Acute myoglobinuria as a fatal complication of heroin addiction

A fatal case of myoglobinuria complicating heroin addiction is described. Clinically the patient had no overt symptoms of rhabdomyolysis. Pathologists should be alerted to this rare complication in heroin addicts who die of no apparent cause. The antimyoglobin immunoperoxidase technique is useful in confirming the diagnosis.     

Noscapine as an adulterant in illicit heroin samples

In this short report the evidence is given (based on the analyses of 22 case samples) that noscapine can be used as an adulterant in illicit heroin samples. In this context, the appearance of illicit heroin samples characterised by a high noscapine content (up to 61%) and a high noscapine/whole morphine ratio (up to 3.5) is highlighted. All samples discussed in the paper (132) were seized in Slovenia, in the period from 1997 to 1999 and were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.     

The rule of law as a catalyst for sustainable democracy in Nigeria

Democracy and the rule of law are the pillars of sustainable development and the guarantee of fundamental freedoms in any society. The rule of law is one of the prerequisites to creating an enabling environment that supports socio‐economic growth and political development. The future of democracy rests with the ability of democratic governments to observe the rule of law. The rule of law is the fulcrum of democracy and the pillar upon which the structures of democracy stands. This article examines the crucial importance of the rule of law as a catalyst for the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.     

Venture capital as a catalyst for commercialization and high growth

We use Canadian data linking information on venture capital (VC) financing with firm-level administrative data to compare performance of VC-backed and non-VC-backed firms. The richness of the data allows us to incorporate a wide range of firm-level information into creating a control group based on propensity-score matching. In particular, we use typical covariates reflecting firm performance and characteristics (e.g., size, age, industry, location) as well as measures of firm-level innovation such as research and development (R&D) expenditures that are often thought to be associated with the potential for high growth and the probability of receiving VC financing. Our results show R&D expenditures not only attract VC, but are also increased more intensely for VC-backed firms than non-VC-backed counterparts over the short-run. Further, we show VC-backed firms enjoy greater growth in wages and scale over the 5-year period. Overall, our results provide empirical evidence that VC financing is associated with the acceleration of the innovation and commercialization process accompanied by greater growth in wages and scale.     

尿样中海洛因代谢物的测定及海洛因滥用的确认

用ＳＰＥ－ＧＣ－ＮＰＤ法建立了尿样中吗啡、６－单乙酰吗啡及可待因的定性分析方法,适用于海洛因滥用者的尿样分析。尿样中吗啡及可待因的最小检测限均为５０ｎｇ／ｍｌ。方法的相对标准偏差分别为：吗啡１１．３％（ｎ＝５）,可待因１４．２％（ｎ＝５）。方法简便、灵敏、快速,１５ｍｉｎ可完成一例尿样的分析。研究了服用含可待因成分的复方甘草合剂后,尿样中的吗啡及可待因的峰面积比为０．４５７±０．１９７（Ｐ＝９９％）;统计了４０例明确滥用海洛因尿液的分析结果,吗啡与可待因的峰面积比为３．４６±０．８９４,Ｐ＝９９％。可作为判断海洛因滥用的依据。同时与免疫板法比较,附５５例免疫板法阳性尿样的分析结果     

Morphine to codeine concentration ratio in blood and urine as a marker of illicit heroin use in forensic autopsy samples

A morphine to codeine ratio greater than unity (M/C>1) has been suggested as an indicator of heroin use in living individuals. The aim of this study was to examine the morphine to codeine ratio in a large population (N=2438) of forensically examined autopsy cases positive for 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) and/or morphine in blood and/or urine. Blood and urine concentrations of 6-MAM, morphine and codeine were examined using GC-MS and LC-MS/MS methods. In 6-MAM positive samples, the M/C ratio was greater than unity in 98% (N=917) of the blood samples and 96% (N=665) of the urine samples. Stratification of 6-MAM negative cases by M/C above or below unity revealed similarities in morphine and codeine concentrations in cases where M/C>1 and 6-MAM positive cases. Median blood and urine morphine concentrations were 8-10 times greater than codeine for both groups. Similarly to 6-MAM positive cases, 25-44 year-old men prevailed in the M/C>1 group. In comparison to cases where M/C ≤ 1, the M/C ratio was a hundred times higher in both 6-MAM positive and M/C>1 cases. The range of morphine concentration between the lowest and the highest quintile of codeine in M/C>1 cases was similar to that in 6-MAM positive cases. This range was much higher than for M/C ≤ 1 cases. Moreover, linear regression analyses, adjusted for age and gender, revealed a strong positive association between morphine and codeine in 6-MAM positive and M/C>1 cases. The M/C ratio appeared to be a good marker of heroin use in post-mortem cases. Both blood and urine M/C>1 can be used to separate heroin users from other cases positive for morphine and codeine.     

Bile analysis in heroin overdose

Abstract:  Following its metabolism in the liver, morphine and its metabolites can be directly eliminated in bile. Then, they undergo the enterohepatic cycle (EHC) and mostly reappear in the circulation. We report a case showing the presence of morphine in bile (21.3 μg/mL) and hair (4.8 ng/mg) but not in blood, urine or the liver of an addict who survived in hospital for about 144 h (6 days). These data would indicate that the EHC does not play any role about 144 h after the last injection, and directly confirms that gall bladder is a storage depot for morphine. They constitute the first report of a demonstration of the effect of the EHC on morphine bioavailability in an addict, and could be considered as indication, without supporting circumstantial evidence, that the morphine level in bile is related to chronic opiate use.     

Analysis of a simulated heroin distribution chain by HPLC

A heroin distribution chain was simulated by taking three different seizures and preparing four additional samples from each seizure by adding a paracetamol-caffeine mixture in varying amounts, resulting in three different batches each composed of five samples. All of the samples from the three batches were analyzed using HPLC with a UV-PDA detector at a wavelength of 230 nm. The area ratio of various opium alkaloids, acetylation products and components were compared. From the results of the UV area ratios, the fifteen samples could readily be separated into three batches of five samples, with each batch of five samples having a common origin.     

Role of alcohol in heroin overdose

The relationship between ethanol and risk of heroin overdosage was studied. Statistical processing of the results of forensic chemical analysis (460 expert evaluations) carried out in Chelyabinsk Regional Bureau of Forensic Medical Expert Evaluations in 2000 was carried out. The results of morphine and ethanol measurements in the blood and urine from corpses where deaths ensued from narcotic or ethanol poisoning, were analyzed. The concentrations of morphine in the blood and urine were measured on a gaseous chromatographer with mass-selective detector (Hewlett Packard HP 6890/HP-5972). Methods for measuring urinary and blood morphine are described. The results of statistical analysis demonstrated relationships between the age and ethanol concentrations in the blood and urine; blood ethanol and total urinary and blood morphine concentrations; blood concentration of free morphine and presence of 6-monoacetylmorphine in the blood. The authors conclude that the presence of ethanol in the blood together with morphine drastically augments the risk of rapid death from respiration arrest. It can also lead to a relatively high risk of overdosage in experienced narcomaniacs using heroin and ethanol.     

汽油中的毒品还原分析

目的建立汽油中海洛因的检验方法及还原方法。方法利用无水乙醇挥发汽油混合物中的汽油,通过TLC、IR、GC、GC/MS对汽油混合物中溶剂和毒品成份进行了定性定量分析。结果利用该方法对涉案检材成功进行了毒品还原及检验分析。结论该方法适合于此类案件检验。     

Fatal intoxication as a consequence of intranasal administration (snorting) or pulmonary inhalation (smoking) of heroin

In recent years we have noticed an increasing proportion of mortalities resulting from an overdose of heroin that involve routes of administration other than injection. Of 239 cases of fatal heroin intoxication examined at our department during the period 1997-2000, 18 deaths were associated with non-parental administration. Seven of these fatalities were experienced heroin users who had begun to use more sporadically, seven were recreational "party-users", while the remaining four persons had relapsed into heroin use following long periods of abstinence. The median blood morphine concentration of these non-injectors was 0.095 microg/g (range: 0.02-0.67 microg/g), significantly lower than that of the injectors. Concurrent use of alcohol, other illicit drugs and/or pharmaceutical preparations was observed in 17 of the 18 cases. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the victims of heroin intoxication by injection or by other routes with respect to the proportion who had simultaneously consumed alcohol or benzodiazepines. Pathological alterations like lung fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, endocarditis, etc. were not found to play a significant role in any of the 18 mortalities. We conclude that snorting or smoking heroin probably involves a reduced risk of obtaining high blood concentrations of morphine but still constitutes a considerable risk of lethal outcome due to high variability in blood concentrations. Furthermore, decreased tolerance resulting from periods of reduced or sporadic use appears to be an important risk factor in connection with heroin overdosing by snorting or smoking, which indicate that some heroin addicts may inaccurately assume that these routes of administration are safe when resuming their use of heroin after a period of abstinence.     

Analysis of volatile compounds in heroin samples

Volatile compounds of 32 street heroin samples were analyzed by head space gas-chromatographic (HSGC) technique. The reliability of this procedure coupled with thin-layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography (GC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and its application to forensic casework (comparative sample analysis) is discussed.     

Morphine in lymph nodes of heroin users

During the autopsy of heroin users, the most consistent morphologic finding is the enlargement of hepatic lymph nodes. Nodes from seven heroin addicts were analyzed for morphine and a concentration range of 0.02 to 0.87 mg/100 g was found. Morphine was detected in all of the nodes examined and the concentration was generally higher than that in the blood.     

The growing importance of Ukraine as a transit country for heroin trafficking: U.S.-Ukraine research partnership

This research was funded by the U.S.-Ukraine Research Partnership project, which began in November of 1999 when an agreement was signed between the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Ukrainian Academy of Law Sciences (UALS). This partnership program was an integral part of the Gore-Kuchma Binational Commission, established in September 1996 to solidify the close ties between Ukraine and the United States. The increasingly global character of crime has created a mutual incentive for cooperation between the United States and Ukraine. In June of 1999, requests for proposals in the United States and Ukraine were concurrently announced by both NIJ and UALS. The proposals were to address the following crime areas: organized crime, corruption, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and economic crimes. The proposals were competitively reviewed by an expert working-group made up of both U.S. and Ukrainian representatives. The result was five U.S.-Ukrainian research teams, composed of twenty-two Ukrainian and five U.S. members. The size of each individual U.S.-Ukrainian team ranged from ten to three researchers. These teams met for the first time in November 1999 at a “kick-off” conference in Kiev, Ukraine. The greatest accomplishment of the conference was that researchers began the process of overcoming communication barriers and divergent methodological approaches to formulate a joint plan for their research. For this research, Layne worked with two Ukrainian research partners to jointly develop this paper. Khruppa was responsible for collecting Ukrainian data for the report and Muzyka supplied legislative expertise and background. Layne traveled to Ukraine (Kyiv and Kharkiv) four times over the course of two years and her Ukrainian counterparts came to the United States once. It was a challenge to collaborate across distance and language barriers, but a warm, collegial relationship developed and was maintained despite these obstacles.     

GC/MS研究海洛因代谢物在吸毒者体内的分布

应用GC／MS－SIM测定了海洛因代谢物吗啡在两例海洛因延缓死亡者的体内分布,并分析了收集到的7例案子的毛发（头发、腋毛和阴毛）中6-单乙酰吗啡和吗啡含量。生物检材和毛发经酸水解、提取、醋酸酐或双（三甲基硅基）三氟乙酰胺（BSTFA）衍生化,然后进行GC／MS-SIM分析。结果表明尿、胆汁和肝脏是判定死者是否曾使用海洛因的最佳检材;毛发分析与生物检材相比有其独特的优点,可提供数月甚至数年的用药情况。为公安司法机关打击吸毒、惩治犯罪提供更可靠、有效的证据。     

滥用海洛因对心血管系统的损害

海洛因滥用对人体各个系统产生严重的损害,其中对心血管系统的损害作用是多方面的。本文就滥用海洛因对心率、血压、心电图、心功能、血液循环、心血管内一些物质的变化、心血管并发症等进行综述,为相关的研究提供参考。     

A methodology for illicit heroin seizures comparison in a drug intelligence perspective using large databases

To characterise links between different illicit drugs chemical profiles, various distance or correlation measurements are available.Different comparison methods have been tested and a method based on a correlation coefficient using a square cosine function was chosen to compare heroin chemical profiles. Its functioning and graphical representation are described. An assessment of the number of false positives is calculated and lead to a negligible number.Moreover, it emerges from the studies that possible variations in impurity peak areas subject to possible degradations do not influence the C correlation value nor question the already established links.This solid, reliable and simple method appears therefore suitable for heroin samples comparison, links profiling and routine use.     

A 'cold synthesis' of heroin and implications in heroin signature analysis utility of trifluoroacetic/acetic anhydride in the acetylation of morphine

Treatment of morphine, at room temperature, with a mixture of trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) and acetic acid (20-30min) affords good yields of heroin. GC-MS and HPLC examination shows that heroin produced by this route to be extremely clean, but the product contains slightly less heroin than observed via the more traditional acetic anhydride (AA) route (76.1% versus 83.55%); and greater quantities of 3-MAM and 6-MAM (6.9% versus 0.75% and 7.13% versus 0.63%). The concentration ratios of the major alkaloid impurities were found to be both production method (TFAA and AA) as well as morphine extraction methodology dependant. Data contained herein describe the impact of this new production method on current intelligence efforts, largely by-passing existing heroin signature programs and the UNDCP's efforts to restrict access to key synthetic precursors. Given the methodology dependency we find that examination of the major alkaloid ratios is unsuitable for the development of a new heroin signature program. Further examination of the TFAA methodology allowed the identification of TFAA specific marker compounds, namely bis-trifluoroacetylmorphine (30), 3-trifluoroacetyl-6-acetylmorphine (31), 3-acetyl-6-trifluoroacetylmorphine (32) and trifluoroacetylcodeine (33). However, the hydrolytic lability of trifluroacetyl esters requires careful treatment of suspect samples, thus we propose a modification to existing HSP's in instances were the 6-MAM/WM ratio falls within the average minimum and maximum values of 6.17 and 17.32.