Analysis of tetrahydroisoquinolines formed after simultaneous consumption of ethanol and amphetamine or its derivatives by LC-MS/MS in human blood, brain, and liver tissue.

The effects of the simultaneous consumption of amphetamine or amphetamine derivatives and alcohol have not yet been adequately clarified, particularly concerning potential condensation products resulting from the endogenous reaction between these substances and their metabolites (e.g., acetaldehyde, a metabolite of ethanol).

Analysis of cocaine adulterants in human brain in cases of drug-related death.

Unlabelled: For different reasons, street cocaine is often diluted with pharmacologically active substances, the so-called adulterants such as levamisole or hydroxyzine. A controversial debate exists currently on the uptake of adulterants from cocaine preparations and drug-related death. Previous research convincingly argues that serious adverse side effects that affect the central nervous and cardiovascular systems can be a consequence of adulterated cocaine.

A sensitive method for the determination of hordenine in human serum by ESI⁺ UPLC-MS/MS for forensic toxicological applications.

We present the determination of the alkaloid hordenine and its forensic relevance as a qualitative and quantitative marker for beer consumption. A simple, rapid and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method for the determination of hordenine in human serum samples was developed and validated. The application was tested with serum samples after enzymatic cleavage.

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency of a male newborn with fatal outcome.

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is the most common malfunction of ureagenesis. The case of a male newborn who died at the age of 2 days for clinically unclear reasons is presented. The post-mortem routine and esoteric testing methods that finally led to the diagnosis of a fatal case of OTCD are outlined here.

Comprehensive automation of the solid phase extraction gas chromatographic mass spectrometric analysis (SPE-GC/MS) of opioids, cocaine, and metabolites from serum and other matrices.

The analysis of opioids, cocaine, and metabolites from blood serum is a routine task in forensic laboratories. Commonly, the employed methods include many manual or partly automated steps like protein precipitation, dilution, solid phase extraction, evaporation, and derivatization preceding a gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectrometry (MS) or liquid chromatography (LC)/MS analysis. In this study, a comprehensively automated method was developed from a validated, partly automated routine method.

Highly Enantioselective Intermolecular Cu(I)-Catalyzed Cyclopropanation of Cyclic Enol Ethers. Asymmetric Total Synthesis of (+)-Quebrachamine.

A set of cyclic enol ethers derived from 2,3-dihydrofuran 35 and 3,4-dihydropyran 8 with a varying substitution pattern at the olefinic system were synthesized. Evans's ligand 5 with Cu(I)OTf was found to be an effective catalyst in the cyclopropanation reaction between cyclic enol ethers 14, 19, 28-31, and 33 and ethyl diazoacetate 6 to give diastereoselectivities up to exo/endo = 95:5 and enantioselectivities higher than 95% in nearly all cases. Because of the selective building of a quarternary carbon center and good yields in the formation of bicyclic structures 34c-h, the reaction was used as a key step in the asymmetric synthesis of (+)-quebrachamine 7, an indole alkaloid of the Aspidosperma family.