Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation
May 22, 2013
Anders Helander, Olof Beck, Robert Hägerkvist et al.
82 citations
New psychoactive substances, sold online as 'legal highs' or disguised as 'bath salts' and 'plant food', are increasingly used by young people in Sweden. In a project monitoring these drugs, urine and blood samples from 103 emergency department cases of suspected recreational drug intoxication were analyzed. Psychoactive substances were detected in 82% of cases; 78% of subjects were 25 or younger, and 81% were male. Detected substances included synthetic cannabinoids, substituted cathinones, tryptamines, plant-based substances, and conventional drugs. In 44% of cases, more than one new or conventional drug was present. The findings document widespread use of diverse new psychoactive substances among Swedish youth.
Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation
January 1, 2005
J Kärkkäinen, T Forsström, J Tornaeus et al.
50 citations
Bufotenine and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) are hallucinogenic compounds naturally produced in the human body from serotonin and tryptamine. Using highly sensitive mass spectrometry, researchers detected large amounts of bufotenine in human stools, suggesting a role in intestinal function, while only small amounts were found in somatic or neural tissues and none in blood. The compounds may originate from epithelial cells of the intestine and kidney, though synthesis by gut bacteria is possible. Rapid breakdown by monoamine oxidase or limited formation in most tissues explains their low levels elsewhere.
Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation
January 1, 2001
T Forsström, J Tuominen, J Kärkkäinen
41 citations
A new method using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) was developed to measure bufotenine, DMT, 5-MeODMT, and NMT in urine. The method identifies compounds by retention times and two fragment ions, quantifies them with electrospray ionization and multiple reaction monitoring, and uses solid-phase extraction to clean samples. Applied to urine from surgical, medical, and psychiatric patients, only bufotenine appeared in significant amounts, up to 34 micrograms per liter. Consistent with earlier findings, bufotenine excretion was higher in psychiatric patients than in somatic patients. The paper presents the method, procedure, considerations, statistical evaluations, and sample spectra.
Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation
October 21, 2008
Sys Stybe Johansen, Jakob Jornil
25 citations
A quantitative gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method was developed to measure amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDA, and MDMA (ecstasy) in human hair. The procedure uses liquid-liquid extraction of hydrolyzed hair with deuterated internal standards and derivatization with perfluorooctanoyl chloride. Validation showed a linear range of 0.25 to 25 ng/mg, intra-day precision of 3–6% RSD, inter-day precision of 3–17% RSD, and trueness between 96% and 106%. Detection limits ranged from 0.07 to 0.14 ng/mg and quantification limits from 0.24 to 0.46 ng/mg. Applied to 40 authentic hair samples, concentrations ranged up to 3.2 ng/mg for amphetamine, 0.4 ng/mg for MDA, and 5.9 ng/mg for MDMA; methamphetamine was detected once at trace level. The method is simple, robust, and sensitive enough for measuring these drugs in abusers' hair.