Publications by authors named "Alain Baert"

A case of chronic intoxication by 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) is reported in a 21-year-old bodybuilder, also known as an abuser of anabolic steroids, who died after ingesting 2 grams of this substance after 6 months of repeated consumption. The bodybuilder presented the triad of symptoms - tachycardia, tachypnoea, profuse sweating - from 6 months before his death, and was hospitalised for multiple organ failure 4 months before his death. Medical staff attributed this serious episode to his consumption of 2,4-DNP.

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Carbofuran is a pesticide widely used in agricultural context to kill insects, mites, and flies by ingestion or contact. Along with literature review, we aimed to (i) present the clinical, autopsy, and toxicological findings of carbofuran self-poisonings in two 69-year-old twins, resulting in the death of one of them and (ii) assess carbofuran metabolite distribution using molecular networking. Quantitative analysis of carbofuran and its main metabolites (3-hydroxycarbofuran and 3-ketocarbofuran) was carried out using an original liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method on biological samples (cardiac or peripheral blood, urine, bile, and gastric contents).

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The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of positive tests for alcohol and drugs during roadside testing or after road accidents among drivers in the Brittany region of France. The study's secondary objective was to describe the blood concentrations of the substances found during these tests, in order to provide a scientific basis for the establishment or modification of legislative threshold values for road injuries prevention. We performed a cross-sectional study of a database compiled by Rennes University Hospital's toxicology laboratory in the Brittany region of France between 2010 and 2018.

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Rationale: Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a highly potent psychedelic drug derived from ergot alkaloids. The available literature data derived from controlled studies or usage in a medical setting seem reassuring; however the literature contains very rare cases of fatal self-inflicted injuries associated with LSD exposure. The behavioral disorder that created the conditions conducive to death is a maladaptive or irrational response to the psychiatric manifestations induced by the substance.

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Acetaminophen is the leading cause of acute liver failure worldwide following massive ingestion. We present here a fatal acute liver failure after repeated administration of four therapeutic doses of acetaminophen at 4-h intervals in a previously healthy 9-year-old female who presented dental pain after a facial trauma during sport practice. A diagnosis of paracetamol-induced hepatitis was deduced from the clinical picture of fulminant hepatitis and tubular necrosis, the encephalopathy with oedema and without signs of trauma.

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Purpose: In case of xenobiotics induced toxic deaths analyzed at the university hospital of Rennes, a multidisplinary team of forensic analysts, toxicologists, anatomopathologists and pharmacologists assess xenobiotics' contribution to the death.

Methods: A death contribution score (SCRIM) is collectively established during meetings for each death involving xenobiotic drugs. Graded between 1 and 6, lower was this score, more certain was the imputability.

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Rationale: 3-Methoxyphencyclidine (3-MeO-PCP) is a new psychoactive substance derived from phencyclidine. Although it can lead to severe intoxications, the main manifestations and optimal management have not been well characterized. Here, we report 2 cases of 3-MeO-PCP intoxication in the same patient, and summarize the manifestations of this intoxication reported in literature.

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The published version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. In Figure 1 on the molecular network of acebutololol, two molecular structures are not displayed ("acebutolol glucuronide "and "impurity J"). The Figure is corrected here.

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Acebutolol is a β1-selective adrenergic receptor antagonist with moderate membrane-stabilizing activity and intrinsic sympathomimetic activity; accordingly, the drug is indicated in hypertension, angina pectoris, and arrhythmia. However, acebutolol's beta-blocking properties also extend the QRS and QTc intervals, and may predispose the patient to ventricular tachydysrhythmia. Here, we report autopsy and toxicological findings on a fatal case of acebutolol self-poisoning in a 70-year-old woman.

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Powdered roots of iboga (Tabernanthe iboga) contain ibogaine, an alkaloid that has been used to treat addictions. We report the case of a 30-year-old woman who died after ingesting a powder labeled as Tabernanthe iboga she had bought online. Analysis of the powder revealed the absence of ibogaine but the presence of toxic alkaloids (ajmaline, yohimbine and reserpine) found in Rauvolfia sp.

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Perchlorate ions ClO4(-), known to inhibit competitively the uptake of iodine by the thyroid, have been detected in drinking water in France as well as in infant formulae. A tolerable daily intake (TDI) has been established at 0.7 µg kg(-1) bw day(-1) based on the inhibition of iodine uptake.

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France has adopted a new firearms regulation. Firearms are now classified into four categories (A, B, C, and D). The administrative procedure for acquisition and possession of firearms of categories B and C requires medical advice.

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