Tramadol-related fatalities: Metabolic ratios & SNPs/INDELs belonging to UGT1A8, UGT2B7, ABCC2, and SLC22A1.

Genetic polymorphism can cause variation in tramadol (TR) pharmacokinetic characteristics and the expected clinical response. In forensic toxicology, the data about parent and metabolite concentrations (MRs; metabolic ratios) could facilitate to determine the cause of death and to assess time between drug intake and death. In this study, the aim was to investigate if UGT1A8, UGT2B7, ABCC2, and SLC22A1 genotyping can facilitate interpretation by investigating the frequency of UGT1A8, UGT2B7, ABCC2, and SLC22A1 genotypes in forensic autopsy cases positive for TR and to assess whether there is a correlation between these genetic variants and MRs.

Simultaneous death of two siblings, a Senna matter?

Senna is a medicinal herb commonly used as a laxative and dietary aid for weight loss. Repeated consumption of Senna may lead to persistent diarrhea. Furthermore, cases of acute liver failure and hepato-encephalopathic syndrome after chronic Senna ingestion were reported in literature.

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.

Effect of CYP2D6, 2C19, and 3A4 Phenoconversion in Drug-Related Deaths.

Molecular autopsy is a very important tool in forensic toxicology. However, many determinants, such as co-medication and physiological parameters, should be considered for optimal results. These determinants could cause phenoconversion (PC), a discrepancy between the real metabolic profile after phenoconversion and the phenotype determined by the genotype.

Synthetic cathinones in drug-facilitated sexual assault: A case report involving the novel generation substituted cathinone N-ethylpentedrone and a review of the literature.

The use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is not uncommon. Indeed, the effects associated with the use of this substance may lead to disinhibition. Several synthetic cathinones, such as mephedrone or methylone, also possess marked entactogenic properties.

Hexahydrocannabinol poisoning reported to French poison centres.

Introduction: Hexahydrocannabinol is a hexahydro derivative of cannabinol. Poisoning with hexahydrocannabinol was first observed in Europe in May 2022.

Method: This is a retrospective observational study of cases of self-reported hexahydrocannabinol exposure reported to French poison centres between 1 January 2022 and 31 May 2023.

Individual variations in motives for nicotine self-administration in male rats: evidence in support for a precision psychopharmacology.

The significant heterogeneity in smoking behavior among smokers, coupled with the inconsistent efficacy of approved smoking cessation therapies, supports the presence of individual variations in the mechanisms underlying smoking. This emphasizes the need to shift from standardized to personalized smoking cessation therapies. However, informed precision medicine demands precision fundamental research.

A current overview of the pharmacological composition of "La Chimique" consumed in Mayotte: Preliminary results of the CHASSE-MAREE protocol.

Mayotte Island, a French department located in the Mozambique Channel, has for several years been faced with the consumption of "La Chimique" (LC), reputed (but extremely poorly documented) to be a mixture of tobacco and synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs). One of the objectives of the CHASSE-MAREE protocol is to assess the composition and heterogeneity of LC products through successive LC sample collection campaigns among users. Currently underway, we present here the first analytical results (samples collected in 2022).

Lead, Mercury, and Cadmium Concentrations in Blood Products Transfused to Neonates: Elimination Not Just Mitigation.

Lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd) are identified as potent developmental neurotoxicants. Neonates are the main group receiving multiple blood transfusions. The exposure of neonates to these heavy metals (HMs) can occur through blood transfusions.

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.

Application to several suspected poisoning cases of a validated analytical method for the determination of muscarine in human biological matrices using liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry detection.

Despite prevention efforts, many cases of mushroom poisoning are reported around the world every year. Among the different toxins implicated in these poisonings, muscarine may induce parasympathetic neurological damage. Muscarine poisonings are poorly reported in the current literature, implying a lack of available data on muscarine concentrations in human matrices.

In the case of extensively putrefied bodies, the analysis of entomological samples may support and complement the toxicological results obtained with other alternative matrices.

Entomotoxicological analysis is not part of routine toxicological analysis. This work aims to present two cases to illustrate the potential of entomological samples as complementary matrices to identify substances in cases of advanced putrefaction. (Case#1) A woman wasexhumed after 14 months to ascertain the exact cause of death.

Substance Use among Adolescents: A Retrospective Study (2017-2018) in the Toxicology Unit, University Hospital of Lille, France.

Research on adolescent substance use is of utmost importance. Using local toxicological data, both prevalence and pattern of substance use (SU) and substance-related death (SRD) can be assessed to design effective prevention programs. A retrospective study of toxicology investigations of all adolescents referred to the medico-legal section of the Toxicology Unit of the University Hospital of Lille, France, for a 2-year period from 2017 to 2018.

2-MeOPP positive hair result in case of urapidil treatment.

The metabolism of urapidil to 2-MeOPP induces the risk of detection of 2-MeOPP in biological samples (blood, urine and hair) in case of urapidil treatment. This is supported by two case reports and an in vitro study of urapidil metabolism.