Fingerprints left at a crime scene are used to connect the crime to a person who may have been present there. Fingerprints can also be used as alternative material in forensic toxicology. The detection of drugs in fingerprint samples can be used to show that an individual touching an item has consumed specific drugs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Cathinones are currently the second largest and the second most frequently seized group of new psychoactive substances (NPS). One of the most recent synthetic cathinones that has appeared on the 'legal highs' market is alpha-pyrrolidinoisohexanophenone (α-PiHP).
Case History: An 18-year-old man was found dead in an apartment.
Rhabdomyolysis is a relatively rare, but potentially serious complication of various diseases. Muscular injury and resultant release of electrolytes, myoglobin and other enzymatic proteins e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUR-144 [(1-pentyl-1H-indol-3-yl)(2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl)methanone] is a synthetic cannabinoid, which has been detected in many 'legal highs', seized from the global drug market since the beginning of 2012. It has gained popularity as a 'legal' alternative to classic cannabis in countries where it was not controlled. Despite the widespread distribution of this substance, the data on its effects on the human body are scarce.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF3-Methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) has been one of the most popular new psychoactive substances (NPS) in Poland in recent years. 3-MMC was found in blood in 95 cases sent to the Institute of Forensic Research (IFR) during the two and a half year period, from 2013 to half of 2015. 3-MMC was determined in 13 and 48 cases in 2013 and 2014 year-round casework, respectively, while only in the first half of 2015 year it was present in 34 cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNew psychoactive substances (NPS) pose a challenge for forensic and clinical toxicologists, as well as for legislators. We present our findings from cases where NPS have been detected in biological material. During the three-year period 2012-2014 we found NPS in 112 cases (out of 1058 analyzed), with 75 cases in 2014 alone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is a cathinone derivative. It has recently been classified as a controlled substance in many countries. This substance is a stimulant that can be snorted, smoked or taken orally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF4-Methylethcathinone (4-MEC) is a designer drug that is structurally similar to mephedrone. This substance was identified in many drug seizures analyzed in the Institute of Forensic Research (IFR). This paper describes three of the first cases in which both powders and biological material were secured at the same time and delivered to the IFR for toxicological analysis.
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