Forensic Science International
November 1, 2019
Catrin Y Mendoza-Valencia, Diana Jazmín Mariño Gaviria, Nancy Patiño Reyes et al.
Blotters sold as LSD in two Colombian cities actually contain mixtures of new psychoactive substances (NPS), including DOB, 25I-NBOMe, MDMA, and 25I-NBOMe imine, all phenylethylamines. Analysis of 70 doses from forensic cases in Bogotá and Barranquilla, using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, revealed these adulterants. The findings indicate a growing public health problem, as these blotters cause intoxication and death, especially when mixed with other drugs.
Forensic Science International
August 1, 2019
Michael Kraemer, Helena Fels, Torsten Dame et al.
5F-ADB, a synthetic cannabinoid, has been found in legal high products and biological samples, linked to serious health effects and deaths. This report describes five cases of verified 5F-ADB consumption, including three fatalities, a driving under the influence case, and a grievous bodily harm case. In four cases, 5F-ADB was detected in blood or plasma at concentrations between 0.11 and 0.57 μg/L; one case confirmed consumption via metabolite detection in postmortem fluids. Adverse effects observed include confusion (possibly psychosis), collapse, loss of consciousness, unsafe driving, and mood changes, all potentially attributable to 5F-ADB.
Forensic Science International
September 1, 2018
Magdalene H Y Tang, Y K Chong, Candace Y Chan et al.
In October 2017, a cluster of acute intoxications presented with ketamine-like symptoms, but standard toxicology screens did not detect ketamine. An unidentified substance was consistently found and later identified as 2-oxo-PCE, a new arylcyclohexylamine analogue. Chart review revealed 56 cases of 2-oxo-PCE-associated acute poisoning between October and November 2017. Laboratory analysis confirmed 2-oxo-PCE in all patients' urine; nasal swabs from three patients showed only 2-oxo-PCE. Urine immunoassay for ketamine did not cross-react with 2-oxo-PCE. In 55% of cases, other drugs were also detected; in the remainder, 2-oxo-PCE was used alone. Main symptoms with sole use included impaired consciousness (84%), confusion (60%), abnormal behavior (44%), hypertension (80%), and tachycardia (40%). Convulsion occurred in 16%. Management was supportive; three patients required intensive care. All recovered uneventfully.
Forensic Science International
October 1, 2017
Luca Morini, Marzia Bernini, Sara Vezzoli et al.
A teenager died by drowning after jumping into a waterway while agitated and confused following a party. Blotter papers found at the party contained 25-NBOMes. Toxicological analysis of the boy's blood and urine detected 25C-NBOMe and 25H-NBOMe. In peripheral blood, concentrations were 2.80 ng/mL for 25C-NBOMe and 0.29 ng/mL for 25H-NBOMe; in central blood, 1.43 and 0.13 ng/mL; in urine, 0.94 and 0.14 ng/mL. THC and THCCOOH were also present. NBOMes can cause severe hallucinations at very low doses, and the measured 25C-NBOMe levels are considered potentially toxic.
Forensic Science International
June 1, 2017
Anna Johansson, Daniel Lindstedt, Markus Roman et al.
3-Methoxyphencyclidine (3-MeO-PCP), a phencyclidine analogue with anesthetic, analgesic, and hallucinogenic properties, appeared on the illicit drug market in 2011. This paper reports a non-fatal intoxication and seven deaths involving 3-MeO-PCP in Sweden from March 2014 to June 2016. The non-fatal case involved a 19-year-old male with drug problems and depression who presented awake but tachycardic, hypertensive, tachypnoeic, and catatonic, later developing fever, lactic acidosis, psychomotor agitation, and hallucinations; he fully recovered after 22 hours of intensive care. Blood concentrations of 3-MeO-PCP at admission were 0.14 μg/g, declining to 0.04 μg/g after 17 hours, with an estimated half-life of 11 hours.
Forensic Science International
May 1, 2017
Elisabetta Bertol, Jennifer Pascali, Diego Palumbo et al.
Two young men, aged 19 and 21, were admitted to a hospital in a comatose state with respiratory acidosis, dilated pupils, and hypothermia after consuming 3-MeO-PCP, a dissociative anesthetic similar to phencyclidine, along with alcohol. Blood alcohol levels were 2.0 g/L and 1.7 g/L. They required intubation for 7-8 hours and remained delirious for nearly 24 hours. Toxicological analysis of blood and urine using GC-MS and LC-MS/MS detected 3-MeO-PCP at concentrations of 350.0 and 180.1 ng/mL in blood and 6109.2 and 3003.6 ng/mL in urine. The symptoms likely resulted from the combined effects of 3-MeO-PCP and alcohol. This is one of the few documented intoxication cases and the first reported in Italy, highlighting the need for broad analytical methods to detect new psychoactive substances.
Forensic Science International
April 1, 2017
Piotr Adamowicz, Joanna Gieroń, Dominika Gil et al.
UR-144, a synthetic cannabinoid found in 'legal highs' since 2012, produces a range of effects on the human body. In 39 cases where UR-144 was detected in blood, concentrations ranged from trace amounts to 17 ng/mL. The most common symptoms included slurred speech, dilated pupils, abnormal pupillary reaction, cheerful behavior, poor coordination, and staggering. Less frequent effects included verbosity, narrow pupils, loss of consciousness, facial skin changes, blackout, euphoria, agitation, hallucinations, hindered communication, shaking hands, seizures, convulsions, somnolence, delayed movements, reddened conjunctiva, and tachycardia. The findings help identify possible effects of UR-144 use.
Forensic Science International
April 1, 2016
Piotr Adamowicz
A man died after smoking a synthetic cannabinoid called MDMB-CHMICA, which was found in the herbal mixture 'Mocarz' in Poland. He lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest minutes after use, and died four days later from multiple organ failure. MDMB-CHMICA was detected in his blood and tissues, with a concentration of 5.6 ng/mL in antemortem blood and 2.6 ng/g in the brain. The case demonstrates that MDMB-CHMICA can cause organ failure, cardiac arrest, and death.
Forensic Science International
June 1, 2015
Mette Findal Andreasen, Rasmus Telving, Ingrid Rosendal et al.
A young male died approximately 12 hours after recreational use of the potent hallucinogenic drug 25C-NBOMe, with signs of serotonin toxicity before death. Toxicological analysis of blood, urine, vitreous humor, liver, and gastric content samples using UPLC-HRTOF-MS and UPLC-MS/MS identified and quantified 25C-NBOMe and a demethylated and glucuronidated metabolite. Concentrations ranged from 0.32 μg total in gastric content to 2.93 μg/kg in urine. Autopsy findings were consistent with acute poisoning. The cause of death was a fatal overdose of 25C-NBOMe combined with amphetamine. This is the first reported quantification of 25C-NBOMe in biological specimens from a fatal intoxication.
Forensic Science International
April 1, 2015
Victoria B Kueppers, Clive T Cooke
A toxicologically confirmed death from Australia involved the synthetic new psychoactive substance 25I-NBOMe, a derivative of the 2C-X phenethylamine series. NBOMe compounds are hallucinogenic and stimulant, acting as potent agonists of the human 5HT2A receptor, and have been linked to severe toxicity and fatalities. The decedent had a post mortem aortic non-preserved blood concentration of 25I-NBOMe of approximately 28 μg/L, a level much higher than those previously reported in non-fatal cases and analytically confirmed fatalities. This case is the first published from Australia on 25I-NBOMe toxicity, highlighting the need for more toxicological data to improve forensic awareness.
Forensic Science International
February 25, 2010
Tim Laussmann, Sigrid Meier-Giebing
A new HPLC method using cation-exchange liquid chromatography can quantify the hallucinogenic alkaloids psilocin and psilocybin in mushrooms and the stimulant alkaloids cathinone and cathine in khat without lengthy sample preparation. Applied to seized samples, dried Panaeolus cyanescens mushrooms contained up to 3.00 mg of psilocin per 100 mg. In khat, high cathinone concentrations were found not only in leaves but also in green parts and bark of stalks. Freeze-drying fresh material preserved the highest alkaloid levels.
Forensic Science International
September 18, 2008
Kenji Tsujikawa, Kenji Kuwayama, Hajime Miyaguchi et al.
Salvinorin A (SalA) and salvinorin B (SalB) were measured in three dried leaf and nine concentrated extract products of Salvia divinorum sold in Japan. SalA content ranged from 3.2 to 5.0 micrograms per milligram in dried leaves and from 4.1 to 38.9 in extracts; SalB ranged from 0.10 to 0.17 in leaves and 0.26 to 2.42 in extracts. The analytical methods used acetonitrile extraction, graphite carbon decolorization, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for confirmation, with quantification by high-performance liquid chromatography for SalA and mass spectrometry for SalB. These data provide a reference for analyzing S. divinorum products on the drug market.
Forensic Science International
August 6, 2008
Giampietro Frison, Donata Favretto, Flavio Zancanaro et al.
Beta-carboline alkaloids such as harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine, found in plants like Peganum harmala, Passiflora incarnata, and Banisteriopsis caapi, can stimulate the central nervous system by inhibiting amine neurotransmitter metabolism or directly interacting with receptors. Ingestion of preparations containing these alkaloids can cause toxic effects including hallucinations, ataxia, nausea, vomiting, confusion, and agitation. This report describes a case of intoxication after intentionally drinking an infusion of P. harmala seeds purchased online. The alkaloids were identified in the seed extract and the patient's urine via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, marking the first confirmed case of P. harmala intoxication with toxicological evidence.
Forensic Science International
July 20, 2007
Wing-Chi Cheng, Kin-Man Ng, Ka-Keung Chan et al.
A roadside testing protocol using field impairment tests (FIT) can detect ketamine-impaired drivers with over 90% accuracy when salivary ketamine concentrations exceed 300 ng/mL. Among 62 volunteers exiting discos in Hong Kong, 39 had ketamine in their oral fluid. Of 21 ketamine-only users, 71% were identified by FIT. Typical signs of ketamine impairment include lack of convergence, horizontal gaze nystagmus, elevated pulse rate, and poor performance on divided attention tests, particularly walk-and-turn and one-leg stand.
Forensic Science International
March 10, 2005
T Kanamori, K Tsujikawa, Y Ohmae et al.
The metabolism of methamphetamine (MA) and 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B) was examined in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes and compared with in vivo results. For MA, the major metabolite was p-hydroxymethamphetamine, matching the urinary excretion profile in rats fed MA. For 2C-B, the major metabolites were 2-O-desmethyl-2C-B and a carboxylic acid derivative, a slight deviation from in vivo findings where 5-O-desmethyl-N-acetyl-2C-B predominated. Metabolites with a hydroxy group were largely conjugated, except for 2-O-desmethyl-2C-B. The primary hepatocyte culture system shows potential as a quick method for estimating the in vivo metabolic fate of abused drugs.