Measurement uncertainty of ethyl alcohol concentration in the exhaled breath of drivers and determination of sobriety at the time of incident.

The aim of the study was to determine the components of measurement uncertainty in the concentration of alcohol in exhaled breath and to determine the state of sobriety at the time of incident. Based on the literature review and the authors' experience in providing opinions for law enforcement and the judiciary, the influence of various factors on the final interpretation of sobriety state is described on the basis of measurement uncertainty of breath analyzers, uncertainty of retrospective and prospective calculations, and uncertainty related to the conversion of alcohol concentrations detected during breath and blood tests. The paper pays particular attention to interpreting the concentrations of ethanol in exhaled breath close to the legal limits of the state of sobriety and the state after alcohol use, or the state after alcohol use and the state of insobriety.

Reports analysis of psychotropic drugs related adverse reactions in Australia and Poland during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes to the global health care system AIMS: It is unknown whether the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADR) of antidepressive agents, benzodiazepines, and antipsychotics plus mood stabilizers (AaMS). The study was designed in order to compare the incidence of ADR during the COVID-19 pandemic with the period preceding the pandemic in Poland and Australia, different in terms of their COVID-19 prevention strategy.

Method: We analysed ADR from the three surveyed pharmacological groups of drugs observed in Poland and Australia in the period prior to, and during the COVID-19 pandemic RESULTS: In Poland, a noticeable increase in the reported ADR of the assessed drug groups was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contributors to Preterm Birth: Data from a Single Polish Perinatal Center.

Preterm birth may result from overlapping causes including maternal age, health, previous obstetric history and a variety of social factors. We aimed to identify factors contributing to preterm birth in respect to new social and environmental changes in the reproductive patterns. Our cross-sectional study included 495 mother-infant pairs and was based on maternal self-reporting in an originally developed questionnaire.

Intravenous haloperidol and cocaine alter the distribution of T CD3 CD4 , non-T/NK and NKT cells in rats.

The modulation of dopamine transmission evokes strong behavioural effects that can be achieved by commonly used psychoactive drugs such as haloperidol or cocaine. Cocaine non-specifically increases dopamine transmission by blocking dopamine active transporter (DAT) and evokes behavioural arousal, whereas haloperidol is a non-specific D2-like dopamine receptor antagonist with sedative effects. Interestingly, dopamine has been found to affect immune cells in addition to its action in the central nervous system.

Selected Political Criminal Poisonings in the Years 1978-2020: Detection and Treatment.

Criminal poisonings are among the least frequently detected crimes in the world. Lack of suspicion of this type of event by police officers and prosecutors, clinical symptoms imitating many somatic diseases and technical difficulties in diagnostics, as well as high research costs make the actual frequency of these events difficult to estimate. The substance used for criminal poisoning is often characterized by: lack of taste, color and smell, delayed action, easy availability and difficulty to detect.

Development and validation of a method for the simultaneous analysis of fatty acid ethyl esters, ethyl sulfate and ethyl glucuronide in neonatal meconium: application in two cases of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy constitutes one of the leading preventable causes of birth defects and neurodevelopmental disorders in the exposed children. Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs), ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) have been studied as potential biomarkers of alcohol consumption. However, most analytical approaches proposed for their analysis in meconium samples consist of separated extraction procedures requiring the use of two meconium aliquots, which is costly in terms of both time and materials.

Rapid and simple multi-analyte LC-MS/MS method for the determination of benzodiazepines and Z-hypnotic drugs in blood samples: Development, validation and application based on three years of toxicological analyses.

Benzodiazepines (BZDs) and Z-drugs have been particularly important treatments for sleeping and anxiety disorders for many years. However, recently, a number of new benzodiazepines (named designer benzodiazepines, DBZDs) were synthesised, but some of them have never been used in the clinic; they reached the black drug market as new psychoactive substances and are used for recreational purposes. The abuse of these substances has led to many crimes and even deaths.

Poisonings in Poland reported to the Polish National Health Fund in the years 2009-2011.

Background: Poisonings constitute a significant medical, social and economic problem worldwide. In Poland there is no nationwide registry of poisonings, which results in a lack of accurate epidemiological data. Few publications dealing with the problem are based on data obtained from toxicology units and therefore do not include information about cases treated at emergency departments and other non-toxicology units.

Difficulties in interpretation when assessing prolonged and subacute exposure to the toxic effects of chlorine.

The purpose of this study was a toxicological interpretation of exposure to chlorine with unusual course. Medical, clinical and court records, as well as reviews of the literature, served as the basis for this interpretation. The first case of poisoning concerns a 52-year-old man who for a short time (probably several hours), during the industrial cleaning of facilities with sodium hypochlorite, was exposed to chlorine in a presumed high concentration.

Biomarkers of Alcohol Consumption in Body Fluids - Possibilities and Limitations of Application in Toxicological Analysis.

Background: Ethyl alcohol is the most popular legal drug, but its excessive consumption causes social problems. Despite many public campaigns against alcohol use, car accidents, instances of aggressive behaviour, sexual assaults and deterioration in labor productivity caused by inebriated people is still commonplace. Fast and easy diagnosis of alcohol consumption is required in order to introduce proper and effective therapy, and is crucial in forensic toxicology analysis.

Application of gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of amphetamine-type stimulants in blood and urine.

Amphetamine, methamphetamine, phentermine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-ethylamphetamine (MDEA) are the most popular amphetamine-type stimulants. The use of these substances is a serious societal problem worldwide. In this study, a method based on gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) with simple and rapid liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and derivatization was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of the six aforementioned amphetamine derivatives in blood and urine.

Identification of novel psychoactive substances 25B-NBOMe and 4-CMC in biological material using HPLC-Q-TOF-MS and their quantification in blood using UPLC-MS/MS in case of severe intoxications.

This paper describes cases of poisoning caused by new psychoactive substances such as: 25B-NBOMe (2-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-[(2-methoxyphenyl)methyl]ethanamine) and 4-CMC (1-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-(methylamino)-1-propanone). The analytical procedure includes rapid and selective method for the extraction and determination of 4-CMC and 25B-NBOMe in blood samples using UPLC-MS/MS technique. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report, that involves a fully validated method for quantification of new-designer drug - 4-CMC in postmortem blood samples.

Determination of MDPBP in postmortem blood samples by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

Abstract: MDPBP (1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-butanone) is a new psychoactive substance sold on the black market. It has been a controlled drug of abuse in Poland and China since 2015 as some toxic and fatal cases connected with use of synthetic cathinone derivatives were observed. The fatal case outlined here concerns a 19-year-old man, who was found dead with an envelope containing white powder lying nearby the cadaver.

[Intoxication of female patient with generalised cancer in hospital--a case report].

Medical errors are crucial factors influencing hospital mortality. We present a case of 79-year-old female, who was admitted to the hospital due to complications associated with advanced cancer disease. After several days of hospitalization, the woman died as a result of cancer as well as severe drugs intoxication.

[Chemical analysis of wastewater as a new way of monitoring drugs and medicines consumption at workplace].

The available information on the quality and frequency of illegal psychoactive substances used or medicines misused by workers, are often out of date at the time of its publication. This is due to the dynamic introduction of new synthetic drugs on the black market, changes in trends in the recreational use of medicines and the lack of readily available and reliable tests for fast identification. Strategy for detection of narcotic and non-medical psychoactive drugs use at workplace should embrace all possible sources of information.

Acute methoxetamine and amphetamine poisoning with fatal outcome: a case report.

Methoxetamine (MXE) is a psychoactive substance distributed mostly via the Internet and is not liable to legal regulation in Poland. MXE has a toxicity profile similar to that of ketamine but longer-lasting effects. The paper describes a case of acute poisoning that resulted from recreational use of MXE and amphetamine and ended in death.

[Accidental poisoning with peach seeds used as anticancer therapy--report of two cases].

Unlabelled: We described two cases of poisoning with amygdalin. Clinical signs presented by two females were mild and lasted up to 5 hours.

Conclusions: The usage of amygdalin may be connected with serious side effects.

[Dextromethorphan (DXM): new methods of intoxications among teenagers--a case description].

The study highlighted the problem of intoxication using substances and/or preparations, to which nowadays young people have unrestricted access. Based on the case developed in the Department of Forensic Medicine of the Medical University of Gdansk, our team members were able to gather information showing "ingenuity" of today's teenagers, which was reflected in the types of preparations used to induce a state of euphoria and intoxication. The study was based on the case of a 17-year-old woman, who took Acodin in combination with compressed air used to clean computer keyboards in order to induce psychoactive effects.

[Proposal of psychomotor skill assessment tests for drivers and a protocol for sampling and testing of saliva, blood and urine when there is reason to suspect involvement of substances with alcohol-like effect].

The paper proposes tests to assess psychomotor impairment in drivers suspected of using substances acting similarly to alcohol. The authors also present a proposal for the protocol to be used in sampling and testing of saliva, blood and urine when psychoactive substance abuse has been suspected. A detailed procedure is based on the joined experience of German, U.