Concentrations of aripiprazole and dehydroaripiprazole in hair segments from deceased individuals with mental disorders.

Forensic Sci Int

Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederik V's vej 11, DK-2100, Denmark.

Published: December 2020

Segmental hair analysis provides information regarding previous long-term drug exposure, which is useful in the evaluation of cause of death for individuals with mental disorders. The aim was to analyze postmortem concentrations of the antipsychotic drug aripiprazole and its active metabolite dehydroaripiprazole in hair segments from individuals with known aripiprazole intake. Hair samples were collected during autopsy. Each sample was segmented into one to six 1cm segments, depending on the length of the hair shaft. Pulverized hair was extracted and analyzed using a previously published ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method. The 10th-90th percentile of aripiprazole concentrations in all hair segments (n=78) from 17 individuals were 0.024ng/mg-11ng/mg with a median of 2.3ng/mg, and the 10th-90th percentile concentrations of dehydroaripiprazole were 0.020ng/mg-11ng/mg, with a median of 2.6ng/mg, in all hair segments (n=71). The metabolite-to-parent drug ratios ranged from 0.21 to 1.5, with a median of 0.72. The administered doses were calculated for each individual based on aripiprazole prescription data and pharmacy pickups, giving dose estimates of 1mg-32mg daily. A positive significant correlation was observed between concentrations in hair and blood, whereas no trends were observed between the concentrations in hair and the estimated doses. Besides aripiprazole, other antipsychotic drugs were found in several hair segments, indicating a high degree of polypharmacy among all subjects. The present study establishes concentrations of aripiprazole and dehydroaripiprazole in hair segments from 17 deceased individuals with long-term aripiprazole use. In addition, hair analysis demonstrates the possibility of evaluating polypharmacy.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110523DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

hair segments
24
hair
13
dehydroaripiprazole hair
12
concentrations hair
12
concentrations aripiprazole
8
aripiprazole dehydroaripiprazole
8
segments deceased
8
deceased individuals
8
individuals mental
8
mental disorders
8

Similar Publications

Vitamin D is essential for healthy skeletal growth and is increasingly recognised for its role in chronic disease development, inflammation and immunity. 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations are an indicator of vitamin D status and are normally analysed in plasma or serum samples in clinical settings, while archaeological studies rely on the identification of skeletal markers of vitamin D deficiency, such as rickets. Here, we determined 25(OH)D concentrations in hair specimens ('locks') that had been sampled close to the root, aligned by cut end, and sliced into sequential segments from participants (n = 16), from Aberdeen, Scotland, using a modified protocol designed to minimise sample size.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Anterior Uveitis and Uveal Depigmentation in a Dog With Vitiligo.

Case Rep Vet Med

January 2025

Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.

The objective of this study is to describe the clinical and histologic features of a dog that developed anterior uveitis and uveal depigmentation in association with vitiligo. A 3-year-old, female-spayed, Bernese Mountain Dog with a history of bilateral idiopathic anterior uveitis developed iris depigmentation, leukotrichia, and skin depigmentation. The initial diagnostic evaluation for uveitis was unremarkable, including general bloodwork, urinalysis, infectious disease testing, thoracic radiographs, and abdominal ultrasound.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The presence of letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, in an athlete's sample constitutes one of the more frequent anti-doping rules violation. It is possible to challenge this violation but it is the athletes who have to demonstrate their innocence. The conditions to evidence/establish the absence of fault or negligence hinge on two points: 1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: The brainstem vestibular nuclei neurons receive synaptic inputs from inner ear acceleration-sensing hair cells, cerebellar output neurons, and ascending signals from spinal proprioceptive-related neurons. The lateral (LVST) and medial (MVST) vestibulospinal (VS) tracts convey their coded signals to the spinal circuits to rapidly counter externally imposed perturbations to facilitate stability and provide a framework for self-generated head movements.

Methods: The present study describes the morphological characteristics of intraaxonally recorded and labeled VS neurons monosynaptically connected to the 8th nerve.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!