Fentanyl analytics in a case of fatal misuse of transdermal fentanyl

Abstract A 54-year old male (90 kg) was found in his bedroom with a fentanyl transdermal patch on his penis. With low vital reactions, the dormant man was immediately brought to hospital, where he died shortly. Systematic toxicological analysis confirmed a fatal poisoning with fentanyl. The fentanyl concentration in blood was 35.1 µg/L (LC-MS-MS). The presented case demonstrated the possibility of fentanyl misuse with a transdermal patch at a place of possibel high resorption and fatal outcome. Death due to the application of fentanyl transdermal system which was patched on the penis has not been previously reported

A toxic self-made beverage: Analytics of alkaloids from Veratrum album by LC-MS/MS

Abstract A 49-year-old man consumed two glasses (approx. 2 x 20 ml) of a beverage containing yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea). Shortly after ingestion, he developed nausea, vomiting and oral paraesthesia. On admission to the hospital he suffered from severe bradycardia and hypotension and he was treated with activated charcoal, antiemetics, atropine and i.v. volume. The patient completely recovered from the symptoms within 24 hours and was discharged from the hospital. The initial suspicion of Veratrum poisoning was confirmed by identifying protoveratrines A (ProA) and protoveratrine B (ProB) in a sample from the beverage as well as in the patients serum by LC-(ESI)-MS-MS

Bromadiolon-Vergiftung bei Füchsen

Bromadiolon ist ein gerinnungshemmendes Rodentizid, welches die Reaktivierung von Vitamin K1 durch das Enzym Vitamin-K1-Epoxidreduktase hemmt. Der vorliegende Bericht entstand als Folge eines Einsatzes von Bromadiolon zur Bekämpfung der Grossen Wühl- oder Schermaus (Arvicola terrestris) im Kanton Thurgau. Auf Grund der unsachgemässen Anwendung eines Köders, der 0.02 % Bromadiolon enthielt, sind mindestens 40 Füchse (Vulpes vulpes) gestorben. Der Verdacht auf eine Vergiftung mit einem gerinnungshemmenden Coumarinderivat konnte aufgrund der Sektionsbefunde gestellt werden. Die Bestätigung dieser Verdachtsdiagnose erfolgte durch den Nachweis von Bromadiolon in Blut, Thorax- und Abdominalflüssigkeit

Probing the molecular orbitals of FePc near the chemical potential using electron energy-loss spectroscopy

We have studied the electronic structure of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) films at low temperature using electron energy-loss spectroscopy. The electronic excitation spectrum of FePc is rather complex and comprises both π-π* transitions of the phthalocyanine ligand and transitions that involve the Fe 3d orbitals. The C 1s core excitations provide so far unidentified information on the molecular orbitals. They demonstrate that the Fe 3d orbital with eg symmetry is energetically located in between the highest occupied and the lowest unoccupied ligand state and that it is not fully occupied

Spectroscopic characterization of N-doped single-walled carbon nanotube strands: An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and raman study

We have studied in detail the carbon and nitrogen bonding environments in nitrogen-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The samples consisting of long strands of N-doped SWCNTs were synthesized using an aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition method involving benzylamine-ethanol-ferrocene solutions. The studied samples were produced using different benzylamine concentrations in the solutions, and exhibited a maximum concentration of ca. 0.3%at of N, determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In general, we observed that the ratio between substitutional nitrogen and the pyridine-like bonded nitrogen varied upon the precursor composition. Moreover, we have observed that the sp 2-like substitutional configuration of the C-N bond does not exceed the 50% of the total N atomic incorporation. In addition, we have characterized all these samples using Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Copyright © 2010 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved