Step-By-Step Procedure to Identify Previously Unknown Compounds by LC-QTOF-MS Exemplified by an Intoxication With the Methaqualone Analog SL-164.

In September 2019, a 22-year-old man with a history of drug abuse presented to the hospital with altered mental status. Due to a suspected drug overdose, a blood sample taken on admission and a urine sample collected 30 h thereafter were submitted to our laboratory to test for illegal drugs, pharmaceutical substances, and designer drugs. During the routine toxicological analysis of the serum sample, morphine and phenobarbital were identified by liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS).

Unexpected results found in larvae samples from two postmortem forensic cases.

Purpose: In forensics, entomological specimens can be used as additional/alternative matrices to detect xenobiotics when human specimens are limited in their application. Despite some advantages over implementing putrefied human remains, most medico-legal laboratories do not include entomotoxicological procedures as routine analytical methods. We thus applied two authentic cases to evaluate necrophagous larvae's potential as complementary matrices for toxicological analysis after extensive postmortem decomposition.

Verifying the validity of creatinine measurement in low-concentrated urine spot samples-Photospectrometry versus liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

One of the major challenges of testing drugs of abuse is the detection of highly diluted urine samples. The ingestion of a large amount of fluid can considerably reduce the concentration of substances, possibly resulting in inaccurate drug testing. For detection, determination of urinary creatinine is a widely established procedure.

Mono-/polyintoxication with 5F-ADB: A case series.

5F-ADB is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid. In recent years, it has been detected in legal high products as well as in biological samples and is associated with serious adverse health, behavioral effects and even death. Due to the fast pace of the market of synthetic cannabinoids, data on such newly appearing substances are scarce.

Determination of hydroxy metabolites of cocaine from hair samples and comparison with street cocaine samples.

Drugs which are commonly smoked or sniffed (e.g. cocaine), can contaminate hair through smoke or dust; therefore testing for metabolites, especially hydroxy metabolites, is highly recommended.

Do cemeteries emit drugs? A case study from southern Germany.

The risk of earth burials for the environment and public health is a matter of controversial debate. The aim of the present study is to characterise the drainage of cemeteries with regard to the concentration of a number of pharmaceuticals and to the soil's hydrochemical properties, and to discuss these data in comparison with data obtained for surface waters located upstream of the cemeteries. Of the 12 drainage samples analysed using LC-ESI-MS/MS, seven contained carbamazepine (< 225 ng l), five contained hydrochlorothiazide, one contained metoprolol (23 ng l) and one contained traces of ibuprofen.

Mapping spiral structure on the far side of the Milky Way.

Little is known about the portion of the Milky Way lying beyond the Galactic center at distances of more than 9 kiloparsec from the Sun. These regions are opaque at optical wavelengths because of absorption by interstellar dust, and distances are very large and hard to measure. We report a direct trigonometric parallax distance of kiloparsec obtained with the Very Long Baseline Array to a water maser source in a region of active star formation.

On the distance to the North Polar Spur and the local CO-H factor.

Aims: Most models identify the X-ray bright North Polar Spur (NPS) with a hot interstellar (IS) bubble in the Sco-Cen star-forming region at ≃130 pc. An opposite view considers the NPS as a distant structure associated with Galactic nuclear outflows. Constraints on the NPS distance can be obtained by comparing the foreground IS gas column inferred from X-ray absorption to the distribution of gas and dust along the line of sight.

Urinary excretion study following consumption of various poppy seed products and investigation of the new potential street heroin marker ATM4G.

Discrimination between street heroin consumption and poppy seed ingestion represents a major toxicological challenge in daily routine work. Several difficulties associated with conventional street heroin markers originate from their versatile occurrence in various poppy seed products and medications, respectively, as well as to small windows of detection. A novel opportunity to overcome these hindrances is represented by the new potential street heroin marker acetylated-thebaine-4-metabolite glucuronide (ATM4G), originating from thebaine during street heroin synthesis followed by metabolic reactions after administration.

Liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry screening procedure for urine samples in forensic casework compared to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

This work represents the development, validation, and application of a liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) screening method for the detection of pharmaceutical substances and illicit drugs (acidic, basic, and neutral organic drugs) in urine samples. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry was performed using an LC-Triple TOF 5600 system with electrospray ionization operated in both positive and negative mode, respectively. The limits of detection (LODs), determined for 34 substances, were < 10 ng/mL for 91% of the compounds.

First detection of ethylphenidate in human fatalities after ethylphenidate intake.

Methylphenidate, a psychostimulant drug from the group of amphetamines is, among others, established in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. It is also known to have a certain potential of abuse. In combination with alcohol, the metabolite ethylphenidate was detected in human plasma in small amounts.

Quantification of anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol plasma levels to examine potential influences of tetrahydrocannabinol application on the endocannabinoid system in humans.

The effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids, ECs) are both mediated by activation of the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2. Exogenous activation of these receptors by THC could therefore alter EC levels. We tested this hypothesis in healthy volunteers (n = 25) who received a large intravenous dose of THC (0.

In situ assay of fatty acid β-oxidation by metabolite profiling following permeabilization of cell membranes.

Quantitative analysis of mitochondrial FA β-oxidation (FAO) has drawn increasing interest for defining lipid-induced metabolic dysfunctions, such as in obesity-induced insulin resistance, and evaluating pharmacologic strategies to improve β-oxidation function. The aim was to develop a new assay to quantify β-oxidation function in intact mitochondria and with a low amount of cell material. Cell membranes of primary human fibroblasts were permeabilized with digitonin prior to a load with FFA substrate.

Determination of EDTA in dried blood samples by tandem mass spectrometry avoids serious errors in newborn screening.

Newborn screening programs use whole blood dried on filter paper as the standard specimen. Metabolites are reasonably stable and can easily be sent to screening laboratories by regular mail. The recommended sample collection procedure is to spot native blood without anticoagulants onto the filter paper, because anticoagulants can interfere with the different laboratory methods.

IFN-gamma alters the response of Borrelia burgdorferi-activated endothelium to favor chronic inflammation.

Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, promotes proinflammatory changes in the endothelium that lead to the recruitment of leukocytes. The host immune response to infection results in increased levels of IFN-gamma in the serum and lesions of Lyme disease patients that correlate with greater severity of disease. Therefore, the effect of IFN-gamma on the gene expression profile of primary human endothelial cells exposed to B.

Supernova--remnant origin of cosmic rays?

It is thought that Galactic cosmic-ray nuclei are gradually accelerated to high energies (up to about 300 TeV per nucleon, where 1 TeV is 10(12) eV) in the expanding shock waves connected with the remnants of powerful supernova explosions. However, this conjecture has eluded direct observational confirmation since it was first proposed in 1953 (ref. 3).

Hepatic carnitine palmitoyltransferase I deficiency: acylcarnitine profiles in blood spots are highly specific.

Background: In carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT-I) deficiency (MIM 255120), free carnitine can be increased with no pathologic acylcarnitine species detectable. As inclusion of CPT-I deficiency in high-risk and newborn screening could prevent potentially life-threatening complications, we tested whether CPT-I deficiency might be diagnosed by electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS).

Methods: A 3.

The biochemical metabolite screen in the Munich ENU Mouse Mutagenesis Project: determination of amino acids and acylcarnitines by tandem mass spectrometry.

Background: Gene mutations often result in altered protein expression and, in turn, lead to changes in metabolite levels in one or more distinct biochemical pathways. Traditional analytical methods for metabolite determination are usually time consuming, expensive, and, thus, not suitable for high throughput analysis. However, recent developments in electrospray-tandem-mass-spectrometry allow comprehensive metabolite scanning from very small amounts of blood with high speed, cost effectiveness, and accuracy.

The Distance to the Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1627-41.

We report millimeter observations of the line of sight to the recently discovered soft gamma repeater SGR 1627-41, which has been tentatively associated with the supernova remnant (SNR) G337.0-0.1.