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-05-09 Anna Stoll,Michele Iannone,Giuseppina De Gregorio,Xavier de la Torre,Francesco Botre,Maria Parr
AbstractAnabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are prohibited as performance-enhancing drugs in sports. Among them, testosterone and its precursors are often referred to as “pseudoendogenous” AAS, that is, endogenous steroids that are prohibited when administered exogenously. To detect their misuse, among other methods, the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratories monitor the steroid profile (concentrations
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MDMA Intoxication in potential donor with cardiac arrest. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-05-05 André L Castro,Sónia Tarelho,Dina Almeida,Lara Sousa,João Miguel Franco,Helena M Teixeira
AbstractAmphetamine and its derivatives’ consumption is still an important public health issue, namely in terms of compounds variability and disposition to consumers. However, some of them, like 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), still live in the illicit market, with continuous success. Nevertheless, there is always new information and data on MDMA intoxication, both in vivo and in postmortem
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Assessment of Tobacco Exposure During Pregnancy by Meconium Analysis and Maternal Interview J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-03-18 López-Rabuñal Á, Lendoiro E, González-Colmenero E, et al.
AbstractSmoking during pregnancy can have serious obstetric and fetal complications. Therefore, it is essential to identify in utero exposure to tobacco, being meconium the matrix of choice for this purpose. Meconium (n = 565) was analyzed for nicotine, cotinine and hydroxycotinine by LC–MS-MS. Then, tobacco meconium results were compared with smoking habits during pregnancy and neonatal outcomes measures
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The Effect of Prolonged Storage Time on the Stability of Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters in Hair Samples J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-03-18 Tsanaclis L, Bagley K, Bevan S, et al.
AbstractThe advantages of analysis of drugs in hair samples are recognized for the long window of detection, alongside easy sampling and long stability after sample collection. Alcohol markers, ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and total fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) in hair, are widely used for monitoring alcohol consumption for clinical and forensic purposes. Although stability of drugs and EtG in hair samples
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Society of Forensic Toxicologists, Inc. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-10-12 Sumandeep Rana
Sumandeep Rana, Ph.D.
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Death from Poppy Tea Consumption J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-10-12 Sandra C Bishop-Freeman; Lauren Fox; Ruth E Winecker; Jason S Hudson
The historical practice of brewing poppy tea for its opioid-like effects is reoccurring with modern-day substance users. We present four postmortem cases with toxicology results that serve as case studies for the potential hazards of poppy tea ingestion. There is limited information regarding the risks of this practice due to the variability of the morphine content of the opium exuded from the plant
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Development and Validation of an LC-MS-MS Method for the Detection of 40 Benzodiazepines and Three Z-Drugs in Blood and Urine by Solid-Phase Extraction. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-17 Szabolcs Sofalvi,Eric S Lavins,Claire K Kaspar,Haley M Michel,Christie L Mitchell-Mata,Marilyn A Huestis,Luigino G Apollonio
An analytical method for the detection of 40 benzodiazepines, (±)-zopiclone, zaleplon and zolpidem in blood and urine by solid-phase extraction liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated. Twenty-nine of 43 analytes were quantified in 0.5 mL whole blood for investigating postmortem, drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) and driving under the influence of drugs cases
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Endogenous GHB in Segmented Hair Part II: Intra-individual Variation for Exogenous Discrimination. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-05 Erin C Strickland,Jennifer L Thomas,Erin W Lloyd,Michael A Smith,Marc A LeBeau,Madeline A Montgomery,Roman P Karas,Eugene M Peters,Mark L Miller
The endogenous presence of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) complicates the interpretation of results in cases where an exogenous dosing is suspected. Due to GHB’s rapid metabolism and clearance following exogenous doses, hair has become a preferential matrix for confirmation of GHB exposure in drug-facilitated crimes. However, unlike blood and urine where an agreed-upon cut-off concentration for differentiation
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A Rapid LC-MS-MS Method for the Quantitation of Anti-Epileptic Drugs in Urine. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-03 Sheng Feng,Brandi Bridgewater,Erin C Strickland,Gregory McIntire
Epilepsy is a common neurologic disease that requires treatment with one or more medications. Due to the polypharmaceutical treatments, potential side effects, and drug-drug interactions associated with these medications, therapeutic drug monitoring is important. Therapeutic drug monitoring is typically performed in blood due to established clinical ranges. While blood provides the benefit of determining
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Non-Lethal Intoxication by Ingestion of 50 Castor Beans: Serial Measurement of Ricinine in Blood, Plasma, and Urine J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-30 Stefanie Lefever; Inge Geerts; Edith Vermeulen; Pieter Vermeersch; Frederic De Rydt; Laurens Dobbels; Marc Gillis; Kathleen Croes
A 30-year-old woman presented to the emergency department 2 days after ingestion of 50 castor beans. Her symptoms on admission were vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, agitation and anxiety. Initial laboratory tests showed a slightly elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) and mild liver and kidney dysfunction The patient was transferred to the medium care unit of our hospital where she was observed for
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A Computational Approach to Identify Interfering Medications on Urine Drug Screening Assays Without Data from Confirmatory Testing J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-30 Nadia Ayala-Lopez; Layla Aref; Jennifer M Colby; Jacob J Hughey
Urine drug screening (UDS) assays can rapidly and sensitively detect drugs of abuse, but can also produce spurious results due to interfering substances. We previously developed an approach to identify interfering medications using electronic health record (EHR) data, but the approach was limited to UDS assays for which presumptive positives were confirmed using more specific methods. Here we adapted
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Development and Validation of a Method for Quantification of 28 Psychotropic Drugs in Postmortem Blood Samples by Modified Micro-QuEChERS and LC–MS-MS J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-30 Taís B Rodrigues; Damila R Morais; Victor A P Gianvecchio; Elvis M Aquino; Ricardo L Cunha; Marilyn A Huestis; Jose Luiz Costa
The development of new sample preparation alternatives in analytical toxicology leading to quick, effective, automated and environmentally friendly procedures is growing in importance. One of these alternatives is the QuEChERS, originally developed for the analysis of pesticide residues, producing cleaner extracts than liquid-liquid extraction, and easier separation of aqueous and organic phases. However
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A Comprehensive Multi-Analyte Method for Hair Analysis: Substance-Specific Quantification Ranges and Tool for Task-Oriented Data Evaluation. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-27 C Scholz,J Cabalzar,T Kraemer,M R Baumgartner
The aim of the present study was to quantify a large number of analytes including opioids, stimulants, benzodiazepines, z-drugs, antidepressants and neuroleptics within a single sample workup followed by a single analytical measurement. Expected drug concentrations in hair are strongly substance-dependent. Therefore, three different calibration ranges were implemented: 0.5–600 pg/mg (group 1), 10–12
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Pharmacokinetics of Mephedrone and Its Metabolites in Whole Blood and Plasma after Controlled Intranasal Administration to Healthy Human Volunteers. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-27 Joanna Czerwinska,C Parkin Mark,Claire George,T Kicman Andrew,I Dargan Paul,Vincenzo Abbate
Mephedrone is a popular synthetic cathinone, known for its psychostimulant effects. At present, there is no data available on the pharmacokinetics of mephedrone and its metabolites in concurrently collected whole blood and plasma samples after a controlled intranasal administration to healthy volunteers. In this study, six healthy male volunteers nasally insufflated 100 mg of pure mephedrone hydrochloride
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Baclofen: To Screen or Not To Screen in Postmortem Blood? J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-27 Limon Khatun Nahar,Kevin G Murphy,Sue Paterson
Baclofen (BLF) has been prescribed in the UK since 1972 for the alleviation of spasticity. However, evidence suggests BLF is also recreationally misused. It has been associated with ethanol, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), pregabalin (PGL) and gabapentin (GBP) use/abuse and deaths have been reported. With current postmortem (PM) toxicological screening approaches, BLF is not routinely included in
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Rapid Determination of Sufentanil in Human Plasma by UHPLC-QqQ-MS-MS. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-09 Marcin Zawadzki,Grzegorz Kowalski,Agnieszka Chłopaś-Konowałek,Marta Siczek,Małgorzata Sobieszczańska,Wojciech Leppert,Katarzyna Wieczorowska-Tobis,Paweł Szpot
This paper presents a rapid, sensitive and precise method developed and validated for the quantification of sufentanil in biological samples using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with QqQ-MS-MS. Plasma samples were extracted with simple and fast liquid-liquid extraction (ethyl acetate, pH 9). Calibration curve showed linearity in the concentration range of 0.005–30 µg/L. The lower limit
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LC-QToFMS Presumptive Identification of Synthetic Cannabinoids without Reference Chromatographic Retention/Mass Spectral Information. I. Reversed-Phase Retention Time QSPR Prediction as an Aid to Identification of New/Unknown Compounds. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-08 Aldo E Polettini,Johannes Kutzler,Christoph Sauer,Sergej Bleicher,Wolfgang Schultis
The application of Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship (QSPR) to the prediction of reversed-phase liquid chromatography retention behavior of Synthetic Cannabinoids (SC), and its use in aiding the untargeted identification of unknown SC are described in this paper. 1D, 2D molecular descriptors and fingerprints of 105 SC were calculated with PaDEL-Descriptor, selected with Boruta algorithm
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LC-QToFMS Presumptive Identification of Synthetic Cannabinoids without Reference Chromatographic Retention/Mass Spectral Information. II. Evaluation of a Computational Approach for Predicting and Identifying Unknown High-Resolution Product Ion Mass Spectra. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-08 Aldo E Polettini,Johannes Kutzler,Christoph Sauer,Susanne Guber,Wolfgang Schultis
Despite LC-HR-MS2 enables untargeted acquisition, data processing in toxicological screenings is almost invariably performed in targeted mode. We developed a computational approach based on open source chemometrics software that, starting from a suspected Synthetic Cannabinoid determined formula, searches for isomers in different NPS web databases (NPSWD), predicts retention time (RT) and high-resolution
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Quantification of Major Metabolites of AB-FUBINACA in Solid Tissues Obtained from An Abuser. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-04 Kayoko Minakata,Koutaro Hasegawa,Hideki Nozawa,Itaru Yamagishi,Masako Suzuki,Takuya Kitamoto,Osamu Suzuki,Kanako Watanabe
AB-FUBINACA M3 was reported to be a major metabolite of the drug, but its in vivo concentration in authentic human solid tissues has not been quantified yet. Another metabolite AB-FUBINACA M4 did not receive much attention previously and also has not been quantified yet in any authentic human specimens. The aims of this study are to establish a sensitive method for quantification of M3 and M4 in solid
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Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals in Man, 12th Edition J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-04 Randall C Baselt; Diane M Boland
Regarding ‘Evaluation of Oral Fluid as a Specimen for DUID’ by Veitenheimer and Wagner (2017; Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 41, 517–522), five (5) false positives are listed for THC in Table IV, but there should actually be zero (0). Therefore, the Results section (fourth paragraph) should read ‘The ELISA showed two FPs for amphetamine, while the DDS®2 showed one FP for cocaine and no FPs for THC’
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Multiplex Analysis of 230 Medications and 30 Illicit Compounds in Dried Blood Spots and Urine. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-04 Allison V, Jarrad W.
Drugs of abuse and medication reconciliation testing can benefit from analysis methods capable of detecting a broader range of drug classes and analytes. Mass spectrometry analysis of a wide variety of commonly prescribed medications and over-the-counter drugs per sample also allows for application of a drug-drug-interaction (DDI) algorithm to detect adverse drug reactions (ADRs). In order to prevent
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Development of an Analytical Method for Quantitation of Deoxynivalenol by UPLC-MS-MS: a Preliminary Assessment of Gestational and Lactational Transfer in Rats. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-04 Melanie A Rehder Silinski,Jennifer A Gilliam,Reshan A Fernando,Veronica G Robinson,Dori Germolec,Helen Cunny,Madelyn C Huang,Johnathan Furr,Suramya Waidyanatha
Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most widely distributed trichothecene mycotoxin in grain-based foods and animal feed. Exposure to DON is widespread as it has been detected in food sources from around the world. The objective of this work was to develop a method to quantitate DON in biological matrices and apply it in a preliminary assessment of gestational and lactational transfer of DON following exposure
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Can A Recently Developed Pig Model Be Used for In Vivo Metabolism Studies of 7-Azaindole Derived Synthetic Cannabinoids? A Study Using 5F-MDMB-P7AICA. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-04 Adrian A Doerr,Frederike Nordmeier,Nadja Walle,Matthias W Laschke,Michael D Menger,Peter H Schmidt,Nadine Schaefer,Markus R Meyer
New psychoactive substances (NPS), especially synthetic cannabinoids (SC) remain a public health concern. Due to ethical reasons, systematic controlled human studies to elucidate their toxicodynamics and/or toxicokinetics are usually not possible. However, such knowledge is necessary, for example, for determination of screening targets and interpretation of clinical and forensic toxicological data
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Development of Sensitive and High Throughput Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Quantification of Haloperidol in Human Plasma with Phospholipid Removal Pretreatment. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-09-04 Nela Zidekova,Adam Nemcek,Martina Sutovska,Juraj Mokry,Martin Kertys
Haloperidol, butyrophenone derivative, is a typical antipsychotic drug used in the treatment of schizophrenia, manic phase of bipolar disorder, and acute psychomotor agitations. According to the recent guidelines for therapeutic drug monitoring, it is strongly recommended to measure plasma level during the therapy with haloperidol. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a simple liquid
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In Heroin-Related Fatalities, Testing for 6-Acetylmorphine in Vitreous Humor Seems to Be of Higher Sensitivity Than in Blood or Urine. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-29 Shanti Nassibou,Camille Richeval,Jean-François Wiart,Florian Hakim,Delphine Allorge,Jean-Michel Gaulier
Regarding ‘Evaluation of Oral Fluid as a Specimen for DUID’ by Veitenheimer and Wagner (2017; Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 41, 517–522), five (5) false positives are listed for THC in Table IV, but there should actually be zero (0). Therefore, the Results section (fourth paragraph) should read ‘The ELISA showed two FPs for amphetamine, while the DDS®2 showed one FP for cocaine and no FPs for THC’
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Patterns of Neonatal Co-Exposure to Gabapentin and Commonly Abused Drugs Observed in Umbilical Cord Tissue. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-29 Nkemakonam C Okoye,Gwendolyn A McMillin
Gabapentin was thought to have low abuse potential, but it is increasingly being abused by people with substance use disorder in an attempt to potentiate the euphoric effects from opioids and other CNS depressants. Additionally, infants co-exposed to gabapentin and opioids during pregnancy tend to exhibit prolonged and more severe neonatal abstinence syndrome. In this study, we describe positivity
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Metabolism Study of N-Methyl 2-amino Indane (NM2AI) and Determination of Metabolites in Biological Samples by LC-HRMS. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-29 Serena Mestria,Sara Odoardi,Sofia Federici,Sabrine Bilel,Micaela Tirri,Matteo Marti,Sabina Strano Rossi
Since the widespread diffusion of new psychoactive substances, forensic laboratories are often required to identify new drugs and their metabolites for which information or reference standards are lacking. We performed a study on N‐methyl‐2‐aminoindane (NM2AI) metabolism in silico and in vivo, in order to identify the main metabolites to be screened in the different biological samples. We performed
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Endogenous 1-H-Pyrrole-2,3,5-tricarboxylic Acid (PTCA) in Hair and its Forensic Applications: A Pilot Study on a Wide Multi-Ethnic Population. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-29 Sara Casati,Ilaria Angeli,Alessandro Ravelli,Roberta F Bergamaschi,Andrea Guzzi,Chiara Giannasi,Anna T Brini,Mauro Minoli,Marica Orioli
Over the years, several studies have shown that many factors are likely to affect the results of forensic hair analyses and complicate their interpretation. Among these factors, one of the major drawbacks in hair analysis is the affectability of deposited xenobiotics by cosmetic treatments which could be eventually used to adulterate the sample. It is well known that some cosmetic treatments containing
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Toxicological Investigations in a Death involving 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-chloamphetamine (DOC) Performed on an Exhumed Body. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-29 Frédéric Aknouche,Alice Ameline,Angeline Kernaguellen,Nadia Arbouche,Christophe Maruejouls,Pascal Kintz
During a party in another country, several adults sniffed a powder presented as being LSD. The next morning, two subjects, including a French citizen, were found dead. After a body examination that concluded death was due to respiratory and cardiac collapses, the French citizen’s corpse was returned to France and buried. Four years later, the body was exhumed, and an autopsy that did not reveal traumatic
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Evaluating Trends in Novel Psychoactive Substances Using a Sentinel Population of Electronic Dance Music Festival Attendees. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-29 Amanda L A Mohr,Melissa F Fogarty,Alex J Krotulski,Barry K Logan
Electronic dance music (EDM) festivals have become a popular venue for recreational drug use, including the use of traditional stimulants like 3,4-methylenendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Using this cohort of people who use drugs recreationally, this study sought to collect biological specimens and self-reported drug use data from EDM festival attendees in the
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A 2017-2019 Update on Acute Intoxications and Fatalities from Illicit Fentanyl and Analogues. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-29 Pietro Brunetti,Filippo Pirani,Jeremy Carlier,Raffaele Giorgetti,Francesco Paolo Busardò,Alfredo Fabrizio Lo Faro
The aim of this review was to report the most recent cases of acute intoxication, fatalities and “driving under the influence” cases, involving illicit fentanyl and its newest analogues. When available, information on age, sex, circumstances of exposure, intoxication symptoms, cause of death (if applicable) and toxicology results from biological fluid testing was described. Scientific publications
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Time- and Site-dependent Postmortem Redistribution of Antidepressants and Neuroleptics in Blood and Alternative Matrices. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-28 Lana Brockbals,Sandra N Staeheli,Dominic Gascho,Lars C Ebert,Thomas Kraemer,Andrea E Steuer
Postmortem redistribution (PMR) leads to challenges in postmortem case interpretation. Particularly antidepressants and neuroleptics are expected to undergo PMR based on their physico-chemical properties. For the current study, time- and site-dependent PMR of 20 antidepressants and neuroleptics were investigated in humans (authentic cases); five of which are discussed in detail (citalopram, mirtazapine
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Assessing Hair Decontamination Protocols for Diazepam, Heroin, Cocaine, and Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol by Statistical Design of Experiments. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-27 Jennett Chenevert Aijala,Wensong Wu,Anthony P DeCaprio
Prior to toxicological analysis, hair as a matrix requires pre-treatment measures including decontamination, homogenization, and extraction. Decontamination is performed to differentiate between drug present from superficial deposition and drug incorporated from systemic distribution following ingestion. There are many methods for decontamination of hair samples, mostly developed by empirically using
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Eutylone Intoxications—An Emerging Synthetic Stimulant in Forensic Investigations J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-25 Alex J Krotulski; Donna M Papsun; Chris W Chronister; Joseph Homan; Michele M Crosby; Jennifer Hoyer; Bruce A Goldberger; Barry K Logan
Synthetic stimulants are the largest class of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) identified each year by forensic laboratories internationally. While hundreds of these drugs appear in drug powders, only a few proliferate in use among forensically relevant populations, eventually emerging in postmortem and clinical investigations. Beta-keto-methylenedioxyamphetamines (i.e., NPS with names ending in
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Novel and Non-routine Benzodiazepines and Suvorexant by LC–MS-MS J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-25 Luke Garcia; Nicholas B Tiscione; Dustin Tate Yeatman; Lauren Richards-Waugh
Benzodiazepines are a commonly prescribed class of drugs that have the potential for abuse. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office received drug seizure submissions that included novel and/or non-routine benzodiazepines of increasing prevalence from 2017 to 2019. This prompted the development of a method of analysis for these compounds in biological specimens. The method tests for 16 novel and non-routine
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Quantitative Determination of Ethyl Glucuronide and Ethyl Sulfate in Postmortem and Antemortem Whole Blood using Phospholipid Removal 96-Well Plate and UHPLC-MS-MS. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-20 Delvin Sidgey,Veronica Liane,Lena Kristoffersen
Postmortem ethanol formation is a well-known problem in forensic toxicology. Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) are ethanol metabolites that can be used to distinguish antemortem alcohol intake from postmortem formation of ethanol and in addition can be a helpful tool in assessment of the hip-flask defense. To an aliquot of 100 µL whole blood, internal standard (IS) and water was added
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Postmortem Drug Redistribution: A Compilation of Postmortem/Antemortem Drug Concentration Ratios. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-20 Dylan Mantinieks,Dimitri Gerostamoulos,Linda Glowacki,Matthew Di Rago,Jennifer Schumann,Noel W Woodford,Olaf H Drummer
Postmortem drug redistribution (PMR) is a well-known phenomenon in forensic toxicology with implications for medico-legal death investigations. Paired antemortem (AM) specimen and postmortem (PM) mortuary admission femoral blood drug concentrations from 811 coronial cases were used to construct a retrospective compilation of PM/AM drug concentration ratios for 42 parent drugs and metabolites. The median
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Analytical Detection of Novel Stimulants by Immunoassay and Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry: Case Studies on Ethylphenidate and Mephedrone. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-20 Sarah L Belsey,Robert J Flanagan
The advent of hundreds of new compounds aimed at the substance misuse market has posed new analytical challenges. A semi-quantitative liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS) method has been developed to detect exposure to two novel stimulants, mephedrone and ethylphenidate, and selected metabolites. Centrifuged urine (50 µL) was diluted with LC eluent containing internal standards
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Determination of ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate in human whole blood and vitreous humor by LC-MS/MS and applications to the interpretation of postmortem ethanol findings. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-19 Hao Wang,Beixu Li,Fanglin Wang,Jing Chang,Yunfeng Zhang,Yulan Rao
Identifying the source of ethanol in a decedent remained a complicated problem for forensic toxicologists because of postmortem ethanol formation. As ethanol’s non-oxidative metabolites, ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) have the potential to distinguish between antemortem ethanol consumption and postmortem ethanol formation, due to their high sensitivity and selectivity. In the current
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Fentanyl and Driving Impairment. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-14 Timothy P Rohrig,Emily Nash,Kei A Osawa,Xiaoqin Shan,Colleen Scarneo,Kimberly B Youso,Russell Miller,Nicholas B Tiscione
The incidence of fentanyl in forensic toxicology analyses in the U.S. has dramatically increased over the past several years. The increase in death cases has been well studied, however little has been reported on the impact to drug impaired driving. Fentanyl driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) case data from 2014 to 2019 is presented. The data was obtained from three toxicology laboratories
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Two Fatalities Involving Mebroqualone. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-13 K M Woods
Mebroqualone is an analogue of methaqualone, and there is a very little published information regarding the toxicity of this designer drug. We describe two cases with non-lethal levels of mebroqualone in blood collected at autopsy. Case 1 was an accidental death that involved a house fire, and the decedent was found to have a blood mebroqualone concentration of 10,228 ng/mL. Case 2 was a completed
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Quantification of Flualprazolam in Blood by LC-MS-MS: A Case Series of Nine Deaths. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-11 Kathleen Rice,Laura Hikin,Alexander Lawson,Paul R Smith,Stephen Morley
The emergence of novel designer benzodiazepines continues to be a public health concern. Flualprazolam is one of these drugs. It was initially identified in 2017. Users forums suggest it is slightly more potent than alprazolam and has longer-lasting central nervous system depressant effects. Here we report a simple, sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for flualprazolam and
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Simultaneous Quantification of 38 Psychotropic Drugs and Relevant Metabolites in Blood using LC-MS-MS. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-05 Rongzhe Zhu,Xiaoru Dong,Dingang Zhang,Xiaochen Liu,Yonghong Ye,Yan Jiang
The trend for the concomitant prescription of antidepressants and antipsychotics is increasing. This calls for a veracious screening and quantifying method for forensic and clinical use. In this study, a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination and quantification of 38 antidepressants, antipsychotics, and relevant
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Stability of Phosphatidylethanol 16:0/18:1 in Freshly Drawn, Authentic Samples from Healthy Volunteers. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-05 Ragnhild Bergene Skråstad,Olav Spigset,Trond Oskar Aamo,Trine Naalsund Andreassen
Due to its specificity, PEth 16:0/18:1 has gained increased popularity as a marker for high alcohol consumption in the last years. As conflicting results regarding the stability of PEth 16:0/18:1 in whole blood have been published, there are still uncertainties related to optimum handling, transport and storage of blood samples for the analysis of PEth 16:0/18:1.
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First report on brorphine: the next opioid on the deadly new psychoactive substances' horizon? J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-08-03 Nick Verougstraete,Marthe M Vandeputte,Cathelijne Lyphout,Annelies Cannaert,Fabian Hulpia,Serge Van Calenbergh,Alain G Verstraete,Christophe Stove
New psychoactive substances (NPS) continue to appear on the drug market. Until recently, new synthetic opioids, which are amongst the most dangerous NPS, primarily encompassed analogues of the potent analgesic fentanyl. Lately, also other new synthetic opioids have increasingly started to surface. This is the first report on the identification and full chemical characterization of brorphine, a novel
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The Relation Between Ingested Dose of Ethanol and Amount of Ethyl Glucuronide Formed in Blood. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-07-31 Jan Toralf Fosen,Jørg Mørland,Gudrun Høiseth
A positive non-linear relation between the dose of ethanol ingested and the area under the curve (AUC) for ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in urine is previously observed. The relation between both doses and AUC of ethanol and the AUC for EtG in blood is not previously published, and this study aimed to investigate this relationship. After an overnight fast, 10 healthy volunteers ingested 0.5-g ethanol per
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Concerns on the Misinterpretation of Very Low Drug Concentrations in Hair. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-07-23 Olaf H Drummer,Dimitri Gerostamoulos,Marc A LeBeau,Fritz Pragst
AbstractA comparative analysis of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF) for the detection of opioids in blood samples is presented. The Orange County Crime Lab (OCCL) was concerned that the opioid drug class was not accurately detected at low concentrations due to the use of LC-QTOF as a non-targeted screening method for multiple classes
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Determination of Third Generation Synthetic Cannabinoids in Oral Fluids. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-07-18 Aitor Sorribes-Soriano,Josep Verdeguer,Agustín Pastor,Sergio Armenta,Francesc A Esteve-Turrillas
A procedure has been developed for the determination of third generation synthetic cannabinoids in oral fluid samples by using a semi-automated microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) procedure and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) determination. Five synthetic cannabinoids were employed as model compounds 5F-ADB, MMB-CHMICA, THJ-2201, CUMYL-4CN-BINACA, and MDMB-CHMCZCA. The most adequate
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Screening of 104 New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and Other Drugs of Abuse in Oral Fluid by LC-MS-MS. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-07-18 Kelly Francisco da Cunha,Karina Diniz Oliveira,Marilyn A Huestis,Jose Luiz Costa
New psychoactive substances (NPS) are a major public health problem, primarily due to the increased number of acute poisoning cases. Detection of these substances is a challenge. The aim of this research was to develop and validate a sensitive screening method for 104 drugs of abuse, including synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, fentanyl analogues, phenethylamines and other abused psychoactive
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Growing Trends in the Efficient and Selective Extraction of Compounds in Complex Matrices using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) and their Relevance to Toxicological Analysis. J. Anal. Toxicol. (IF 3.513) Pub Date : 2020-07-16 Haley A Mulder,Matthew S Halquist
In the world of forensic and clinical toxicology, proper sample preparation is one of the key steps in identification and quantification of drugs of abuse. Traditional extraction methods such as solid-phase extraction and liquid-liquid extraction are often laborious and not-selective for the target analytes being measured. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) can be synthesized for sample extraction
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