Publications by authors named "J Kraner"
Article Synopsis
- This study looked at how many men and women die from overdoses in West Virginia and how different drugs, like alcohol and fentanyl, affect those numbers.
- Researchers found that more men died from overdoses when alcohol was involved, and women have been increasingly affected by alcohol-related deaths.
- The study also noted that men had higher levels of fentanyl in their systems compared to women, which is important to understand to help prevent these deaths.
Demographic, co-intoxicants and other characteristics of citalopram-involved overdose deaths.
Forensic Sci Med Pathol
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- Citalopram, an SSRI, was frequently involved in West Virginia drug-related deaths from 2005 to 2021, making up 4.5% of all cases analyzed, with a majority classified as unintentional.
- Males and females had a notable difference in citalopram-related deaths, with a male to female ratio of 0.9:1, which is lower than the ratio in non-SSRI deaths (2.3:1).
- Over two-thirds of citalopram deaths involved four or more substances, often including opioids like oxycodone, highlighting the complexity of determining citalopram's role in overdose fatalities due to the presence of multiple drugs.
Article Synopsis
- Buprenorphine is crucial for treating opioid use disorder and may help lower fatal overdose risks from fentanyl, but its impact has not been fully assessed.
- A study analyzed data from 3036 fentanyl overdose victims in West Virginia to understand how buprenorphine presence influenced fentanyl levels in their system, accounting for other substances and health conditions.
- Results indicated that fentanyl concentrations were significantly higher when buprenorphine was present, and other factors like obesity and alcohol use were linked to lower concentrations, whereas marijuana and substance use history correlated with higher concentrations.
Article Synopsis
- Oral cavity fluid (OCF) is being recognized as a valuable alternative in forensic toxicology for postmortem analysis, especially when blood samples are insufficient or unavailable.!
- A study involving 62 deceased individuals found that OCF yielded quantifiable drug data in 56 cases, with key substances like benzoylecgonine and fentanyl found more frequently in OCF compared to blood or urine.!
- The findings indicate that OCF can effectively detect and quantify drugs in postmortem subjects, suggesting its potential as a reliable specimen in challenging circumstances like body decomposition or damage.!
Characterization of Unintentional Deaths Among Buprenorphine Users.
J Stud Alcohol Drugs
January 2023
Objective: Medications used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) reduce drug overdose risk. Buprenorphine is often the preferred treatment for OUD because of its high safety profile. Given expanding buprenorphine use, this study sought to examine buprenorphine-involved deaths (BIDs) and compare them with other drug-related deaths.
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