87 Results Found

Cannabis use is widespread and is one of the most common drugs encountered in forensic-related analysis (antemortem and postmortem cases). However, the correlation between illicit cannabis use and death is rarely investigated, even while taking into...

Methadone-related deaths are characterized by a wide range of post-mortem blood concentrations, due to the high pharmacokinetic/dynamic inter-individual variability, the potential subjective tolerance state and to other risk factors or comorbidities,...

This retrospective report focuses on the diagnosis of the Paxillus syndrome, based on two fatal cases of haemolysis following the consumption of Paxillus involutus. These mushrooms are still consumed regularly, despite earlier reports of life-threate...

Background: Over the years, forensic pathology has registered the spread of new methods of suicide, such as the ingestion of sodium nitrite. Sodium nitrite causes increased methemoglobin, resulting in systemic hypoxia, metabolic acidosis, and cyanosi...

This Special Issue addresses the challenges faced in detecting the exposure and intoxications of various (recreative) drugs and novel active psychoactive drugs [...]

Background: Forensic investigation of child homicides presents unique challenges due to the vulnerability of children and the complexity of distinguishing between natural, accidental, and intentional manner of death. A multidisciplinary approach inte...

Nitrite/nitrate poisoning is an emerging problem, with an ongoing escalation of reported self-administration with suicidal intent in several countries. Nitrites toxicity mainly consists of their interaction with hemoglobin (Hb), causing its oxidizati...

Potassium overdose usually occurs accidentally, but potassium is also used for judicial executions, assisted death, and, rarely, suicides. In addition to exogenous overdose, various drugs, and renal failure, diabetic ketoacidosis can cause hyperkalem...

Baclofen intoxication, once rare, is now increasingly observed in clinical and forensic settings due to its expanding medical and off-label use. However, baclofen is not routinely included in standard postmortem toxicological panels and is usually te...

Cocaine-related deaths present significant diagnostic challenges due to the nonspecific nature of cardiac histopathology and the limited reliability of postmortem toxicology, often affected by redistribution phenomena. This study investigated the pos...

Bile has emerged as an alternative matrix for toxicological investigation of drugs in suspected forensic cases of overdose in adults and intoxications in children. Toxicological investigation consists in screening and, subsequently, confirming the re...

Cartilage tissue performs many functions in the human body. The diseases and injuries affecting it are prevalent due to its slow regeneration rate. However, cartilage tissue is exceptionally important for its auspicious use in forensic medicine due t...

This study assessed and compared the postmortem concentrations of 6-monoacetylmorphine [6-MAM] and 6-acetylcodeine [6-AC], morphine, and codeine in various tissues and fluids from 52 postmortem cases related to heroin use. Samples were received at th...

Interpreting fatalities involving khat is challenging due to a lack of data on cathinone and cathine reference concentrations in postmortem tissues. This study investigated the autopsy findings and toxicological results of fatalities involving khat i...

Toxicological analysis of some cases can be complicated by poor sample quality caused by decomposition. Although heroin-related deaths have been researched extensively, the interpretation of toxicology findings in these cases is challenging, especial...

Background: Methanol poisoning remains a major cause of fatal toxic exposures worldwide, yet the diagnostic value of postmortem methanol and formic acid levels in relation to organ-specific pathology is not fully understood. This study aimed to provi...

In post-mortem (PM) investigations, forensic toxicologists attempt to identify legal or illegal substances present before death and determine how they contributed to the cause of death. A critical challenge is ensuring that PM sample concentrations a...

In light of falling global autopsy rates, one of the causes of which is the resulting body disfigurement, it has become crucial to search for new, minimally invasive post-mortem diagnostic tools. One of these methods is videoautopsy, a minimally inva...

Forensic biochemistry has often relied on the vitreous humor as a matrix for toxicological investigations due to its stability and isolation from post-mortem redistribution processes. Recently, the scope of research has expanded to explore the vitreo...

Ethanol (ethylic alcohol) represents the most commonly used drug worldwide and is often involved in clinical and forensic toxicology. Based on several reports, excessive alcohol consumption is the main contributing factor in traffic accidents, drowni...

Mycotoxins, specifically aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), trichothecenes (TCNs), and patulin, are a group of secondary metabolites that can contaminate food, leading to severe health implications for humans. Their detection and analysis withi...

The herbicide paraquat (PQ) is responsible for a significant number of fatalities resulting from self-poisoning. Nevertheless, only a limited number of comprehensive studies focusing on fatal PQ poisoning, which include examination of autopsy finding...

Since December 2019, a new form of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has spread from China to the whole word, raising concerns regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) endangering public health and life. Over 1.5 million deaths related with COVID-19 have...

Background: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into various fields has ushered in a new era of multidisciplinary progress. Defined as the ability of a system to interpret external data, learn from it, and adapt to specific tasks, AI is p...

Methanol poisonings caused by drinking industrial alcohol remain a severe problem worldwide. Education on types of alcohol and their harmfulness and legal regulations limiting the industrial alcohol trade seem to be the keys to reducing the number of...

Pharmacogenetics analyzes the individual behavior of DNA genes after the administration of a drug. Pharmacogenetic research has been implemented in recent years thanks to the improvement in genome sequencing techniques and molecular genetics. In addi...

Background/Objectives: Snakebite envenoming remains a critical yet frequently under-recognized cause of mortality in many parts of the world, particularly in tropical and rural areas where access to timely medical care and accurate post-mortem invest...

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are long-chain lipids found on the exoskeletons of insects, serving primarily as a protective barrier against water loss and environmental factors. In the last few decades, the qualitative and quantitative analysis of CH...

Fire deaths present several diagnostic challenges for the forensic examiner, the most significant of which is the identification of the cause of death and the evaluation of the morphological consequences of heat injuries in the ante-mortem and post-m...

Background and Objectives: Insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents are drugs widely used in the world population due to their therapeutic effects on diabetes mellitus. Despite these benefits, they can also cause accidental or voluntary drug overdose. Th...

Background: Opioids are considered the cornerstone of pain management: they show good efficacy as a first-line therapy for moderate to severe cancer pain. Since pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic information about the tissue-specific effect and toxicity...

A 15-year-old young girl was found dead at home. There were no indications of any intervention or the application of force. On the previous day, she was admitted to hospital because of palpitations, fatigue, a headache, and a swollen neck. During a p...

Background: Trace elements and heavy metals can provide valuable forensic information for individual identification, lifestyle reconstruction, and association with the scene or time of death and may also assist in linking objects to criminal activiti...

Fentanyl and its analogues are synthetic opioids of varying potencies that are unfortunately heavily abused. Over the last 15 years, fentanyl and its analogues have contributed to the increasing prominence of hospitalisation and numerous deaths due t...

We report the case of a young man, a former heroin addict, found dead at home by the Police Forces in an advanced state of decomposition. Numerous blisters and unpacked tablets of medications were found all over the bed and on the floor of the room....

Vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the safest and most effective strategy for controlling the pandemic. However, some cases of acute cardiac events following vaccine administration have been reported, including myocarditis and...

Ahyahuasca is a term commonly used to describe a decoction prepared by cooking the bark or crushed stems of the liana Banisteriopsis caapi (contains β-carbolines) alone or in combination with other plants, most commonly leaves of the shrub Psych...

Insulin is the most effective glycemic-lowering drug, and for people suffering from type 1 diabetes it is a life-saving drug. Its self-dosing by patients may be associated with a higher risk of overdose, both accidental and deliberate. Insulin-induce...

Cognitive enhancement through stimulants such as modafinil is becoming increasingly popular, with many individuals using prescription stimulants for non-medical purposes to improve alertness, attention, and mood. The misuse of such substances has rai...

Molecular autopsy is a very important tool in forensic toxicology. However, many determinants, such as co-medication and physiological parameters, should be considered for optimal results. These determinants could cause phenoconversion (PC), a discre...

Amphetamine abuse is a known problem in Saudi Arabia; it is estimated that 40% of drug abusers misuse amphetamines. Here, our aim was to perform an up-to-date epidemiological study of amphetamine-related postmortem cases in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in w...

There has been a significant increase in sodium azide intoxications since the 1980s. Intoxications caused by sodium azide are becoming increasingly prevalent in the Netherlands as a result of its promotion for the purpose of self-euthanasia. The mech...

Ethanol can be produced by many microorganisms that colonize a dead body. Ethanol’s concentration depends on the congener higher alcohols, 1-propanol, isobutanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and 1-butanol, as previous research has s...

Lithium is used as a medication in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Lithium has a narrow therapeutic index, and fatal intoxications have been described. The therapeutic drug monitoring of lithium is routinely performed in serum. Serum is commonly u...

Forensic toxicology and forensic medicine are unique among all other medical fields because of their essential legal impact, especially in civil and criminal cases. New high-throughput technologies, borrowed from chemistry and physics, have proven th...

Carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) are two common toxic products of combustion. HCN concentrations of fire victims are not routinely determined in most legal medicine services in Romania. We present the case of a room fire victim in whic...

In a regular autopsy, blood and organs are used to quantify drug and toxicant concentrations; however, specimens such as blood cannot be collected from highly decomposed corpses, making the quantification of drug and toxicants impossible. This study...

To date, epidemiological studies have not evaluated heroin-related deaths in the Middle East and North African regions, especially Saudi Arabia. All heroin-related postmortem cases reported at the Jeddah Poison Control Center (JPCC) over a 10-year pe...

Propafenone (PPF) belongs to the class 1C antiarrhythmics and can cause electrocardiogram-associated adverse/toxic effects. Cases of PPF intoxication are rarely investigated. We developed a novel and selective GC-MS/MS method for the determination of...

Fentanyl is a synthetic L-opioid receptor agonist, approximately 100 times more potent than morphine, that is experiencing an upward trend in the field of abuse. Fentanyl patches’ abusive consumption can occur either by transdermal absorption o...