Rapid and Effective Determination of Ethyl Glucuronide in Hair by Micro Extraction by Packed Sorbent (MEPS) and LC-MS/MS.

Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair is a reliable biomarker of alcohol consumption habits. Due to its small concentration incorporated into hair, analytical methods sensitive enough to reliably quantify EtG in this matrix are required. Sample preparation is critical in hair analysis, especially for EtG, for which extraction efficiency and matrix effect can strongly influence the results; furthermore, miniaturized methods are sought, to reduce solvent use and times of sample preparation.

Metabolism study of 3-chloromethcathinone (3-CMC) by dried blood spot (DBS) sampling after controlled administration using a murine model.

The metabolism of 3-chloromethcathinone (3-CMC) was studied after controlled administration in a murine model using the dried blood spot (DBS) technique for the sampling, storage and purification of blood samples. Liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) was used for the identification of metabolites and investigation of their fragmentation pattern. Subsequently, a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for their identification and 3-CMC quantification in routine workload.

Bicycle-related accidents in Rome: Investigating clinical patterns, demographics, injury contexts, and health outcomes for enhanced public safety.

Introduction: This study aims to analyze the clinical characteristics, demographic features, and injury circumstances of patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli (IRCCS) in Rome, Italy, due to bicycle accidents.

Methods: Data on clinical characteristics, accident timing, injury circumstances, and helmet use were collected for ED patients involved in bicycle accidents from January 2019 to December 2022.

Sex-specific behavioural, metabolic, and immunohistochemical changes after repeated administration of the synthetic cannabinoid AKB48 in mice.

Background And Purpose: AKB48 is a synthetic cannabinoid illegally sold for its psychoactive cannabis-like effects that have been associated with acute intoxication and whose effects are poorly known.

Experimental Approach: Using a behavioural, neurochemical, and immunohistochemical approach, we investigated the pharmaco-toxicological effects, pharmacokinetics, and neuroplasticity at cannabinoid CB receptors in the cerebellum and cortex induced by repeated AKB48 administration in male and female mice.

Key Results: The effects of AKB48 varied significantly depending on sex and treatment duration.

Hair analysis: Assessment of homemade hair treatment effects on drug concentrations in the keratin matrix.

Hair is the matrix of choice for investigating a subject's drug history over time, usually with specific forensic applications (license renewal, workplace drug testing, toxicological evaluation), and it is generally considered difficult to be tampered with. Nevertheless, some treatments promising to lower drug concentrations in hair are described online as how to "pass" a drug test. We selected three of these practices, claiming to be effective in decreasing drug concentrations-Treatment 1: (A) baking soda, (B) salicylic acid, (C) bleach; Treatment 2: (A) bleaching and (B) dyeing; Treatment 3: (A) white vinegar, (B) salicylic acid moisturizer, (C) liquid cleanser, and (D) dyeing.

Pharmaco-Toxicological Effects of Atypical Synthetic Cathinone Mephtetramine (MTTA) in Mice: Possible Reasons for Its Brief Appearance over NPSs Scene.

Over the last year, NPSs have been steadily on the rise in the illicit drug market. Among these, synthetic cathinones seem to become increasingly popular among young adults, mainly because of their ability to replicate the effects of traditional psychostimulant drugs, such as cocaine, MDMA and amphetamines. However, scarce data are available about the in vivo pharmaco-toxicology of these new substances.

Behavioral and Pharmacokinetics Studies of -Methyl-2-Aminoindane (NM2AI) in Mice: An Aminoindane Briefly Used in the Illicit Drug Market.

Drug forums are considered as the main platform sources that have contributed to the increase in NPS popularity, especially for those not yet known to law enforcement and therefore not yet illegal. An example is the new synthetic stimulant NM2AI, which has a very short history of human use and abuse. Little is known regarding this compound, but some information from internet forums and the scientific literature indicates NM2AI as a structural derivate of MDAI, which is known for its entactogenic activity.

Blood alcohol concentration and road accidents: Underestimation due to time of the arrival to the emergency department (ED) or delay in blood sampling. A 4-Year Retrospective Study in Rome.

Alcohol is a significant public health issue, according to the World Health Organization. Our study aims to analyze the correlation between blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of drivers, their demographic features, and the possible underestimation of BACs due to the time elapsed between hospital admission and blood sampling. This study includes patients evaluated for BAC levels in the emergency department (ED) of Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A.

Drug-impaired driving and traffic collisions: Study on a cross section of the Italian population.

The present study focuses on the association between road accidents and the presence of drugs of abuse markers in the biological fluids of the drivers. Biological fluids collected from 1236 drivers involved in road accidents (54 fatal and 1182 non-fatal crashes) in the Rome area were analyzed for alcohol and psychotropic drugs, as required by judicial authorities. The substance most frequently detected was alcohol (in 19% of non-fatal and 32% of fatal crashes), followed by cannabinoids (12% of non-fatal crashes) and cocaine (9% of non-fatal and 20% of fatal crashes).

A forensic procedure based on GC-MS, HPLC-HRMS and IBA to analyse products containing sildenafil or the doping agent oxandrolone.

The market of falsified or sub-standard medical products is a global scale phenomenon. This issue affects a wide range of medications, including life-saving medical products. In high-income countries the most falsified products are those defined "lifestyle", which include foremost anabolic steroids and phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors.

Sudden Death without a Clear Cause after Comprehensive Investigation: An Example of Forensic Approach to Atypical/Uncertain Findings.

Sudden death (SD) is defined as the unexpected natural death occurred within an hour after the onset of symptoms or from the last moment the subject has been seen in a healthy condition. Brugada syndrome (BrS) is one of the most remarkable cardiac causes of SD among young people. We report the case of a 20-year-old man who suddenly died after reportedly having smoked cannabis.

Method development for the identification of methoxpropamine, 2-fluoro-deschloroketamine and deschloroketamine and their main metabolites in blood and hair and forensic application.

The constant increase of new psychoactive substances, often available on the illicit drug market as 'research chemicals', poses a concern for public health and a significant analytical and legislative challenge. Β-keto-arylcyclohexamines represent a class of dissociative anesthetics recently introduced on the market of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). There is still a lack of information about the pharmacological activity of many of such substances, usually depending on the potential chemical modifications introduced to circumvent the law.

Scopolamine fatal outcome in an inmate after buscopan® smoking.

Scopolamine is an alkaloid which acts as competitive antagonists to acetylcholine at central and peripheral muscarinic receptors. We report the case of a 41-year-old male convict with a 27-year history of cannabis abuse who suddenly died in the bed of his cell after having smoked buscopan® tablets. Since both abuse of substances and recent physical assaults had been reported, we opted for a comprehensive approach (post-mortem computed tomography CT (PMCT), full forensic autopsy, and toxicology testing) to determine which was the cause of the death.

Metabolism study and toxicological determination of mephtetramine in biological samples by liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry.

The emerging market of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) is a global-scale phenomenon, and their identification in biological samples is challenging because of the lack of information about their metabolism and pharmacokinetic. In this study, we performed in silico metabolic pathway prediction and in vivo metabolism experiments, in order to identify the main metabolites of mephtetramine (MTTA), an NPS found in seizures since 2013. MetaSite™ software was used for in silico metabolism predictions and subsequently the presence of metabolites in the blood, urine, and hair of mice after MTTA administration was verified.

Ion beam analysis (IBA) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for forensic characterisation of authentic Viagra® and of sildenafil-based illegal products.

Illegal trafficking of pharmaceutical products by criminal organisations is a global threat for public health. Drugs for erectile dysfunction such as phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors are the most commonly counterfeited medicines in Europe. The search of possible toxic chemical substances in seized products is needed to provide early warning for public health.

LC-HRMS characterization of the skin pigmentation and sexual enhancers melanotan II and bremelanotide sold on the black market of performance and image enhancing drugs.

The spread of performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) often requires forensic toxicology laboratories to identify unknown compounds without reference standards. We characterized the PIEDs melanotan II and bremelanotide, not legally marketed, in eight unknown samples confiscated by police together with anabolic steroids, hormone modulators, sexual enhancers and stimulants, intended for the black market of bodybuilders, using liquid chromatography-high resolution/high accuracy Orbitrap mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). The characterization was carried out by the accurate mass measurements of MH ionic species, the study of their isotopic patterns and the associated relative isotopic abundance (RIA) values, as well as the accurate mass measurements of collision-induced product ions obtained in fragmentation experiments.

Metabolism Study of N-Methyl 2-Aminoindane (NM2AI) and Determination of Metabolites in Biological Samples by LC-HRMS.

Since the widespread diffusion of new psychoactive substances, forensic laboratories are often required to identify new drugs and their metabolites for which information or reference standards are lacking. We performed a study on N-methyl-2-aminoindane (NM2AI) metabolism in silico and in vivo, in order to identify the main metabolites to be screened in the different biological samples. We performed the in silico metabolism prediction of NM2AI using MetaSiteTM software and subsequently verified the presence of metabolites in the blood, urine and hair of mice after NM2AI administration.

An overview on performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) confiscated in Italy in the period 2017-2019.

Context: The illegal market of counterfeit and falsified medicines and supplements containing unlabeled pharmaceuticals is expanding worldwide. They are usually referred to by the term "performance and image enhancing drugs" (PIEDs) and are mainly steroids, stimulants, hormones, and drugs for erectile dysfunction. PIEDs are easily accessible through the online or black markets.

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) characterisation of sildenafil based products seized on the Italian illegal market.

The commerce of illegal and counterfeit medicinal products on internet is a serious criminal problem. Drugs for erectile dysfunction such as phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor are the most commonly counterfeited medicines in Europe. The search of possible toxic chemical substances in seized products is needed.