DRAMES and DTA databases: Complementary tools to monitor drug-related deaths in France.

Introduction: The DRAMES (décès en relation avec l'abus de médicaments et de substances) registry is a French database of drug-related deaths (medications or illicit drugs) among drug users. The DTA (décès toxiques par antalgiques) registry is a French database of analgesic-related deaths among people without a history of drug abuse. Both registries are based on the collection of data on deaths for which forensic toxicology experts have performed analyses.

Trends in fatal poisoning among medical users of analgesics in France from 2013 to 2022: an analysis of the DTA register.

Objective: To describe analgesic-related deaths in France and report trends over a 10-year period.

Study Design: The DTA ("Décès Toxiques par Antalgiques") register is a French database of analgesic-related deaths among people without a history of drug abuse, reported by forensic toxicology experts.

Methods: We included analgesic-related deaths occurring from January 2013 to December 2022 in France.

A combined toxicokinetic and metabolic approach to investigate deschloro-N-ethylketamine exposure in a multidrug user.

The use of new psychoactive substances derived from ketamine is rarely reported in France. A chronic GHB, 3-MMC, and methoxetamine consumer presented a loss of consciousness in a chemsex context and was referred to the intensive care unit with a rapid and favorable outcome. To investigate the chemicals responsible for the intoxication, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on the ten plasma samples collected over a 29.

Assessment of 19 years of a prospective national survey on drug-facilitated crimes in France.

Drug facilitated-crime or chemical submission (DFC/CS) is defined as the concealed or forced administration of psychoactive substances to a victim for criminal purposes. This is a national program set up in the early 2000 s in the form of a prospective multicenter survey, the results of which this manuscript presents. Over this 19-year period, 5487 cases were collected, analyzed and classified into 54 % of suspected cases, 29 % of chemical vulnerability (CV) cases and 17 % of proven DFC/CS cases.

Hair Analysis of Methoxphenidine in a Forensic Chemsex Case.

Methoxphenidine (MXP, 2-MeO-diphenidine) is a dissociative anesthetic drug of the diarylethylamine type, recently introduced for recreational purposes through the online-based sale of new psychoactive substances (NPSs). The concentration of MXP in hair has never been reported, either in cases of chemsex use or in fatal cases. A 55-year-old man was found dead at his home the morning after a chemsex party.

Complete Post-mortem Investigations in a Death Involving Clenbuterol After Long-term Abuse.

The body of a 61-year-old man was found at his home by his wife, lying on the floor, near the bathroom, around midnight. He was known to be training for bodybuilding, using anabolic steroids. Police investigations revealed the presence of two types of tablets at home, one supposed to contain clenbuterol (0.

New psychoactive substances in oral fluid of drivers around a music festival in south-west France in 2017.

Driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) is a worldwide problem with potentially major forensic and life-threatening consequences. Although it is obvious that new psychoactive substances (NPS) could lead to impaireddriving, the prevalence of NPS use in a DUID context is unknown as the applied roadside screening tests for drugs of abuse (DOA) are not adapted for NPS detection. This works aims to tested oral fluid (OF) specimens for NPS in French drivers circulating around two music festivals (Artsenik 2017 and Garorock 2017) in order to assess the prevalence of consumption and the kind of used NPS in this particular population.

Methadone as a chemical weapon: two fatal cases involving babies.

Methadone is largely used for the substitution management of opiate-dependent individuals but can also be easily found on the black market. The first cases involving repetitive sedation linked to the use of methadone and subsequent death of 2 babies are reported. At the autopsy, no particular morphologic changes were noted except for pulmonary and visceral congestion.

Drug-facilitated sexual assault and analytical toxicology: the role of LC-MS/MS A case involving zolpidem.

The use of a drug to modify a person's behavior for criminal gain is not a recent phenomenon. However, the recent increase in reports of drug-facilitated crimes (sexual assault, robbery) has caused alarm in the general public. Drugs involved can be pharmaceuticals, such as benzodiazepines (flunitrazepam, lorazepam, etc.

A fatal case of mercuric cyanide poisoning.

A 57-year-old pharmacist was found dead 11 days after his disappearance. At the autopsy, samples of blood, urine, gastric content were obtained. Presence of ethanol, cyanide and mercury were detected in some samples.

Hair analysis of seven bodybuilders for anabolic steroids, ephedrine, and clenbuterol.

Several bodybuilders, all winners of international competitions, were arrested for trafficking of a number of doping agents including anabolic steroids, ephedrine, beta-adrenergics, human chorionic gonadotropin, antidepressants, and diuretics. In accordance with the recent French law against doping, the judge asked to test seven bodybuilders to identify doping practices. Hair and urine specimens were collected for analysis.

Last performance with VIAGRA: post-mortem identification of sildenafil and its metabolites in biological specimens including hair sample.

A 43-year-old man was found dead in a hotel room during a sexual relation with a colleague.He was treated both for cardiovascular disease and for erectile dysfunction with VIAGRA. A pillbox was found in the room with several tablets of verapamil (Isoptine), trimetazidine (Vastarel), yohimbine and bromazepam (Lexomil).

Doping control for methenolone using hair analysis by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A sensitive, specific and reproducible method for the quantitative determination of methenolone in human hair has been developed. The sample preparation involved a decontamination step of the hair with methylene chloride. The hair sample (about 100 mg) was solubilized in 1 ml 1 M NaOH, 15 min at 95 degrees C, in presence of 1 ng testosterone-d3 used as internal standard.

Doping control for nandrolone using hair analysis.

A sensitive, specific and reproducible method for the quantitative determination of nandrolone in human hair has been developed. The sample preparation involved a decontamination step of the hair with methylene chloride. The hair sample (about 100 mg) was solubilized in 1 ml NaOH IN, 15 min at 95 degrees C, in presence of 10 ng nandrolone-d(3) used as an internal standard.

Review of factors susceptible of influencing post-mortem carbohydrate-deficient transferrin.

Seric carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is a biochemical marker of chronic alcohol abuse. Assessment of the influence of factors likely to modify CDT concentration is necessary to justify its use in the analysis of post-mortem blood samples. Hemolysis, site of collection and storage were tested.

Failure of falciparum malaria prophylaxis by mefloquine in travelers from West Africa.

Due to the spread of chloroquine-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum in French speaking parts of Africa, we have found it necessary to prescribe mefloquine for antimalaria prophylaxis to travelers to this area. Weekly doses of 125 or 250 mg have been recommended for short journeys. In spite of this regimen, 16 documented cases of falciparum malaria in travelers have been recorded in the Bordeaux hospital center since October, 1988.