Singleton {NOT} and Doubleton {YES; NOT} Gates Act as Functionally Complete Sets in DNA-Integrated Computational Circuits.

A functionally complete Boolean operator is sufficient for computational circuits of arbitrary complexity. We connected YES (buffer) with NOT (inverter) and two NOT four-way junction (4J) DNA gates to obtain IMPLY and NAND Boolean functions, respectively, each of which represents a functionally complete gate. The results show a technological path towards creating a DNA computational circuit of arbitrary complexity based on singleton NOT or a combination of NOT and YES gates, which is not possible in electronic computers.

Microsatellites' mutation modeling through the analysis of the Y-chromosomal transmission: Results of a GHEP-ISFG collaborative study.

The Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (GHEP-ISFG) organized a collaborative study on mutations of Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs). New data from 2225 father-son duos and data from 44 previously published reports, corresponding to 25,729 duos, were collected and analyzed. Marker-specific mutation rates were estimated for 33 Y-STRs.

Evaluation of the long-term stability of select phenylacetylindole, cycloalkylindole, quinolinyl, and carboxamide synthetic cannabinoids using LC-MS-MS.

Forensic toxicology laboratories often encounter casework backlogs, which raise concerns for drug stability that can be affected by long storage times, temperature and preservatives, or the lack thereof. The focus of this research was to evaluate the impact of these factors on the stability of 17 synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) in human whole blood and 10 associated metabolites in human urine. The fortified biological specimens were stored under room temperature (20°C), refrigerator (4°C) and freezer (-20°C) conditions for a period of 52 weeks.

A pilot PT scheme for external assessment of laboratory performance in testing synthetic opioid compounds in urine, plasma, and whole blood.

A proficiency testing (PT) scheme was prepared for laboratories engaged in bioanalytical testing for synthetic opioid compounds in urine, plasma, and whole blood. Samples were prepared using compounds included in the Opioid Certified Reference Material Kit (Opioid CRM Kit) developed by the U.S.

Chiral separation and quantitation of methylphenidate, ethylphenidate, and ritalinic acid in blood using supercritical fluid chromatography.

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is a technique that analyzes compounds that are temperature-labile, have moderately low weight, or are chiral compounds. Methylphenidate (MPH) is a chiral compound with two chiral centers. MPH has two chiral metabolites, ethylphenidate (EPH) and ritalinic acid (RA).

Metabolism studies of 4'Cl-CUMYL-PINACA, 4'F-CUMYL-5F-PINACA and 4'F-CUMYL-5F-PICA using human hepatocytes and LC-QTOF-MS analysis.

4'Cl-cumyl-PINACA (SGT-157), 4'F-cumyl-5F-PINACA (4F-cumyl-5F-PINACA, SGT-65) and 4'F-cumyl-5F-PICA (4F-cumyl-5F-PICA, SGT-64) are a series of new halogenated cumyl synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs). Due to rapid metabolism, monitoring and screening for SCRAs in biological matrices requires identification of their metabolites. It is an essential tool for estimating their spread and fluctuations in the global illicit market.

Mobile phones as fomites for pathogenic microbes: A cross-sectional survey of perceptions and sanitization habits of health care workers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Backgrounds: In 2022, smartphone use continues to expand with the number of smartphone subscriptions surpassing 6 billion and forecasted to grow to 7.5 billion by 2026. The necessity of these 'high touch' devices as essential tools in professional healthcare settings carries great risks of cross-contamination between mobile phones and hands.

Design and development of novel single multiplex system incorporating 26 rapidly mutating Y-STRs; 26 RM Yplex.

This article details the development of a single multiplex system amplifying 26 rapidly mutating Y-STR markers. A sequenced allelic ladder, constructed for calling alleles of all loci, is introduced. The multiplex system shows the ability to address the limitations of Y-STRs commercial kits in differentiating closely related males.

Urinary Excretion Profile of Cannabinoid Analytes Following Acute Administration of Oral and Vaporized Cannabis in Infrequent Cannabis Users.

Traditionally, smoking has been the predominant method for administering cannabis, but alternative routes of administration have become more prevalent. Additionally, research examining urinary cannabinoid excretion profiles has primarily focused on 11-nor-9-carboxy-∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC-COOH), a metabolite of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC), as the primary analyte. The aim of the current study was to characterize the urinary excretion profile of ∆9-THC-COOH, ∆9-THC, ∆8-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆8-THC), 11-hydroxy-∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-∆9-THC), ∆9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), 11-nor-∆9-tetrahydrocannabivarin-9-carboxlic acid (THCV-COOH), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol (CBN) and 8,11-dihydroxytetrahydrocannabinol (8,11-diOH-∆9-THC) following controlled administration of both oral and vaporized cannabis.

Update on Urine Adulterants and Synthetic Urine Samples to Subvert Urine Drug Testing.

To avoid a positive urine drug test, donors might try to subvert the test, either by adulterating the specimen with a product designed to interfere with testing or by substituting the specimen for a synthetic urine. A market search conducted in December of 2020 identified 3 adulterants and 32 synthetic urines, and a selection was procured based on specific criteria. Samples prepared with the 3 adulterants and 10 synthetic urines were submitted for testing at five forensic drug testing laboratories to perform immunoassay screening, chromatographic confirmation analysis and specimen validity testing (SVT).

Reports of Adverse Events Associated with Use of Novel Psychoactive Substances, 2017-2020: A Review.

An important role of modern forensic and clinical toxicologists is to monitor the adverse events of novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Following a prior review from 2013 to 2016, this critical literature review analyzes and evaluates published case reports for NPS from January 2017 through December 2020. The primary objective of this study is to assist in the assessment and interpretation of these cases as well as provide references for confirmation methods.

Prevalence of Cannabidiol, ∆9- and ∆8-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Metabolites in Workplace Drug Testing Urine Specimens.

Given the recent popularity of cannabidiol (CBD) use and the emergence of ∆8-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆8-THC), the prevalence and concentrations of these and other cannabinoids were investigated in 2,000 regulated and 4,000 non-regulated specimens from workplace drug testing. All specimens were screened using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) for the presence of 7-hydroxy-CBD (7-OH-CBD) and ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (∆9-THC-COOH), with a cutoff of 2 ng/mL. Specimens screening positive by LC-MS-MS were analyzed by immunoassay at 20, 50 and 100 ng/mL cutoffs and by an LC-MS-MS confirmation method for 11 cannabinoids and metabolites with a 1 ng/mL cutoff.

Conversion of 7-Carboxy-Cannabidiol (7-COOH-CBD) to 11-Nor-9-Carboxy-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) during Sample Preparation for GC-MS Analysis.

The growing use of cannabidiol (CBD) products by the general public is expected to result in an increase in the prevalence of CBD and the CBD metabolites in drug testing laboratories. CBD converts into tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) under acid conditions which could produce false-positive results, but little is known about how the presence of the urinary metabolite of CBD, 7-carboxy-cannabidiol (7-COOH-CBD), would affect urine drug testing for 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH). As the operators of the National Laboratory Certification Program (NLCP), we prepared a set of performance testing samples containing 7-COOH-CBD for cannabinoid testing at the laboratories accredited by the NLCP to investigate if 7-COOH-CBD can produce false-positive results for THC-COOH during immunological screening analysis and if 7-COOH-CBD can be converted to THC-COOH.

Interpol review of controlled substances 2016-2019.

This review paper covers the forensic-relevant literature in controlled substances from 2016 to 2019 as a part of the 19th Interpol International Forensic Science Managers Symposium. The review papers are also available at the Interpol website at: https://www.interpol.

Death from Poppy Tea Consumption.

The historical practice of brewing poppy tea for its opioid-like effects is reoccurring with modern-day substance users. We present four postmortem cases with toxicology results that serve as case studies for the potential hazards of poppy tea ingestion. There is limited information regarding the risks of this practice due to the variability of the morphine content of the opium exuded from the plant.

False-Positive Enzymatic Alcohol Results in Perimortem Specimens.

Herein, we present 2 cases referred to the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (NC OCME) in which ethanol results reported by different hospital laboratories, using alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)-based assays, were positive, whereas results of headspace gas chromatography testing performed in the NC OCME laboratory were negative. Literature reports suggest that false-positive ethanol measurements from ADH-based assays can occur when a combination of elevated lactate and lactate dehydrogenase (LD) are present in the specimen. The results were reported in perimortem specimens collected from 2 children with unrelated medical conditions.

Effects of Bariatric Surgery Observed in Postmortem Toxicology Casework.

Bariatric surgery has been on the rise and patients often have multiple indications for pre- and post-operative pharmacotherapy. Procedures target the stomach and/or small intestine and affect weight loss through restriction, malabsorption, or a combination of the two. The absorption and/or metabolism of drugs via the gastrointestinal tract could be altered by different mechanisms.

Degradation of Bupropion: Implications for Interpretation of Postmortem Case Data.

The interpretation of postmortem bupropion is often a challenge to the forensic toxicology community because of the instability of the parent compound. At the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (NC OCME) toxicology laboratory, one of the active metabolites, threobupropion, is used as a complementary indicator for the extent of exposure to the parent compound. Metabolite data will address postmortem normal concentrations as well as when bupropion was attributed to the cause of death.

Jurors' perceptions of forensic science expert witnesses: Experience, qualifications, testimony style and credibility.

The judicial system calls upon expert witnesses to testify in court when complex or specialized knowledge, beyond that of the lay person, is needed to interpret the evidence. Previous research has indicated that particular traits of the expert witness can affect their credibility in the eyes of the jury, however most of this research has been undertaken using mock jurors. In contrast, this study investigated the perceptions of real jurors.

Development of a Quantitative LC-MS-MS Assay for Codeine, Morphine, 6-Acetylmorphine, Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Oxycodone and Oxymorphone in Neat Oral Fluid.

Recent advances in analytical capabilities allowing for the identification and quantification of drugs and metabolites in small volumes at low concentrations have made oral fluid a viable matrix for drug testing. Oral fluid is an attractive matrix option due to its relative ease of collection, reduced privacy concerns for observed collections and difficulty to adulterate. The work presented here details the development and validation of a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method for the quantification of codeine, morphine, 6-acetylmorphine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone and oxymorphone in neat oral fluid.

Internal validation of STRmix™ - A multi laboratory response to PCAST.

We report a large compilation of the internal validations of the probabilistic genotyping software STRmix™. Thirty one laboratories contributed data resulting in 2825 mixtures comprising three to six donors and a wide range of multiplex, equipment, mixture proportions and templates. Previously reported trends in the LR were confirmed including less discriminatory LRs occurring both for donors and non-donors at low template (for the donor in question) and at high contributor number.