Evaluation of spectroscopic techniques for on-site drug testing of festival seizures.

Despite the fact that drugs of abuse are illegal, a drug-free festival still remains an utopia in most settings. For law enforcement purposes, it is necessary to rapidly determine whether controlled substances are involved. On-site testing is a challenging task because drugs appear in different physical forms and concentrations.

Electrochemical classification of benzodiazepines: A comprehensive approach combining insights from voltammetry and liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry.

The growing non-medical use of benzodiazepines (BZs) has led to the emergence of counterfeit BZ pills and new psycho-active substances (NPS) in the BZ class on the illicit market. Comprehensive analytical methods for BZ identification are required to allow law enforcement, first aid responders and drug-checking services to analyze a variety of sample types and contents to make timely decisions on the spot. In this work, the electrochemical behavior of diazepam (DZ), clonazepam (CZ) and alprazolam (AP) is studied on graphite screen-printed electrodes, both with and without dissolved oxygen in the solution, to link their redox signals to their chemical structure.

Design of smart nanoparticles for the electrochemical detection of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine to allow in field screening by law enforcement officers.

A portable and highly sensitive sensor was designed for the specific detection of 3,4-methyl-enedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), in a range of field-testing situations. The sensor can detect MDMA in street samples, even when other controlled substances drugs, or adulterants are present. In this work, we report for the first time a sensor using electroactive molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles computationally designed to recognize MDMA and then produced using solid phase synthesis.

Cannabis profiling of seized samples: An intra-location variability study using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry profiles and multivariate data analysis.

Yearly, cannabis belongs to the most seized drugs worldwide. During judicial investigations, illicit cannabis profiling can be performed to compare seized herbal material. However, comparison is challenging because of the natural heterogeneity of the psychoactive crop.

Forensic Analysis of Synthetic Cathinones on Nanomaterials-Based Platforms: Chemometric-Assisted Voltametric and UPLC-MS/MS Investigation.

Synthetic cathinones (SCs) are a group of new psychoactive substances often referred to as "legal highs" or "bath salts", being characterized by a dynamic change, new compounds continuously emerging on the market. This creates a lack of fast screening tests, making SCs a constant concern for law enforcement agencies. Herein, we present a fast and simple method for the detection of four SCs (alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone, -ethylhexedrone, 4-chloroethcathinone, and 3-chloromethcathinone) based on their electrochemical profiles in a decentralized manner.

Electrochemical Rapid Detection of Methamphetamine from Confiscated Samples Using a Graphene-Based Printed Platform.

Methamphetamine (MAP) is a highly addictive and illegal stimulant drug that has a significant impact on the central nervous system. Its detection in biological and street samples is crucial for various organizations involved in forensic medicine, anti-drug efforts, and clinical diagnosis. In recent years, nanotechnology and nanomaterials have played a significant role in the development of analytical sensors for MAP detection.

Investigating the electrochemical profile of methamphetamine to enable fast on-site detection in forensic analysis.

Methamphetamine (MA) is a synthetic psychoactive drug which is consumed both licitly and illicitly. In some countries it is prescribed for attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and short-term treatment of obesity. More often though, it is abused for its psychostimulant properties.

Acetazolamide in Decompensated Heart Failure with Volume Overload trial (ADVOR): baseline characteristics.

Aims: To describe the baseline characteristics of participants in the Acetazolamide in Decompensated Heart Failure with Volume Overload (ADVOR) trial and compare these with other contemporary diuretic trials in acute heart failure (AHF).

Methods And Results: ADVOR recruited 519 patients with AHF, clinically evident volume overload, elevated N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and maintenance loop diuretic therapy prior to admission. All participants received standardized loop diuretics and were randomized towards once daily intravenous acetazolamide (500 mg) versus placebo, stratified according to study centre and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (≤40% vs.

Hemodynamic Response to Acute Volume Load and Endomyocardial NO-synthase Gene Expression in Heart Transplant Recipients.

Unlabelled: A pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) >18 mm Hg following volume load has been proposed as a partition value for the detection of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. As hemodynamic changes in filling pressures (FP) have been attributed to a nitric oxide (NO)-mediated rightward shift of the pressure-volume relationship, we investigated the hemodynamic response to volume load in heart transplant recipients (HTx) and examined the role of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) gene expression on diastolic function changes.

Methods: In 36 HTx, FPs were measured before and after volume load, following which Starling curves were constructed using PCWP and cardiac index (CI).

Gas Chromatographic Fingerprint Analysis for the Comparison of Seized Cannabis Samples.

L. is widely used as recreational illegal drugs. Illicit Cannabis profiling, comparing seized samples, is challenging due to natural Cannabis heterogeneity.

Simplified Assessment of the Index of Microvascular Resistance.

Background: To validate a simplified invasive method for the calculation of the index of microvascular resistance (IMR).

Methods: This is a prospective, single-center study of patients with chronic coronary syndromes presenting with nonobstructive coronary artery disease. IMR was obtained using both intravenous (IV) adenosine and intracoronary (IC) papaverine.

The opportunity of 6-monoacetylmorphine to selectively detect heroin at preanodized screen printed electrodes.

The illicit consumption of heroin is an increasing concern in our society. For this reason, rapid analytical methods to seize heroin samples in the field are of paramount importance to hinder drug trafficking, and thus prevent the availability of heroin in the drug market. The present work reports on the enriched electrochemical fingerprint of heroin, allowing its selective detection in street samples, based on the use of electrochemical pretreated screen printed electrodes (p-SPE).

Electrochemical profiling and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry characterization of synthetic cathinones: From methodology to detection in forensic samples.

The emergence of new psychoactive drugs in the market demands rapid and accurate tools for the on-site classification of illegal and legal compounds with similar structures. Herein, a novel method for the classification of synthetic cathinones (SCs) is presented based on their electrochemical profile. First, the electrochemical profile of five common SC (i.

Challenges for cocaine detection in smuggling samples.

Screening of seized cocaine powders is routinely performed by means of colour tests. An alternative fast screening technique is Mid-InfraRed (MIR) spectroscopy. In the context of smuggling cases, however, drugs are often processed to circumvent detection.

Comparison of Spectroscopic Techniques Combined with Chemometrics for Cocaine Powder Analysis.

Spectroscopic techniques combined with chemometrics are a promising tool for analysis of seized drug powders. In this study, the performance of three spectroscopic techniques [Mid-InfraRed (MIR), Raman and Near-InfraRed (NIR)] was compared. In total, 364 seized powders were analyzed and consisted of 276 cocaine powders (with concentrations ranging from 4 to 99 w%) and 88 powders without cocaine.

Left-Sided Implantation of a Defibrillator Lead in Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava.

Unlabelled: Persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is a congenital venous abnormality, characterized by an enlarged coronary sinus, in most cases without haemodynamic consequences. We report the case of a patient with systolic heart failure undergoing implantation of a defibrillator lead through a PLSVC which was diagnosed at the moment of implantation.

Learning Points: Persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) can be incidentally diagnosed during a procedure such as a left-sided central venous line or pacemaker implantation, and can be confirmed by manual contrast injection during the procedure.

DISENGAGE Registry.

Background: During fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement, the simple presence of the guiding catheter (GC) within the coronary ostium might create artificial ostial stenosis, affecting the hyperemic flow. We aimed to investigate whether selective GC engagement of the coronary ostium might impede hyperemic flow, and therefore impact FFR measurements and related clinical decision-making.

Methods: In the DISENGAGE (Determination of Fractional Flow Reserve in Intermediate Coronary Stenosis With Guiding Catheter Disengagement) registry, FFR was prospectively measured twice (with GC engaged [FFR] and disengaged [FFR]) in 202 intermediate stenoses of 173 patients.

Fatal Ischaemic Stroke During COVID-19 and Acute Lung Injury.

Unlabelled: Severe COVID-19 may predispose to both venous and arterial thrombosis. We describe a patient with acute ischaemic stroke while suffering from COVID-19 and respiratory failure, necessitating mechanical ventilation. Deep sedation may delay diagnosis.

Evaluation of data preprocessings for the comparison of GC-MS chemical profiles of seized cannabis samples.

Cannabis is the most frequently used illicit drug in Belgium, where it is mainly cultivated indoor. To improve the fight against this drug, cannabis-profiling methods are required. Cannabis is a natural product and its chemical composition depends on many factors, which cause a high heterogeneity and variability in the secondary metabolites, and make this study challenging.

Evaluation of a calibration transfer between a bench top and portable Mid-InfraRed spectrometer for cocaine classification and quantification.

A portable Fourier Transform Mid-InfraRed (FT-MIR) spectrometer using Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) sampling is used for daily routine screening of seized powders. Earlier, ATR-FT-MIR combined with Support Vector Machines (SVM) algorithms resulted in a significant improvement of the screening method to a reliable and straightforward classification and quantification tool for both cocaine and levamisole. However, can this tool be transferred to new (hand-held) devices, without loss of the extensive data set? The objective of this study was to perform a calibration transfer between a newly purchased bench top (BT) spectrometer and a portable (P) spectrometer with existing calibration models.

Sacubitril/valsartan in heart failure and end-stage renal insufficiency.

The aim of this report is to describe the feasibility and tolerability of medical treatment with sacubitril/valsartan in a patient treated with hemodialysis. We describe the case of a 67-year-old man with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction due to an ischemic cardiomyopathy and renal insufficiency undergoing hemodialysis. Because of worsening heart failure with no other therapeutic options, a treatment with sacubitril/valsartan was started.

Electrochemical Strategies for Adulterated Heroin Samples.

Electrochemical strategies to selectively detect heroin in street samples without the use of complicated electrode modifications were developed for the first time. For this purpose, heroin, mixing agents (adulterants, cutting agent, and impurities), and their binary mixtures were subjected to square wave voltammetry measurements at bare graphite electrodes at pH 7.0 and pH 12.

Procedural microvascular activation in long lesions treated with bioresorbable vascular scaffolds or everolimus-eluting stents: the PROACTIVE trial.

Aims: Significant platelet activation after long stented coronary segments has been associated with periprocedural microvascular impairment and myonecrosis. In long lesions treated either with an everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) or an everolimus-eluting stent (EES), we aimed to investigate (a) procedure-related microvascular impairment, and (b) the relationship of platelet activation with microvascular function and related myonecrosis.

Methods And Results: Patients (n=66) undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in long lesions were randomised 1:1 to either BVS or EES.

Serial strain imaging in takotsubo syndrome with concomitant coronary artery disease.

We report a case of takotsubo syndrome (TTS) triggered by herpes encefalitis in the presence of significant triple vessel coronary artery disease (CAD). The typical ECG abnormalities, moderately elevated cardiac enzymes with disproportionally elevated brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) as well as the typical wall motion abnormalities on echocardiography and left ventricular (LV) angiography, were consistent with the diagnosis of TTS with concomitant CAD rather than an acute coronary syndrome. The normalization of the wall motion abnormalities, ejection fraction and longitudinal strain on serial echocardiography all support the diagnosis of takotsubo syndrome, especially in challenging cases.

Tackling Poor Specificity of Cocaine Color Tests by Electrochemical Strategies.

This paper presents electrochemical strategies for the fast screening of cocaine and most common cutting agents found in seized drug samples. First, a study on the performance of Scott color tests on cocaine and a wide range of cutting agents is described. The cutting agents causing false positive or false negative results when in mixture with cocaine are identified.