Single hair analysis for gamma-hydroxybutyric acid-Method optimization, validation, and application.

As gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) underlies fast metabolization, its determination from hair may presumably offer a detection window superior to that of body fluids. Due to the wide range of endogenous concentration levels, the evidence of an exogenous ingestion is challenging. As already shown for other drugs, the temporal resolution obtained by applying single hair microanalysis provides further information.

ADB-HEXINACA-a novel synthetic cannabinoid with a hexyl substituent: phase I metabolism in authentic urine samples, a case report and prevalence on the German market.

Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) are one of the largest groups of new psychoactive substances (NPS). Yet, another novel analog started spreading on the NPS market around 2021. Soon after, the substance could be analytically characterized in herbal material as ADB-HEXINACA, an SCRA containing a hexyl-substituted tail on the indazole core.

Storage stability of phosphatidylethanol homologues in whole blood and dried blood spots of nonalcoholics at different temperatures over 60 days.

Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) has recently become a popular direct alcohol marker for evaluating drinking behavior. This study aimed at gaining further information on the long-term stability of five PEth homologues (16:0/18:1, 16:0/18:2, 16:0/20:4, 18:0/18:1, 18:0/18:2) in whole blood (WB) and dried blood spots (DBS) stored at -80°C, 4°C, and room temperature (18°C) over a period of 60 days. Venous blood was taken from 10 volunteers (five females and five males, aged 21-40 years) with a moderate drinking behavior and a negative breath alcohol test at the time of collection.

Formation of phosphatidylethanol and ethylglucuronide after low to moderate alcohol consumption in volunteers with a previous three-week alcohol abstinence.

Aims: Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is only formed when ethanol is present in blood. This direct alcohol marker has been widely discussed, including the minimum amount of ethanol being necessary to form as much PEth as to exceed the threshold of 20 ng/mL in previously PEth negative subjects. In order to corroborate hitherto existing results, a drinking study including 18 participants after a 3-week alcohol abstinence was performed.

"Spice"-related deaths in and around Munich, Germany: A retrospective look at the role of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists in our post-mortem cases over a seven-year period (2014-2020).

Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs, "Spice") are a diverse group of recreational drugs, with their structural and pharmacological variability still evolving. Forensic toxicologists often rely on previous reports to assess their role in intoxication cases. This work provides detailed information on the "Spice"-related fatalities around Munich, Germany, from 2014 to 2020.

Development and Validation of Seven Phosphatidylethanol Homologues in Dried Blood Spots Including Preliminary Results after Excessive Use of an Ethanol-Based Hand Sanitizer.

Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) has become a widespread marker offering an up to 4-week retrospective window to detect alcohol use. Due to the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019, ethanol-based hand sanitizers are frequently used. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a method for the determination of up to seven different homologues of PEth from dried blood spots (DBSs) after use of an ethanol-based hand sanitizer.

Will tetrahydrocannabinol be formed from cannabidiol in gastric fluid? An in vivo experiment.

Cannabidiol (CBD) products have ascribed an uprising trend for their health-promoting effects worldwide. In contrast to Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD exhibits no state of euphoria. Since conversion of CBD into THC in an acidic environment has been reported, it has not been proved whether this degradation will also occur in human gastric fluid.

Application of single hair analysis in a doping case involving amphetamine.

A previously published method for single hair analysis has been applied to a doping case for further clarification. Amphetamine could be detected in multiple micro segments resulting in two distinct concentration peaks in several hairs. The consumption of a contaminated food supplement as possible source for the amphetamine is discussed.

The effect of creatine ingestion on urinary creatinine concentration: Does supplementation mask a heavy dilution?

A high volume of fluid can strongly reduce a drug's concentration in urine. Therefore, to detect diluted samples, the concentration of creatinine in urine is determined during testing drugs of abuse. If the concentration is below 20 mg creatinine/dl urine, the urine sample is usually rejected for drug testing.

Verifying the validity of creatinine measurement in low-concentrated urine spot samples-Photospectrometry versus liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

One of the major challenges of testing drugs of abuse is the detection of highly diluted urine samples. The ingestion of a large amount of fluid can considerably reduce the concentration of substances, possibly resulting in inaccurate drug testing. For detection, determination of urinary creatinine is a widely established procedure.

Single hair analysis: Validation of a screening method for over 150 analytes and application on documented single-dose cases.

Hair is the matrix of choice in forensic toxicology when retrospective analysis is needed. Nonetheless, due to misalignment, different growth stages and segmentation lengths of 0.5-1 cm, resolution of time is limited.

Fatal Immunohaemolysis after the Consumption of the Poison Pax Mushroom: A Focus on the Diagnosis of the Paxillus Syndrome with the Aid of Two Case Reports.

This retrospective report focuses on the diagnosis of the Paxillus syndrome, based on two fatal cases of haemolysis following the consumption of . These mushrooms are still consumed regularly, despite earlier reports of life-threatening autoimmune haemolytic anaemia. Such cases are nevertheless rare, and thus far no toxin could be identified that causes this unusual form of mushroom poisoning.