Evaluation of ATR-FTIR, HPLC-DAD, GC-MS, and GC-IR for the Analysis of 145 Street Drug Samples From Drug Checking Services.

Drug checking services (DCS) are entities that allow recreational drug users to have street drug samples analyzed. Diverse analytical methods are applied for DCS, ranging from test strips to mass spectrometry (MS). This work evaluates the performance and utility of common methodologies used for DCS operating with off-site drug testing, while additionally assessing the potential of gas chromatography coupled to vapor phase infrared spectroscopy (GC-IR).

The Lateral Corticospinal Tract Sign: An MRI Marker for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Background Radially sampled averaged magnetization inversion-recovery acquisition (rAMIRA) imaging shows hyperintensity in the lateral corticospinal tract (CST) in patients with motor neuron diseases. Purpose To systematically determine the accuracy of the lateral corticospinal tract sign for detecting patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at rAMIRA MRI. Materials and Methods This study included prospectively acquired data from participants in ALS and other motor neuron disease imaging studies at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.

Comparative analysis of in situ and ex situ postmortem brain MRI: Evaluating volumetry, DTI, and relaxometry.

Purpose: To compare postmortem in situ with ex situ MRI parameters, including volumetry, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and relaxometry for assessing methodology-induced alterations, which is a crucial prerequisite when performing MRI biomarker validation.

Methods: MRI whole-brain scans of five deceased patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were performed at 3 T. In situ scans were conducted within 32 h after death (SD 18 h), and ex situ scans after brain extraction and 3 months of formalin fixation.

Longitudinal visibility of MRI findings in living victims of strangulation.

Initial experiences with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of living strangulation victims demonstrated additional findings of internal injuries compared to the standard clinical forensic examination. However, existing studies on the use of MRI for this purpose mostly focused on the first 48 h after the incident. The aims of this study were (a) to evaluate the longitudinal visibility of MRI findings after violence against the neck by performing two MRI examinations within 12 days and a minimum of four days between both MRI scans and (b) to assess which MRI sequences were most helpful for the detection of injuries.

DEPArray™ single-cell technology: A validation study for forensic applications.

In forensics investigations, it is common to encounter biological mixtures consisting of homogeneous or heterogeneous components from multiple individuals and with different genetic contributions. One promising mixture deconvolution strategy is the DEPArray™ technology, which enables the separation of cell populations before genetic analysis. While technological advances are fundamental, their reliable validation is crucial for successful implementation and use for casework.

Automated detection of fatal cerebral haemorrhage in postmortem CT data.

During the last years, the detection of different causes of death based on postmortem imaging findings became more and more relevant. Especially postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) as a non-invasive, relatively cheap, and fast technique is progressively used as an important imaging tool for supporting autopsies. Additionally, previous works showed that deep learning applications yielded robust results for in vivo medical imaging interpretation.

Effect of vaporizing cannabis rich in cannabidiol on cannabinoid levels in blood and on driving ability - a randomized clinical trial.

The aim of this prospective, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, cross-over study was to determine cannabinoid levels in blood and driving-related ability after single (S1) and repetitive (S2) vaporization of cannabis rich in cannabidiol (CBD) containing < 1% Δ-etrahydrocannabinol (THC). Healthy adult volunteers (N = 27, N = 20) with experience in smoking vapor-inhaled two low-THC/CBD-rich cannabis products both with < 1% THC (product 1: 38 mg CBD, 1.8 mg THC; product 2: 39 mg CBD, 0.

A systematic approach to improve downstream single-cell analysis for the DEPArray™ technology.

Most commercially available STR amplification kits have never been fully validated for low template DNA analysis, highlighting the need for testing different PCR kits and conditions for improving single-cell profiling. Here, current strategies rely mainly on adjusting PCR cycle number and analytical threshold settings, with a strong preference for using 30 amplification cycles and thresholds at 30-150 RFU for allele detection. This study aimed to (1) determine appropriate conditions for obtaining informative profiles utilizing a dilution series, and (2) test the outcome on single cells using the DEPArray™ technology.

Investigation of post mortem brain, rectal and forehead temperature relations.

It is well known that magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is temperature sensitive, which is highly relevant for post mortem examinations. Therefore, the determination of the exact temperature of the investigated body site, e.g.

Temperature correction of post mortem quantitative magnetic resonance imaging using real-time forehead temperature acquisitions.

Performing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of deceased is challenging due to altered body temperatures compared to in vivo temperatures and, hence, requires a temperature correction. This study investigates the possibility to correct brain MRI parameters real-time and non invasively based on the forehead temperature. 17 post mortem cases were included and their forehead temperatures were measured continuously during the in situ brain MRI protocol consisting of a diffusion tensor imaging, multi-contrast spin echo, multi-echo gradient echo and inversion recovery spin echo sequence.

Fully automated radiologic identification focusing on the sternal bone.

A crucial task in forensic investigations is the identification of unknown deceased. In general, secure identification methods rely on a comparison of ante mortem (AM) with post mortem (PM) data. However, available morphologic approaches are often dependent on the expertise and experience of the examiner, and often lack standardisation and statistical evidence.

The DNA-Buster: The evaluation of an alternative DNA recovery approach.

Touch DNA recovery techniques can have limitations, as their effectiveness depends on the substrate on which the DNA of a person of interest can be found. In this study, an in-house dry-vacuuming device, the DNA-Buster, was compared to traditional methods for its DNA recovery performance from items typically examined in forensic casework. The aim was to evaluate whether this dry-vacuuming approach can recover DNA efficiently, potentially complementing the well-established recovery strategies.

Recommendations for the successful identification of altered human remains using standard and emerging technologies: Results of a systematic approach.

Successful DNA-based identification of altered human remains relies on the condition of the corpses and varies between tissue types. Therefore, the aim of this prospective multicenter study was to generate evidence-based recommendations for the successful identification of altered remains. For this, 19 commonly used soft and hard tissues from 102 altered human bodies were investigated.

Technical note: Quantitative optimization of the FLAIR sequence in post mortem magnetic resonance imaging.

The fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequence aims at suppressing the signal of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by acquiring images at the time point at which the longitudinal magnetization and therefore the signal of CSF is zero. This time point is also called the null point inversion time (TI). However, the FLAIR sequence is impaired by the temperature dependency of TI in post mortem MRI due to the lower body temperature of the deceased subject.

Post mortem evaluation of brain edema using quantitative MRI.

The post mortem assessment of brain edema is routinely performed during autopsy by forensic pathologists who evaluate the macroscopically visible signs. In this study, the suitability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for a differentiation between edematous and nonedematous brains was examined as an objective, noninvasive and quantitative rating method. In this study, 22 deceased underwent post mortem in situ MRI prior to regular autopsy.

Determination of time of death by blinded post-mortem interrogation of cardiac implantable electrical devices.

Postmortal interrogation of cardiac implantable electrical devices (CIED) may contribute to the determination of time of death in forensic medicine. Recent studies aimed to improve estimation of time of death by combining findings from autopsy, CIED interrogation and patients´ medical history. CIED from deceased undergoing forensic autopsy were included, if time of death remained unclear after forensic assessment.

Beyond Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol: chemical differentiation of cannabis varieties applying targeted and untargeted analysis.

Cannabis sativa (C. sativa) is commonly chemically classified based on its Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) content ratios. However, the plant contains nearly 150 additional cannabinoids, referred to as minor cannabinoids.

Validation and beyond: Next generation sequencing of forensic casework samples including challenging tissue samples from altered human corpses using the MiSeq FGx system.

The proceeding developments in next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies enable increasing discrimination power for short tandem repeat (STR) analyses and provide new possibilities for human identification. Therefore, the growing relevance and demand in forensic casework display the need for reliable validation studies and experiences with challenging DNA samples. The presented validation of the MiSeq FGx system and the ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep Kit (1) investigated sensitivity, repeatability, reproducibility, concordance, pooling variations, DNA extraction method variances, DNA mixtures, degraded, and casework samples and (2) optimized the sequencing workflow for challenging samples from human corpses by testing additional PCR purification, pooling adjustments, and adapter volume reductions.

Quantitative determination of five cannabinoids in blood and urine by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry applying automated on-line solid phase extraction.

Cannabis is the most frequently consumed illegal substance worldwide. More recently, an increasing number of legal cannabis products low in psychoactive Δ -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but high in non-intoxicating cannabidiol (CBD) are being more widely consumed. While the detection and quantification of THC and its metabolites in biological matrices is an important forensic-toxicological task, additional detection of CBD is also important, for example, when examining the plausibility of consumer's statements.

Adulteration of low-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol products with synthetic cannabinoids: Results from drug checking services.

Since late 2019, low-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) preparations adulterated with synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) have been frequently observed in Switzerland. The unawareness of users concerning the presence of SCs and the typically higher potency and toxicity of SCs, when compared with THC, can result in increased health risks. In Switzerland, low-THC (<1%) cannabis products, except hashish, are legal.

Which tissue to take? A retrospective study of the identification success of altered human remains.

In forensic medicine, deceased are usually identified by comparing ante- and post-mortem dental or radiological features. However, in severe putrefaction, burning or absent reference data, the remaining tool for identifying human remains is DNA genotyping. But even a DNA-based identification can be challenging when confronted with a high post-mortem interval or heat impacts because it can lead to undesirable degradation of the DNA that varies among tissue types.

Post mortem brain temperature and its influence on quantitative MRI of the brain.

Objective: MRI temperature sensitivity presents a major issue in in situ post mortem MRI (PMMRI), as the tissue temperatures differ from living persons due to passive cooling of the deceased. This study aims at computing brain temperature effects on the MRI parameters to correct for temperature in PMMRI, laying the foundation for future projects on post mortem validation of in vivo MRI techniques.

Materials And Methods: Brain MRI parameters were assessed in vivo and in situ post mortem using a 3 T MRI scanner.

Phase I In Vitro Metabolic Profiling of the Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists CUMYL-THPINACA and ADAMANTYL-THPINACA.

Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) remain popular drugs of abuse. As many SCRAs are known to be mostly metabolized, in vitro phase I metabolic profiling was conducted of the two indazole-3-carboxamide SCRAs: CUMYL-THPINACA and ADAMANTYL-THPINACA. Both compounds were incubated using pooled human liver microsomes.

Sensitivity of fiber orientation dependent to temperature and post mortem interval.

Purpose: imaging of brain white matter is well known for being sensitive to the orientation of nerve fibers with respect to the B field of the MRI scanner. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether and to which extent fiber orientation dependent differs between in vivo and post mortem in situ examinations, and to investigate the influence of varying temperatures and post mortem intervals (PMI).

Methods: Post mortem in situ and in vivo MRI scans were conducted at 3T.