Application of LC-MS/MS for the Identification of Drugs of Abuse in Driver's License Regranting Procedures.

Drugged driving is associated with an increased risk of road accidents worldwide. In Italy, driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and drugs is a reason for driving disqualification or revocation of the driving license. Drivers charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs must attend a Local Medical Commission (LMC) to undergo mandatory examinations to regain the suspended license.

Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin (CDT) as a Biomarker of Alcohol Abuse: A Retrospective Study of the Italian Drinking Trend among Drivers from 2016 to 2022.

Alcohol abuse is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Early diagnosis of alcohol abuse enables preventive intervention on the effects and risks associated with its consumption. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is one of the most reliable biomarkers of chronic alcohol misuse.

Trends in Illicit Cannabis Potency based on the Analysis of Law Enforcement Seizures in the Southern Area of Rome.

Cannabis remains the most illicitly produced and consumed substance worldwide, and the average trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in cannabis products (marijuana, hashish) has increased over time. This paper presents data about THC concentration in cannabis resin samples seized by law enforcement from 2015 to 2022 in the southern area of Rome (Italy). From 2015 to 2022, more than 1000 hashish samples were analyzed; the average THC content was 18.

Informed Consent: Legal Obligation or Cornerstone of the Care Relationship?

The topic of informed consent has become increasingly important in recent decades, both in the ethical-deontological field and as a duty of law. The review covered all sentences issued by the 13th section of the Civil Court of Rome during the period January 2016-December 2020. During this period, 156 judgments were found in which a breach of consent was required; in 24 of these, specific liability was proven, and the corresponding compensation liquidated.

Forensic Aspects of a Fatal Intoxication Involving Acetaminophen, Citalopram and Trazodone: A Case Report.

We report the case of a young man, a former heroin addict, found dead at home by the Police Forces in an advanced state of decomposition. Numerous blisters and unpacked tablets of medications were found all over the bed and on the floor of the room. Multiple injuries to the face, left arm and neck of the deceased were noted.

Forensic Application of Genetic and Toxicological Analyses for the Identification and Characterization of the Opium Poppy ( L.).

Background: A reliable and science-based taxonomic determination of L. (opium poppy), the illegal species of the genus , may have practical and legal implications for law enforcement. is a controlled plant because of its narcotic substances, such as morphine and codeine.

Policies and Toxicological Screenings for No Drug Addiction: An Example from the Civil Aviation Workforce.

Introduction: Since 2008, Italian legislators, with the aim of ensuring public safety, have made it mandatory for an occupational doctor (OD) to assess specific categories of workers to exclude those who may have consumed drugs of abuse. Due to the relevance of work activities relating to the civil aviation and airport sector, a policy based on the use of training and information tools, as well as a health surveillance protocol, has been undertaken since 2009.

Materials And Methods: A total of 61,008 workers at a commercial airline underwent health surveillance between 2009 and 2019.

Clinical features and risk factors associated with prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse.

Introduction: Early identification of neonates exposed to drugs of abuse during pregnancy allows a more precise clinical management.

Objectives: To describe the clinical characteristics and to identify risk factors associated with the early detection of neonates exposed to drugs of abuse in a Neonatal Intermediate and Intensive Care Unit.

Methods: Prospective observational study of neonates with and without clinical suspicion of prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse.

BDZs, Designer BDZs and Z-drugs: Pharmacology and Misuse Insights.

Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are a widely prescribed class of sedative-hypnotics compounds for the treatment of a broad range of conditions as anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, phobias, sleep-related problems associated with insomnia, and for the management of alcohol and GHB withdrawal. Zolpidem, zopiclone and zaleplon, commonly known as Z-drugs, are non-benzodiazepine hypnotic drugs with pharmacology similar to BDZs. Despite their usefulness, BDZs and Z-drugs present a potential for abuse and dependence.

The complex and constantly evolving public health threat of new psychoactive substances in Italy: addressing the main functions of a national observatory of drugs.

At the end of the 90s in Europe, the new psychoactive substances (NPS) phenomenon was limited to a small number of molecules created to mimic the actions and psychoactive effects of licensed medicines and existing drugs that are controlled by the United Nations drug conventions and therefore traded as their "legal" replacements. NPS were mostly circulating in rave parties and electronic music festivals. The globalization, the evolution of e-commerce and the growing popularity of NPS, facilitated the development of a wide illegal market in constant expansion.

Role of Neonatal Biomarkers of Exposure to Psychoactive Substances to Identify Maternal Socio-Demographic Determinants.

Background: The accurate assessment of fetal exposure to psychoactive substances provides the basis for appropriate clinical care of neonates. The objective of this study was to identify maternal socio-demographic profiles and risk factors for prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse by measuring biomarkers in neonatal matrices.

Methods: A prospective, observational cohort study was completed.

Increasing diversion of prescribed benzodiazepines and Z-drugs to new psychoactive substances.

Over the last few years reports have indicated an increase in the number, type and availability of new psychoactive substances belonging to the benzodiazepine class. These molecules may pose high risks to users, since the majority have never undergone clinical trials or tests so their pharmacology and toxicology is largely unknown. However the new drug scenario emerging from the COVID-19 global pandemic seems to play a role in increasing the diversion of prescribed benzodiazepines and Z-drug.

New Psychoactive Substances: Evolution in the Exchange of Information and Innovative Legal Responses in the European Union.

At the end of 2019, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction was monitoring around 790 new psychoactive substances, more than twice the total number of controlled substances under the United Nations Conventions. These substances, which are not subject to international drug controls, include a wide range of molecules, including the assortment of drugs such as synthetic cannabinoids, stimulants, opiates, and benzodiazepines. Most of them are sold as "legal" substitutes for illicit drugs, while others are intended for small groups willing to experiment with them in order to know their possible new effects.

[Clinical features and risk factors associated with prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse].

Introduction: Early identification of neonates exposed to drugs of abuse during pregnancy allows a more precise clinical management.

Objectives: To describe the clinical characteristics and to identify risk factors associated with the early detection of neonates exposed to drugs of abuse in a Neonatal Intermediate and Intensive Care Unit.

Methods: Prospective observational study of neonates with and without clinical suspicion of prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse.

Post-Mortem Toxicology: A Systematic Review of Death Cases Involving Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists.

Background: Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) have become the largest group of new psychoactive substances monitored by the European Union Early Warning System. Despite the wide diffusion on the market, data regarding effects, toxicities, and mechanisms as well as toxic/lethal doses are still scarce.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search for articles published up to January 2019 was performed in multiple electronic databases.

Commentary - Heroin purity and adulteration: an updated snapshot from the Italian Early Warning System.

Not Available.

Alcohol consumption and employment: a cross-sectional study of office workers and unemployed people.

Background: Alcohol is a psychoactive substance with toxic and addictive properties. Biomarkers like GGT, AST, ALT and MCV are influenced by excessive ethanol consumption. Alcohol consumption represents a health risk and it has been linked to unemployment.

Monitoring Prenatal Exposure to Buprenorphine and Methadone.

Purpose: Buprenorphine and methadone are international gold standards for managing opioid use disorders. Although they are efficacious in treating opioid dependence, buprenorphine and methadone present risks, especially during pregnancy, causing neonatal abstinence syndrome and adverse obstetrical outcomes. Buprenorphine and methadone are also abused during pregnancy, and identifying their use is important to limit unprescribed prenatal exposure.

Determination of cannabinoids in oral fluid and urine of "light cannabis" consumers: a pilot study.

Background In those countries where cannabis use is still illegal, some manufacturers started producing and selling "light cannabis": dried flowering tops containing the psychoactive principle Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) at concentrations lower than 0.2% together with variable concentration of cannabidiol (CBD). We here report a pilot study on the determination of cannabinoids in the oral fluid and urine of six individuals after smoking 1 g of "light cannabis".

Hepatotoxicity of paracetamol and related fatalities.

Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is the most commonly used antipyretic and pain reliever and since 1955 it is available over-the-counter as a single formulation or in combination with other substances and, as indicated by the World Health Organization, it can be used in all the three steps of pain intensity. Paracetamol toxicity is one of the most common causes of poisoning worldwide. While paracetamol is described as relatively nontoxic when administered in therapeutic doses, it is known to cause toxicity when taken in a single or repeated high dose, or after chronic ingestion.