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Drug addicts are frequently involved in committing homicides, and burial in the ground is often performed by offenders for body disposal. Therefore, toxicological analyses of buried bones are vitally important for investigating the cause and circumstance of death. Cocaine concentrations in heart blood, femoral muscle, and femur were measured in mice after injections of 5, 15, and 30 mg/kg cocaine and in femurs buried in soil. The concentrations of cocaine in femurs (253.67-1345.31 ng/g) were higher than those found in heart blood (3.14-28.73 ng/mL) and femoral muscle (76.41-429.76 ng/g). The cocaine concentrations in buried femurs (54.83-388.68 ng/g) were significantly lower than those in unburied femurs (253.67-1345.31 ng/g). Further, cocaine was detected in femurs after being buried for 7-180 days in soil. These findings indicate that cocaine concentrations are higher in bone than in heart blood and femoral muscle and that the concentration decreases after burial in soil., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Bone samples are used for analysis of drugs in decomposed or skeletonized bodies. Toxicological analyses of buried bones are important for determining the causes and circumstances of death. In this study, methamphetamine and amphetamine concentrations in heart blood, thigh muscles, and thighbones were analyzed using solid-phase extraction with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Methamphetamine concentrations in heart blood, thigh muscle, and thighbone ranged from 0.041 to 0.873 μg/ mL, 0.649 to 2.623 μg/g, and 56.543 to 643.371 μg/g, respectively. Thighbone concentrations were significantly higher than those in heart blood or thigh muscles were. Methamphetamine concentrations in buried thighbone (4.010-45.785 μg/g) were significantly lower than those of unburied thighbones were (56.543-643.371 μg/g). Methamphetamine and amphetamine were detected in thighbones buried for 7-180 days. These findings indicate that the methamphetamine concentrations in bone are higher and decrease after burial in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]