Edith Tutsch-Bauer

GC/MS determination of zolpidem in postmortem specimens in a voluntary intoxication

An ingestion of an unknown quantity of Ivadal (zolpidem) tablets in a case of drug abuse is described. The authors report a new and fast method of analysing and determining the zolpidem concentration in postmortem specimens. Quantitation of zolpidem was performed by ethyl acetate extraction from alkalinized body fluids before GC/MS analysis. The analyses were performed without any complex sample clean-up steps and with little sample material. Postmortem concentrations of zolpidem in body fluids are given. The proposed method is a rapid procedure of analysis in cases of deliberate poisoning with the sedative-hypnotic drug, zolpidem.

Fatal chloroquine intoxication.

A suicidal ingestion of an unknown quantity of Resochin (chloroquine) tablets is described. Although chloroquine is known since 1934, intoxications due to chloroquine overdose are rather rare in European countries. The authors report on a new and fast method of analysing and determining the chloroquine concentration in body fluids and postmortem specimens. The analytes were extracted from alkalinized samples into ethyl acetate before GC/MS analysis. The analyses of chloroquine were performed without any complex sample clean-up steps and, in addition, with little sample material. The proposed method resulted in a rapid procedure most useful in cases of deliberate poisoning with the anti-inflammatory and antimalarial drug chloroquine.

Fatal intoxication due to dothiepin

An ingestion of an unknown quantity of Harmomed (dothiepin and diazepam) capsules in a suicide is described. The authors report a new and fast method of analysing and determining the dothiepin concentration in postmortem specimens. Quantitation of dothiepin, and its metabolite desmethyldothiepin was performed by ethyl acetate extraction from alkalinized body fluids before GC-MS analysis. The analyses were performed without any complex sample clean-up steps and with little sample material. Postmortem concentrations of dothiepin, desmethyldothiepin, diazepam and desmethyldiazepam in body fluids are given. The proposed method is a rapid procedure for analysis in cases of deliberate poisoning with the antidepressant drug dothiepin.

Driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol in Salzburg and Upper Austria during the years 2003-2007

Until 2002 in Austria a blood sample could not be drawn due to regulations stipulated by the Austrian constitution. During the years 2003-2007 alcohol, pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs were analyzed in 1167 blood samples from cases of suspected and drugged drivers. In accordance with the findings of the EU-project Rosita, a wide variety of illicit drugs and medications could be found in blood samples of the drivers where cannabis (50%), opiates (20%), amphetamines (18%), cocaine (15%) and benzodiazepines (20%) were those with the highest prevalence. To enable police and medical officers to identify drivers under the influence of cannabis, a newly developed urinary road-site-test system, Check 24 (Protzek GmbH, Germany), with two different cut-off values for THCCOOH-glucuronide was used. So far, it was not possible to draw any conclusions from a cannabinoid positive urine sample to the actual influence of a driver due to the previous consumption of cannabis. Using this test a better differentiation between recent and temporal earlier consumption was possible. In addition to using the Check 24 system the technology of pupillography (AMTech GmbH, Germany) was applied in cases of drugged driving. For the first time the authors were able to predict the presence of at least one central nervous active substance in the blood of a drugged driver.

Progressive idiopathic bilateral striato-pallido-dentate calcinosis (Fahr's disease) in a person with anabolic steroid abuse.

A 33-year-old male black student suddenly died during a basketball game. His previous medical history, including his neurological status, was unremarkable, but he was known to take anabolic steroids for several years. At autopsy, the cause of death was due to a fresh myocardial infarction. On neuropathological examination, there was extensive bilateral symmetrical calcification involving the basal ganglia as well as the dentate nuclei and the white matter of the cerebellum (Fahrs disease). A possible correlation between anabolic steroid-induced hypercalcemia and brain calcification is discussed.

Another Phantom from The Morgue—A case of instrument-born sample contamination in the course of identifying an unknown deceased

Due to its high reliability, DNA-typing is the method of preference in the field of osseous human remains identification. Nevertheless, contaminations from various sources have been shown to be inherent to the system, especially if the DNA-yield of samples under investigation is expected to be at a low level. For this reason a special focus has to be put on sampling procedures and contamination control in order to prevent from false results. In this study we present an illustrative case report followed by particular recommendations for taking samples from osseous human remains.