Marzena Sykutera

Nicolaus Copernicus University | umk · Department of Forensic Medicine

The preservation of naturally mummified bodies in the Nazca drainage and Yauca Valley provided an opportunity to analyse for the first time which of the psychoactive plants were used on the southern Peruvian coast. Toxicological analysis allows us to better understand the ancient medicine, trade network and religiosity of the region of interest. Ha...

Hallucinogenic plants and psychotropic stimulants performed an important role in the beliefs, rituals and divination practices in the ancient Andes. The aim of this article is to present the results of toxicological studies of two individuals immolated over 500 years ago during a capacocha ritual on the mountain of Ampato mountain in southern Peru....

We report a fatal case of combined α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP) and 2-(methylamino)-1-phenylpentan-1-one (pentedrone) poisoning. A 28-year-old man was taken to hospital in asystole. Despite resuscitation efforts over 30 min, he died. The forensic autopsy showed pulmonary edema and moderately advanced atherosclerotic lesions of the arteries. M...

3,4-dimethylmethcathinone (3,4-DMMc) is a psychoactive, synthetic analog of the central nervous system stimulant cathinone. In recent years, 3,4-DMMc has been abused as an alternative to controlled cathinones. as with other synthetic cathinones, the recreational use of 3,4-DMMc can result in death. we present an autopsy case in which the cause of d...

Nails and hair are a biological matrix which can be analyzed to confirm the use of a xenobiotic even several months after intake. Results of nail analysis can be used, for example, as evidence in civil and criminal law cases in which a history of drug use can influence the court’s decision. The paper presents results of analysis of a nail sample t...

The report presents the possibility of using an alternative material of determining citalopram and its metabolite (desmethylcitalopram) in hair and nails. Citalopram (Cipramil, Citaratio, Citaxin, Oropram, Cital, Cilon, Aurex) is an antidepressant drug of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class, employed in treatment of depression,...

A better understanding of genetic determinants of suicidal behavior might be very useful in clinical practice. The objectives of the present study were to answer the question whether there is an association between functional polymorphic forms of 5-HTT, MAOA or DAT and suicidality, and to examine whether the combination of functional alleles in 5-H...

Despite numerous case reports suggesting the value of morphine (M) nebulization in the treatment of breathlessness, only a few clinical trials have been able to support this. The reason for this could lie in the lack of understanding of the localization of opioid receptors in the airways and the biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics of nebulized mo...

The report presents the possibility of using alternative material in determinations of antidepressants taking as exemplified by flupentixol. At the first stage of the study, the method of flupentixol isolation from nails and its identification were elaborated. Determinations were performed in fingernail/toenail samples originating from individuals...

A simultaneous determination of twelve antidepressant drugs (amitriptyline, chlorpromazine, clomipramine, doxepin, fluoxetine, levomepromazine, maprotiline, paroxetine, perazine, promazine, sertraline, thioridazine) in blood samples was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Blood samples were extract...

The report presents the results of determinations of medication levels in biological materials collected from victims of suicide by hanging. The analysis included cases autopsied at Forensic Medicine Department in Bydgoszcz in the years 2005-2006. The authors observed that of 928 postmortem examinations, suicide by hanging accounted for 7.8% of cas...

Due to a series of fatal accidents and one case of suicidal intoxication, a method for detection and identification of pancuronium in blood, urine, stomach contents and liver, kidney, and brain tissues was developed. The question which had to be answered was how long after death it was possible to identify pancuronium in biological material. In the...

Im Zusammenhang mit einer tödlichen Risperidon- (RIS-)Überdosierung wurde eine Methode entwickelt, um RIS und seinen Hauptmetaboliten 9-Hydroxyrisperidon (9-OH-RIS) in Körperflüssigkeiten, Gewebeproben und Haaren bestimmen zu können. Die Analyse erfolgte mit der „liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry“ (LC-ESI-MS). Die Leic...

Currently, oral fluid testing for drugs of abuse is used in a variety of settings, including workplace drug testing, treatment monitoring, health assessment and roadside testing of (psycho-physically) impaired drivers. The authors present the main issues connected with the "zero tolerance law" concerning drugs and driving from the forensic toxicolo...

The aim of the study was to demonstrate the usefulness of saliva as a material for determining the presence in the organism of medicines affecting the psychomotor efficiency of drivers. The research material was blood and saliva samples collected from 50 volunteers, who were given successively, per os, a single dose of estazolam, doxepin, and proma...

This paper presents a method of determination of bencyclane by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in biological samples. This developed method was used to determine the concentration of bencyclane in a biological specimen collected during autopsy from the body of young female who had committed suicide by ingestion of an un...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of ethyl alcohol on blood estazolam level, to assess the usefulness of saliva in testing for the presence of the drug and to present selected issues concerning safety of traffic. This paper presents the results of estazolam determinations in blood samples taken from 25 volunteers, who were given a sin...

A gas chromatographic method with mass spectrometry has been developed for the determination of bromochlorodifluoromethane (Halon 1211) in biological material (whole blood, organ samples). After incubation of the sample (temp. 65 degrees C, 15 min), 10 microliters of the headspace is analysed using a capillary column DB-5 ms (30 m x 0.25 mm x 0.25...

A method of determination of warfarin and coumatetralyl - the active components of TOXANOX+® - in non-typical samples such as blood stains on linen cloth and blood mixed with soil is presented. The above substances were isolated by extraction with acetone/chloroform mixture (1:1 v/v). Identification and quantification of warfarin and coumatetralyl...

Difficulties encountered in the assessment of psychomotor disturbances of persons under the influence of certain medicines have led to a search for new objective investigative methods. It seems that posturography could contribute significantly in this matter. In the paper, parameters obtained from the analysis of stabilograms of persons under the i...

The aim of the work was to analyse the influence of storage conditions such as time and temperature on the stability of fluoxetine in biological material. De- termination of fluoxetine in blood, urine and liver samples was carried out using the HPLC method. Analysis revealed that fluoxetine showed consistent stability in sam- ples which were stored...

A solid-phase extraction method routinely used for serum samples was improved and applied to the qualitative and quantitative determination of paracetamol in different body fluids, e.g. blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, vitreous humor, and in tissue samples. A very simple method showed best results: Body fluids were mixed with phen...

The aim of the present study was to work out a method of isolation and identification of cephalosporin antibiotics in biological material and then to find out if the method can be used for autopsy material - especially in the case of children's deaths in which only small amounts of material are available, and medicine concentration in the tested sa...

In this study, an evaluation of suitable extraction and clean up techniques for Estazolam in whole blood and organ material was done. Solvent extraction methods were compared with solid-phase extraction using Extrelut® or modified silica adsorbents. For end-step detection method TLC, UV-spectrophotometry, high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)...