Interlaboratory comparison of quantitative determinations of drug in hair samples

Testing human hair for drugs of abuse is a relatively new technique which requires control before being fully accepted in Justice applications. A consensus procedure was recently proposed to the four French Laboratories performing hair analysis for opiates and cocaine. Results of two independent controls have shown that the laboratories have performed very well quantitatively, using the recommended method. In order to compare these results with those obtained by other procedures, one sample was sent to 15 laboratories concerned with the analysis of human hair for drugs of abuse in Germany, Italy, Spain, and United States. Results from this study have indicated that the French recommended method is in accordance with the general procedures.     

广东地区外国人涉毒犯罪的现状分析

通过有关部门对于2009年至2012年期间广东地区外国人涉毒犯罪的案件统计数据的分析,研究广东地区近年来外国人涉毒犯罪的毒品种类、涉毒人员、组织结构、运作方式和走私贩运路线等特征,对于涉毒人员的数量、国籍、性别、年龄以及入境方式、居住地、日常联系等运作方式特点进行研究,为进一步制定相应的对策提供依据。     

当前云南毒情解析

当前全省毒品犯罪正在由低级形式向高级形式升级。海洛因毒品的堵源截流工作不容松懈,并且我们面临着新型毒品以及贩毒手法诡秘变化的挑战,毒品消费市场正在升级,新型毒品吸食群体不断蔓延,所以禁吸戒毒工作是一项长期而艰巨的任务。     

Evaluation of the IDS One-Step™ ELISA kits for the detection of illicit drugs in hair

This work presents the validation of a new immunological assay, the One-Step™ enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests from International Diagnostic Systems Corp. for the screening of drugs of abuse (cannabis, amphetamines, opiates, and cocaine) in human hair, with subsequent GC–MS confirmation. After decontamination and segmentation into small pieces, 50 mg of hair sample were incubated in 1 ml of methanol during 16 h at 40 °C. A 100 μL aliquot was collected and evaporated to dryness in presence of 100 μL of methanol/hydrochloric acid (99:1, v/v) to avoid amphetamines loss. The dried extract was dissolved in 100 μL of the “sample and standard diluent” solution included in the kit. This solution was submitted to analysis according to the recommended instructions of the manufacturer. During the validation phase, GC–MS confirmations were conducted according to our fully validated and published methods for opiates, cocaine, cannabis, and amphetamines determinations in hair. In a last development step, these procedures were slightly modified to directly confirm ELISA results by GC–MS using the methanolic extract. Ninety-three specimens were simultaneously screened by the ELISA tests (103 for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)) and confirmed by GC–MS. Twenty were found positive for cannabis (THC: 0.10–6.50 ng/mg), 21 for cocaine (0.50–55.20 ng/mg), 24 for opiates (6-acetylmorphine (6-AM): 0.20–11.60 ng/mg, MOR: 0.20–8.90 ng/mg, codeine (COD): 0.20–5.90 ng/mg), and 13 for amphetamines (AP: 0.20 and 0.27 ng/mg, methamphetamine (MAP): 0.30 and 1.10 ng/mg, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA): 0.22–17.80 ng/mg). No false negative results were observed according to the Society of Hair Testing's (SoHT) cutoffs (0.5 ng/mg for cocaine, 0.2 ng/mg for opiates and amphetamines, and 0.1 ng/mg for THC). The One-Step™ ELISA kits appear suitable due to their sensitivity and specificity for drug of abuse screening in hair. This technology should find interest in workplace drug testing or driving license regranting, especially when many samples have to be tested with a high rate of negative samples, as ELISA is an easy and high-throughput method.     

防毒灵汤为主治疗复发性单纯疱疹性角膜炎40例

目的 :观察防毒灵汤为主治疗复发性单纯疱疹性角膜炎炎症期的疗效。方法 :70例 (78只眼 )单纯疱疹性角膜炎患者随机分为治疗组和对照组 ,治疗组用防毒灵汤加减内服及防毒滴眼液滴眼 ,对照组用无环鸟苷滴眼液。结果 :对于树枝状角膜炎 ,治疗组和对照组的有效率分别为 10 0 % ,88.2 4 % ;治疗组和对照组治愈时间分别为 (7.5 8± 1.6 6 )d ,(10 .11± 4 .5 1)d ,两组比较有显著性差异 (t =2 .32 ,P <0 .0 5 )。对于地图状角膜炎 ,治疗组和对照组有效率分别为94 .4 4% ,83.33% ;治疗组和对照组治愈时间分别为 (18.90± 3.2 1)d ,(2 5 .30± 7.2 8)d ,两组比较有显著性差异 (t =2 .4 0 ,P <0 .0 5 )。两组的视力治疗后比治疗前都有明显提高。结论 :防毒灵汤为主对急性期复发性单纯疱疹性角膜炎炎症期疗效优于无环鸟苷滴眼液。     

关于青少年毒品预防教育的思考

在我国吸毒人数中青少年吸毒人数所占比重较大,给个人、家庭和社会带来严重危害."一日吸毒,终生戒毒",因此,对青少年进行毒品预防教育变得至关重要.本文分析了青少年吸毒的危害及其原因,指出毒品预防教育是青少年禁毒工作的"治本之策",并具体阐述了对青少年进行毒品预防教育的一些措施.     

德宏州新型毒品滥用群体特点分析

通过对德宏州110名新型毒品滥用者进行调查,就其群体性特点与传统毒品滥用群体作了初步比较分析,提出新型毒品滥用群体性的三个特点———年龄“低龄化”、职业“特殊化”和群体“转换化”,有助于我们对新型毒品的预防和控制,使我们的工作更具有针对性和实效性。     

Occupational workplace and traffic fatalities in Alsace, France (2000–2005): Results of toxicological investigations

France ranks as leader country in Europe for the consumption of cannabis as well as of psychoactive medications. Whereas the relationship between psychotropics and road accidents is now well-established, few data are still available on the influence of drugs on occupational accidents. The purpose of the present study was to measure the prevalence of psychoactive drug intake (alcohol excepted) among victims of occupational fatalities (including workplace accidents + traffic accidents, i.e. on the way to and from work) occurred in the region Alsace over the period 2000–2005. Data were collected by compiling files on occupational accidents from two different public agencies (CRAM, Regional Sickness Fund Alsace-Moselle; DRTEFP, Regional Department of Work, Employment and Professional Training) together with those from the Medico-Legal Institute of Strasbourg over the period tested. Data analysis showed that 3% of the victims of workplace fatalities were under the influence of drugs (alcohol excluded) at the time of accident, as well as 5% of the victims of occupational traffic accidents. Our results also highlight a low rate of toxicological analyses, since these investigations were requested by the authorities in 41% of traffic victims and only 15% of workplace victims. In France, the relevance of psychoactive drug intake in occupational deaths is much better targeted in the case of traffic fatalities (due to the existence of specific regulations, e.g. compulsory urinalysis for drugs of abuse in drivers involved in a road accident) than in those occurred at workplace (no specific regulations).     

HAIRVEQ 2006: evolution of laboratories' performance after different educational actions

HAIRVEQ is a proficiency testing program for hair analysis of illicit drugs organized by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Rome, Italy) and the Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica (Barcelona, Spain). The aim of the three exercises performed in 2006 was the evaluation of 32 laboratories' performance when analyzing the same hair sample containing opiates, cocaine and methadone, after carrying out some specific educational interventions. In the first round, the sample was sent to be analyzed following laboratory routine methodology. In the second round, standard operating procedures (SOP) for hair testing including sample preparation, method validation and qualitative and quantitative data evaluation, and an open hair sample for SOP training were also sent together with other hair samples including the one used for performance evaluation. After the second round, a workshop was held with participant laboratories to discuss methodological issues and interpretation of obtained results. An additional amount of open samples was distributed to the laboratories for implementing the SOPs. In the third round, the same unknown sample containing opiates, cocaine and methadone was resent for the final evaluation of laboratory performance. In the first round, 11 incorrect qualitative results (10 false negative and 1 false positive) were reported by seven laboratories (22%), in the second round, a reduction in the number of incorrect results was observed (4 false negatives and 1 false positive were reported by four laboratories, 13%) and in the third round, 5 false positives and 5 false negatives were reported by seven laboratories (22%). Concerning quantitative results, the scatter was similar between the three rounds and similar to the ones reported by other proficiency tests in hair analysis. More educational actions should be addressed to a group of laboratories, which did not yet show satisfying qualitative and quantitative results.