Novel sample-substrates for the determination of new psychoactive substances in oral fluid by desorption electrospray ionization-high resolution mass spectrometry

A reliable screening and non invasive method based on the use of microextraction by packed sorbent coupled with desorption electrospray ionization-high resolution mass spectrometry was developed and validated for the detection of new psychoactive substances in oral fluid. The role of different sample substrates in enhancing signal intensity and stability was evaluated by testing the performances of two polylactide-based materials, i.e. non-functionalized and functionalized with carbon nanoparticles, and a silica-based material compared to commercially available polytetrafluorethylene supports. The best results were achieved by using the nonfunctionalized polylactide substrates to efficiently ionize compounds in positive ionization mode, whereas the silica coating proved to be the best choice for operating in negative ionization mode. LLOQs in the low μg/L, a good precision with CV% always lower than 16% and RR% in the 83(±4)-120(±2)% range, proved the suitability of the developed method for the determination of the analytes in oral fluid. Finally, the method was applied for screening oral fluid samples for the presence of psychoactive substances during private parties, revealing mephedrone in only one sample out of 40 submitted to analysis

“Toxicological findings: a retrospective overview of medico-legal investigations in Parma (Italy)”

The aim of this study was to collect all available data from 2009 to 2016 focusing on the epidemiological, clinical and pharmacological issues only related to acute intoxication fatalities in the Unit of Legal Medicine of the Department of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Parma. All death certificates and autopsy reports were retrieved from the archives and evaluated to identify cases in which only acute intoxication from xenobiotics could be defined as the cause of death, however statistical and descriptive analyses were applied to all the data. A more comprehensive analysis on all causes of death showed that out of 1005 total cases the most common is haemorrhagic shock/traumatic shock (36.5%), followed by cardiogenic shock with 27.4%; asphyxia ranks as the third cause of death (11.8%); concerning encephalic injuries, our data show 10.9% of cases, while acute intoxication by xenobiotics accounts for 5.7%. Data show that the majority of subjects are poly-abuser (75.4%); people not enrolled within a preventive treatment (59.4%) were more likely to commit suicide (28.1%), whereas only 6.2% in the sub-population in treatment (40.6%) committed suicide: therefore, data strongly suggest the evidence that joining a preventive programme can decrease the probability of extreme action. Access to a full case history may indeed save considerable time and expense in carrying out tests, but also valuable targeted samplings. The investigating officer should, therefore, submit as much information as possible about the case, as this may influence the type and extent of analysis undertaken, as well as the interpretation of analytical results

Determination of synthetic and natural cannabinoids in oral fluid by solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry: A pilot study

In 2008, several synthetic cannabinoids were detected in herbal smoking blends sold on websites and in the so-called “smart shops”. These compounds, as well as new psychoactive substances, flooded the market of illicit drugs and are sold at street level. Development and validation of rapid analytical methods for the detection and quantification of synthetic cannabinoids in biological matrices are essential for the investigation of pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and toxicological properties. In this pilot study, the potential of direct immersion solid-phase microextraction coupledto GC/MS for the determination of synthetic and natural cannabinoids in oral fluid was proved. Validation proved the suitability of the developed method for the determination of the analytes at trace levels in oral fluid: linearity was assessed in the LOQ – 1000 ng/mL range, whereas a good precision was observed with CV below 20%. The method was then applied to more than 100 real oral fluid samples collected from a population of young students, showing a positivity rate of 3.8