Ethyl Glucuronide Concentration in Hair of Detainees: A Preliminary Study.

Through the measurement of ethyl glucuronide in hair (hETG), it is possible to assess chronic alcohol abuse over time. In this paper, we present a study on hETG in Italian prison inmates. Analyses were performed by LC-MS according to a previously published method.

Proactive drugs in DFSA cases: Toxicological findings in an eight-years study.

In case of drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA), the evidence is frequently anecdotal, with few investigations based on scientific evidences being carried out and thus most cases are diagnosed as an acute drug or alcohol intoxication. The reason may lay in the lack of specific knowledge by the victim on the possibility to retrospectively study the allegedly events and to the absence of standardized and shared protocols among health, forensic and police subjects. On this basis, in 2015 the Unit of Forensic Toxicology of University of Florence and the Sexual Assaults Centre in Hospital Careggi have fixed a common protocol to be applied in case of DFSA.

3-MeO-PCP intoxication in two young men: First in vivo detection in Italy.

3-MeO-PCP or 3-methoxyphencyclidine is a derivative of phencyclidine. It acts as a dissociative anesthetic and it has allegedly hallucinogenic and sedative effects. There are almost no documented intoxication cases and references about its pharmacology and toxicity in literature.

Alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine consumption in adolescents: hair analysis versus self-report.

Background: Clinical reliability of self-reported data for alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine consumptions is lacking, particularly in adolescents.

Objectives: To compare a self-report questionnaire and hair analysis to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the self-report.

Methods: A cross-sectional study on 14-15-year-old Italian students (n = 874, 38% males, 62% females) was performed comparing self-reported data to hair analysis.

A novel screening method for 64 new psychoactive substances and 5 amphetamines in blood by LC-MS/MS and application to real cases.

Identification and quantification of new psychoactive substances (NPS), both in biological and non-biological samples, represent a hard challenge for forensic toxicologists. NPS are increasingly emerging on illegal drug market. Many cases of co-consumption of NPS and other substances have also been reported.

Determination of endogenous concentration of γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) in hair through an ad hoc GC-MS analysis: A study on a wide population and influence of gender and age.

γ-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) spread for recreational purposes or as "rape drug" represents a hard issue for forensic toxicologists due to its endogenous nature. It is clear that an actual and reliable discrimination between basal and exogenous levels is mandatory to achieve a correct evaluation of conscious/unconscious administration. This research aimed to study the GHB baseline in hair samples, collected from 150 volunteers, non-consumers of any drugs of abuse, in order to evaluate if a generic cut-off value could be accepted, also focusing on potential influences of gender and age.