Lethal poisonings with AH-7921 in combination with other substances.

AH-7921 is a synthetic μ-opioid agonist, approximately equipotent with morphine. We report the death of two young individuals after ingestion of AH-7921 in combination with other psychoactive drugs. In the first case a young man died shortly after ingesting Internet drugs.

Screening of synthetic cannabinoids in preserved oral fluid by UPLC-MS/MS.

Background: The abuse of a rapidly changing range of synthetic cannabinoids is increasing worldwide. Oral fluid, which contains the parent compounds and is easily collected, could be a good alternative medium for drug screening for synthetic cannabinoids.

Results: A method for screening of 18 synthetic cannabinoids in preserved oral fluid collected with the Intercept® collection device, using UPLC-MS/MS, was validated.

Drug screening of whole blood by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS-MS) method for screening of drugs in whole blood has been developed and validated. Samples were prepared by supported liquid-liquid extraction on ChemElute(®) columns with ethyl acetate/heptane (4:1). LC separation was achieved with an Acquity HSS T3-column (2.

Determination of digoxin and digitoxin in whole blood.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method has been developed and validated for the determination of digoxin and digitoxin in whole blood samples in autopsy cases. Samples were prepared by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with ethyl acetate/heptane/dichloromethane (3:1:1). LC separation was achieved using an Atlantis dC(18)-column (2.

Prevalence of alcohol and drugs among Norwegian motor vehicle drivers: a roadside survey.

The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of alcohol, psychoactive medicinal drugs and illegal drugs among drivers in Norwegian road traffic. Drivers of motor vehicles were selected from April 2005 to April 2006 in the south-eastern part of Norway, surrounding, but not including the capital, Oslo. A stratified two-stage cluster sampling procedure was used.

Drug screening of preserved oral fluid by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Background: Oral fluid is an alternative matrix with potential applications in road-side drug screening, work-place testing, drug treatment programs, and epidemiological surveys. Development of methods for extensive drug screening in oral fluid is warranted.

Methods: We developed a liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for drug screening of preserved oral fluid collected with the Intercept collection device.