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Urine is initially collected from athletes to screen for the presence of illicit drugs. Sweat is an alternative sample matrix that provides advantages over urine including reduced opportunity for sample adulteration, longer detection-time window and non-invasive collection. Sweat is suitable for analysis of the parent drug and metabolites. In this study, a method was developed and validated to determine the presence of 13 amphetamine- and cocaine-related substances and their metabolites in sweat and urine using disposable pipette extraction (DPX) by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The DPX extraction was performed using 0.1 M HCl and dichloromethane:isopropanol:ammonium hydroxide (78:20:2, v/v/v) followed by derivatization with N -methyl- N -(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide at 90°C for 20 min. DPX extraction efficiencies ranged between 65.0% and 96.0% in urine and 68.0% and 101.0% in sweat. Method accuracy was from 90.0% to 104.0% in urine and from 89.0% to 105.0% in sweat. Intra-assay precision in urine and in sweat were <15.6% and <17.8%, respectively, and inter-assay precision ranged from 4.70% to 15.3% in urine and from 4.05% to 15.4% in sweat. Calibration curves presented a correlation coefficient –0.99 for all analytes in both matrices. The validated method was applied to urine and sweat samples collected from 40 professional athletes who knowingly took one or more of the target illicit drugs. Thirteen of 40 athletes were positive for at least one drug. All the drugs detected in the urine were also detected in sweat samples indicating that sweat is a viable matrix for screening or confirmatory drug testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic beverage used in religious rituals in South America, has become a global phenomenon. Its main active components are the β-carbolines alkaloids, harmine (HRM) and harmaline (HRL), as well as the potent hallucinogen N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Despite its rising consumption, information regarding possible clinical applications and toxicological effects of ayahuasca is still limited. This study presents the first investigation of the use of sweat for the determination of DMT, HRM and HRL in ayahuasca users during a religious ritual. Sweat is an alternative matrix with advantages over many conventional biological samples, mainly because the collection procedure is non-invasive, easy and simple and samples can be collected without disturbing the religious ritual. In the study, solid-phase extraction was performed under basic conditions. Linearity was observed ranging from 20 to 1500 ng/patch with coefficients of determination (R 2) higher than 0.99 for all analytes. The results indicated high selectivity for all investigated analytes, with extraction efficiency exceeding 70%, accuracy ranging from 87.5 to 102.4%, intra-assay precision of 1.85–9.44% and inter-assay precision between 3.34 and 9.85%. The limits of detection were 15 ng/patch for HRM and HRL and 10 ng/patch for DMT. The sweat proved to be a viable option to monitor ayahuasca use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitreous humor (VH) shows excellent potential as a matrix of choice for postmortem analytical toxicology due to the ease of sampling and low metabolic activity. This study demonstrates a simple and rapid analytical method to identify and quantify 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxy-ethylamphetamine in VH. Samples were collected with a simple eye puncture procedure, followed by liquid–liquid extraction and derivatization with heptafluorobutyric anhydride and analysis via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The accuracy of the method ranged 97–103%, intra-assay precision was between 4.54 and 9.14% relative standard deviation (RSD) and interassay precision ranged from 6.92 to 10.59% RSD. Limits of detection and quantification ranged from 1.0 to 2.5 ng/mL and 10 ng/mL, respectively. The validated method was successfully applied to detect methylenedioxyamphetamine derivatives in VH samples collected from victims of fatal car crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In recent years, alcohol consumption has been considered an important public health problem. Ethanol, the alcohol used in beverages, is a drug that affects the central nervous system (CNS) and impairs driving skills and co-ordination, increasing risk of deaths and injuries derived from crashes and road accidents. Consumption of alcoholic beverages is implicated with premature deaths, injuries and damages caused by motor vehicle crashes, which result in high costs to government and society. Considering that alcohol consumption is the main responsible factor for deaths and disabilities in young people, the aim of this work was to evaluate the prevalence of blood alcohol in offenders and/or fatal and non-fatal victims of traffic occurrences in the region of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State, from 2005 to 2007. The results revealed that in 2134 cases investigated, blood alcohol positivity was generally found in young adults, 25–45 years old and male. The study showed the high risk of drinking and driving and the importance in establishing actions of prevention and intervention to promote the reduction in the number of traffic occurrences related to consumption of alcoholic beverages. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic sharply increased the demand for ethanol-based gel hand sanitizers, leading to a shortage of these products. Consequently, regulatory health agencies worldwide have altered their regulatory guidelines on ethanol quality to meet this high demand, raising concerns about product quality., Objective: The aim of this study was to quantify ethanol content and to qualitatively assess common impurities in ethanol-based gel hand sanitizers by headspace (HS) gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detector (FID)., Methods: To quantify the ethanol content, 0.10 g of the sample was weighed in a 20 mL HS vial and 5 mL of deionized water was added. Regarding the qualitative approach, 0.25 g of the sample was weighed and 4 mL of deionized water was added. The samples were incubated and then 400 µL of the HS was injected into the GC/FID. Forty-eight products purchased in Brazil were analyzed., Results: Thirteen products presented at least one nonconformity regarding the ethanol quantity. Two samples presented an average ethanol concentration below the lower limit considered effective. Twelve samples presented acetaldehyde or ethyl acetate., Conclusion: The huge demand for ethanol-based gel hand sanitizers may have impacted their quality. Because concern with proper hand hygiene tends to remain an issue for a long period, more studies about quality control of hand sanitizers will be needed., Highlights: A simple and fast HS-GC/FID method to quantify ethanol in ethanol-based gel hand sanitizers was developed, validated, and applied to commercial samples in Brazil. The regulatory authorities must be more vigilant to ensure that the commercially available products meet the recommended specifications., (© AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2021. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: To investigate how social and psychological characteristics differ between pregnant women who smoke and do not smoke. To explore associations between social and psychological features with changes of smoking habits by the end of pregnancy., Methods: A case-control study was set up. Smokers cases were never-smokers and ex-smokers controls. Pregnant women (n=328) from public prenatal services were interviewed. Socio-demographic data and psychological variables - personality traits, anxiety, depression, perceived stress, maternal fetal-attachment - were measured. Saliva samples were collected to measure cotinine and to check self-informed smoking status. In addition, 66 smokers were also assessed regarding smoking habits by late pregnancy. Smoking status was defined as a dependent variable. Exposure factors were analyzed through odds ratios. Logistic models and contingency tables were employed according to the nature of variables. "Qualitative change in smoking" was defined as a dependent variable for the last evaluation, and a logistic regression model was built., Results: Lower schooling, higher age, use of alcohol and drugs, living without a partner, and passive smoking showed associations with smoking. Anxiety, depression and perceived stress also exhibited positive association with smoking. Among personality traits, only Neuroticism was associated with smoking. None of the variables were associated with qualitative change in smoking by the end of pregnancy., Conclusion: Smoking during pregnancy is associated with more unfavorable social conditions. Pregnant women who smoke exhibit more negative psychological states than nonsmokers, including a profile of accentuated Neuroticism. None of the investigated variables could predict changes in smoking during pregnancy.