Journal of forensic toxicology & pharmacology, 2013
Levamisole is an antibiotic medication used to treat colon cancer and is a synthetic imidazothiaz... more Levamisole is an antibiotic medication used to treat colon cancer and is a synthetic imidazothiazole derivative also employed as an antihelminthic to treat worm infestations in both humans and animals. Even if it is not yet well known why levamisole is added to cocaine, the presence of this adulterant is very dangerous, in fact this compound suppresses the production of white blood cells, resulting in neutropenia, agranulocytosis and idiopathic pulmonary hypertension. With the increasing use of levamisole as an adulterant, a number of these complications have been reported among cocaine users. The authors refer about the detection of levamisole in gastric content taken from a 48-year old woman who was found deceased at home with no evidence of trauma or asphyxia. The cause of death was related to an overdose of cocaine and morphine, and the presence of levamisole in gastric contents was correlated to oral ingestion of a considerable amount of cocaine, a hypothesis suggested by the presence of white powder found on the walls of the stomach of the cadaver.
Basic Science Investigation nature publishing group Background: Caffeine is widely used to manage... more Basic Science Investigation nature publishing group Background: Caffeine is widely used to manage apnea of prematurity, and reduces the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Deregulated transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling underlies arrested postnatal lung maturation in BPD. It is unclear whether caffeine impacts TGF-β signaling or postnatal lung development in affected lungs. Methods: The impact of caffeine on TGF-β signaling in primary mouse lung fibroblasts and alveolar epithelial type II cells was assessed in vitro. The effects of caffeine administration (25 mg/kg/d for the first 14 d of postnatal life) on aberrant lung development and TGF-β signaling in vivo was assessed in a hyperoxia (85% O 2)-based model of BPD in C57BL/6 mice. results: Caffeine downregulated expression of type I and type III TGF-β receptors, and Smad2; and potentiated TGF-β signaling in vitro. In vivo, caffeine administration normalized body mass under hyperoxic conditions, and normalized Smad2 phosphorylation detected in lung homogenates; however, caffeine administration neither improved nor worsened lung structure in hyperoxia-exposed mice, in which postnatal lung maturation was blunted. conclusion: Caffeine modulated TGF-β signaling in vitro and in vivo. Caffeine administration was well-tolerated by newborn mice, but did not influence the course of blunted postnatal lung maturation in a hyperoxia-based experimental mouse model of BPD.
Seit dem 1. Juli 2009 sind mit der 2. Auflage der Beurteilungskriterien fuer die Fahreignungsdiag... more Seit dem 1. Juli 2009 sind mit der 2. Auflage der Beurteilungskriterien fuer die Fahreignungsdiagnostik auch neue und einheitliche Richtlinien fuer die chemisch-toxikologischen Untersuchungen (CTU) im Rahmen der Abstinenzkontrollen in Kraft getreten. Neben dem Untersuchungsspektrum wurden auch einheitliche Grenzwerte (Cutoff-Werte) fuer die zu untersuchenden Wirkstoffgruppen (Amphetamine, Cannabinoide, Kokain, Opiate, Opioide und Ethylglucuronid) in Urin- und Haarproben festgelegt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden die Zahlen positiver Untersuchungsergebnisse von Urinproben vor und nach Inkrafttreten der neuen Beurteilungskriterien 2009 sowie die Zahlen positiver Untersuchungsergebnisse von Urinproben und Haarproben miteinander verglichen. (A) ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH: On 1st July 2009 new guidelines for the medical psychological assessment (MPA) of drivers who lost their driving license came into force in Germany. According to these guidelines subjects who want to regain their driver’s ...
Basic Science Investigation nature publishing group Background: Caffeine is widely used to manage... more Basic Science Investigation nature publishing group Background: Caffeine is widely used to manage apnea of prematurity, and reduces the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Deregulated transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling underlies arrested postnatal lung maturation in BPD. It is unclear whether caffeine impacts TGF-β signaling or postnatal lung development in affected lungs. Methods: The impact of caffeine on TGF-β signaling in primary mouse lung fibroblasts and alveolar epithelial type II cells was assessed in vitro. The effects of caffeine administration (25 mg/kg/d for the first 14 d of postnatal life) on aberrant lung development and TGF-β signaling in vivo was assessed in a hyperoxia (85% O 2)-based model of BPD in C57BL/6 mice. results: Caffeine downregulated expression of type I and type III TGF-β receptors, and Smad2; and potentiated TGF-β signaling in vitro. In vivo, caffeine administration normalized body mass under hyperoxic conditions, and normalized Smad2 phosphorylation detected in lung homogenates; however, caffeine administration neither improved nor worsened lung structure in hyperoxia-exposed mice, in which postnatal lung maturation was blunted. conclusion: Caffeine modulated TGF-β signaling in vitro and in vivo. Caffeine administration was well-tolerated by newborn mice, but did not influence the course of blunted postnatal lung maturation in a hyperoxia-based experimental mouse model of BPD.
Journal of Forensic Toxicology & Pharmacology, 2013
Levamisole is an antibiotic medication used to treat colon cancer and is a synthetic imidazothiaz... more Levamisole is an antibiotic medication used to treat colon cancer and is a synthetic imidazothiazole derivative also employed as an antihelminthic to treat worm infestations in both humans and animals. Even if it is not yet well known why levamisole is added to cocaine, the presence of this adulterant is very dangerous, in fact this compound suppresses the production of white blood cells, resulting in neutropenia, agranulocytosis and idiopathic pulmonary hypertension. With the increasing use of levamisole as an adulterant, a number of these complications have been reported among cocaine users. The authors refer about the detection of levamisole in gastric content taken from a 48-year old woman who was found deceased at home with no evidence of trauma or asphyxia. The cause of death was related to an overdose of cocaine and morphine, and the presence of levamisole in gastric contents was correlated to oral ingestion of a considerable amount of cocaine, a hypothesis suggested by the presence of white powder found on the walls of the stomach of the cadaver.
The analysis of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair is a powerful tool for chronic alcohol abuse cont... more The analysis of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair is a powerful tool for chronic alcohol abuse control because of the typical wide detection window of the hair matrix and due to the possibility of segmentation, allowing evaluation of alcohol consumption in different periods. Additionally, EtG in hair is often the only diagnostic parameter of choice for alcohol abuse when other clinical parameters such as ALT, AST, gammaGT and CDT (asialotransferrin and disialotransferrin) are in the normal range and EtG in urine negative. In this paper, we describe the development, optimization and validation of a new method based on hair extraction with water, clean-up by solid phase extraction (SPE), derivatization with heptafluorobutyric anhydride and headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) in combination with GC-MS/MS according to forensic guidelines. The assay linearity of EtG was confirmed over the range from 2.8 to 1000 pg/mg hair, with a coefficient of determination (r(2)) above 0.999. The LLOQ was 2.8 pg/mg and the LLOD was 0.6 pg/mg. An error profile calculated according to the "Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement" (GUM) at 99% confidence intervals for the range 5-750 pg/mg hair did not exceed 10%. This range corresponds to more than 98% of the positive samples analysed.
This paper addresses the suitability of ethyl glucuronide in hair (EtGH) strands other than 3cm f... more This paper addresses the suitability of ethyl glucuronide in hair (EtGH) strands other than 3cm for alcohol consumption. This issue will be addressed (a) by statistically comparing the distribution of EtGH results for 3cm hair strands to other hair strands analysed from 4126 cases and (b) by examining the stability of EtGH in an 8cm hair strand and two 12cm hair samples of two volunteers and a post-mortem case using 1cm segmental analysis. For 3464 driving license re-granting Medical and Psychological Assessment (MPA) cases, the detection of alcohol consumption using hair lengths longer than 3cm was never significantly less than for 3cm hair lengths, even up to 12cm hair lengths analysed non-segmented. For 662 non-MPA cases, where, in contrast to MPA cases, generally no abstinence was required, an increase in the EtGH positivity rate was observed with increasing hair length analysed up to 9cm, indicating that EtG-washout effects seem to play a minor role if any. For both MPA and non-MPA hair samples less than 3cm, a drastic, significant increase in the number of positive EtGH samples were observed, compared to 3cm hair lengths, strongly supportive of EtGH incorporation from sweat after a recent alcohol consumption. Segmental studies indicated that EtG is stable in the hair matrix up to 12cm long, hence supporting the above results. Even though both the statistical and the stability studies are preliminary results which need to be confirmed by other studies, they both provide evidence for the determination of alcohol consumption using EtGH in hair lengths longer than 3cm. Amendments to the Consensus of the Society of Hair Testing, the German driving license re-granting guidelines and EWDTS hair guidelines with respect to testing for abstinence and/or alcoholism are proposed for the benefit of the donors.
Alcohol misuse is a global challenge accounting to many loss of lives and to significant economic... more Alcohol misuse is a global challenge accounting to many loss of lives and to significant economical costs. Generally, traditional alcohol markers have low alcohol specificity, resulting both in false positives due to a number of physiological disorders and in false negative diagnosis due to their poor sensitivities (Table 1 1). On the other hand, direct alcohol markers are more specific, but have other limitations (Table 1 2). Ethyl glucuronide in hair, EtGH fulfills almost all criteria for an ideal alcohol biomarker. The essential pre-analytical aspects involved in the measurement of EtGH (section 1.5.2), the major analytical improvements involved in its detection (Table 1 3) and selected aspects to ensure high quality, legally defensible results (sections 1.5.4 and 1.5.5.3) are illustrated. An extensive number of factors which may play a role in the interpretation of EtGH results (section 1.5.5), including the establishment of cut-offs for EtGH (sections 1.5.5.1 and 1.5.5.2), the ...
The aim of this paper is to assess the utility of coloured hair for the detection of drugs and al... more The aim of this paper is to assess the utility of coloured hair for the detection of drugs and alcohol in a large statistically significant population. The positivity rate, the 1st, 5th, 50th, 95th, and 99th percentiles of five amphetamines, cannabinoids, cocaine, four opiates, methadone, buprenorphine, seven benzodiazepines, and ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in 9488 non-treated and 1026 cosmetically treated (dyed or bleached) authentic hair samples was compared. Analytical methods used were accredited for forensic purposes at the cut-offs defined by the German driving licence re-granting medical and psychological assessment (MPA) guidelines. Considering only the drug classes for which at least 10 positive samples were detected, the positivity rate in non-treated hair was highest for alcohol (4.50%; measured using EtG at concentrations ≥ 7 pg/mg hair), followed by THC (2.00%), cocaine (1.75%), and amphetamine (0.59%). While the 1st to 99th percentile range was significantly lower for drugs in treated, compared to non-treated hair, no significant change was observed for EtG. Additionally, no significant difference in the positivity rate was observed between treated hair and non-treated hair for both drugs and EtG. This study is the first attempt to evaluate the influence of cosmetic treatment, mainly dying, on the positivity rate for both drugs and EtG in hair samples submitted routinely for abstinence testing and the first to indicate that dyed and eventually bleached hair is not necessarily useless in detecting drugs and/or alcohol consumption, thus making coloured hair analysis still useful, often being the only possibility to prove such misuse.
Analytische Vorgehensweise • Nach einem Screening mit ELISA wurden alle positiven und eine signif... more Analytische Vorgehensweise • Nach einem Screening mit ELISA wurden alle positiven und eine signifikante Anzahl von negativen Proben mit Gas-Chromatographie-Massen-Spektrometrie (GC-MS) oder Flüssigkeits-Chromatographie-Tandem-Massen-Spektrometrie (LC-MS/MS) untersucht. • Ca. 100 authentische Proben pro Drogenklasse mit Drogen-Konzentrationen an den MPU-Grenzwerten aus insgesamt 9254 authentischen Haar-und 33262 authentischen Urin-Proben wurden ausgewählt und eine signifikante Anzahl von negativen Proben analysiert. • Alle eingesetzten Verfahren sind seit 2005 nach DIN EN ISO 15189 und seit 2009 nach DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 für forensische Zwecke validiert und akkreditiert. • Anhand von ROC-Analysen (receiving operating characteristics) wurde die Zahl falsch positiver und falsch negativer Proben ermittelt und die daraus resultierende Sensitivität und Spezifität für jeden ELISA-Test berechnet. • Zusätzlich wurde mit Hilfe der Flächen unter den ROC-Kurven (area under the curve, AUC) als o...
This study attempts to assess the utility of the urine matrix as an alternative to cosmetically t... more This study attempts to assess the utility of the urine matrix as an alternative to cosmetically treated hair for the detection of drugs and alcohol for driving licence re-granting in 1026 cosmetically treated hair samples and 33 262 urine routine samples. No significant difference was observed between the percentage positive samples in cosmetically treated hair to those in urine at both the 95% and 99% significance level for amphetamines, cocaine, opiates, benzodiazepines, and methadone. Significant difference was found between the positivity rates of cannabinoids in cosmetically treated hair and that in urine indicating urine to be a better alternative to the use of the hair matrix even when cosmetically treated. The opposite was observed for the alcohol consumption marker ethyl glucuronide (EtG) for which the positivity rate in cosmetically treated hair was twice that in urine samples. Particularly for alcohol abstinence monitoring, as for the rehabilitative driving licence re-granting medical and psychological assessment (MPA) programme in Germany, it seems that ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair presents a much better alternative than urine testing, even when cosmetically treated hair is analyzed. Moreover, segmentation is an additional advantage of hair testing which can provide additional useful information.
Journal of forensic toxicology & pharmacology, 2013
Levamisole is an antibiotic medication used to treat colon cancer and is a synthetic imidazothiaz... more Levamisole is an antibiotic medication used to treat colon cancer and is a synthetic imidazothiazole derivative also employed as an antihelminthic to treat worm infestations in both humans and animals. Even if it is not yet well known why levamisole is added to cocaine, the presence of this adulterant is very dangerous, in fact this compound suppresses the production of white blood cells, resulting in neutropenia, agranulocytosis and idiopathic pulmonary hypertension. With the increasing use of levamisole as an adulterant, a number of these complications have been reported among cocaine users. The authors refer about the detection of levamisole in gastric content taken from a 48-year old woman who was found deceased at home with no evidence of trauma or asphyxia. The cause of death was related to an overdose of cocaine and morphine, and the presence of levamisole in gastric contents was correlated to oral ingestion of a considerable amount of cocaine, a hypothesis suggested by the presence of white powder found on the walls of the stomach of the cadaver.
Basic Science Investigation nature publishing group Background: Caffeine is widely used to manage... more Basic Science Investigation nature publishing group Background: Caffeine is widely used to manage apnea of prematurity, and reduces the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Deregulated transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling underlies arrested postnatal lung maturation in BPD. It is unclear whether caffeine impacts TGF-β signaling or postnatal lung development in affected lungs. Methods: The impact of caffeine on TGF-β signaling in primary mouse lung fibroblasts and alveolar epithelial type II cells was assessed in vitro. The effects of caffeine administration (25 mg/kg/d for the first 14 d of postnatal life) on aberrant lung development and TGF-β signaling in vivo was assessed in a hyperoxia (85% O 2)-based model of BPD in C57BL/6 mice. results: Caffeine downregulated expression of type I and type III TGF-β receptors, and Smad2; and potentiated TGF-β signaling in vitro. In vivo, caffeine administration normalized body mass under hyperoxic conditions, and normalized Smad2 phosphorylation detected in lung homogenates; however, caffeine administration neither improved nor worsened lung structure in hyperoxia-exposed mice, in which postnatal lung maturation was blunted. conclusion: Caffeine modulated TGF-β signaling in vitro and in vivo. Caffeine administration was well-tolerated by newborn mice, but did not influence the course of blunted postnatal lung maturation in a hyperoxia-based experimental mouse model of BPD.
Seit dem 1. Juli 2009 sind mit der 2. Auflage der Beurteilungskriterien fuer die Fahreignungsdiag... more Seit dem 1. Juli 2009 sind mit der 2. Auflage der Beurteilungskriterien fuer die Fahreignungsdiagnostik auch neue und einheitliche Richtlinien fuer die chemisch-toxikologischen Untersuchungen (CTU) im Rahmen der Abstinenzkontrollen in Kraft getreten. Neben dem Untersuchungsspektrum wurden auch einheitliche Grenzwerte (Cutoff-Werte) fuer die zu untersuchenden Wirkstoffgruppen (Amphetamine, Cannabinoide, Kokain, Opiate, Opioide und Ethylglucuronid) in Urin- und Haarproben festgelegt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden die Zahlen positiver Untersuchungsergebnisse von Urinproben vor und nach Inkrafttreten der neuen Beurteilungskriterien 2009 sowie die Zahlen positiver Untersuchungsergebnisse von Urinproben und Haarproben miteinander verglichen. (A) ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH: On 1st July 2009 new guidelines for the medical psychological assessment (MPA) of drivers who lost their driving license came into force in Germany. According to these guidelines subjects who want to regain their driver’s ...
Basic Science Investigation nature publishing group Background: Caffeine is widely used to manage... more Basic Science Investigation nature publishing group Background: Caffeine is widely used to manage apnea of prematurity, and reduces the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Deregulated transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling underlies arrested postnatal lung maturation in BPD. It is unclear whether caffeine impacts TGF-β signaling or postnatal lung development in affected lungs. Methods: The impact of caffeine on TGF-β signaling in primary mouse lung fibroblasts and alveolar epithelial type II cells was assessed in vitro. The effects of caffeine administration (25 mg/kg/d for the first 14 d of postnatal life) on aberrant lung development and TGF-β signaling in vivo was assessed in a hyperoxia (85% O 2)-based model of BPD in C57BL/6 mice. results: Caffeine downregulated expression of type I and type III TGF-β receptors, and Smad2; and potentiated TGF-β signaling in vitro. In vivo, caffeine administration normalized body mass under hyperoxic conditions, and normalized Smad2 phosphorylation detected in lung homogenates; however, caffeine administration neither improved nor worsened lung structure in hyperoxia-exposed mice, in which postnatal lung maturation was blunted. conclusion: Caffeine modulated TGF-β signaling in vitro and in vivo. Caffeine administration was well-tolerated by newborn mice, but did not influence the course of blunted postnatal lung maturation in a hyperoxia-based experimental mouse model of BPD.
Journal of Forensic Toxicology & Pharmacology, 2013
Levamisole is an antibiotic medication used to treat colon cancer and is a synthetic imidazothiaz... more Levamisole is an antibiotic medication used to treat colon cancer and is a synthetic imidazothiazole derivative also employed as an antihelminthic to treat worm infestations in both humans and animals. Even if it is not yet well known why levamisole is added to cocaine, the presence of this adulterant is very dangerous, in fact this compound suppresses the production of white blood cells, resulting in neutropenia, agranulocytosis and idiopathic pulmonary hypertension. With the increasing use of levamisole as an adulterant, a number of these complications have been reported among cocaine users. The authors refer about the detection of levamisole in gastric content taken from a 48-year old woman who was found deceased at home with no evidence of trauma or asphyxia. The cause of death was related to an overdose of cocaine and morphine, and the presence of levamisole in gastric contents was correlated to oral ingestion of a considerable amount of cocaine, a hypothesis suggested by the presence of white powder found on the walls of the stomach of the cadaver.
The analysis of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair is a powerful tool for chronic alcohol abuse cont... more The analysis of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair is a powerful tool for chronic alcohol abuse control because of the typical wide detection window of the hair matrix and due to the possibility of segmentation, allowing evaluation of alcohol consumption in different periods. Additionally, EtG in hair is often the only diagnostic parameter of choice for alcohol abuse when other clinical parameters such as ALT, AST, gammaGT and CDT (asialotransferrin and disialotransferrin) are in the normal range and EtG in urine negative. In this paper, we describe the development, optimization and validation of a new method based on hair extraction with water, clean-up by solid phase extraction (SPE), derivatization with heptafluorobutyric anhydride and headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) in combination with GC-MS/MS according to forensic guidelines. The assay linearity of EtG was confirmed over the range from 2.8 to 1000 pg/mg hair, with a coefficient of determination (r(2)) above 0.999. The LLOQ was 2.8 pg/mg and the LLOD was 0.6 pg/mg. An error profile calculated according to the "Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement" (GUM) at 99% confidence intervals for the range 5-750 pg/mg hair did not exceed 10%. This range corresponds to more than 98% of the positive samples analysed.
This paper addresses the suitability of ethyl glucuronide in hair (EtGH) strands other than 3cm f... more This paper addresses the suitability of ethyl glucuronide in hair (EtGH) strands other than 3cm for alcohol consumption. This issue will be addressed (a) by statistically comparing the distribution of EtGH results for 3cm hair strands to other hair strands analysed from 4126 cases and (b) by examining the stability of EtGH in an 8cm hair strand and two 12cm hair samples of two volunteers and a post-mortem case using 1cm segmental analysis. For 3464 driving license re-granting Medical and Psychological Assessment (MPA) cases, the detection of alcohol consumption using hair lengths longer than 3cm was never significantly less than for 3cm hair lengths, even up to 12cm hair lengths analysed non-segmented. For 662 non-MPA cases, where, in contrast to MPA cases, generally no abstinence was required, an increase in the EtGH positivity rate was observed with increasing hair length analysed up to 9cm, indicating that EtG-washout effects seem to play a minor role if any. For both MPA and non-MPA hair samples less than 3cm, a drastic, significant increase in the number of positive EtGH samples were observed, compared to 3cm hair lengths, strongly supportive of EtGH incorporation from sweat after a recent alcohol consumption. Segmental studies indicated that EtG is stable in the hair matrix up to 12cm long, hence supporting the above results. Even though both the statistical and the stability studies are preliminary results which need to be confirmed by other studies, they both provide evidence for the determination of alcohol consumption using EtGH in hair lengths longer than 3cm. Amendments to the Consensus of the Society of Hair Testing, the German driving license re-granting guidelines and EWDTS hair guidelines with respect to testing for abstinence and/or alcoholism are proposed for the benefit of the donors.
Alcohol misuse is a global challenge accounting to many loss of lives and to significant economic... more Alcohol misuse is a global challenge accounting to many loss of lives and to significant economical costs. Generally, traditional alcohol markers have low alcohol specificity, resulting both in false positives due to a number of physiological disorders and in false negative diagnosis due to their poor sensitivities (Table 1 1). On the other hand, direct alcohol markers are more specific, but have other limitations (Table 1 2). Ethyl glucuronide in hair, EtGH fulfills almost all criteria for an ideal alcohol biomarker. The essential pre-analytical aspects involved in the measurement of EtGH (section 1.5.2), the major analytical improvements involved in its detection (Table 1 3) and selected aspects to ensure high quality, legally defensible results (sections 1.5.4 and 1.5.5.3) are illustrated. An extensive number of factors which may play a role in the interpretation of EtGH results (section 1.5.5), including the establishment of cut-offs for EtGH (sections 1.5.5.1 and 1.5.5.2), the ...
The aim of this paper is to assess the utility of coloured hair for the detection of drugs and al... more The aim of this paper is to assess the utility of coloured hair for the detection of drugs and alcohol in a large statistically significant population. The positivity rate, the 1st, 5th, 50th, 95th, and 99th percentiles of five amphetamines, cannabinoids, cocaine, four opiates, methadone, buprenorphine, seven benzodiazepines, and ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in 9488 non-treated and 1026 cosmetically treated (dyed or bleached) authentic hair samples was compared. Analytical methods used were accredited for forensic purposes at the cut-offs defined by the German driving licence re-granting medical and psychological assessment (MPA) guidelines. Considering only the drug classes for which at least 10 positive samples were detected, the positivity rate in non-treated hair was highest for alcohol (4.50%; measured using EtG at concentrations ≥ 7 pg/mg hair), followed by THC (2.00%), cocaine (1.75%), and amphetamine (0.59%). While the 1st to 99th percentile range was significantly lower for drugs in treated, compared to non-treated hair, no significant change was observed for EtG. Additionally, no significant difference in the positivity rate was observed between treated hair and non-treated hair for both drugs and EtG. This study is the first attempt to evaluate the influence of cosmetic treatment, mainly dying, on the positivity rate for both drugs and EtG in hair samples submitted routinely for abstinence testing and the first to indicate that dyed and eventually bleached hair is not necessarily useless in detecting drugs and/or alcohol consumption, thus making coloured hair analysis still useful, often being the only possibility to prove such misuse.
Analytische Vorgehensweise • Nach einem Screening mit ELISA wurden alle positiven und eine signif... more Analytische Vorgehensweise • Nach einem Screening mit ELISA wurden alle positiven und eine signifikante Anzahl von negativen Proben mit Gas-Chromatographie-Massen-Spektrometrie (GC-MS) oder Flüssigkeits-Chromatographie-Tandem-Massen-Spektrometrie (LC-MS/MS) untersucht. • Ca. 100 authentische Proben pro Drogenklasse mit Drogen-Konzentrationen an den MPU-Grenzwerten aus insgesamt 9254 authentischen Haar-und 33262 authentischen Urin-Proben wurden ausgewählt und eine signifikante Anzahl von negativen Proben analysiert. • Alle eingesetzten Verfahren sind seit 2005 nach DIN EN ISO 15189 und seit 2009 nach DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 für forensische Zwecke validiert und akkreditiert. • Anhand von ROC-Analysen (receiving operating characteristics) wurde die Zahl falsch positiver und falsch negativer Proben ermittelt und die daraus resultierende Sensitivität und Spezifität für jeden ELISA-Test berechnet. • Zusätzlich wurde mit Hilfe der Flächen unter den ROC-Kurven (area under the curve, AUC) als o...
This study attempts to assess the utility of the urine matrix as an alternative to cosmetically t... more This study attempts to assess the utility of the urine matrix as an alternative to cosmetically treated hair for the detection of drugs and alcohol for driving licence re-granting in 1026 cosmetically treated hair samples and 33 262 urine routine samples. No significant difference was observed between the percentage positive samples in cosmetically treated hair to those in urine at both the 95% and 99% significance level for amphetamines, cocaine, opiates, benzodiazepines, and methadone. Significant difference was found between the positivity rates of cannabinoids in cosmetically treated hair and that in urine indicating urine to be a better alternative to the use of the hair matrix even when cosmetically treated. The opposite was observed for the alcohol consumption marker ethyl glucuronide (EtG) for which the positivity rate in cosmetically treated hair was twice that in urine samples. Particularly for alcohol abstinence monitoring, as for the rehabilitative driving licence re-granting medical and psychological assessment (MPA) programme in Germany, it seems that ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in hair presents a much better alternative than urine testing, even when cosmetically treated hair is analyzed. Moreover, segmentation is an additional advantage of hair testing which can provide additional useful information.
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Papers by Ronald Agius