Application of Dried Urine Spots for Non-Targeted Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Drug Screening.

The use of dried urine spots (DUS) can simplify sample handling, shipment and storage when compared to liquid urine samples. To prepare DUS, a small amount of urine is pipetted on a filter paper card. The subsequent drying of the specimen can prevent the post-sampling formation or degradation of substances (e.

Antimicrobial Silver Multilayer Coating for Prevention of Bacterial Colonization of Orthopedic Implants.

Due to increasing rates of periprosthetic joint infections (PJI), new approaches are needed to minimize the infection risk. The first goal of this study was to modify a well-established infection model to test surface-active antimicrobial systems. The second goal was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of a silver multilayer (SML) coating.

A simplified table using validated diagnostic criteria is effective to improve characterization of colorectal polyps: the CONECCT teaching program.

Accurate real-time endoscopic characterization of colorectal polyps is key to choosing the most appropriate treatment. Mastering the currently available classifications is challenging. We used validated criteria for these classifications to create a single table, named CONECCT, and evaluated the impact of a teaching program based on this tool.

Cannabinoid concentrations in confiscated cannabis samples and in whole blood and urine after smoking CBD-rich cannabis as a "tobacco substitute".

In Switzerland, only cannabis with a total Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content higher than 1% is controlled by the narcotics legislation. Cannabis products rich in cannabidiol (CBD) and low in THC can be legally sold as tobacco substitutes. In this paper, we address analytical and forensic toxicological issues related to the increasing availability and consumption of these products.

Analysis of volatiles in fire debris by combination of activated charcoal strips (ACS) and automated thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (ATD/GC-MS).

Adsorption of volatiles in gaseous phase to activated charcoal strip (ACS) is one possibility for the extraction and concentration of ignitable liquid residues (ILRs) from fire debris in arson investigations. Besides liquid extraction using carbon dioxide or hexane, automated thermo-desorption can be used to transfer adsorbed residues to direct analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We present a fire debris analysis work-flow with headspace adsorption of volatiles onto ACS and subsequent automated thermo-desorption (ATD) GC-MS analysis.

Assessing cannabis consumption frequency: Is the combined use of free and glucuronidated THCCOOH blood levels of diagnostic utility?

Heavy cannabis consumption is considered incompatible with safe driving. In Swiss traffic policy, drivers suspected of regular cannabis use are therefore required to undergo medical assessment of their long-term fitness to drive. A whole blood concentration of the cannabis metabolite 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ -tetrahydrocannabinol (THCCOOH) of 40 µg/L is currently used by Swiss forensic experts as the decision limit for regular cannabis consumption.

Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in blood samples from "driving under the influence" cases as indicator for prolonged excessive alcohol consumption.

Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is considered as specific biomarker of alcohol consumption. Due to accumulation after repeated drinking, PEth is suitable to monitor long-term drinking behavior. To examine the applicability of PEth in "driving under the influence of alcohol" cases, 142 blood samples with blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) ranging from 0.

Nonwoven-based gelatin/polycaprolactone membrane proves suitability in a preclinical assessment for treatment of soft tissue defects.

Standard preclinical assessments in vitro often have limitations regarding their transferability to human beings, mainly evoked by their nonhuman and tissue-different/nontissue-specific source. Here, we aimed at employing tissue-authentic simple and complex interactive fibroblast-epithelial cell systems and their in vivo-relevant biomarkers for preclinical in vitro assessment of nonwoven-based gelatin/polycaprolactone membranes (NBMs) for treatment of soft tissue defects. NBMs were composed of electrospun gelatin and polycaprolactone nanofiber nonwovens.