Publications by authors named "Claudia Mariottini"
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed opioid agonist treatment (OAT) status before buprenorphine-related deaths in Finland from 2018 to 2020, revealing that only 10% of the deceased had received OAT in the year prior.
- Less than 1% of individuals under 25 had received OAT, compared to 13% of those 25 and older, with higher rates of female deaths and fatal poisonings among the younger group.
- Although receiving OAT resulted in fewer benzodiazepine findings, substance misuse, especially of benzodiazepines and other drugs, was common across both OAT and non-OAT individuals, indicating a need for improved access to OAT and treatment for multiple addictions, particularly for younger adults
Quantitative analysis of postmortem urine, instead of blood, for buprenorphine and metabolites may provide additional evidence for the diagnosis of fatal buprenorphine poisoning. In this study, 247 autopsy urine samples, previously testing positive for buprenorphine or norbuprenorphine, were quantitatively reanalysed with a recently developed liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for unconjugated buprenorphine (BUP), norbuprenorphine (NBUP), naloxone (NAL), and their respective conjugated metabolites, buprenorphine glucuronide (BUPG), norbuprenorphine glucuronide (NBUPG), and naloxone glucuronide (NALG). The cases were divided, according to medical examiners' decision, to buprenorphine poisonings and other causes of death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous quantification of buprenorphine (BUP), norbuprenorphine (NBUP), naloxone (NAL), and their glucuronide conjugates BUP-G, NBUP-G, and NAL-G in urine samples was developed. The method, omitting a hydrolysis step, involved non-polar solid-phase extraction, liquid chromatography on a C18 column, electrospray positive ionization, and mass analysis by multiple reaction monitoring. Quantification was based on the corresponding deuterium-labelled internal standards for each of the six analytes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA lot has been published on the anticipated effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic on users of illegal drugs. In this study, we present evidence-based data on such effects, namely, the increased number of drug findings in post-mortem investigations. All post-mortem toxicology cases positive for at least one of the following: buprenorphine, amphetamine or cannabis, were investigated in the first 8 months of the year 2020, and the monthly numbers were compared to those in the previous 5 years from 2015 to 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Buprenorphine is abused in several countries notwithstanding its benefits as an analgesic and as an opioid agonist treatment medication. Benzodiazepines and alcohol have previously been associated with buprenorphine toxicity. This study elucidates the role of emerging concomitant drugs in different groups of buprenorphine user deaths.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence and predictors of non-medical substance use, and to assess the association between non-medical substance use and fatal poisoning or history of drug abuse in Finland.
Design And Setting: Retrospective cohort study of all medico-legally investigated death cases in Finland. The postmortem toxicology database was linked together with the register on reimbursed prescription medicines.