From the street to the laboratory: analytical profiles of methoxetamine, 3-methoxyeticyclidine and 3-methoxyphencyclidine and their determination in three biological matrices.

Three psychoactive arylcyclohexylamines, advertised as "research chemicals," were obtained from an online retailer and characterized by gas chromatography ion trap electron and chemical ionization mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and diode array detection. The three phencyclidines were identified as 2-(ethylamino)-2-(3-methoxyphenyl)cyclohexanone (methoxetamine), N-ethyl-1-(3-methoxyphenyl)cyclohexanamine and 1-[1-(3-methoxyphenyl)cyclohexyl]piperidine. A qualitative/quantitative method of analysis was developed and validated using liquid chromatography (HPLC) electrospray tandem mass spectrometry and ultraviolet (UV) detection for the determination of these compounds in blood, urine and vitreous humor.

Discrimination of Sri Lankan black teas using fluorescence spectroscopy and linear discriminant analysis.

Background: The quality of teas is currently graded using trained tea tasters, whose evaluation can sometimes be subjective. In this study the simple fluorescence-based technique of total luminescence spectroscopy (TLS) in conjunction with data classification using principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to discriminate between teas from 11 different Sri Lankan plantations. Solvent extraction of the tea samples was followed by TLS to record excitation-emission matrices in the excitation range 250-590 nm and emission range 300-700 nm.

A simple safe, reliable and reproducible mechanism for producing experimental bite marks.

With improving technology it should be possible to develop an objective, reliable and valid method that can be undertaken by most forensic Odontologists without recourse to expensive or bulky equipment. One of the main factors that affect the physical appearance of bitemark is the amount of force applied during biting. There is little evidence relating the appearance of a bite mark to the amount of force applied and how that force relates to the biters maximal biteforce.

Phenazepam: the drug that came in from the cold.

In the past few years there has been concern in Western Europe and in the US about the rise in abuse of phenazepam, a benzodiazepine that was originally developed in the USSR in the mid- to late 1970s.(1-4) Although phenazepam is one of the most widely prescribed benzodiazepines in Russia and other commonwealth of independent state (CIS) countries, it has not been licensed elsewhere in the world. Due to very limited licensed geographical distribution, there is very little peer-reviewed literature that is not written in Russian.

Meptazinol and ethanol: a fatal intoxication.

Meptazinol (Meptid(®)) is an analgesic drug that is used to treat mild to moderate pain including postoperative pain, obstetrical pain, and the pain of renal colic. This case reports a death due to the combined effects of meptazinol and alcohol in a man with significant heart disease and alcoholic liver disease. A 57-year-old male was found unresponsive in his bed at home with empty blister packets of meptazinol around him.

Analytical characterization and rapid determination of 2-(diphenylmethyl)pyrrolidine in blood and application to an internet product.

The increased availability of new psychoactive substances ("legal highs") from retail shops or internet sources has caught the imagination of consumers, law enforcement and scientific communities. The present study describes the identification of 2-(diphenylmethyl)pyrrolidine (DPMP, desoxy-D2PM) as the key constituent found in an internet product called "A3A New Generation". Analytical characterization of this new generation "legal high" product was based on gas chromatography (EI/CI) ion trap mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography (HPLC) using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and diode array detection.

Virtual casting of stab wounds in cartilage using micro-computed tomography.

In homicidal stabbings using a serrated knife, stab wounds involving costal cartilage leave striations on the cut surface of the cartilage from the serration points on the blade edge. Class characteristics of the serrated blade can be determined from the striation marks, and individualizing characteristics may be seen also. The traditional method for recording the striation marks involves the pernickety technique of casting with dental impression material.

Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone)-related deaths.

Four deaths related to the drug 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone) are reported. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of mephedrone was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode-array detection. Of the four deaths, one was attributed to the adverse effects of mephedrone, with cardiac fibrosis and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease as a contributing factor.

Endogenous γ-hydroxybutyric acid concentrations in saliva determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Endogenous γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) concentrations in blood and urine are well documented, but there are very little data on natural levels in saliva, a biological matrix increasingly used for drug testing. We measured endogenous GHB concentrations in 120 unpaid volunteers who also provided anonymous epidemiological data. Samples were analyzed using a rapid and reliable method, utilizing liquid-liquid extraction, silyl-derivatization, and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis.

Tool mark striations in pig skin produced by stabs from a serrated blade.

Stab wounds produced by serrated blades are generally indistinguishable from stab wounds produced by non-serrated blades, except when visible tool mark striations are left on severed cartilage. Using a pig-skin experimental model, we explored the possibility that similar striations may be left in skin. Stabs into pig skin were made using a straight spine coarsely serrated blade (121), a drop point finely serrated blade (20), a clip point irregular coarsely serrated blade (20), a drop point coarsely serrated blade (15), and as controls 2 non-serrated blades (40).

An experimental model of tool mark striations in soft tissues produced by serrated blades.

Stab wounds produced by serrated blades are generally indistinguishable from stab wounds produced by non-serrated blades, except when visible tool mark striations are left on severed cartilage. We explored the possibility that similar striations may be produced on the soft tissues of internal organs. Loin of beef, bovine kidney, and pig heart, liver, and aorta were each stabbed 20 times with a coarsely serrated blade.

Intra-individual and inter-individual variation in breath alcohol pharmacokinetics: The effect of food on absorption.

Eight male and 8 female subjects underwent serial breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) measurements in the fasting state, following a snack of crisps and following a light meal. BrAC versus time curves were constructed for each subject and the values of peak BrAC (C(max)), theoretical (extrapolated) BrAC at zero time (C(0)), time taken to reach peak (T(max)) and rate of elimination (ß) were recorded directly from the curves. In all subjects values of C(0) extrapolated from the post-meal BrAC-time curves were significantly lower than in the fasting and snack fed states.

Implementation of Istanbul Protocol for effective documentation of torture - review of Sri Lankan perspectives.

Documentation of torture is a multidisciplinary, multistage scientific procedure evolved over the past decades through the experience of various strata in medical and related fields. It plays a key role in effective corroboration of facts, providing redress to victims and also has a long term regulatory impact on prevention of torture in a society. The UN endorsed Istanbul protocol serves as the model for effective documentation of torture in the present context and there were many attempts in the recent years to create a systematic and uniform approach among professional bodies to document torture by adopting it to the local medico-legal and legal systems in some less resourced countries.

How can we reduce the number of coroner autopsies? Lessons from Scotland and the Dundee initiative.

Currently the medicolegal dissection rate for England and Wales is 22% (110,000 coronial autopsies for 500,000 deaths per annum), yet there is a general lack of evidence about the utility of and justification for such a high level of activity, which is between double and triple the rate in other jurisdictions. The government is currently consulting on how to reduce the numbers, and the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 is permissive of external examinations as an alternative to dissections. We describe the philosophy and practice of the Scottish system of postmortem external examinations, and the 20-year experience of a local initiative to maximize use of such external examinations.

The medical contribution to assessing allegations of torture in international fact-finding missions.

International fact-finding missions directed towards the exposure of possible ill-treatment of persons deprived of their liberty have become increasingly common within the framework of international treaties. Such country visits occur with the consent and co-operation of government, provide unfettered access to all places of detention and allow private interviews with detainees. The Committee for the Prevention of Torture of the Council of Europe, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, and the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture all engage in such missions, and make use of a medical professional as part of the investigative team.

Striation patterns in serrated blade stabs to cartilage.

Stab wounds were made in porcine cartilage with 13 serrated knives, amongst which 4 were drop-point and 9 straight-spine; 9 coarsely serrated, 3 finely serrated and 1 with mixed pattern serrations. The walls of the stab tracks were cast with dental impression material, and the casts photographed together with the knife blades for comparison. All 13 serrated blades produced an "irregularly regular" pattern of striations on cartilage in all stabbings.

Class characteristics of serrated knife stabs to cartilage.

A total of 136 stab wounds were made in cartilage with 8 serrated knives and 72 stabs with 4 nonserrated knives. The walls of the stab track were documented by photography, cast with dental impression material, and the casts photographed. Staining the translucent cartilage surface with blue or green food dye improved photography.