Observations on ToxTrap silica gel breath capture tubes for alcohol analysis

Experimental studies were carried out to investigate the accuracy, precision, and reliability of ToxTrap silica gel tubes relative to the capture, from Intoxilyzers, and subsequent analysis of alcohol derived from Simulator vapors or breath samples. Factors influencing analytical results, such as the presence of moisture in the tubes, were investigated. Comparisons were made between immediate, direct Intoxilyzer results and ToxTrap tube results obtained by a gas chromatographic technique.     

Interpreting results of ethanol analysis in postmortem specimens: a review of the literature

We searched the scientific literature for articles dealing with postmortem aspects of ethanol and problems associated with making a correct interpretation of the results. A person's blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) and state of inebriation at the time of death is not always easy to establish owing to various postmortem artifacts. The possibility of alcohol being produced in the body after death, e.g. via microbial contamination and fermentation is a recurring issue in routine casework. If ethanol remains unabsorbed in the stomach at the time of death, this raises the possibility of continued local diffusion into surrounding tissues and central blood after death. Skull trauma often renders a person unconscious for several hours before death, during which time the BAC continues to decrease owing to metabolism in the liver. Under these circumstances blood from an intracerebral or subdural clot is a useful specimen for determination of ethanol. Bodies recovered from water are particular problematic to deal with owing to possible dilution of body fluids, decomposition, and enhanced risk of microbial synthesis of ethanol. The relationship between blood and urine-ethanol concentrations has been extensively investigated in autopsy specimens and the urine/blood concentration ratio might give a clue about the stage of alcohol absorption and distribution at the time of death. Owing to extensive abdominal trauma in aviation disasters (e.g. rupture of the viscera), interpretation of BAC in autopsy specimens from the pilot and crew is highly contentious and great care is needed to reach valid conclusions. Vitreous humor is strongly recommended as a body fluid for determination of ethanol in postmortem toxicology to help establish whether the deceased had consumed ethanol before death. Less common autopsy specimens submitted for analysis include bile, bone marrow, brain, testicle, muscle tissue, liver, synovial and cerebrospinal fluids. Some investigators recommend measuring the water content of autopsy blood and if necessary correcting the concentration of ethanol to a mean value of 80% w/w, which corresponds to fresh whole blood. Alcoholics often die at home with zero or low BAC and nothing more remarkable at autopsy than a fatty liver. Increasing evidence suggests that such deaths might be caused by a pronounced ketoacidosis. Recent research has focused on developing various biochemical tests or markers of postmortem synthesis of ethanol. These include the urinary metabolites of serotonin and non-oxidative metabolites of ethanol, such as ethyl glucuronide, phosphatidylethanol and fatty acid ethyl esters. This literature review will hopefully be a good starting point for those who are contemplating a fresh investigation into some aspect of postmortem alcohol analysis and toxicology.     

Automated headspace solid-phase microextraction and capillary gas chromatography analysis of ethanol in postmortem specimens

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a relatively new solventless sample preparation technique that allows simultaneous sampling, extraction, pre-concentration, and introduction of analytes from a sample matrix in a single procedure. This methodology has been used for the analysis of several drugs of forensic toxicology interest including volatile compounds. This paper describes a methodology for analysis of ethanol and other volatile compounds using automatic headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and capillary gas chromatography in postmortem specimens. The methodology was initially developed using standard solutions of acetaldehyde, acetone, methanol, and ethanol. Isobutanol was used as internal standard. Postmortem samples of blood, urine, and vitreous humor were obtained during medico-legal autopsies. To date, there are no published paper regarding alcohol analysis in vitreous humor specimens using HS-SPME and limited literature analyzing blood and urine samples. HS-SPME analysis showed that, under optimized conditions, ethanol and isobutanol (internal standard) were well-separated from other volatile compounds such as acetaldehyde, acetone, and methanol considered to be potential interferents in ethanol analysis. The calibration curves for each volatile compound demonstrated good linearity throughout the concentration range from 0.001 to 1.0 g/dl and the detection limit of ethanol in the studied specimens was approximately 0.0001 g/dl.     

The elimination rate of mouth alcohol: mathematical modeling and implications in breath alcohol analysis.

Mouth alcohol, if present in high enough concentrations, can falsely bias the accurate measurement of end-expiratory breath alcohol. Mouth alcohol will be eliminated over time, however, and can be modeled with a single term decaying exponential of the form: B0e-kt + C. It is important, however, to determine the model and its parameters when alcohol is already present within the biologic system. Using three individuals as their own controls, mouth alcohol was administered both before and after alcohol consumption followed by breath alcohol analysis performed at approximately 0.5 min intervals. The results showed that both model parameters (B0 and k) are effected and that the asymptotic value (C) is reached much sooner when alcohol already exists in the end-expiratory breath. Considering only three individuals were involved, the forensic-science importance appears to be that, as the end-expiratory breath alcohol concentration increases, the time necessary for the mouth alcohol to decrease to unbiased levels is decreased. Fifteen min of observation time prior to breath alcohol analysis appears to be more than adequate at forensically relevant concentrations.     

Analysis of breath alcohol with a multisensor array: instrumental setup, characterization and evaluation

The purpose of this work was to evaluate if it was possible to measure the alcohol concentration in breath by a multisensor array, i.e. an electronic nose. The most important aspects were to clarify technical advantages and disadvantages and if the technique is at all suitable for forensic breath alcohol analysis. Even though the system set-up was far from optimal it is clear that it was possible to quantify breath alcohol with a best-case root mean square error = 16.8 mol ppm ethanol (= 0.037 mg/l). However, the method needs significant development especially of the sensor devices. The sensor array was composed of ten metal oxide silicon field effect transistors (MOSFET) with various catalytic gates and one infrared-based CO2 sensor. The system was evaluated by monitoring the breath ethanol concentration of five test persons after intake of alcohol. Gas chromatography was used in parallel to measure the actual breath alcohol concentration. Different data evaluation techniques applied were projection to latent structure (PLS) and artificial neural networks (ANN).     

Academic engagement with industry: the role of research quality and experience

The Journal of Technology Transfer - This work explores the role of university department characteristics in academic engagement with industry. In particular, we investigate the role played by...     

An evaluation of fused silica capillary columns for the screening of basic drugs in postmortem blood: qualitative and quantitative analysis

Fused silica capillary columns (Durabond) have been evaluated for the screening of more than 100 basic drugs in postmortem blood samples. The combination of these columns, nitrogen-phosphorus detectors, and SKF-525A (internal standard) allows for the simultaneous screening and quantitation of several basic drugs such as amphetamines, amitriptyline, and codeine. Approximately 2000 blood samples have been analyzed by this procedure. The use of capillary columns results in excellent baseline stability and this, together with an autosampler and data system, enables unattended overnight operation. "Double peaking" associated with splitless injection can be a problem as can sensitivity for some of the polar drugs; however, with the extraction procedure described and the equipment used, the screening of blood for basic drugs is improved when compared with packed column technology.     

Last performance with VIAGRA: post-mortem identification of sildenafil and its metabolites in biological specimens including hair sample

A 43-year-old man was found dead in a hotel room during a sexual relation with a colleague.He was treated both for cardiovascular disease and for erectile dysfunction with VIAGRA. A pillbox was found in the room with several tablets of verapamil (Isoptine), trimetazidine (Vastarel), yohimbine and bromazepam (Lexomil). A box of VIAGRA 25mg was found in his raincoat and two tablets were missing. His wife declared during the investigation that he was also treated by trinitrine. Autopsy revealed severe coronary artery sclerosis as well as signs of previous myocardial infarctions. Blood, urine, bile, gastric content and hair and representative tissues for histology were collected for toxicological analysis.Sildenafil and yohimbine were screened with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and trinitrine with headspace injection (HS)/GC/MS. Verapamil and trimetazidine were identified and quantified with LC/diode array detection (DAD).Sildenafil was identified in blood, urine, bile and gastric content at 105, 246, 1206 and 754ng/ml, respectively. Hair concentration was 177pg/mg. The desmethyl metabolite was quantified in urine at 143ng/ml. Blood concentrations of verapamil and trimetazidine were measured at 659 and 2133ng/ml, respectively and were above therapeutic ranges. Trinitrine and yohimbine were not identified.These results confirm the absorption of sildenafil, verapamil and trimetazidine before the death and hair analysis indicates the chronic use of sildenafil.To the author's knowledge, this is the first report of a fatal sildenafil-verapamil association, probably by hypotension and cardiac dysrhythmia.     

Complex suicide by ethanol intoxication and inhalation of fire fumes in an old lady: interdisciplinary elucidation including post-mortem analysis of congener alcohols

An 88-year-old woman committed suicide by drinking a toxic amount of highly concentrated alcohol and setting two rooms of her flat on fire. As there was not enough oxygen, the fire went out, however. At autopsy, no thermal lesions were found on the body, but soot depositions in the airways and a COHb value of 14% pointed to the inhalation of fire fumes. The ethanol concentration in femoral blood was 6.62 per mille. The gastric mucosa was fixed by the ingested alcohol and showed hardly any autolytic changes despite a post-mortem interval of five days. Congener analysis of the gastric contents and the femoral blood indicated the uptake of a fruit distillate or its foreshot.     

Attitudes toward hiring applicants with mental illness and criminal justice involvement: The impact of education and experience

Individuals with mental health diagnoses, as well as those involved in the criminal justice system, experience a number of barriers in the recovery and reintegration progress, including access to stable, prosocial employment opportunities. Employment for these populations is important for establishing financial security, reducing unstructured leisure time, increasing self-worth, and improving interpersonal skills. However, research has demonstrated that individuals with psychiatric and/or criminal backgrounds may experience stigmatizing attitudes from employers that impede their ability to find adequate work. This study aimed to evaluate stigmatizing beliefs toward hypothetical applicants who indicated a mental health history, a criminal history, or both, as well as the effectiveness of psychoeducation in reducing stigma. Participants consisted of 465 individuals recruited from a large university who completed a series of online questions about a given applicant. Results of this study varied somewhat across measures of employability, but were largely consistent with extant research suggesting that mental illness and criminal justice involvement serve as deterrents when making hiring decisions. Overall, psychoeducation appeared to reduce stigma for hiring decisions when the applicant presented with a criminal history. Unfortunately, similar findings were not revealed when applicants presented with a psychiatric or a psychiatric and criminal history. Implications and limitations of these findings are presented, along with suggestions for future research.     

Dealing with the holocaust and collaboration: The Dutch experience of criminal justice and accountability after World War II

This paper addresses the problem of ``settling accounts' after periods of armed conflict in a given society (be they civil war, insurrection or occupation by foreign forces), when those who took the losing side have come to be defined as collaborators, a process now known as transitional justice. More specifically, it looks at the way in which Dutch citizens who collaborated with the Nazi occupation forces in deporting and murdering about 80% of the Jewish population of the country, were dealt with after the Second World War. There are generally assumed to be three ways of coming to terms with such traumatic events: prosecution and criminal trial, truth and reconciliation commissions or a combination of both. Under present international law, states have a duty to use the criminal law and to prosecute and punish perpetrators of crimes againt humanity and war crimes, specifically because it is felt that prosecution will bring some measure of recognition and healing to victims. After the Second World War in the Netherlands, the emphasis was indeed on criminal law and the manifest aim was swift and just retribution. The author shows how this was frustrated by political considerations; but – and perhaps this is a more important lesson for the future – also by the fact that criminal law, by its very nature, is unable to deal with the problems of collective guilt or to recognise the suffering of collective victimhood.     

Isoelectric focusing of human hair keratins: correlation with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) patterns and effect of cosmetic treatments.

A new isoelectric focusing (IEF) technique in polyacrylamide gels with 6M urea and 1.5% Nonidet P40 has been developed to characterize human hair samples. The phenotypes demonstrated with this procedure has been correlated with the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) patterns described by other authors. The method described can be applied in the forensic science analysis of a single human hair. Using the same IEF technique we have studied the changes in electrophoretic patterns of cosmetically treated hair. The characteristics of the modifications observed and its utility in forensic science work are also discussed in this paper.     

A fatal case of suspected anaphylaxis with cefoperazone and sulbactam: LC-MS analysis

Cefoperazone and sulbactam are prescribed in combination and used in the treatment of moderate to severe bacterial infections. Serious anaphylaxis is a rare side effect. This report describes a fatal case of suspected anaphylaxis after intravenous administration of a combination of the two drugs. Heart blood was analyzed for cefoperazone by protein precipitation with acetonitrile and by liquid-liquid precipitation for sulbactam after protein precipitation with aqueous acetonitrile, followed by tandem mass spectrometry in the product ion scan mode for identification and by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode for quantitation. Calibration curves for cefoperazone and sulbactam were linear over the range 0.07 to 1.93 and 0.046 to 0.914 microg/ml respectively. The decedent's blood concentrations of cefoperazone and sulbactam were 0.368 and 0.143 microg/ml respectively. As these concentrations were below concentrations reported after single dosing studies and below those considered to be minimally inhibitory, death was presumed to have been caused by hypersensitivity and not an overdose. In conclusion, this procedure is useful for detecting and quantitating cefoperazone and sulbactam in postmortem blood and may be useful in the evaluation of anaphylaxis.     

Levelling the EU participatory playing field: A legal and policy analysis of the Commission's public consultations in light of the principle of political equality

The EU Commission has a long tradition of consulting interested parties when formulating its policies. While the rationale, format and legal basis relied upon by the Commission when holding public consultations have changed over time, its systematic inability to make those consultations equally accessible to all affected parties has remained constant. This article discusses the extent to which such a consultation practice conflicts with the principle of political equality, as enshrined in Article 9 TEU. Given the Commission's unrestrained discretion regarding who, how and when to consult and the absence of corresponding participatory rights, it argues that the EU can no longer presume that all stakeholders—especially citizens and civil society groups—enjoy equal access to EU institutions. Rather, under a proposed substantive reading of the principle of political equality, it contends that EU institutions are procedurally required to ensure that everyone will effectively be given equal opportunities of access to the policy process. Only a series of structural, power‐shifting reforms—some of which are proposed in this article—may enable participation to become an autonomous form of legitimation of the Union.     

Correlations on radioimmunoassay, fluorescence polarization immunoassay, and enzyme immunoassay of cannabis metabolites with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of 11-nor-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid in urine specimens.

Results obtained from three commercial immunoassay kits, Abuscreen, TDx, and EMIT, commonly used for the initial test of urine cannabinoids (and metabolites) were correlated with the 11-nor-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (9-THC-COOH) concentration as determined by GC/MS. Correlation coefficients obtained based on 26 (out of 1359 total sample population) highly relevant samples, are 0.601 and 0.438 for Abuscreen and TDx. Correlation coefficients obtained from a parallel study on a different set of 47 (out of 5070 total sample population) highly relevant specimens are 0.658 and 0.575 for Abuscreen and Emit. The immunoassay concentration levels, that correspond to the commonly used 15 ng/ml GC/MS cutoff value for 9-THC-COOH, as calculated from the regression equations are 82 ng/ml and 75 ng/ml for TDx and EMIT and 120 ng/ml and 72 ng/ml for Abuscreen manufactured at two different time periods. The difference of these calculated corresponding concentrations provides quantitative evidence of the reagent specificity differences.