Is there a relationship between abuse of alcohol and illicit drugs seen in hair results?

Combined use of alcohol and illicit drugs is a serious health and social problem. In this study, it was examined, whether a relationship between alcohol and drug abuse can be ascertained by comparison of alcohol marker and drug concentrations in hair. In the frame of a social support system for families with parental abuse of illicit drugs, hair samples were analyzed between 2011 and 2022 for methadone, heroin (6-acetylmorphine), cocaine, amphetamine, ecstasy (MDMA), cannabinoids (THC), and the alcohol markers ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl palmitate (EtPa).

Constructing comprehensive venom proteome reference maps for integrative venomics.

Objective: Understanding the molecular basis of complex adaptive traits, such as snake venom, demands qualitative and quantitative comparisons of the temporal and spatial patterns of venom variation. Here, we assessed the proof-of-concept that locus-resolved reference venom proteome maps can be achieved through efficient pre-MS venom proteome decomplexation, peptide-centric MS/MS analysis and species-specific database searching.

Methods: Venom proteome components were fractionated and quantified by RP-HPLC, SDS-PAGE and 2DE prior to LC-MS/MS matching against a species-specific transcriptomic dataset.

Hair analysis in the detection of long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and its relation to gastrointestinal hemorrhage: an examination of 268 hair and blood samples from autopsy cases.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used as analgesics and antipyretics in Western countries. Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are common side effects of NSAIDs and other drugs. This study investigated the correlation between chronic use of these substances and GI lesions by analyzing postmortem blood and hair samples from autopsy cases.