Nitazenes (2-benzylbenzimidazole opioids) are a class of synthetic opioids that have increased in prominence over recent years. They have been detected in counterfeit drug material as adulterants as well as in their pure form for recreational abuse. Nitazenes have been shown to bind to μ-opiod receptors with varying strength, but many have been found to…
Designer benzodiazepines are among the most prevalent Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) on the modern drug market. These designer drugs are synthesized to mimic the structure and effects of traditional benzodiazepines. Research and literature on the pharmacological effects of designer benzodiazepines are lacking, but they are generally more potent than their traditional counterparts. The numerous and…
New/Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPSs) are newly emerging, rapidly developing compounds designed to mimic the intoxicating effects of illicit substances. The ever-changing landscape of the NPS market and the varying physiochemical properties of these compounds make developing and validating up-to-date analytical methods a challenge. Different extraction and derivatization procedures were assessed to determine an optimal procedure…
The presence of xylazine continues to be on the rise in samples containing fentanyl or fentanyl-related substances. A recent method published in the Journal of Chromatography B uses SPE and LC/MS-MS to quantitate xylazine, 4-ANPP, acetyl fentanyl, fentanyl, norfentanyl, and p-fluorofentanyl. Xylazine is rarely abused on its own, and research suggests it has effects comparable…
The abuse of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is well known in humans. However, its misuse is becoming more popular in horseracing to enhance the performance of the racehorses. Fentanyl has both an analgesic and stimulatory effect on horses. The use of fentanyl in equine sports is prohibited by both the Association of Racing Commissioners International…
Drug trends in some regions of the world are extensively studied while in other regions little to no research has been done. For example, countless studies have been performed in the United States of America while in the midst of its opioid epidemic. Meanwhile, in the Arabian Gulf region, only a few studies have been…
Fentanyl serves as a powerful analgesic agent to manage pain during labor and delivery. However, prolonged prenatal exposure can make babies drug dependent and sudden discontinuation may result in conditions like Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) or Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS). Adequate literature on the suitability of umbilical cord as a specimen for drug testing…
In a recent article published in the MDPI journal, authored by Ahmed I. Al-Asmari et al., UCT’s Clean Screen® DAU column (CSDAU203) was employed to extract Amphetamines from cadaveric fluids. The objective of this research was to conduct an epidemiological study concerning Amphetamine related postmortem cases in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. To obtain more information on…
The main aims of postmortem toxicological analysis are to determine the presence of possible substances in the corpses and their role in the cause of death. For that, conventional matrices typically used are blood, pericardial fluid, vitreous humor and urine, among others. However, in the field of forensic toxicology, there are many cases in which…
Carfentanil (methyl 1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-[phenyl(propanoyl)amino]piperidine-4- carboxylate) is the most potent opioid used commercially with a quantitative potency approximately 10,000 times that of morphine and 100 times that of fentanyl. The drug is marketed under the trade name ‘Wildnil’ as a general anesthetic agent for large animals. Like its analogue fentanyl, Carfentanil is lipophilic and will readily and…
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated that 76% of drug related fatalities during 2016 were related to the misuse of opioids. The UNODC also reported that the production of opium and cocaine are at the highest levels ever recorded, with the distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine expanding to new regions. The…
In a recent paper published in Journal of Analytical Toxicology (doi: 10.1093/jat/bky077), authored by Mohammad Ali Al Saad et al., UCT’s Clean Screen®DAU was employed to extract opiates from whole blood. This method was validated for the simultaneous determination of codeine, morphine, 6-acetylmorphine (6-MAM), hydrocodone and hydromorphone in human blood samples
UCT’s famous Clean Screen® DAU was used to extract fentanyl and 18 additional compounds from whole blood samples. A fit-for-purpose method validation adapted from SWGTOX was performed by assessing the following criteria over five days: bias, precision, linear dynamic range, interferences and carryover.
In a recent study by Guillermo Alberto Keller et al., published in Journal of Opioid Management , UCT’s Clean Screen® DAU was used to extract Propoxyphene (DPX) and norpropoxyphene (NPX) from human plasma and analyzed by GC-MS. Plasma samples (500 µl) were treated with a strong alkali hydroxide to form NPX amide and extracted using CSDAU203. The recovery of the procedure was higher than 81%.
In a recent study authored by Ibraheem M. Attafi et al., published in the Arab Journal of Forensic Sciences & Forensic Medicine ((2018) 7(1) 922-930)), a postmortem case report aimed to identify and determine the concentration of cathine and cathinone in different body organs and green chewed plants found in the mouth of the deceased. Extraction of the khat compounds was performed using UCT’s Clean Screen® DAU in conjunction with LC-MS/MS quantitative analysis to confirm that samples were positive for cathinone and cathine.
In a recent study published in Drug Testing and Analysis (DOI: 10.1002/dta.2378), authored by Heather K. Knych et al, UCT’s Clean Screen® DAU was employed to extract grapiprant following oral administration to exercised thoroughbred horses. Grapiprant is a newly approved non‐ cyclooxygenase inhibiting non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug that has demonstrated efficacy and safety in other species. As long‐term use of these drugs can adversely impact the health of the horse, anti‐inflammatories with a more favorable safety profile are warranted.
3-Methylfentanyl (3-MF) has reappeared in the United States illicit drug market for the first documented time since 1988. In a paper authored by Melissa F. Fogarty et al., published in Drug Testing and Analysis (doi: 10.1002/dta.2414) an analytical method was developed and validated using UCT’s flagship sorbent Clean Screen® DAU (130 mg/ 3 mL). Liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry was the instrument of choice for the analysis of (±)- cis-3-MF and (±)-trans-3-MF in blood specimens. The linear dynamic range of this method was 0.1-10 ng/mL.
Methoxyacetylfentanyl and cyclopropylfentanyl are two of the newest illicit opioids that are infiltrating the heroin market. They both have been reported by the Drug Enforcement Administration in their third quarter report of 2017 to have been chemically identified seven and five times, respectively. In a recent paper authored by Melissa F. Fogarty et al., published in Journal of Analytical Toxicology (doi: 10.1093/jat/bky035), an analytical method was developed and validated to extract fentalogs from whole blood samples using UCT’s Clean Screen ® DAU. The method used LC-MS/MS for the quantitation of fentanyl, norfentanyl and 17 fentanyl analogs.
Analysis of umbilical cord samples offers forensic toxicologists a method for evaluating maternal drug intake patterns. These matrices may be an uncommon sample for many laboratories, but for those that are tasked with the challenge, solid phase extraction offers the most efficient methodology for the analysis of said compounds.
In recent paper authored by Amy Alexander et al., in Journal of Analytical Toxicology (doi: 10.1093/jat/bky009), UCT’s flagship sorbent Clean Screen®DAU (CSDAU020) was employed to analyze samples of umbilical cord taken from two monozygotic twins. It was found that the umbilical cord from newborn #1 was positive for hydromorphone only (1.06 ng/g), and the umbilical cord from newborn #2 was positive for hydromorphone (0.81 ng/g) and benzoylecgonine (5.41 ng/g).
In a presentation at the recent joint annual meeting of Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT) and The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT) held in Boca Raton, Florida, USA, Jamie Foss et al., employed UCT’s famous flagship sorbent, Clean Screen® DAU (CSDAU 130 mg/3 mL), in a study concerning the determination of matrix suppression in blood/urine samples by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The study involved the solid phase extraction (SPE) of benzoylecgonine, carboxy-THC, Fentanyl, 6-monoacetyl morphine, and hydrocodone and the related matrix effects.
The analysis of hair provides forensic toxicologists with several significant benefits in casework. Not only is it utilized when more conventional matrices such as blood and urine are not available, but also it provides an approximate timeline of drug use. Hair analysis is particularly useful in cases of child custody, workplace drug testing or in drug facilitated sexual assault cases. In a new paper authored by Lorna A Nesbit et al., published in Journal of Analytical Toxicology (doi: 10.1093/jat/bkx053) a group of NPS compounds (25B-, 25C- and 4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxy-N-[(2-methoxyphenyl)methyl]-benzeneethanamine) and 25I-NBOMe, using 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxy-N-[(2-methoxyphenyl)methyl]-benzeneethanamine (25B-NBOMe)-D3, were analyzed using UCT’s flagship SPE sorbent Clean Screen® DAU (CSDAU133).
In a recent paper authored by Nicolás Fernández et al., published in Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (DOI: 10.1002/rcm.7933), the researchers describe a new method in which UCT’s flagship sorbent, Clean Screen® DAU (CSDAU303), was used for the simultaneous quantification of Meperidine, its main metabolite Normeperidine,Tramadol, Propoxyphene, and its main metabolite Norpropoxyphene in plasma samples.
UCT is well-recognized for its flagship solid phase extraction (SPE) sorbent Clean Screen® DAU. This acclaimed sorbent is employed by many forensic toxicology laboratories for the extraction of drugs and metabolites from biological matrices, including the increasingly encountered novel psychoactive substances (NPS). In a new paper authored by C.Mitchell-Mata in Journal of Analytical Toxicology (doi: 10.1093/jat/bkx048), CSDAU206 was used to extract 3- and 4-methoxyphencyclidine (3-MeO-PCP, 4-MeO-PCP) in forensic cases.
In the fields of both human and animal toxicology, UCT Inc., is world renowned for its manufacture of the finest SPE sorbents. This is most eloquently demonstrated in an article published in Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics ((2016) 39, 469–477) by H.K. Knych et al., (UCSF, Davis) detailing the pharmacokinetics of methocarbamol and phenylbutazone in exercised thoroughbred horses. Methocarbamol (MCBL) commonly used in performance horses for the treatment of skeletal muscle and phenylbutazone (PBZ), another commonly used drug in performance horses, were both extracted and analyzed using UCT’s flagship sorbent Clean Screen®DAU (CSDAU 130 mg/3 mL). This paper shows that when researchers working in the area of equine toxicology need the finest SPE sorbents for their extractions, they routinely turn to UCT as their first choice.
One of the more recent prescription drugs being abused illicitly is Fentanyl. This compound induces pharmacological effects and abuse liability comparable to other prescription opioids and heroin. A surge in fentanyl-related fatalities has been periodically reported throughout the USA. In an article published in the Special Issue of the Journal of Analytical Toxicology (JAT) by a team lead by Prof. B. A. Goldberger ((2016) 40:588–594), UCT’s flagship sorbent Clean Screen® DAU was employed to extract and analyze post mortem blood samples for fentanyl.
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