[Drug tests on 198 drivers involved in an accident].

Objectives: A prospective analytical study was performed in a large population of drivers implicated in traffic accidents to determine the significance of drug levels observed in blood, urine, saliva and sweat and which assays are best to perform in each sample.

Methods: Samples of blood (7.5 ml), urine (10-20 ml), saliva (salivette Sarstedt) and sweat (cosmetic pad spiked with water-isopropanol) were systematically collected in drivers implicated in non-fatal traffic accidents from March to November 1999.

Testing of the anabolic stanozolol in human hair by gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

A sensitive, specific and reproducible method for the quantitative determination of stanozolol in human hair has been developed. The sample preparation involved a decontamination step of the hair with methylene chloride and the sonication in methanol of 100 mg of powdered hair for 2 h. After elimination of the solvent, the hair sample was solubilized in 1 ml 1 M NaOH, 15 min at 95 degrees C, in the presence of 10 ng stanozolol-d3 used as internal standard.

Drugs in prehistory: chemical analysis of ancient human hair.

Concern about drug abuse in modern populations has led to the development of specific methods for identification of cocaine, opiates and cannabis in human hair. Drug use in prehistory can provide indirect evidence of interpopulational contact and social stratification. This paper reports drug evaluation in nineteen ancient hair samples from archaeological sites in northern Chile.

The hair analysis proficiency testing program of the French Society of Analytical Toxicology.

In an effort to improve laboratories performing hair analysis in forensic cases, the French Society of Analytical Toxicology (S.F.T.

Identification of ten corticosteroids in human hair by liquid chromatography-ionspray mass spectrometry.

This paper describes a screening procedure based upon high-performance liquid chromatography-ionspray mass spectrometry for the identification of ten corticosteroids in human hair: triamcinolone, prednisolone, prednisone, methylprednisolone, cortisone, cortisol, beta- and dexamethasone, flumethasone and beclomethasone. Hair strands were washed in methylene chloride, pulverized in a ball mill and 50 mg of the powdered hair were incubated in 1 ml Soerensen buffer, pH 7.6 for 16 h at 40 degrees C, in presence of 50 ng cortisol-d3 used as internal standard.

Pharmacological criteria that can affect the detection of doping agents in hair.

When positive drug results are reported, a common interpretive question posed is whether or not it is possible to put a quantitative finding into context. A standard answer to this inquiry is that a positive hair testing result can be interpreted as meaning that the donor has chronically or repetitively used the drug identified in the hair, but that chronic or repetitive are not defined in the same way for all individuals. The Society of Hair Testing published on June 16, 1999, a consensus opinion on the use of hair in doping situations.

Clozapine dose-concentration relationships in plasma, hair and sweat specimens of schizophrenic patients.

The aim of the present study was to establish an analytical method for the determination of clozapine in sweat and to determine whether the clozapine level in hair and sweat were correlated to the daily dose of clozapine delivered to patients. Twenty-six subjects treated with clozapine at 200-700 mg/day for refractory psychosis were included in the study. Clozapine was determined in plasma by liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array detection system, after extraction with an organic solvent at pH 9.

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.

Determination of "Ecstasy" components in alternative biological specimens.

This paper reviews procedures for the determination of methylenedioxyamphetamine derivatives, MDA, MDMA, MDEA and MBDB in saliva, sweat and hair. For this topic, the international literature appears very poor, particularly for saliva and sweat. MDMA was first reported in hair in 1993.

Testing for alpha-chloralose by headspace-GC/MS. A case report.

A case is presented involving an acute fatality resulting from self-administered alpha-chloralose, a rodenticide. A 18-year-old man was found dead at home, with several stains of vomit on the carpet. An empty box of three bags of 5 g 100% alpha-chloralose (Corbeaux nuisibles, Rhône Poulenc) was found near the body.

[Evaluation of biological impregnation of a population exposed to high concentration of arsenic in water supply, Ferrette, 1997].

Background: The population of Ferrette has been exposed to well-water with arsenic (As) levels higher than legal threshold. The aim of this study was to assess the relationships between daily tap-water consumption, As quantities thus ingested and biological arsenical impregnation.

Methods: The study was carried out on a sample of 100 people in the town of Ferrette and 100 people in the town of Seppois-le-Bas where the water quality is satisfactory.

Physiological concentrations of DHEA in human hair.

In 1974, steroids were added to the list of doping agents banned by the International Olympic Committee because of their effects on the performance of the athletes. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a steroid hormone naturally produced by the adrenal glands and by the ovaries. DHEA can be converted into other hormones, including estrogen and testosterone.

Identification of testosterone and testosterone esters in human hair.

In 1974, steroids were added to the list of doping agents banned by the International Olympic Committee because of their effects on the performance of the athletes. Testosterone and its esters promote the development of secondary male sexual characteristics and accelerate muscle growth. The mandatory test to detect testosterone abuse is to measure the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in the urine.

Are cannabinoids detected in hair after washing with Cannabio shampoo?

Today, cannabis plants are used in shampoo preparations, in foodstuffs (e.g., oils, noodles, crackers, etc.

Testing for anabolic steroids in hair from two bodybuilders.

Two male bodybuilders were recently arrested by the French customs in Strasbourg (France) in possession of 2050 tablets and 251 ampoules of various anabolic steroids. It was claimed that the steroids were for personal use and not for trafficing as suggested by the police. Urine and hair specimens were collected from both suspects to clarify the claims.

Analysis of Drugs in Saliva.

Saliva is presented as an alternative matrix in the establishment of drug abuse. The ultimate salivary concentration is determined by the route of administration, the salivary pH, the degree of plasma protein binding, and the physico-chemical properties of the abused drug. Since the saliva/plasma ratio can exceed 1, saliva might be a better analytical tool than blood during roadside testing of potentially intoxicated drivers.

[Norandrostenolone and noretiocholanolone: metabolite markers].

In order to evaluate the concentrations of norandrosterone (NA) and noretiocholanolone (NE) in human urine, nandrolone sulfate, nandrolone undecanoate, norandrostendiol and norandrostendione were administered, each to a different subject. The derivatized steroids were identified after pulsed mode injection by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in electron impact mode, with selected ion monitoring. In the first case, NA and NE were detected in urine until 48 hours after oral administration of 22 mg of nandrolone sulfate.

[Evidence of pesticide exposure by hair analysis].

The current report summarizes the development of an analytical method for the identification and the quantification of pesticides in hair by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and its application to 75 real samples. Hair strands [table: see text] were obtained from wine workers exposed to one or more pesticides. After decontamination, hair were cut into small pieces and incubated overnight at 45 degrees C in methanol.

[Evaluation of six rapid tests for screening of cannabis in sweat, saliva and tears].

In order to demonstrate an intake of cannabis, there are a number of rapid tests, all of them being focused on urine. In this study, we evaluated the results of six tests when applied to sweat (DrugWipe), saliva and urine (Syva Rapidtest, Biomedix, Frontline, DrugWipe, Cortez Dako). Fifty regular users of cannabis and fifty persons who denied consuming it were studied.

Hair testing and doping control in sport.

The standard in drug testing for doping control is gas chromatography/mass spectrometry conducted on a urine sample. For the past 20 years, hair analysis has been proposed for identifying drug abusers in forensic science. Specimens can be collected under close supervision without embarrassment and are not subject to evasive maneuvers.

Buprenorphine-related deaths among drug addicts in France: a report on 20 fatalities.

This paper reports a series of 20 fatalities involving a high-dose, sublingual buprenorphine (BUP) formulation recently marketed in France for the substitutive therapy of opiate addicts. The files were recorded over a 16-month period from five different urban areas in France. All subjects but one were male, aged 14-48 (mean 26.