Polydrug use - prevalence and registration.

Background: Combination of drugs is the main cause of fatal overdose, and polydrug use is associated with greater treatment needs. This study investigates the prevalence and registration of multiple substance dependence.

Material And Method: Substance dependence diagnoses for 147 inpatients at the Department of Addiction Treatment, Oslo University Hospital were registered and reassessed with a focus on the ICD-10 diagnosis F19 (chaotic intake of multiple substances).

Hair EtG: Alterations in segment levels accompanying hair growth.

Hair levels of the direct ethanol biomarker ethyl glucuronide (EtG) are used to evaluate history of alcohol intake. The proximal 3 cm of the hair sample is most often analyzed and this is assumed to represent the intake of ethanol over approximately the past three months. The aim of this study was to investigate change of EtG levels during hair growth in an ethanol-abstinent period.

Ethyl Glucuronide Elimination Kinetics in Fingernails and Comparison to Levels in Hair.

Aims: Measurement of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in nail, as a biomarker for alcohol intake, has recently been suggested as alternative to measurement in hair. The aim of this study was to compare levels of EtG in nail and hair, and to investigate the elimination kinetics of EtG in fingernails during an alcohol abstinent period.

Methods: Overall, 40 subjects (median estimated daily intake of ethanol (EDI) 92.

Extended Detection of Amphetamine and Methamphetamine in Oral Fluid.

Background: Amphetamine and methamphetamine are popular drugs of abuse worldwide and are important components of drug monitoring programs. Windows of detection for amphetamine and methamphetamine in oral fluid after high doses have not been investigated. Repeated high-dose ingestions are likely to cause positive samples for extended periods.